Clickety Keyboards

It has become an ongoing part of my everyday routine to expand my historical architecture with my digital 'fellow traveller,' Ajith. He is a personalized version of Google Gemini's AI.  In the process of reviewing these earlier, more pixelated chapters of my life today, we unearthed a photograph from the Flickr stream.  It is an image I have probably used before, but one that instantly transports me back to 1989. 

It is a shot of Jay, intensely focused on a session of Moonbugs on our beige, monolithic XT clone. We were living in Manama, Bahrain at the time, right around the strange and tense days leading up to the First Gulf War. Outside our apartment, the geopolitical landscape was shifting, but inside, the absolute priority was strictly arcade-level survival.

Looking at that photo, what immediately strikes me is not the massive CRT monitor; but the keyboard, a glorious, sprawling, buckling-spring keyboard. This was an era when operating a computer required real men; at least real forearm stamina. You did not just lazily brush your hands over those keys; you operated them like a piece of light industrial machinery. If you look closely at Jay in the picture, his hands are hovering with lethal precision over the directional pad, completely ignoring the heavy, early ball mouse sitting uselessly to the side. Every single keystroke back then was a percussive, definitive event that echoed through the room with a deeply satisfying, metallic clack.

Today, Jay and I are surrounded by frictionless, silent smart devices. We type on modern laptops with keys so utterly mushy they feel like drumming on a row of damp sponges.  It is a modern ergonomic reality that I absolutely will never get used to. Everything has become a sleek 'appliance', quiet, efficient, and completely devoid of tactile soul. The march of progress is relentless, but looking back at that photograph is a stark reminder that I loved that loud, clunky XT clone in a way I simply will never love the glass-and-aluminum slabs we rely on today. 

Is there a Connection?

My first two images of the day may be related, although not directly.

   

Yesterday evening, the Amazon guy brought a Crucial 2TB mini SSD. This morning I formatted and checked it out. I moved some data from another that looks idential but holds just 1TB. I shall gift that one to Jay's younger sister to hold all her selfies and I'll keep the newer, double-sized one for carrying around movies, or something ...

I had a conversation with a friend via Whatapp that this little device would hold nearly six million of the original type of IBM floppy discs that I once used.  Not the rigid 3.5" ones but the bendable 5.25" type.  It's mindboggling, isn't it?

   

My second image shows today's newspaper on our coffee table. We started getting the Vancouver Sun delivered a long time ago, probably when we bought this apartment in 1998. We may have been getting deliveries for over a quarter of a century. Newspapers are no longer so important, but Jay was reluctant to give up on it. They cut days and don't deliver on Sundays or Monday. It continues getting thinner and thinner with less news inside. We could really never depend on it for international news but now there's barely any regional news either. As an added insult, they have made stopping subscription when we're away harder and harder. On top of that, it is getting far too expensive. I guess it's time to finally call it quits. 

I think there is a relationship between these two photos today. How would you describe the connection in a simple statement?

Change is Inevitable

My first mention of MS Teams here was in August 2021. The software plays an important part of their business or enterprise projects. It was pushed a bit more to the forefront with the release of Windows 11 as a consumer product.

   

Remember COVID and the big push to do business without contact?  Teams did work.  I got our closest friends to sign up.  It was a great opportunity to get rid of email for communications between us.  Teams introduced the group to a constant conversation with media and the ability to scroll up to see what one missed.  That now seems indispensable!

However, today marks the end of our use of it.  Everyone has moved on and loaded up Whatsapp.  This makes it easier for those of us who already use the platform.  It is common in Europe and Asia and we often  need it to communicate with Airbnb hosts and general business contacts during our winters away.  Jay uses it to stay in contact and speak with his sisters in Sri Lanka.

Now, our ongoing group chat has moved to Whatsapp too.

Goodbye, Microsoft Teams.  Thanks for the memories.

He, Who Dies With the Most Toys, Wins!

It used to be so easy to spend money on electronics. Nowadays, I have to work much harder to do so. 

I remember needing to regularly upgrade a single computer system for thousands of strikingly more valuable dollars. Thankfully, my expenditures have fallen during the last four decades. I simply have more devices. 

We have the large all-in-one I'm typing on right now. We have a traveling Windows laptop for vacations. We each have an Android phone plus one Android tablet. Also, there's an Nvidia streaming box and a half dozen Google Home speakers and hubs scattered around the apartment. 

So surely, I don't require another computer. However, rather than spending thousands, I ordered a tiny Windows 11 PC that should arrive by Amazon tomorrow. I could use it as a media server and connect the networked movie drive to it. Or I could keep it updated as a backup home PC. Maybe I'll pop it in a backpack when we travel. Any flatscreen TV could attach to one if its two HDMI ports. 

