Gemini* and Gopher

• Science/Personal

  • Yes, we can talk

    My times weren't, probably, your times. 1975, November the 20th, General Francisco Franco Bahamonde died, leaving a young inexperienced king at the helm, one expected to pass briefly into oblivion. Spain was, of course, doomed to yet another period of strife, perhaps into a civil war. We lost one million people in the last one, in 3 years of conflict limited to a single, medium sized nation.

    And yet, what it transpired is that people wanted Peace and Freedom, in that precise order. Our teachers didn't know what democracy was or could be. In any case, we Spaniards were a lost cause for democracy, too unruly. So what were the chances that could work.

    There were a few storms gathering too in the shape of political violence from something-marxist “liberation” groups. I'm talking about bombing ministers, shooting police officers, or bombing their houses, kidnapping people of the wrong political persuasion and so on and forth. I remember political violence from something-fascist groups too: these were smaller so did less harm, killing a dozen lawyers for the crime of being, presumably, socialists for they defended workers at trial. Meanwhile, not a few number of army officers were plotting a return to the old times. An attempt in the 23rd of February, 1981 almost succeeded. We missed school that day, out of fear. Because the un-thinkable for the last-ditch Francoists was about to happen: the PSOE, (the Socialist Workers' Party of Spain) was likely to rule the country.

  • My first popular race

    Yesterday, I took part in my first popular race. A 5Km one that those who practice running called "a stroll". Some of those didoth that and a previous 10km race. I wasn't among them, I have made myself able to run a little, but I cannot say I enjoy that much, I rather be paddling in my surfski, catching waves, breeze on my face and all that. The whole thing was pretty well organized, with toilets, refreshment, water, food and even a newspaper stand, all free for the participants. There was police and medical staff on site, which was needed as there was like 6000+ participants, all counted. One poor guy did need medical attention as, alledgely, somebody pushed him into a bollard, making him fall... nasty

  • 📷 After the Rain

    I took a small but therapeutic photo-taking walk after the rain this afternoon.

  • may 17 love detox day 4

    I am tired of thinking about her, or crying about her. I know it's not reciprocal, and it wasn't real to a certain degree. Only time now will let her image fade away. There is part of my that wants to hold-on to what was there.

    I feel like she played a role in my life, and it healed me, it changed me to my core, and now her role is over. I am unsure how to feel about that. Did I use her? She enjoyed the ride and was the one who closed the 'relation'. Am I letting her down? She seems fine walking away from it.

• Technology and Free Software

  • Internet/Gemini

    • Five years on Gemini

      Gemini has improved markedly since those days in 2020: the mailing list is gone, the anti-Gemini agitation confined to a few pages documenting the different uses of italics which Gemini authors must perforce forgo. The client ecosystem has stabilised, but new graphical clients are gradually appearing.

      There are a hundred times as many capsules as when I launched mine. It has become for me the first place that I publish medium form articles; I am in awe of the "frictionlessness" of publishing via Gemini. Gradually I'm automating the process of lifting Gemini content from my gemlog to permanent docs on my capsule or website or Google Docs sites. It's really helped me pay down intellectual debt by just getting my thoughts published.

    • Atoms feed over gopher

      I think I have come to a wacky solution for feeds over gopher. Just include the full content in the feed and host the feed on https. No, I don't like that, but it's a concession to practicalities and "real life". Let me explain.

      1) There are very few feed readers that will work nice with a feed over gopher. Many developers have but forgotten our beloved protocol. Believing it to be dead they don't provide for it, or... whatever, it doesn't matter the end result is the same, no support.

      2) There are not so many people using feed readers, which is a shame, but still, that's life.