Monday, June 28, 2021
The modern wonders of smartphone tech
So I watched footy yesterday between Wales and Denmark (Denmark won :), and the football pitch showed ads for some large South-East Asian brands — in non-Latin characters.
So thanks to Firefox, Android 9.0 (which is the latest version of Android that I have right now), and Google Lens, I was able to do several things.
Unlike the default ETV* apps of the Estonian national broadcaster ERR that do not allow making screenshots (in modern Android, apparently), Firefox did permit screenshots when using the browser in Android to watch the official ETV livestream.
I could then make screenshots of the ads flicking on the edges of the green pitch, and use Google Lens in Google Photos to find out what some of the ads were.
So, one was for a SE Asian brand of air conditioners with a non-Latin slogan, and the other displayed a slogan for some kind of SE Asian blockchain technology/solution.
— Google Lens offered a button to Google Translate, and another to play that text back in the original language.
Wow, I say.
Friday, May 14, 2021
Optimizing Firefox for a weak PC
This blogpost was first written as a reply on reddit.
This post applies to Firefox Quantum — v.57, v.60esr, v.68esr, v.78esr, and newer) Instead of Lubuntu, consider BunsenLabs, which is based on Debian. BunsenLabs will run in a computer with 1 gigabyte of RAM, probably with plenty of swapping, so you'll still need at least 2 Gb of RAM. BunsenLabs LiveCD's actual commit after boot is ~200 Mb, which is equivalent to Windows XP SP3. BunsenLabs is one of the few distros that offers a live CD (yes, a CD image), but the LiveCD edition is meant only for 32-bit systems. As for Firefox, then off the top of my head: In Settings:
This post applies to Firefox Quantum — v.57, v.60esr, v.68esr, v.78esr, and newer) Instead of Lubuntu, consider BunsenLabs, which is based on Debian. BunsenLabs will run in a computer with 1 gigabyte of RAM, probably with plenty of swapping, so you'll still need at least 2 Gb of RAM. BunsenLabs LiveCD's actual commit after boot is ~200 Mb, which is equivalent to Windows XP SP3. BunsenLabs is one of the few distros that offers a live CD (yes, a CD image), but the LiveCD edition is meant only for 32-bit systems. As for Firefox, then off the top of my head: In Settings:
- Disable "Check spelling as you type"
- uncheck Use recommended settings;
- Play with "user hardware acceleretion"
- Set the Content process limit to 1
- Disable smooth scrolling
- Disable "recommend extensions as you browse"
- Disable "recommend features as you browse"
- Disable search suggestions
- Uncheck the search engines that you do not use
- Under Privacy & Security > Permissions:
In Settings for Autoplay (new window), set the default for all sites to block audio and video. Use Ctrl+I, and in the Page Info window under the Permissions tab list for a domain, to allow audio/video on YouTube, for example.
about:config, set:
browser.sessionhistory.max_entriesto 25 (from 50)browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewersto 0 (from -1)browser.sessionstore.max_tabs_undoto 5, 7, or 10 (from 25)
browser.sessionstore.intervalfrom15000*to* something greaterextensions.update.intervalfrom86400*to* something greatermedia.peerconnection.enabledtofalsemedia.peerconnection.video.enabledtofalse
- Install the NoScript extension, as it uses a whitelist (with some built-in entries). Set it to display full domains in settings. You'll have to permit certain domains from the NoScript pop-up menu to make a site work.
- Install uBlock Origin or Adblock Plus to block ads. While NoScript blocks most of the harmful cruft, one of the two adblockers won't let video ads pass through.
Saturday, April 10, 2021
Which Gecko-based browser to choose for Android?
Published initially as a reddit post.
Much depends on what functionality you want.
There are three or four types of Gecko-based browsers, and one can have two or three, depending on desired functionality. In all cases, you'll have to switch off automatic app updates in order to prevent your device automatically moving to a version with less functionality.
If you want the latest and dark mode, there's Firefox or Fennec (the latter with a delay).
If you want automatic updates to most apps from the Google Play Store, and the latest Gecko-based browser, pick Firefox, and then Fennec or IceCat from the F-Droid app, where you can switch automatic updates off.
In this scenario, where you'd want to stick to a certain release, pick a version of Fennec F-Droid, and/or GNU IceCat. Fennec has more versions to choose from; IceCat has less versions, as it tends to stick to ESR branches.
If you want legacy/XUL add-ons, you might have to consider Firefox/Fennec 56.0 as the last version.
