1. Glove80 Ergonomic Keyboard
Total comment counts : 54
Summary
The article is a review of the Glove80, an ergonomic keyboard developed and manufactured by MoErgo. The author begins by discussing their experience with other ergonomic keyboards, such as the Kinesis Advantage2 and the Kinesis Advantage360 Pro, highlighting their strengths and shortcomings. They then introduce the Glove80 and provide a detailed analysis of its features, including the key well, thumb cluster, tenting mechanism, palm rests, build quality, switches and keycaps, innards, and the Glove80 ecosystem. The review concludes by mentioning the purchasing process and providing some recommendations for improvement, such as offering a fast shipping option with prepaid duties and including locking nuts with the keyboard.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author does not understand the curved keyboard wells present on the Glove80 and Kinesis Advantage keyboards. They prefer typing on a flat keyboard by swinging their fingers up and down instead of bending the joints. They feel that the keys above the home row and function keys on the Kinesis Advantage are too high and angled towards their hands, making it feel like they are curling their fingers and lifting their whole hand to press the keys. However, they greatly prefer typing on the Kinesis Gaming Keyboard and find it better than using welled keyboards.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author expresses satisfaction with the Glove80, a keyboard they have been using. They initially had a 3D printed prototype and helped with the LED status display code. Despite dropping the prototype, it still works. They now have a production model with white clicky keyswitches and prefer it over the Kinesis Advantage2, which they had been using for over two decades. They appreciate the clicky keyswitches, ergonomic design, and repairability of the Glove80. They also mention that the keyboard has open firmware, allowing for customization, and is small and light for travel. Adapting to the new keyboard layout was initially challenging, but they have since adjusted.
2. Everything I know about floppy disks
Total comment counts : 25
Summary
The article discusses the technology and mechanics behind floppy disk drives. It explains the different sizes of floppy disks, the components of a drive, and how data is read and written on the disks. The article also covers topics such as track movement, compatibility issues, interface connectors, writing protection, encoding techniques, and disk density. It concludes by mentioning advancements in technology and the eventual decline of floppy disk drives.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article explains the concept of the “write protect” notch on floppy disks. The notch determines whether a floppy disk is read/write or read-only. If the notch is present, the disk is read/write on that side. If the notch is covered or not present, the side becomes read-only. Early floppy drives only wrote on one side of the disk, but it was discovered that both sides had magnetic material, so the diskettes could be flipped and written on, effectively doubling the storage capacity. Later drives had second read/write heads, eliminating the need for flipping. In 3 1/2" diskettes, the write protect function is controlled by a sliding tab, with a closed notch indicating read/write and an open notch indicating write-protect.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the robustness of 8" floppy disks and DECTAPE in the context of computer systems. It mentions that the 8" floppies were durable and could easily fit into a computer slot for booting. The operator described in the article carried the floppy in his pocket and could use it by ensuring it rotated smoothly inside its kevlar sleeve. The article also mentions that DECTAPE, designed for light industrial deployments, was known for its durability and the redundancy of its data. The old computer tapes were also considered robust.
3. Sony sends copyright notices to TV Museum about shows 40 to 60 years old
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
The Museum of Classic Chicago Television, a non-profit organization that preserves old TV adverts and programming, is facing the potential shutdown of their YouTube channel due to copyright notices sent on behalf of Sony. The project, which has been running since 2007, relies on the preservation of TV shows between 40 and 60 years old. The issue arises from copyright claims made by an anti-piracy company representing Sony, and the museum is struggling to resolve the claims with the company. Despite the historical and educational value of the content, there is a risk that the project may cease to exist if the copyright notices are not resolved.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the issue of encoding old content and adding large watermarks in videos. The author questions whether this practice aligns with the concept of preservation, as the advertisements cannot be removed without altering the original content. The author further mentions that as a consumer of old video, they do not view this as a significant loss since the original works cannot be enjoyed as intended.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article criticizes the practice of using YouTube as a platform to archive data. It argues that YouTube is vulnerable to being shut down by malicious actors, making it unreliable for long-term preservation. The author suggests that the videos should be backed up on other cloud storage platforms and made available elsewhere or restored to YouTube after the current issues have resolved.
4. Plastic Money
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
The article discusses the concept of stored value smart cards (SVCs) as a method of payment. It explains how SVCs work, their history and development, as well as the challenges and limitations they face. The article also mentions various applications of SVCs, such as laundromat payments, student ID cards, and welfare programs. It highlights the popularity of SVC systems in Europe compared to the limited adoption in the United States. The article concludes by discussing the impact of EMV specifications on the smart card market in the US and the challenges of implementing multi-application cards.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the stored value card payment system in Uzbekistan that was used from 2003-2005 to 2010-2012. This system, known as UzKart, was commonly referred to as “offline cards” because it did not require an internet connection to make transactions, unlike “online cards”. Users would load money onto their cards at online ATMs or internet-connected terminals and then use the money to make payments at offline terminals. Sellers had their own special offline card called a “merchant’s card” and at the end of the day, they would synchronize the transactions from the offline terminal with their bank account. If any payments failed to clear during synchronization, the payer’s card would be banned. Initially, offline cards were preferred by merchants due to the expensive and unreliable internet connection, but as mobile internet became cheaper and more widespread, offline cards became less popular.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the payment methods used in Singapore for car parks. It mentions that NETS is the main payment method, but it is transitioning from a contact-based card to a contactless card. Some car parks do not accept the new contactless card, so drivers need to have both types of NETS cards.
