1. Scrollbars are becoming a problem
Total comment counts : 115
Summary
The article discusses the issue of scrollbars getting smaller and less usable, making it difficult for users with motor control or visual impairments to navigate content. The author criticizes the trend of designers making scrollbars smaller or trying to hide them, and highlights the importance of having user-friendly options to customize scrollbar width. The article provides some tips for modifying scrollbar width in GTK2 and GTK3, as well as mentions a theme engine called Skulpture that allows configurable sizes. The article also mentions that Firefox has a small scrollbar that can be customized through about:config. The author expresses frustration with Chrome and Electron apps, as there seem to be limited options for customizing scrollbars in those environments. The author concludes by advocating for the use of minimaps, which provide a visual overview of content and easy navigation.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article criticizes various aspects of modern user interfaces, focusing on issues such as the lack of window borders, difficulty in resizing windows, overloading of the title bar, problems with tabbing between text boxes, excessive tooltips, and a general decline in usability. The author argues that these problems have been caused by a disregard for established usability principles and a trend towards less user configurability. The article specifically mentions certain applications like Postman, Teams, Chrome, and Insomnia as examples of poorly designed user interfaces.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the issue of fine motor control problems and argues against the use of scrollbars to change scroll positions. The author believes that scrollbars should exist only for visualizing the scroll position, and that every device and application should provide an alternative method of scrolling that does not require precise control.
2. The Interface of Kai Krause’s Software (2003)
Total comment counts : 34
Summary
The article discusses the innovative use of user interfaces by Kai Krause in various software products. It highlights the development of Kai’s Power Tools (KPT) and its evolution into other products such as Bryce and Poser. The article also mentions the concept of kansei engineering in software design and how it is applied in KPT Convolver. It further explores the use of modal dialogs, Magic Lenses, and specialized environments in software interfaces. The article concludes by mentioning Kai Krause’s departure from MetaCreations and the subsequent developments in the software industry.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is about the author’s visit to Kai in a castle he purchased in Germany, which he renamed “Byteburg.” During the visit, Kai hosted pitch nights for startup ideas and was actively involved in running the castle. The author describes Kai as a kind, humble, and interesting person. The article also mentions how KPT, a Photoshop plugin for creating procedural patterns, became popular. The author explains that a group of students hired by Kai’s friend, Uwe, called major US department stores and chains, pretending to be studying graphic design and needing KPT for their assignments, which led to an increase in sales.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the aesthetic of 90s digital graphics, particularly focusing on the Kai Page Curl effect and the software Bryce. The author describes these graphics as cute and twee, and mentions their association with the bright colors and glass themes popular at the time. The author also highlights how everything created with Bryce had a distinct Bryce-ish look, consisting of fractal mountains, planets, orbs, alien seascapes, and vivid sunsets. The article concludes by mentioning the immersive nature of using KaiSpace and the lack of escape from it.
3. Populating the page: how browsers work (2020)
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
This article is a web technology reference for developers. It discusses various aspects of web development, including content structure, document style, scripting, web accessibility, browser compatibility, and performance optimization. It explains the process of loading a web page, including DNS lookup, establishing a connection, retrieving resources, parsing HTML, building the DOM and CSSOM, layout, painting, and rendering. It emphasizes the importance of optimizing web performance by understanding the single-threaded nature of browsers, minimizing the main thread’s responsibilities, and reducing latency.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The user is seeking clarification on the concept of threads in browsers. They question whether concurrent tasks in browsers are considered threads. Additionally, they inquire about whether browsers use multiple threads to layout object models and render web pages, and if not, what challenges are involved in implementing this approach.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is a fun and informative read that consolidates various pieces of information that the reader may have had some knowledge of but did not fully understand.
4. GPSJam: Daily maps of possible GPS interference
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article is seeking opinions from the community on two topics. First, they wonder why popular flight trackers like FlightRadar24 and FlightAware haven’t implemented certain features related to GPS jamming. Second, they are considering monetization options for their projects, including finding advertisers or crowdfunding for development. The author also mentions two recent aviation-related projects they have worked on: the Global Aircraft Event Viewer, which provides a near real-time map of aircraft behavior, and Closest Points of Approach, an analysis tool for determining how close aircraft came to each other in specific scenarios.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article explains that the data being shown is about areas where airplanes report low navigation accuracy through their ADS-B transponders. It mentions that planes typically use INS navigation with the addition of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or other systems to compensate for drift. This can result in some data inconsistencies, such as areas where most planes lack GPS navigation or have poor quality technology, as well as instances of INS drift.
5. Echoes of Electromagnetism Found in Number Theory
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article discusses the work of mathematicians Akshay Venkatesh, Yiannis Sakellaridis, and David Ben-Zvi on the relationship between periods and L-functions in number theory. They sought to understand the connection between these two types of mathematical expressions, which had been a longstanding mystery. Through their collaborative efforts, they were able to create a two-way translation between periods and L-functions by representing them in terms of geometric spaces. This breakthrough contributes to the Langlands program, a research initiative that aims to link different areas of mathematics. The mathematicians’ work provides a conceptual framework that unifies various mathematical connections and offers new insights into the relationship between arithmetic and geometry. However, their current findings apply to number systems that arise in geometry called function fields, and further work is needed to extend it to number fields, such as the real numbers. Overall, this research brings order and understanding to a previously perplexing relationship between periods and L-functions in number theory.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article explains that there is a geometric abstraction in mathematics that can be used to describe electromagnetic fields. It also suggests that this geometric abstraction can be used to describe the entanglement of electricity and magnetism.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a video published by Numberphile, which explores the Langland program, a “grand unified theory of mathematics.” The video is an hour long and is described as fascinating by the author. The link to the video is provided.
