Category: Technology

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Laughter.

So I’m still working on that little circuit board (SBC), that I mentioned earlier. It’s monotonous, tedious, frustrating, rewarding. The fact that you can take such a small piece of equipment, and turn it into a fully functional computer still amazes me. And I’ve been doing this for quite a while.

In between this hobby and life’s daily (necessary) routine…mowing, groceries, appointments, medication (diabetic), I often yearn for laughter. Comedy. And this absolutely had me in tears. (Granted I’m not a big muscle bound man, so apparently it’s quite easy to make the rivers flow… but this had me laughing my ass off).

Is the Pope a Jesuit? He’s one bad bad man! (In a good way!) For those that have questioned or lost faith, in religion or their country (he’s from the US), please take note of his most recent comments.

Never thought I’d be posting that last part. But give credit where credit is due.

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Dear Abby

Wow. Tonight I began writing an Abby Martin appreciation post. This woman has been around the world, challenging western media sources (and biases). She has not been shy about engaging in topics regarding war, genocide, politics, socio-economic issues…well the topics which drive news cycles today. Independent, and absolutely fierce. No apologies, no regrets.

One badass b*tch. Educated, well read, and certainly a formidable opponent to everything unjust. As she sees it, as I see it. As we all see it, if we are decent human beings.

Abby was involved in political reporting back when the 99% were protesting on Wall St. And unlike others, she continues to fight for a (THE) common cause.

And as I was writing this post, received some spam comments to some of my past posts (they have to be approved). Would love to recommend proton, to address email spam, and other security concerns. They are awesome. (Abby also played a huge role in warning people about new tech, and her voice was marginalized).

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Nerds?

Sauerkraut soup. Lots of it. The leftover ham from the holidays equipped me with the perfect main ingredient for a flavorful, warm, comfort food, which never disappoints. So I grabbed one of my old beer brewing pots and threw in diced russet potatoes, two jars of old fashioned kraut, two cans of beer, and four jars of water. Absolutely nothing else needed. Most importantly, absolutely delicious.

Aside from the cooking, been working on a little SBC. Yes, they are getting pricey. My theory on any sort of TV box/entertainment unit is that the OS should be as “thin” as possible. Lightweight. The main objective? To only include files that are absolutely necessary to utilize, to make it function properly. The rest is bloat, or even worse…

This little board has made things difficult. So like yesteryear, will continue to work on it. (they don’t make it easy these days).

How similar is a disk dump copy to that of a dual tape deck cassette record/dub? An iso/img copy to that of the product of a xerox machine? Your answer may indicate a few things. And the challenges for some of us.

Oh nevermind.

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Encouraged, Excited, Motivated, for more DIY

Yes. I’ve been made fun of for my interest in technology. The fact that I was networking PC’s and turning them into media servers, frontends…
basically the “smart sticks”/dvr’s of today, yet yesterday (almost 20 yrs ago). The difference between then and now, is there wasn’t so much bloatware, advertising, tracking, marketing. It was glorious, no one could even imagine a “data center” back then. What would we use one of those for?

Has anyone seen/used the current Pi? Stupid question. At some point they found it necessary to embed every new release with a wireless module. In my opinion, this is similar to phone manufacturers making it impossible to remove a phone battery. Furthermore, making a sim card/number “digital”.

At any rate, there is hope. And I realized something. There are still manufactures that are offering alternatives to popular products/brand names. Without the bloatware and onboard/loaded/embedded modules we’ve come to expect from more “commercial” offerings.

I’ve been talking about it for awhile, and it’s the only way I’ve learned in the past. So, I’m probably going to go back to DIY… nerdy stuff.

I’m thinking of you Lisa Loeb. And when those glasses were unique!

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Will

He was a fan of Faith No More. And as I was entering a smoke filled room, occupied by a crowd of well “served” people, we began a conversation. Local drummer? What kind of music do you play? He was obviously just looking for some people to rehearse with, nothing serious. At the time, the area was filled with jam bands, or funk bands. Metal, alternative? Just a time limited new trend, but not music that was attracting huge crowds. Especially with the culture at the time.

I played a demo, that a few of us high school kids threw together. And his jaw dropped. Not because we were musical geniuses, but because it was exactly the music that he loved.

He was an artist, painter, mixing black and white images, sculpture like figures on canvas… he had an artistic hand for creating symbolic images on paper, ink, besides a knack for music and drum.

The first time we played at his place, I can remember climbing up three story stairs, navigating through broken steps… looking into dilapidated apartment rooms, with floors deteriorating. Living rooms, with an entire floor missing. A big hole in the middle, broken structural lumber, revealing several levels down. On the roof, he was growing a series of “herbal” plants, which would later facilitate more art, more music.

