Category: Technology

  • Learning Gutenberg

    I decided to brush up on my website building skills and deepen my understanding of the new gutenberg system – a change up from the classic wordpress editor from 7 years ago.

    I’ve been a long-time fan of wordpress, and my first website was built on it with a free wordpress.com account. I eventually went on to build corporate, multi-lingual, ecommerce and personal websites with domain + host + wordpress CMS.

    WordPress remains the most versatile CMS with extendability of plugins, and I was keen to gain further understanding of the tool.

    This is a record of what was done, and any tips for people looking to learn Gutenberg and wordpress.

    10 Days of Gutenberg Challenge

    I completed the 10 days of gutenberg challenge with Riad Mahmud, who has created an exceptional series which I will link below:

    Youtube: https://youtu.be/MIp4KsAbxAU?si=HMPUlWpdxKYXso7B

    My practise pages: Days 2 and Advanced Grid

    I’ve also gained knowledge on how to transfer from Figma design to Gutenberg, which was highly useful.

    Tips Regarding the Challenge

    The link to the figma files are here.

    Figma Shortcuts:

    Ctrl+click – to select element

    Hold Option to check spacing between elements

    i to select colour

    Apps:

    Apple’s native Colour Digital Meter app – Command+shift+c to copy any website colour without compromising and showing data to colour plugins

    Break-points:

    Gutenberg is limited in break points and the way certain containers are coded and updated by wordpress makes for interesting behaviours that can be frustrating.

    Grid vs Columns for Responsive Design

    Grid – relies on rem-based auto spacing, if manual spacing of 3 columns was corrected, will cause smaller screens to still have 3 columns and there will be not flowing and stacking elements.

    Columns – this was in fact the better option – it has automatic break-points that will stack elements if it gets undreadable at 3 columns.

    Correct Use of Padding in Gutenberg:

    Understanding where to add padding correctly is good practise can keep your styles consistent. For example, for a dark background section (Group element) with 3 cards within it (Grid element rem 20), and you want some padding for the top and bottom of the section. The padding should be added to the section (Group element) NOT the cards (Grid element).

    Secondly, a mobile-responsive design should also have padding in the content (Grid) section to ensure the content is presented as accurately to design as possible. An investigation into this article will show that modern design breakpoints are pretty much hard coded for the best effect. The responsive effect can be done in pixel with reference to the figma transfer, however, a rem-based or custom css-based will be better.

    Defining Content Width for Responsive Design in Gutenberg:

    A good mobile responsive design includes appropriate wide-width overall restrictions (either in pixel/rem/%). Note that wide-width restriction does not replace inner content padding.

    The wide-width restrictions defines content space can be default wordpress wide width (mobile) or can be defined in pixel/rem/% (need to be tested) . Pixel can create precise details while rem/% is fluid.

    Some common screen sizes and content widths (Chatgpt):

    CategoryScreen Width (px)Content Width (px)Content Width (rem)
    Small laptop~1280px960–1100px60–69rem
    Standard laptop~1440px1000–1150px62–72rem
    Large screen~1920px1100–1280px69–80rem
    Ultrawide2560px+1200–1440px75–90rem

    If going for defined pixel/rem/% wide width instead of wordpress-wide width, then a rem-based approach is better than pixel. See image below for wordpress width inputs. You can set 63 rem for content width and 78 rem for wide width for the perfect size. If working in pixel, 79%~80% is ideal for content width and 57% almost works for wide width.

    Conclusion

    I completed an invaluable and easy-to-follow course by Riad Mahmud, which taught the basic building blocks of Gutenberg Group, Row, Stack & Grids. The next step is to complete a course on the design-flow of a full website website, specifically defining global colours and texts to prevent changing individual elements so much.

  • Pixel and Google Photo’s Predatory Practices

    It’s August 12, 2025, yet more things came to light that truly reveal the predatory nature of Google Photo’s practices.

    Quick Background: I switched to a Pixel in mid 2024, I purposefully went for a 512GB Pixel, knowing that Google’s cameras will be creating large photo files. Unknowingly, google automatically backs up my photos to cloud using my free gmail account (15GB) even though I do not prefer to use cloud storage. Within 6 months my gmail account was full, although I still have tons of physical storage.

