Posts on this site in the 'Tech' taxonomy, ordered by date
How Static Site Generators (SSGs) are becoming dynamic site generators anyway. Is this necessary or desirable?
Considering whether to use semantic CSS, utility classes, BEM (Block-Element-Modifier) or something else entirely.
Teenage Engineering have released something called a TX-6. I don't know what it does, but I love it.
The EU has approved a new law that will force Big Tech to open up its platforms, allowing app developers to use their own payment systems.
Safari will sometimes change the format of a file after it downloads it. This can be switched off by a setting in safari preferences.
Microsoft has elected to take a different approach to Apple and Google with its own app store. Are they getting ahead of the game?
How I went about transferring my journal from Day One to Apple Notes. It isn't simple because Day One's export facilities are not that extensive.
My response to a Forbes article which claims the Internet of Things will facilitate home working by managing domestic tasks.
A potential solution for the 'No Presto metadata available' error message encountered during a Yum update. In my case it was on a CentOS/Interworx server.
Getting Apple TV to Airplay to a pair of HomePod Minis is an arduous affair. 9To5Mac beat me to the gripe I was going to write myself.
How to get a stereo pair of HomePod Minis working as the default audio for and Apple TV 4K box.
Gordon Ansell 5th November 2021, 05:20 Tech , Software , Opinion , GTD , Agenda , iA Writer , OmniFocus , Reminders , Bear , Ulysses 1191 words
A review of where I am with my writing, notes and GTD apps, which, over the years, I've switched around a lot.
Mix.com has recently changed from being a website into being an app. I question the trend of doing that with everything these days.
I'll tell you what colour code is, and I'll explain how 'code rot' works.
Markdown has no official comment statement, but a 'null' link works as a pseudo-comment.
How to test for the presence of a property in Javascript. Use 'in', 'hasOwnValue' or test the property against 'undefined'.
How to correctly use Contact Form 7's 'wpcf7_before_send_mail' filter in Wordpress to intercept the contact form before the email is sent.
The adverts on the front of YouTube videos are tedious to the extreme. I began to wonder how many people skip these irritating walls that are erected around the content we want to see.
A company called sylvester.ai has release a beta of an app called Tably that alleges to be able to determine a cat's mood via artificial intelligence.
An app on Apple's app store passed Apple's review process even though it wouldn't let users run it until they'd given the app at least a 3-star review.
A contestant on US TV show Jeopardy suffers the onslaught of a mob of social media posters based on an incorrect conspiracy theory.
Cloudflare is experimenting with a new USB-based authentication of personhood to replace CAPTCHAs, but they still fail to understand who's responsible for this.
Given the number of notes apps on the market today, I wondered why there isn't an open standard to support interoperability between them.
I'm an Apple fan-boy, but they don't get everything right. I look at three Apple products that, in my opinion, fall short.
Why you get the 'Non-static method … should not be called statically' message from PHP and what to do about it.
A description of Googles proposed FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) standard for profiling people and providing those profiles to advertisers.
Scientists have been looking at the parts of the brain that are activated when people write computer code. Is it a language or mathematics?
Jack Dorsey is selling a tweet for $millions and I cannot fathom why anyone would pay such money for something so ephemeral.
An argument to replace the current corporate social media silos with an independent, distributed alternative.
Facebook refuses to play ball with new Australian regulations. Instead of paying news corporations to link to them, Facebook bans Australians from seeing any news.
Why isn't everything connected via USB-C? It was supposed to be the cable that replaced all other cables.
Automation is fine but it's always worth remembering that it's designed and implemented by humans, and humans make mistakes.
Details about the top 5 third-party apps I use on macOS and iOS: iA Writer, Agenda, Keep-It, VS Code and NetNewsWire.
Apple is facing a backlash over its App Store. Epic, third-party developers, the North Dakota Senate and Congress all have it in for them.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) defends the funding of ransomware criminals.
Some guidelines if you decide to create your own static site generator (SSG) software, which you shouldn't.
Facebook has taken out full-page advertisements in a number of US newspapers to complain about Apple's upcoming privacy change.
The EU has adopted a resolution that says it wants 'security through encryption and security despite encryption', which basically means it wants a backdoor.
Federal regulators and prosecutors from 45 states want to break up Facebook and undo its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
A review of the M1-powered MacBook Air (13 inch) and a comparison with a high-spec MacBook Pro from 2013.
