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Show HN: Mapping the Unix Magic Poster – An Interactive Annotation Project

77 pointsby drio3 months ago
Hi HN,<p>We&#x27;ve discussed the Unix Magic poster before (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27029196">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=27029196</a>). Like many of you, I love this poster and all the Unix references hidden in it.<p>I built this as a static site that lets us annotate the Unix Magic poster by placing markers on references and adding descriptions to explain them. I&#x27;ve added a few so far, but there&#x27;s much more to document.<p>What I love about this approach is that contributions happen not just on the site itself but also through PRs, where we can discuss and refine the details of each reference. Feel free to send a PR!<p>Code: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;drio&#x2F;unixmagic">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;drio&#x2F;unixmagic</a> Live site: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;drio.github.io&#x2F;unixmagic" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;drio.github.io&#x2F;unixmagic</a><p>Would love feedback, suggestions, and PRs from the community!<p>Thanks!<p>—drd

11 comments

abetusk3 months ago
This looks great.<p>Some feedback:<p>* reposition markers to make item it&#x27;s referencing clear. In particular, the marker 6 (C) completely obscures the text on the jar<p>* allow a toggle for markers to be unhighlighted or partially transparent so what&#x27;s underneath them can be seen or the image can be appreciated without annotations<p>* I&#x27;m not sure how to do this with the current layout or if a different layout would work but having &#x27;hover highlighting&#x27; for the annotations&#x2F;markers so you could look at a marker and see where they are in the picture would be nice.<p>* provide licensing information<p><pre><code> - It looks like the image itself is copyright Gary Overacre under a CC-BY-NC-ND (I&#x27;m not even sure if the annotations overlaid are considered derivatives) [0] - Provide licensing information for your code and annotations. Normally this is just copyright yourself but considering the context it would be good to clarify what license you want things under, especially if you&#x27;re taking contributions </code></pre> [0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.org&#x2F;details&#x2F;unix-magic-poster-gary-overcare-1" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.org&#x2F;details&#x2F;unix-magic-poster-gary-overcare-...</a>
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jthemenace3 months ago
Thank you for doing this! When I first came across this poster, I was like &quot;I NEED A PRINTED COPY OF THIS&quot;. I had a large custom canvas printed with it on it and it&#x27;s hanging in my office. I didn&#x27;t even realize &#x2F; notice a few of the items that are pointed out on this site. I&#x27;m excited to see what other nuggets get added.
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VTimofeenko3 months ago
Love the project! I have the whole triptych printed and hanging on the office wall.<p>Looks like on mobile Firefox if I scroll down the page, the numbers on the picture disappear.
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lqet3 months ago
Every time I looked at this poster in my office I wondered what the meaning of the farmer outside the window could be. Now I know!
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MisterTea3 months ago
&gt; 7 Backpressure &gt; Was that the intention of the artist? You decide—is the wheel in the pipes a clever reference to UNIX back pressure, or is that a stretch?<p>Maybe? That wheel is a valve handle BTW. A closed valve in a fluid system would cause back-pressure upstream as no flow will allow the pressure to build to what ever maximum the source can provide. Valves which control flow (globe valve) can also act as a crude pressure controller if partly open allowing only a small amount of flow causing back pressure to build. In the case of Unix pipes, back pressure occurs when the writer fills the pipe&#x27;s buffer before the reader consumes it causing the writer to hang. Now both procs are doing nothing bringing your data assembly line to a grinding halt. Not good for production.
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drio3 months ago
I finished my puzzle this morning. Fun!<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;drio&#x2F;unixmagic&#x2F;raw&#x2F;main&#x2F;static&#x2F;puzzle.webp">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;drio&#x2F;unixmagic&#x2F;raw&#x2F;main&#x2F;static&#x2F;puzzle.web...</a>
vt1023 months ago
I love this poster. I have an original in my office. Somehow, I never noticed the pipes…
layer83 months ago
Do the “dates” have any particular meaning?
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drio3 months ago
A quick reminder for anyone interested in the project: if you come across an annotation that you disagree with or feel is missing important details, please open an issue in the GH repo. That way, we can discuss it and work toward incorporating the knowledge into the project.
yapyap3 months ago
such a fun poster, thanks for sharing
matrss3 months ago
Now I am wondering what kind of unix magic &quot;oregano&quot; must be...
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