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WAMP 2024
Entry created on 2024-09-02 Authors: steeph (315) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (20) Camping (1) Pictures (59) Languages used: en (179) Topics: Events → Camps (5) Events → Chaos → WAMP (1)
18

Das WAMP war mal wieder eine tolle Erfahrung dieses Jahr. Ich muss mich bei den Organisierenden dafür bedanken, den Besuchern einen angenehmen Urlaub und gleichzeitig ein Chaos-Event mit Programm zu bieten. Aus der Erfahrung der letzten beiden Jahren wurden Verbesserungen extrahiert und umgesetzt. Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf etwas über 100 gestiegen. Genau so kann das WAMP meinetwegen bleiben. Ich hätte nichts dagegen, wenn noch ein paar mehr Tickets in Umlauf gebracht würden. Platz ist da. Aber es war dieses Jahr von angenehm stressfreier Größe.

Sicher gäbe es viel zu erzählen. Aber geht doch selbst mal hin, wenn es euch so interessiert. Wer Chaos-Events kennt hat anhand der hier angehängten Fotos schon einen ausreichenden Eindruck. Ich weiß, keine Bildbeschreibungen aktuell. Also zusammenfassend: Viel Platz, wiesen, ein paar Bäume, alles mit viel RGB, in der großen, offenen Holzunterkunft das Hockcenter und der Essensbereich. Ein Vortragszelt, dieses Jahr auch ein Hardware-Hacking-Zelt vom ZLT mit gutem Lötbausatzangebot, beheizter Pool, Sauna, Feuerstelle.

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The Silicon Underground Blog
Entry created on 2024-08-17 Authors: steeph (314) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (19) Blogs (4) CPUs (4) Computers (8) Retro Computing (5) Shared (16) Vintage Tech (1) Languages used: en (178)
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I don't feel like writing because it feels like work right now. I'm in the transition to a new job. Maybe that's why my brain is fuller than last month. But I resolved to post more regularly here now. So I fall back to a simple trick: I use interesting content that somebody else has created and link to it.

There's this blog about 80s and 90s things, with on of its main focus topics being home and business computers from the 80s up until 1999. It's so interesting to learn more about the tech from back then. Like this article about the AMD Athlon. I loved tinkering with PCs at the time. I loved the Athlon and its successors even more than its predecessors. But reading the article is more than fond tinkering and gaming memories for me because I never knew about the legal surrounding and background of technological developments back then. It was slightly pre my first computer magazine subscription.

The Silicon Underground - David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more

There are a lot of posts about computers and its components, model trains, clothing and fashion, but also other things that should work both as entry points into nostalgic reminiscing and a source for interesting but likely now useless facts.

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F(x)tex Pro¹ X
Entry created on 2024-08-03 Authors: steeph (314) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (19) Android (3) Battery (4) Computer (73) Crowdfunding (3) Hands-On (2) Hardware (10) Keyboard (3) Smartphones (3) Languages used: en (178)
15

First of all: Look at the title. That's how the name of this device is spelled. I've never, and probably will never, be able to spell that correctly without looking it up.

I've contributed to the crowdfunding campagne in 2020. Various pandamic-related issues, a partly re-design, Chinese lock-down delays, devious shipping-issues and, during the last few years, suspected additional, unexplaned issues caused the delivery date to be postponed uncounted times. More than three years later, I've received my Pro¹ X arrived. That means that I guessed right about the makers not being the worst scum of the earth because the ran off with the money without sendind out the devices that we knew had already been produced. I don't know how this scam should have worked unless they sold the devices again to other people. But that was the general tone to which the comments on Indiegogo had goaded each other over the years.

I wanted a keyboard phone for years. I've had My experience with the Planet Computers devices, which some see as the competition. I've had more hopes for the Pro¹ X being the device I was whishing, searching and waiting for becasue it's keyboard is closer to those of the later slide-out qwerty smartphones, like Nokias N900 and because the Pro¹ X's predecessor, the Pro 1, has been reviewd positively by people with the same preferences as me.

So, the phone finally arrived. And, it didn't work. The battery hasn't been charged in years. It didn't charge. It did nothing electronic. But luckily some other campagne contributor has figured out a way to persuade the phone to charge. Interesting that they decided to send out the devices without knowing how the receipients could use them. Of course, the battery's capacity isn't what it was advertised as. In airplane mode with the display turned off and no app running the battery lasts for just over 24 hours. When used, the battery gets drained respectively quickly. But it works. Enough for a few sentences about my first experience.

