Done Since 2018-04-01

[mdlbear]

I have been working much of the time with my laptop closed and one of my little USB Thinkpad keyboards sitting on top of it. This is both because Cygnus's keyboard seems to be deteriorating (the "f" key, in particular, is unreliable), and because cats. Having a separate keyboard that can be put to one side and leaned against the wall isn't a complete solution to the latter problem (kittens are zoomy), but it helps.

I have been gradually emptying the boxes of CDs and putting them on shelves in the towers. I'm basically done, except that things other than classical and folk/filk/rock/pop haven't been sorted yet, just put in haphazardly. What's left are the CDs that I brought in from Rosie, the ones in drawers in the cabinet under the stereo, and anything still in the pod. The latter category is of unknown size at this point.

Taxes are mostly done at this point, but I need to get off my arse about the remaining bits. Otherwise said arse might get bitten by them.

I need to blog more, and do more programming than simply bug fixes and tweaks. That implies that I should

1. Start a couple of projects. (At least one front-end project, and at least one app.) Expect a planning post soon.
2. Blog about them as I go.

Geeks in my audience will want to know about 1.1.1.1: Cloudflare's fast, privacy-first consumer DNS service. Not only is it significantly faster than any of the others (e.g. Google's 8.8.8.8), it uses encryption if you're set up for it, and doesn't save logs to disk. If none of that makes any sense to you, just go to 1.1.1.1, follow the simple installation instructions, and watch your browser get faster.

Simple explanation for non-geeks: It's not actually making websites transfer data any faster -- what it's doing is reducing the time it takes to find the website in the first place, along with any other scripts, ads, and images it may be trying to load.

Geeks interested in making their websites actually load faster should check out Friday's notes about Cutting the mustard. That's all about responsive design. One of the aforementioned projects will involve a makeover of at least one of my websites.

Things have been stressful lately. We'll get through it, but it's going to be rough for a while. More later, perhaps.

Notes & links:

0401Su 
  * up 5:20; W=203.6; 
  * check in g's room for kitten food -> score
  % 6:40 feeling very flaky; weak, a bit ?dizzy.  Will eating help?
  : Bronx is lying draped over Whitewood.  It's warm.
  % 8:23 B=138/76  (138/75 144/79 139/78 129/81 138/76)
  @ dev.to - The DEV Community
  * cleared another box of CDs.  One single-layer box left, then the stuff from the car
    and the stuff from the cabinet under the stereo
  @ How One Museum Curator Is Bringing Burning Man Out of the Desert | Smithsonian
  * sudo npm install -g elm (sudo apt install nodejs-legacy for node->nodejs link)
  @ Announcing 1.1.1.1: the fastest, privacy-first consumer DNS service
    * update router and nova configs.  Should probably dump 8.8.8.8 altogether and use
      1.0.0.1 as the secondary.
  * box of CDs sorted.  It's easier to shelve them when they're sorted.
  @ Quad9 - Global Cyber Alliance
    New “Quad9” DNS service blocks malicious domains for everyone | Ars Technica 
    " The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA)—an organization founded by law enforcement and
      research organizations to help reduce cyber-crime—has partnered with IBM and Packet
      Clearing House to launch a free public Domain Name Service system. That system is
      intended to block domains associated with botnets, phishing attacks, and other
      malicious Internet hosts " -> so, owned by the fuzz.  Should one be suspicious?
    -> one suspects that neither speed nor privacy is high on their list of concerns.

