Well that’s good, as you sure as hell can’t use them for a flight:
I've restored all the comments that vanished after I removed Disqus last weekend. This is after a considerable effort to get everything out of BlogML and into WXR a couple of years ago. At some point I'll just have to give up and decide it's faster to write my own blogging and commenting system but for now Facebook Comments are enabled for all posts.
I've been slowly becoming aware that Google Maps is eating up a lot of the power on my phone (an HTC One X with Android 4.1). Yesterday as my battery was near death I saw it was up to 25% of total usage on a day when I hadn't even run the app. Something had to give. I'd already turned off Google Latitude a few months ago so the culprit had to be whatever secret-squirrel location sniffing the phone does behind my back.
Android has about a million different incomprehensible weasily location options. At least in 4.1, I've seen some evidence that 4.2 is a bit better. The bargain with 'Google's location service' seems to be that if you don't send your data to them they won't send it to you. At least I think so, the description changes when you check or uncheck the option. I've had this off for today and my battery has a lot more juice. It means that Google Now doesn't work, but so far that doesn't seem to be a loss. It might hurt other apps as well, but so far I care more about not having a dead phone at the end of the day.
(Published to the Fediverse as: Google Maps Ate My Battery #etc #google #maps #battery #location Android 4.1 on a HTC One X and how to get more life out of your battery if you can figure out the location settings. )
I just discovered that Disqus started running adverts on my blog without permission. It's probably been going on for a little while and I should have paid more attention, sorry.
By 'without permission' I mean that I'm sure I clicked though and didn't read a terms of service document that said they could do what the fuck they like to my site. And reading other accounts of this issue I'm sure I filed without reading the email they sent out that mentioned this new 'feature' in passing. So in a legal sense they probably had all the permission they needed. In a moral sense they're switch-and-bait scum of the highest order.
They should have made this feature opt-in and then sent out an email explaining it in detail. Some sites don't want to run ads. You could have non-commercial Creative Commons content on a site that is suddenly a commercial concern.
It's a free service and at some point they need to make money, fine. If this had been presented as an option I might have considered it. If they wanted to charge for the service I'd probably have paid for it.
Instead I've disabled Disqus and hastily hacked in Facebook Comments which should be coming online as I write this post.
A side effect of this is that all the existing comments are currently unavailable. I have an archive and will try to get them resurrected soon.
(Since writing this post I have also ditched Facebook comments and now have a fully home grown solution that I moderate by hand.)
(Published to the Fediverse as: Disqust #etc #disqus #comments #facebook Disqus sneak in ads and so I rip out Discuss in favor of Facebook Comments and eventually my own system. )
4/5
Probably not what happens when you die... but you never know.
4/5
Plenty of solid advice backed up by data and sample code. I picked up a few new optimizations to try and a couple to revisit from reading this book. Well recommended if you want to make a site faster.
3/5
The first book is very well done, but in the genre of forcing kids to kill each other I have to say I prefer Battle Royale. Battle Royale is more of a horror story, The Hunger Games has this element but it's also a fantasy about escaping poverty to makeovers and banquets as well. The second book sags a little and then the third book really picks up the pace and ends very strongly. Quick and worthwhile read.
Google's use crime of a new compose window is going to become compulsory soon.
I suspect this is because it will soon be revealed that Google is rolling out a chain of high street Chiropractic facilities to treat the crick in everyone's neck from composing email in the bottom right hand corner of one's screen.
Either that or it's a bid for mobile dominance by forcing PC users to work in mobile screen sized portions of their screen until you just give up and use your phone.
(Published to the Fediverse as: Chiroopractoor #etc #google #gmail Why is Google trying to give me back pain with their latest Gmail redesign? )
After my horrible experience with Cleat last year I'm finally pulling the plug on my remaining Twitter API projects. Twitter is switching off their v1 API soon and I'm still so sick of it that I'm not even going to upgrade existing products. If you used Follower then I'm sorry. If you liked my Twitter public timeline screensaver then you're odd, but I'm still sorry. I'll still tweet, I'm just staying clear of the API.