The keyboard is not the theoretical ideal my brain has developed in the last 10 years. But I don't think that ideal exists. There probably are keys with a nicer preassure point and a click that feels nicer and is even more reliable. There have been in 2O02. But I didn't honestly expect that in a sub-1000-€ phone. The slide-lout mechanism is as snappy and firm as I've seen it described by users od the previous F(x)tec phone. I hope it lasts at least a few hundret times as long as the one on the Astro Slide.

The camera is fine. Much better than the alibi camera of the Titan Pocket that I'm currently using as my main phone. As it happens, I the week after I received the phone I stayed in the same hotel I was in when I tried out the Astro Slide. So I was able to make the same pointless test photos that I've posted in the Anstro Slide entry back then. (See below.) Okay resolution, mediocre sensore, unreliable auto white balance, usable but not enjoyable under artificial light (of normal brightness).

The screen is nice, which is the absolute minimum one expects in the cheapest of phones nowadays. It's bright enough, has a higher resolution than I need, has noticable colour-shift when viewed at an extreme angle. One edge is rounded, which is a first in my personal phone, but not really something I'll expect to use. It's more than fine. I don't need a display as great as what's common nowadays.

It's the best phone I had in my hands in years. The best for my preferences. If only the battery hadn't been killed by it's years-long storage period, the software would be the only thing I'd have to concern myself with in order to make this my primary phone. The pre-installed Android is very very Google-y. Not to my taste anymore. It works well, as one would expect. Not as buggy as with the Astro Slide and previous Planet Computers' Mediathek-based PDAs. Once I've installed LineageOS and replaced the battery, this may become my favourite smartphone ever. It might finally be the one to beat the Nokia 9300 for practical reasons.

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New Acrylic LED Pictures
Entry created on 2024-08-02 Authors: steeph (314) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (19) Art (1) My Little Pony (10) Pictures (58) Ponies (7) Languages used: en (178)
14

I still make st least some of these LED pictures each year to sell at GalaCon Some of them I like better than others. But there aren't really any that stand out enough for me to want to share them here. I'm making qantity above all, not investing the necessary time and effort to realise the more elaborate ideas. A sheet, a template, outlines, possibly shadows. Like the ones of which I've attached quick snapshots below (quick and dirty, including greasy fingerptints, sorry). No multiple colours, no 3D effect, no several seconds, no customised software for the LED driver. There are so man things that could be done. I'm producing what I think that people want to see at my vendow table. That's still fun. I'm just not approaching the limits of my potential, which could potentially be much more fun. I've always approached this LED picture thing like cooking for a popular restaurant. I make what I knwo people will like, plus some variety. But I'm neither a cook nor am I trying to make money with this venture. Maybe I'll explore making what I want to make more from now on. Just one more interesting picture a year, or something.

I've always had ideas for more complex LED pictures and night lights. At making some of them I've made attempts before. But Nothing that I'm proud of enough to post here. The idea to spend more time on a single picture and possibly make multiple iterations until I'm satisfied has been rekindled though by one specific conversation that I had last year with themisto97. He has made some very elaborate multi-colour LED pictures. There's Jungle Sunset, Sunset Magic, Daring Do and he told me last week that he might try and get around to adding more to his Gallery soon.

And while I'm at it, here are three more LED pictures that I like that are not just outlines: A hand-engraved Princess Luna with different area-filling styles by Ksander-Zen (more night lights from them), hand-engraved, multi-coloured Colonia by Malte279 and laser-etched, monochrome ditcher of Moon Dancer with Party Favor by VasGoTec.

Oh, look, there's an extra paragraph where a description of my ideas for multi-coloured LED pictures could be that could make somebody hold me to making them because I said I wanted to.

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GalaCon and the Brony Fandom 2024
Entry created on 2024-07-31 Authors: steeph (315) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (20) Events (20) GalaCon (4) My Little Pony (10) Photos (23) Ponies (7) Languages used: en (179) Topics: Events → Conventions (4) Events → My Little Pony (6)
13

I was at GalaCon 2024. Actually, I was at every GalaCon since the first one in 2012 in Stuttgart. But the 2024 one was just last weekend and that's the one I'm going to write about. GalaCon is a My Little Pony fan convention in southern Germany that's taken the place of the largest such gathering in Europe ever since the fourth generation of the My Little Pony TV show has become the source of such a popular meme and art culture. As usually with events I write about, I'm not going to explain what it is like, what culture characterises which parts of the event or what happened in the past. I'm writing this from the perspective of somebody who is famililiar with the fandom even though they have not been involved with it much in recent years.

