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2023-10-09

Flappy Dird: Flappy Bird Implemented in MacOS Finder

  • The author has developed a game named "Flappy Dird," a replication of "Flappy Bird" that runs within the MacOS Finder interface.
  • The creation was achieved by manipulating the "Date Last Opened" field in Finder, with AppleScript to control the display, running at 4 frames per second, although occasionally dropping inputs.
  • The development process was discussed and enjoyed by the author, suggesting the possibility of other games built using this approach.

Reactions

  • The project "Flappy Dird" is an implementation of the game Flappy Bird within MacOS Finder, showing a unique approach to game development.
  • The project has garnered positive reactions for its originality and the way it's executed.
  • This has sparked discussions about potential similar projects and the capabilities of AppleScript and the Finder.

Why I can no longer recommend a Mac to fellow blind computer users

  • Accessibility advocate David Goodwin is dissatisfied with Macs due to an unresolved issue with the VoiceOver feature in Safari, particularly for blind users.
  • Goodwin criticizes Apple's lack of action to fix this bug and appeals for enhanced communication with Apple's accessibility team.
  • He encourages a group response to voice dissatisfaction and to avoid buying or endorsing Macs until the issue is fixed, highlighting mixed experiences among users with some expressing frustrations and others reporting no significant problems.

Reactions

  • The conversation focuses on the accessibility features for visually impaired users across different operating systems, with varied user preference.
  • Some users commend Apple's accessibility efforts, but others report issues with the VoiceOver feature on MacOS, causing them to switch to alternatives such as Windows and Linux.
  • This debate underscores the subjectivity of accessibility and emphasizes the need for Apple to address bugs and enhance the stability of its VoiceOver feature.

OpenIPC: Alternative open firmware for your IP camera

  • OpenIPC is an open-source firmware designed to supplant insecure and proprietary firmware provided by IP camera manufacturers.
  • The firmware, available in pre-compiled form for straightforward installation, also allows access to source files for further tweaks and development. It was initially compatible with HiSilicon processors but now incorporates chips from different manufacturers.
  • The project encourages user contributions and actively seeks feedback and suggestions, offering several repositories for collaboration.

Reactions

  • The OpenIPC project provides open firmware for IP cameras, catering to issues related to transitioning Chinese IP cameras to open firmware.
  • However, concerns about some portions of the firmware remaining proprietary and limitations of embedded Linux are raised, signaling skepticism over the complete adoption of open source in the OpenIPC project.
  • There are also communication and contribution difficulties due to the primarily Russian core team, alongside discussions on the need for more open-source solutions and possible strategies like legislation or adopting the OpenWrt model.

My personal C coding style as of late 2023

  • The author shares their personal coding style for C language, highlighting changes they've made to improve productivity and overall organization.
  • Techniques used include short names for primitive types, the usage of typedefs for improved clarity, and particular preferences for macros, parameters, functions, and strings.
  • The author acknowledges that their approach to coding might not appeal to everyone, and they are prepared to adapt their style when contributing to other projects. Preferences for string types, structure returns, initialization assignments are also shared with illustrative examples.

Reactions

  • The summaries provide insights on coding style, conventions, and best practices in C programming, covering aspects like uppercase/lowercase macro usage, custom types definition, naming inconsistency confusions.
  • They debate on using structs as return types, assess pros and cons of typedefs, discuss potential risks of const and signed indexes, emphasizing the need to balance productivity and personal coding preferences.
  • It's highlighted that opinions and preferences in these matters can vary among coding practitioners.

Why is Debian the way it is?

  • Debian is a free, open-source general-purpose operating system with a democratic governance structure where the project leader is elected yearly.
  • It follows a social contract and guidelines aimed at maintaining commitment to free software, control over dependencies, and offering a self-contained platform. It refrains from using bundled libraries to achieve this.
  • Debian adopts a methodical membership process for package uploads owing to the significance and trust involved. To prevent confusion and facilitate mirroring, it employs codenames for its releases. Due to its complexity, it evolves gradually, necessitating extensive dialogue and consensus.

Reactions

  • The conversation explores various aspects of Debian, including its packaging, dependency management strategies, and the quality of its package manager's code.
  • Participants also discuss the effects of systemd, the support and funding for Debian, the future of Linux distributions, and the pros and cons of using Debian.
  • The dialogue includes a range of views and debates, showcasing the diversity of user perspectives and the inherent challenges associated with Debian use.

