ricmac

ricmac, 7 hours ago to random

Quantum computing has taken over from AI as the tech that seems highly promising, but also has been not quite there for years now. I did a series of posts 2 years ago, and I still receive a stream of news in my inbox about it, but it still seems a ways off. e.g. "...today announced a significant milestone on the path to commercially relevant quantum systems. While many existing quantum architectures achieve entanglement within modules, [this co] has demonstrated entanglement between modules."

ricmac, 2 days ago to random

“The trend is away from an open web where anyone can compete to a world with a smaller number of big winners. For the moment, that benefits large publishers. In time, though, it may favor only one publisher: Google itself.” https://www.platformer.news/google-ai-overviews-eat-rocks-glue-pizza/?ref=platformer-newsletter&attribution_id=665655ae205cb200017b74d0&attribution_type=post

ricmac, 1 day ago to random

Gmail changed the web platform in 2004 — are we about to see a similar shift in web development thanks to Microsoft Edge and its new 'HTML-first/JavaScript-second' approach? Less React, more Web Components — what's not to like! Hat-tips @slightlyoff & @brucelawson for the explanations on Mastodon (but note that I'm the only one to blame for the Gmail comparison). https://thenewstack.io/from-react-to-html-first-microsoft-edge-debuts-webui-2-0/

ricmac, 1 day ago to random

This is my favourite yet, especially the Beatles reference… #googleaioverviews (via https://www.instagram.com/p/C7btGs-Bovd/?igsh=MWgyeHVnMGZmaWZ2MA==)

quillmatiq, 3 days ago to fediverse

"The Verge and 404 Media are building out new functions that would allow them to distribute posts on their sites and on federated platforms – like Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky – at the same time. Replies to those posts on those platforms become comments on their sites."

If you're not looking at @theverge and @404mediaco as social web platforms that are hosting hand-picked content creators with a publisher's infrastructure, you're not paying attention. #Fediverse

https://digiday.com/media/why-publishers-are-preparing-to-federate-their-sites/

ricmac, 1 day ago to random

@404mediaco really is an inspiration in this era. What about an open web media collective that is sponsored by 5-6 companies for whom the web is crucial to their business (eg Netlify cc @biilmann Fastly cc @anildash Automattic cc @photomatt …). I have been wondering lately if a RWW 2.0 but owned by a collective would work. Perhaps a pipe dream, but there are talented people like @jomc and companies that want to be associated with supporting the open web. https://friend.camp/@jomc/112525445258939697

ricmac, 1 day ago to random

Boomer art… ?? That has actually flummoxed my Gen X brain. I am so old. https://post.lurk.org/@entreprecariat/112518015215854537

ricmac, 2 days ago to random

After weeks of delay in closing the proposed Ziff Davis Enterprise acquisition of ReadWriteWeb, and seeing Ars Technica and PaidContent both get bought in mid-2008, I decide enough is enough. I'd spent $50k of my own money to try and get this deal done, and it was all for nothing. https://cybercultural.com/p/034-rww-withdraws-from-zde-deal/ #InternetHistory #Web2 #Serialization

ricmac, 2 days ago to random

In June 1999, Larry Page said this about his ambitions for Google: "We think we can make search a lot better than it is now. To do the best job, it requires artificial intelligence. The search engine must understand the question being asked, and understand everything on the Web."

Say what you will about Google, but its goal has always been to have AI running google.com. Except that today's AI doesn't "understand" anything; it's just very good at parroting human words.

https://searchengineland.com/on-googles-21st-birthday-a-look-back-in-time-322721

ricmac, 2 days ago to random

Well this sucks. Feels like an attack on web history! #staystrong #kiakaha @internetarchive -> "The Internet Archive, the nonprofit research library that’s home to millions of historical documents, preserved websites, and media content, is currently in its third day of warding off an intermittent DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) cyber-attack. According to library staff, the collections are safe, though service remains inconsistent." https://blog.archive.org/2024/05/28/internet-archive-and-the-wayback-machine-under-ddos-cyber-attack/

ricmac, 2 days ago to random

Huh? Why does a Mastodon bot that copies a Twitter account’s content also copy its followers count?

ricmac, 3 days ago to javascript

With frontend development, is it better to start simple and build on top of standard HTML, CSS and JavaScript? Or do you need a swiss army knife framework, like Next.js or Angular? I looked at recent Vue developments and found a lot to like about its "progressive framework" approach. https://thenewstack.io/want-out-of-react-complexity-try-vues-progressive-framework/ #vue #vuejs #javascript #frontend

ricmac, 3 days ago to bbs

"So, what’s the lesson for today? Many monetized systems push for more and more users, but the history of BBSs and other early online networks shows clearly that quality is more important than quantity in building authentic online communities."

Amen to that!

https://computerhistory.org/blog/dialing-up-community/ #bbs #Usenet

ricmac, 3 days ago to random

There's a story going round about a Google search leak. I'm not sure how legit it is, but this advice from @randderuiter rings true...although it also worries me. On the one hand, Google rewarding sites like The New Stack (my employer) for targeted content is good! On the other hand, is Google still rewarding established brands that have been acquired by scam/spam companies (like what happened to my old business, ReadWrite)? https://sparktoro.com/blog/an-anonymous-source-shared-thousands-of-leaked-google-search-api-documents-with-me-everyone-in-seo-should-see-them/

ricmac, 3 days ago to random

Oh my, I just started re-reading ‘Microserfs’, the 1995 novel about a fictionalized Microsoft by Douglas Coupland. When I first read it, I was a couple of years younger than the narrator, Dan. Now I’m around the same age as his “fiftysomething” father who gets laid off by IBM early in the book. How time flies…also, the book reminds one of how confused you are in your 20s (well, I certainly was). That’s one thing that improves with age, at least :)

ricmac, 4 days ago to random

An increasingly familiar discussion about link rot, this one initiated by Rafe Needleman on LinkedIn (hat-tip @pluralistic and @judell). https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rafeneedleman_pluralistic-linkrot-21-may-2024-activity-7199527942530490368-qRc-?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

ricmac, 4 days ago to random

“Our systems understand changes in ownership for a domain, and we take that into account when ranking pages.” Quote from a Google spokesperson in this story. I really hope that is true re the new owners of ReadWrite, which is now (unfortunately) an SEO front for gambling content. https://www.wired.com/story/confessions-of-an-ai-clickbait-kingpin/

ricmac, 5 days ago (edited 5 days ago) to 11ty

To the #Eleventy community: does anyone know of any projects to make an 11ty website a first class member of the #fediverse, similar to what The Verge is doing (via WordPress it seems like) and 404 Media will do once Ghost is ready (ref https://digiday.com/media/why-publishers-are-preparing-to-federate-their-sites/). I did implement #webmentions on Cybercultural.com, using Bridgy etc, but it was unsatisfactory so I took it offline. I do want Cybercultural to be an “actor” on the fediverse tho, so now thinking about how to achieve that via 11ty.

ricmac, 5 days ago to random

The fediverse is the future. But to understand the future, you must first know the past. This is why I write posts like this on Cybercultural.com (an indie website built with @eleventy and @buttondown). Remember kids: own your domain and don’t trust centralized platforms. https://mastodon.social/@ricmac/112474122022786117

ricmac, 6 days ago to random

“The Verge and 404 Media are building out new functions that would allow them to distribute posts on their sites and on federated platforms – like Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky – at the same time. Replies to those posts on those platforms become comments on their sites.”

Why publishers are preparing to federate their sites - Digiday https://digiday.com/media/why-publishers-are-preparing-to-federate-their-sites/