Done Since 2022-12-10

[mdlbear]

Not a particularly good week, and nowhere near a productive one, but nothing really bad happened either, and cat cuddles help with a lot of problems. Not lower back pain, though, which has been worse than usual this week.

Do I need to mention that I've been doomscrolling? Birdland is...

Lots of tasty links, including the fusion energy breakthrough -- which is impressive even though fusion power is still thirty years away, as usual, and is unlikely to involve inertial confinement if it arrives -- and a video from the 1960s about what the 21st Century home would be like. And way too much other stuff to summarize.

I need to find a Mastodon instance to call home. Along with a million other things, most of which should have been done a year and a half ago. Or more.

Notes & links:
1210Sa
  * up 5:15; S=6:34; exercises 
  @ Mauna Loa Updates: Mauna Loa is (still?) erupting
  * up to Whidbey late morning; arrive 1ish
  * Back on Whidbey:  let N know that I'm home.
  * after arrival: ~ water orchids * sort mail * make a payment or do other paperwork (Su)
  @ Allora & Calzadilla (in collaboration with Ted Chiang), The Great Silence on Vimeo
    interspecies communication from the POV of a parrot.  Brilliant and moving.
  % stupidly left my weekly drug containers down at RS.  Both sets.  Fortunately, a week
    or two ago I put the 3-day container in my backpack.  Must remember to re-fill and
    replace it.
  * dinner:  sirloin steak ("priced for quick sale" from Payless), and the last of the
    Brussels sprouts.  There's iceberg and blue cheese dressing for salad if I want it.
  * pack some COVID test kits
  * singing:  For Amy
  @ Logitech Blue Sona XLR Microphone Review: It Hits Every Note | PetaPixel (N)
    comparable to Shure SM7B, but with onboard preamp.  Not needed right not, but nice.
    Logitech Blue Sona microphone review: Style and substance | ZDNET
    " I'd recommend this model primarily for folks who expect their microphone to be
      seen. If you run a pure audio podcast, without any video recording, there are
      cheaper options out there that will serve you just as well, even if they don't look
      as pretty while doing it. Buying a mic this stylish and never letting anyone see it
      would just be a waste. "
  * bath
  % a couple of painful twinges from left hip.  Seems worse today.

1211Su
  * up 5:25; S=5:58, BP=123/75, P=66, W=198.8; exercises, shower
  : Blue Microphones - Wikipedia bought by Logitech in 2018
    Logitech is acquiring Blue Microphones for $117 million in cash - The Verge 2018
    hence the Blue Sona and Logitech Blue Yeti
  % ... and just realized that I posted Done Since 2022-12-04 YESTERDAY
    i.e. Saturday.  Not the end of the week.  But not the end of the world, either.
    -> should post an S4S today, for symmetry
  * re-inflate Molly's tires
  @ The Ten Best Science Books of 2022 | Science| Smithsonian Magazine
  @ How To Sew by Hand: 6 Basic Stitches
  * Walk: to Middle.  Less sore and out-of-breath than I remember being last time.
  * construct box for the two wall-mounted display cabinets.  (variable-size Chewy box)
  * pay bill for safe-deposit box (see ...paperwork)
  * (finally) set up DenTek dental guard to replace the previous one (which I bit through)
    % doesn't seem to fit quite as well, though it's clearly the same brand.  Shrug.

1212Mo  * litter boxen
  * up 7:30ish; S=7:58; exercises
  @ emerson: "What happens to your smartphone when it gets stolen…" - Hachyderm.io
  * turn down heat before leaving
  * go down to RS in the morning
  * guitar:  mostly first verses and choruses.  My fingers are out of shape, esp. left hand

