1. Nikon to acquire RED
Total comment counts : 26
Summary
Nikon Corporation has announced that it will acquire RED.com, a company known for its digital cinema cameras, and make it a wholly-owned subsidiary. RED has been a pioneer in the industry and has earned accolades for its innovative products. The acquisition aims to combine Nikon’s expertise in product development and image processing with RED’s knowledge in cinema cameras, resulting in distinctive products for the professional digital cinema camera market. The goal is to expand in this fast-growing market and continue pushing the boundaries of film and video production.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the approved camera list for Netflix and notes that there are no Nikon cameras listed. The author expresses their opinion that RED cameras are overhyped and are a major factor in why most Netflix shows look and feel similar. They believe that it is not the color grading or lenses, but something about the camera itself that feels inadequate and doesn’t provide the same access to a scene as older Sony HDVS cameras. The article includes links to the Netflix approved camera list and YouTube videos for reference.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the lawsuit between camera manufacturers Red and Nikon over the use of a RAW video compression algorithm. Red initially sued Nikon for patent infringement but later dismissed the case. Nikon denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
2. Eloquent JavaScript 4th edition (2024)
Total comment counts : 35
Summary
This article provides information about a book called “Eloquent JavaScript” written by Marijn Haverbeke. The book explores topics related to JavaScript, programming, and the digital world. It is available for online reading or for purchase as a paperback (3rd edition). The book is licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-noncommercial license, while the code contained within it is also licensed under an MIT license. The illustrations in the book are created by various artists, including Péchane Sumi-e for the cover, Madalina Tantareanu for chapter illustrations, Antonio Perdomo Pastor for pixel art in chapters 7 and 16, Jeff Avallone for regular expression diagrams in chapter 9, Fabrice Creuzot for a village photograph in chapter 11, and Thomas Palef for a game concept in chapter 16. Additionally, a version of the book, including an extra chapter, is being published by No Starch Press.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article recommends a book called “JavaScript: The Good Parts” as a comprehensive resource for learning JavaScript. The author praises the book’s approachability and depth of content. The book was recommended by the author to a distance learning program and was well-received by both advisors and instructors. The book was also the most affordable option among other traditional textbooks.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions that Marijn Haverbeke is the creator of CodeMirror and ProseMirror, both of which are editors for code and text respectively. CodeMirror can be found at codemirror.net, while ProseMirror can be found at prosemirror.net.
3. A Bug in Early Creative Commons Licenses Has Enabled Copyleft Trolls (2022)
Total comment counts : 25
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses an incident where Cory received a notice claiming to be a second notice, suggesting that he missed the first one. However, the author questions whether this was a deliberate mischaracterization by the sender to establish willful violation or to trick Cory into thinking he missed the first notice. The author speculates about possible ways to send a first notice in a manner that makes it unlikely to be received, such as using a typo in the address or sending an email that may be classified as spam.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author questions whether making a minor mistake in attribution can be considered “wilful infringement.” They suggest that as a layperson, they would believe that any reasonable effort to comply with license requirements would indicate unintentional infringement. However, they note that if a large company purposely tries to avoid maximum penalties and intentionally infringes copyright, this should be classified as wilful infringement.
4. Bob_cassette_rewinder
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
This article discusses the author’s experience with the Bob Dishwasher by Daan Tech and their discovery of a way to defeat the detergent cartridge DRM to refill it at a much lower cost. The Bob Dishwasher is a compact countertop dishwasher that does not require plumbing and uses an all-in-one detergent cartridge called the Bob Cassette. The author likes the convenience of the Bob Cassette but finds the cost of buying them to be expensive. They also question the need for the dishwasher’s internet connectivity, which allows for automatic reordering of cassettes. The author explores the internal circuitry of the Bob Cassette and discovers that it contains an I2C EEPROM, which they believe is responsible for storing information about the number of washes left. The author concludes that while using the Bob Cassette is convenient, they prefer to find a more cost-effective solution for refilling the detergent.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article criticizes a company’s use of cassettes for their detergent, arguing that they are unnecessary and simply a way for the company to generate more profit. The author suggests that the machines can function perfectly fine with normal dish detergent and that the cassettes only contribute to more plastic waste. The company’s claim of being eco-friendly is seen as insincere, with the author suggesting alternative solutions such as using smaller amounts of liquid or powder detergent or using wax-lined cardboard containers. Overall, the article accuses the company of greenwashing and selling more unnecessary products.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article criticizes the idea of calling a dishwasher “eco-compact” while requiring disposable plastic to function. The author argues that the water saved by the dishwasher does not outweigh the plastic waste it generates. The article also questions the contradiction between the company’s claim of working towards a more sustainable world and their promotion of a washing machine that produces a significant amount of plastic waste.
5. Autogenerating a Book Series from Three Years of iMessages
Total comment counts : 28
Summary
The article describes the author’s frustration with the limitations of browsing through their iMessage history. They wanted to be able to easily look through their messages and find specific dates, but found that the interface provided by Apple was slow and lacking. As a solution, the author decided to create a physical book of their iMessage conversation. They were able to extract their messages from their iPhone using a SQLite database and the imessage-database crate. They then used LaTeX to generate a nicely formatted PDF of their conversation.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses enthusiasm for the idea of preserving personal correspondence records. They mention that implementing this idea as a service would be interesting. The author initially thought the article would discuss using message history to create a narrative using an LLM.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is a response expressing excitement and appreciation for someone using the author’s library in a real-world scenario. The library mentioned is called “imessage-exporter” and can be found on GitHub.
