Pixels and Widgets

A blog by Tai Toh

Category: Technology

  • Kinesis Contoured Classic QD (KB133PC/QD)

    Kinesis Contoured Classic QD (KB133PC/QD)

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    So one of my co-workers at Nulogy upgraded his aged Kinesis Classic QD. It’s an ancient, PS/2 mechanical keyboard (Cherry MX Brown switches) with combo QWERTY and DVORAK layoutsThey stopped manufacturing these models in 2006. It doesn’t even have a Windows key. . It’s equipped with a PS/2-to-USB adapter. Most old or broken equipment gets…

  • Android security progress

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    In a somewhat “click-bait”-y title1 on Motherboard, Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai quotes the Director of Security for Android: “For almost all threat models,” Adrian Ludwig, the director of security at Android, referring to the level of security needed by most people, “they are nearly identical in terms of their platform-level capabilities.” In a short interview after a…

  • Microsoft announces that the Xbox is coming to the PC.

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    From the Guardian’s piece called, “Microsoft to unify PC and Xbox One platforms, ending fixed console hardware“:  During a press event in San Francisco last week, Spencer said that the Universal Windows Platform, a common development platform that allows apps to run across PC, Xbox, tablets and smartphones, would be central to the company’s gaming…

  • Will the Internet of Things be the next green field?

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    I’ve been looking at the MEAN.io stack technologies (it seems like the new hotness) and I can see this being the underlying the language for the “Internet of Things”.  IoT is a term that has slowly crept up into the consumer marketplace displacing the “home automation” trend, but its been in use in many other…

  • Virtual Reality Adoption: Market Size, Affordability, Ergonomics, and Shareability

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    The big story of CES 2016 was the outstanding Virtual Reality demos by Oculus, HTC, and Samsung.  A lot of stuff on the technology and how amazing it is has already been written, but I wanted to touch upon some of the user adoption issues that I think these companies need to overcome in order to…

  • Ad-Blocking: users are revolting

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    There has been a lot of great writing across the Web regarding advertising and the ethical nature of ad-blocking software with the recent release of iOS9 and its new Safari Content Blocking features.  Unsurprisingly, ad-blocking software quickly rose to the top of paid apps on iOS. Content providers quickly responded: I’ve been running ad-blocking software for years.…

  • Product management fundamentals: The next feature fallacy

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    Joshua Porter writes: The Next Feature Fallacy: the fallacy that the next feature you add will suddenly make people want to use the entire product. — Joshua Porter (@bokardo) May 14, 2015 When your product is growing and ramping up new customers, it’s easier to focus on new compelling features that increase engagement.  It’s also…

  • Hackintosh thoughts

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    File this under the the First-World-Problems Dept. I have owned and used Apple computers since 1996. Here is the list: 1996: The first was shared with my brother, an Apple Performa 6400. 2002: iBook G3 600 MHz 2007:  15-inch MacBook Pro, Core 2 Duo (Santa Rosa) 2009: Late-2008, 15-inch MacBook Pro, Unibody I’m generally happy with…

  • Lightning does strikes twice – Linux and Git

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    We all know that Linus Torvalds is the father of the Linux kernel. It’s the guts of an Operating System that can be found powering a multitude of devices, from the majority of smartphones and tablets (android), the majority of servers that power the Web, the embedded OS for the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart TVs,…

  • HP T610 Plus and pfSense

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    When I had set up my Watchguard Firebox x550e, I replaced the two 40mm fans with silent models.  I also swapped the PSU with a 90W pico PSU to make a nearly silent system. One of the replacement fans gave out and starting grinding a few weeks ago, so last week I replaced it with an…