Matthias Wiesmann / is on Nostr

"7cadc9a3ad11e7668a81d789bfdfbd2123b5cbc4e6fdf68787c5fe19d787da1f95b94daaffa9297d1db1db6f93835584794262f6d14faa81e6480a0bc8c993a8"

Last Notes

2024-06-09 16:50:53

I like watching #urbex videos, but it is strange to see people going to great lengths to get into abandoned buildings, and then, this is a picture I took inside the abandoned train factory in Niš, Serbia while carrying my daughter on my belly (tried to put her to sleep).
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/587/208/436/165/844/original/c199b2bac0e57e85.png

2024-06-07 23:30:44

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@npub13le…6saf Oh, I remember using that one with my Classic Mac. Scanning at the right speed and straight required a bit of practice. Also Don't use the scanner at the same time as other SCSI devices, you get skipped lines.

2024-06-02 14:58:16

Interesting take-away from the ARE-205-8/1/16/22/19 report from the Swiss Government. Low education people put a higher importance on improving the car infrastructure than high education ones. For bike infrastructure, you see the reverse pattern (albeit less strongly). #publictransport #bikeinfrastructure #infrastructure #switzerland
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/547/141/689/624/562/original/1095a86948b74373.png

2024-05-02 14:59:20

HP used to make good printers
#hewlettpackard #printer #decline #localtalk #retrocomputing
https://wiesmann.codiferes.net/wordpress/archives/37567

2024-04-25 11:16:31

Fascinating bit of computer science and math history, with a ghost PhD.
#computerscience #phd
https://computerhistory.org/blog/discovering-dennis-ritchies-lost-dissertation/

2024-04-03 00:19:06

A long time ago, I wrote 68k Macintosh programs. https://wiesmann.codiferes.net/wordpress/archives/15270 #classicmac #retrocomputing

2023-12-24 21:39:00

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@npub18yv…xxyn @npub1yrs…7j04 that’s my point, domain specific "units” are at best a way to protect some trade group, at worst an obfucation scam. This is one thing I liked in Japan: shoe sizes are centimetres, sadly they generally did not have my size. Disconnected units just prevent people from understanding and comparing. It’s easy to figure out the weight of an A4, 80g/square meter sheet of paper, who knows the weight of 20£ US letter sheet?

2023-12-24 21:32:03

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@npub18yv…xxyn @npub1yrs…7j04 British influence is pretty big in shipping, this is where long tons are used, this is also why I learnt about fathoms when sailing…

2023-12-24 20:49:19

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@npub18yv…xxyn @npub1yrs…7j04 I must admit I dislike having domain specific measurement units, this yields siloed thinking and obfuscation, I can see the point of extreme units like electron/volts or light-years, but in the general case, this is just the way of clothing sizes… this is also my problem with imperial length units, they are disconnected feets are one thing, miles another and the relationship between them is tenuous.

2023-12-24 20:35:36

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@npub18yv…xxyn @npub1yrs…7j04 I can’t say I’m convinced that any measurement system is particularly intuitive - discussions basically showing one’s preference. Having the freezing point at zero is convenient for the weather and the boiling point at 100 for cooking. What stroked me the most going to the US is cases when people don’t use units, like clothing washing machines.

2023-12-24 19:56:48

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@npub18yv…xxyn @npub1yrs…7j04 well, we cannot call your ton imperial ton, as there are two of them (this is getting out of hand).

2023-12-24 19:08:36

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@npub18yv…xxyn @npub1yrs…7j04 a short ton is 2000 £, so 907.18474 kg a long ton is 2240 £ so 1 016.0469088 kg

2023-12-24 18:40:45

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@npub18yv…xxyn @npub1yrs…7j04 it’s all a question of framing, I think they should just rename the yard to short-meter, like the short-ton.

2023-12-24 16:59:26

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@npub1yrs…7j04 The way I handle this is by using the power of furlong!
https://wiesmann.codiferes.net/wordpress/archives/32451