By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Google Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f1.7 1/20s ISO21
EK111
This photograph, titled "DXB BUD," captures a large airplane in the throes of routine operations at an airport terminal. Taken from behind a patterned glass window, the image gives an intricate overlay to the scene with geometric motifs, likely inspired by local architectural designs. The muted tones of the space beyond the glass reveal the airport atmosphere, with the aircraft parked beside a jet bridge emblazoned with an HSBC logo. Raindrops blur parts of the window, adding a layer of texture and hinting at a rainy day. In the distance, other planes rest, their tails peeking over the tarmac, while the ground crew and equipment are faintly visible, contributing to the busy yet subdued narrative of air travel preparation.
The photograph employs a dynamic composition, balancing the patterned glass in the foreground with the activity in the background. Its framing cleverly captures both the intricate design of the window and the bustling scene outside, suggesting a moment of stillness amidst movement. The use of the glass pattern adds a decorative, almost film-like quality, but might be seen as slightly overwhelming, obscuring details of the scene beyond, which some might find detracts from the immediacy of the moment. The photograph seems to embrace a documentary style, inviting viewers into a transient world of aviation with a contemplative, artistic twist. The subdued color palette adds to the calm, reflective mood, though perhaps it could benefit from greater contrast to enhance key elements.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Google Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f1.7 1/15s ISO165
EK569
The photograph titled "BLR DXB" captures the grandeur of an Airbus A380 stationed at the airport gate under the cloak of night. The aircraft stands like a mechanical giant, its sleek body and towering presence accentuated by the surrounding lights. The runway shines subtly in the background, with a faint glow from the cityscape beyond, suggesting a location teeming with life. The image is filled with details—the reflective surface of the tarmac, the orange cones strategically placed for safety, and the ground crew engaged in their orchestrated dance, ensuring everything is ready for takeoff. The atmosphere is calm yet bustling, capturing a moment of preparation and anticipation.
The photograph employs a straightforward yet powerful composition, with the airplane centrally positioned, drawing the viewer's eye directly to its impressive form. The symmetry of the aircraft adds to the balance and stability of the image. The use of lighting is commendable, as the artificial lights highlight the aerodynamic shape and details of the plane, while the background fades into a soft blur, ensuring the plane remains the focal point. However, the image might benefit from a slight reduction in exposure to enhance the depth of color and contrast, providing more texture to the night sky and the surrounding environment. Despite this, the photograph successfully conveys the majesty and scale of aviation, evoking a sense of wonder and wanderlust.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Thursday, November 28, 2024.
There is a stunningly simple way to get a file out of sharepoint and I'll get to that soon (or just skip to the very end of the post).
I have been automating the shit out of a lot of routine work in Microsoft Teams recently. Teams is the result of Skype and Sharepoint having too much to drink at the Microsoft holiday party. It often shows. One annoyance is that channel threads are ordered by the time that someone last responded. Useful for quickly seeing the latest gossip but a pain when you need to keep an eye on each individual thread. After listlessly scrolling around trying to keep up with the flow I came up with a dumb solution - I sync the channel to Obsidian (my choice of note app, could be anything) and then I can just check there for new threads. It's a small convenience but has meaningully improved my life.
Unfortunately I got greedy. These messages usually have a PowerPoint presentation attached to them and so why not have an LLM summarize this while updating my notes?
It doesn't look like Copilot has a useful API yet. You can build plug-ins, but I don't want to talk to Copilot about presentations, I just want it to do the heavy lifting while I sleep so I can read the summary in the morning. Hopefully in the future there will be a simple way to say hey, Copilot, summarize this PPTX. Not yet.
So the outline of a solution here is download the presentation, send it ChatGPT, generate a summary and stick that in Obsidian. This felt like a half hour type of project. And it should have been - getting GPT4 Turbo to summarize a PPTX file took about ten minutes. Downloading the file has taken days and sent my self esteem back to primary school.
You would think that downloading a file would be the Graph API's bread and butter. Especially as I have a ChatMessage from the channel that includes attachments and links. The link is for a logged in human, but it must be easy to translate from this to an API call, right?
It turns out that all you need is the site ID, the drive ID and the item ID.
