Done Since 2023-07-02

[mdlbear]

Between eyes and ears it hasn't been a particularly good week. The eye infection is mostly recovered, but it's still uncomfortable. I have an appointment Monday to get it looked at. I've pretty much decided to get rid of the (OTC) hearing aids.

On the other hand, I got an unexpected call from a friend I'd lost touch with. One of hundreds, but it's something. And a box of mangoes from my financial advisor, who is based in Florida. My son's birthday was Thursday, and we had a good conversation over Zoom Friday. (But how the fsck did I get old enough to have a son who's pushing 40?)

On the gripping hand (speaking of Florida), For the First Time Ever, Human Rights Campaign Officially Declares ‘State of Emergency’ for LGBTQ+ Americans; Issues National Warning and Guidebook to Ensure Safety for LGBTQ+ Residents and Travelers. Here's the Guidebook, to save you a click. In other news, the Earth is the hottest it's been in over 100,000 years.

There are a few good links, and a lot of awful ones. Modern Font Stacks is one of the good ones -- it gives you system font stack CSS organized by typeface classification for every modern operating system. This lets you speed up web page loading by using fonts that are already installed, no matter what OS the reader's browser is running on.

Notes & links:
0702Su
  * up 5:55; S=5:56; exercises, shower, Dutch
    % eye seems a little worse.
    -> antibiotic eyedrops: 6:30ish, 2:30, 8:35
    -> plain eyedrops:  10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 6:50, 
    -> 6:30 acetaminophen
  * ripping CDs
  : idiot bear:  put apollo on charge without waiting for it to dry out.  Smoke.  Fried.
  @ Elon Musk claims Twitter login requirement just 'temporary' | Mashable
  & 7:40ish hearing aids, for Dutch.  R uncomfortable
    -> 8:44 removed -- R uncomfortable with headphones
  @ Bill C-18: Google to remove news links in Canada over online news law | CTV News
    "  because of the Liberal government's Online News Act, which forces digital giants to
       pay media outlets for content they share or otherwise repurpose. "
  @ Snappy: A tool to detect rogue WiFi access points on open networks
    SpiderLabs/snappy
  @ Twitter's bot spam keeps getting worse — it's about porn this time
  % 9am eye seems to be doing a lot better!  doesn't hurt to keep it open
  * email Jerad thanks for the mangos.  Ate one for lunch.
  % 1018 eye back to hurting on and off
  @ They finally did it: Reddit made it impossible for blind Redditors to moderate their
    own sub : r/Blind
  @ The US poses 'the most serious danger' to global security: Retired Council on Foreign
    Relations president - Alternet.org
  * leave RE ~3pm.  % Sleepy
  % blank -- all afternoon
    % apparently fighting an infection uses a lot of energy

0703Mo  * litter boxen
  & awake 1:15; no mask, can't find phone.  In the house?? -> no, next to me in bed.  :P
  * up 8am; S=5:34, BP=121/81, P=74; exercises, ...Dutch
    % eye seems a little better -- opened it without thinking when I woke up.
    % vision blurred; watery, photosensitive...
      -> better noon-3 (picnic) - less (but occasional) pain 
    * eyedrops 8:30,       5pm, 10:48
      -> plain drops 3:40p,
    % hearing aids 9:30ish -- want to try on Dutch!Mondly -> maybe a little better?
      -> back to medium dome on R.  Not really helping
      -> took out noonish for picnic
  * call UW main line -- they will send a message to opthalmology and will call me back
  * pm k's party (picnic) -> k and friends -- good conversations
  @ Mastodon 101 for Journalists | Lisa Williams

0704Tu
  * up 6:30; S=6:59, BP=122/77, P=63;, W=197.6 (some)exercises, ...  o Dutch
    R eye intermittently painful, vision very blurry
  -> antibiotic eyedrops  * 7am  * 3pm  *10:50
     ordinary eyedrops:  ? 2ish;  5:30 - may have made it worse
     % 12:07 R eye seems pretty good.  Still much blurrier than usual though.
     %  5:30 R eye still pretty good, but itches, and there may still be painful spots
     % 10pm R eye much better after eyedrops
  @ Modern Font Stacks
    system-fonts/modern-font-stacks: System font stack CSS organized by typeface
    classification for every modern operating system by OS
  @ U.S. judge blocks Biden officials from contacts with social media companies - WaPo
  @ Google Says It'll Scrape Everything You Post Online for AI
  @ CJEU declares Meta/Facebook's GDPR approach largely illegal
  @ ‘It’s absolutely guaranteed’: the best and worst case scenarios for sea level rise
  @ After months of delays, Seattle getting RV safe parking lot | The Seattle Times
    " Salmon Bay, the new RV safe lot is along 15th Avenue Northwest and, when functional,
      will host 26 RVs and nine tiny houses. "
  & factory reset the old Pixel3, having remembered that I hadn't and was still signed in
  @ Open-Source Your Blender to Fight Electronic Waste | WIRED
    re:Mix – Open Funk
  * load drugs
  : a few very loud explosions; didn't faze the cats at all.

