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Is WebP really better than JPEG?
If you have used tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights, you probably have run into a suggestion to use “next-gen image formats”, namely Google’s WebP image format. Google claims that their WebP…
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14,000x Speedup (2015)
In my job as a scientific software developer, I tend to write a lot of code. And most people who haven’t been through a Computer Science degree tend to think that CS is “just” about slinging code at the screen and then running it. I have a good working relationship with many of my colleagues and co-workers with other…
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First trans-Atlantic contact made on 432 MHz
On Tuesday the 7th of April 2020 , a remarkable contact was made with the FT8 digital mode on 432 MHz between D4VHF on the Cape Verde Is...
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Unauthorized access to cameras in Safari on macOS and iOS
A vulnerability in Safari allowed hackers to access the iPhone and Macbook cameras. (CVE-2020-3852, CVE-2020-3864, CVE-2020-3865, CVE-2020-3885, CVE-2020-3887 & CVE-2020-9784)
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Getting started with bare-metal assembly
Seeing a program you wrote running directly on the bare metal is deeply satisfying to anyone who enjoys writing software. And it turns out that creating such a program from scratch is easier than it sounds. The hardest part is figuring out where to start. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to write, build and run the…
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Ideas That Changed My Life
David shares 50 ideas that changed his life. Read here.
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An Interactive Introduction to Fourier Transforms
Fourier transforms are a tool used in a whole bunch of different things. This is a explanation of what a Fourier transform does, and some different ways it can be useful.
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Vitamin D, part 2: Shannon's story
How much Vitamin D should I take? This is still the looming question, and it’s time to address it. First, though, imagine that someone in a public forum online asked me, “How much metoprolol (a…
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India, Jio, and the Four Internets
There are four Internets: China versus the U.S., and the E.U. and India. India’s potential new model rests on Jio.
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Why Learn Awk? (2016)
Jonathan Palardy's blog about technology
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I deleted my Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram accounts, and felt great since
The problems with social media platforms in 'human' and 'data' terms. Deleting Facebook (Meta), WhatsApp, and Instagram will have a net positive effect.
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Things I Believe About Software Engineering
Inspired by Jan Stette's "Things I Believe" post, I decided to write down some of the more contentious beliefs I have about software engineering. I've selected some of my more extreme opinions here, so I expect reasonable people to disagree with me. That's ok.
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Let’s Invent B(+)-Trees
Say we have some things, and we want to be able to store and look them up in order. We could just put them in a big sorted array:
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Zoom Security Exploit: Cracking private meeting passwords
Short version: Zoom meetings were default protected by a 6 digit numeric password, meaning 1 million maximum passwords. I discovered a vulnerability in the Zoom web…
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I Spent $6M on Google Ads Last Year
I spent a lot of money on Google ads last year across Search, Display, Youtube, Discovery, and Gmail. Here's what I learned.
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Most(ly dead) Influential Programming Languages
The other day I read 20 most significant programming languages in history, a “preposterous table I just made up.” He certainly got preposterous right: he lists Go as “most significant” but not ALGOL, Smalltalk, or ML. He also leaves off Pascal because it’s “mostly dead”. Preposterous! That defeats the whole point of…
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I Love MDN, or the cult of the free in action
Yesterday or so a new initiative I Love MDN was unveiled. People can show their appreciation for the MDN staff and volunteers by leaving a comment.
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I gave away my books and sales increased
In March, I made my DevOps books free to help anyone who wanted to learn new skills during the global pandemic lockdown. In April, Device42 generously extended that offer for another month. I originally had the idea to give the books away on a whim on a Sunday night, thinking I'd give up a fair chunk of revenue, but…
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How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges
Hewlett & Packard, the founders, had great lessons to teach us (managers in high-tech) about culture. To the extend of quoting them in my awesome...
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The Era of the Trident Engine
About the rise and fall of Microsoft's take on the web.
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Gary Starkweather died on December 26, 2019
Gary Starkweather passed away on Dec 26, 2019 at the age of 81.
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The UX of Lego Interface Panels
LEGO interface panels are beautiful, iconic, and great for learning interface design basics. I bought 52 of them from BrickLink to explore the design, layout and organisation of complex interfaces.