Month: August 2021

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Readers, Please pardon the Sidebar

It seems that WordPress decided to NOT tell me on opening the widgets panel, (Which I had carefully arranged the way I wanted them,) would result in a royal fuckup. This fuckup encompassed not only of the widget that I wanted to add a single line of HTML to, but destroyed every widget, including those that WordPress supposedly maintained.

Hey, THANKS GUYS!

Now I get to figure out the “New” damned widget system, and honestly my first take is this:

I DON’T LIKE IT!

I was perfectly content to use HTML to do what I wanted to. I was perfectly content to have a simple widget bar down the left side of my blog that presented information the way I wanted it.

I didn’t ask for a visual editor that randomly throws <SPANS> and Font changes, paragraph to paragraph. I didn’t ask for an HTML editor that apparently doesn’t actually like some of your <!– wp:paragraph –> tags in certain arrangements (even though YOU WordPress are adding those elements).

I ESPECIALLY don’t like the fact that you’ve created and released a buggy widget editor that incorrectly converts some HTML and chokes if there is a <Space> between the last character of text in a line and a <Line End>.

This is especially annoying, since there’s no way to see either, within the editor. Attempting to post such a line will result in an error that prevents the user from making any changes. Although, apparently this is an editor problem, not an underlying system problem since the badly converted text is displayed in the first place.

So what should have take 2 seconds has now taken at least a couple of hours to learn how to manipulate, partially reconstruct, and of course debug. (See Above)

Sometimes… making changes is not in the best interest of anybody. Sometimes making changes just creates more work. But I suppose it gave some coder 6 more months of work on a work visa.

Hey, here’s an idea… if you can’t save a chunk of something, how about providing something more descriptive than an error occurred? Better yet, HOW ABOUT HIGHLIGHTING the element you’re having a problem with?

Grrrr.

Just as a point. I’m not even particularly pleased with your new visual blog editor.

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Oh Come on now!

This article is one of those that makes you just wonder what the hell?

Welsh language use ‘systemically racist’, Arts Council warned

The headline is enough to get the blood boiling. The meat of the article, not so much, although it does leave you at a low simmer.

The synopsis is this;

Apparently The Arts Council of Wales, and National Museums Wales produce all their grant, and other normal business materials in Welsh. (You know, their NATIVE language…)

This use of their native language, presents an obstacle to artists that do not speak the language.

That’s not racist, it’s not white supremacy, it’s normal folks of a country going about their normal day, doing normal business.

If you visit an Arabic country, you better be able to speak Arabic or you’re not going to get too far without a translator. Does anybody think that China using Chinese, (Any of the dialects) is racist?

If you’re going to live in a country, you should probably do your best to learn the language. I’m an “Arrogant American“, yet while searching for a country to go spend time in, (longer than a vacation,) I came to the conclusion that prior to going to that country I should have a functional command of the language.

My selection was German. I’d like to visit Germany and perhaps get a work visa there for a time. My second choice is Norway. (Note: don’t try to learn two languages at once, it will blow your mind…)

This preoccupation with racism has become tiresome and childish.

Germans, Italians, and the Irish immigrated to North America and learned the predominant languages spoken there. English or French if they went to Canada, depending on the province. English typically if they moved to the US. (As a side note, they were still discriminated against.)

Canada AND France still by law, require that French appears on all imported goods. Is that racist? Hell NO!

Is it racist that Spain and much of South America conduct business in Spanish or Portuguese? Hell NO!

My experience with speaking languages (Spanish & French) to folks who natively speak those languages has been met with nothing but respect and appreciation. Sure I screw up, sometimes with hilarious consequences.

There is nothing more joyous than two complete strangers laughing so hard they’re crying because of a totally screwed up attempt to ask for directions. The laughter underscores that we’re all human and imperfect, and yet kindness is usually our default setting.

People in Mexico and people in Quebec have always demonstrated respect for my courtesy to them because I was trying to speak their language. They might very kindly switch to English for clarity and gently correct my pronunciation. They often commented that it was rare to meet an American that tried at all.

My German may suck. Even when I master it, I’ll always have a heavy American accent. When I finally get to Berlin, at least the people I encounter will know I respect them and their country, because I took the time to learn the language.

If I were an artist in Wales, I’d work very hard to learn the language for three reasons. 1) It’s a lot easier to sell art if you can communicate. 2) It’s a lot easier to have a social life if you get the jokes. 3) Art by its very nature tends to attract a somewhat effete clientele, you’d probably do much better applying for grants without a barrier of language.

It’s not racist for people of a country to speak their native language. It’s completely normal. The abnormality is that visitors to a country expect special treatment.

Why is it so hard a concept for some people to grasp?

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Apple, Just Stop!

There’s no shame in acquiescing to your customers.

You’re on a slippery slope with your CSAM scanning. Lots of folks are justifiably concerned that this particular system could be misused.

This concern could easily translate into losses for your stockholders. While I recognize that a substantial part of your revenue is dependent on China, creating a system that so obviously could scan a persons phone for an oppressive regime isn’t going to help.

Our own government is and has demonstrated that no government is above spying on its citizens. Please don’t make it any easier for them.

I personally have already pulled my personal photos off of iCloud.

I’d imagine that you’re seeing a lot of other people doing the same thing. Take a look at your network activity. How much network traffic is outbound? How many photos are marked for deletion?

The real tell for you will be how many people don’t update to your latest operating systems.

We won’t know that until you release the new offerings in September – October but I suspect that a lot of people have switched off automatic updates. I know I have,

The problem isn’t that you’re trying to prevent Child pornography. That’s a good thing, the problem is that you’re opening the door to scanning anything stored in what is supposed to be private storage.

If we’re paying for cloud services, I believe that you should be treating those cloud accounts like safety deposit boxes. What’s in them is none of your business. Unless you’re presented with a warrant, nobody, including the hosting entity should be looking at what is stored in them.

The problem Apple, is that you’ve gone further. By your own description you’re programming our phones to scan at least some of the data they contain. How long before you’re scanning all the data?

How long will it be before you’re looking for images of confederate flags, or a proud gun owner’s collection of guns, or “hate speech”, Anti-Vaccine comments, “Transphobic” remarks, any nude photos, or rude comments about The President or Vice President?

For the first time in more than 2 decades. I’m looking at Windows computers. I’m searching around for dumb cell phones, and considering things like not having an iPad or an Apple Watch. I’m considering eliminating Apple cloud services from my life entirely as well.

I can turn off iMessage. I could force all text communication to go over SMS only. I’ve not decided on that quite yet because so many of my text communications are innocuous and mundane.

It’s not even that I have anything to hide. It’s the principal that my communications could become subject to anyone’s approval.

What is next? Will Apple employ banks of people who censor conversations, becoming like FaceBook, Twitter, and Google?

Where is the Apple that just a few years ago told the FBI, “No we will not unlock a terrorists phone?” Remember that Apple? The Apple that I was proud of, the Apple that would not yield to government pressure?

Just Stop, before it’s too late. You still have time, no-op the code.

There’s a quote some thing like; Scientists contemplate can we do a thing? Scientists often fail to ask themselves SHOULD we do a thing.

Apple, it’s time that you ask, “Should we do a thing?”