Top level thought: the reason so many people are aware of the horribleness of Discord is that developers hate writing text intended for human consumption. Okay, this is kind of a long chain, so strap in and follow along.
Category Archives: Grumpy Old Man
Feature: Editing Preview
…or, WYGIWYG Context: in the Olden Days, I used a word processing application to write papers for school. The computer I used didn’t have pixel-level display, so rather than rendering the document as it would appear on my printer, I just got to edit the text along with the embedded control codes to turn onContinue reading “Feature: Editing Preview”
Social, But Offline
I just saw a software update that mentioned GoToSocial so I looked it up to see what it is. And honestly, it’s kind of a thing I want, but barely. So, think about posting, reading other people’s posts, you know, that whole online conversation thing. What do I really want? I want to hear from peopleContinue reading “Social, But Offline”
Always On Browser
As suggested by the category of this post, “Grumpy Old Man,” I am old enough that I was an independent adult when the web was invented. I remember the early behavior of web browsers, notably Netscape Navigator, and how they used local caching of fetched resources to make rendering pages bearably slow over a 14.4Continue reading “Always On Browser”
Prepare to Take Care
So, you know, things are likely going to get harder for people on the margins of power in the U.S., not just over the next few years, but probably for the next generation, until a bunch of justices retire. At least. Anyway, protests and lawsuits are great and necessary, but they’re things you do afterContinue reading “Prepare to Take Care”
Updating a macOS application’s Help Book
Why yes, as a matter of fact that is a really long title. Nevertheless, there’s not a lot of documentation to be found, and certainly not a lot of practical advice that shows up easily. Now that I’m building help books for my applications, I’ve run into the situation where I update the help andContinue reading “Updating a macOS application’s Help Book”
Modern Opera – Just Say Ouch (The Handmaid’s Tale)
We went to see “The Handmaid’s Tale” at SF Opera last night. I read the novel back in … I dunno, 1988? 1989? Somewhere around there. I knew this was going to be a megadowner. Then again, it’s not like “La Bohème” is a laugh riot or anything. But here’s the thing: it’s modern, andContinue reading “Modern Opera – Just Say Ouch (The Handmaid’s Tale)”
Tapestry and the Limitations of RSS
Okay, first thing: big ups to @IconFactory@iconfactory.world for releasing the first beta of Tapestry. This promises to improve my quality of life and I’m thrilled to be a supporter. As requested, I shall not be posting screenshots.
Safety: Only YOU Can Prevent Harm to Yourself
The other day, someone in my extended network posted something about how Toronto just isn’t safe for their kids. This has got me thinking about safety and responsibility. I thought about how when I was a kid, I was instructed on how to behave in public spaces. “Look wrong way, right way, then wrong wayContinue reading “Safety: Only YOU Can Prevent Harm to Yourself”
Just Say No to AR
I’m seeing a lot of people being excited, today, about putting in their orders for the first visionOS devices. Although it would be easy to dismiss this as simple Apple fan dribbling, their excitement is sort of hyperbolic. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says one person, talking about how now is theContinue reading “Just Say No to AR”