Done Since 2026-04-26
2026-05-03 03:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdlbearNot quite as unproductive as my weeks usually are, and there were some fascinating rabbit-holes to go down (I'll get to some of those later). And, yeah, a lot of good household-related things too. But not quite enough walking, and not nearly enough work (which includes music practice and writing). But some. But between stress around tax time, my ongoing health problems, and what's going on in the world, it's hard for me to be optimistic and hopeful, rather than pessimistic and depressed. So there was that.
With m and N returning from the US on Thursday, G's birthday (observed) on Saturday, getting (folding scooter)Lizzy back on Saturday, and N's next book nearing completion, there was a lot of great conversation and a goodly amount of sushi and other tasty stuff. I have some reviews to write -- hopefully overcoming my writer's block enough to do so. Here's a teaser.
Lizzy. When we got Lizzy back -- over a month ago -- from getting her flat tire repaired, she refused to start, displaying an error code (E8) on her dashboard. The manual does not have a table of error codes -- it says to call the dealer. They didn't know either. So we had them pick her up for repair. That was March 11. They called the factory. Several times, apparently. Finally I got the email saying she was ready to be returned, and that the error had to do with the freewheel lever not being engaged. WTF? Why was that not in the manual??!
Book. I recently read a near-final draft of N's new book, and yesterday I
confirmed with her that I can say a little about it in public. It's
called Paleomythic, and it's the first book in a trilogy. It
is, in fact, a collection of myths -- stories about the history of Earth.
As narrated, with close to scientific accuracy, by the gods themselves:
the planets, continents, and seas that who were
there and made it all happen. The framing story is narrated by Luna.
It's not often that a book makes me cry tears of joy. This one did.
I note in passing that N's first book, The World As it Ought To Be, is widely available, and can be found through her website.
Health. The latest problem is Trigger finger, which I have been treating with diclofenac topical gel and, now, compression gloves. Because I need to use my fingers to pull on my compression socks. I'm also having pain -- probably muscle spasms -- on my left side, which is the side I sleep on. With the arm that Ticia likes to lie on.
Linkies! From last Sunday: Giant octopuses may have ruled the oceans 100 million years ago and Bruce Springsteen’s Chimes of Freedom. From Wednesday, Scientists reverse brain aging, with a nasal spray (nice if it works out, though I doubt it will be released soon enough to help me), and The Angine de Poitrine Argument for UBI. And from Friday, Scientists Finally Solved One of Water’s Biggest Mysteries and The Chord That Ended Classical Music - YouTube
Notes & links:
0426Su Chernobyl disaster, 1986-04-26
@ Chernobyl disaster
* tried some of the Turkish coffee. Turned out to be "karamelli kahve", with milk and
sugar added; not bad, but I don't think it foamed the way it was supposed to -- the
foam collapsed the moment I took it off the flame, and the grounds didn't settle out
(or else I let it boil too long) % I am still (13:17) feeling a bit strung out.
@ Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the
story and we all still cry about it. Yeah... – @andrewducker on Tumblr
(via andrewducker | Interesting Links for 26-04-2026)
@ Giant octopuses may have ruled the oceans 100 million years ago | ScienceDaily
@ Bombing of Guernica
Guernica (Picasso)
@ Bruce Springsteen’s Chimes of Freedom
= hx work session
* sysadmin: set raven up in bedroom. It's been idle for a while
-> / full. As usual, the culprit was timeshift. => sudo rm -rf /timeshift
(it's needed by mint-upgrade, but not locally because we're using other means)
-> update savitzky.net in .ssh known_hosts
-> /vv/pull -> change remote in mm/books from nova to nova.local;
* whole bunch of cleanup commits in mm/books. Mostly adds; a few renames
using bash fn: add () { git add $1; git commit -m "add $1" }
* Dutch
* 22: shower, wash socks
0427Mo Koningsdag (NL)
@ Koningsdag - Wikipedia
* walk: 8:00 Erasmusweg: 1.2km, 19m, 8hp, 2000st(?); 09:49 16hp, 2700st, 26mm
@ used $GLens to look up Anthriscus sylvestris (cow parsley)
@ Orbán associates rush to move wealth out of Hungary after election defeat|Guardian
@ Chicago Turns All Public School IDs Into Library Cards To Boost Student Access
@ The Anti-Palantir Manifesto
% 12:21ish weigh myself and Ticia (4.2kg). measure BP.
