דלג לתוכן הראשי

2023-07-18

A Firefox-only minimap (2021)

  • Firefox is the only browser that supports the fancy element() CSS function, allowing users to display images of arbitrary HTML elements on their page, making it unique in the market.
  • The minimap feature in this blog post is created using the function, providing users with a live view of the page and lazy-loaded images.
  • This post gained popularity on Hacker News and is recommended for those interested in frontend news and emails.

Industry Reactions

  • The CSS custom filter and element() features have not been widely adopted by other browsers, despite being available for a decade.
  • Some users find minimaps useful for navigation, while others find them distracting or unnecessary.
  • The element() feature in Firefox allows for the creation of a minimap, but it is not interactive like in other tools such as Sublime Text.

LazyVim

  • LazyVim is a Neovim setup that allows you to easily customize and extend your configuration.
  • It transforms Neovim into a full-fledged IDE and comes with pre-configured plugins for convenience.
  • To use LazyVim, you need Neovim version 0.8.0 or higher built with LuaJIT, Git version 2.19.0 or higher, and optionally a Nerd Font for displaying icons.

Industry Reactions

  • LazyVim is a popular alternative to other text editors like Sublime Text and VS Code, with users praising its rich built-in features and versatility for various programming languages.
  • LazyVim is considered a good choice for those who want a fully functional IDE without the complexities of extensive customization, as setting up other Vim configurations can be time-consuming and require troubleshooting.
  • The post generates interest among tech-savvy individuals who are interested in optimizing their workflow in programming and text editing, as it discusses various text editors and their pros and cons.

Johnson and Johnson sues researchers who linked talc to cancer

  • Johnson & Johnson has filed lawsuits against four doctors who published studies linking talc-based personal care products to cancer, alleging that the studies are inaccurate and based on "junk science."
  • The doctors involved in the lawsuits have provided expert testimony in lawsuits against J&J and have been cited in other lawsuits, according to the complaints.
  • J&J is facing over 38,000 lawsuits alleging that their talc products, including Baby Powder, were contaminated with asbestos and caused various cancers. J&J denies these allegations and is attempting to resolve the lawsuits through an $8.9 billion settlement in bankruptcy court.

Industry Reactions

  • Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is facing lawsuits alleging that its talc products may be linked to cancer.
  • J&J's handling of the situation, including creating a subsidiary and filing for bankruptcy, has generated controversy and concerns about corporate responsibility.
  • The lawsuits highlight the need for more rigorous testing and regulation of talc products to ensure consumer safety.

You can deactivate anyone's WhatsApp account by simply sending an email

  • Twitter has implemented a new pricing structure that restricts the option to unroll tweets on the web to Premium members only.
  • To still be able to unroll tweets for free, users can visit Twitter and reply to the tweet with "@threadreaderapp unroll."
  • Premium members have access to additional features such as bookmarked threads and PDF archives.

Industry Reactions

  • It is possible to deactivate someone's WhatsApp account by simply sending an email.
  • The inconvenience to the deactivated account is minor, as it can be easily reactivated with a single SMS verification code.
  • This feature is intended to quickly lock out spammers, thieves, or hackers, and is not meant for abuse.

Bad numbers in the "gzip beats BERT" paper?

  • The recent paper titled "Low-Resource" Text Classification: A Parameter-Free Classification Method with Compressors by Jiang et al. has gained attention on Twitter.
  • The author of this blog post found a bug in the kNN code used in the paper, resulting in higher accuracy numbers than expected.
  • The reported accuracies in the paper could be considered as top-2 accuracy, where a tie means either of the top two choices is marked correct.

Industry Reactions

  • The blog post highlights an error in the "gzip beats BERT" paper, bringing into question the validity of the results.
  • The mistake involves using top-2 accuracy instead of k-nearest-neighbors (kNN) accuracy, which significantly affects the conclusions.
  • The use of compression algorithms for text classification is interesting, but further investigation is needed to determine their true efficacy.

Never waste a midlife crisis

  • The author shares advice about not wasting one's midlife crisis and using it as an opportunity to pursue their passions and dreams.
  • The concept of "niche creation" is discussed, where individuals create their own space and environment by doing what they love and building a following around it.
  • The author reflects on their own decision to become a full-time writer during their midlife crisis and how taking that leap of faith has worked out for them.

Industry Reactions

  • The post discusses the concept of a midlife crisis and offers advice for navigating this phase, including being prepared for its slow pace and seeking professional help for mental health.
  • The comment section includes discussions about panic attacks, symptoms of a midlife crisis, and different perspectives on the appropriate age for experiencing it.
  • The post stands out by providing personal insights and advice related to the common experience of a midlife crisis, making it engaging and relatable for readers interested in personal development.

The Wikimedia Foundation joins Mastodon and the Fediverse

  • The Wikimedia Foundation has joined Mastodon and the Fediverse.
  • There is excitement and warm welcome from the tech community for Wikimedia's presence in the Fediverse.
  • This move brings new opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing within the decentralized social network.

Industry Reactions

  • The Wikimedia Foundation has joined Mastodon and the Fediverse by creating their own instance.
  • There was discussion about the domain name choice, with some suggesting the use of a subdomain.
  • Mastodon offers advantages such as anonymous reading, no advertisements, and the ability to post longer content compared to platforms like Twitter.

The US economy and the EU were the same size in 2008, the US is now nearly 2X

  • Twitter has implemented a new pricing structure that restricts the option of unrolling tweets on the web to Premium members only.
  • Non-Premium members can still unroll tweets for free by visiting Twitter and replying to the tweet with "@threadreaderapp unroll."
  • Premium members can access additional features such as bookmarked threads and PDF archives.

Industry Reactions

  • The US economy has nearly doubled since 2008, while the EU's growth has been slower.
  • The use of PPP-adjusted GDP shows a difference in the cost of living between the US and the EU.
  • GDP PPP does not account for factors such as income inequality, unemployment rates, or other indicators of quality of life.

Coroutines for Go

  • Coroutines are a way to run concurrent tasks in Go, allowing for more efficient and structured code.
  • Coroutines differ from regular functions in that they can pause and resume execution, allowing for better coordination and sharing of data.
  • The coroutines package in Go provides a way to implement coroutines, making it easier to write concurrent programs.

Industry Reactions

  • The post discusses the use of coroutines for function iteration in Go programming. The author explores the need for coroutines in the context of function iterators and how to implement them efficiently.
  • Coroutines offer more predictable scheduling behavior and can improve performance in certain use cases. The implementation of coroutines in Go would provide a cleaner and more flexible way to handle iterators, reducing complexity and potential errors.
  • While coroutines can be more efficient for certain tasks, they should be used specifically for iteration purposes, rather than in place of other concurrency mechanisms.

The force that shapes everything around us: Parking

  • Parking is a crucial but often overlooked aspect of transportation in the United States, affecting how we live, build communities, and interact with our environment.
  • The current approach to providing parking in the US is flawed, with parking not being shared or properly priced, leading to frustrations and even conflicts.
  • Solutions to the parking problem include smarter management of existing parking spaces, such as sharing and pricing them, as well as reimagining the use of land currently reserved for parking to create more livable and enjoyable spaces.

Industry Reactions

  • The interview with a designer of SimCity reveals the creative addressing of parking lots in the game and the potential solution of underground parking to free up urban space.
  • Steps can be taken to reduce the negative impact of cars in cities through public transportation, zoning, and urban design.
  • The lack of walkability, poor public transportation infrastructure, and high cost of housing are challenges that contribute to the reliance on cars and the need for longer commutes, impacting working-class individuals and the vibrancy of urban areas.