Handling the 'systemd-logind: Failed to remove runtime directory /run/user/0: Device or resource busy' message.
Tim Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook have been feuding for some time now. This article summarises that feud.
I've bitten the bullet and ordered one of Apple's new MacBook Pros with an M1-chip in it. I now have no money.
Wired reviews Tim Hwang's book, which is called Subprime Attention Crisis. It draws parallels between online advertising the subprime mortgage crisis of the mid-late 2000s.
The Internet of Things is being used lock away mens’ penises and testicles.
Epic has started the Coalition for App Fairness as part of its ongoing battle against Apple's app store policies.
NetNewsWire 5.1 for macOS brought in Feedly support and therefore became the feed reader of choice for me. Here's my review of NetNewsWire.
A new rule by Ireland's Data Protection Commission upsets Facebook enough for them to threaten to withdraw their services from the EU.
A look at how BEM notation might work with SCSS. I also present my opinions about BEM in general.
Facebook says it might be pointless to try and track advert performance when Apple's iOS 14 starts asking users for permission to do so.
Epic Games are suing both Apple and Google over their app stores. This is amidst antitrust hearings in both the US and the EU.
Virgin Galactic have made an aeroplane that will travel at three times the speed of sound. About time too.
More and more hacked companies appear to be paying off the hackers to recover their data. This is a very bad idea.
More information for anyone suffering from Ulysses/iCloud synching problems. It's an iCloud problem with certain types of app.
I take aim at pop-ups. The sort that ask you to subscribe to a newsletter or whatever. I think the web would be a better place without them.
Apple have made my early 2013 MacBook Pro obsolete, so I need to consider upgrading if I want to remain in the macOS ecosystem.
My iPad seems to drain some battery even when it is powered off overnight. I think this has something to do with iPadOS 13.5 or 13.5.1.
A review of Agenda version 10 for macOS, iPadOS and iOS. A date-based notes app with to-do and light project management capabilities.
An article in the New York Times features the views of Dr Ben Shneiderman and he suggests fully automated AI is a bad thing.
Zuckerberg says Facebook will prevent electoral interference but is less like to prevent coronavirus misinformation.
Constants are immutable but properties of constant objects are not, which can be confusing to begin with.
The support offered by big companies is often terrible and that's particularly true for big tech.
Why are we plagued by intrusive tracking and advertising without our informed consent?
ICANN has received many complaints about the sale of the .org domain to Ethos Capital.
A subjective comparison of Node.js Javascript versus PHP. It's horses for courses.
Apple always know how to charge money but the cost of Mac Pro wheels is expensive even for them.
How the UK's coronavirus tracking app will leverage APIs from Apple and Google.
Google will charge for its reCAPTCHA service, but I still don't see why I have to prove I'm human.
How to fix the problem of being unable to tick extensions to enable them via Safari's preferences dialog.
Hardly an illuminating error message from TSB bank.
Why does the horizontal scroll bar on MS Code disappear when you hover over it?
A look at the LiDAR system that comes with some of Apple's latest iPads.
A review of the HP OfficeJet 6950 All-In-One colour inkjet printer/scanner/fax.
How to find and fix coverage problems in Google Search Console and ensure your site is indexed properly.
How to get around the problem of Filemaker global database fields when sharing a database between Filemaker Pro and Filemaker Go.
A summary of what we know about Apple AirTags, which is nothing, really, because it's all rumour and speculation.
ISPs often levy charges if you move away from them and want to keep using the email address you had with them.
Taking screenshots instead of shutting down my iPad.
How to create a dark mode in CSS and how to allow the user to change modes using some Javascript.
How to access a Working Copy repository from within iA Writer. It's basically added as a 'Location'.
Now that it has reached its tenth birthday, has the iPad been a success or a failure?
Ring doorbell passes data from its app to a host of third-parties without any opt-in from users.
Why does Google show subscription sites in its search listings? I find this really annoying. I also moan about light switches.
A review of iA Writer version 5 for macOS, iPadOS and iOS, which is a file-based Markdown editor.
How is it that companies who chose to jump the gun and develop age-verification software for porn sites can claim £3m in 'damages'?
How to deal with the 'Node Sass could not find a binding for your current environment' error message.
Some notes about cPanel's price increases and transferring to Interworx in response to that.
An article on TechCrunch takes a look at how cookie consents are breaking the EU's GDPR laws.
Possible fixes if you encounter the 'Nested mappings are not allowed in compact mappings' error while processing YAML.
