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Writing userspace USB drivers for abandoned devices
I recently found some USB devices on eBay (Epiphan VGA2USB LR) that could take VGA as input and present the output as a webcam. Given that I was keen on the idea of not needing to lug out a VGA monitor ever again and there was claimed Linux support I took the risk and bought the whole job lot for about £20 (25 USD).
The Power of Shower Thoughts
One of the best ways to learn and come up with new ideas is to focus intensely on a problem, then let your mind wander. I’ve enjoyed doing this when problem solving and learning, and recently I’ve been thinking about how weird it is to build trust in your unconscious to do the work for you, especially when it comes to…
“That Deep Romantic Chasm”: Libertarianism and the Computer Culture (1999)
"THAT DEEP ROMANTIC CHASM": LIBERTARIANISM, NEOLIBERALISM, AND THE COMPUTER CULTURE
Infectious Executable Stacks
In software development there are many concepts that at first glance seem useful and sound, but, after considering the consequences of their implementation and use, are actually horrifying. Examples include thread cancellation , variable length arrays , and memory aliasing . GCC’s closure extension to C is another…
CSS Utility Classes and “Separation of Concerns” (2017)
Over the last several years, the way I write CSS has transitioned from a "semantic" approach to something more like what people call "functional CSS." In this post I explain how I got to this point and share some of the lessons and insights I've picked up along the way.
Building a 64-bit aarch64 kernel and userspace for the Raspberry Pi 4
I’ve recently been tinkering around with using a Raspberry Pi as a desktop computer. The Pi 4 is fairly powerful; very sufficient for web browsing, audio, video, and terminal use for programming.
The Configuration Complexity Curse
Why managing configuration has become so complex and how data configuration languages like CUE offer a path forward.
Instant stone (just add water) (2018)
If cement weren't 10,000 years old, it would seem like a futuristic technology: liquid rock!
Microsoft Advertisement Inc.
Advertisement needs to end. It is insane to think that a piece of software, so fundamental to running computers, an operating system is selling user behavior to advertisers.
TROS: IBM mainframes stored microcode in transformers
I recently came across a Transformer Read-Only Storage (TROS) module that stored microcode in an IBM System/360 mainframe computer. This unu...
The Value in Go’s Simplicity
After using Go for a couple years, I’ve really come to appreciate its simplicity. I started writing Go at work a couple months ago, and have found it really easy to iterate on – much more so than Python and Java.
The 80/24 Rule
Write small blocks of code. How small? Here's how small.
Eigenvectors from eigenvalues
Peter Denton, Stephen Parke, Xining Zhang, and I have just uploaded to the arXiv the short unpublished note “Eigenvectors from eigenvalues”. This note gives two proofs of a general eige…
It's Not Sabotage, They're Drowning
As you gain visibility into system problems, you’ll often experience push back like this: I refactored the code from untested and untestable, to testable with 40% test coverage. The senior ar…
The case for banning ads in social media
Social media has been at the center of a number of firestorms around everything from being intentionally addicting, to making people depressed, to gleefully spreading misinformation and destabilizing democracies around the world. While almost everyone can agree that something must be done, there’s not a lot of…
A Pragmatic Approach to Thorny People Problems
Moderating is about dealing with people problems and some people problems are extremely difficult to deal with. The internet is probably th...
Cooling off your Raspberry Pi 4
Read up about how you can cool off your Raspberry Pi 4 and drop a few degrees. I compare several cooling solutions including firmware updates.
Build Your Own React
We are going to rewrite React from scratch. Step by step. Following the architecture from the real React code but without all the…
Homology
Xoilac TV trực tiếp bóng đá HD hàng đầu Việt Nam, đường truyền ổn định, đa dạng link trực tuyến, đa dạng giải đấu, BLV chuyên môn cao và hoàn toàn miễn phí.
If you're busy, you're doing something wrong (2011)
The Berlin Study In the early 1990s, a trio of psychologists descended on the Universität der Künste, a historic arts academy in the heart of West ... Read more
Explaining 4K 60Hz Video Through USB-C Hub
USB-C offers exciting new capabilities, including external monitors connected through the USB port. USB-C converters to DisplayPort or HDMI are common and inexpensive. USB-C hubs with external monitor support are also common, but understanding their capabilities and limitations can be extremely confusing. Some are…
The 16-Inch MacBook Pro
After my first day with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, I’m very optimistic about it.
How internet ads work
header bidding, DFP, GAM, cpm ... welcome in the world of ads, where everything is an acronym. Le me try to explain how everything works under the hood.
Book Review: The Body Keeps the Score
I. The Body Keeps The Score is a book about post-traumatic stress disorder. The author, Bessel van der Kolk, helped discover the condition and lobby for its inclusion in the DSM, and the brief fora…
OpenBSD: Why and How (2016)
Derek Sivers official site. Thoughts on philosophy, culture, self-improvement. Author of Useful Not True, How to Live, Hell Yeah or No, Anything You Want.