bensmithuk

bensmithuk, 5 days ago to random

In the spirit of writing what interests me and not for an audience, I have produced what is probably the most boring blog post ever: https://bensmith.blog/posts/south-western-railway-s-logo-font-is-weissenhof-grotesk-medium

Edent, 12 days ago to DigitalNomadHub

🆕 blog! “Pushing The Button”

This is a retropost. Written contemporaneously in 2020, but published four years after the events. It's May 2020 as I write this. I'm typing to capture the moment. Right now, I've no idea what the impact is. This is the exact moment, on Thursday May 7th, I hit the Big Red Button - three of […]

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2024/05/pushing-the-button/
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#covid19 #nhsx #retropost #WeekNotes #work

joelanman, 23 days ago to random

"This means services created for internal users are assessed in the wrong way. Sometimes meeting user needs is not the most important thing"

mm nah. Any service needs to meet user needs otherwise it won't achieve what it needs to achieve. Makes no difference if they are 'internal'

girlonthenet, 1 month ago (edited 29 days ago) to random

UK millennials: if someone handed you a wooden recorder, could you play a song?

(Bonus points in comments if you can tell me which one. This Q brought to you by my confident assertion in group chat that even after 25+ years, I could still smash out Lord of the Dance)

bensmithuk, 1 month ago to random

<breathes deeply>

Today's "Taxpayers' Alliance" press release about 'fat cat' council bosses has my local Nextdoor group frothing wildly. As if this year's >£100m budget deficit is due to salaries at council HQ.

"What do they even do?" they foam, under an article that shows they manage a budget of >£2bn.

bensmithuk, 1 month ago to random

When something you warned was ill-conceived does turn into precisely the shit-show you anticipated for the reasons you said, how do you say 'told you so' to people who dismissed your advice as 'overly pessimistic' without seeming petty?

Asking for a friend 😒

dannotdaniel, 1 month ago to random

dear fedi

can this old aluminum 27 inch iMac be used as just a display?

thank you 🧀

rear of aluminum iMac with what looks like some kind of mini DisplayPort plug or something I don't recognize..

Edent, 1 month ago to random

The problem is, people who I probably agree with politically, are hugely susceptible to believing any old nonsense as long as it is delivered as a screenshot which stokes rage against "the baddies".

When I point out that it can be debunked in 5 seconds, that apparently makes me complicit in [insert thing they're angry about].

LoneLocust, 1 month ago to random

The “problem” with yesterday’s corned beef was that there was only enough for me to get one sandwich.

This leaves me with a loaf of Jewish Rye, and since the panini press was still out on the counter… voilà!

Ham, bacon, and Swiss on rye panini.

bensmithuk, 1 month ago to random

A short memory of how I built 38 useful Twitter bots in 2009: https://bensmith.blog/posts/i-invented-tweeting-trains-probably

bensmithuk, 1 month ago to random

When transferring a domain I own to a different registrar, do I lose any time remaining that I paid for at the 'old' registrar?

bensmithuk, 1 month ago to random

It's all hotting-up in the world of bench inscriptions (paging @openbenches and @Edent ): https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/mar/25/its-not-banksys-its-mine-artist-says-bristol-plaque-to-adulterer-is-a-copy

Edent, 1 month ago to random

In today's episode of "Technology Which Doesn't Exist But I Wish It Did".

I used to have an acoustic tube headset - like the one pictured.

It allowed for a discreet headphone to be worn, and a clip on microphone to be secreted on a lapel or sleeve.

There are loads which work with 3.5mm TRRS.

But I can't find any which work with USB-C.

(I'm not interested in your "jusT buY a PHOne WitH A HeADPhOne POrT" hot take, thanks.)

bensmithuk, 1 month ago to random

I wish there was a key combination I could press when clicking a link that told 'the algorithm' I was just clicking it for a laugh / curiosity and that it didn't need to recommend more houses costing £20m or jobs tending remote island lighthouses.

Edent, 1 month ago to Electronics

Anyone know where I can buy one of these USB dongles?

I have a device with a USB Micro socket. I want to plug in to a computer with a USB-C port.

I can find the cable version of this OTG adapter. But I'm struggling to find a small, solid component.

#USB #OTG #USBC #Electronics

nileane, 2 months ago to random

The way John Gruber writes about the EU feels insulting at this point.

I’m sensing it as the same kind of rhetoric that was used by Brexiters about 10 years ago — dumbing down the narrative to the point of disregarding some of the most important aspects that have lead to the DMA.

His way of constantly implying that Apple’s anticompetitive practices can be justified because they make for better experiences is often just based on the false assumption that people are dumber than they really are.

bensmithuk, 2 months ago to random

The maddening thing with Apple is that they could actually do DMA compliance really well and make it an appealing aspect of the iOS world.

bensmithuk, 2 months ago to random

I got a discount code from Amazon so bought a Kindle Scribe. It's actually not bad and - I think - I prefer writing on it over a Supernote (which I sold) and iPad with Pipelike screen protector.

More news on the hour.

Edent, 2 months ago to internet

🆕 blog! “Virgin Media preparing to offer symmetrical upload speeds?”

Virgin Media - a UK-based fibre-optic ISP - recently sent me a survey about their potential product offerings. It was desperate to know if I wanted bundled streaming video (no), or Sky Sports (LOL no), or any other digital subscriptions (no, go away), or a landline (what, is this the 19…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2024/03/virgin-media-preparing-to-offer-symmetrical-upload-speeds/
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#internet #isp #virgin

bensmithuk, 2 months ago to random

Many (many) apologies for the FB link but this is magnificent: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02f8i3s3yRmywq59AzpuFJ1uBUMacD95JpnoHNGMZL4Vp5p6apohqT7g3SVKdyVWnvl&id=100076596492564&

bensmithuk, 2 months ago to random

I have reluctantly re-joined Facebook with a minimal profile so I can join some local / kid's school groups that don't exist elsewhere.

EVERY 3 posts there's a scam ad - mainly fake celebrity endorsements and fake give-aways by big retailers. I reported a few but most are deemed not to break advertising rules 🤷

I knew it was bad but…