    Still, after I had paused the automatic upload to cloud storage (99% full!), I expected to be able to use my phone normally. But increasingly, I found that everyday functions that should be accessible to a normal phone user is not the case for a pixel user.

    Here are a list of things I discovered that Google Photos does to force consumer to upgrade to paid cloud storage:

    1. They bind the trash functionality to the cloud! This means if your cloud storage is full (15GB), even if you don’t intend to use the cloud functionality, they will prevent you from restoring the deleted image from your phone’s local trash folder – forcing you to upgrade or lose the accidentally deleted image.
    2. They bind the functionality to create folders inside Google photos to the cloud storage space. This means if your cloud storage is full, they will prevent you from creating local folders in your physical phone and organising your photos. I tried to circumvent this barrier but was unsuccessful.
    3. They bind the search photos functionality to cloud storage space. If your cloud storage is low, they will prevent you from using the google photo search function.
    4. They will display a red ugly warning every time you go into google photos, warning that your storage levels are full.
    5. They will actually send ads to you to upgrade to google cloud within the google photos app if your storage levels are low.

    Case in point, Google is using underhanded practises to force consumers to use and pay for cloud storage, by tying normally free functions in phones to a cloud-based service. Essentially asking the customer to jump through hoops to be able to enjoy what they purchased – a phone that should automatically give you folder, trash, search functions, plus the full usage of 512GB physical storage.

    It was shocking that a decade ago, their motto was “Don’t be evil”. I remember at that time, everyone wanted to work at Google for their innovativeness. But honestly, the first word that popped into my mind was “evil”. There was no other way to describe what I found, and it was a chilling discovery.

  • Dealing with CyberBullying in the 21st Century

    In 2024, I conducted a research project on cyber bullying against adults. The project report analyses real-life and serious cases of cyberbullying campaigns and how it was dealt with in different scenarios. My project aims to provide the public with tools to approach the internet safely.

    I was moved by the distressing case of Amanda Nickerson, who was cyberstalked, and realised that we lack tools to deal with cyberbullying in an increasingly digitized world. Our parents and indeed ourselves are still grasping how the internet is impacting us and how to deal with the excessive exposure.

    Australians are not completely without support. The esafety commissioner has regulatory powers to enforce online safety laws which is fantastic, protecting children and women – the most vulnerable targets of cyber incidents. However, I realise there is need for a more generalised set of guidelines for the individual to protect themselves, especially when they don’t have the capacity to enlist legal and professional help.

    That is why I have looked at three case studies and analysed with reference to extensive literature review:

    • Amanda Nickerson – unknown cyberstalker of private individual, unknown perpatrator and intent was unknown until later
    • Zhu Yilong – mass cyber smear campaign on public figure
    • Iskander v Barcos [2023] VCC 2074 – fake bad review on individual business by another business, known perpatrator and clear intent

    Here is the summary of how to prevent and react to cyberbullying online:

    Read the full version of case study in the power point with list of references here:

    Online Version – Powerpoint Dealing with cyber bullying in the 21st Century copyDownload

    Supplementary report:

    Online Version – Project ReportDownload

  • Google, Do better!

    I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with some of Google’s practices, particularly when it comes to their Pixel devices.

    Last year, I switched to the latest Google Pixel, because I wanted to stay within the Android ecosystem. Unfortunately, the experience has been disappointing for several reasons:

    1. The Google search bar is permanently fixed on the home screen — it can’t be moved or removed, which feels unnecessarily restrictive. And the blatant full colour logo smack on the screen is distracting.
    2. Google Photos only allows 15GB of free online storage, however, it automatically activates online backup. Once that limit is reached – and it is quite easy to reach it these days with our high-fidelity phone cameras – recovering deleted photos becomes impossible, even if you have no need for online backups. It is frustrating and amazing that the “bin” is an online function linked to the backups! I deactivated the online backup, and deleted some cloud files so it wouldn’t interfere with my email functions. Despite that, I still get notifications permanently on my photos app that says:”99% storage used”, and it feels like a trap which forces you to upgrade.
    3. The voice control function requires you to unlock the phone with a password, which defeats the convenience it’s supposed to offer.
    4. The microphone placement at the bottom of the phone often leads to poor voice reception if the device isn’t angled just right – this is evident when I try to use speaker mic and also manifests inconvenience also manifests in the the voice control aspect. It feels like Google is trying to compensate for hardware limitations with software solutions, and the result is often clunky and frustrating.
    5. I really miss having a reliable fingerprint unlock option.

