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New symptom identified for Long Covid : post-exertional malaise, a.k.a. crashing and burning for days to weeks after mild exercise. Cause: serious deterioration of work done by mitochondria, leading to tissue damage and brain fog. 
NPR reports.

Advances in the java programming language, version 16 and newer, slashed a million lines of code from my codebase. Maintaining my programs became easier overnight, due to this 1 secret trick: Records. 
Unfortunately version 16 was not LTS, so I had to wait until this year's release of version 21, which is LTS. 
 Go read the linked article. It explains Java Records in a very approachable manner.

Andrez Sainz de Aja writes that comments are a code smell: they make us lazy. Instead of using comments to convey intent, the coding should. But that is hard, so it is easier to write dumb coding and just put the intent into comments.

"You can't prove your value to someone whose business value relies on not seeing it," and other inspirational meanderings by Wachter-Boettcher about the position of UX and design in product development, where designers' livelihood and mental well-being gets threatened by late-stage capitalism.

Solution: delete all bookmarks that point to an article hosted at github.blog.

Background: For the longest time, Firefox would suggest the github.blog web address whenever I type "github" into the address bar. I found that weird: yes the word "blog" starts with a letter lower in the alphabet than the word "com", but the ".com" TLD is much more popular so should show up first, right?

Right... unless you, like me, have web search suggestions turned off when entering web address into the address bar. Instead, it takes suggestions from my bookmarks and open tabs, like I instructed it.

Thus, Firefox is behaving exactly as designed and instructed, and the solution is to remove the bookmarks that point to github.blog.

I only wish I'd had recognized that sooner...

Wow. Molly Holzschlag passed away. An invaluable force for adoption of web standards and usability. May Molly's loved ones find solace in sharing those memories that inspire them most.

When attempting to save a file using MS Windows 10, into a folder to which other files are written at the same time, it's impossible to change the name the file should receive, as each new file causes an update of the save dialog, moving the file name cursor back to front.

Discovered today, using Windows Pro, version 10.0.19044.2846

Listen, gain, build, test, query: 5 tips from experience.

Listen.

Observe other interfaces. Study them. Are they intuitive? Are they engaging? Who thinks so? Just you? Your boss? Millions of users? Who are those users? Local people? People like you? Or people from other cultures? People unlike you? More is better.

Gain

Gain examples of intuitive and engaging interfaces in the wild. Determine which of those can be made to fit whatever product or service it is you want users to use, or customers to purchase.

Build

Build the interface. If you’re the designer: don’t worry about coding, storage, security, and payment models. Focus on the components and how they fit into the larger view. Start with pen and paper, then move on to tools like Axure and Figma.

Test

Test how it feels. Does the flow guide you well? Or does it have you bouncing around? Can people who live in other parts of the world, enter their information? Can people who use smaller or larger devices enter information and see what you want them to see? Can people who are blind, or who work in a loud factory, or cannot move very well, also use your interface?

Question

Question your own assumptions. Question why differing people find differing interfaces more intuitive. Why don’t we all simply agree that what I find intuitive is intuitive for everyone?

Rinse and repeat.