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Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

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Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#41

Post by GhostVII »

ccostes wrote: post #23
spuz wrote: post #9

A long time ago when I used to spend almost all my day in front of a computer, I wrote a program that would measure the physical distance my mouse cursor had moved thinking surely it must be several hundred meters a day. In fact it was only about 30 metres per day. I imagine to scroll a mile would take several months for the average web user.

It seems like cursor acceleration (breaking the linearity between pixel and physical distance) would make this non-trivial; curious how you implemented it.

It sounds like they measures the distance the cursor on-screen moved, not how far they physically moved their mouse. So accelleration wouldn't be a factor.

Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#42

Post by chmod775 »

KMnO4 wrote: post #40
glup wrote: post #12

I was once in a seminar led by one of the world's pre-eminent primate researchers who explained that, without any irony or humor, he refused to scroll when reading emails--Anything important should be immediately visible.

This is also standard journalism practice, and I use it all the time as a somewhat heuristic for news article credibility. Journalists are taught to put the most important details at the head of an article, and the least important at the end. This is tradition from print newspapers, where your article would be cut if the editor didn't have enough space. Sometimes only the first paragraph would make it into print, so…

> Journalists are taught to put the most important details at the head of an article

In online journalism practice many do the exact opposite. They make you read paragraph after paragraph of speculations and bullshit before elaborating/explaining their click bait headline. Anything to make you stay and scroll so their ads get more screen time.

Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#43

Post by dghughes »

Within the last six months I've developed arthritis in both my hands (and ankles). Each morning when I wake up both of my hands are stiff like they've been in ice water.

My right index finger which I use for scrolling using my mouse scroll wheel (and typing). when I bend in in the morning my index finger it will make a snapping noise. None of my other fingers make the snapping noise.

The odd thing is it isn't the joint. If I bend my fingers in the morning and my index finger snaps you'd think it was the joint. I experimented and cracked my index knuckle after it made the snap and the knuckle snapped.

Anyway that's a tale of my bizarre life somewhat related to this topic.

Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#44

Post by bonoboTP »

KMnO4 wrote: post #40
glup wrote: post #12

I was once in a seminar led by one of the world's pre-eminent primate researchers who explained that, without any irony or humor, he refused to scroll when reading emails--Anything important should be immediately visible.

This is also standard journalism practice, and I use it all the time as a somewhat heuristic for news article credibility. Journalists are taught to put the most important details at the head of an article, and the least important at the end. This is tradition from print newspapers, where your article would be cut if the editor didn't have enough space. Sometimes only the first paragraph would make it into print, so…

I wonder about the national differences. Hungarian news portals do as you said, jump straight in, lay out the overall idea, then go into details. Even for long form articles.

German news on the other hand, especially long form, starts from a very personal tone, sets up an emotional texture, introduces a person by name and makes them likable etc. till finally in the middle they get to the matter. It's really frustrating getting used to this.

I fell like the US is sort of in-between.

Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#45

Post by spuz »

ccostes wrote: post #23
spuz wrote: post #9

A long time ago when I used to spend almost all my day in front of a computer, I wrote a program that would measure the physical distance my mouse cursor had moved thinking surely it must be several hundred meters a day. In fact it was only about 30 metres per day. I imagine to scroll a mile would take several months for the average web user.

It seems like cursor acceleration (breaking the linearity between pixel and physical distance) would make this non-trivial; curious how you implemented it.

Well I wanted to specifically measure cursor distance rather than mouse distance so acceleration doesn't come into it. As long as you can sample the mouse position frequently enough, you can get an idea of how far it has travelled. All I had to do to convert pixels to physical distance was use a tape measure to get the width and height of the visible part of the screen.

Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#46

Post by jjtheblunt »

KMnO4 wrote: post #40
glup wrote: post #12

I was once in a seminar led by one of the world's pre-eminent primate researchers who explained that, without any irony or humor, he refused to scroll when reading emails--Anything important should be immediately visible.

This is also standard journalism practice, and I use it all the time as a somewhat heuristic for news article credibility. Journalists are taught to put the most important details at the head of an article, and the least important at the end. This is tradition from print newspapers, where your article would be cut if the editor didn't have enough space. Sometimes only the first paragraph would make it into print, so…

i'm so happy reading that i'm not the only one using that criterion

Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#47

Post by easytiger »

rantwasp wrote: post #28
GGfpc wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like my professors, except they refuse to open the email at all.

so anything important need to be in the subject. sounds about right

Or use clickbait advertising techniques.

You won't believe this one crazy thing about my cs 203 coursework!

click...

(It's gonna be late)

Re: Show HN: How many miles do you think you've scrolled today?

#50

Post by aabbcc1241 »

unnouinceput wrote: post #48

"You will need Google Chrome to install most apps, extensions and themes. Download Google Chrome" Yeah buddy, just wait for me to install that. Any Firefox equivalent?

How about WhatPulse? (which doesn't work on my linux distro, sad ...)
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