6. Fractional scales, fonts and hinting
Total comment counts : 23
Summary
GTK 4.14 will be released soon with new renderers that improve support for fractional scaling. The renderers allow for subpixel positioning and hinted rendering, resulting in crisper font rendering with fractional scaling. The new renderers determine whether to use hinting based on the font options, with hinting applied in the vertical direction. The horizontal bars of characters like “T” and “e” remain consistent across lines. GTK 4 does not use subpixel rendering but instead uses grayscale antialiasing for font rendering. GTK is a toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces and is commonly used in the GNOME development platform.
Top 1 Comment Summary
Haiku OS has a unique approach to scaling by basing everything on a default font size in pixels. This allows GUI widgets and text to scale proportionally. Unlike a global scaling factor, each app’s developers can decide how to use this information, resulting in different parts of the GUI being scaled disproportionately. While some apps may not adhere to this scaling, developers are promptly notified to fix them. Haiku has implemented this feature since its inception, and by 2024, almost all non-compliant apps have been updated to support it. However, Haiku still needs a font setting per screen/resolution to support multi-monitor setups with varying scaling factors.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a recent development in Gtk4, a software development toolkit. There was a previous issue with crisp text rendering in Gtk4 on non-HiDPI displays, but a recent change has automatically applied the necessary setting, allowing for better text rendering. The article also mentions that Apple avoids this issue by using HiDPI displays.
7. Interactive SQLite Documentation: Experiment with Queries in Real-Time
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
SQLite Cloud has introduced an Interactive SQLite Console, which allows users to directly interact with SQLite queries in real-time. The console is embedded within the platform’s official documentation and uses WebAssembly technology to execute queries directly in the browser. It features real-time query execution, a preloaded sample database for experimentation, an intuitive user interface, and a reset database functionality. Users can access the console by navigating to relevant sections of the official documentation. The Interactive SQLite Console is a valuable tool for both experienced database administrators and newcomers to SQL, providing a safe environment for learning and experimentation. Users can access the console and elevate their SQL experience through the SQLite Cloud official documentation.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses annoyance at the lack of pricing information for the SQLite cloud service on certain websites. They state that this lack of transparency discourages them from signing up for and testing new services.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The founder of SQLite Cloud states that the service is still in beta and pricing is yet to be announced. The focus is on development rather than marketing strategy.
8. The art and history of lettering comics
Total comment counts : 6
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the comic lettering style of Charles Crumb, the older brother of Robert Crumb, a famous underground comic artist. Charles Crumb had a particular obsession with drawing the story of Treasure Island, focusing on the conversations between Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins. Due to some form of psychosis, the text boxes in his comics became increasingly larger, eventually overshadowing the images themselves. The text became a mere impression of text, suggesting a condition known as Graphomania. The article provides links to examples of Charles Crumb’s work and suggests watching a documentary about the three Crumb brothers.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is about Todd Klein’s blog, which contains a six-part retrospective on his time working for DC in the 1980s. The retrospective includes pictures of DC’s offices and people. The author of the post expresses their enthusiasm for comics and finds the inside look into the industry fascinating.
9. Sky lapse in two tone
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
The article discusses the capabilities of the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite in capturing images of the changing energy system at sea. Unlike traditional satellite imagery services that primarily focus on land, Sentinel-1’s synthetic-aperture radar can detect objects at sea and through clouds, providing a clearer picture of offshore infrastructure and shipping lanes. The ocean economy is growing rapidly, with a significant portion of international trade and the energy transition taking place at sea. The article highlights the growth of offshore wind farms, such as Hornsea 2 off the Yorkshire coast, which can supply electricity to millions of homes. The satellite imagery also reveals offshore oil and gas rigs, which are declining in number, and the busy shipping lanes, particularly around Singapore. The article mentions investigations into the potential laundering of Russian oil into European refineries, as well as the impact of droughts on the Panama Canal and LNG market.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is about Space-Eye, an NGO in Germany that uses satellite images for search and rescue purposes. They are currently seeking developers and data scientists to volunteer. The main website is in German, but the call for volunteers is available in English.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is asking whether the sea surface is removed post-hoc or if the radar waves do not reflect off the sea enough to be detected. They mention the NISAR satellite, which is expected to map land and ice, and they wonder if water ice will be detectable. They also express skepticism about the difficulty of synthetically removing the sea surface at a high resolution given factors like tides and waves. The provided link leads to the Wikipedia page for NISAR.
10. Gold recovery from e-waste by food-waste amyloid aerogels
Total comment counts : 3
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the issues surrounding gold recovery. While gold recovery is efficient, it is socially and environmentally toxic. This is due to the destruction of poor economies, the presence of harmful substances like PCBs and Cyanide, and the contamination of waste water and people’s bodies. The author suggests that even if an alternative technique is less efficient, it could be valuable if it is less toxic and utilizes another waste stream. They also mention the potential for extracting gallium and other trace elements from chips to address supply chain risks, noting that the lack of viable rare earth mines in the West is due to their reliance on Chinese sources.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the ongoing efforts to extract gold and other precious metals from seawater, which has an abundant but highly diluted supply. The author expresses hope that the content of the article might offer a breakthrough solution to this longstanding challenge.