I had a vendor table again, selling my LED pictures. (I hope I remember to link the post here that I plan to write tomorrow.) So I didn't exactly have the time to walk around all day and attend panels and workshops whenever I liked. But I took enough time to walk around the vendor hall (which really is just everywhere around the corridors of the venue). My overall impression was that mostly established vendors with experience had a table, and only one new name was there. More than one new to GC. But only one who was trying out how things go for the first time. The fandom did change over the years. It's not as young and brisk anymore and the vendor hall reflects that. The establieshed cosplay, plushie and other fandom culture has the power to conceseal the fact that this has become an old fandom. New things arise, and a new generation of the show ensure new content and dialogue. So it is not a dying fandom or a fandom occupied with the past. But it has come a long way since 2013. The mountains of fresh memes, edgy video shorts and its affiliation with the troll cuture has faded to the point I don't expect people I talk to to know anything about it. Many remember the biggest memes and running gags. Others have heard about the funniest controversies or the most cornerstone events of the fandom. But I don't expect anybody to know. And nowadays I'm not actively involved in the fandom much. GalaCon once a year and two or three post on social media a year are pretty much the extend of what I see of it. I'm one of the 2013 bronies. And by now it doesn't matter anymore what your definition of a brony is or whether I myself define me as one. A 2013 brony simply is what I am and that's the role that I play at fandom events. I may catch up on the new generation of the show. But it will lack the enthusiasm that I experienced during a livestream of the new episode with a chat in 2015 or so and I will not be tempted to created memes and GIF animations from the new episode like I used to. It's a G5 fandom now. Not the one controversion or wholesome news articles were written about. Just one cartoon fandom among many. This is not to say that it's character changes. Lover and Tolerance are still values that are held high by many and referenced to at times. It is not the motto of everything most people do most of the time anymore. But in the end, I really like the plushie culture, the implied freindliness and the kind of show-related talk that occurs during an event like GalaCon, aside from the show itself.

I was surprised at how many pictures I took this year. Nothign special. I'm not the hobby photographer anymore who takes his camera everywhere and overuses it's ability to take 6.3 photos per second for pretty much no cost. But it did show, like in the lest of my life, that I'm getting off the years-long period of being too stressed to even read a paragraph of anything or to thing about how to frame or light a photo of something. So, to my surprise, I left out many photos that weren't that bad or even interesting, to draw a more even picture of the entire event as I experienced it. The attached photos are meant as an impression of what I saw from my table, while walking arounf or socialising outside suring and after the event. In addition to the photos below I took a lot of photos of the concert on Saturday. To be honest, almost exclusively of Prince Whateverer's performance. Over 190 pictures got into the shortlist of pictures that I will post in an additional entry in this blog. It was the first time that Prince Whateverer and My SLR camera were at the same venue. And I too the chance to try and get as many nice stage pictures as I could during the half hour he and the band played. Well, the best I could do with the two focal lengths I had packed (30 mm and 8 mm at a 1/1.6 crop sensor). I plan to edit some of them this week and post them in my next entry.

As for my LED picture selling stuff, it's incredible how close I keep getting to a bottom-line-0 almost every year. I didn't make any money again this year except if I exclude the convention ticket for me and my helper and calculate with an hourly wage of 0 € for everybody involved. It really is a loss. But I'm not planning to quit. As every year, I didn't sell every last thing that I made. So I have some merch to start with in the next year. And I always have enough ideas to make new pictures that I can then sell. I also have ideas for some elaborate ideas that would be far too expensive to sell. (Althoug, I should try before I claim that.) And one of those years I'll probably make one ore the other of those. I think I'll probably write more about that in my upcoming post about my LED picture hobby.

There are so many details that I though I'd write about. But I don't see the point right now to spend a lot of time on jokes and references only people who attended the convention would get. So, instead I'll just describe some of the convention's surroundings. Since I didn't write about GalaCon last year (the first year at the new venue in Waiblingen), I'd first like to emphasise how much I like the Bürgerzentrum compared to the Forum in Ludwigsburg. The Forum was great. It could hardly have been any better. The building, its style, the square in front of it. The parking area and the park nearby. I thought it would probably be worse in Waiblingen. But: The venue is very much in the same style; even the fountain on the square in front of it. There is a park even closer to it. There is a beergarden with good food very close, which is arguably better than the Irish bub in Ludwigsburg. The parking is just as cheap (but only a very limited number of spaces for vehicles higher than 2 m is available) as it used to be in Ludwigsburg. And the only thing you even need to cross a street for are the two discount markets that are right across the strees, way closer than the next supermarket or similar store used to be in Ludwigsburg. I can't speak for other attendies or the organisers. But I like the new venue very much. There are way fewer hotels in the entire town. Many more attendies than before have to commute from Stuttgart. There is no Bodencon or Stair Con or similar venture that I'm aware of. But in principle the park area would hold enough places for settings up tents or maybe even very small camps for the night. That would probably not go well as lonog as it did in Ludwigsburg since more passerby would notice them in the morning and such a camp would be difinitely illegal in Germany. But I'm just saying, in principle, there are nice places under some bridges and next the the stream.

