Extracting pages from a PDF, and what comes with them
Printed page numbers are not file page numbers. Writing a range that means what you think, when a per-page split is right, and why splitting is not redaction.
Read moreMP4 or WebM: why the choice is bigger than file size
WebM's audio codec is the only route to sound on Firefox or desktop Linux, which cannot encode the AAC that MP4 needs. Why every format is tested before being offered rather than listed, and why converting twice can leave a file larger than it started.
Read moreCombining PDFs without degrading them
Merging is lossless; printing to a single PDF is not. Naming files so they sort correctly, what travels with the pages, and the two cases where merging is the wrong call.
Read moreHow to create a strong password
What actually makes a password hard to guess, why substituted characters do not help, how long is long enough, and where to keep the result.
Read moreWhy resolution shrinks a video more than the quality slider does
Halving both dimensions removes three quarters of the pixels, which outweighs anything the quality setting can do alone. How the bitrate target is actually calculated, why an already-compressed file can come out bigger, and why the tab needs to stay in front while it runs.
Read moreReading a diff: an edited line is a removal plus an addition
That is why one changed word reports as two changes. Why trailing spaces and Windows line endings make an unchanged file look rewritten, and why a moved paragraph is not detected as having moved.
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Structured data must match the visible page
Marking up a rating that is not shown is a policy violation with a site-wide penalty. Why JSON-LD is the format to use, which type to choose, and why eligibility for a rich result is not entitlement to one.
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Why an identical monthly payment is mostly interest at first
The outstanding balance is largest right at the start, which is why early instalments lean so heavily toward interest even though the payment itself never changes. Why a longer term always lowers the instalment and raises the total, and why overpaying early saves more than the same overpayment later.
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Turning plain text into a PDF your browser writes
The print dialogue is the PDF writer, and two of its defaults want changing. What survives a paste, what page control you do not get, and writing for a screen rather than paper.
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Glassmorphism: why it does nothing on a flat background
backdrop-filter blurs what is behind the element, so it needs something back there. The saturation boost everyone omits, why text contrast changes as the page scrolls, and what it costs to paint.
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