🔗 Articles: Sunday-Monday 07-08.Apr.2024


NYT: Ezra Klein: Happy 20th Anniversary, Gmail. I’m Sorry I’m Leaving You.

There are no end of theories for why the internet feels so crummy these days. The New Yorker blames the shift to algorithmic feeds. Wiredblames a cycle in which companies cease serving their users and begin monetizing them. The M.I.T. Technology Review blames ad-based business models. The Verge blames search engines. I agree with all these arguments. But here’s another: Our digital lives have become one shame closet after another.


Reuters: US FAA to investigate loss of engine cowling on Southwest Boeing 737-800

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday it will investigate after an engine cowling on a Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) Boeing 737-800 fell off during takeoff in Denver and struck the wing flap.

Boeing! (That’s the sound it made!)


Scripting News (Dave Winer): How my workday flows

In my work, I start pretty much at the same time every day, and I get a good five or six hours before it’s time to do the next thing. The first hour is warming up. Then I go to the notes I left the night before about where I’m going next. By hour two, I’m not quite at my highest rate but getting there, by hours 3-5 I get monster stuff done, if I’m in a good groove. Hour six is iffy. All the while I’m taking short breaks to check email, tweets, whatever. All of it asynchronous. Waiting for my attention to be available, for a short period.

After 5-6 hours of this, I’m wiped out.

I can handle small interruptions, like a package delivery.

But if it involves the front of my brain for any real amount of time, if I have to shift my attention elsewhere, boom, it all drops out of my head. It doesn’t take much of a shift in attention to lose the whole thing, and basically have to start over the next day.

Dave Winer is an iron man! (With a brain.)


Daniel Sax (Vimeo): Ira Glass: The Gap

I think it was in the time of spring 2012, when I came across David Shiyang Liu’s lovely piece of work about Ira Glass. It was the most inspiring and motivating video I had ever seen in my life. I watched it over and over again, listened to Ira Glass’ voice, and told myself, that I am not the only person who is constantly disappointed about the gap between one’s taste and one’s skills. Later in 2012, I decided to do my own filmed version of Ira’s interview - using my own language to tell his message. It took me about a year from concept to upload.

I made it for myself and for anybody who is in doubt about his/her creative career. I also think that Ira Glass’ message isn’t only limited to the creative industry. It can be applied to everyone who starts out in a new environment and is willing to improve.

via @WritingSlowly on micro.blog


NYT: Maryland Passes 2 Major Privacy Bills, Despite Tech Industry Pushback

The Maryland Legislature this weekend passed two sweeping privacy bills that aim to restrict how powerful tech platforms can harvest and use the personal data of consumers and young people – despite strong objections from industry trade groups representing giants like Amazon, Google and Meta.

One bill, the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, would impose wide-ranging restrictions on how companies may collect and use the personal data of consumers in the state. The other, the Maryland Kids Code, would prohibit certain social media, video game and other online platforms from tracking people under 18 and from using manipulative techniques — like auto-playing videos or bombarding children with notifications — to keep young people glued online.


Monday 08.Apr.2024


Wikipedia: Eclipse of Thales

The eclipse of Thales was a solar eclipse that was, according to ancient Greek historian Herodotus, accurately predicted by the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus. If Herodotus’ account is accurate, this eclipse is the earliest recorded as being known in advance of its occurrence. Many historians believe that the predicted eclipse was the solar eclipse of 28 May 585 BC. How exactly Thales predicted the eclipse remains uncertain; some scholars assert the eclipse was never predicted at all. Others have argued for different dates, but only the eclipse of May 585 BC matches the conditions of visibility necessary to explain the historical event.


Solartime with Martyna (YouTube): Enphase vs Tigo | Watch this REAL TEST | Which one is better? Microinverter vs Optimizer

The time has come, to test these two together! Enphase IQ8A Microinverter versus Tigo Power Optimizer + SMA String Inverter! We performed another set of 20+ Tests, with and without shading to determine which one wins the battle!

Are they really that different?
What is the cost comparison?

TLDW: 19% performance differences; 40% capital cost difference.


AppleInsider: How to fix Universal Clipboard in macOS

Much like how copy and paste works at a system level to shift files, text, video, or images between documents or storage folders, Universal Clipboard is the same thing, but across multiple devices. It’s possible to copy text from one item, like a Mac, and to paste that same data to Messages running on an iPhone.

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For every device that you want Universal Clipboard to work on, you need to make sure they’re all signed in with the same Apple ID and can access iCloud.

You also have to ensure that the devices all have Bluetooth enabled and have Wi-Fi enabled. Ideally they should be on the same Wi-FI network, and to be within close proximity to each other.

Handoff also needs to be turned on for every device. It is turned on by default, but it can be disabled.


Last Updated: 08.Apr.2024 22:46 EDT

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