The End of Democracy in Poland →

July 14, 2020 · 13:03

Yascha Mounk:

Now that the government’s power is secured for another three years, the fear that the government will further undermine free speech and independent institutions is not a hostile assumption: it is a promise the government itself repeatedly made over the course of the campaign. The most immediate step will likely be to capture those remaining newspapers and television channels that are free to criticize the government. Since many of them are owed by companies based outside the country, the government has vowed to “re-Polonize the media.”

In the final step towards authoritarianism, Kelemen warns, the government is likely to start attacking the integrity of the electoral system itself. The opportunities to do so are many: Law and Justice could try to get the electoral commission under tight control, make it harder for Poles who live abroad to participate in democratic elections, and take away powers from big city mayors, who tend to belong to the opposition party.

[…] Yesterday’s elections, though no longer fair, were largely free. There is no guarantee that this will still be true when Law and Justice next has to face the electorate.

I seriously doubt that our next elections will be democratic.

My Photography (88) — Auschwitz-Birkenau, Memorial and Museum, Oświęcim, Poland, 2005

July 3, 2020 · 11:12

This was probably the saddest and most tragic place that I have ever been in — it changed my perspective on so many things. I can still remember exactly what I felt back then, even though 15 years have passed.

This is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime, especially as current political events unfold worldwide.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L: 46mm, f/8, 1/500s, ISO 100.

You Download the App and It Doesn’t Work — Accepted and Rejected →

June 21, 2020 · 22:17

I don’t know who made this website (click the title and go see it for yourself), but this it has a few perfect examples of the App Store’s inconsistencies in their guidelines. They let things slide for some, for years, but not for others. Oh yeah, and if you’re huge, like Netflix, you’re good.

The WWDC 2020 keynote is coming up in less than 24 hours and I’ll be really curious as to what Apple has to say.

GMK Pretty in Pink — Raising Awareness About the Dangers of Breast Cancer

June 10, 2020 · 11:35

As some of you may know, I lost both my parents to cancer a few years ago. It’s been over 5 years and still a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about them. When I heard about GMK Pretty in Pink launching a few months ago, I immediately knew I had to get this kit.

GMK Pretty in Pink is a mod extension kit, featuring an accent spacebar, enter, arrows, and a few novelty keys. The novelties are meant to raise awareness of the dangers of breast cancer, and to show support for those who are currently fighting breast cancer and for survivors. The novelties feature the ubiquitous pink ribbon, a HOPE enter key, and a four heart flower.

All profits from this set will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Pretty in Pink will live on my polycarbonate Think6.5°, paired with GMK Minimal for now. I might pair it with a black set in the future.

Thanks you Jeff “Langelandia” and One Creative Mind for designing this set.

See more images of Pretty in Pink →

My Photography (83) — Eye, Wrocław, Poland, 2004

June 8, 2020 · 13:26

I don’t recall why I entered this particular building in the older part of Wrocław’s city centre, but I’m glad I did, because this old staircase was truly stunning. It was pretty dark inside and I barely saw that the underside of the stairs was painted, and only after exposing the shot for a few seconds, I realised what my naked eye had missed.

Shot with Canon 10D + EF 16-35 mm f/2.8L: 29mm, f/8, 4s, ISO 100.

Apple’s Butterfly Keyboard Might Make a Comeback →

June 3, 2020 · 10:02

L0vetodream on Twitter:

apple did not give up on butterfly keyboard, they are trying to improve on the structure, and solve the issue, we might see it comes back again in future.

L0vetodream’s leaks are 90.5% accurate, according to AppleTrack.org, so I’m really hoping this is one of those that he get’s wrong. I have been using the butterfly mechanism on my own MacBook Pro for years now (since December 2016) and having had the chance to use the new MacBook Pro 16″ (late 2019) and MacBook Air (early 2020) for a month or so, typing on them daily, the new/old scissor mechanism, with twice the key travel, is clearly superior for my needs and preferences.

Apple Doubles the Price for Entry-Level MacBook Pro RAM Upgrade →

June 2, 2020 · 10:29

Taylor Lyles, for The Verge:

The price increase is actually a price correction […] The price to upgrade RAM from 8GB to 16GB is $200 on other Macs, including the iMac and MacBook Air, and this change is meant to keep the fee consistent.

I’m seriously appalled at what Apple is charging its customers for RAM and SSD upgrades. This was OK while there were 3rd party alternatives available, but not now.

