webnotes

Annotated links from some of my web searches and "projects." Probably not of interest to anyone else.

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• 2014–12–23 07:24
  http://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/111114-get-the-url-of-the-current-active-browser-tab/
  Has the “get URL” script that I used in webnotes.ahk, the script that is used to generate the HTML version of this file, automatically adding a timestamp and the URL and then opening a text box to add notes such as these. #ahk #scripts

• 2014–12–23 08:56
  http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit
  Orwell essay that contains the famous rewrite of the passage from Ecclesiastes and his 6 rules for clear writing. #writing

• 2014–12–23 10:02
  http://www.alan-g.me.uk/tutor/index.htm
  Alan Gauld’s tutorial on programming. Although it covers mostly concepts, it illustrates them using Python. #programming

• 2014–12–23 16:53
  http://lifehacker.com/what-it-really-takes-to-be-a-professional-programmer-1674327537?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifehacker%2Ffull+%28Lifehacker%29
  Good summary of what it takes to learn new things. Focuses on programming, but is applicable to anything. #programming

• 2015–02–21 15:06
  http://lowendmac.com/2014/personal-computer-history-the-first-25-years/
  Good summary and reminder about many of the brands in the early days of personal computers. #history

• 2015–02–21 15:23
  http://www.techspot.com/article/874-history-of-the-personal-computer/
  Good article for a relatively complete story on the development of the PC. #history

• 2015–02–26 09:17
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_Engine
  Article on Babbage’s Analytical Engine. Has table listing all early computers. #history

• 2015–02–28 12:20
  http://www.desiquintans.com/articles.php?page=scratchpad
  Scratchpad - AHK script and exe file to create a note-taking popup. Recommended by Manfred Kuehn. #ahk

• 2015–02–28 13:49
  http://www.desiquintans.com/articles.php?cat=software
  Some neat software from the developer of Scratchpad.

• 2015–03–04 10:41
  https://sites.google.com/site/michaeldgodfrey/computing
  Source of some of the papers I downloaded, especially the ones on and by John von Neumann. #history

• 2015–03–16 16:35
  http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/sep/27/who-gets-credit-computer-exchange/
  Rebuttal by a Mauchly that von Neumann should get credit for architecture that bears his name. #history

• 2015–03–16 16:44
  http://www.rheingold.com/texts/tft/4.html
  Chapter 4 of Howard Rheingold’s book Tool for Thought. May be part of the entire book online. #history

• 2015–04–06 08:01
  http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/
  Good source for information about copyright. Use for McGrath’s policy.

• 2015–08–12 08:20
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_wrap_and_word_wrap

• 2015–08–25 20:47
  http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/
  Lots of information about Windows.

• 2015–10–26 07:09
  http://www.jefclaes.be/2009/10/evolution-of-windows-desktop-in-images.html
  Evolution of Windows desktops from 3.1 to 7. #windows

• 2016–02–09 07:31
  http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/03/23/the-web-2-0social-media-tools-i-use-everyday-how-i-use-them/
  A high school teacher’s site about using technology in teaching and organizing.

• 2016–03–20 07:28
  http://www.convertcsv.com/csv-to-json.htm
  Web page to convert CSV file to JSON. Use for McGrath schedule file and page programming.

• 2016–04–24 08:12
  http://netvalley.com/intval1.html
  Good history of the Internet.

• 2016–09–16 08:10
  https://responsivedesign.is/articles/why-you-dont-need-device-specific-breakpoints
  Good article on coding for responsive design.

• 2016–09–22 08:37
  http://gizmodo.com/5932663/9-things-you-absolutely-must-do-to-keep-your-online-identity-secure

• 2016–09–27 06:22
  http://jockstothecore.com/proper-implementation-of-background-images-with-text-inside-responsive-carousels/
  Explanation and fix of the way Bootstrap’s defaults distorts carousel images at small device levels. Applied to McGrath site.

• 2016–09–27 08:53
  https://css-tricks.com/snippets/css/media-queries-for-standard-devices/
  Use with article above re: making Bootstrap carousel images scale properly. This is how to set the media inquiries in CSS to different screen widths.

