Research has found that people really prefer a physical menu over the QR variety. Surprising it needed research, really. CC-licensed photo by Joegoaukfishcurry2 on Flickr.
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A selection of 9 links for you. Just desserts. I’m @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: https://newsie.social/@charlesarthur. On Bluesky: @charlesarthur.bsky.social. Observations and links welcome.
Photographers are on a mission to fix Wikipedia’s famously bad celebrity portraits • 404 Media
Jules Roscoe:
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Wikipedia is one of the most valuable repositories of information ever created by humanity. Having your own Wikipedia page has become a kind of status symbol—proof that someone is important enough to enter the historical record. But, ironically, having your face in a Wikipedia page is often not flattering at all.
In fact, Wikipedia portraits, often included in Wikipedia articles about celebrities, are so famously bad that there’s an Instagram page dedicated to them. Take the Wikipedia portraits of American actor Jay Olcutt Sanders performing an ancient Greek play in 2009, or English footballer Kyle Bartley with what looks to be a referee’s finger in his mouth.
Lots of portraits on Wikipedia are also many years old. Comedian Joe Pesci’s Wikipedia photo, for example, is from 2009. Jeanne Tripplehorn, who starred in Criminal Minds and also won an Emmy for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy, has a Wikipedia photo from 1992.
This portrait problem stems from Wikipedia’s mission to provide free reliable information. All media on the site must be openly licensed, so that anyone can use it free of charge. That, in turn, means that most photos of notable people on the site are of notably poor quality.
…Since last January, WikiPortraits photographers have covered around 10 global festivals and award ceremonies, and taken nearly 5,000 freely-licensed photos of celebrity attendees. And the celebrity attendees are often quite excited about it. Dixit, for example, found Jeremy Strong of Succession at a New York showing of the new The Apprentice and asked to take a new headshot of him for Wikipedia.
“His publicist said no,” Dixit said. “But Jeremy said, ‘Wait, you’re from Wikipedia? For the love of God, please take down that photo. You’d be doing me a service.’ So he stood and posed, and I got a shot of him.” Strong’s old photo was from 2014.
WikiPortraits photos are currently used on Wikipedia articles in over 120 languages, and they’re viewed up to 80 million times per month from those pages alone.
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Wouldn’t have thought of Jeremy Strong as vain, so that must have been a terrible photo.
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The latest car technology is starting to drive people nuts • WSJ via MSN
Joe Pinsker:
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Drivers are finding they wish the smart technology in their cars was just a bit dumber.
Automakers have added new tech features in the 2020s that go beyond the touch screens, assisted-driving systems and companion phone apps that have become ubiquitous in new cars. Some vehicles come with infrared night vision, seasonal ambient lighting and interior “fam cams” showing rear passengers.
Many drivers say it is too much. The share who had positive feelings about the intuitiveness of their car’s controls fell from 79% in 2015 to 56% in 2024, according to surveys of new-car buyers by Strategic Vision, a market-research firm. The trend was similar for drivers’ perceptions of dashboard displays, screen interfaces and the layout of the instrument panel.
Drivers are still happy overall with the technology in cars, said Alexander Edwards, president of Strategic Vision. But they want it to be as easy to use as an iPhone, and most of it isn’t.
In January, Vincent Dufault-Bédard tried and failed to remotely start charging his 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 electric car using its phone app. The 36-year-old engineer in Montreal scurried out into the 15° night in shorts and flip-flops, thinking he would be back indoors quickly.
But the car doors wouldn’t open because their sensor-equipped handles were on the fritz in the cold. He ended up having to shimmy into his car through the trunk.
“Just give me a normal door handle,” said Dufault-Bédard.
In 2024, owners of battery-electric vehicles reported their door handles’ being difficult to use at a rate of 3.1 problems per 100 vehicles, up from 0.2 in 2020, according to J.D. Power.
“We’ve changed door handles from being a problem-free experience to now, they pop out when the owner approaches, and we’re seeing all these problems,” said Kathleen Rizk, a senior director at J.D. Power.
Glitches can be especially annoying for drivers whose cars cost more because of extra technology.
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When the door handles are giving your customers problems, you’ve got a real problem.
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Deciphering the dilemma: the surprising impact of QR code menus in diminishing customer loyalty • ScienceDirect
Ganga S. Urumutta Hewage, Laura Boman and Sarah Lefebvre at various US universities:
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The adoption of digital menus accessed through quick response (QR) codes has witnessed a notable upsurge. Despite potential benefits for restaurant operators, the nuanced effects of QR code menus on customer behavior and experience remain relatively unknown. This research investigates the influence of menu presentation (QR code vs. traditional) on customer loyalty.