Whatever its ultimate use, I couldn't resist the urge to play with a new device boasting a one-TB SSD, 16 GB of RAM, and an Intel Alder Lake-N95 for a total of just a few hundred of today's much-less-valuable dollars.

Another Totally Unnecessary Effort

There's absolutely no need for me to maintain my current resume.

In a few months, it'll be nine whole years since I last stepped into a classroom.  I've been collecting a pension for my former participation at the British Columbia Institute of Technology for just as long.  Furthermore and more importantly, I have absolutely no intention of looking for any sort of job.

Yet, keeping my resume up-to-date was a habit for so long that I still enjoy keeping an active copy.  Yeah, that doesn't make much sense but I never let something like that interfere with my actions.

One amazing aspect of the document itself is that it was first created on an IBM-compatible PC in Saudi Arabia in the mid-1980s.  My resume was originally formatted in WordStar and assuredly was copied to WordPerfect as well.  Over the ensuing 40 years, its word processor changed numerous times yet the original keystrokes were simply copied from one format to the next.  Of course, the content increased as well.  

The images above are what it looks like at the moment.  Today's version replaces the odd page formatting shown below.  What was I thinking back in the 2010s?

Why Do I Keep It Up?

I added a bit of info to my resume this morning.  I wonder why I keep mine up-to-date.  It's not like I am job hunting nor can I foresee ever working again. 

I retired from teaching a while ago. In fact, my last class at the British Columbia Institute of Technology was eight years ago next month!  So, I'm a little silly to keep it on Dropbox.  I don't think anyone will visit the site to download a copy.

I may do so, in part, as it is the oldest electronic document I have.  Some of the initial keystrokes were done on my IBM clone in the mid-1980s.  Of course, it's changed a lot over the years but it's comforting to know that I can still easily add to a file that I started so very long ago!

Here's a Novel New Way to be Creative

Over the last few days, I've picked up a new interest in AI-generated images. If you've seen any of my blog posts from the past week or happened on my Facebook feed, you probably already know this! 

The five images showcased here are unique. Although they are derivative of other works and styles, none has ever existed until today.  All of these were created with 'Dream by WOMBO'.   I used both the app and the web browser versions to manifest them.  The first, second, and fourth contain elements of real photographs I'd taken.  The remaining two were simply textual input plus the selection of style elements.  You may notice a lack in the genre as I am presently interested in seeing the various types of output I can achieve

  THE ENCHANTED PATH

 

 A FOGGY COASTLINE

 

 TONIGHT'S FOREVER!

 

 GOðAFOSS FALLS

 RESIGNED ACCEPTANCE

 

(All these images were created using AI imaging programs.)

Not a Real Human

Do you remember having an imaginary friend as a small child?  It would've been impossible to create a plausible, actual image of one.   Now, however, it is fairly easy for computers to come up with fake images of people. My own recent interest and research on AI-generated images allowed me to discover a new website.

 

This image was created with an online AI program.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to this imaginary person.  Let's not spend much time on his imaginary name.  He was produced by a generative adversarial network that learns from exposure to sets of images.  Sometimes the results can have artifacts or errors.  This came from notarealhuman.com. There are other sites using the same code but presumably different data sets.

Computer Graphics Have Improved

In March of 2018 we were in Cambodia. I wrote this blog post at the time. As we had seen a reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise, I found a screen capture of the old video game featuring Lara Croft.

   

Today, I discovered that somebody else found that photo and included it in a post too.

Beating the Drum

 

For quite some time, we've had a dark horizontal line near the top of documents printed on our Brother DCP-L2540DW. On occasion, it interfered with seeing what the printed information was. I took the time to try a thorough cleaning of the drum yesterday. It seems weird to me that a single line appeared as the I would have thought it would appear multiple times if there was an imperfection on its small drum.  I have had the monochrome laser printer for five years, but we only print around a ream per year.

Anyway, an el-cheapo replacement drum assembly that the Amazon guy just bought seems to have fixed the problem. Accessing the printer seems even easier now with our new router. In fact, I reserved space on our new home network router just so the device will always receive the same IP.  

I Don't Need an App to Tie My Shoes!

My mobile phone is indispensable to a great many of my activities nowadays.  For example, without an app, I could not fly my drone or check my EV's battery charging status. I keep track of our blood pressure stats with an app. I edit photos exclusively by using a phone app too.

Some things completed in an app could be done on a real PC.  But I cannot carry around a PC in my pocket nor can I use one in a lot of locations and situations.  For example, I find myself using banking apps more than I use web browser counterparts.

