A question about emoji short codes. I want a simple JavaScript function that takes a short code like :shrug: and turns it into the corresponding emoji character that is maintained, so when more emoji characters are added, corresponding short codes are added. It seems this must exist, but if it doesn't it should. 🚀 💥#
Welcome to November! It's time to sign up for Okay up front this isn't meant to be a funny or ironic post. I ride the bike path where the terrorism took place yesterday. It's one of my three favorite rides. It was cold yesterday, and I had an errand to do on the east side, so I walked instead of riding. But I know the path well, esp the segment where the truck driver mowed down the pedestrians and cyclists. But here's the thing -- there weren't supposed to be any pedestrians there. It's a bike path. There's a much nicer walkway about 50 feet west of the bike path, right on the Hudson River. Cyclists aren't allowed there. I love that segment of the walkway, in fact it's often my turnaround spot, where I stop, take in the scene, sometimes even take a picture. But please walkers and runners, stay in your space and we'll stay in ours. #
Something else to note re yesterday's terrorism. Look at how lovely the city is by the river. There used to be an ugly eyesore of a highway where the park and bike path are now. Yes there's a small amount of violence, but actually much less than there used to be. Net-net the urban experience in the US is much-improved. To people in flyover country who hear how our cities are hellholes, Fox accidentally broadcast some evidence to the contrary yesterday. Ooops. :shrug:#- A very short conversation on Twitter with Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center at Columbia. #
- Bell: There is a govt that doesn’t care to understand tech power, and tech that won’t explain itself, left to academia and journalism to elucidate#
- Me: Emily explains the problem. Unfortunately journalism and academia aren't in any way up to the challenge. Imho of course. ;-)#
- There is no organization repping the interest of the open web. I know people say that the EFF, Mozilla and the W3C do, but any organization that is trying to force HTTPS on the web, using the power of browser vendors to enforce it, is not repping the interests of the open web. So that cuts out EFF and Mozilla. And the W3C has unfortunately been controlled by big tech companies almost since inception. #
- A hypothetical open-web-repping organization could come out of journalism or academia. But it would have to be rooted with two things: users and open tech. And that's it. #
- I don't care how much money anyone makes. Some things' value come from being open to anyone, and those projects consume money, they don't make it. #
- Think of Central Park, for those familiar with New York. Or any public resource that's set aside for everyone to use. That's the web. It's not here so Google and Facebook or the NY Times or Washington Post can have a business model. It's not here for them to mine, exploit and leave a wasteland where once there was promise. #
- The big tech companies behave like big companies. Right now there is nothing that balances that power. The journalists and academics have been in awe of them, and have been reluctant to understand the issues. I don't expect much from that combination until they get serious about protecting the resource that we all need. #
I consulted Occam.#- Google doesn't want Verizon replacing their ads in your web pages with ads that Verizon charges money for. #
- Google would have you believe they want you to do the conversion so your words cannot be changed. No one gives a damn about changing your words. They just want Google's money. (To be fair, they want your money too if you have ads on your pages.)#
- So when you jump through this hoop, remember, you're on their plantation now. Just like when you post on Facebook the profits go to Zuck. Google sees your website as their property.#
- And if you happen to not run ads on your site, you still have to jump through the hoop so Google can preserve the impression that they are doing all this out of love (of the web). Which of course isn't why huge companies do anything. #
- PS: Here's a Google search for HTTPS on this site for people who want to read more about it. They still index this site even though it's plain old HTTP. It's hard to find stuff here though. They used to do a good job. But I won't jump through this hoop. Been down this road with too many tech companies. There will always be one more thing you have to do to really get their approval, until you realize that actually never happens. #