These IDs are not in the attachment URL or the ChatMessageAttachment. It would be pretty RESTful to include the obvious next resource I'm going to need in that return type. No dice though.
I tried ChatGPT which helpfully suggested API calls that looked really plausible and helpful but that did not in fact exist. So I then read probably hundreds of blogs and forum posts from equally confused and desperate developers. Here is a typical example:
"Now how can I upload and download files to this library with the help of Graph API (GraphServiceClient)."
To which Microsoft, terrifyingly, reply:
"We are currently looking into this issue and will give you an update as soon as possible."
Ignoring the sharepoint part and glossing over where that drive ID is coming from. Other documentation suggests that you can lookup your site by the URL, and then download a list of drives to go looking for the right one. Well, the first page in paginated drive collection anyway implying that just finding the ID might get you a call from the quota police.
I know Microsoft is looking after a lot of files for a lot of organizations, but how can it be this hard?
It isn't. It's just hidden. I eventually found this post from Alex Terentiev that points out that you just need to base64 encode the sharing url, swap some characters around and then call:
If Google was doing its job right this would be the top result. I should be grateful they're still serving results at all and not just telling me that my pastimes are all harmful.
The documentation is here and Microsoft should link to it on every page that discusses drives and DriveItems. For GraphServiceClient the call to get to an actual stream is:
(Published to the Fediverse as:
Download a Sharepoint File with GraphServiceClient (Microsoft Graph API) #code#ml#graph#sharepoint#c# Everyone developing applications with the Graph API should know about the shares endpoint that allows you to download files easily.)
"In messages during the pandemic, he referred to ministers as “useless fuckpigs,” “morons,” and “cunts.” The inquiry’s lawyer asked Cummings if he thought his language had been too strong. “I would say, if anything, it understated the position,” he replied."
This is a depressing but definitive read as we wait for the UK election to be announced. #politics#uk
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Google Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f1.7 1/100s ISO21
LH754
The photograph titled "FRA BLR" presents a bustling scene at an airport, where a majestic Lufthansa airplane rests on the tarmac. The vast expanse of the aircraft dominates the composition, its sleek white fuselage gleaming under a soft, overcast sky. Ground service vehicles gather around the plane like ants attending to a queen, each engrossed in purposeful activity. The tarmac is marked with lines and signs, adding a sense of order to the chaos. To the right, a partial view of the terminal building hints at the organized connectivity of air travel. The aircraft stands poised against the horizon, its tail fin punctuating the grays of the sky and concrete with the airline's logo, a testament to global journeys and the wonders of modern engineering.
The photograph employs a straightforward, documentary style, focusing on the functional aspects of airport operations. The composition is characterized by a well-balanced horizontal layout, with the aircraft centrally positioned, coaxing the viewer’s eye along its significant length. The muted color palette of grays, whites, and blues imparts a serene yet industrious atmosphere. One of the strengths of this image is its ability to capture the scale and sophistication of air travel. However, the photo might benefit from a slightly more dynamic angle or inclusion of human elements to add warmth and narrative depth. The directness and clarity of the photograph successfully convey the ponderous elegance of the machine amid its operational context.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Google Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f1.7 1/3,800s ISO21
LH455
Updated 2024-03-01 04:28:
Northern Lights
In this photograph titled "SFO FRA," we are presented with a grand view of a Lufthansa aircraft, likely a Boeing 747, standing majestically at the gate of an airport. The scene is set under the muted light of what seems like an overcast day, with the sky's brooding clouds casting a soft gray ambience over the tarmac. The bustling environment of the airport is subtly captured, with ground service vehicles scattered around, their sleek white and orange echoing the colors on the aircraft. The clean lines of the jet bridges connect directly to the airplane, hinting at the imminent anticipation of departure. In the background, faint silhouettes of distant buildings and other grounded planes suggest the expansive nature of this scene, inviting the viewer into the world of air travel's endless comings and goings.