If you want the latest branch that still has about:config, pick version 68.x esr (extended support release). It has support for add-ons available at addons.mozilla.org that are no longer supported by the latest Firefox due to changes to the extension framework (yet again).
68.x esr also supports viewing local HTML files, as I haven't been able to do this with the latest Firefox.
Firefox 43.0 (really legacy) and older still support cookie prompting via extension, and has slightly better support certain other legacy extensions. But this is a really old version.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Коротко о поездах Эстонии
Я всегда думал, что Эстония закупала поезда Stadler Flirt за прóданные квоты CO₂, но оказалось, что это вообще не так. Бóльшую часть денег (аж 85% от 80 миллиона евро) для закупки только электричек выдал фонд Европейского Союза, а дизельные брала Elektriraudtee (видимо сама) на капитальную аренду за 96 млн. евро.
Тендер для закупки объявили в 2009. году, и выигрышем оказался Stadler Bussnang AG, с кем подписали договор в августе 2010. года.
Перед их запуском отреновировали железные дороги, и перроны, стоянки. В местах даже вокзалы.
Когда в январе 2014. года на железные дороги ввели новые поезда, оказалось, что приобрели слишком мало поездных составов: они ездили намного быстрее чем старые DR1[ru] (DR1A, DR1B другие варианты оперируемыми фирмой Edelaraudtee). Популярность новых поездов повысилась за ночь, и настолько, что они часто сильно переполнены пассажирами.
А старые и до сих пор прочные DR1 зря вывели из эксплуатации, так как они были очень просторные и удобные. Мне бы понравилось, если старые остались бы ночными поездами, но увы.
I класс и был такой советский/восточный китч просторных DR1 с западным шиком — Wi-Fi, большие (для поезда/вагона) столы, розетки для портативных компютеров, кафе. Ну и закуски.
Вот, а у новых возможно зарядить смартфоны прям через USB порт в стене вагона (под столиком).
Источник: Delfi Forte, 20.02.2013: Stadleri FLIRT-rongid on kohal: Eesti esimene samm 21. sajandisse? (на эстонском, obv.)
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
The degrowth and stagnation of the United States and Russia, and the resilience of the European Union
In response to this tweet, collated from a collection of tweets written in response.
The referenced tweet claimed, that 'the EU [supposedly] loves degrowth'.
And my response thread:
Or living within one's means.
The degrowth paradigm is out of the window currently, as the EU has relaxed the restrictions on state aid, the famous "3% inflation-to-GDP" rule, and on individual member states taking loans (unwise), just to slow down a steep slowdown.[1]
The United States saw peaks in the 1980s, then completely peaked in the 1990s, and much of it and its society is now going through a stagnation, in part because of off-shoring, but not only.
The USSR variously peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, until Chernobyl happened.[2]
America has also peaked: it did in the 1960s (the space programme), was doing very well in the 1950s, and before that, it won WWII and had the capacity to underwrite the Marshall Plan to rebuild and protect Western Europe. That was huge.[3]
Ironically, the technologies developed during WWII created new industries (computers and then space stuff, viz rockets). Having a well-regulated market economy allowed for the growth of economies of scale for these.[4]
The off-shoring of manufacturing to a major non-democracy because of the cheap labor that it provided and subsidised, remains to this day one of the greatest sacrifices of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.[5]
Such off-shoring thus created a negative feedback loop of *unregulated* globalisation.
In and of itself, globalisation is a good thing, in that it variously facilitates the free movement of persons, labour, services, goods, and capital. But only when it's well-regulated.[6]
'Regulation' here is balancing any such open market economy with counter-cyclical protections. — This means a comprehensive stability mechanism and proper social safety nets.
The European Union is the best such example of successful globalisation.
The United States is not.[7]
Given the many policies that maintain the economic stability of the EU as a whole, and each EU member state, the European Union can in parts afford to 'degrow', as it were.
Whereas the United States, bereft of these mechanisms, and also paralysed by political bickering, cannot.[8]
The diversity of the EU has inevitably lead to multi-track development and a variable-geometry Europe, whereby some EU economies develop faster, and some slower.
A multi-speed Europe is not really a bad thing, as this diversity contributes to the EU's resilience.[9]
'degrowth' might happen to the EU as a whole (Brexit), and/or in some EU member states, but not because of any such planned policy, but merely due to the cyclical nature of the world economy, which does affect Europe, but to which the EU itself is reasonably resilient.[10]
At large, the United States is capable of protecting itself and its friends and allies from foreign threats.
