I love the idea of the 8bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard but its config software is Windows-only, so I never pulled the trigger on it. Now they’ve released the NES keycaps as a standalone product so I could use them with my Moonlander. Bought.

This probably won’t replace my precious Source Code Pro as my main editor font, but as a terminal font, it’s gorgeous and crisp and it’s making my iTerm look like Slackware in 1995 and I love it.

(I started using Linux in 1995 from a multi-distro set that included RedHat, Slackware and SuSE but settled on Slackware because it was the only one that let me choose the raw console font, which made the whole thing feel extra special.)

Kenji Lopez-Alt uses a computer model to figure out the best way to cut an onion.

By plotting the standard deviation of the onion pieces against the point below the cutting board surface at which your knife is aimed, Dr. Poulsen produced a chart that revealed the ideal point to be exactly .557 onion radiuses below the surface of the cutting board.

I’m cooking dinner, hand me my protractor.

You want to watch a TV show from your youth so you check a streaming service, but it is not there, so you check a second streaming service but it is not there, so you check a third streaming service and it is not there. You search for it on Blu-ray but it doesn’t exist, so you search for it on DVD but it is out of print. You find a seller on eBay who has it, but the listing reads ambiguous as to whether it is the real thing or a burnt copy. You message the seller and they reply with an automated response thanking you for your interest.

Seeing all these little papercuts laid out like this, I sometimes wonder what DFW would have made of life in 2024.

Bruce Perens, speaking at the State of Open Con in London earlier this year:

Open source had taken over the business software world, he said, at least for a particular set of applications. But in many areas, and certainly outside of the business world, it is not nearly as successful.

Moreover, he said, “We have a great corporate welfare programme. Our users are the richest companies in the world. Indeed, we’ve enabled companies like Google to be created.”

A really great, in-depth article about the physics of the main character’s jump in Psychonauts 2. I love the idea of using a MIDI controller to quickly and visually tune parameters.

This is a great list of some principles that would make the internet more pleasant for everyone. This one, in particular, stood out as one I think about a lot:

You aren’t obligated to reply or participate in any discussion. Don’t feel bad about not engaging if it doesn’t serve you. Arguing on the internet is rarely healthy, dialogue and discussion certainly can be.

Don’t speak unless you can improve the silence. 100%.

TIL Nimona (one of my daughter’s favourite movies from last year) started life as a sketch on Tumblr.