Tomo in Saigon @tomosaigon@fosstodon.org

Cargo cult programming

Why is running Linhx more secure than Windows? I stumbled upon some convincing arguments:
1. Most virus files are .exes which Linux can't run.
2. Linux has 2 passwords, Administrators and Roots.
3. Windows has more kernels so it's more dangerous.

One day MacBooks will have PgUp/PgDn above the left/right arrow keys. And Apple will act like they invented the keyboard.

Maybe time to consider the daemon-worshipping BSD folks (and their alternative free software license).

Discord considers selling itself to Microsoft. Now the app requires an update in Linux which breaks the install and no longer works. Coincidence?

JavaScript begot TypeScript.
JavaScript begot WebAssembly.

TypeScript and WebAssembly had a child called AssemblyScript.

Think of it as a way to write Assembly by hand using a higher level of abstraction.

Writing regexes by hand can be tedious.

regexgen is a CLI program that generates regular expressions given a list of strings. https://github.com/devongovett/regexgen

Backdoor in Intel chips. Undocumented x86 instructions let you change microcode thus affecting all software running on the machine. https://twitter.com/_markel___/status/1373059797155778562?s=20

I didn't know this was even a thing. Amiga UNIX.

What to do with old Android devices lying around? A subreddit with ideas: https://www.reddit.com/r/androidafterlife

Call for Code (w/ The Linux Foundation) - volunteer for open source projects for the public good. List of repositories: https://github.com/Call-for-Code

Thought experiment: A writing system using a single stamp. What shape on the stamp would enable expressive written forms?

It slightly bothers me that `xargs` has nothing to do w/ X11.

Where's the Microsoftodon?

Do you remember ever not having internet, but knowing people who did, and not getting it right away? Lots of other tech is like that now.

#Deepfake is the future of content creation, according to BBC, at least when it comes to delivering Korean tv news. But the use cases (for fun and profit) are growing. https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-56278411

See how creative you can get in improving your video watching experience by browsing userscripts for MPV (supports javascript and lua) https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv/wiki/User-Scripts

What if man had invented/developed audio-based computing before visual (terminal console and later GUI)?

MIT Technology Review lists Data Trusts as 1 of 10 breakthrough technologies of the year. Something like the fediverse where you could place personal information w/ a service and then permitted organizations/governments could access w/o potential for leaking data when inevitably hacked. https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/24/1014369/10-breakthrough-technologies-2021/

Scientists have achieved 2-way communications with people while asleep and dreaming. Can you imagine programming your phone to remind you to do stuff while dreaming? https://www.npr.org/2021/02/27/971958260/scientists-talked-to-people-in-their-dreams-they-answered