The EU has been able to complement this capability, but must now develop it further within the NATO framework.[11]
In the States, care should be taken to further harden the U.S. economy and society from major shocks. The ACA is just 1 of the steps in that direction.
A Biden presidency would begin to mitigate existing inequities, and that in total should help in the recovery of the world economy.[12]
The economy of the USSR serves as a cautionary tale of ineffectual leadership and bureaucracy ruling over a stagnant economy that is one big disaster away from a major perturbation. In 1986, that was Chernobyl. In 2005, it could have been Katrina, and it was for Bush and the GOP.[13]
In 2020, it's the coronavirus and the ensuing economic fallout for Trump and the GOP.
Some of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's proposals do have an air to them, but they are meant to prevent a major disturbance in the Force, and then to improve the economy. Green shoots and all.[14]
Russia faces similar problems: economic stagnation, extensive political corruption, and a leadership that's mostly preoccupied with what it sees as its enemies.
Putting the dispute over Crimea aside, then the West itself is uninterested in taking any territory of Russia proper.[15]
And it is not NATO, or the EU, or Europe, or the West that Russia should really be concerned about. But that's very much a different story.[16]
But something similar to a CO2 quota exchange with a tax on each transaction would incentivize U..S states and companies to seek clean and cleaner solutions.[17]
For individuals, a gradual raising of the tax on petrol at the pump would incentivise people to choose petrol-saving, hybrid, or all-electric vehicles.
Also, perks to owners of all-electric vehicles: a smaller value-added tax on purchase, no car tax, and free parking nationwide.[18]
Owing to its total top-down model of government and state planning, the Soviet Union began to stagnate during the Brezhnev era, suffered a black swan event in Chernobyl and then the 1988 Armenian earthquake, and then collapsed totally.
Russia's problems are similar: it's run by a ruthless power vertical that oversees an undiversified economy that singularly depends on the export of oil and gas.
The society in European Union is not degrowing, while the EU can afford a degrowth both economic and even territorial (Brexit), if it, or each member state finds it more feasible in the short-to-mid-term.
Long-term, the less-effective EU member states would be wise to become more effective. Greece is has already decided on a path to progressive policies, while France has chosen stagnation.
The referenced tweet claimed, that 'the EU [supposedly] loves degrowth'.
And my response thread:
Or living within one's means.
The degrowth paradigm is out of the window currently, as the EU has relaxed the restrictions on state aid, the famous "3% inflation-to-GDP" rule, and on individual member states taking loans (unwise), just to slow down a steep slowdown.[1]
The United States saw peaks in the 1980s, then completely peaked in the 1990s, and much of it and its society is now going through a stagnation, in part because of off-shoring, but not only.
The USSR variously peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, until Chernobyl happened.[2]
America has also peaked: it did in the 1960s (the space programme), was doing very well in the 1950s, and before that, it won WWII and had the capacity to underwrite the Marshall Plan to rebuild and protect Western Europe. That was huge.[3]
Ironically, the technologies developed during WWII created new industries (computers and then space stuff, viz rockets). Having a well-regulated market economy allowed for the growth of economies of scale for these.[4]
The off-shoring of manufacturing to a major non-democracy because of the cheap labor that it provided and subsidised, remains to this day one of the greatest sacrifices of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.[5]
Such off-shoring thus created a negative feedback loop of *unregulated* globalisation.
In and of itself, globalisation is a good thing, in that it variously facilitates the free movement of persons, labour, services, goods, and capital. But only when it's well-regulated.[6]
'Regulation' here is balancing any such open market economy with counter-cyclical protections. — This means a comprehensive stability mechanism and proper social safety nets.
The European Union is the best such example of successful globalisation.
The United States is not.[7]
Given the many policies that maintain the economic stability of the EU as a whole, and each EU member state, the European Union can in parts afford to 'degrow', as it were.
Whereas the United States, bereft of these mechanisms, and also paralysed by political bickering, cannot.[8]
The diversity of the EU has inevitably lead to multi-track development and a variable-geometry Europe, whereby some EU economies develop faster, and some slower.
A multi-speed Europe is not really a bad thing, as this diversity contributes to the EU's resilience.[9]
'degrowth' might happen to the EU as a whole (Brexit), and/or in some EU member states, but not because of any such planned policy, but merely due to the cyclical nature of the world economy, which does affect Europe, but to which the EU itself is reasonably resilient.[10]
At large, the United States is capable of protecting itself and its friends and allies from foreign threats.
The EU has been able to complement this capability, but must now develop it further within the NATO framework.[11]
In the States, care should be taken to further harden the U.S. economy and society from major shocks. The ACA is just 1 of the steps in that direction.