Fine-Tune the Calibration of the Pro Display XDR on Mac →

May 30, 2020 · 12:17

Apple Support:

On your Mac, you can fine-tune the current calibration of your Apple Pro Display XDR by adjusting the white point and luminance to more precisely match your own in-house display calibration target.

Meanwhile, Apple still hasn’t fixed automatic contrast adjustment (Ambient Light Compensation), which totally wrecks the calibration of Mac screens, when Displays → Display → Automatically adjust brightness is turned on. I wonder if this also applies to the Pro Display XDR.

Automating iPod Hi-Fi’s Volume Control →

May 29, 2020 · 14:56

Jason Snell, on Six Colours:

Here was the plan: Find a device that could be controlled by my Mac and press the volume-up button on my iPod Hi-Fi every morning when I started up the computer.

I love it when you can get something done by tinkering with various technologies. I don’t love maintaining such designs over longer periods of time though, such as my Homebridge setup.

Apple Working to Replace Messages App on Mac With a Catalyst Version →

May 24, 2020 · 10:38

Filipe Espósito, for 9to5Mac:

[…] we have found evidence that Apple is working to completely replace the Messages app on macOS with a Catalyst version, based on iOS 14 code.

I assume this will mean the end of AppleScript support for Messages. I don’t use it, so I won’t miss it, but a lot of people will be sad to see it gone. I am however hoping that it will still be possible to navigate Messages by using just the keyboard, which I do right now — ⌃⭾ moves me down the list and ⌃⇧⭾ reverses direction. Since the move Catalyst is to get feature parity between platforms, I hope they add keyboard shortcuts for stickers, tapbacks, and other features. Tapbacks are currently possible but require using the trackpad or mouse:

Send a Tapback: Click and hold a message, then choose a Tapback. If your Mac has a Touch Bar, you can also click a message, then tap a Tapback in the Touch Bar.

My Photography (81) — A Pigeon Visiting The Zoo’s Bengal Tiger, Wrocław, Poland, 2003

May 21, 2020 · 09:02

Wrocław’s zoo is one of the most beautiful ones in Europe, assuming you don’t mind seeing animals in captivity. Going there in late Autumn wasn’t a good idea, but I did want to test my new telephoto lens, so naturally, my best shot was of a pigeon, which was there looking for food.

Shot with Canon 300D + EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS: 130mm, f/4, 1/250s, ISO 400.

Wrocław’s zoo also has Bengal tigers→

Zork Source Code from 1977 →

May 19, 2020 · 09:15

MIT Libraries Department of Distinctive Collections:

This repository contains the source code for a 1977 version of Zork, an interactive fiction game created at MIT by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling.

SmartyKit — Apple I-Compatible Computer Construction Kit for Geeks to Understand How Computers Work →

May 19, 2020 · 08:12

The Apple I was the original Apple computer built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, so naturally every Apple fanatic has dreamed of playing around with an Apple I or even having their own. But you won’t need to keep dreaming, because you’ll be able to build your own DIY Apple I replica thanks to a new project called SmartyKit.

This looks like a lot of fun.

’Game Changer’ by Banksy Unveiled at Hospital to Thank Doctors and Nurses →

May 18, 2020 · 10:33

Associated Press:

A new work by the elusive street artist Banksy, honoring health workers, has been unveiled at a British hospital.

The framed picture, titled “Game Changer,” depicts a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy. Batman and Spiderman action figure toys lie in a wastepaper basket next to the boy.

More photos of Game Changer on Banksy’s Instagram, along with close-ups of the details.

Public Enemy →

May 18, 2020 · 08:25

Ruth Franklin:

From the jury selection process that took place over three days in June for the trial of Martin Shkreli, an investor and hedge fund founder who is facing eight counts of securities and wire fraud. In 2015, when Shkreli was CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, the company raised the price of its drug Daraprim by 5,000 percent. In 2016, Shkreli was widely criticized for defending the 400 percent increase in the price of EpiPen, an emergency allergy injection sold by Mylan. More than two hundred potential jurors were excused from the trial. Judge Kiyo Matsumoto presided. Benjamin Brafman is a lawyer representing Shkreli […]

The court: All right. I’m going to excuse you. Juror Number 59, come on up.

Juror no. 59: Your Honor, totally he is guilty and in no way can I let him slide out of anything because —

The court: Okay. Is that your attitude toward anyone charged with a crime who has not been proven guilty?

Juror no. 59: It’s my attitude toward his entire demeanor, what he has done to people.

The court: All right. We are going to excuse you, sir.

Juror no. 59: And he disrespected the Wu-Tang Clan.

Read the whole thing — it’s amazing.