Blog
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If you've ever found yourself missing the "good old days" of the web, what is it that you miss?
You wanted to identify a song? Type some of the lyrics into a search engine and hope that somebody transcribed the same lyrics onto their fansite. You needed to know a fact? Better hope some guru had taken the time to share it, or it'd be time for a trip to the library.
Not having information instantly easy to find meant that you really treasured your online discoveries. You'd bookmark the best sites on whatever topics you cared about and feel no awkwardness about emailing a fellow netizen (or signing their guestbook to tell them) about a resource they might like. And then you'd check back, manually, from time to time to see what was new.
The young Web was still magical and powerful, but the effort to payoff ratio was harder, and that made you appreciate your own and other people's efforts more. -
Test your site in Lynx
Testing your website in Lynx or another text-mode browser can help you find find where you've become dependent upon JS and CSS. Let's see how much of DanQ.me breaks when it's deprived of advanced Web functionality!
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Screenshot from a Gender field on a form (with radiobutton options "Genderqueer/Non-Binary", "Man", "Woman", and "Fill in the Blank"). A wrapping/spacing issue has made a "clear" link appear very close to the field label "Gender", making it look like the word "Genderclear", which sounds a little like "Genderqueer".
Breakpoint issues always make me feel a bit "genderclear".
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Roman object that baffled experts to go on show at Lincoln Museum
An archeological dig in Lincolnshire has unearthed a Roman... thingy. It joins hundreds of other thingies of the same design that we've found over the last three centuries, but we can't conclusively say anything about what these thingies are FOR. That's amazing.
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Suno the Cheerleader
I continue to be an AI-sceptic. But if you're feeling uninspired on a Monday morning, try feeding your to-do list into an AI songwriter and ask for something uplifting so you can start your day with a cheerleader on your side!
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I think I might be more-prone to nerd sniping when I'm travelling.
Last week, a coworker pointed out an unusually-large chimney on the back of a bus depot and I lost sleep poring over 50s photos of Dutch building sites to try to work out if it was original.
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1950s black and white photo showing a newly-opened "GVB" bus depot in West Amsterdam.
When a boat tour guide told me that the Netherlands used to have a window tax, I fell down a rabbit hole of how it influenced local architecture and why the influence was different in the UK.
Why does travelling make me more-prone to nerd sniping? Maybe I should see if there's any likely psychological effect that might cause that...
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Window Tax
Britain and the Netherlands both had window taxes at various times. But the social and architectural effects were quite different.
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5 Cool Apps for your Unraid NAS
Some suggested starting apps for your Unraid NAS, inspired by a conversation this week with a teammate who's an aspiring Unraider. Selfhosting FTW!
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Found GC89T04 Japanse glazen dobbers
This checkin to GC89T04 Japanse glazen dobbers reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. An easy find. Didn't take nor leave any books, but briefly skimmed the Borland JBuilder 2 Getting Started guide, because it was familiar/nostalgic. Pretty sure I used this tool... about 25 years ago!
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Found GC8R0FY SIX on the beach
This checkin to GC8R0FY SIX on the beach reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. An easy find. As a approached I thought that a couple cuddling here might be in my way, but they were just getting ready to leave as I arrived! SL (love the long thin logbook!), TFTC. …
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Found GC79PX6 Galgenveld / Field of Gallows
This checkin to GC79PX6 Galgenveld / Field of Gallows reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. Eww. Had to put my hand into two gross holes before finding the (correct) third gross hole I needed to put my hand into. Worth it in the end for a happy smiley face. Thanks …
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Found GCAJGEA Welcome to Amsterdam! (Virtual Reward 4.0)
This checkin to GCAJGEA Welcome to Amsterdam! (Virtual Reward 4.0) reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. TFTC! I'm not carrying any tickets for UK transport, but I've got a (mildly defaced) British banknote and I found a tram (the number 13, which connected me to my hotel this week) and …
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Found GCAJHEN Amsterdam Greed / Hebzucht
This checkin to GCAJHEN Amsterdam Greed / Hebzucht reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. Cash? Not carrying much of that. But my credit card sits at the front of my minimalist wallet and, as a bonus, shows my geocaching username (which is the same as my actual name) without showing …
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Did not find GC5A7X0 Bicycle Parking
This checkin to GC5A7X0 Bicycle Parking reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. No luck here despite an extended search, the hint, and the spoiler image. Confident I've found the right host but no sign in the cache. I wonder if another geocacher is holding it right now, sitting somewhere nearby …
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Found GCAHANJ De Dolphijn
This checkin to GCAHANJ De Dolphijn reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. QEF once some nearby muggles moved along. TFTC.
PS Logbook getting quite full, only space for about 20-30 more signatures.