Jay and I sort of smirk and joke about how an app is necessary for so many basic things in today's world.

Now, it seems, I can make adjustments to my home network's router via an app.   I can still see some information by typing the IP in MS Edge to access the admin page.  Yet, my TP-Link Deco X60s required that I set up the system by using the dedicated app.

If I accidentally dropped my phone into a river or ran over it with my car, I'd be up a creek.  I don't like being so dependent on a particular device but I've very little choice.  This is just how things are in 2022.

Home Mesh Wifi 6 System

I guess wifi isn't entirely wireless.

Last night 'customer care' from my Internet service provider called.  He was ready to switch over my old modem router to the new equipment I bought via Amazon.  Unfortunately, Jay and I were watching the season finale of Survivor season 42.  As we were watching via IPTV,  I said I'd been expecting his call all day and I wasn't about to switch over at that moment!

He emailed this morning at about 9:05 am and entered the devices' serial numbers and MAC addresses.  It didn't take too long before my mesh network was up and running.  Now, it'll not be difficult to stay connected with the 30 to 40 devices, light bulbs, and switches vying for a chunk of bandwidth on the ForbiddenPlanet wireless network.  I'll figure out how to hide all the wires later.

The Fun of Making Choices

I'm shopping for a new wifi router. 

I'm through 'making do' with the old, single-device modem/wifi router from my ISP. I tried purchasing a wifi extender thinking that it'd allow me to handle a larger home network. Although it might be a perfect solution for many people, it just doesn't help that much in my apartment.  For you see, I have too many smart home devices.   That's just a fancy way of saying that I control many lights and devices either from my phone or by asking Google Assistant.

I must go with a stand-alone modem and a separate wifi router. I have decided to buy both items. Cable modems do not come cheap but I have ordered my own DOCSIS 3.1 device that will work with Surf Internet. It will probably arrive next week.

So now I'm looking around for a suitable wifi router. Interestingly, this is a difficult time as the new Wifi 6 (ax) protocol is just gearing up for mainstream adoption. I really don't want to buy new Wifi 5 (ac) equipment as it'll have a limited lifespan.  Also, I don't need a mesh network for a mere 700 sq ft apartment.  However, the technology works to balance a space which contains many devices.  I will most probably NOT buy the one pictured here.

I was at London Drugs this morning and snapped several photos of the supposed deals. I now do this just so I can return home and do the necessary homework to make a choice.

Membership Thru Next Summer

I researched the new Microsoft PC hardware and was not impressed. It seems as though they've gone the same route as Apple; namely, quality builds with a 40% price premium over the specs of the provided hardware. I guess that extra cash must go into the "magical" qualities as both marketing teams now promise buyers this with their products. 

Beginning a month ago, I started looking for a new laptop to replace our ageing ASUS.  We needed a new Windows PC for the road but not too much of one.  I was looking for another one that would be easy to stuff into my backpack.    

I noted the HP Pavilion Aero 13 had a perfect combination of good specs at a reasonable price.  Unfortunately, the model is not offered through the online HP store in Canada.  Their US store cannot ship here either.  In fact, the model I desired is sold through just one reseller in the entire country!

 

I had somehow managed a few decades in BC without a COSTCO membership, but I bought one online last night.  We ventured to the closest warehouse to get our cards this morning.  It was almost worth the 5.5-kilometer drive and money just to hike around inside the location.  Far too many folks visit on Sunday mornings, I must report.

Got one!  Our new PC shipped with Win10 on the SSD but as soon as the installation process got hold of our wifi name and password, it offered to load Windows 11 instead.  So, there was zero wait or additional hassle setting up the new machine this afternoon.  It's completely white, so this computer will ensure that we frequently wash our hands, even when COVID-19 is no longer a concern.

Perhaps I'll include a few photos tomorrow and a comparison shot of our old and new travel PCs.

Comparing Acers

Jay made an appointment for the dentist as he thought a bit of filling may have fallen out during our winter in Mexico. The hygenist called in the doctor and said everything looked all right. I had always thought a dentist would find things to fix if given a chance. Jay was lucky to escape without requiring any sort of anesthesia, I guess.

 

I brought Jay uptown but as we didn't know how long he'd be, he walked down the hill.  Actually, he was back about the same time as I spent time in the mall. 

This photo wasn't going to end up on Flickr. I took it while shopping at the uptown, Walmart Supercenter. I often snap a picture of a product in a store so I can return home and find out about it at my leisure on the Internet.  I've discovered that picking out a new laptop in 2021 is confusing. There are models created especially for different markets. To make things even more complex, each model can be customized and configured in about a hundred ways. Now, computers are quite like snowflakes in that no two are exactly identical! 