Samsung's new toy is simply a killer robot in disguise, but then again I am paranoid.
Motorola will be releasing a new Razr flip phone in December 2019. It'll have a 6.2in foldable screen.
How to fix, or at least debug, a critical error after upgrading to Wordpress 5.3.
Zuckerberg doesn't fare well in front of Congress's House Financial Services Committee. He's held to account for his many sins alongside his plans for Libra.
A rant about cookie confirmation screens. Also some nonsense about bum implants.
How to add a new Nova unit to an existing Tenda Nova MW-6 wireless mesh network.
A review of Apple’s Reminders app under macOS Catalina, iPadOS 13 and iOS 13. It’s now a genuinely useful GTD app.
Yet another iPhone 11 review, this time by someone who typically dislikes any and all phones but was persuaded to purchase Apple's latest offering.
Google's quantum computer performs a task in a few minutes that would take a supercomputer 10,000 years.
My experiences transferring from a plain iPhone 6 to a standard iPhone 11.
The thought process behind my decision to upgrade from my iPhone 6 to an iPhone 11.
Billy Mitchell takes Guinness and Twin Galaxies to court after they remove his high score. ArsTechnica reports.
The rules I'd like to see governing online advertising and privacy therein. Something like this will happen. Privacy breaches and onerous advertising will force it.
Why publishers, advertisers and advertising networks need to get together to ensure advertising is acceptable to users.
Google is proposing a way to change online tracking so it allegedly better respects user privacy.
A review of Zen Internet's broadband packages, which I've now been using for nine years.
An interview with Automattic's CEO about their takeover of the Tumblr microblogging platform.
The Cloudflare/8chan situation raises questions about how the internet should be moderated. With a bit of prelude I link to Ben Thompson's ideas about this.
How to sort out macOS Mohave when the Mail app gets stuck 'moving messages', specifically when connected to a Microsoft Exchange server.
Priti Patel mirrors a lot of the world's governments as she wants backdoors into end-to-end encryption. The trouble is, most governments have no idea what they're doing.
Is there a better way than those currently in common use to check if a website visitor is a robot?
How to install Python and Django on macOS via Homebrew and pip. Includes installation of the Python virtual environment.
I'm hearing lots about 5G these days, which is intensely frustrating as I get 0G most of the time.
A BBC article reports the increasing number of ransomware victims who are paying off their hackers.
Prenda Law's copyright troll Paul Hansmeier finally gets his comeuppance and gets sentenced to 14 years.
There has been some legal tightening of privacy protections in the last few years with things like GDPR, but the privacy policies of many sites are still too impenetrable.
An update to my earlier review to take account of the new features in OmniFocus 3 for macOS.
Panic Software are breaking into hardware with a handheld games console due for release in early 2020.
How to fix a problem with Safari's 'Inspect Element' where the DOM tree seems to bounce all over the place.
The University of Cambridge has proposed a new form of currency that could be the future of stellar financial transactions.
A brief example of how to use the PHP built-in web server for testing and development purposes.
A post on Dave Winer's Scripting News site demonstrates why posting a good blog on Facebook is stupid.
My (revised) version of how to markup a blog with schema so that the relevant properties and relationships are properly defined.
How to use schema @ids to avoid repeating yourself when you want to define complex schemas. It's easier than you might think.
Inspired by an article I saw on Microsoft's TechNet, I post my summary of how to create safe, difficult to crack passwords.
A summary of the UK's Online Harms White Paper, which aims to prevent 'online harm' by regulating certain internet-based companies.
What I would like to see in iOS 13 for the iPad. Mouse support, filesystem access and xCode, essentially.
Apple's March 2019 announcements left me flat. TV channels, news and gaming subscriptions and a credit card aren't my thing.
Wired reports that AI has managed to trick (some of) Google's reCAPTCHA, bot-protection mechanism. I ask why we have to put up with them anyway.
Panic have announced that they intend to replace Coda, their web development software, with something entirely new.
To celebrate pi day one of Google's employees calculated its value to 31,415,926,535,897 digits.
Due to the way they store the number of weeks, legacy GPS systems will end an epoch on 6 April 2019. Is this another Y2K situation?
Mark Zuckerberg appears to have had a change of heart and now wants a privacy-focussed Facebook, according to an article on the BBC.
Facebook plans a fan subscription model to compete with Patreon. TechCrunch pick holes in it and ask whether Facebook can be trusted with creators' content.
