From de58263f750d2a37958b6e60c785184f11ec749e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Julio Biason Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 12:21:46 -0300 Subject: [PATCH] Links for 2020-04-24 --- content/links/20200424.md | 157 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 157 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/links/20200424.md diff --git a/content/links/20200424.md b/content/links/20200424.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4c37e7e --- /dev/null +++ b/content/links/20200424.md @@ -0,0 +1,157 @@ ++++ +title = "Links for 2020-04-24" +date = 2020-04-24 + +[taxonomies] +tags = ["links", "databases", "wallpapers", "studio ghibli", +"creative commons", "cc", "california", "covid", "lockdown", +"contact tracing", "gact", "python", "corotines", "facebook", "privacy", +"paradox", "writing"] ++++ + +Understanding Databases, Studio Ghibli Wallpapers, Creative Commons, The Good +Side of COVID, Contact Tracing, Corotines in Python, Facebook, Privacy +Paradox, Writing. + + + +# [Things I Wished More Developers Knew About Databases](https://medium.com/@rakyll/things-i-wished-more-developers-knew-about-databases-2d0178464f78) + +A very long article about the different things different databases do. +Although it doesn't focus on specific databases, a lot can be inferred from +the points. + +... although it focus on relational databases only. + +Another point that I could add here is that you should pick a database for +making your data _read ready_. For example, if you built some sort of response +and it basically doesn't change, it is ok to put the whole thing in a database +(in JSON format or using a key-value database instead). Putting the work of +doing sums and averages and whatnot _outside_ the database can really save +your butt. + +# ["Studio Ghibli Wallpaper" for use in web conferences, etc.](http://www.ghibli.jp/info/013251/) + +Studio Ghibli, of "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbor Totoro" released a +bunch of wallpapers for people to use as background of their videoconferencing +or even computer wallpapers. + +And it's free. + +(This was a pain to finally find it in full: It was a toot on Mastodon, which +took me to BoingBoing, with pointed to OpenCulture, which _finally_ went to +Studio Ghibli website with the images.) + +# [Understanding Free Cultural Works](https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/freeworks) + +Creative Commons, known for their licenses-for-not-software (sorry, I can't +find a better description) released an article explaining the different types +of licenses they have. + +And yes, I'm sharing this 'cause I am, again, worried about the amount of +stuff that doesn't get a proper license and may be abused. + +# [Crashes and Traffic Are Down by Half, Saving State $40 Million Per Day During Shelter-In-Place](https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/california-covid-19-traffic-report-finds-silver-lining/) + +While we sit on our houses, wondering when we can get out again -- some of us +wondering _if_ we could get out at some point -- some things seem to be +improving outside the COVID problem. + +After India reported [dramatic reduction in +pollution](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/india-s-coronavirus-lockdown-is-having-a-dramatic-impact-on-pollution/ar-BB11ZmD5), +now California is reporting that, due people staying at their homes, the +number of traffic accidents reduced the costs taking injuries, damages and +deaths. + +Not that we should raise a statue to COVID, but at least some good things are +coming out of this lockdown. Let's hope we can make these results permanent in +the end. + +# [Google Apple Contact Tracing (GACT): a wolf in sheep’s clothes.](https://blog.xot.nl/2020/04/19/google-apple-contact-tracing-gact-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothes/) + +Contact Tracing is one of those things that look good in theory, but when +confronted with the challenges of privacy, doesn't seem so great. + +The idea behind Contact Tracing is to make mobile devices talk to each other, +so in case someone finds out they got some transmittable disease, like COVID, +authorities can trace back who had contact with that person. It's good 'cause +you can alert those people earlier, preventing some huge explosion of +contamination cases around. + +But the problem is that the owner of said mobile device can't opt out of this. +The data is not kept in a secure place -- like the person mobile device -- but +shared on the respective device company. + +And how long till COVID is gone and this is used to trace, say, who some +journalist spoke when they got some information that puts pressure on a +government? True, I'm again jumping into the slippery slope of fallacies, but +we need to worry about those things when mobile devices are basically part of +us: We don't recall our appointments 'cause our devices do that for us; we +don't remember our friends phones 'cause it is in the device. + +# [Building Finite State Machines with Python Coroutines](https://arpitbhayani.me/blogs/fsm) + +I found more curious that Python has corotines than the idea behind using them +for state machines. + +The only point I see is how weird the floating `yield` appears in the code and +how non-Pythonic the corotine appears (`send`? Where that came from?) + +# [How Does Facebook Know So Much About Me?](https://theprivacyissue.com/data-tracking/how-does-facebook-know-so-much) + +Dunno if it is because I cancelled my Facebook account, but I've noticed some +decline in the number of news about Facebook privacy "standards". + +This is a short summary of what Facebook does to collect information about +you, even some without your consent -- a few weeks ago, there were some news +about a board member admitting they have "dark profiles", information about +people that do _not_ have a Facebook account. + +# [Decoding the Privacy Paradox](https://theprivacyissue.com/privacy-and-society/decoding-privacy-paradox) + +Knowing that our data is being captured everywhere and doing nothing to change +that is the so called "privacy paradox". + +An interesting and sad read. + +# [Doing more with less time: critical skills for productive programmers](https://codewithoutrules.com/2020/04/20/productivity-skills/) + +While this is focused on developers, one thing really hit me hard: + +> Output = Productivity × Time Worked + +Why? Because a lot of things around here in Brazil -- industry, specially -- +try to focus on increasing output by changing the "Time Worked" instead of +focusing on "Productivity", using better tools or investing in better +equipment. + +And while it is not mentioned in the post (although it mentions the limit of +"time worked" though), we, developers, can also take a look on increasing +Productivity. The easiest way is to automate the heck of what we can: The less +time we waste on bureaucratic/repetitive actions, the more we can produce. +Some harder way is to change our current tools to something that can take less +of our time, and that's harder 'cause we believe we will "lose time" learning +something new or changing our workflows. + +# [On Writing Well](https://syften.com/blog/post/writing-style/) + +For someone like me who is constantly writing something -- either blog posts, +either translating/writing a book, or just outputting small opinions about +diverse topics, like I'm doing right now -- having a proper idea on how to +write is important. + +And I feel like I need to share this 'cause what I put on this kind of post is +only a short amount of what I read. Most of the links I save to read later +prove to be just short pieces of opinions but some are very complex and hard +to follow due their writing style. If I get tired reading, I won't get the +point and if I don't get the point, I don't think I should reshare -- no +matter how interesting the topic at hand is. + +--- + +This list of links was built with the help of : + +* [Boing Boing](https://tooot.im/@boingboing) +* [HN Tooter](https://mastodon.social/@hntooter) +* [newsbot](https://mastodon.social/@newsbot) +* [Sean O'Brien](https://mastodon.social/@diggity)