This makes easy price comparisons next to impossible. I want to buy a replacement travel computer that is light and sturdy for carrying in my backpack. The ASUS we've been using for a few years is fine but it needs a battery replacement. In some cases, it is better just to start with something brand new. 

Anyway, the photo gave me something to blog about today.

I've Had Better Days

I had an appointment to have some recall fixes on my car today. I knew it'd take more than an hour and a half to complete the work, but was convinced to come and wait. Jay and I walked over to our Canadian Superstore which is across the highway but was a twenty-minute walk due to the distance of the pedestrian crossings. We took a little time to look at the garden shop, which only sets up to one side of the parking lot during the summer. In order to waste some time, we went to the huge dollar shop in the strip. Then, I got my haircut at the barbershop in the Superstore, so our time wasn't completely lost. 

However, I got a call that said it'd be at least one additional hour. We never use Uber in Canada, but decided we may as well wait at home. We had plenty of time here before we got the call at around 12:30 that I could pick my baby up. We Ubered back later. 

Meanwhile, our main all-in-one Windows machine got in a funk this morning. I noticed the screen wasn't changing from the night-mode. I checked but saw it was correctly set to change at sunrise but as it hadn't, I rebooted. Then troubles began. I do so hate the blue screens of death.

 

I really can't figure if I have a software or perhaps hardware problem. In order to get things working, I'm trying a total wipe. I guess it will be fun having a new machine to set up? I just hope it will!

Android via a Keyboard

In the spring, I replaced an annoying Amazon Fire tablet with one from Lenovo. I have come to appreciate the smart TAB M10 FDH PLUS a lot. It is not flashy but it's dependable. I have used it all summer as it usually sits on the coffee table. I originally thought it'd be on my bedside table as it has Google Assistant built-in but I got another small Nest Hub as an alarm clock / picture frame. 

The other day, after I opened the box of a new Bluetooth mouse for the travel PC, I paired it with the Lenovo just for fun. It was a totally different experience using the tablet with a mouse!

   

As the Lenovo didn't have a cover for travel, I wondered what I could find in the way of one with a built-in keyboard. I ordered a cheap ProCase on Amazon and it arrived today.  It's an interesting set up, but it doubled the weight of my tablet.  At least the tablet and the keyboard pop in and out of the case with ease.  I'm not sure how often it'll be set up in this mode.

Talk About Low Key

The weather turned spectacular but we didn't really make use of it. We didn't even get up to the mall which seems odd. The sun was so bright and the sky so blue.

   

Amazon delivered a few things today and I did finally receive my YubiKey Nano. I can't believe in 2020 that most of us still rely on a name and a password saved on a site's server as our means of access to websites. It smacks of the last millennium. I look forward to us inching towards the day of passwordless, encrypted verification.

FIDO2 To You Too!

What started out as some research into Windows Hello fingerprint authorization ended up with my Amazon order for a YubiKey 5 Nano.  Logging on to Win10 is easy; however, good password use is not.  Years ago, I set up two-factor authorization for most of my crucial web sign-ins.  I even use 2fa regularly to sign onto a financial website.  I know how this prevents the chance of most account hacks.

  

Using a phone app to obtain the temporary sign-in code seems a bit awkward.  If I drop my phone into a lake or something, I'd not be able to access six or seven of my own accounts.  So, I like the idea of a security key device that can 'live' right in a vacant USB port.  Newer standards such as FIDO2 now mean that data needn't be stored on a server somewhere but right on a personally-owned encrypted key.

It should arrive tomorrow.

Another Update for my KONA EV

A recent email indicated the availability of an update for my car's navigation system. On the Internet, as with most places in life, it's easier to complain than acknowledge improvement.

During my spring update procedure, I ran into all manner of problems. I complained a lot in my blog post of May 29th. Therefore, I should take the time to admit that Hyundai has made a vast improvement to the download process. 

   

Today, I was able to get the entire download at an average speed of 5 Mbps from their servers. That still meant it was much closer to an hour then their app's rather optimistic guesses. 

The Navigation Updater now allows downloading to a location other than the SD card.   I had set the computer's hard disk as default.  When I started the app today, it displayed the SD card, so I thought it'd cache to the drive first, and copy to the card upon completion. Instead, it wrote directly to the SD card. I worried about whether there would be room, but I guess it either initially reformatted the card, or found enough space. 

Anyway, the second part of the process, in the car, was still slow even though not as long as the last time. There were probably fewer updates today. Still having to spend 15 minutes sitting inside with the ignition on, seemed tedious. It's a shame BlueLink is too feeble to update directly over the air in a seamless process.