0705We  * litter boxen
  & awake 3am; acetaminophen
    * ordinary eyedrops: 3am   4/day    3pm (thought it was earlier)   9:40
    * antibiotic eyedrops:   * 7am,  * 3:04pm,  o 10:55pm
  * up 7am (alarm); S=7:12, exercises, Dutch
    * cuddled by both cats when I got up.  Very sweet.
    % 8am eye only slightly painful, but it itches.  vision blurry in both eyes
    % 8:30 vision still blurry.  Can barely read screen.
    % 8:15 more pain than ever.
  @ Meta’s Threads app is a privacy nightmare that won’t launch in EU yet | TechCrunch
  @ World registers hottest day ever recorded on July 3 | Reuters
    " even Antarctica, currently in its winter, registered anomalously high temperatures. "
    ... 7/4: Record for hottest day ever recorded on Earth broken twice in a row
   July 4 Was Earth’s Hottest Day In Over 100,000 Years—Breaking Record For 2nd...
  * 11am Jackie (hearing aide)
    -> cleaning  -> they're sending an ear wax removal kit  -> use cleaning tool weekly
    -* she's sending a new batch of settings; should show up in ~1h;
       -> yellow dot next to the "support" icon
    -> they expect to have one with BT audio in a few months.  Would get discount.
    -> 3pm taking out hearing aids -- R hurting.
  * callback from eye care at Harborview
    -> artificial tears 4/day
    -> lubricant at night (on order)
    & icepack.
  @ Performing for the Machine – Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected
  @ Security Tips for Online LGBTQ+ Dating | Electronic Frontier Foundation
  * verify that this month's pension payment arrived despite UB -> USB bank change
    -> fill out form for changing mailing address and direct deposit info for pension
    -> still needs an envelope, so mail it from RE
  @ Want to try Bluesky? Look carefully at the terms of service. | Mashable
    " Signing up means signing over your content. "

0706Th  R's birthday
  * up 6am; S=6:54, 29/84, P=64; exercises, ...Dutch
    . antibiotic eyedrops:  6:30,  2:30->3:00         10:25  3 drops wasted
    . ordinary eyedrops:       11:15      5pm->5:50      11:30ish
  * email b'day greeting to R
  * walk:  to park (=2 blocks each way)
  % hearing aids:  in 8am.
    -> Chirping with headhones
    -> 9:05 may have gotten them in far enough.  nope
    -> Still some chirping and pain in R under headphones.  Mostly ok otherwise
    -> turning down volume on R fixed the chirps, but phones still hurt on R
    -> 4ish was doing fairly well but started chirping on audio peaks
  @ CJEU ruling on Meta referral could close the chapter on surveillance capitalism
  @ Threads, Meta's Twitter rival, is tracking you in all sorts of ways | Mashable
  @ Demoscene accepted as UNESCO cultural heritage in The Netherlands - Demoscene
    [PDF, translated] (contains links to a few demos on YT)
    " In the process of applying for the status of intangible heritage, the Knowledge
      Center for Intangible Heritage in Arnhem gives a workshop in which the safeguarding
      plan is made. In this document you will find the result of this workshop. "
  @ 57 'Buy It for Life' Products: Cast-Iron, Tools, Speakers, Chairs, and More|WIRED

0707Fr  * litter boxen (E')
  * up 5:15; S=5:56; exercises, ...Dutch
    -> ordinary eyedrops 5:30    11am   
    -> antibiotic eyedrops:  7am,  ~ 3pm->7pm  11pm->1am
    -> 9:20 call(s) with Carmen Adams at Harborview eye care:  Need dilated eye exam; she
       made an appointment for me at a UW optometrist near harborview: Eyes on James
  % hearing aids in 7:35ish; continued chirping in phones with Dutch
  @ Climate denialism has burnt to a crisp - The Washington Post one can hope
  @ Threads (1984 film) - Wikipedia what I think of when I hear about Meta's Threads
  @ Frances Haugen says Facebook's algorithms are dangerous. Here’s why.
  @ Does 'Triscuit' Mean 'Electric Biscuit'? | Snopes.com tl;dr: yes
  : 12:40 noticed that my L hearing aid was missing,  :P
    -> tangled in the mask that I'd taken off to get a fresh one.
    -> The app has a "find the device" which works but not all that well
  * 12:45 go up to island (with k and Sam) - they'll come back with me next weekend
    -> pick them up at the Lake City house ~1pm  (leave RS ~12:45)
    -> stay masked in the car
  * Back on Whidbey:  let N know that I'm home.
  * 7:30pm video call with R -- email for setup -- zoom
    -> good talk.  covered a lot of ground.
    -> has been talking with Jane and Andrew; has the info he needs for name change, and
       finally going after his passport. 

0708Sa
  & awake 0:55; in chair, no mask
  * up 7:15; S=5:57, W=195.8; exercises, shower, ...Dutch
    : antibiotic eyedrops:  7:15,  3:15->3:30,  11:15->12:30
    : lubricant eyedrops:      10ish?  12:15,  6:15,  ~midnight
  % still having occasional back twinges.  Heat.
  @ How Threads’ privacy policy compares to Twitter’s (and its rivals’) | Ars
  @ For the First Time Ever, Human Rights Campaign Officially Declares ‘State of
    Emergency’ for LGBTQ+ Americans; Issues National Warning and Guidebook to Ensure
    Safety for LGBTQ+ Residents and Travelers | Human Rights Campaign
    National State of Emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans - Human Rights Campaign
    New Report: LGBTQ+ Americans Under Attack
    LGBTQ+ Guidebook for Action
  % 10:30 vision pretty blurry - can't read small print
  * after arrival:  ~ water orchids  * sort mail  * make a payment or do other paperwork:
  * mail change of address, account# to Northern Trust
  @ For the fourth day in a row, Earth has broken or equalled its hottest average
    temperature record - ABC News  17.23 degrees Celsius on Thursday
  : Sherman's optical drive seems to work perfectly (i.e. with abcde).  Raven's doesn't.
    The old external optical drive that was left at RE is flaky.
  : Received yet another payment method failed email from GoDaddy.  Chat with CS confirmed
    that it went through the first time.  Removed old (UB) HSX card, added new (USB) one
  @ Lessons From the Catastrophic Failure of the Metaverse | The Nation
  @ In the Attacks on Trans Rights, We’re Seeing the Rise of a New Confederacy|Nation
  * have spent almost all of the afternoon (modulo food and laundry) ripping CDs