Homebrew to deprecate and add caveat for HashiCorp

  • A GitHub pull request proposes to deprecate certain software formulas from Homebrew, a widely used package manager for macOS.
  • The software formulas being considered for deprecation are tools from HashiCorp, including Terraform and Consul, stemming from a recent alteration in their licensing.
  • The pull request also suggests a potential replacement for Terraform: OpenTofu, and actively invites feedback from team members in the ongoing process of updating Homebrew following the license change.

Reactions

  • The conversation mainly addresses user experiences and viewpoints about HashiCorp and its products, focusing particularly on licensing, pricing, and some users reporting issues with the interview process.
  • A negative experience was shared with HashiCorp's VMware adapter, contributing to the overall critique.
  • Homebrew's design choices are also scrutinized, specifically the decision not to include HashiCorp's Terraform in the package manager because of licensing fears.

A Raspberry Pi 5 is better than two Pi 4S

  • The Raspberry Pi 5 has been launched, boasting enhancements like increased speed, improved WiFi, and support for dual displays. However, there are concerns about it generating more heat and requiring extra cooling.
  • Users are discussing the device's display compatibility and the use of USB-C. There are mixed reviews, with debates circling around its efficiency, pricing, and the removal of some features.
  • The community showcases varying suggestions for the Raspberry Pi 5's potential applications, such as using it as a router or for software-defined radio scenarios, demonstrating its versatility.

Reactions

  • The discourse predominantly encompasses the features of Raspberry Pi 5, including its power needs, USB-C standard, performance relative to Raspberry Pi 4, cooling requirement, and updated specs.
  • There is a range of views on the aptness of the Raspberry Pi 5 for varying projects, available alternatives, and apprehensions over cost and memory constraints.
  • Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers used in teaching basic computer science and for performing tasks that require more than a basic micro-controller.

Forty years of programming

  • Experienced programmer, Fabien Sanglard, offers tips for ergonomic workstation setups and pain relief strategies to alleviate strain from prolonged programming.
  • Sanglard's recommendations include using a vertical mouse, the Magic Trackpad, and the Ergodox EZ keyboard, and enabling VIM mode in text editors to limit wrist and arm strain.
  • He further highlights the advantages of a standing desk and suggests employing stretching exercises and meditation to manage stress levels.

Reactions

  • The forum discussion revolves around programming and physical health, exploring the difficulties presented by continuous keyboard work.
  • It stresses the importance of ergonomics and strategies to prevent repetitive strain injuries, with commenters sharing their own experiences and recommendations regarding keyboard layouts, exercises, and breaks.
  • Briefly, it also touches upon the influence of programming skills and experiences on professional growth.

Blackmagic Camera for iPhone

  • The Blackmagic Camera app for iPhone provides professional-grade camera controls and image processing capabilities, enabling users to produce high-quality cinematic content.
  • Users of the app can easily alter settings, record to Blackmagic Cloud for collaborative work, and utilize special features like focus assisting and image stabilization.
  • The app is integrated with DaVinci Resolve for editing and grading color, offering advanced control and editing functionalities to iPhone users.

Reactions

  • Blackmagic has launched a free camera app for iPhones that provides professional-quality, manual control features, valuable for film students.
  • The app permits manual adjustments of settings like exposure and frame rate for a cinematic effect, also integrating with Davinci Resolve, leading to positive user reviews.
  • The dialogues are currently centred around comparison between the capabilities of professional cameras and smartphones, emphasizing the convenience and economical benefits of smartphones for filming.

The Tailscale Universal Docker Mod

  • Tailscale has launched a new Docker mod that lets users integrate Tailscale into any Docker container, permitting the addition of apps to their tailnet and SSH into containers.
  • The mod employs s6-overlay to insert instructions at the kickoff phase of a Docker container, enhancing the user experience and functionality.
  • The article provides insights into the advantages of using private infrastructure with Tailscale, includes examples of Docker mods usage, and discusses possible support options and forthcoming enhancements.

Reactions

  • The article spotlights Tailscale Universal Docker Mod that facilitates users to operate Tailscale on Docker containers, enabling easier cross-container communication, especially for containers located on disparate servers.
  • The discussion thread revolves around the use of mods and containers in networking, hinting at potential open-sourcing and integration of the mod into containers.
  • Networking tools and techniques including Wireguard and SOCKS5 proxies are also brought up in the conversation, emphasizing the substantial interest and value placed on mods and containers in the realm of networking.