0402Mo
  * up 6:20; ; 
  ~ 8am wake Naomi (she was already up)
  : N and j left ~9:30
    % stressed.  They had trouble getting Rosie's right back door to stay closed; the
      stress carried over into trying to make hot cereal and sausages at the same time.
   % I seem to have developed a muscle cramp (right forearm) from using tongs to turn
     sausages.  Must avoid using tongs for a couple of weeks.
  : apparently one needs a DLNA server for audio.
  @ The Ultimate Guide to Compile and Install MiniDLNA on Ubuntu
  * reading Elm and Electron documentation
  % right now I'm flaky, fragile, brittle, volatile, and probably several adjectives I
    don't know.  Basically a wreck.
    -> Possibly low blood sugar, but didn't thin of that at the time.
  * 12:30 leave for Oak Harbor
  * 1:45 checkin Sleep study followup.  Oak Harbor
  : apparently the sleep clinic's router is blocking Slack.  Weird.
    ... and FB links are marked as insecure.  MitM.  Surprised google is okay
  % 1:52 P=140/52 (measured at sleep clinic)
    -> they had me at 11; asked for and got 12 to match current scrip.
    -> Island Drug (Oak Harbor) only supplier on island.
    -> If Island Drug hasn't contacted me by Thursday afternoon, call.
  ! apparently grief is one of the few emotions I can actually feel and reliably identify.
    Although it's different from when Curio died.  Damned if I know.  Maybe they are
    different things and I just don't know the right words.
    -> "grieving" would be more correct.  I can recognize when I'm grieving.  I think it
       registers more as a state of being than as an emotion.  But what do I know?
  % ok, add "speaking slowly enough that people would notice" at "most days" to my
    depression score.
  : Cygnus's keyboard is deteriorating rapidly.  The "f" key is particularly unreliable.
    -> seems to have been fixed by popping it and blowing to clean out the dust.
       I blame the cats
  & pot stickers, rice, and ma po tofu for dinner.  Forgot to put rice away.
  $ 109 to Office Max for 2-drawer file cabinet (from UB regular checking acct)
  : I've been getting head bumps from Brooklyn.
  * down 10ish -- C headed off to bed around 9:20, and I followed soon after.
  
0403Tu
  * Up 4:20; ;
  @ A 2-Year Stanford Study Shows the Astonishing Productivity Boost of Working From Home
    | Inc.com S(L)
  @ National Poetry Month FAQ | Academy of American Poets
    30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month not that I expect to do any of these
  : I think Brooklyn is getting fond of me.  He sleeps by my feet, and likes being carried
  * installed locks on N's closet, and the bathroom closet.  The bathroom closet was a
    struggle because the strike was too far back.  Less successful with the bathroom door
    -- that requires a rotary rasp to widen the hole for the latch.  It's too loose
    without the sleeve, and too tight to force it in.  Going to hold of on our bedroom
    door because it's probably just as bad.
  % the pain in my left forearm is worse; probably because I was using a screwdriver with
    it.  Ouch!
  % 9:56 veryy sleepy.

0404We
  * up 6:15; W=204.6;
  @ Mozilla Brings Firefox to Augmented and Virtual Reality - The Mozilla Blog [LJ]
  @ A radical proposal to keep your personal data safe | Richard Stallman [LJ]
    GNU Taler payment system that is
    anonymous for payers but not for payees.  Uses ordinary currency; i.e. it's a payment
    transfer service (~PayPal), not a cryptocurrency.  Cool!
  @ jesse_the_k | Quieter Web Reading for Tired Eyes
  @ Of Battered Aspect: Embracing (ysabetwordsmith | Disability and Queerness)
  * SL: x probiotic, onions, maple cookies, potstickers, corned beef/pastrami, x magic
    erasers, nontoxic spray cleaner, neufchatel, chili oil, tofu
    rotary rasp or 1" spade bit with triangle end -> rasp, rat-tail file
  * installed lock on bathroom door.
  * rasped off the corners on the base of the CD tower that were sticking.  works for now
    may need more later.
  * added ripple.flk.  There's a bug in inline-chord-at-point; probably won't have time to
    fix it; just wrapped it in verbatim for now.
  * 4pm leave for singing lesson at 4:30 Mary Ellen Carter, Wings, Desolation Row (in D,
    chords a bit sketchty in spots), Sisters of Mercy (Nancy on piano, from the Judy
    Collins songbook), Song of Wandering Aengus (N' found it in the songbook, but I did my
    own version instead), Stolen Child.  -> went very well.  Noticably better.
    still having a little trouble hitting octaves on the high end.
    Next week we'll aim for 4:30-5:30
  % my left arm is hurting considerably less after my singing lesson; perhaps playing
    guitar is good for it?
  % 9:30ish B=136/78 (134/77 x148/64 135/76 140/81 x120/77)
  * humira