5. Amiga Samplers: Budget dance music in 1990
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author nostalgically recalls their enjoyment of computing as a teenager with an Amiga 500, CD ROMs full of mod files and Fred Fish disks, and an 8-bit sampler. They mention sampling and creating extended mixes of rave tunes, recording them to tape and playing them on a Walkman for friends. They express gratitude to the Amiga for inspiring their love of programming, which eventually led to becoming a developer of audio FX plugins.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is about Calvin Harris and his debut studio album called “I Created Disco.” It mentions that all the recording and producing for the album were done on an Amiga computer with OctaMED software.
6. Lego 3-axis styrofoam cutter [video]
Total comment counts : 9
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author praises a creative idea, but expresses strong dislike for styrofoam due to its negative impact on the environment. They believe it is harmful and should be banned globally, even if it leads to higher prices.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions that industrial robots have been used to build formwork for construction projects, including some that remain in place to act as insulation. The author also mentions the use of diamond wire cutting marble as a tangential project. The links provided lead to additional information on the topics discussed.
7. Index of Aesthetics
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
I’m sorry, but I cannot summarize an article without having the actual content. Could you please provide me with the text of the article?
Top 1 Comment Summary
The provided links lead to AestheticsWiki, a website that focuses on aesthetics. The first link directs to the main page of AestheticsWiki, while the second link provides a list of different aesthetics.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the use of a green-wireframe design, referred to as “Laser Grid,” in 1980s science fiction commercial art. This design was heavily influenced by CRT vector graphics and often seen on SF juvenile novels. The article notes that the lines in this design are usually crisp while the space between them remains dark, mimicking actual CRT vector images. The article also mentions that blown-out lines and mesh polygons with a glow or light reflections are more characteristic of recent pastiches like synthwave rather than the original design. Additionally, the article briefly mentions MICR or MICR-inspired fonts as another visual element from the 80s that hasn’t received much nostalgia.
8. VSCodium – Open-source binaries of VSCode
Total comment counts : 19
Summary
VSCodium is a binary distribution of Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code (VS Code) that is community-driven and freely-licensed. While the source code for VS Code is open source, the downloadable product is released under a non-free license and contains telemetry/tracking. VSCodium exists to provide a “clean” build of VS Code without the Microsoft customizations, and it is licensed under the MIT license with telemetry disabled. Users can download VSCodium from various package managers and repositories, including Homebrew, Windows Package Manager, Chocolatey, Scoop, Snap Store, AUR, Nixpkgs, and Flatpak. Detailed installation instructions can be found in the article.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses concern about trusting binaries generated by smaller projects compared to those provided by larger tech companies. They worry that smaller projects are more susceptible to supply chain attacks or being taken over if a developer sells the project. The author asks for resources or input on how these risks can be avoided. They acknowledge that their concerns might be valid but admit to not having much knowledge in the area.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses how Microsoft has restricted the availability of certain extensions for their products, creating a lack of competition. The author, who frequently uses remote extensions, hopes that an alternative can be found.
9. Scientists use quantum device to slow chemical process by factor of 100B
Total comment counts : 15
Summary
Scientists at the University of Sydney have successfully used a quantum computer to slow down a process critical in chemical reactions by a factor of 100 billion times. They observed the interference pattern of a single atom caused by a structure in chemistry called a ‘conical intersection’. This breakthrough could have significant implications for materials science, drug design, solar energy harvesting, and understanding how smog is created or how the ozone layer is damaged. Previously, it was not feasible to directly observe these rapid timescales involved in chemical dynamics, but the researchers were able to design an experiment using a trapped-ion quantum computer to slow down the process and make meaningful observations. This experiment provides insight into the ultrafast dynamics of molecules and opens up new possibilities for studying chemical processes.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article was reading a book in hopes of understanding how to derive E=mc2. They wanted to catch up with scientific advancements, but realized that progress is not linear. They then checked a link to confirm the authenticity of the information provided in the book.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article states that a factor of 1e11, though large, is often seen in chemistry due to the logarithmic relationship of many phenomena. For instance, the pH scale already covers a range of 14 orders of magnitude.
10. A Gentle Introduction to Liquid Types
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The article discusses how liquid types can be used to enrich existing type systems and verify semantic properties in code. Liquid types allow for the specification of logical predicates that describe the structure and semantics of program values. By using liquid types, programmers can catch semantic type errors, such as division by zero, at compile-time. Verification of code with liquid types involves subtyping queries and implication checking to ensure that the code satisfies the specifications. Liquid types are a form of refinement types that are dependent on program expressions and use a decidable sublanguage. The use of liquid types allows for more automated type checking and verification of code.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how Liquid Types, a feature of Liquid Haskell, can significantly speed up the high-performance parsing of UDP packets. By using Liquid Haskell, the bound checks are shifted from runtime to compile time and are automatically handled by SMT-solvers. This not only helps programmers write correct programs faster but also improves the speed of program execution. The article also mentions that similar approaches to speeding up programs with static analysis can be found in other programming languages like Mojo and Swift.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author highlights that while fancy type systems can guarantee safety in a closed world, they may not be sufficient when dealing with data from external sources. In such cases, a reader or parser with runtime checks is necessary. However, a good type system can provide assurance that these checks are performed once. For monolithic systems, this can lead to significant improvements, but distributed systems (such as microservices) will still require runtime checks to enable each service to have its own lifecycle. The author is curious about how Elixir will handle this issue, considering that Erlang servers divide work into many independent, distributed components.