In two studies, we find that QR code menus diminish customer loyalty (compared to traditional menus) due to perceived inconvenience. This effect is further moderated by customers’ need for interaction. Our work is timely in highlighting the negative impact of perceptions of inconvenience on technology adoption.
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Shocker – people prefer just browsing over a printed menu when they go somewhere to eat. This isn’t just about familiarity; it’s easier to read a conveniently printed menu than something on your phone.
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Shutting down 2G networks leaves millions of phones obsolete. What’s the solution? • Rest of World
Lam Le:
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Last November, Nguyen Thi Que’s mobile phone suddenly stopped working as telecom companies in Vietnam permanently shut down the 2G network.
“I thought of buying a new phone, but I don’t have money,” the 73-year-old, who sells iced tea at a bus stop in Hanoi, told Rest of World in late January.
Vietnam’s plan was simple: Offer free 4G feature phones to help low-income 2G consumers adapt to the change. The strategy paid off, reducing the number of 2G subscribers from over 18 million in January 2024 to 143,000 in November the same year. The country earned a spot among a growing list of nations — including Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the UAE, Brunei, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Jamaica — that have discontinued 2G technology.
As many as 61 countries, ranging from the U.S. and Brazil to South Africa, India, and China, have either planned or initiated the process to shut down 2G networks, according to data from GSMA Intelligence, the research wing of a telecom industry group. The goal is to enhance 4G and 5G bandwidth by repurposing the existing 2G spectrum, which reduces maintenance costs and drives subscriber growth and revenue.
…While telecom regulators worldwide agree on ditching 2G, many haven’t yet figured out the timeline due to concerns over enabling digital disparity and disrupting tech-enabled devices like pollution data sensors and electricity monitoring equipment, according to Mike Jensen, internet access specialist at the Association for Progressive Communications, a global network promoting internet for social good.
“I think that’s probably the issue that the civil society and other organizations that are looking out for the poorest of the poor and the inequalities are not really aware of the problem and it’s not being debated in public spaces,” Jensen told Rest of World.
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Tricky with those old sensors; you can’t just offer them a new phone. But Vietnam’s plan is a smart one.
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When did you first start worrying for humankind? • The Neuroscience of Everyday Life
Dean Burnett:
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For me, the point where I began to genuinely question the survival of human civilisation happened on a bus. A bus that followed a reliable route around central Cardiff. And given that it was how I commuted to my place of work at the time, it was a bus I’d been riding every day, for months.
And it was quite a ‘new’ bus at the time. It was a notorious bendy bus, since withdrawn from use in the Welsh Capital, presumably because they seem to annoy a lot of people, for some reason.
However, this was the early mid-aughts, and the buses were brand spanking new. And, as a result, were regularly being tweaked and updated.
And that’s where the issue arises.
Basically, when I first started using the bus, on the window by the entrance door, there were various signs and symbols stuck on. Like the no smoking sign, and the name of the bus company. SOP, really.
There was also this symbol.
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Ah, the symbol. You’ll have to go to the blogpost. But it’s the symbol, and then its evolution, which got Burnett worried.
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Flipping the switch on far-UVC • Works In Progress
Richard Williamson:
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One of the best shots we have at turning the page on airborne disease is an emerging type of germicidal UV (GUV) light called far-UVC. Over the last decade, researchers have documented its ability to eliminate pathogens while being safe for humans.
A landmark study from 2022 found that far-UVC reduced the concentrations of airborne bacteria by 98.4% in a room-sized chamber, all while operating within safe UV exposure limits. Compared to standard ventilation, this was the equivalent of changing the air completely over in the room 184 times every hour. To put that in perspective, the CDC recommends five or more air changes per hour in the workplace. Even hospital operating rooms in the US only require 20. Far-UVC is effective against viruses too; airborne coronaviruses are more susceptible to far-UVC than the same bacteria used in the other study.
Writing for Works in Progress two years ago, I called far-UVC ‘the most promising new candidate for building a pandemic firewall.’ Since then at the nonprofit where I work, Blueprint Biosecurity, we’ve spent thousands of hours poring over the academic literature. We’ve spoken to hundreds of experts in photobiology, atmospheric chemistry, indoor air quality, building science, environmental engineering, epidemiology, public health, and many other disciplines. With the benefit of all that further investigation, I still stand by that original claim today.
Considering the impressive findings quoted above, as well as society’s urgent need for better defenses against airborne pathogens, you might expect there to be a booming market for far-UVC devices. But most people have still never heard of it, let alone considered using it. What could explain this?
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Since you’re wondering: far-UVC has a wavelength of 207-222 nanometres (nm), but
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due to its strong absorbance in biological materials, far-UVC light cannot penetrate even the outer (non living) layers of human skin or eye; however, because bacteria and viruses are of micrometer or smaller dimensions, far-UVC can penetrate and inactivate them.
