Bonum Certa Men Certa

Gemini Links 19/06/2023: Tale Of Two Unknowns and Perfect Home Lab



  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal/Opinions

      • Three variations on a feedback theme

        It shouldn't need pointing out that positive feedback can be a terribly bad thing. Let's consider some very different cases.

        [..]

        Mais oui, it still _would be_ a problem even if the users had the full ownership of this technology. The scenario that comes to my mind is that people already use their headphones to mask out an undesirable, harsh sonic environment. In response to this shielding, I suppose, sound signals and announcements have to be made louder to reach even those listening to music in their headset. Anyway, I can think of no equally plausible explanation for the absurdly loud announcements of the next stop at the regional train, occasionally also on busses. Yes, the population's hearing is also gradually deteriorating by frequent exposure to loud sound levels, so the signals that must penetrate the noise have to be made louder again.

        The Acoustic Ecology movement (R. Murray Schafer and others) would ordain increased awareness of our sounding surroundings instead of trying to block them out. Which is not to say that a noisy city dominated by the diffuse persistent motor hum and rubber decks against roads, mixed to a blur of vehicles at all distances, is an ideal or particularly fascinating soundscape. Schafer would prefer a quiter backdrop in which delicate sounds are given a chance to be heard, a rural, pre-industrial soundscape.

      • A few photos from a river walk last week

        From the trails along the Tanana River...

      • Garden Photos

        A few photos from last week, from the garden in front of our apartment.

      • More river trail photos

        I believe this flower is the same as the Northern Bluebell mentioned in this Wikipedia article...

      • The Pursuit of Less: Anyone Else on This Journey?

        Just finished another marathon with my two little whirlwinds, and while I was tidying up their battlefield, a thought washed over me. The thing is, I've been trying to simplify life lately. Has anyone else been wandering down this less-trodden path?

        I look around, and my life is cluttered with possessions; objects I once craved, but now merely collect dust. Unopened Blu-Rays, video games whose titles I've long forgotten, gadgets I've barely touched. They're all silent reminders of a time when more was exciting. But, as of late, my desire seems to be shifting towards the exact opposite - less.

      • The Nightfall Express

        Looks like the renovation work on Main Street's metro station is finally over. *points out*. There's a new train too, The Nightfall Express, that supposedly takes you all the way across Nightfall and beyond. The next one leaves at 19:00

        (Send me an email at m15o at posteo dot net if you'd like some to help test this new protocol out! Would love to get your feedback :))

      • Music Is a Time Machine

        I'm sure this has been brought on by my upcoming move and new job, but I've been finding myself listening to my nostalgia playlists more often lately.

        Most of these songs are ones that I haven't listened to in years, but when I hear them I'm instantly reminded of memories from a specific year, couple of months, or even a particular event.

      • Weekend Update

        My partner's birthday was last week. For the next little while, we're the same age. Then, my own counter ticks up.

        Her parents came in late last week for her birthday. We got ice cream on Thursday. My partner and her mom went to the spa on Friday, and then afterward we all went to a 50s-style diner in a nearby small town. Burgers, fries, hot dogs, ice cream, milkshakes. Our booth done up in vinyl and metallic red paint.

        We had a BBQ with her folks and a couple of friends on Saturday. Steak (well done; my father-in-law won't eat meat if there's a hint of red), baked potatoes, a couple different kinds of salad, potato chips, Hawkins cheezies. Good beer for those who wanted it. And lots of games.

    • Science

      • Tale Of Two Unknowns

        "Solaris" the book is quite interesting. I can see why a movie would be problematic, especially in 1972, or even now, in the likely event the audience finds Crazy Ocean boring or has any sort of need for closure, as most humans do. This is probably why the filmmakers added something more than "I guess it's time to go," the End.

        "Rendezvous with Rama" is comparatively dull: the alien vessel is encountered; characters and technology precise for the next situation arrive like clockwork; please buy the sequel. There, a set of three.