A Biden presidency would begin to mitigate existing inequities, and that in total should help in the recovery of the world economy.[12]
The economy of the USSR serves as a cautionary tale of ineffectual leadership and bureaucracy ruling over a stagnant economy that is one big disaster away from a major perturbation. In 1986, that was Chernobyl. In 2005, it could have been Katrina, and it was for Bush and the GOP.[13]
In 2020, it's the coronavirus and the ensuing economic fallout for Trump and the GOP.
Some of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's proposals do have an air to them, but they are meant to prevent a major disturbance in the Force, and then to improve the economy. Green shoots and all.[14]
Russia faces similar problems: economic stagnation, extensive political corruption, and a leadership that's mostly preoccupied with what it sees as its enemies.
Putting the dispute over Crimea aside, then the West itself is uninterested in taking any territory of Russia proper.[15]
And it is not NATO, or the EU, or Europe, or the West that Russia should really be concerned about. But that's very much a different story.[16]
wrt the carbon tax:
A general tax on companies emitting carbon is unwise.But something similar to a CO2 quota exchange with a tax on each transaction would incentivize U..S states and companies to seek clean and cleaner solutions.[17]
For individuals, a gradual raising of the tax on petrol at the pump would incentivise people to choose petrol-saving, hybrid, or all-electric vehicles.
Also, perks to owners of all-electric vehicles: a smaller value-added tax on purchase, no car tax, and free parking nationwide.[18]
Conclusion
The United States has degrown in terms of its economy and society. It could ill-afford to do so, and cannot afford to degrow any further.Owing to its total top-down model of government and state planning, the Soviet Union began to stagnate during the Brezhnev era, suffered a black swan event in Chernobyl and then the 1988 Armenian earthquake, and then collapsed totally.
Russia's problems are similar: it's run by a ruthless power vertical that oversees an undiversified economy that singularly depends on the export of oil and gas.
The society in European Union is not degrowing, while the EU can afford a degrowth both economic and even territorial (Brexit), if it, or each member state finds it more feasible in the short-to-mid-term.
Long-term, the less-effective EU member states would be wise to become more effective. Greece is has already decided on a path to progressive policies, while France has chosen stagnation.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
An ode to Google Hangouts
This was posted first, and this one a bit later.
Google Hangouts still works in Android 2.3, albeit without audio and video. That is, when Google Play Services and the Hangouts app are as up-to-date as possible within Gingerbread, and when a user bypasses the upgrade notification with the hardware menu button long-press.
Hangouts also works on Android 4.1, and presumably, on 4.0, too. While I have tried data-based audio/video on Hangouts once or twice, then audio/video do not seem to work on any of these versions of Android. (This could be due to having older hardware that is no longer capable of modern IP-based audio/video calls.)
Unlike Skype, Hangouts is to me the only reliable native app that works across Android 2.3-4.1 and beyond. The web-based Hangouts interface is much faster than that of Skype for Web.
I give huge props to Google for supporting Hangouts on older Android versions this far, though I do not know for how long this kind of support will last, as there is a slowish migration currently going on towards Google Chat.
The current version of Google Chat is meant only for G Suite customers (so far), and it requires Android 5.0, leaving users of older Android versions in the lurch. Chat does not transfer messages and contacts over from Hangouts, and reviews for Chat are poor.
After Hangouts, the second-best service with long-term support for older devices and operating systems is WhatsApp, though I do not use it. WhatsApp supported Nokia's S40-based phones up until the end of 2018. WhatsApp support on Android 2.3.7 stopped on February 1, 2020.
Unfortunately, Skype doesn't work reliably in Android 4.1, so I cannot use it in any capacity. Its main web-based version is extremely slow in mobile browsers of old devices (think anything with 512 Mb RAM), and official Skype snap-ins are also quite slow.
Google Hangouts still works in Android 2.3, albeit without audio and video. That is, when Google Play Services and the Hangouts app are as up-to-date as possible within Gingerbread, and when a user bypasses the upgrade notification with the hardware menu button long-press.
Hangouts also works on Android 4.1, and presumably, on 4.0, too. While I have tried data-based audio/video on Hangouts once or twice, then audio/video do not seem to work on any of these versions of Android. (This could be due to having older hardware that is no longer capable of modern IP-based audio/video calls.)
Unlike Skype, Hangouts is to me the only reliable native app that works across Android 2.3-4.1 and beyond. The web-based Hangouts interface is much faster than that of Skype for Web.
