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The article describes a project to create a hybrid barcode that combines a traditional 1D UPC barcode with a 2D QR code, allowing scanners to read the numeric code up close while QR readers can decode the full pattern from a distance.

The author expresses fatigue with the constant discussion of AI, comparing it to listening to vapers or stoners excitedly talk about their experiences — interesting at first but quickly becoming tiresome.

A blog post describes a bug affecting only left-handed users, humorously contrasting their scrolling behavior with that of right-handed users. The author notes the challenge of writing an interesting bug report and mentions efforts to optimize the blog despite its simple appearance.

The blog's author refuses a request to make their writing more globally accessible by avoiding British cultural references. They point out that their blog explicitly declares its language as en-GB (British English), and argue that localization is about acknowledging cultural differences, not erasing them.

A self-published novel follows an author descending into paranoia after becoming convinced that an AI is plagiarizing his work, forcing him to question the authenticity of his own creative processes.

The reviewer regrets reading the sequel to The Satsuma Complex, finding The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer overdone and clichéd, with the violence that was subtle in the first book now more prominent. They give it a two-star rating.

A review of the Gamrombo PS5 controller, a cheaper third-party alternative to the official controller costing under £40. The controller features unnecessary LED lights and is produced by a little-known Chinese manufacturer with minimal online presence. The reviewer gives it a 4-star rating, noting its affordability and flashy design.

The author criticizes Auth0's poor documentation and provides a guide on manually authenticating a JWT idToken after user authentication. Only the idToken is needed, not the accessToken.

The article offers cybersecurity advice for business travelers, distinguishing between paranoid and lax organizational approaches. It highlights that individuals can be targeted for espionage or blackmail by state-sponsored actors, and provides a list of security recommendations based on varying threat levels.

The article explores which copyleft license is most suitable for SVG files, given the format's unique nature as XML-based vector graphics. It discusses the challenges of applying traditional copyleft licenses to SVG images and considers options like the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL) for ensuring that modifications remain open.

Alan Moore's *The Great When* is an overwritten but enjoyable novel, featuring dense, playful prose with vivid imagery. The review praises the book's literary style and gives it a four-star rating.

The article recalls a late 1990s BBC work experience, featuring a demo of "Two Way TV" — a grey box that connected an OnDigital TV box via modem to let viewers play along with shows like "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".

The author investigates the identities of the people featured in the UK's 2015 passport design, which was criticized for featuring only two named women compared to seven men. The blog post explores who the actors and historical figures depicted actually are, responding to a Reddit post that sparked the research.

The author describes using FourSquare's API to automatically post location check-ins from SwarmApp to other social media platforms, enabling friends without Swarm to see where they are for recommendations or meetups.

Sixteen years after its initial launch, the London Data Store (data.london.gov.uk) has been relaunched with updates to both its front-end and back-end, celebrating Open Data's role in improving Londoners' lives.

A review of "Accessible Communications" by Lisa Riemers and Matisse Hamel-Nelis, highlighting the book's practical guidance on creating accessible communications across legal, ethical, and business contexts.

The author revisits their earlier skepticism about gigabit broadband after getting Virgin Media's Gig1 package for £30/month. They still question whether such high speeds are truly necessary for most households, noting that practical benefits remain limited despite the affordable price.

The blog post investigates how many consecutive hyphens are technically allowed in a domain name, exploring historical standards and TLD-specific restrictions. It finds that while many TLDs prohibit consecutive hyphens entirely, some allow them, and the rules vary depending on the domain's position and the registry's policies.

Holly Gramazio's novel follows a woman named Lauren who discovers that every time she sends her husband into the loft, a different man comes down, rewriting her entire romantic history. The book explores this inventive concept across various timelines and relationships.

The reviewer ran Ethernet cables throughout their house, using a large switch for rooms with many devices. For rooms with few devices, like their gym which only had an Internet-connected TV and a Kodi box, they reviewed the TP Link EH210 Ethernet Splitter (USB-C).

The article investigates the common claim that Frank Sinatra introduced his cover of George Harrison's "Something" as his "favourite Lennon & McCartney number." It suggests this may be an apocryphal story, similar to other misquoted Beatles lore, and examines the evidence behind the anecdote.

The author discusses a dilemma from an RSS Club reader who bookmarked a post only to find the content later removed, as per RSS Club rules. The piece explores what happens to old posts in such ephemeral publishing models, balancing exclusivity against the frustration of lost references.

The article criticises the UK Government's RM6237 Low Value Purchase System, arguing that its bureaucracy makes it inefficient and a waste of time for small businesses trying to sell to the government.

The Chuwi Minibook X N150 is a small, affordable laptop (around £300) that fits in a cargo pocket and uses a USB-C charger. The reviewer finds it suitable for travel, praising its portability while noting it is "basically fine" for the price.

PHP typically sends HTTP headers only when a script finishes, causing delays for redirects after long operations. The article notes this issue and mentions that complex workarounds exist for sending headers before script completion.

The article contrasts "age-gates" (e.g., buying alcohol at 18) with "skill-gates" (e.g., passing an amateur radio exam), questioning whether certain age-based restrictions should instead require demonstrated competence and which skill-based requirements should rely solely on age.

A poetic reflection on the death of a whale and its descent to the ocean floor, touching on the creature's immense scale and the natural process of its carcass becoming a "whale fall" ecosystem on the seabed.

The author shares that this post is exclusively for RSS subscribers, announcing an upcoming Interrail trip through Europe with his wife. They invite RSS Club members to meet up in person for drinks or food, including vegan options, continuing a tradition from their previous journey.

This review praises Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Terrible Worlds: Destinations," a collection of three novellas about travel to new destinations that, beneath the surface, explore themes of loneliness and the inescapability of oneself.

A UK civil service blog reports on internal tensions after the NHS decided to move away from open-source software, with the Government Digital Service (GDS) publicly weighing in on the dispute—an unusually public airing of an internal government disagreement.