      • realizing limits

        I have always been used to doing things alone and having to handle crises alone; I grew up an only child, rest of the family far away, parents unreliable and neglectful. Asking them for any help would end in judgement, using the info against me, or never letting me forget about the time they needed to help me. It seemed like a huge burden to them and they would dramatically sigh and act annoyed throughout it all. Peers were nothing to rely on as well, especially for more complex issues.

    • Technology and Free Software

      • My Perfect Home Lab — An Antithesis

        After reading about the new home lab subspace on BBS, it’s time to write a little about my ideas of the perfect home lab, which I wanted to do for a long time.



        [...]

        I’ve had this situation for three years, but then needed to have a wired Internet connection for remote work during and after COVID-19 to improve latency. While my connection is now much better than before, my LTE Internet speed was okay for ordinary web browsing and the occasional download and cloud sync.

        In the last 20 years before that, I’ve always owned a second computer as a backup computer and server at home. For a couple of years I’ve connected an external RAID 5 to my server. In the last years before cancelling my wired Internet connection, I only owned a NAS, which had a single SSD installed to avoid any noise, and I did online backups. My DSL connection was always the fastest available and I always got the maximum connection rate.

      • I just want to fucking play Call of Duty on my day off

        Me: I finally get to play this brand new copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on my day off

        Me: [Puts disc into PS5 and clicks play]

        PS5: MUST INSTALL UPDATE FOR THIS APPLICATION FIRST

        Me: ok

        PS5: IT'S 63 GB

      • No, i am not from the future...

        .. i am just too stupid to enter the correct date in my feed.gmi ;-)

        But this whole "timetravelling" thing reminded me of a story i read a while back about the "John Titor" persona that emerged some time around the early 00s...

        That i never heard about it back in the day (even as someone who frequented UFO and conspiracy forums quiet extensively) is quiet interesting... perhaps another proof of how more diverse the internet back then was. So, as it was way too hot to sleep last night i crawled into this rabbit hole and spend many hours reading and digging deeper.

      • Using git bundle to synchronize a repository between Qubes OS

        In a previous article, I explained how to use Fossil version control system to version the files you may write in dom0 and sync them against a remote repository.

        I figured how to synchronize a git repository between an AppVM and dom0, then from the AppVM it can be synchronized remotely if you want. This can be done using the git feature named bundle, which bundle git artifacts into a single file.

      • Maybe it's time to post something again

        We need more of Richard Stallman, not less

        > The problem is that we didn’t listen.


        Ego *can't* listen. It can *pretend* to. Quite convincingly, too: whatever it takes to keep the other egos a combination of misinformed and guessing so as to be a fine mix of lesser and behind.

        ` RMS was and still is pictured as a dangerous maniac


        Ego loves seeing other egos as whatever form of lesser (e.g. "dangerous maniac") being/personhood/individuality necessary to feel, um, more-er.

      • Internet/Gemini

        • Announcement: Weather CGI Fixes

          In the early days of my capsule I implemented a weather forecast CGI. A visitor can enter a five-digit US ZIP code, and the CGI will present a one-week weather forecast from the National Weather Service. That CGI is still online today.

          The original script was written in Bash, but in July of 2022 I converted all my CGI content to Python. In preparation for that change, I compiled a database with a list of ZIP codes, their corresponding cities and states, and the NWS weather stations and grid numbers needed to get the ZIP's forecast via API. This required me to first find a source that gave the latitude and longitudes of each ZIP code, then querying the API with the list of coordinates to get the stations.


* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.



