I wouldn't say a resolution from 300x244[0] to 3023x2456[1] is "slightly better." All things considered, it's pretty standard to use thumbnails in an article, but it definitely would be nice if they made the thumbnails directly link to the original resolution image.
Wait... You were given that 300x244 version before mucking about? I was given 1024x832[2] using latest Chrome for Android 13. Your point remains, but to a far lesser degree, in my case.
I don't think that's cut & paste, I think it's dodge & burn. It's something you do while printing a negative that emphasizes the subject, in this case the man, and de-emphasizes the background. I was a news photographer in the 1970s and we did this all the time.
This is a fascinating process I’d never heard of before. Thank you for sharing. If there’s any good sources for descriptions of the photo processes like this you’re aware of, I’d be hugely interested as well (maybe write a book :)
We’ve been all across the country and back trying to ID this man at his desk. Yes, that’s a Shriner’s certificate on the wall behind him. It was issued from the Sesostris Shrine located in Lincoln, NE. And his stationary says “Memo to Recorders.” The folks at the Lincoln Shrine have been very helpful to us be we still have not yet been able to ID this man.
Trying to decode the letter on the desk... The resolution is such that it's all guesswork, but it's clearly a "Memo to Records" or Recorders[0] which I think of as something for a "permanent record". Gov't records, medical records, etc.
And possibly the image of the person on the letterhead is the signer. So, his company? Gov't Position? Law/Medical Practice? I'm bad at this.
If one were to transport these modern web devs to the time of 56Kbs they'd find things were just as bloated given the capacities of the time. The only question is what novel use of <blink> they'd find.
As example, here is A List Apart in 1999 "CODE: Broadband, schmoadband. In the real world, we must trick our pages into loading faster."
A List Apart is one of those sites that just impresses me with their content. I'm not a UI guy, and from time to time have to remember how to do something I had done somewhere else usually something to do with CSS. There's a specific example on Taming Lists from them that I refer to any time I'm trying to do inline lists that makes them play/feel nice other than display:inline.
If I'm ever searching for a CSS something and receive A List Apart link, it gets clicked
Yes, but... the best practice today is lazy-loaded thumbnails linking to the real deal. Or opening a lightbox with a 800-1000px or so image and a full-sized download link below it.
However you're right. People hosting this blog clearly are still in the dial-up era.
But then again, archival/historical institutions do this all the time for some reason, that is not providing original scans.