Rubenerd

A random list of stuff I found and read last week:

• Am I Unique uses dozens of metrics to attempt to fingerprint your browser. One side effect using an unusual set of tools (FreeBSD, Mac, etc) was that I was pinged as unique every time.

• This Deutsche Welle documentary on the Stasi and the Berlin Wall was chilling, though I couldn’t also help see the information vaults at the start as a cautionary tale.

• OneTab is a brilliant Firefox extension that converts all your open tabs into an HTML file with a list. I’d got into the habit of using the built-in “Bookmark All Tabs” feature, but this makes it even easier to archive.

• This blog has made it onto The Big List of Personal Websites! There’s some interesting stuff there, not all of which is about tech.

• bit is an alternative interface to git. I fully agree with Ben Tsai, git is inscrutable and a poor replacement for hg and even Subversion. We in the industry sure make some daft decisions.

And some intersting articles (paywalled):

• The Atlantic: Joe Biden’s New World Order and Go for a walk with Arthur C. Brooks.

• The Economist: A perfect storm for container shipping.

• Nikkei Asia: Behind every good Japanese inn is an ‘okami-san’, and the Race to save Hong Kong’s wartime relics.