• 2016–09–27 12:27
  http://ieatcss.com/twitter-bootstrap-tutorial.html
  Looks like a good site for learning Bootstrap design. Actually builds a web site from the ground up and then applies different Bootstrap components to modify it. Worth exploring in depth.

• 2016–09–29 19:01
  http://plain-text.co/
  Work flow for scholarly work using plain text. Good discussion of tools and why to use them. Includes good discussion of Git version control.

• 2016–12–31 07:24
  http://programminghistorian.org/lessons/automated-downloading-with-wget
  Downloading content from the web using the CLI. Part of Programming Historian which has lots of other tutorials about using the web for research.

• 2017–03–23 08:05
  https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/03/23/the-sane-society-erich-fromm/
  Go back and read this page, especially some of the links near the bottom.

• 2022–01–31 07:57 https://gist.github.com/firstdoit/6390547
  Using Ghostscript to compress PDF files locally.

• 2022–01–31 07:58 https://stackoverflow.com/questions/46195795/ghostscript-pdf-batch-compression
  More on using Ghostscript to compress PDF files.

• 2022–01–31 13:09 https://perplexity.nl/toolbox/compress-pdf-files-using-powershell-and-ghostscript/
  The Powershell scipt I am using to compress PDF files locally.

• 2022–02–28 08:15 https://fortelabs.co/blog/how-to-take-smart-notes/
  Summary of How to Take Smart Notes produced by Tiago Forte.

• 2022–03–02 09:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSM0CZZEDYQ
  Goes through how he sets up zettels and his notation.
  • Uses ZKN3 (which is why I wanted to view this).
  • Talks about links between zettels.
  • Uses empty link brackets to indicate topic he wants to do more research on.
  • By Martin of Brain Friendly Thinking.
• 2022–03–02 09:28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2hxygqjx2k
  Discussion of how Luhmann created and used his zettelkasten.
  • Especially good info on Luhmann’s use of hub zettels to guide or index his zettels.
  • Also how NL used keywords.
  • By Martin of Brain Friendly Thinking.
• 2022–03–02 15:33 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXnR7qX3BDc
  Tiago Forte interviews Sonke Ahrens, author of How to Take Smart Notes.
  • Sonke Ahrens (zoon ke’ ah rens’).
  • understand the principles of zettelkasten, then develop your own system.
  • stay as simple as possible with your process.
  • key is connecting ideas, considering them in context rather that as a topic. That is hard.
  • embrace the difficulties.
  • only incorporate old notes into your process when you use the note. IOW, don’t do a big migration.
  • file by the context in which you think you will recover the note in the future.
  • look at the difference new note makes to what you have written before, what you know.
  • ask does new note add or subtract or contradict what you know.
  • ask, where am I wrong in my ideas.
  • Ahrens’s website: takesmartnotes.com.

• 2022–03–03 07:01 https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-take-notes/answer/Snke-Ahrens?ch=10&share=e1efd8f9&srid=uJBsW Sonke Ahrens answer to best way to take notes. Best summary I have seen thus far.

• 2022–03–03 07:53 https://strengejacke.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/introduction-into-luhmanns-zettelkasten-thinking.pdf Presentation by Daniel Ludecke on using zettelkasten.
  • Best explanation so far about branching and indexing by numbering cards.
  • Detailed walk-through of branching.
  • Relates what Luhmann did to ZKN3 software that Ludecke wrote.

• 2022–03–03 15:05 https://luhmann.surge.sh/communicating-with-slip-boxes Luhmann’s own description of his note-taking/note-using system.

• 2022–03–03 15:54 https://niklas-luhmann-archiv.de Niklas Luhmann Archive. Includes actual slips and slip boxes.

• 2022–03–03 16:12 https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/download/2942475/2942530/jschmidt_2016_niklas%20luhmanns%20card%20index.pdf Detailed description of Luhmann’s work, including best description of the numbering system.
  • Chapter 12 from book by Johannes F.K. Schmidt.
  • Need to read the entire chapter, and maybe the book, carefully.

• 2025–05–07 11:05 https://www.newsminimalist.com/?sort=latest
  Notes: Page that rates news headlines and lists them in order of importance, at least according to its algorithm.