@ Ad Blockers and the Four Currencies money, time, pain-in-the-butt, integrity
& move leg-wrapping-supplies box to storage room.
% in the process triggered pain in several mostly left-side places.
@ 7 Things Linux Does Better than Windows | by Brevis | Stackademic
= hx work session
* guitar: Bad Guys. Taken about 3/4 speed; some work on the slide
-> goal is ~half an hour today, taken in parts.
% some L upper-arm pain, so half an hour might be pushing it
... Desolation Row, QV (couple of verses each, but not too bad)
... Wheelin' (picked intro, strummed verses)
& track down appropriate health aids: compression gloves, sock accessories
* order compression gloves, Juzo wasmiddel voor compressiekousen
* Dutch
0428Tu Terry Pratchett Day
@ Microsoft AI demands more power. Can a WA fusion company supply it? | Sea Times
* 1ish summon uber to pick up drugs at apotheek - open 8:30
-> the lisinopril got cancelled - apparently the change from 5 to 10 didn't get to
whoever sent the info to the pharmacy. 24 Feb with Carmen, followup 5 Mar
*- try to get it fixed; meanwhile restart doxazosin
-> seems to have worked. I think I have enough to last until Gizmo comes home
= hx work session
@ 43% of the Internet Runs WordPress. Someone Just Backdoored All of It. | by
Kusireddy | Apr, 2026 | Level Up Coding
-> look for signs of compromise on GS -> okay.
& add authorized_keys file on the "new" host
update pw entries for host and the alias.
& set up automatic renewal for lwn.net
$ $97.20 HX? to lwn.net for subscription, from AX Au
* upload my DFDF membership invoice to bookkeeper.
& Poke (whatsapp) TotaalHuisZorg about Scarlett.
& Poke (email) Scootplaza about Lizzy
" Please give me an update on the status of our scooter, and whether anything can be
done to get us a usable scooter before our next trip, on May 14 "
(I did not think it necessary to mention that I don't actually need Lizzy for DFDF)
& tax stuff -- request preliminary assessment
* Dutch
* load drugs - add Doxazosin back.
-> Lisinopril missing for Sun-Tues.
* Check potassium in latest bloodwork 0217: 4.3, 0104: 4.2 (normal 3.2-4.7 mmol/L)
0429We G's birthday
* walk: 7:28 Erasmusweg: 1.2km, 16hp, 28mm, 33min, 2500st
@ Pluralistic: Don’t Be Evil (11 Apr 2026) – Cory Doctorow
@ Scientists reverse brain aging, with a nasal spray – Texas A&M Stories
@ The Angine de Poitrine Argument for UBI
@ Here's the COVID Vaccine Paper the CDC Censored | MedPage Today [PDF]
= hx work session
* provide HX bank account to belastingdienst.nl
& email Maria to make sure I don't have to do anything else there today
-> nothing to do now; it's taken care of. Whew! *takes claws out of ceiling*
* Dutch
* a little guitar. Trigger finger doesn't help
* SL: (Bol) B6 100mg, compression gloves. Don't know why I couldn't find B6 earlier
* take out PMD bin
* wash socks
0430Th Beltane eve
@ Beltane - Wikipedia
@ Walpurgis Night - Wikipedia
- no walk because I was on Bol ordering a sock puller. Good to know _why_ I skipped
: N, m returning fron NY
% Used up my back looking in one of m's previous-trip suitcases for a pillow.
@ Apple Knows. Visa Knows. Nobody Has Fixed It. Here’s Why. | by Ujjwal Sharma
tl;dr: " Check your Apple Pay setup. If you have a Visa card configured in Express
Transit Mode, disable it. "
% 12:52 decided against a second cup of coffee.
