Paying people for their attention

by @edent | | 3 comments | Read ~236 times.

A tiny lego Storm Trooper eats a chocolate coin.

I have a weakness. I love listening in to other people's conversations on the bus! I was sat behind a gaggle pride squad of teenage girls on the bus. They were variously complaining about their schoolwork, parents, and love-lives. I'm not going to attempt to recreate their vernacular, but the conversation went something like this:…

Better Keyboard Buttons in CSS

by @edent | , , , | 2 comments | Read ~1,201 times.

A pet cat typing on a computer keyboard.

Here's a simple scrap of CSS which you can Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V kbd { border: .1em solid #aaa; border-radius: 15%; display: inline-block; padding: .1em .5em; background: linear-gradient(180deg, #fff, #fff, #fff, #ddd); user-select: none; cursor: pointer; color: #000; font-weight: bold; } kbd:hover { background: linear-gradient(0deg, #fff, #fff, #fff, #ddd); } Features Semantic use of the kbd…

Some Thoughts on Broadband Speeds in the WFH Age

by @edent | , , | 4 comments | Read ~188 times.

A speed test result.

ISPs suck. They're designed to. The A in ADSL stands for "Asymmetric". That is, your download speed is faster than your upload speed. This makes sense for most domestic purposes. Most people suck down a lot more than they push up. But we've now entered the (permanent?) work-from-home era. If you're anything like me, you're…

Happy Birthday @Summerbeth!

by @edent | , , , , | Read ~158 times.

Liz drinking from a Viking horn.

I started dating Liz - my now wife - one cold January back at university. We were young and disgustingly in love. This was it - 💕true love💕! And then, right in our honeymoon phase, she left to Australia for the summer holidays. We both wailed and made overly dramatic speeches about how we'd stay…

Postel's Law also applies to human communication

by @edent | , , , | 3 comments

Early Internet pioneer, Jon Postel, beautifully captured the "Robustness Principle" for networked communications. "Be strict in what you send, and generous in what you receive." That is, any computer sending data to another, should stick closely to the specification for that communication channel. Any computer receiving data, should expect that the sender isn't following the…

No software licence will save you from hyperbolic doubt

by @edent | , | 2 comments | Read ~113 times.

Imagine that you're a spotty 16 year-old. You've just discovered philosophy. You will almost certainly have a conversation like this... Dude... DUDE! What if... What if, like, we're all just brains in a jar and, like, a machine is projecting reality around us...? Whoa...! I bet you've had that conversation with someone. Probably after you…

I hate subscriptions

by @edent | | 5 comments | Read ~503 times.

Look - I get why your app or service wants me to pay a subscription. Recurring revenue is useful for a business. Your ARPU KPI is OMG to your VC. And, no doubt, there's research showing how people are more likely to eat a kitten than cancel a subscription. But I hate it. I resent…

You've got to show up to make a difference

by @edent | | 2 comments | Read ~155 times.

Eleven years ago, the BBC announced plans to encrypt all of its free-to-air digital TV channels. The technology world was aghast! I saw thousands of Tweets from hundreds of people, angry blog posts, mailing lists erupting with fury. There may even have been a petition. The regulator, Ofcom, announced an enquiry and solicited for feedback.…

Dark Mode and Transparent Images

by @edent | , , , | 3 comments | Read ~396 times.

A Hhrd to read image. The text is black, but so is most of the background. Bits have a white background.

Dark Mode is the new cool. Apps which automatically switch to an eye-friendly palette when lighting conditions are poor. Nifty! Most of the time, it's as simple as making the text a lightish colour, and the background a darkish colour. But all that fails when you use transparencies in images. Here's a quick example. Using…