EngineeringenSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
AVIF vs WebP: The Next-Gen Image Format Showdown
AVIF vs WebP compared: compression efficiency, image quality, browser support, and which next-gen format to ship in 2026.
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Notes from the journey
On building products from a village, design decisions, and engineering lessons. Every post keeps its original language.
EngineeringenSeptember 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Lossy vs Lossless Compression: What's the Difference for Images?
Lossy vs lossless compression explained: how each shrinks image file size, what quality you lose, and when to use which.
EngineeringenSeptember 8, 2026 · 7 min read
What Is EXIF Data? How to View and Remove Photo Metadata
What is EXIF data? Learn what metadata your photos carry, why it matters for privacy, and how to view or remove it before sharing.
EngineeringenSeptember 8, 2026 · 7 min read
WebP vs JPEG: Is WebP Really Worth Switching To?
WebP vs JPEG: how much smaller WebP really is, what a WebP file is, browser support, and when JPEG is still the safer choice.
EngineeringenSeptember 7, 2026 · 7 min read
Image Resolution Explained: Pixels, DPI, PPI and File Size
Image resolution explained simply: pixels, DPI vs PPI, what DPI to use for the web, and how resolution drives file size.
EngineeringenSeptember 7, 2026 · 7 min read
JPEG vs PNG: Which Image Format Should You Actually Use?
JPEG vs PNG explained simply: how each compresses, when transparency matters, and which format keeps your images small without looking bad.
EngineeringenSeptember 6, 2026 · 11 min read
Best Image Format for the Web: JPEG, PNG, WebP & AVIF Compared
JPEG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF? A plain-English guide to choosing the best image format for the web by use case, quality, and file size.
EngineeringenSeptember 6, 2026 · 7 min read
How to Count Syllables in a Word (Simple Rules and Examples)
Learn to count syllables the easy way: the clapping method, vowel-sound rules and tricky cases, with examples like haiku and common words.
EngineeringenSeptember 5, 2026 · 7 min read
How Long Is a 5-Minute Speech? Speaking Time by Word Count
Most people speak 130-150 words per minute, so a 5-minute speech is roughly 650-750 words. See speaking time by word count and how to pace it.
EngineeringenSeptember 5, 2026 · 7 min read
Character Limits Explained: Twitter/X and Other Platforms
What's the character limit on Twitter/X and other platforms? See current caps, why limits exist, and how characters are counted with and without spaces.
EngineeringenSeptember 4, 2026 · 7 min read
Flesch Reading Ease and Readability Scores, Explained Simply
What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score? Understand the Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog and SMOG formulas and how to make writing easier to read.
EngineeringenSeptember 4, 2026 · 7 min read
What Is the Average Reading Speed? Words Per Minute Explained
The average adult reads 200-250 words per minute. Learn typical reading speeds by age and purpose, and how reading time is calculated.
EngineeringenSeptember 3, 2026 · 7 min read
How Many Pages Is 1000 Words? (And 500, 2000, 250 Words Too)
1000 words is about 2 pages single spaced or 4 double spaced. See exact page counts for 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 words at common settings.
EngineeringenSeptember 3, 2026 · 11 min read
How Many Words Are on a Page? A Complete Words-to-Pages Guide
How many words fit on a page? See word counts for single vs double spacing, common fonts, and essay lengths, plus what actually changes the number.
EngineeringenSeptember 2, 2026 · 7 min read
PDF Metadata: What It Is, How to View It, and Why It Matters
What is PDF metadata? See what hidden data your PDFs carry, how to view document properties, and the privacy reasons to clean it before sharing.
EngineeringenSeptember 2, 2026 · 7 min read
Vector vs Raster in PDFs: Why Images Decide Your File Size
Vector vs raster inside a PDF explained: how image type, DPI, and resolution drive file size and print quality, and what you can safely shrink.
EngineeringenSeptember 1, 2026 · 7 min read
PDF/A Explained: The Format Built for Long-Term Archiving
What is PDF/A? Understand the ISO archiving standard, how PDF/A differs from regular PDF, its sub-types, and when you're required to use it.
EngineeringenSeptember 1, 2026 · 11 min read
Why Is My PDF So Big? What Really Bloats a PDF File Size
Big PDF? Learn exactly what bloats a PDF file size, embedded images, scans, fonts and metadata, and how each part drives the numbers up.
EngineeringenAugust 31, 2026 · 7 min read
Markdown vs HTML: When to Use Each (and Mix Them)
Markdown vs HTML compared: readability, control, and speed. Learn when to use each, their limits, and how to safely mix HTML inside Markdown.
EngineeringenAugust 31, 2026 · 7 min read
Markdown Table Alignment: Left, Right, and Center Columns
Control Markdown table columns: align left, right, or center with colons, plus fixes for column width and multi-line cell limits.
EngineeringenAugust 30, 2026 · 7 min read
Markdown Code Blocks and Syntax Highlighting Explained
Learn Markdown code blocks: inline code, fenced blocks, and language syntax highlighting for GitHub and static sites, with clear examples.
EngineeringenAugust 30, 2026 · 7 min read
Markdown Links: Inline, Reference, and Relative Syntax
Master Markdown links: inline, reference-style, relative paths, and anchor links to headings, with copy-paste examples and common pitfalls.
EngineeringenAugust 29, 2026 · 7 min read
How to Make a Table in Markdown (With Examples)
Build Markdown tables by hand: syntax, headers, column alignment, and GitHub-ready examples. Plus a faster way to convert spreadsheet data into a table.
EngineeringenAugust 29, 2026 · 11 min read
Markdown Syntax: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Learn Markdown syntax from scratch: headings, bold, lists, links, code, and tables. A complete beginner-friendly cheat sheet with copy-paste examples.