* started looking through mail m brought back from Seattle. (G did preliminary sort)
% The compression gloves seem to help a little, but they're awkward to type in and -- at
least initially -- impossible to play guitar in. Hopefully they'll prevent trigger
finger at night -- that's what I got them for. Also hard to put on and tedious to
re-evert after removal, and they have seams on the inside that may well make them
unbearable after a few hours. We'll see in the morning.
= hx work session
* Dutch
* take in PMD bin
* take up clean catfud bowls
* SL: sock puller
0501Fr May Day; Mental Health Awareness Month
@ May Day - Wikipedia
@ Mental Health Month | Mental Health America [Wikipedia
@ May Day Participation Guide | Indivisible GENERAL STRIKE
% only have triggering in RH second finger this morning. 11:30 still there
The compression gloves seem to work, though it's awkward to type in them and it's
tedious to turn them back right-side-out after removing them.
* walk: 8am last bridge north: 1km, 11hp, 22mm, 30min, 2100st
@ The Chord That Ended Classical Music - YouTube Rite of Spring
@ Scientists Finally Solved One of Water’s Biggest Mysteries
" Water is unusual because it can exist as two distinct liquid forms under low
temperature and high pressure. These forms differ in how their molecules are
arranged and bonded. As temperature rises and pressure drops, the distinction
between these two liquid states disappears, merging into a single phase at the
critical point. "
Science: Experimental
evidence of a liquid-liquid critical point in supercooled water
perspective: Catching water’s hidden transition | Science
= hx work session
-> Lizzy: to be delivered tomorrow!
" Following our inspection, we have not found any technical defects that would
explain the issue. The error code you mentioned is related to the freewheel
lever. It is important that this lever is pressed firmly into the correct
position. " Would be nice if the error codes were explained in the manual
@ Relync R1 Ultra Lightweight Electric Scooter Reviews 2026 mostly negative
-> via the contact form on relync.com:
" The manual for the R1 scooter does not have a table of error codes and their
meanings; it took the dealer _over a month_ to finally determine that E8 meant
that the freewheel lever wasn't engaged. It cost us nearly 200 Euro to get this,
while it could have been answered in three minutes if I, the dealer, or the
factory (which they consulted) had had decent documentation. "
* more email about Scarlett. Asking eConelo whether this is the right charger:
https://shop4power.nl/product/batterijen/accu-s-voor-recreatie/laders-voor-recreatie-accu-s/acculader-lood-zuur-72v-2-5ampere/?attribute_pa_lader_connector=c13v
* Dutch
* 22:ish wash socks, -shower-
0502Sa
* walk: DSB801: .85k, 9hp, 29mm, 18min, 1500st
% raining; the green raincoat soaked through and was too hot. not the first time
* D"
* order cat fud
@ A Dorm Room in 1993. The International Space Station Today. One Person the Industry
Forgot. | by Can Artuc | Apr, 2026 | Medium Ian Murdock; Debian
@ The most severe Linux threat to surface in years catches the world flat-footed-Ars
-> update unSable, centraal, nova, panther (shut down, not rebooted, because of fan)
lilac LMDE, lilac mint -> install Honu and Mathilda, * reboot unSable, raven
* Lizzy delivered 12:27. ~ Make sure to ask where the freewheel lever is
-> showed me where the lever is. Had the last 2 digits of my phone# transposed.
@ May Day protest organizers call for boycott of work, school and shopping : NPR
@ Nena – 99 Luftballons | WDR Funkhausorchester - YouTube orchestral arrangement
@ New EU rules for durable, energy-efficient and repairable smartphones and tablets
start applying - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
@ The Hottest Anti-AI Gadget Is a Cyberdeck | WIRED
@ How big is 52!?
@ Economists publish proof that AI will destroy the economy
= hx work session
* Dutch
*- ask N whether I can start talking about the next book.
-> YES! Paleomythic, the first book of an as-yet-unnamed trilogy,
will be out sometime in the fall. Meanwhile you can get
The World as it Ought To Be via Naomi-Rivkis.com
% left my compression gloves downstairs. Which meant more pain in the morning