An article on Gizmodo tells the story of Ong's Hat, which became one of the internet's early conspiracy theories.
If you've lost Radio by TuneIn on your Sonos system upgrading to Sonos 10 might just solve the problem and restore it.
Colin Devroe warms of the dangers of using big tech silos for your services, specifically in relation to Verizon in this case.
Just some musings on some of the pointless technology produced these days, which I inevitably end up buying
The BBC looks at the world of Fortnite hackers, but I tend to think a better sense of perspective is necessary.
My HomePod seems to have a mind of its own sometimes and I think about that in this article, which also serves as a very brief review of the device.
An excellent ArsTechnica overview (and tutorial) of Helm Personal Email Server, which provides the hardware and services you need to easily host your own email.
A review of the Tenda Nova Mesh WiFi system, specifically the MW6 version which is the one I used to penetrate the thick walls where I live.
An article at Gizmodo describes the working environment at Netflix, which seems to operate by ensuring employees are scared to death.
A very brief review of Apple's Reminders app which lacks two key features as far as I am concerned. The addition of these features would make it truly useful.
Are Apple products now too expensive? I add my own comments on the back of an article by Bradley Chambers at 9To5Mac.
A Japanese firm has released a credit card-sized phone to act as a 'companion' to one's main phone.
How I use schema.org markup on a blog. A combination of WebSite, Blog, Article and BlogPosting, and things like Product and Review to generate rich snippets.
A review of Panic's Coda, which is a code editor, FTP and terminal app for macOS and iOS. It's basically very good but suffers from one or two drawbacks.
Fixing PHP sessions, which seem to be timing out too soon since PHP 7. The problem lies with where the sessions are saved.
A look at Solid, which is Tim Berners-Lee's latest project. It is intended to give people more control of their personal data.
A short article on Recode about Apple's 12 September 2018 event. It's mainly watch and phone stuff.
Whereas Jekyll will run on macOS, it won't run on iOS, so I had to install it on my Linux server. This is the cross-platform process I use to publish articles via Jekyll.
An article on the Huffington Post looks at how some of their staff handle an evening’s TV without a phone. The results concern me.
Medium deprecates custom domain support, which is just another way to maintain control of your content in my opinion.
A review of the Dark Sky Weather app, which I tested for seven days. It's quite accurate although it had one or two interface problems.
Donald Trump now thinks Google Search is biased agains him and blusters on about it, threatening consequences. Google issued denial.
Gizmodo takes a look at Jeremy Corbyn's plans to promote journalism by levying a windfall tax on big tech. There are some problems with this plan.
In their attempt to deal with fake news, Facebook has introduced a 'trustworthiness' score. This score has its critics though.
An interesting article by Alexandra Jones on the BBC about 'Instagram face'. I'm more interested in how this reflects on society in general, if indeed it does at all.
If you've ever wondered why we have Launchpad you're in good company. However, Zac Hall at 9To5Mac describes a way it can be made a bit more useful.
How to get around the problem where Final Cut Pro X refuses to import an AVCHD file from a camcorder.
MacStories reports the Twitter API changes due today and some of the effects those changes are having on third-party apps.
TechCrunch reports Twitter has dropped Infowars into the sin bin for seven days for a tweet that allegedly broke their terms of use.
What expectations should you have when it comes to influencing a privately-owned website's content? None at all, I argue.
Emoji candidates for inclusion in Emoji Version 12, which will be released in March 2019.
An argument in favour of written articles for imparting instruction and information (help texts, how-to articles etc.) rather than videos or podcasts.
ArsTechnica reports that ISPs now advertise up to 41% slower speeds after new regulations in the UK make ISPs advertise more accurate broadband speeds.
A review of OmniFocus 2 for macOS and 3 for iPad, the popular list taking, project management and GTD app. In particular, version 3 of OmniFocus for iOS finally brings genuine iPad support.
Nick Heer's excellent article highlights much of what's wrong with the web today. Well worth a read.
The BBC reports that Google is planning a search-like app that complies with Chinese censorship laws despite withdrawing from China in 2010 on 'free speech' grounds.
Why you should maintain control of your creative content on the internet via your own website and the blueprint provided by IndieWeb.
An article by the BBC about the prevalence of fake news. Some MPs are calling for greater regulation to combat this, particularly online.
I used to want categories as well as tags for Bear Writer but after using it for a number of months I now see how tags alone works fine.
A BBC article announces that Larry Page's flying car company is now training people how to fly them.