Zen 5's Leaked Slides

  • A YouTuber leaked slides regarding AMD's upcoming Zen 5 architecture, hinting at various improvements including an enhanced branch prediction, basic block fetch, and memory subsystem, and a larger L1 data cache.
  • According to the leak, Zen 5 could feature a more extensive cache size, DTLB capacity, and PWC size for better memory access performance, as well as a larger, more unified scheduler, expanded op fusion capabilities, a bigger structure size, six ALUs, and better integer throughput.
  • Despite the exciting leak, the article advises caution as the final design may vary, emphasizing the need to compare performance gains with other CPU manufacturers and not to rely heavily on potentially distorted early performance numbers.

Reactions

  • The discussion thread tackles various processor-related topics, such as the leak of Zen 5 slides, Apple's strategic implementation with SOC and RAM, the strengths and weaknesses of x86, and how hyperthreading affects performance.
  • It also delves into the constraints and compromises involved in advancing CPU memory bandwidth, the application of optical interconnections, and the difficulties in optimizing memory access patterns.
  • Notably, there's a comparison between different processors - Apple A17 Pro and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, backed by discussions on power consumption, performance, critical factors when upgrading memory, understanding the significance of memory for different users, and potential advantages of on-die memory.

Impacts of Lack of Sleep

  • Lack of sleep has numerous detrimental effects on health, such as slowing metabolism, increasing appetite, elevating the risk of conditions like depression, diabetes, dementia and increasing substance abuse.
  • These health consequences of sleep deprivation can result in weight gain, heightened healthcare costs, strained relationships, and capped intellectual potential.
  • Studies conducted by respected institutions such as Harvard and the National Institutes of Health confirm these findings.

Reactions

  • The main topics of discussion include the concept of revenge bedtime procrastination, practical strategies for enhancing sleep habits, and the specific sleep-related challenges often faced by parents.
  • The dialogue covers the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on both physical and mental health, as well as ways parents can manage such deprivation.
  • The discussion also explores the impact of having children on lifestyle adjustments, potential solutions for sleep issues, and the reliability of smart watches in sleep tracking.

Indoor wood burning raises women’s lung cancer risk by 43%

  • A recent study associates indoor wood-burning from stoves and fireplaces with a 70% increase in lung cancer prevalence among U.S. women, including non-smokers.
  • Not just regular, but even occasional use of wood-burning heating sources are pointed out as potentially harmful, contributing to lung cancer due to the presence of carcinogens in wood smoke.
  • Notably, this study did not consider other factors like radon exposure and substandard housing conditions, offering a scope for further research on the subject.

Reactions

  • Indoor wood burning, as in wood stoves and fireplaces, has been discovered to elevate lung cancer risk in women by 43% and cause respiratory issues, particularly in children and the elderly.
  • Stricter regulations or a ban on wood burning are under consideration due to health risks and the potential harm to surrounding residents.
  • There's ongoing debate about the effectiveness of bans, alternative solutions, their impact on air quality and climate change, and the challenges of enforcing such restrictions, highlighting the need for further investigation.

Contour: Modern and fast terminal emulator

  • Contour is a cutting-edge terminal emulator accessible on numerous platforms, boasting features such as GPU-accelerated rendering and support for font ligatures, Unicode, and grapheme clusters.
  • The application has diverse customization options and additional features like clickable hyperlinks, terminal page buffer capture, and a built-in Fira Code inspired progress bar.
  • Contour can be obtained via package managers or constructed from source code, and is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

Reactions

  • The discussion revolves around terminal emulators, assessing their performance, features, and compatibility.
  • Users voiced concerns like slow startup times, color problems, and latency, and highlighted the potential of AI and low-level machine (LLM) capabilities in terminals.
  • Despite numerous individual experiences with specific emulators like Contour and WezTerm, there is no unanimous agreement on the best emulator, indicating different preferences and requirements.

Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

  • According to physician and author Silke Heimes, daily writing of unfiltered thoughts for 5 to 20 minutes can enhance health, lessen stress, boost self-confidence, and improve imagination.
  • Techniques for writing include automatic writing, completing half-sentences, and usage of personal names to overcome inhibitions. However, emotions triggered through writing if persistent may require professional assistance.
  • Studies highlights expressive or therapeutic writing's positive effects. The key benefits range from higher self-esteem and heightened perception to increased mindfulness and cognitive clarity, making it a vital part of mental hygiene.

Reactions

  • Unfiltered writing serves as a way of self-knowledge, stimulating creativity, providing therapeutic benefits, and allowing individuals to delve into their thoughts and perceptions.
  • Some find writing restrictive, whereas others relish in it and use it as an effective tool for coping with emotions, mitigating anxiety, and enhancing sleep.
  • Journaling, a subset of writing, is highlighted as a beneficial practice for self-reflection and discovery.