It’s a shame that us high school friends never took this further. It could have been lots of fun.

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Unprotected?

So, it’s been a very long time since I’ve used protection. There are a ton viruses going around, and there are many known methods used through manipulative tactics, to entrap individuals. Not to mention, the growing popularity of the “backdoor”. It’s been a REAL long time since I’ve had any legitimate reason to be concerned about viruses.

However, as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So I recently started using another vpn, thinking about migrating back over to Linux for the majority of my computer activities. The thoughts about security/protection also came to mind pertaining to streaming services and smart devices. Would it possibly be safer, in the future, to buy monitors (not smart TV) + SBC (w/ kodi) for entertainment needs? Audio may be an issue that needs attention.

….anyways, in a few minutes it’s Friday (they call it lent), and tonight made homemade Crab Rangoon. Will reheat tomorrow. (Recipe may be on its way, once I tweak it a bit)

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Automobiles

Isn’t it funny how objects, things, products, follow patterns? Back in the day, about 20+ years ago, I started driving my “favorite” or “dream” car. Boxey, that European design, bended at the corners. Sleek, tight steering, those big rings in the middle, facing oncoming traffic. It was European excellence. Design, driving, comfort. Did I mention that “tight steering”?

I can remember the Volvo station wagon we had as kids. Similar style, boxey, tight steering, and enough room for everything. Like my “dream” car listed above, had great pick up. The “get up and go” factor.

At a certain point though, European went “muscle car”. Circular, rounded… to me unappealing. The look that says, “we don’t create trends, we copy them”. It made my “dream” car (and brand), a thing of the past. And since then, have gained much more respect for manufacturers such as BMW, Volvo, and Honda. All maintaining a “brand” look and identity.

I found another “dream” car. Loved it for about a decade now, started driving recently. It has elements of the Volvo, and also the original “dream” car. It’s lucky that we picked it up when we did. Seems the company thought a re-design (modernization) of their staple model was a good idea. I strongly disagree.

What’s next? Who knows? This car drives well, looks good, and has a reputation for surviving many miles and years. Sturdy. And that won’t change.

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Back to Reality

At this point in the year, we either continue or cancel. Cancel what? Rest easy young friends. Not friends, not family, not pets. I’m speaking of subscriptions. My team had a rebounding year, and it’s the only reason I pay for cable TV. Yes, I love Wolf Blitzer, Kasie Hunt (there’s something about her), Katy Tur, etc. There have even been times that I have binged off of Ari Melber.

Probably too much information, or at this point “tldr”. But I have to think about budget. Maybe, just me. No simile. And I’m thinking, that maybe, just maybe, if I make another move (location)…or set up a new (networked or not) cable/tv system it will involve roof antenna/mythtv (again) and possibly kodi (again). Restricting as much advertising and marketing as possible. Using vpn or otherwise.

Oh, you wanted Back to Reality in a song?

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Varsity Blues

Cinnamon. Pepper. Oregano. Several variants of all. Color, presentation, origin. How many of these factors do professional chefs have to maneuver to create their desired presentation or dish? Many items imported, a few substituted (if need be). Add to that the personal touch, or “special sauce” which creates the perfect flavor. (possibly imported, or with ingredients that are imported).

The idea of America being a “melting pot” is that we have many different cultures, flavors, and heritages. Colors, features, differences, that’s what makes us beautiful. Strong.

When we lose those identities we become weak, clones, at high risk of accepting a “one size fits all” mentality. Easily manipulated by a dictatorial driven media focused on “a strong man”, enforcing theocratic beliefs or an economic system determined to punish the least. And then we look in the mirror, how close do our enemies reflect our own? Values, oppenness to religious acceptance, and the core of our foundation…many of you carried in your pocket. The constitution. The Bible.

We are different. And difference is awesome. Color, belief, tradition, religion. When we become mindless simpletons marching in line to the beat of the same drum, we totally fail in creativity, purpose, and future.

100% Human (Feeling, Emotional)
0% Machine

LTC? Learn to human.

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Backups.

Distrowatch is still around, so is Gparted. And I’m mentioning this because a custom build, and a “deal” gaming PC remain dormant in my computer room. Linux Mint appears to be the winner in the most user friendly Linux operating system (believe it’s an ubuntu/Debian flavor of Linux). It reminds me of PCLinuxOS from years ago. NOTE: PCLinuxOS is back!

The question is, what do you do with two pretty damn nice pcs, after you realize a laptop is more than enough for your needs?

A: Backup (Windows)
A: Backup (Linux, for recovery purposes)

Gimp, Audacity, and even many competing video editors are always nice when proprietary software has issues…hell, many times, they are great alternatives.

Currently running Linux Mint on one of these PC’s, but very surprised to learn PCLinuxOS is back. Might have to check it out.