0405Th
  % awake 4:30ish.  A little cuddling.
  * Up 5ish; ; shower
  @ Blockchain Router
    mines $44 worth of Ether per month, on 18W.  $350 and aimed at ISPs, not customers.
    Still, an interesting concept.
  * researching alarm systems.  More safety work.
  % left arm starting to hurt a little.  Lifting, presumably.  Applying heat
  & checked Express Scripts for bupropion scrip; called clinic to request that and
    simvastatin.
  % 3:30 sleepy
  * guitar.  Desolation Row and QV in D.  And a little bit in C, but I think D works
    better -- preserves a couple of riffs.  Briefly experimented with Stolen Child in Dm,
    but it doesn't work at all.
  & C suggested Twice Cooked Pork for dinner.  Used bacon and the leftover cabbage.  And
    some mushrooms.  Came out pretty well, but next time I should use either ham or,
    better, a pork roast. 
  % 18:30 B=135/79 (135/80 x144/69 135/77 x139/77 136/80)
  @ And Then There Were (N-One) - Uncanny Magazine cf. Garden of Forking Paths
  @ How to Write a Blog Post People Actually Want to Read
    4 Free Places to Find Stock Photos for Your Niche Blog
    How to Create a Successful Blog: Batch Produce Your Posts  
  @ BashGuide - Greg's Wiki

0406Fr
  * Up 6am; W=204.6;
  @ Dan McKinley :: Choose Boring Technology S(L)
  @ Planets evenly spaced on log scale, including extrasolar (?)
  * round-up on the hemlock in the front yard.  The electric sprayer that came with it is
    a piece of crap; I'll have to see whether the one I have in the shed works.
  : Framing and plumbing inspection.  Electrical probably later?
  @ Dear Developer, The Web Isn't About You | sonniesedge.co.uk S(L)
    " I’m laying it out here - I’m marking my line in the sand: JavaScript only when
      there’s no other choice. It shouldn’t be the first port of call for building a
      site. " -> tutorial on progressive enhancement.  Great read.
  @ Responsive News — Cutting the mustard How the BBC does responsive design
    couples loading JS to a one-line JS test.
  @ frontend-playbook/graded-browser-support | springernature/frontend-playbook
  @ Graded Browser Support · yui/yui3 Wiki
  @ Fall-Back/CSS-Mustard-Cut: Cutting the Mustard without Javascript
    Cutting the Mustard with CSS Media Queries — SitePoint
  @ Migrating to Flexbox by Cutting the Mustard — SitePoint
  @ T-Mobile Austria on
    Twitter: "Hello Claudia! The customer service agents see the first four characters of
    your password. We store the whole password, because you need it for the login for
    https://t.co/vJapgJ50qc ^andrea… https://t.co/ptOIRbZRIT" ::headdesk:
    T-Mobile Stores Part of Customers' Passwords In Plaintext, Says It Has 'Amazingly
    Good' Security - Motherboard
  * back on taxes.  Mac need to be power cycled.  Entered mortgages and TriContinental;
    can't find Exxon.  After that it's the random deductions, schedule C (maybe), and the
    house.  I can do it simply and file an adjusted return if I later find out it's a loss.
  : However, Whitewood appears to be dying.  That is NOT GOOD.
    -> no, apparently just very slow to get around to turning the display on.  Maybe.
  ? be on hand for electrical inspector -> different inspector.  *shrug*
  * 5pm Tandi coming for 2 hours:  box toting and blinds
    ~ booze, blinds, candles, sewing tower -> MBR closet
    * MBath and hall bathroom under-sink stuff -> MBath closet
    x xmas stuff to pod -> should do later
    x stepladders to garage/pod -> at least take down the one on the front porch
  @ Coding on an iPad – Marc Hedlund – Medium S(L) if you can stand the limitations
  : I have two completely empty large plastic bins.  Sorting stuff is good.