(Image is Fail Whale Pale Ale by Brian Cook.)
(Published to the Fediverse as: bye, bye, Miss Deprecated API #etc #twitter I'm done with the Twitter API )
The photograph titled “Great Billboard Hack” captures an urban scene bathed in the bright daylight. In the foreground, a white van with "City Lights" emblazoned on its side is parked on the street, suggestive of a bustling city environment. The focal point of the image is a prominently displayed billboard that questions, “Where is due process?” Its bold red and white lettering stands out, drawing the eye amidst a muted backdrop of shadowed building walls and entwined overhead wires. A leafy tree branch enters the frame from the top right, introducing an element of nature to this predominantly industrial vista. The contrast between the organic and the manmade elements subtly enhances the photograph's narrative, offering a sense of coexistence within a bustling metropolis.
The composition cleverly employs leading lines and contrasting elements to focus attention on the billboard. The alignment of the van’s roof and the shadowed lines across the building direct the viewer’s gaze toward the sign, emphasizing its message. The photographer uses natural daylight to heighten the emotional impact, with shadows adding depth and intrigue to the scene. However, the underexposed sections on the right side slightly detract from the image's overall balance, leaving some details obscured. While the photograph succeeds in combining narrative and aesthetics, a tighter crop might enhance focus further, reducing distractions and allowing the billboard’s provocative question to resonate even more powerfully with the viewer.
Photo of a Jerusalem cricket (aka potato bug) marching up Bernal Heights.
The photograph titled "Bernal Bug" captures a fascinating ground-level view of a large, glossy insect resting on a pebble-strewn path. The insect's abdomen glistens in the natural light, its segmented body looking almost like a small armored vehicle navigating an earthen runway. In the background, the path disappears into softly blurred greenery, where a distant tree with sprawling branches stands guard over the scene. The juxtaposition of the bug and the backdrop creates a sense of scale and adventure, as the creature appears to be embarking on an epic journey through the vast, verdant landscape.
The composition utilizes a shallow depth of field, drawing sharp focus to the insect while allowing the background to softly blur into a gentle bokeh. This technique effectively emphasizes the subject, lending it an almost heroic stature against its natural surroundings. The photograph adheres to the rule of thirds by positioning the insect off-center, which adds a dynamic quality to the image. What stands out is the bold perspective that offers an intimate look at the insect's world, but the photograph could benefit from slightly more contrast to enhance details and texture, especially in the background. Overall, the photo succeeds in transforming a simple moment into a captivating narrative by employing creative angles and depth.
(Published to the Fediverse as: Bernal Bug #photo #bernal Bernal Bug (Jerusalem cricket, aka potato bug) photographed at Bernal Heights Park in San Francisco, California. )
A quick question for the two thirds of Americans who see gun rights as being protection from tyranny. Your government has just refused to rule out killing you by drone in the US without due process (never mind that US citizens outside the country are already fair game). If not now, then when?
You realize that by the time ATF has seized your weapons and you're all locked up in internment camps for gun enthusiasts it will be too late, right?
If the Attorney General deciding that under circumstances he won't reveal it's OK to kill you without a trial doesn't cross the line then what does? Seems like the dictionary definition of tyranny to me.
I've got to admit that I wouldn't like to try taking down the government via violence. They've got drones. Not to mention aircraft carriers, nukes, F-35s and whatever it is that's festering on Plum Island. Personally I'll stick with voting and blogging.
So if you're not actually going to overthrow the government can we drop this ridiculous 'need' for guns and move on?
(Published to the Fediverse as: Drones and Gun Control #politics #guns #drones At what point would you actually use those precious second amendment rights to fight off tyranny? )
Download a Sharepoint File with GraphServiceClient (Microsoft Graph API)
Export Google Fit Daily Steps, Weight and Distance to a Google Sheet
Accessing Printer Press ESC to cancel
Which PG&E rate plan works best for EV charging?
Monitor page index status with Google Sheets, Apps Script and the Google Search Console API
Enable GZIP compression for Amazon S3 hosted website in CloudFront
International Date Line Longitude, Latitude Coordinates