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Blue visible light goes down to about 400nm; UV-A (315-400nm) and UV-B (280-315nm) are the ones that cause tanning and wrinkling. But eyes should be kept away from UV-C.
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Josh Zahl and Hong Wang prove the Kakeya Conjecture in three dimensions • Department of Mathematics
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UBC Mathematics Associate Professor Josh Zahl, in collaboration with Hong Wang, an Associate Professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University (NYU), has proven the Kakeya set conjecture in three dimensions.
The Kakeya Conjecture is a long-standing problem in mathematics that deals with the geometry of sets in space. In simple terms, it asks how much space is needed to rotate a needle in all directions within a given area. The conjecture suggests that in three-dimensional space, the minimal space required to rotate a needle in every direction is surprisingly small. Until now, this problem remained unsolved in three dimensions, though it had been proven in lower dimensions.
This breakthrough is significant because it not only solves a key puzzle in mathematics but also opens doors for advancing our understanding of other complex problems in the fields of partial differential equations (which deal with how quantities change in space and time) and Fourier analysis (a method for analyzing complex waveforms). Essentially, the Kakeya Conjecture’s solution will help mathematicians tackle other related problems by providing new insights and tools to work with.
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For a more detailed explanation, here’s Quanta Magazine in July 2023, when Zahl and Wang’s work was being proposed but hadn’t been accepted as a proof.
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Firmware update bricks HP printers, makes them unable to use HP cartridges • Ars Technica
Scharon Harding:
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HP, along with other printer brands, is infamous for issuing firmware updates that brick already-purchased printers that have tried to use third-party ink. In a new form of frustration, HP is now being accused of issuing a firmware update that broke customers’ laser printers—even though the devices are loaded with HP-brand toner.
The firmware update in question is version 20250209, which HP issued on March 4 for its LaserJet MFP M232-M237 models. Per HP, the update includes “security updates,” a “regulatory requirement update,” “general improvements and bug fixes,” and fixes for IPP Everywhere. Looking back to older updates’ fixes and changes, which the new update includes, doesn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. The older updates mention things like “fixed print quality to ensure borders are not cropped for certain document types,” and “improved firmware update and cartridge rejection experiences.” But there’s no mention of changes to how the printers use or read toner.
However, users have been reporting sudden problems using HP-brand toner in their M232–M237 series printers since their devices updated to 20250209. Users on HP’s support forum say they see Error Code 11 and the hardware’s toner light flashing when trying to print. Some said they’ve cleaned the contacts and reinstalled their toner but still can’t print.
“Insanely frustrating because it’s my small business printer and just stopped working out of nowhere[,] and I even replaced the tone[r,] which was a $60 expense,” a forum user wrote on March 8.
When reached for comment, an HP spokesperson said: “We are aware of a firmware issue affecting a limited number of HP LaserJet 200 Series devices and our team is actively working on a solution. For assistance, affected customers can contact our support team at: https://support.hp.com.”
HP hasn’t clarified how widespread the reported problems are. But this isn’t the first time that HP broke its customers’ printers with an update. In May 2023, for example, a firmware update caused several HP OfficeJet brand printers to stop printing and show a blue screen for weeks.
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Does it make them able to use non-HP cartridges? Because that would be a breakthrough.
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Former Eaton Corp. employee found guilty of sabotaging company’s computer systems • cleveland.com
Adam Ferrise:
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A jury on Friday found a former Eaton Corp. employee guilty of sabotaging the company’s internal computer systems after his work responsibilities were reduced.
Federal prosecutors said software developer Davis Lu, 55, of Houston, added a “kill switch” that would lock out thousands of users of the company’s software if he was fired.
That happened on Sept. 9, 2019 and caused “hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses” to the company, prosecutors said. Defense attorneys argued that it cost the company less than $5,000.
Eaton moved from Cleveland to Beachwood in 2013. While the company’s global headquarters are now in Dublin, Ireland, its U.S. headquaters remain in Beachwood.
Lu was found guilty of one count of causing intentional damage to protected computers following a six-day trial in front of U.S. District Court Pamela Barker.
The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Barker has not yet set a sentencing date.
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Not a new thing at all: in 2002 Tim Lloyd was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his 1996 planting of a “software time bomb” that would destroy Omega’s code for running its manufacturing machines if he was fired.
The urge to take revenge is strong in software folk.
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| • Why do social networks drive us a little mad? • Why does angry content seem to dominate what we see? • How much of a role do algorithms play in affecting what we see and do online? • What can we do about it? • Did Facebook have any inkling of what was coming in Myanmar in 2016? Read Social Warming, my latest book, and find answers – and more. |
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