I watched the recording of the livestream on Tuesday. Monday was for sleeeeeeeeeeeping. (There's this many 'e's in the word because I slept for such a looooooooong time.) And honestly, I think that a nice way of adding that content to my con experience. I still rememberd the people that I met and the memes that were going around and the cosplayers and the genral vibe of the event when I watched the panel recordings. I really like that GalaCon not only does high-quality livestreanms and free recordings but also publishes the unedited livestreams on YouTube right away. I've watched everything that happened in the mane hall in those two days. (Well, I skipped some bits.) And I was not disappointed by the amount of ambition that many attendies of the charity auction have put into keeping years-old jokes alive, developing them further and in one case, taking it over the top. I consider this the GalaCon at which one particular shark has been jumped (figuratively, even though there were shark plushies around). If you know how GalaCon charity auction go and you remember the Swiss bronies vs. the Joker fondly, you should watch this years's auction. Above that, I guess it's nothing special nor worth watching for somebody who doesn't know what I'm talking about. More about the actual convention in the image descriptions below.

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Saul Gutmann, a lawer very much in character most of the time posing for the camera after his other standard move: giving everybody that he just met one of his business cards_
Saul Gutmann, a lawer very much in character most of the time posing for the camera after his other standard move: giving everybody that he just met one of his business cards.
Saul Gutmann meating bronies in the park_
Saul Gutmann meating bronies in the park.
One of my favourite outfits that weekend_ Casual, Dash shirt, small scoot plush, proper hair, friendly wearer_
One of my favourite outfits that weekend. Casual, Dash shirt, small scoot plush, proper hair, friendly wearer.
Bronies at the beergarden close by_ At a certain time of the night at least one table will have loud electronic pony music playing_
Bronies at the beergarden close by. At a certain time of the night at least one table will have loud electronic pony music playing.
So many plushies at the beergarden as well_ That is mostly how I determine that it's a brony table_
So many plushies at the beergarden as well. That is mostly how I determine that it's a brony table.
I just liked the pictuure_ Couldn't not share it_
I just liked the pictuure. Couldn't not share it.
The second of two chalk paintings this year_ I have no idea why this trend suddenly plummeted like this_ The Hamburg meetup ended up taking their group picture not in front of the drawing but closer to the building, maybe because of the weather_
The second of two chalk paintings this year. I have no idea why this trend suddenly plummeted like this. The Hamburg meetup ended up taking their group picture not in front of the drawing but closer to the building, maybe because of the weather.
Scootalooplushies were one of my favourite thngs to take pictures of this year_ This is the only one with hairy hair_ Looks punky_ I like it_
Scootalooplushies were one of my favourite thngs to take pictures of this year. This is the only one with hairy hair. Looks punky. I like it.
Another Scootaloo plush_ It doesn't get much cuter than this_
Another Scootaloo plush. It doesn't get much cuter than this.
The "black market" at the camper parking area close to the venue_ Speculations were brought up that they were selling OnlyFactory and other chinese cheap pony plushies there, like at that one stand close to the old venue in Ludwigsburg once_ But I don't know anybody who has met anybody at that trailer_
The "black market" at the camper parking area close to the venue. Speculations were brought up that they were selling OnlyFactory and other chinese cheap pony plushies there, like at that one stand close to the old venue in Ludwigsburg once. But I don't know anybody who has met anybody at that trailer.
The front window of the "black market" trailer_ There is a hint of a huge plush further back in the camper_
The front window of the "black market" trailer. There is a hint of a huge plush further back in the camper.
I just like how many plushies are poking out of backpacks_ Can be cute_
I just like how many plushies are poking out of backpacks. Can be cute.
Sparkling drinks with pony theme_ I guess somebody made them themselves some years back_ This brony had six of them left still unopened_ Sounded like he couldn't decide whether he was a collector or wanted a soft drink_ But he ended up continuing to be a collector_
Sparkling drinks with pony theme. I guess somebody made them themselves some years back. This brony had six of them left still unopened. Sounded like he couldn't decide whether he was a collector or wanted a soft drink. But he ended up continuing to be a collector.
The other chalk drawing this year_ Looked really good from the right height_
The other chalk drawing this year. Looked really good from the right height.
