Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal/Opinions

  • Re: Goodness and good manners

    I read this post and started thinking.

    How strong is the correlation between being a generally good person and having good manners, in my experience?

    What accounts for the lack of overlap between these two groups (good people and people with good manners)?

    What accounts for the existence of groups in which only one of these two elements is present?

    I’m writing about my own “backyard,” that is, a society where the rules of good manners are generally known. This doesn’t mean they’re universal, but the general idea is readily available, and with a little good will, it’s easy to find good examples.

• Technology and Free Software

  • AD534 Multiplier Module

    A significant limiting factor on the usefulness of THAT analog computer is the low number of multipliers and comparators — two each. THAT computers can be chained together in minion mode, which is nice, but it is hard on my budget to justify spending another 600 USD to get a few more multipliers and comparators. So, for a long time I've been considering making my own multipliers and comparators as attachable modules.

    The simple approach to a multiplier is to use the AD633 all-in-one multiplier chip. These cost about 20 USD each. That is really not all that expensive for an accurate, four-quadrant multiplier, but it is a lot of money on my tight budget. There are some other ways to build a multiplier, using various voltage controlled circuits, or some chips that were meant for other applications. As I was looking into those options, a friend from Usenet offered to send me some AD534 chips from his stock. The AD534 chips seem to be very similar to the AD633. I'm guessing the AD633 is a meant to be a modern replacement for the AD534, based on the dates on the data sheets. So, I wired up a multiplier module and tested it connected to my THAT

  • Internet/Gemini

    • Why do people publish things, anyway?

      Like I mentioned earlier, I've never had much of a web presence. I just don't feel like I have much to share or contribute.

      I had a Twitter account, but I never really used it much. I used to post photos and small updates to Facebook for family and real-life friends back in the days, but I don't really think even they cared too much.

      I'm no expert or thought leader on any topic. I certainly don't have any deep insights to share with the world which I feel obliged to publish for fear that no one else will or can. I don't see any reason for me to make more noise, when there's better sources, writers and photographers out there. And I've never been a blogger; I'm not interested in peddling anything, and no one cares how dirty my dog got on today's walk.

      So why do people publish things? Who are these people who feel they have such unique ideas, hot takes and interesting lives that they need to be shared with the world? I'm not berating them, but what drives the innumerable substacks, newsletters and Instagram influences to add yet another one to the pile?