• 2025–05–08 09:57 https://www.autohotkey.com/docs/v1/lib/InputBox.htm
  Notes: I have several entries above with multiline, bulleted notes. I’m not sure how I got line breaks into the file. Today, I tried various techniques to insert a line break in the input box that AHK pops up. Neither `n, Ctrl+Enter, Shift+Enter, nor anything else I tried works. I wonder if I just edited webnotes.txt to insert those notes. For now, I’ll edit webnotes.txt and be on the alert if I accidentally stumble over how to do this and will update these notes if I do.

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Notes between here and 5/15/25 are notes from refs for the passkey article. Also see paper notebook with green cover labeled Computer Notes.

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• 2025–05–07 18:37 https://dev.to/risafj/ssh-key-authentication-for-absolute-beginners-in-plain-english-2m3f
  Notes: I spent time today trying to set up auto SSH login to upload changed files to jcby.com. Didn’t get very far because I don’t understand SSH keys. So this website is first look to try to understand those.

• 2025–05–08 08:35 https://chatgpt.com/share/681a160f-3658-8009-81ed-0ff8f013b299
  Notes: Output from ChatGPT for initial draft of article for CLL on passkeys. Below are notes related to this document:
  • According to a recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, over 80% of hacking-related breaches involve weak or stolen credentials. And even strong passwords can be compromised through phishing attacks or leaked from corporate data breaches.
  • For added protection, many services now offer Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). This means logging in requires something you know (your password) and something you have (like a code sent to your phone or an authentication app).
  • Apple: Passkeys are now standard in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, integrated with Face ID and Touch ID. iCloud Keychain syncs passkeys across devices. Google: Android and Chrome support passkeys, and users can store them in the Google Password Manager. Gmail accounts now prompt users to skip passwords entirely. Microsoft: Windows Hello supports passkeys across the Edge browser and Microsoft services, including Outlook and Azure accounts.
  • PayPal: Users can log in with a passkey on Apple and Android devices. Robinhood: Supports passkeys for secure access to investment accounts. eBay: Recently introduced passkey logins for buying and selling accounts. Bank of America, Capital One, and Wells Fargo: Actively piloting or rolling out passkey login options.
  • Cybersecurity experts believe that within the next few years, passwords may become obsolete for most high-value accounts. Until then, users are encouraged to:
    • Use strong, unique passwords
    • Enable two-factor authentication where available
    • Embrace passkeys as they roll out
  • “We’re at a turning point,” says Megan Walsh, a cybersecurity analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “Just as we moved from physical checks to mobile banking, we’re moving from passwords to something smarter—and safer.”
• 2025–05–08 12:54 https://www.zdnet.com/article/10-passkey-survival-tips-prepare-for-your-passwordless-future-now/
  Notes: Article focuses on preparing for the coming use of passkeys.
  • Recommends adopting third party credential manager (BYO) now as credential managers will be the app that creates passkeys in the future. A third-party one will allow you to switch between OSs or browsers. However, that ignores that most people will never switch between Windows and MacOS and their built-in CMs will be easier to use within their ecosystem.
  • Do not use two CMs on same computer as each could offer a different way to sign in.
  • Make sure your CM has a strong password. Ironic that the software that makes it possible to eliminate PWs requires a PW.
  • Name your passkeys. You can have more than one PK for a given site. If you decide to delete one, you want to know which to delete rather than guessing between your CM’s designation, which may be something like Passkey1 and Passkey2.
  • PKs will be more difficult to migrate from one CM to another than PWs are.
  • It will take some time for PKs to become “user friendly” and as familiar as PWs. Until then, keep your strong PWs in a CM and use MFA.

• 2025–05–08 15:56 https://www.howtogeek.com/threats-a-strong-password-still-doesnt-protect-against/?utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=HTG-202505010530&utm_source=HTG-NL&user=amNiMzczMTBAeWFob28uY29t&lctg=b30db8a71d1ae43e29a199ec89d12ce9435c95df12a46cc6ce84d786555b3fe7
  Notes: Lays out the spectrum of vulnerabilities clearly and simply. Need to turn this into an article.