Looked weired from the wrong height_ But they did take the time to extend the lines inbetween_ I like that work_
Looked weired from the wrong height. But they did take the time to extend the lines inbetween. I like that work.
Poking out might be an understatement in this case_ She was gazing at the clear sky or trying to fall out_ I don't know_
Poking out might be an understatement in this case. She was gazing at the clear sky or trying to fall out. I don't know.
Raise the flag_ Raise the flag_ …
Raise the flag. Raise the flag. …
Dusty Katt and [refraining from any speculation_ I don't remember who that is_ I probably should know_] in great costume in this year's theme_
Dusty Katt and [refraining from any speculation. I don't remember who that is. I probably should know.] in great costume in this year's theme.
My vendor table after setting up but before cleaning up_ (I always forget to clean up before the con is over_)
My vendor table after setting up but before cleaning up. (I always forget to clean up before the con is over.)
My favourite piece this year_ It wasn't sold; a little bit to my surprise_ So I gifted it to my helper_
My favourite piece this year. It wasn't sold; a little bit to my surprise. So I gifted it to my helper.
I made some non-MLP pictures this year_
I made some non-MLP pictures this year.
Corner broke off, so I decided to make it a Tempest picture_ Sold it including the broken-off horn_
Corner broke off, so I decided to make it a Tempest picture. Sold it including the broken-off horn.
This plushie maker didn't apparently wanted to feed the Fanta joke but she said she didn't want her plushies to end up at the auction_ So she made a Spezi, a Sprite and a Coke plush_ Really great work!
This plushie maker didn't apparently wanted to feed the Fanta joke but she said she didn't want her plushies to end up at the auction. So she made a Spezi, a Sprite and a Coke plush. Really great work!
Folr the first time there was a vendor at GalaCon who mainly sold similar items as me_ He has laser-cut and -etched vectors, a limited slection of pictures, a nice table set-up with black backgrounds, just one type of base_ Nice work_ A more professional-looking version of my table_ But a smaller selection of characters as well_
Folr the first time there was a vendor at GalaCon who mainly sold similar items as me. He has laser-cut and -etched vectors, a limited slection of pictures, a nice table set-up with black backgrounds, just one type of base. Nice work. A more professional-looking version of my table. But a smaller selection of characters as well.
The other pictures at his table_ I especially like the cut-out edges_
The other pictures at his table. I especially like the cut-out edges.
Large plushies can poke out of backpacks as well_
Large plushies can poke out of backpacks as well.
One of the few elaborate theme-related costumes this year_ (Few is more than there usually are_) I think this may be my favourite viking cosplayer at this year's GalaCon_ The costume fits him_ And he was super-nice_
One of the few elaborate theme-related costumes this year. (Few is more than there usually are.) I think this may be my favourite viking cosplayer at this year's GalaCon. The costume fits him. And he was super-nice.
Sweetie Bot was there again_ I heard they even had a panel there_ Still have to look that up_ I don't know if there are recordings from the smaller rooms_ Sweetie Bot has changed since the last time I saw her_ She did seem to be more reliable in the movements that she does_ Or her controlling human had more experience_ She can turn her head 360, show several emotions on her mouth display, wiggle, shake, nod her head, open up her back_ The pistol with soap bubbles wasn't with her_ But there's apparently plans for an improved version of it in the future_
Sweetie Bot was there again. I heard they even had a panel there. Still have to look that up. I don't know if there are recordings from the smaller rooms. Sweetie Bot has changed since the last time I saw her. She did seem to be more reliable in the movements that she does. Or her controlling human had more experience. She can turn her head 360, show several emotions on her mouth display, wiggle, shake, nod her head, open up her back. The pistol with soap bubbles wasn't with her. But there's apparently plans for an improved version of it in the future.
Vinyl Scratch hogging the base cannon_ (Well, one of the tweeters is all that this small one can manage_)
Vinyl Scratch hogging the base cannon. (Well, one of the tweeters is all that this small one can manage.)
Many ponies hogging many parts of the base cannon_ I like that the base cannon seems to be an annual attendence now_ It's a great build of the iconic device from the old fan animation_ I don't know the name of the person who made it, though_ No idea what to link to_
Many ponies hogging many parts of the base cannon. I like that the base cannon seems to be an annual attendence now. It's a great build of the iconic device from the old fan animation. I don't know the name of the person who made it, though. No idea what to link to.