Recent Techrights' Posts

Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part IX: Minimum Wages For You (Experienced Scientist), Alicante/EU Paydays For Me (Unproductive, Corrupt Official)
Does UPRP maladministration extend to the false belief that qualified and experienced scientists can play the role of circus clowns?
"The Liberating Power of Simply Telling People the Truth."
'polite' bullying
Who Imitates Who? Plagiarist as Client (From Microsoft), 'Plagiarism' at the Law Firm?
let's revisit the subject
EPO's Central Staff Committee (CSC) Scrutinises the Man Who Illegally Grants (and Forces Others to Illegally Participate in Granting) Software Patents in Europe
EPO compels examiners to break the law in the name of obeying illegal "rules" or "orders"
The Latest Rumour Says The Next (as Correctly Predicted Before) Wave of Layoffs at Microsoft is 3 Weeks Away, "Larger Than the First Wave"
Step 2
TV Licensing Used to SPAM Your Postbox, Now It Does the Same to E-mail
First they ask for your E-mail address; then they start nagging you via E-mail
Our Priority is Still Tackling Software Patents and Corruption in Patent Offices
Meanwhile we got compliments on our recent articles, which means that they are effective
Slopwatch: Another Day, Another Slopfest, LLM Slop Scrapers Slow Down Our Site
We too have some slop issues; this past day this site and the sister site had to answer about 2.5 million requests (not counting Gemini Protocol) and it's slowing things down for everybody
 
Links 12/06/2025: Portland Homeless Deaths Quadruple, COVID Cases Surge in Asia
Links for the day
EPO's Gareth Lord Asked About "Quality and Productivity" or, Put Another Way, Why the EPO Keeps Granting So Many Invalid/Illegal Patents
letter to Lord
The Toxic Playbook
Either you support Prince Mohammed bin Salman or you're a nazi
It's Possible That BetaNews Got Cracked, But Nobody Talks About It, The Site Contains an Outdated Old Image, No Activity
It's possible that they will never explain what happened to the site and users' accounts
Links 12/06/2025: Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Dies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/06/2025: Video Game Diegesis and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Why the Militants Have Lost Every Battle Since 2022 (When Attacking My Wife and I in Various Ways, Even Attacking Our Employers)
This takes patience, sure, but at the end most evildoers face the consequences for their actions
Politics Will Impact Software Choices
Will those systems respect users' freedom?
EPO: Neglecting Children to Promote American Monopolies by Shielding Them From European Competition
Yesterday the Central Staff Committee at the EPO spoke about another "reform" at the Office
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Links 11/06/2025: More Vulnerabilities Found in 'Smart' Phones, China Extends Reach in the Pacific
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/06/2025: Grain and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Links 11/06/2025: "Quantum" Hype From IBM, US Closer to Martial Law, and “The Nation” Celebrates Milestone
Links for the day
IBM's CEO Roasted, Sizzled and Grilled for Dumb and Inconsistent Vapourware Promises
It looks like being a chronic liar is what it takes to lead the company once synonymous with computing
IBM's Goal Is Not (and Never Was) Computer Users' Freedom
More than 1.5 decades ago I found IBM to be an "ally of convenience" because of OpenDocument Format (ODF)
Wayland Shows the IBM/Red Hat Way of Doing Things
IBM is trying to 'kill' X
GitHub is Proprietary, Controlled by Microsoft, and GPL Violation Warehouse
"IRS tax filing software [will be] released to the people as free software" ... In general this is good news
Slopfarm Catastrophe
Seems like BetaNews (or BetaNoise) has just suffered a major data loss and restored the site from a week-old backup
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VIII: Illegal Working Conditions
How many people need to die for these people to get their massive salaries?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Links 10/06/2025: Apple Hype and Physical Attacks on Bloggers
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/06/2025: Loon Lake, Farming, and Forth
Links for the day
Links 10/06/2025: Jaws at 50 and US Democracy Crushed Very Rapidly (Martial Law Seems Imminent)
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VII: Washing Their Hands After Corruption and Abuse
"Tragedy or comedy?"
Culling Bad RSS Feeds of Bad Sites
Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater
If 'Microsoft v Techrights' is Dealt With by a 'Microsoft Court' (or a Court Outsourced to Microsoft)
More on that later
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 09, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 09, 2025
Gemini Protocol Turns Six in 10 Days From Now
If you haven't tried it yet, then give it a go today
Live as You Preach
technology is fast becoming dysphoric