EngineeringenAugust 28, 2026 · 7 min read
URL Encoding Explained: What %20 and Percent-Encoding Really Mean
Why URLs use %20 instead of spaces: percent-encoding explained, which characters are reserved vs unreserved, and when to encode query strings and paths.
EngineeringenAugust 28, 2026 · 7 min read
UTF-8 vs ASCII: How Text Becomes Bytes (and Why Encoding Matters)
UTF-8 vs ASCII made simple: how each maps characters to bytes, why ASCII is a subset of UTF-8, and how Unicode fixed the mess of legacy encodings.
EngineeringenAugust 27, 2026 · 7 min read
SHA-256 vs MD5: Which Hash Should You Actually Use?
SHA-256 vs MD5 compared: speed, collision resistance, output length, and when MD5 is still fine (spoiler: only non-security checks). Clear guidance, no jargon.
EngineeringenAugust 27, 2026 · 7 min read
What Is Base64 Encoding, and Why Does It Turn Up Everywhere?
Base64 encoding explained: how 3 bytes become 4 characters, why it's not encryption, and where you'll meet it, data URIs, email, JWTs and API payloads.
EngineeringenAugust 26, 2026 · 7 min read
Hash Collisions Explained: When Two Inputs Share One Hash
What a hash collision is, why the pigeonhole principle guarantees they exist, the birthday paradox, and how hash tables and crypto handle collisions.
EngineeringenAugust 26, 2026 · 7 min read
What Is a Checksum, and How Do You Verify a File With One?
What a checksum is in plain terms, why downloads publish them, and step-by-step how to verify a file's SHA-256 or MD5 checksum on Windows, macOS and Linux.
EngineeringenAugust 25, 2026 · 11 min read
What Is Hashing? Hash Functions Explained (No Math Degree Needed)
A plain-English guide to hashing: what a hash function is, how it turns data into a fixed fingerprint, and why hashes power passwords, checksums and integrit...
EngineeringenAugust 25, 2026 · 7 min read
JSON Syntax Rules: The Complete Reference (With Examples)
Every JSON syntax rule in one place: quotes, commas, brackets, allowed values and the mistakes that make JSON invalid, with examples.
EngineeringenAugust 24, 2026 · 7 min read
JSON Data Types Explained: Strings, Numbers, Objects, Arrays & More
A clear guide to JSON's six data types, string, number, object, array, boolean and null, with examples of nested objects and arrays.
EngineeringenAugust 24, 2026 · 7 min read
JSON Schema Explained: How to Describe and Validate JSON Structure
JSON Schema explained: what it is, how it validates JSON structure and types, and a worked example you can adapt for your own data.
EngineeringenAugust 23, 2026 · 11 min read
What Is JSON? A Plain-English Guide to the Web's Data Format
What is JSON? A plain-English guide to JavaScript Object Notation, what it stands for, how it works, its file format, and real-world examples.
EngineeringenAugust 23, 2026 · 7 min read
CSV vs Excel: What's the Difference and When to Use Each
CSV vs Excel explained: what a plain-text CSV can and can't do versus an XLSX workbook, and which to pick for your data.
EngineeringenAugust 22, 2026 · 7 min read
CSV Encoding and UTF-8: Why Your Characters Turn to Gibberish
Mojibake in your CSV? Learn how character encoding and UTF-8 work, why Excel mangles accents, and how to fix a broken CSV.
EngineeringenAugust 22, 2026 · 7 min read
CSV Delimiters Explained: Comma, Semicolon, Tab, and Pipe
Why do some CSV files use semicolons or tabs instead of commas? A guide to CSV delimiters and how to pick the right one.
EngineeringenAugust 21, 2026 · 7 min read
CSV vs JSON: Which Data Format Should You Use?
CSV vs JSON compared: flat tables vs nested data, when each format wins, and how to move data between them.
EngineeringenAugust 21, 2026 · 7 min read
TSV vs CSV: Tab-Separated vs Comma-Separated Values
TSV vs CSV: what a tab-separated values file is, how it differs from CSV, and when tabs beat commas as a delimiter.
EngineeringenAugust 20, 2026 · 11 min read
What Is a CSV File? A Plain-English Guide to Comma-Separated Values
What is a CSV file? A clear guide to comma-separated values, what CSV stands for, how the format works, and when to use it.
EngineeringenAugust 20, 2026 · 7 min read
PDF vs Word: Which Format to Use and When
PDF vs Word: when a fixed PDF wins, when an editable Word doc wins, and how to pick the right format for resumes, contracts, and sharing.
EngineeringenAugust 19, 2026 · 7 min read
Why JSON Has No Comments (And 4 Workarounds That Do)
JSON doesn't allow comments, here's why the spec forbids them, plus four practical workarounds including comment keys, JSONC and JSON5.
EngineeringenAugust 19, 2026 · 7 min read
What Is a Searchable PDF? Scanned Files, OCR, and Selectable Text
A searchable PDF looks the same but behaves differently. Learn how OCR turns a scanned, image-only PDF into selectable, searchable text.
EngineeringenAugust 18, 2026 · 7 min read
JSON Escape Characters Explained: Quotes, Backslashes & Unicode
Which characters must be escaped in JSON and why, double quotes, backslashes, newlines, tabs and Unicode escape sequences, with examples.
EngineeringenAugust 18, 2026 · 7 min read
JSON vs YAML vs XML: Which Data Format Should You Use?
JSON vs YAML vs XML compared: syntax, readability, comments, file size and best use cases, so you can pick the right data format.