The photograph employs a straightforward and documentary style, focusing on the sheer presence and scale of the aircraft in the context of its environment. Compositionally, the picture uses leading lines effectively, with the aircraft's elongated fuselage drawing the eye from one side to the other, guiding the viewer through the image. The vertical element of the window frame in the foreground adds an interesting visual break, although it slightly disrupts the full vista of the airplane. While the candid nature and moodiness of the lighting enhance the authenticity of the moment, it might detract some vibrancy that could enrich the scene. Overall, this photograph balances technical detail and atmosphere, offering a slice of daily airport life that resonates with travelers and aviation enthusiasts.
Paresh Dave in Wired writes about TDCommons.org, a Google funded but bepress operated site. The idea is to publish technical disclosures as prior art that might invalidate future patents. It's an interesting overview of the subject, including a USPTO attempt to do the same thing (I covered this here) and a commercial competitor, IP.Com. Apparently USPTO is looking for help with this problem:
"Google is hoping TDCommons has a chance to be embraced as Kathi Vidal, a tech patent attorney who was sworn in as director of the USPTO almost two years ago, settles into her role. Deciding that generative AI programs can’t be patent holders has been a higher priority, she says, but creating a better search tool for prior art is an issue she’s discussed with a lot of organizations. Vidal says she’s open to the USPTO administering and funding its own prior art repository, offering up her email, [email protected], for feedback on how to do so."
I'm not super-convinced that she's providing her actual email address, but when I have a few minutes I might suggest my own plan - issue all patent applications and shift the examination to the start of any litigation or enforcement attempt.
(Published to the Fediverse as:
TDCommons and the Future of Patent Law #politics#patents#uspto Prior art attempts like TDCommons, IP.com and even the USPTO's failed scheme should be replaced with a fundamental overhaul of the patent system.)
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Google Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f1.7 1/1,000s ISO21
View of a very distinct tide line from Lands End in San Francisco.
The photograph titled "Tide Line from Lands End" captures a serene coastal scene under an expansive sky. A narrow stretch of green land gently curves into the frame from the lower left, meeting the vast ocean that stretches out towards the horizon. The focal point appears to be an intriguing rock formation in the distance, which sits calmly against the rhythmic waves of the sea. The sky above is a soft tapestry of muted blues and greys, with subtle hints of warmth as the horizon catches the soft light. This creates a tranquil and contemplative mood, inviting the viewer into a moment of quiet reflection by the seaside.
The style of the photograph leans toward a minimalist landscape, where the emphasis is placed on the open space and subtle textures in both the sky and the water. The composition effectively uses the rule of thirds, with the horizon placed in the upper third, creating a sense of balance and harmony. The gentle curvature of the land adds a graceful line that guides the eye toward the distant rock and the meeting of sea and sky. The subdued color palette enhances the peaceful atmosphere, though some might find it bordering on flat without a stronger contrast or color pop. However, this choice amplifies the simplicity and calmness of the scene, making it a lovely capture of natural beauty.
By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Google Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f1.7 1/45s ISO18
Dramatic sunrise at Ulloa and 15th Avenue in San Francisco.
The photograph titled "Sunrise, Ulloa and 15th" captures the tranquil essence of a suburban street bathed in the ethereal hues of dawn. The sky, an incandescent canvas of fiery oranges and reds, sets a dramatic backdrop against which the silhouetted outlines of quaint houses and delicate trees stand. Overhead, the intricate lattice of trolley lines stretches across the sky, drawing the eye towards the vanishing point where the street curves gently into the distance. The warm glow of streetlights and the soft reflection on the tracks add an inviting warmth that contrasts beautifully with the intense sky, while the quietude of the scene speaks of a world just beginning to stir from slumber.
In terms of composition, this photograph employs leading lines with great effectiveness, guiding the viewer's gaze from the foreground to the horizon. The symmetry of the trolley lines creates a dynamic frame within the frame, leading through the neighborhood and offering depth to the scene. The use of color is striking, with the bold sky setting a vibrant contrast to the muted tones of the street and buildings below. This juxtaposition highlights the transitional beauty of dawn. What I particularly admire about this photo is its ability to blend stillness and energy, capturing the tension between night and day. However, the intensity of the colors, while stunning, might overshadow the subtler details of the landscape. Balancing such powerful color with the scene's quieter elements could enhance the viewer's engagement across the composition.