News in brief 1

A bite of the Apple

> Y2K BUG, TAKE 2

Some websites could break when Chrome and Firefox reach version 100 in a couple of months’ time, Mozilla warns in a blog post. According to the post, this is because some sites rely on a string called User–Agent (UA) to identify your browser version and configure the site to suit. However, “without a single specification to follow, different browsers have different formats for the UA string, and site–specific UA parsing. It’s possible that some parsing libraries may have hard– coded assumptions or bugs that don’t take into account three–digit major version numbers.” Sound unlikely? The post reports that testing has found major sites returning problems including T–Mobile, Yahoo, and Daimler, although some are already being fixed.

“Many libraries improved the parsing logic when browsers moved to two–digit version numbers” and encountered the same issue a little over 12 years ago, the post adds, “so hitting the three–digit milestone is expected to cause fewer problems.” However, “if the breakage is widespread and individual site interventions become unmanageable,” both Mozilla and Chrome have a Plan B: to temporarily freeze the browser’s major version at 99 and then test other options.

$TBC From lg.com

>>> Kitted your Mac out with several monitors to up your multitasking game? Turns out you’ve actually been doing it all wrong — at least, that’s what the LG DualUp would have you believe. This unusual monitor is shaped like two 21.5–inch displays stacked on top of each other, meaning no more craning your neck side to side, scanning across your screens to see all your work.

Although LG says that’s better for your neck, the 16:18 ratio means you’ll still be looking up and down fairly frequently. Still, it could work really well in certain scenarios, for example by allowing video editors to fit more content on their screens at once. And if it means one less monitor cluttering our already packed desks, count us in.

$4,800 From spacecamera.co >>> Starting in 1962, NASA began taking Hasselblad cameras into orbit to document the depths of space, with the cameras being heavily modified to survive the rigors of weightlessness. Unnecessary extras like the leather covering and viewfinder were removed to reduce some of the bulk, and the cameras were also painted in anti–reflective black paint to minimize reflections.

Now, you can get your hands on a working replica of one of those cameras, all for the rock–bottom price of $4,800. It’s built to be just like the original and comes with an 80mm f2.8 lens too. And as a bonus, you’ll even get a “flown–in– space artifact” with the purchase. These replicas haven’t been into orbit, but they’re as close as you can get to a camera that has.