This guy suddenly appeared to inspect my table_ He took a lot of notes, made sure that there are no sharp edges on my products, made sure that I knew who's best pony and asked a couple of other safety-related questions_ Kudos to him for staying in character even though I talked a lot of crap_
This guy suddenly appeared to inspect my table. He took a lot of notes, made sure that there are no sharp edges on my products, made sure that I knew who's best pony and asked a couple of other safety-related questions. Kudos to him for staying in character even though I talked a lot of crap.
Colorful variation of LED pictures at my table_
Colorful variation of LED pictures at my table.
I found orangehaj_ Nemo is not in this picture_ What a confusing plush_ Sold to another vendor_ The maker of this shark had also some other uncommon plush items_
I found orangehaj. Nemo is not in this picture. What a confusing plush. Sold to another vendor. The maker of this shark had also some other uncommon plush items.
Familiar faces are sometimes accompanied with familiar outfits and plushies_
Familiar faces are sometimes accompanied with familiar outfits and plushies.
Plushies of this size were hanging out on the railings ore than I remember from last year_
Plushies of this size were hanging out on the railings ore than I remember from last year.
This year's roll-up_ It was auctioned for charity later_
This year's roll-up. It was auctioned for charity later.
Sweetie Bot alive_ Sweetie Bot like regular pony_ Sweetie Bot has equality_
Sweetie Bot alive. Sweetie Bot like regular pony. Sweetie Bot has equality.
Sweetie Bot kiss brony
Sweetie Bot kiss brony
:p
:p
More and more plushies accumulated on these railings_ Weirdly, they seemed to move whenever I wans't looking_ I haven't seen one of them in the same spot twice_
More and more plushies accumulated on these railings. Weirdly, they seemed to move whenever I wans't looking. I haven't seen one of them in the same spot twice.
Pinkest Pie in the Länd_
Pinkest Pie in the Länd.
Scootaloo has the perfect colour scheme for a pony (or dragon), winged or otherwise)_
Scootaloo has the perfect colour scheme for a pony (or dragon), winged or otherwise).
The largest plush I've ever seen was this one of Discord_ He has a blow-up baseball bat, which proved to be perfect to hit passing bronies without hurting them_
The largest plush I've ever seen was this one of Discord. He has a blow-up baseball bat, which proved to be perfect to hit passing bronies without hurting them.
Best dragon costume again_ Petting cute human_
Best dragon costume again. Petting cute human.
Princess Ember is best princess_
Princess Ember is best princess.
? poni
? poni
This artist wasn't at the con_ But a friend sold prints of hers at their table_ I like thagt style_ And the price of these prints is really low_
This artist wasn't at the con. But a friend sold prints of hers at their table. I like thagt style. And the price of these prints is really low.
People like Sweetie Bot_
People like Sweetie Bot.
That Flutterguy was there, too, of course_ I think he's been at avery GalaCon I've been at, or more if you consider those meetups that happened during the time GalaCon would have taken place if it hadn't been cancled because of the pandemic_ And for some reasons I always habe to take a photo of him_
That Flutterguy was there, too, of course. I think he's been at avery GalaCon I've been at, or more if you consider those meetups that happened during the time GalaCon would have taken place if it hadn't been cancled because of the pandemic. And for some reasons I always habe to take a photo of him.
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Single-Purpose Computers
Entry created on 2024-07-25 Authors: steeph (315) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (20) Computers (8) Media (1) Music (4) Languages used: en (179)
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A general-purpose computer is a technical term that describes a device by the capabilities its components enable it to make use of in principle. A turing-complete machine. A "smart" washing machine with a touch screen, internet connection and a CPU fast enough to run Doom may be considered a general-purpose computer even though you may only want to use it for one purpose. So, it practice it's a single-purpose device, with a computer. It is this sense in which I have developed a fondness for single-purpose devices. Nowadays, these devices often end up having a computer inside them. But that doesn't mean that it makes sense to either run software other than the one provided for the single purpose on it or replace it with an (already existing) PC/laptop/smartphone/tablet/whatever. I reckon it's fun to hack household devices to run arbitrary code on them, get Linux to run on a calculator or build a botnot of smart fridges to mine bitcoins. But for daily use and the simplicity of it in daily life, I find reliable software that serves a single purpose well, soothing, comforting and simpla practical. Turn on the device, select what it should do, go. I could do without all the complexity that in modern electronics that serve mainly the developers (or their bosses need for a cheap and quick, flexible complex system).