A comparison between phone and email as communications protocols and some very personal conclusions about which I think is the better.
A quick look at Filemaker 17 and a couple of the new features I find most interesting, along with a couple of my criticisms in general.
The Next Web's summary of Apple's 2018 WWDC. Quite a few things were announced that probably interest many people, although I'm a little nonplussed.
Windows 10 updates are complete mess. There's no control over when they'll run and, when they do run, they often fail, leaving you with the 'solution' being that you must reinstall the OS.
The Washington Post seems to charge people extra if they want GDPR compliance. This is wrong but with a little more thought the Washington Post could probably correct that.
The big tech companies rarely have genuine email support, which I think discriminates against the hard of hearing. Not only that, email is the most efficient way to provide support in most cases.
A CBS News article about Google's search and search advertising dominance. An anti-trust lawyer is interviewed about this situation.
Why must you back up your computer? Because you will need it one day and it's far better than losing important photographs, letters and other documents. Backups are essential.
ArseTechnica article about how Chrome will flag insecure websites rather than secure ones.
After a short foray into Twitter, I produce my recommendations about how to survive social media. Avoid the politics, essentially.
An article from TechCrunch about the Medium blogging platform and how it has changed the rules, screwing some publishers in the process.
The Bear Writer team have released a new update, version 1.5. This includes tweaks to TagCons, more default tags and export to ePub, amongst other things.
A review of the Yohann iPad stand for a 12.9 inch iPad Pro. It's an attractive-looking wooden stand that serves both form and function very well.
A BBC article about how Amazon and Trustpilot reviews can be bought by unscrupulous vendors.
A New York Times article shows that Facebook has been largely unaffected by the privacy scandal in terms of its profits and revenues.
A monkey can't sue for copyright, which ought to be common sense. Unfortunately a less intelligent species than monkeys became involved - lawyers.
A look at how social media has lessened the need for things like site identity and a home page. But is it wise to make social media your only 'home' on the internet?
An article from the BBC about how Facebook is trying to dodge new EU privacy regulations.
An article from Gizmodo about iPod productivity. It claims an iPad is not a laptop replacement.
Moving from Ulysses to Bear Writer for article writing. How to manage the transfer and tag articles appropriately, emulating Ulysses categories in Bear.
A Ulysses review. I think this is currently the best writing app available for MacOS and iOS and I present my justifications in this review.
A review of MoneyWiz personal accounting software, which is a cross-platform app compatible with MacOS, iOS, Windows and Android. Over all, it's a pretty good package backed with good support.
An article from Wired about Mark Zuckerberg's approach to privacy on Facebook over the years.
I received a brand new 12.9 inch iPad Pro and accessories. In this article I explain the unboxing process, my first impressions and some of the initial tasks I needed to do.
This article describes how I went about changing the way I used Jekyll to support moving from a MacOS MacBook Pro as main computer to using an iOS iPad Pro instead.
There's no easy way to add Microsoft Exchange aliases on iOS like there is on MacOS. In this article I present an ugly but effective workaround.
I have decided to switch from using a MacBook Pro to using an iPad Pro as my main computer. I'm planning to document my progress and this is the first article on the subject where I assess my requirements and make my purchase.
If you get reports from CSF/LFD telling you various limits have been exceeded, there are a couple of ways to fix them. Here I show you two of those ways.
Why do we have digital piracy? I suspect the main reason is down to the prices charged by the digital media companies themselves.
If you use CPanel's AutoSSL facility and you get problems after adding a new domain, this might just be the answer. It could be your htaccess file causing problems.
My thoughts about Apple computers five years after switching to the platform from Windows. Would I now switch back to Windows again?
Why I chose to use Jekyll, a static blog generation app, to power this site rather than something like Wordpress.
A review of Bear Writer, a markdown-based note-taking application from Shiny Frog. It supports tags and has multiple import and export options.
How to add Microsoft Exchange aliases to MacOS mail so that you can send email from multiple address via your Apple computer.
A description of my GTD process, which currently incorporates native MacOS apps along with OmniFocus and Ulysses. I still want to find a Holy Grail of GTD though.
How to fix CSF (ConfigServer Firewall) after upgrading your CPanel system from EasyApache 3 to EasyApache 4.
How to fix the 'p0f appears to be down' message that sometimes occurs on cPanel systems after an upgrade or reboot.
A description of how I installed Jekyll on macOS 10.11+, including how to get past some of the errors I encountered.