1213Tu
  & awake 2:50; S=4.42; tried to get back to sleeo; failed
  * Up 5:40ish; S=5:02;
    % also about an hour with Desti on my lap, which is not conducive to getting much done
  * 9am N using the lair for privacy on a call
  * 10am Healing Center Memory Keepers grief support group.
  * */15:  pay AX cards (from UB checking)
  @ The U.S. fusion energy breakthrough: Everything you need to know - WaPo
    Fusion energy breakthrough unveiled by Biden administration - The Washington Post
    As long as you don't take laser efficiency into account.
  @ Twitter dissolves Trust and Safety Council, Yoel Roth flees home - The Washington Post
  % slightly out of it.
  : Shure SM57 and SM58 arrived from Musician's Friend.  nice satin finish -- that's new
    @ Shure SM57 review
    @ Shure SM58 review: A stellar performance mic - SoundGuys
  * guitar:  The Band Played Waltzing Mathilda.  Left pinkie is the finger that hurts most
  % 7ish a bit of an ache in my right shoulder.  RSI probably.
  ~ 2n/1   CPAP RS:  change nosepiece -> every other month while bilocated
  * 3n/1   CPAP RS:  replace mask                                   0 mod 3 (06,12)
  % 10pm -- I am in bed with a purring Desti at the foot of the bed (was on lap earlier)
    ... and a heating pad on my back, so I'm warm and cozy and catted on.  Purrr.

1214We  * litter boxen (lair: closet)  * litter boxen (main house)
  & Awake 3ish
  & up 7:30 or so; S=6:23; exercises
  ~ 9:30am wake m -- ongoing, every Wednesday  -> need to check signal for messages first
  @ Tailscale · Best VPN Service for Secure Networks
    NAT traversal, e2e encryption, ssh, etc. (found while researching mastodon instances)
    @tailscale@hachyderm.io
  @ Discord leans on linked accounts to verify who you are and what you can access
  @ Twitter's new moneymaking scheme is a...violation of Apple's App Store guidelines
    " would require users to opt into personalized ads, location tracking, and the sale of
      their phone number used for two-factor authentication in order to continue using... "
    Twitter’s risky plan to save its ads business (paywall)
  * 6n/1   CPAP RS:  replace headgear:                              0 mod 6 (June, Dec?)
  x 3n/1   CPAP RS:  replace tubing                                 ? mod 3 (06,12)
    -> apparently the 12mm tubing gives an error on the DS-1 CPAP.  :P
  % 4:45 realized that I've been doomscrolling about Birdland for the last few days.  Ouch!
  @ Make Your Connection: Connected Accounts Get a Huge Functionality Boost worrisome
    " We are storing this information to display on your profile and verify yourself for
      roles in servers. This information is stored securely within our databases, and will
      never be shared externally with third-parties without your explicit permission. "
  * schedule Molly next recommended service (tire rot. etc.) 0928/43000mi
    -> 1220Tu 12:45pm
  : don't remember whether I did litter boxes this morning.  must not have -- there were
    two sets of liners, which would be from Saturday and Monday.  So...,
    -> proof that they needed doing: there were two empty catfood cans waiting.
  * see if the plastic drawers currently being a luggage stand will fit behind the bar 
  * load drugs
  % fairly severe L. hip pain  -> 10:45 tylenol; heat

1215Th
  * up 6:55; S=6:05; exercises (partial)
  @ Notes on operating fediverse services (Mastodon, Pleroma etc) from an English law
    point of view - decoded.legal: Internet, telecoms and tech law decoded. (via denise
    | A guide to potential liability pitfalls for people running a Mastodon instance)
  * guitar: Wheelin', Millennium's Dawn, parts of The Stolen Child
  @ Matt Mullenweg: State of the Word 2022 annual keynote address - YouTube
  : loud noise ~11pm when a cat -- Desti, presumably -- knocked some Elfa components off
    the top of the dresser.  Do I think she learned not to do that?  No.
    -> OTOH it did wake me up.  Should put the computer away and on my mask.