• 2025–05–11 09:33 https://www.howtogeek.com/758131/how-to-copy-urls-of-all-open-tabs-in-safari/#how-to-copy-tab-urls-in-safari-on-mac
  Notes:

• 2025–05–11 09:38 https://www.zdnet.com/article/7-password-rules-security-experts-live-by-in-2025-the-last-one-might-surprise-you/
  Notes: Based on the link below at 5/13 06:47. Most important new piece of info to me is statement that PMs now associate a set of credentials with a given URL and will refuse to enter them into a different URL. Need to figure out which PM (or CM) does this as it is new to me. This will help avoid–and may completely avoid–successful phishing attacks.

• 2025–05–11 09:39 https://www.zdnet.com/article/a-whopping-94-of-leaked-passwords-are-not-unique-will-you-people-ever-learn/
  Notes: Up-to-date article based on third-party study of password usage. Confirms previous studies about avoiding common words and using unique password for every different site.

• 2025–05–11 09:43 https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/passwordless-authentication-what-it-is-and-why-you-need-it-asap
  Notes: General article on passkeys.
  • Good article. Almost every sentence meaningful. Needs close reading and lots of notes.
  • In the end, article was not so good. Too general. And had a significant portion of the article talking about hackers stealing cookies from your computer that had a validated token already in them. Article did not say how strong device protection could prevent cookie “theft.”

• 2025–05–11 10:03 https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/no-more-passwords-how-to-set-up-apples-passkeys-for-easy-sign-ins
  Notes: Only applies to Apple devices.

• 2025–05–11 18:04 https://www.corbado.com/faq/can-passkeys-be-stolen
  Notes: Looks like good article. Read in detail and take notes.

• 2025–05–12 10:56 https://www.preveil.com/blog/public-and-private-key/
  Notes: General article about use of passkeys. Examples are more email rather than login. Still some good knowledge, but not used directly in my passkeys article.

• 2025–05–12 10:59 https://medium.com/techanic/the-math-in-public-key-cryptography-in-simple-words-with-examples-e3a18cb4fa85
  Notes: Simple example of the calculations involved in creating passkeys. Really math related and not useful for my article.

• 2025–05–12 11:00 https://www.corbado.com/faq/can-passkeys-be-stolen
  Notes: Passkeys cannot be stolen according to this webpage.
  • Passkeys stored in TPM (Windows), TEE (trust encryption environment), or secure enclave (Apple), all hardware based for security.
  • Says private key never transmitted (need to check with other sources).

• 2025–05–12 11:00 https://webauthn.guide
  Notes: Code for website to incorporate passkeys. Also practice website (webauthn.io) to create passkey and sign in using it.

• 2025–05–12 14:22 https://fidoalliance.org/passkeys-directory/
  Notes: Directory of websites using passkeys maintained by FIDO (Fast Identity Online).
  • As of 2025–05–12, 145 consumer websites registered as using passkeys at least as an option.

• 2025–05–12 14:27 https://www.passkeycentral.org/introduction-to-passkeys/how-passkeys-work
  Notes: This page, despite a domain of passkeycentral.org, is part of the FIDO website. Don’t need any individual notes, but should use as a guide in preparing my article since FIDO is the leading push to use passkeys. FIDO is an alliance of big companies (M$, Google, Apple

• 2025–05–13 06:47 https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/secure-yourself-your-family
  Notes: Good summary of PW use from an official source. Mostly videos. Consider putting link on Bitly to post in the article I’m writing for CLL submission to the Aiken Standard. The URL above at 5/11 09:38 is based on this webpage.

• 2025–05–13 09:30 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography
  Notes: History of public key encryption. Started in mid 1970s.

• 2025–05–13 10:00 https://portal.scitech.au.edu/thotsapon/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Asymmetric-Key-Cryptography.pdf
  Notes: Simple explanation of how keys–public, private, and session–work together for secure exchange of information.

• 2025–05–14 06:51 https://chatgpt.com/c/68247410-80e4-8009-a345-47dbf920df84 Notes: ChatGPT article about passkeys.

• 2025–05–15 10:12 https://blog.trailofbits.com/2025/05/14/the-cryptography-behind-passkeys/ Notes: technical details of passkeys. Good article.