6. Mathematician warns US spies may be weakening next-gen encryption
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
A cryptography expert has claimed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) is deliberately weakening new encryption standards for post-quantum cryptography, which are designed to protect against attacks from powerful quantum computers. The expert, Daniel Bernstein, alleges that the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is obscuring the NSA’s involvement in developing the new encryption standards and has made errors in calculations regarding their security. NIST denies these claims. Bernstein believes that NIST’s standards, which are used globally, could have significant flaws if the NSA is secretly inserting weaknesses into them. NIST is currently in the process of finalizing the standards for post-quantum cryptography algorithms.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article argues that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) needs to be more transparent in its decision-making processes. The author suggests that if NIST cannot provide enough transparency for the public to verify their decisions, then the organization should be disbanded and replaced with something that better serves the public. The article also criticizes the use of technology for surveillance and the scrutiny of private citizens, emphasizing that those who serve in public roles should be the ones to give up some of their privacy. The author concludes by stating that simply telling people is not enough; NIST needs to be able to prove its transparency or step aside for better leadership.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses criticisms made by security researcher Berstein about the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and its selection process for new Post-Quantum-Crypto algorithms. Berstein argues that NIST is not properly evaluating the security thresholds of algorithms like NTRU and Kyber, and suggests that NIST may be favoring one algorithm over the other. He points out potential mistakes made by NIST and questions the transparency of the process. The article also mentions a lawsuit by Berstein seeking more information about the internal NIST process. While some may view Berstein as biased due to his involvement with NTRU, his reputation adds weight to his arguments.
7. Not setting up Find My bricked my MacBook
Total comment counts : 67
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author had a problem with their Apple AirPods after one fell out and went down a drain. They bought a replacement AirPod but couldn’t get it to connect to their phone. Apple suggested a software issue and offered to either sell them a new pair or charge them $250 to diagnose the problem. The author is disappointed that Apple is not taking responsibility for the software bug and passing the cost onto the consumer. They are reconsidering their loyalty to Apple and are concerned about the environmental impact of throwing away the AirPods.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses a situation where someone lost their laptop at an airport and had it returned to them in an unusable condition. The laptop was replaced by the person assuming it was stolen. The article argues that this incident should be covered by travel insurance, as the laptop was effectively stolen and destroyed.
8. Signal Identification Wiki
Total comment counts : 9
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article encourages people who are able to send or receive WSPR, FT8, or Morse code to do so during the eclipse tomorrow from 1200-2200 UTC. It provides more information about this on the website provided.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests that if you are interested in “wave hunting” but do not have your own software-defined radio (SDR) or receiver, you can use free WebSDRs available at websdr.org to get started.
9. Researchers find pre-Columbian agave plants persisting in Arizona landscapes
Total comment counts : 3
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the caloric yield of crops produced using sustainable practices. The reader finds the topic fascinating and expresses a desire to understand more.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses whether the word “agave” should be capitalized.
10. Making Rust supply chain attacks harder with Cackle
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The article discusses a supply-chain attack in the context of a software engineer named Alex who built a tool using Rust. Alex’s tool has multiple dependencies, one of which is a crate named foobar. The foobar crate was maintained by someone named Chris, but Bob, an enthusiastic contributor, was added as an owner. After updating her tool and releasing a new version, Alex discovers that foobar has introduced code that sends data to an unknown address on the internet, resulting in a security breach for her client. The article introduces Cackle, a code ACL checker that helps prevent supply-chain attacks. It explains how Cackle can be configured to define classes of APIs and restrict their usage to specific crates. The article also discusses the use of a sandbox and the integration of Cackle into the continuous integration (CI) process. It covers the analysis and resolution of problems detected by Cackle and notes that the tool currently only supports Linux. The article concludes by emphasizing that while Cackle can make it harder for attackers to introduce malicious code, it cannot completely eliminate the risk of supply-chain attacks.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the issue of using the “unsafe” permission in coding, which grants access to various functionalities such as file I/O, network access, and others. The author emphasizes that the problem with the “unsafe” permission is that it implies all other permissions and can lead to memory and thread safety vulnerabilities. While some argue that restricting the use of “unsafe” in most cases can mitigate risks, others point out that it is still relatively straightforward for attackers to perform network access using alternative methods. The author suggests that even though using Rust’s std::net APIs may provide some level of protection, it is still not completely secure.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the limitations of using tools to detect supply chain attacks at the end-developer level. The author argues that developers typically do not care enough to use such tooling effectively. Additionally, the author points out the challenge of keeping track of changes in the standard library API. The article suggests that funding is needed to address systemic problems in languages and repositories. The author mentions personal experience with various methods and tools to tackle this issue but concludes that informing developers and allowing them to make decisions is not effective. While the article acknowledges that there is no foolproof defense and emphasizes the importance of layered security, it criticizes the current approaches as being inadequate.