vlachen

These are the books I read when I feel like I'm too optimistic about world affairs. The dark themes that seem so close to being possible help boost my cynicism and level me out.

I saw IT Chapter II in a completely empty theater, late at night. It was delightfully creepy. However, if I had been an employee there, I think I would have do do something with a red helium balloon to anyone watching that movie alone.

I firmly believe that William Gibson nailed it with the Jackpot in his recent books:

nothing you could really call a nuclear war. Just everything else, tangled in the changing climate: droughts, water shortages, crop failures, honeybees gone like they almost were now, collapse of other keystone species, every last alpha predator gone, antibiotics doing even less than they already did, diseases that were never quite the one big pandemic but big enough to be historic events in themselves.

I'm taking the submission as: if you've got an idea, here's some methods to work build something.

I have a few ideas if my own, perhaps yours is something that could be created.

Aim to Head's mix channel is a lot of what I listen to for my design work. 30 min to 1 hour of well mixed tracks. The Witch House tracks are partially helpful in focusing.

https://m.youtube.com/@aimtoheadmix1915/videos

I find that the Secret Agent channel is great for my focus nowadays. I recall listening to Groove Salad back in my draftsman years, from 2000-2002. I am still amazed at how SomaFM has continued to exist.

Hard pass. Karst limestone is bad enough.

A friend of mine retired from the military and moved to my neck of the woods in the Ozarks. Having lived in Eastern North Carolina for most of his 20 years in, he had gotten used to sandy soil with nary a rock. Prior to that, he was in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, and I don't think he dug many holes there.

After closing on their new house he asked me for a shovel, for which to install a mailbox. Of course I'd help my friend out. "Sure, buddy!" I said. "Here's a shovel, post-hole digger, pickax and a rock-bar. That should get the job done." After I explained to him that yes, you need a 20 pound pointy chunk of steel to dig any sizable hole around here, he still didn't quite believe me. However, once he got the mailbox planted, he adjusted his beliefs accordingly.

On the rare occasion that I have to dig a hole somewhere with actual dirt, I always find myself amazed at how easy it is. Those times help me understand scenes in TV or movies that include someone digging a hole. Those scenes don't ever depict someone deciding to move whatever it is they're putting in the ground because they hit a massive stone at 8 inches into a 24 inch hole, and there ain't any getting through it. The scenes don't depict the Herculean effort required to just plant a tree. Those shows don't show the absolutely back-breaking labor it takes to be a landscaper around here. And before I had the chance to do the same kind of work in actual soil, those scenes just didn't make sense.

I highly recommend watching his live show if he's ever in your area. Great experience. Henry is the epitome of intensity for 2 hours. He doesn't stop. He doesn't sit. He doesn't drink. I'm not even sure he breathes.

Having been out of university since before Discord was much of a thing, that's news to me. It also is eerily reminiscent of Facebook's beginning sign up requirements.

I'm not a fan of the bias towards "Gears are old tech, and that makes them bad" but I can see a lot of interesting possibilities with fluid coupling. The variables involved in power transmission for these things would be pretty wild to characterize, and the article video clearly shows inefficiencies in the system with the driven cylinder having counter rotational flow against it.

Bozhe moy! [1]

[1] https://tomlehrersongs.com/lobachevsky/

That's a fair point that I arrived at once I put half a second of thought into what I was actually asking.

That brings me to the next thing: Taking VPN suggestions. What's the best? I like secure.

Edited to remove being a moron.

I left the high seas many years ago, but I'm down to seed for a cause.

What's the best torrent client nowadays?

Another technique for me is to avoid apps like Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. I run them all through mobile Firefox with uBlock origin and custom block scripts that block sponsored posts and shorts. This combines well with having Youtube's history turned off which prevents the algorithmic suggestions.

I've taken to "Archiving" apps like this on my Android phone. When I need it, I can un-archive it to use it. Keeps the list of things trying to get my attention a little bit smaller.

An obvious failure of the Cat Distribution System.

In 2013 I bought out 2 Radio Shacks worth of ferrite beads when I was hunting down signal noise in my senior design project (CNC mill rebuild and update.) All else fails, add more beads.

Also, I learned that you can make your own shielded flat cables with aluminum duct tape.

Who knew that they had a really good reason for using 48V signaling in the original machine controls from 1986?

I've used the "Harbor Freight" principle for years when purchasing tools for either professional or personal use. I'll buy something I need at a discount store like Harbor Freight and use it for as many jobs as it lasts. If it breaks and I still need it, I'll upgrade to a better version. If it doesn't break then all the better.

https://archive.ph/kzd4X

I've honestly wondered this too. But we cannot obey in advance. If they're going to try and take it from us, then there should be a fight every step of the way. That means our cynical perspectives, as right as they may be, could lead us into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I feel like some of that wonkiness (like the ridiculous clock) has to do with their drive to keep the car's feel as "80s Mini" as possible.

Seconding Bad Obsession. Not only is their build quality outstanding, their video production efforts are top notch. Their dedication to the concept and execution of Project Binky is nothing short of amazing.

Also works on the mobile page.

The other thing possible is to block certain post types with uBlock origin, on desktop or mobile:

  www.instagram.com##article:has-text(Suggested for you):style(visibility: hidden !important; height: 300px !important; overflow: hidden !important)
  www.instagram.com##article:has-text(Because you liked a post):style(visibility: hidden !important; height: 300px !important; overflow: hidden !important)

Perhaps Neal Stephenson was correct in Snow Crash:

There's only four things [Americans] do better than anyone else: music movies microcode (software) high-speed pizza delivery

I dunno, I think a mouse would be far less likely to react by throwing hands than a human, plus, a mouse can be muzzled to protect against their primary weapon.

I never knew it was a Windows program. I've been using it on my Android phones for years.

I feel like the amount of projection from this group of people will be the source of behavioral and political psychology books for generations.

"If you're doing something legally or morally wrong, create opponents to accuse of the same things before what you're doing comes out."

Oil leaking around a turbocharger rotor seal also makes for good diesel fuel, if you define "good" as an exciting uncontrolled disassembly of the engine.