Linked List: March 28, 2018

Wednesday, 28 March 2018

System Fonts in CSS 

Craig Hockenberry:

This whole process has been fascinating for me to watch. What started as a simple idea ended up being discussed and implemented by dozens of talented engineers. The result is a web that’s better and easier for a lot of folks.

Mozilla’s Facebook Container Extension 

Mozilla:

This extension helps you control more of your web activity from Facebook by isolating your identity into a separate container. This makes it harder for Facebook to track your activity on other websites via third-party cookies.

Rather than stop using a service you find valuable and miss out on those adorable photos of your nephew, we think you should have tools to limit what data others can collect about you. That includes us: Mozilla does not collect data from your use of the Facebook Container extension. We only know the number of times the extension is installed or removed.

In other words, Firefox is now treating Facebook as malware that you need to be protected from.

Om Malik on Foxconn Buying Belkin 

Om Malik:

“I can’t put my finger on why, but this acquisition seems weird to me,” writes John Gruber, describing Foxconn’s decision to buy Belkin for $866 million. It is not that weird, especially when you take into account the competitive landscape.

TL: DR version: Foxconn needs to boost margins. Belkin has a great brand but faces an increasingly competitive landscape. It is weirdly about Taiwan vs. China.

I’ve always felt Belkin kit was kind of crappy — never more so than the comparison between their Qi charging pad and Mophie’s. Mophie’s is so much better — at the same price — it’s ridiculous. The big difference is that the Belkin charging pad has a very small sweet spot — you have to place your phone on it just so. And the Belkin one has an ugly bright green LED that turns on when you’re charging, and points up. Garish on a bedside table. The Mophie one has a subtle white light that points down, not up. I’ve also become a fan of Anker’s products (and have this Qi charger on my desk). I kind of feel like Foxconn bought a loser here.

Chris Pepper also made a keen observation about why this acquisition seems weird: “Because Foxconn manufactures a lot of Belkin’s competitors’ products.”

Are There Any Tetris Games for Mac? 

I’ve always enjoyed Tetris, even though I was never particularly good at it. After reading this story last week about the tragic life of Tetris co-creator Vladimir Pokhilko, I got the urge to play for the first time in years. I tried searching the Mac App Store for “Tetris”, expecting to find dozens of crummy knock-offs, but instead was surprised to find “Your search had no results”. Nothing. (There is an official iOS version from Electronic Arts, but come on, Tetris needs real buttons.)

I tried looking outside the Mac App Store, and as far as I can tell, there’s no official Tetris for Mac, nor are there any clones. Quinn was a decent clone I remember playing a decade ago, but as this Boing Boing report from 2006 says, the developer got a cease and desist from The Tetris Company and abandoned the game. (You can still play it on High Sierra, but it’s not retina, and worse, you can only download unsigned versions from sketchy download sites.)

So as far as I can tell, not only is there no official Tetris for Mac, there are no Tetris-like games either. Back in the 90s, there were several really good Tetris games for the Mac. Anyone remember Wesleyan Tetris? It was a goofy version in which the developer, Randall Cook, would rudely critique your gameplay.

If The Tetris Company wants to protect the name “Tetris”, fine, but I think it sucks that there’s no good way to play the game on a Mac today. Every computer should have a good version of Tetris.

Facebook Delays Home Speaker Dingus 

Sarah Frier, reporting for Bloomberg:

Facebook Inc. has decided not to unveil new home products at its major developer conference in May, in part because the public is currently so outraged about the social network’s data-privacy practices, according to people familiar with the matter.

The company’s new hardware products, connected speakers with digital-assistant and video-chat capabilities, are undergoing a deeper review to ensure that they make the right trade-offs regarding user data, the people said. While the hardware wasn’t expected to be available until the fall, the company had hoped to preview the devices at the largest annual gathering of Facebook developers, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal plans.

I think it’s arguable whether anyone should have any of these speakers in their homes or offices. But if you buy one from Facebook, I think it’s inarguable that you’re insane.

Tim Cook on Facebook 

Peter Kafka, writing for Recode:

Cook made that point again today: “The truth is, we could make a ton of money, if we monetized our customer - if our customer was our product. We’ve elected not to do that.”

Swisher posed a question for Cook: What would he do if he were Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg” His answer: “I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Brutal, but not unfair. I think Cook is right: he wouldn’t be in this situation.