0407Sa
  * Up 5:30ish; W=204.6;
  @ The Best Smart Hub: Reviews by Wirecutter | A New York Times Company
    Best Smart Home Hubs of 2018 - Reviews of Home Automation Systems
    -> both agree on Samsung, though Wink has a simpler UI supports a wider range of
       protocols, and can connect with WiFi
  : Call from GM tech support - the "this vehicle has no onstar account" message is a
    known issue.  No idea how long they've known that.  I suggested that somebody should
    change the message.
  x C suggests Mexican for lunch.  Ken's Corner
  * check out cat food in pouches
  * stepladder, x jugs of poison from front porch to pod
  * get keys duplicated -> stupidly got the wrong key copied.
    -> could still work if I can re-key to it.
    -> re-key worked.  It was the garage key, and I'd considered doing that too
  : N here with the kids, until tomorrow evening.
  : second set of padlock eyes arrived, most likely for MBath.  Also a 128GB thumb drive,
    which I intend to use for music so that N can have a copy of the household's
    collection.  As it turns out, g's computer is dying, so we're also using it for a copy
    of her files. (nova mm 543) nohup rsync -rv --modify-window=2 audio/ /media/usb0/Music
  : Sunset 7:49pm - start dinner about 7:40 -- mac and cheese
  @ ConsenSys at SXSW: How Blockchain is Advancing Music, Journalism, Inclusion 
  @ finished Summer in Orcus by Ursula Vernon
  : Transfering the music - there are a lot of files with ":" in the name, which fails in
    Windows :P -> the following handles most of them
    find audio  -depth -name '*[:]*'  -type d -exec bash -c 'f="{}"; mv $f ${f/:/--/g}' \;
    -> there are also 87 files with quotes in their names.
    -> It would have been better if I'd realized that "A single quote may not occur
       between single quotes, even when preceded by a backslash."

Comments

[madfilkentist]

Interesting stuff on the new DNS service. I'd always taken it for granted that the domains I access are snoopable even with HTTPS and thought there wasn't anything to do with it.

I'd missed last year's rollback of the privacy rules. I don't get why people are outraged about possible price tiers in Internet service yet are OK with having their ISP snoop their traffic and sell the information. Messengers aren't supposed to look inside the packages they carry, yet no one seems to mind very much. I don't understand how people think.

[amaebi]

I'm holding my thumbs for you and yours.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[kellan_the_tabby]

'because cats' is the reason for SO MANY THINGS in my life.

Also I have switched over to 1.1.1.1, thank you for the pointer!

[jesse_the_k]

Hooray for empty storage bins. CDs are so gratifying to tidy. The objects themselves feel nice in the hand, they make satisfying clunks when moved, and they're not too heavy.

Thanks so much for the tl;dr on 1.1.1.1

I've had similar overuse pain in my forearms, which responded very well to
1. judicious resting and breaks, during which I applied
2. ice packs (no more than 15 minutes at a time)
3. a "tennis elbow brace," such as a BandIT

That "Cutting the Mustard" article is glorious! It's well-written, and it showcases a dev team that actually cares about reaching its audience. Sometimes big slow bureaucracies get it right. The BBC really wants to be accessible, so it even thinks about "testing how your interface reacts when a phone enters a 3g network black spot." Not to mention, "Over the last few years I feel that our industry has gotten lazy because of the crazy download speeds that broadband has given us." And yet--it's hosted on Tumblr, which surely doesn't cut the mustard.