1216Fr  * litter boxen (E')
  * up 6:05ish; S=6:56; (some) exercises
  @ Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate - Consumer Reports WTAF??!
    Ghirardelli intense dark is safe, as is Taza Deliciously Dark 70%.  TJ's is high in Pb.
  @ How monopoly enshittified Amazon. Chokepoint Capitalism ruins everything. 
  * call Fremont Animal Hospital about cats -- is it too late to get bloodwork done? do we
    have to reschedule?  (Sick kids all week)
  @ The Quiet Danger Of The Mastodon Bubble | by David Todd McCarty echo chamber?
  @ Trump Charges $99 Each For Collectible NFTs: VIDEO - Second Nexus WTAF?
    Some of Trump's New NFTs Look Like Photoshops of Google Search Results 
  & point E' at the bags of stuff to donate from when c was using the lair
  * For next trip to RE:  take tie-dye tote bag  * pack a box of fiber cookies
  * swap CPAP tubes (12mm in laundry bag).
  @ Retrotechtacular: A 1960s Look At The 21st Century Home | Hackaday
  @ Tom Lehrer Songs – Songs and Lyrics by Tom Lehrer released to public domain
  * Back on Whidbey:  let N know that I'm home.
  * after arrival:  * water orchids  * sort mail

1217Sa
  * Up 6:20; S=6:40, BP=120/76, P=73; exercises
  @ andrewducker: Interesting Links for 17-12-2022
    Struck by the power of the simple invention | Tim Harford Oral rehydration
    Schizophrenia: The new etiological synthesis - ScienceDirect
    The parasite x genotype x stress interaction model.  Toxoplasmosis
    " Furthermore, Toxoplasma-infected men are more attracted to cat odor than
      non-infected men are "
  @ Forgejo – Beyond coding. We forge.
    " Forgejo is a self-hosted lightweight software forge. "
    forgejo/forgejo: Beyond coding. We forge. - Codeberg.org
    fork of Gitea (Full Circle Weekly News #290)
    " (inspired by forĝejo, the Esperanto word for forge) is a community-driven Free
      Software project that develops a code forge platform similar to GitHub, and that is
      a drop-in replacement for Gitea.  We started Forgejo in reaction to control of Gitea
      being taken away from the community by the newly-formed for-profit company Gitea Ltd
      without prior community consultation "
  @ Give Up GitHub - Software Freedom Conservancy
  @ Amazon debuts CodeWhisperer, an AI programming assistant • The Register
    GitHub Copilot launches with $10/month subscription fee • The Register
  * SL(RE):  peanut oil (the veg. oil is old and slightly off), prunes, mustard
  * SL(RS):  toothpaste, Tums 
  @ Todrick Hall - Nobody (feat Jade Novah & Cynthia Erivo) [from FORBIDDEN] - YT
    very sweet _official_ music video featuring an F/F romance between two Black women!
  @ Twice-daily nasal irrigation reduces COVID-related illness, death S(L)
  & move laptop table to other side of recliner so it doesn't block the closet door
  * singing:  For Amy, Wheelin', Eyes Like the Morning
  * make a payment or do other paperwork  -> I'm going to count getting presents for this
  * actually got the CPAP to connect to the phone with BT this time.

Comments

[spiffyvoxel]

One of the articles I found this past week was a New Your Times piece about a group of teens who are committing to leaving social media and their smartphones and calling themselves the New Luddites. On one hand, spending more time in nature, reading books and spending time with others are all good things, but on the other hand going to a flip-phone or no phone at all isn't a good solution for everyone. Similarly, jumping from Twitter to another social network silo, or buying a 'minimal' phone rather than minimising the smartphone you already have, feel like 'quick-fix' solutions that are mostly about feeling like you're in the Cool Club. 🤷

I'm finally getting back into my blogging groove. (Not on Dreamwidth yet, but soon...) It turns out that DEVONthink now does a much better job of clipping web articles to Markdown text, which in turn makes it much easier for me to draft posts to send to WordPress. (I have both iA Writer and MarsEdit connected to it for posting and editing.) All I need to do now is work out how to minimise my exposure to the Twitterpocalypse. (It's the multi-car-pile-up that just about every blog I follow has rubbernecked at least once.)

Needless to say, I downloaded all the Tom Lehrer albums as soon as I heard the news. 😁

I spent all of the last week wearing many layers of clothes indoors to stay warm, as the central heating struggle to heat our house during the recent cold snap. No damage done, thankfully, but I feel for anyone who hasn't dared turn the heating on due to the energy price hikes this year. 🥶Meanwhile, public-sector strikes are continuing, with general public support despite all the effort of the government to demonise the strikers.

it's not robots it's

[solarbird]

RO-BUTTS!

Walter says ro-butts! That's hilarious xD