Geek Stuff category archive
DIY 0
And now for a bit of good news . . . .
Geeking Out 0
The Fluxbox window manager on Mageia v. 7. That’s gkrellm in the bottom right, xclock in the upper right, and the Fluxbox menu in the mid-left. The background is from my collection.
I do like me my right-click menu, as I can access the menu from any point on the screen.
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Christine Louise Hohlbaum reflects on the power that we have ceded to technology companies. It is a particularly timely article amongst the swirl of lies and conspiracy theories surrounding the upcoming election.
Here’s a snippet:
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*The citation is from Which Side of History?, a recently published collection of essays.
Geeking Out 2
Listening to the Philo Vance mystery, the Movie Murder Case, from OTR.net with the VLC media player on Magiea v. 7 under the Fluxbox window manager. The wallpaper is from my collection.
Oh, and that’s Firefox and Claws Mail in a tabbed window together shaded (or “rolled up”) there towards the top of the screen, and Konsole shaded just beneath them.
You can’t do that in Windows.
The Internet of Things 0
“Smart home” (meaning one where every gadget has a network connection) is an oxymoron.
I can push my coffee maker’s “on” button all by my ownsome, thank you very much.
Via Bruce Schneier.
Geeking Out 0
Listening to Philo Vance from the Old Time Radio Network Library with the VLC media player on Mageia v. 7 under the Fluxbox window manager. The wallpaper is from my collection.
Geeking Out 0
Ubuntu MATE with the Fluxbox window manager and virtual machines of Fedora and Bohdi Linux on a Zareason Media Box.
Meta: Connectivity 0
We’ve been having intermittent connectivity issues for the past few weeks.
We could restore connectivity by rebooting the modem (that’s a fancy way of saying pulling the power, counting to ten, then plugging the power back in and waiting about five minutes for all the LEDs to come alive). I feared that the modem was going bad, which might necessitate my having do something, like taking it to my local ISP store and exchanging it for a new one. Oh, the horror of it all.
Yesterday, I called my ISP’s tech support; the support rep told me that I was not alone–that a number of customers in my area had reported problems, that the problem was likely on their end, and that their staff was actively troubleshooting it. He went on to say that they expected the issue would be resolved by the early afternoon.
And it was.
I have a number of minor gripes with my ISP, but they are all on the theoretical side of things. Their tech support and their physical support are both excellent.
Geeking Out 0
Listening to an episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective from OTR.net in the VLC media player on Mageia v. 7 under the Fluxbox window manager. The background is from my collection.
E-Skipping Class 0
From El Reg:
The unnamed 16-year-old was arrested and charged with “computer use in an attempt to defraud,” a third-degree felony, and “interference with an educational institution,” a second-degree misdemeanor.
Details at the link.
Traffic Jam on the Disinformation Super Highway 0
David interviews Nicholas Carr on how the internet and, in particular, “social” media, with its continual algorithmic torrent of distractions, is affecting our ability to deal with information. Here’s a quote from Carr:
What we know about people is that, if you give them an unlimited amount of information, they’ll go out and cherry-pick the information that reinforces their existing biases, whether those biases are based on fact or fiction or fantasy or whatever . . . .
Trumpling the Disinformation Super Highway 0
Afterthought:
There is a very real difference between spin, which may offer different interpretations of the facts twist the facts, and lies, which ignore the facts.
Geeking Out 0
Listening to Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar at OTRnet in a VirtualBox VM of Windows 8 on Ubuntu MATE using the Fluxbox window manager.
Every time I use Windows, I am reminded of what a kludge Windows is.
Think First, Click Later 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Alison Escalante explores why persons fall for fake news and misinformation on “social” media. She focuses on (mis)information about COVID-19, but I believe her conclusions can be generalized to larger topics.
The study she discusses suggests that much of the bilge is broadcast because the persons “sharing” it just don’t think before they click. Here’s a bit: