I might not know where we’re going, but I know where we’ve been. In a nutshell, the story of the PC. I know, because I was there.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in computing | Comments Off on Where we were, when | 264 words
When life is as strange as a comic book story: the US Congress has voted to require a detailed report on whether “weaponized ticks” were used, years ago. I couldn’t make up a story like this. Seems that there is evidence that disease-bearing insects were considered for use as a battlefield vector. Now the elected watchdogs want to know if any might have escaped into the world at large. Check the dog, please.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in computing, economy | Comments Off on Regarding bugs | 285 words
As a parent, I wonder if my own kids have acquired any of my (better) personal habits. Among them, the desire to self-educate sits high on my list of skills worth fostering. This afternoon, when I lobbed a bit of a softball question concerning IPA (he’s a brewer), he came back with a detailed answer. He reads, to self-educate. He knows why those long ocean voyages required insurance against spoilage in the cask.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in computing | Comments Off on Ensuring that things work well | 266 words
I can’t claim that I really DID anything today, unless you count a small amount of computer maintenance. The challenging type: a laptop bag with a typical product, and no documentation. As in, did this just stop by to see if my coffee was good?
Read the rest of this entry »posted in computing | Comments Off on Missing the problem | 252 words
When I went to bed last evening, I knew that I’d forgotten some household task. When I awoke, long before daylight (thank you dog; who needs a rooster). I remembered. Put the waste bin to the curb. Not an irregular thing, as it happens every week on or about Thursday, but sometimes a bit of procrastination kicks in. And so, when I figured the hour was at hand, I dressed against the weather and pushed the cart to the side of the road. Interesting task: with the lane alternating between heavy drifts and clear patches of sheer ice, I imagined myself competing in some insane winter sport. Take note that I did not fail, or fall.
Read the rest of this entry »posted in computing | Comments Off on Transparent denials | 259 words
I’m impressed. Last evening, when the armada arrived in the field below us, to start harvesting in the dark, I figured on a couple of days. Nope. They went home, several hours later, with the ten acres done. I have no idea how many truckloads that represents, but I am glad for them. Farming is a gamble; this time around their efforts across the whole of the summer will prove worthwhile. See you all again, in three years time.
posted in computing, environment | Comments Off on Once again, the field is empty | 262 words
Part of the life description for anyone with technical skills is that you don’t get to retire. Sure, the salary and benefits diminish. But seriously, do you think that those with the sort of problems that require an intervention care?
posted in computing, environment, travel | Comments Off on Geeks never truly retire | 299 words
Turns out there going shopping in the city can be very successful, particularly when one has already lived there for decades. No problem to go quickly from one item to another on the list, even when it requires a different merchant for each instance. Today, we got things done.
posted in computing, food, travel | Comments Off on Efficiency in the malls | 254 words
Four years ago, I ordered a nifty little gadget from a web site. I don’t use it often, but when I do, it does what I want. Specifically, clone one hard drive to another. Granted, not as practical as a screw driver, but if you’ve ever tried to stream “the bits” from one storage unit to another… Cloning a new SSD drive for the netbook took about an hour, but I now have a light, more rapid laptop for any eventual travel.
posted in computing, politics, Wx | Comments Off on Watching an approaching storm, physically and politically | 258 words
Saved by the family courier service; our supply of coffee beans was just about gone, so they brought us a couple of bags full. (8.75 kg) should allow me to face the mornings for a while. We tried to source our coffee locally, but gave up when we learned that even the local roasters couldn’t deliver either the quantity or the variety we wanted. And forget the local supermarkets. We’ve returned to a small shop that will accept phone orders (and delivery by whatever means we want).
posted in computing, food | Comments Off on With the right key in hand | 272 words