I think many users of modern "smart" household devices would agree. But my preference for single-pupose devices goes further. My laptop and my desktop PC are connected to several home servers and NAS. It's cool to have an MPD server, an always-online, logging IRC client, a LAN-centric torrent client that runs independently from the actual terminal devices that you use. It's practical and clearly has its purposes. But, after working a more than full-time job for years, I've learned to pay tribute to the simplicity, lack of maintenance requirements and reliability of computers that are used to do just one thing. This is different from the Unix-philosophy of doing just one thing and doinf it well. I'm not talking about standardised interfaces between software components. I think that the advantages of a general-purpose media center in the form of a computer have made us overlook the advantages of standalone devices that serve a single purpose. You might have a CD or record player for music, a DVD player for movies, a notebook with a good keyboard for notes or a diary, a thin laptop or tablet for casual web browsing, a Play Station for gaming. Turn it on and it runs. No complicated and long boot process, no chance a software update might interrupt you or have broken something. Hardware buttons for the specific functions the device has. And, if a device breaks, the other ones still work.

I have askey myself why. But I really don't know why I preferr CDs over a music collection on a hard disk. It's just so much more fun to choose an album and put in the disc. Without planning to, I have started to segragate my devices more and more over the last couple of years. I have a PC for retro gaming, one for OS experiments, and so on. Doing those things in VMs is out of the question for me. Again I don't know why. But it really feels much better to have a dedicated device for some things.

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Life is just the accumulation of memories.
Entry created on 2024-07-24 Authors: steeph (314) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (19) Life (5) Lucid Dreaming (10) Memories (1) Philosophy (3) Languages used: en (178)
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This is not really a philosophy that I live by or use to form my conception of what my or anybody's life is. But I find the thought that everything that happened in the past is only part of reality in the form of a resedue in our memories interesting. That isn't really true. If I break a cup that I use every day, I cannot use that cup to drink tea from. And if I build a house, I can live in it in the future even though the action of building it and all the experiences I made during that time is nothing but a memories. But applied to activities that don't transform part of the physical reality in a specific and definite way, it has some truth, and realising that gives me a curious feeling.

Somebody asked me once, after I gave an introductory talk about Lucid Dreaming, if what somebody experiences during a dream is somehow more real than a dream or still just a dream. I've answered in a way that I thought as honest but was maybe not a clear answer. I said it's still a dream and what stays after the dream is nothing but the memory of it. That's not wrong. But had I taken the time to give a longer answer, I should have also explained the context in which I consider this to be the case. Regular dreams are usually incredibly volatile, especially for somebody who doesn't pay much attention to them and doesn't even try to remember them better. For most adults that's how they remember the majority of the few dreams that they remember at all. Most lucid dreams, it is often said, are a very positive experience. People who train to become lucid dreams mostly consider a lucid dream a success that comes way less often than they wish. These circumstances alone make a lucid dream easier to remember. Some see the memory of a lucid dream in a different class from non-lucid dream memories all together. But of course there can be lucid dreams that you don't remember for long, or you forget the details after a while, or you don't recall at all after waking up (How would you know?). If you don't consider a dream special, it will fade more quickly. If your head is full of other pressing thoughts, if you're depressed or are currently very worried, and if you don't write them down, the memories of a dream will fade quicker. In my experience, given enough time, the memories of lucid dreams will fade into the same jumble of vague memories from long ago, which might be correct or complete or not at all (which doesn't correlate with the sense of how correct or complete they are, btw). That isn't to say that they weren't worth the effort I've put into.

All of that is also true for waking memories, though, isn't it? Yes, we keep much more of what we experience while awake because the short term memories are functioning a lot better then. But years later, what's left is a fading memory unless it is a special memory to you in some way or you do something to keep the it alive. And the jumble those waking memories fade into is the same where all the dream memories go. So, the more small, unimportantant memories accumulate, the more likely it will become that a dream memory is confused with a waking memory. I believe that, to a certain extent, this may be normal. To an extant to which it is not concerning, I mean. Did I see a deer in the northern fields where you usually keep away from two years ago? Or did I only dream that? Deer have no relevance to my life, nor have those fields or anything that seeing a deer north from the village would imply. So I don't care. This is something else than believing that what you dreamed last night to be true minutes or hours after waking up. That could become an awkward day at work or worse. It is also something else to come to the wrong conclusion from a reality check when you're awake. What I believe to be normal to some extent is the confusion of basically irrelevant memories.