    If it weren’t for Australia’s VOLTE regulations, I wouldn’t have needed to switch from my Mate20 — an old device that, incredibly, I still find superior in many ways compared to the 2024 Pixel.

    This experience has made me reflect more broadly on the direction big tech is taking. It feels like competition in capitalism is only encouraged up to a point — after which innovation stalls, and convenience or user needs are no longer the priority. Without Apple or Huawei or companies that at least have some vision for creativity and innovation, we would – or we already are – being preyed on by moloch (Meditations On Moloch, 2014).

    The interesting thing is, I have expressed my displeasure of the logo on my screen, only to be countered by two of my very logical friends – they countered that it is a functional screen for searching up apps as well as look up information. My old Mate20 Huawei has a much more discreet screen, with a simple swipe of a button the search bar appears for an app search, where you can input immediately without needing to search for the input box, click it, then type. I double checked and realised my latest Google pixel has this function as well, so what’s the point of having an extra unmovable search bar? What’s more, Huawei also allows a search bar to be placed on the screen which is optional – at least it doesnt have a full coloured Google logo in the search bar section.

    The 15GB cap is just the icing on the cake. Combined with the fact that I recently got a macbook air for work, and that I have to open up developer debugging options to export the photos, no doubt deterring a bunch of not-so-techy people, I’m forced to realise it is not only Apple that is protective of their ecosystem. Google, an android-based system, is also making it increasingly hard to share. Not even one year, and I’m fed up with Google.

    It’s disheartening. I used to admire Google for being a place that fostered great ideas and empowered innovation. Now, it just feels like another system that’s lost sight of the vision.

  • Yuify – A New Approach to Artistic Licensing and Copyright

    Recently, I read about Wacom’s new initiative – Yuify.

    I’ve long been a fan of the Wacom company – they produce quality and premium drawing pads and their patented pen technology is extremely impressive. This new initiative however, has more to do with digital artistic licensing than with physical drawing pads.

    Yuify is made up of four components:

    1. a technology that utilises blockchain to generate a unique ID and a secret micromarking technique that embedds the ID into the image (possibly steganography)
    2. a public-facing website where people can upload an artwork or part of an artwork and check out which artist has done it and its licensing details
    3. an artists’ website where artists can log in and manage their yuify-ed artworks, generate license agreements, accept and manage license requests, even paid requests.
    4. an integrated application into major drawing programs which enables yuify after the work is completed (currently available on Photoshop via a separate free app, Rebelle and Clip Studio Paint), and which verifies whether your artwork is yuify-able (i.e. you actually worked on it)

    Public beta is free and is here: https://yuify.com

    The technology of blockchain and steganography is not new but not nearly accessible enough for the average artists, who opt for watermarks that are very easy to crop out or remove these days.

    What is perhaps more impressive and long overdue is a platform that standardizes and helps artists create licensed agreements and manage them. There are a lot of thoughtful options that are presented for customising your licenses – simply check the few boxes for creating a creative commons license, check whether attribution is required, or check that the work cannot be used for drugs and political use.

    In a world that is filled with ai art and blatant art theft, it’s become harder and harder to protect one’s artwork. This is the type of thought leadership that we need from companies – contributing value to the artistic community by protecting their customers.

    The public beta is free now, but I would like to see it eventually growing into a subscription or paid service in the future, or potentially have some tiers for payments. I am excited to see where this could go – this could be very powerful as a digital database that could potentially standardise artistic licensing in multitudes of countries and help artists in court disputes.