I give huge props to Google for supporting Hangouts on older Android versions this far, though I do not know for how long this kind of support will last, as there is a slowish migration currently going on towards Google Chat.
The current version of Google Chat is meant only for G Suite customers (so far), and it requires Android 5.0, leaving users of older Android versions in the lurch. Chat does not transfer messages and contacts over from Hangouts, and reviews for Chat are poor.
After Hangouts, the second-best service with long-term support for older devices and operating systems is WhatsApp, though I do not use it. WhatsApp supported Nokia's S40-based phones up until the end of 2018. WhatsApp support on Android 2.3.7 stopped on February 1, 2020.
Unfortunately, Skype doesn't work reliably in Android 4.1, so I cannot use it in any capacity. Its main web-based version is extremely slow in mobile browsers of old devices (think anything with 512 Mb RAM), and official Skype snap-ins are also quite slow.
Monday, August 24, 2020
Как быстро скачать современный браузер для "свежего" Windows xp
У, первый пост на русском :-)
Тут более-или-менее копия реплая
Итак, на этом видео видно, что у автора SuperGTOR не удалось сразу скачать Google Chrome с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0, версия которая уже очень устарела (скоро 20 лет будет), и ему надо было сначала скачать обновления для операционной системы, чтоб скачать Internet Explorer 8.0, а тем уже Chrome.
Вместо Chrome возможно так быстро (без обновлений) с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0 скачать Firefox, аж с официального FTP-сайта Мозиллы, так как тот сайт доступен и без https протокола, с простым протоколом http — http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/ — и скачать версию 52.9.0esr.
Ещё надо (т.е. очень рекомендую) скачать расширение NoScript для защиты от скриптов, тракеров, рекламы, фонтов, и подобного хлама. Для классического Firefoxa подходит и классическая версия расширения NoScript 5.1.9. Чтоб инсталлировать эту версию, надо на странице настроек about:config менять настройку xpinstall.signatures.required на false (неверен / неверный), чтоб Firefox на заблокировал бы инсталляцию расширения из-за отсутсвия цифровой сигнатуры. Вот и всё.
А оттуда с Firefox-ом возможно скачать другие браузеры: New Moon или MyPal и/или что угодно.
Отдельно, в настройках Internet Explorer надо выключить SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, и включить TLS 1.0. Иначе все сайты с протоколом https с браузера IE совсем недостижимы.
Тут более-или-менее копия реплая
Итак, на этом видео видно, что у автора SuperGTOR не удалось сразу скачать Google Chrome с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0, версия которая уже очень устарела (скоро 20 лет будет), и ему надо было сначала скачать обновления для операционной системы, чтоб скачать Internet Explorer 8.0, а тем уже Chrome.
Вместо Chrome возможно так быстро (без обновлений) с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0 скачать Firefox, аж с официального FTP-сайта Мозиллы, так как тот сайт доступен и без https протокола, с простым протоколом http — http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/ — и скачать версию 52.9.0esr.
Тем же методом возможно скачать на старые версии Андройда APK-пакеты браузера Firefox для Android, из папки /pub/mobile/releases/ (пакеты под именем Fennec): Firefox 31.0 последний для Android 2.2, Firefox 47.0 для Android 2.3 (Android API 9), Firefox 55.0.2 для Android 4.0 (но Firefox 31.3.0esr, если архитектура процессора ARMv6). Расширение NoScript Anywhere, скачаемый с официалного сайта NoScript, очень поможет.52.9.0 самая последняя версия Firefox для Windows XP, и та поддерживает криптографический протокол TLS 1.2. Существует и поддержка TLS версии 1.3, но та по умолчению не вклюычена. Чтоб влкючить (а надо), тогда на странице настроек about:config у настройки
security.tls.version.max ставить цифру 4 (вместо 3).Ещё надо (т.е. очень рекомендую) скачать расширение NoScript для защиты от скриптов, тракеров, рекламы, фонтов, и подобного хлама. Для классического Firefoxa подходит и классическая версия расширения NoScript 5.1.9. Чтоб инсталлировать эту версию, надо на странице настроек about:config менять настройку xpinstall.signatures.required на false (неверен / неверный), чтоб Firefox на заблокировал бы инсталляцию расширения из-за отсутсвия цифровой сигнатуры. Вот и всё.
А оттуда с Firefox-ом возможно скачать другие браузеры: New Moon или MyPal и/или что угодно.
Отдельно, в настройках Internet Explorer надо выключить SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, и включить TLS 1.0. Иначе все сайты с протоколом https с браузера IE совсем недостижимы.
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