Pesky's links

Chasing A380s across the Pacific

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:56:27 +0000

Some close up shots of A380s flying across the Pacific from LouB747, a 747-8 pilot. They look incredible.

20 Years on AWS and Never Not My Job

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 20:26:11 +0000

There's quite a lot of AWS lore packed in here by, security researcher and FreeBSD Release Engineering Lead, Colin Percival.

Discovered via lobste.rs.

On filing the corners off my MacBooks

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:49:22 +0000

Kent Walters writes about filing down the near edge of his MacBook. I was issued a MacBook by my employer last year and that sharp edge was the first thing I noticed. If it was mine to keep I would definitely be filing it down.

Discovered via HackerNews.

Working with Amazon S3 Files

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:51:01 +0000

S3 Files is a newly released feature of S3 that provides a file system on top of your bucket powered by EFS. For reads, the data is loaded into EFS when an object is less than 128KB, by default, for objects equal to or larger than the threshold S3 Files prefers streaming the data directly from the bucket. While writing files, EFS is used and any changes are synched automaticaly with the underlying S3 bucket.

No matter how you decide to dress object storage and treat it like a file system it can always come to bite you, if you're not careful. Here's how renames and moves are handled:

Amazon S3 uses a flat storage structure where objects are identified by their key names. While S3 Files lets you organize your data in directories, S3 has no native concept of directories. What appears as a directory in your file system is a common prefix shared by the keys of the objects within the S3 bucket. Additionally, S3 objects are immutable and do not support atomic renames. As a result, when you rename or move a file, S3 Files must write the data to a new object with the updated key and delete the original. When you rename or move a directory, S3 Files must repeat this process for every object that shares that prefix. Therefore, when you rename or move a directory containing tens of millions of files, your S3 request costs and the synchronization time increase significantly.

Assembling a new study desk from shelves

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:29:32 +0000

In a similar vain to an essay I shared yesterday called The Utopia of the Family Computer, we had furniture that was specifically designed to accomodate this machine and it's peripherals.

It wasn’t an ordinary desk but a fairly specific design: a compartment for the CPU, another for the monitor, a sliding tray for the keyboard, slots for discs, shelves for papers, manuals, and pencils. Everything seemed designed so that each element would find its place and, at the same time, so that the whole would stay contained within a clear structure. That kind of furniture organized more than just objects. It organized a relationship with technology. It suggested that the computer (and with it, the internet) was something used under particular conditions: seated, in that spot, for a certain amount of time. Something that was switched on and off, opened and closed.

I like this, a space designed for a purpose, in todays world this could also help draw a boundary between work and personal time. In an appartement this computer space is usually used during work and personal time, with maybe different configurations or devices to set the boundary, but I digress.

The real reason for me writing this is to share Ruben's post on trying to find and eventually building his own desk! I think it turned out quite well.

The Utopia of the Family Computer

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:01:30 +0000

Jose Ibanez on personal devices and the internet broke out of their initial containment.

The computer stopped being strictly a family object when it began moving into individual spaces. Laptops let the screen leave the common room. Then wireless connections made the fixed point on the wall unnecessary. Later, the smartphone finished altering the scene: you no longer had to go to the computer. The connection began to follow you. Screens started spreading through the house. Then they left it. The connection stopped being something that happened at certain moments and became something continuously available.

Discovered via Satyrs' garden.

The Slow Collapse of MkDocs

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:28:37 +0000

Florian Maas documents the public interactions among some of MkDocs' top contributors over the last 10 years and what leads to it's fragmented present. Lobster.rs, where I discovered this from, has some interesting discussions.

This led me to checking on httpx, created by the the same person as MkDocs, which has GitHub discussions and issues also disabled. This was one of the reasons-among a few other big ones-that promoted Michiel to fork the project.

'This Is Not The Computer For You'

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:54:13 +0000

Since the release of the MacBook Neo I've been swatting away articles that pop up in my RSS feed about it. I've read the specs and seen the pictures, it's neat, not for me and that's all I really care about. However, I've stumbled on a post, one that talks about the new MacBook in context of what it really is and what it's going to be doing.

It's beautifully written. I was that's kid too.

I discovered this through the weird_wide_web_hole newsletter.

Enshittifaication

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:28:29 +0000

I've come across this a few times and each time I think I've shared this but I haven't. So here we are, enshittifaication, a play on enshittification (see also Androidification), Stefano Marinelli recounts a few instances of how AI breaks down any attempt at communication between people.

The enormous problem with my work these days is the extreme confidence that certain companies project, replacing humans - even senior ones - with AI, with no right of appeal. The result is monstrous confusion, enormous wasted time for everyone, and a widespread erosion of reliability, all papered over by the AI's unshakeable assertiveness - and by those who believe these systems are the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

I've had my fair share of interactions with people who insist on certain decisions with no basis other than "an AI told me so".

Feeding

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:12:34 +0000

Simone, on their website Minutes to Midnight, wrote about two shortcomings they see with RSS readers today. One of which was that their user experience creates the effect of a task list with articles to complete. Sound familiar?

Simone then looks at fraidycat an RSS web extension used to follow people. Reading an article takes you to authors website and the there isn't a feed but a list of recently active writers. The concept looks interesting, but the downside is that the extension is no longer actively maintained.

The second reader Simone came across was from Terry Godier, who coined the term phantom obligation. I've seen this concept come up a number of times recently so I've included a new tag to connect those links here.