In many ways, dream memories and waking memories are more similar than I thought for a long time. They are the same in some ways. A lot of the apparent differences can be explained by the lack of short term memories while dreaming or during the process of waking up (which can be both at the same time). So, are lucid dreams just dreams of which fading memories are the only thing that remains? Yes, just like your last night out, your holiday in Japan, all the films you've watched and podcasts you've heard. And no, just like everything else you experience, a lucid dream re-shapes and re-inforces neural connections and thus influences how you think, how you experience things from now on and what you will do in the future.

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Alternative Web Browser Engines
Entry created on 2024-07-17 Authors: steeph (315) Categories: #100DaysToOffload (20) Computers (8) Web (1) Languages used: en (179)
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I don't think I have to spell out the problem with the current shape of the web browser landscape in detail. Almost every HTTP client uses one of the now three big engines, WebKit, Blink and Gecko. Blink, as the big bad Google one is definitely one that nobody should consciously choose to use. Not everybody trusts WebKit much more because it is developed by another powerful global player that inadvertently collects more data in one hand than can be considered healthy, Apply. And Gecko, the one developed by Mozilla has been criticises for being pushed into a direction that is less free and user-friendly than it is expected from Mozilla. Since Mozilla has received large sums in funding from Google for a while it can be argued that any recent fork of the engine has a history of being influenced by Google. All the other large engines are no longer developed and thus not seen as a possible choice for the future. But there are some options to be discussed for users who want to avoid using a browser that relies on one of the big engines. And there are signs that the lack of competitive differences in browser engines will be reduced in the coming decade.

I like that the recent financial development in the SerenityOS/Ladybird project has prompted discussions about alternative browser engines and has shone some light on upcoming new browser engines written from the ground up. The interest in a new kid on the block has been growing over the last couple of years. So it should not surprise that several projects are undergoing and aim to create alternatives to the current big three browser engines. But in my eyes most of them are still not well-known enough. Not all are equaly useful. So I've decided to mention some options that could replace a mainstream browser at least in some use case.

Using Old Browsers

Yes, I'm covering the less practicle options, too. Using an old browser with security issues that won't be fixed not only might add security holes in the system it is used on, it also doesn't do anything to tackle the problem. The development of browser engines that are used in newer releases will not be affected by some people using them less. Choosing an older browser merely sends a signal and possibly changes statistics to look like you now also forget updating for a long time. But there is range of different lightweight browsers with engines that have no trouble with HTML4 and CSS2 and also offer good JavaScript support. KHTML (Konqueror) becomes an option again, Internet Explorer with Trident or EdgeHTML could get another chance and an old Opera with Presto could continue to shine. But you might need to maintain an envirement of outdated libraries to make your choice over a long time.

Flow

The Flow browser with its own HTML engine is developed by ekioh, a company with experience in developing browser for various embedded devices. As a free product, the preview of a Raspberry Pi version is available. But browsers for all major operating systems are planned. It uses an existing JavaScript engine the JS support is better than with other newly written browser engines. But it also doesn't add as much competition in the market in this regard. I have not tested Flow. As a product from a commercial business it didn't look interesting enough, yet, even though it is reportedly relatively mature.

Haphaestus

The Haphaestus TV Browser is a project by Adrian Cochrane that forms a web browser specifically aimed to be easily navigated with with few buttons (like on a TV remote control). It is a very interesting project because it is made up from several individual parts (CSS engine, font rendering, box layout engine, …) that all are written from the ground up in Haskell. A JavaScript engine is not part of the project. The web is nowadays more pleasant to browse without JS anyway. Adrian also recently started a free year-long course that encourages others to write their own HTML rendering engine (surely with the intention to collect experience for future paid programming courses).

Goanna

Of the browsers that use the Goanna engine, I see Pale Moon recommended most often. Goanna is a fork of Gecko that, by now, differes in features from the current gecko engine. It looks like Goanna may be the way to keep using a relatively old engine that supports all majer web standards very well with an actively developed browser that runs reliably in the OS of your choice. It may not be performing as well as current Gecko browsers like LibreWolf, but there's supposedly a smaller chance that their developers have been influenced by payments from Google.

Dillo

Small, realy light-weight, very simple and currently with no intention to pay any attention to scripts. Older versions of Dillo had been ported to many other systems. The current version 3 is only developed for the now big OSs (Linux, BSD, OS X). But it is very light-weight and snappy compared to mainstream browsers. CSS support is still lacking in the eyes of users who are used to every positional property to work. (Float support is also still missing.)

LibWeb, LibJS

The Ladybird web browser is becoming more known now that a company has been formed around it that has been promised major funding for the next few years. The project started as "the web browser of SerenityOS" but has since gained indipendent support and in turn supported hope that a novel web browser with a new engine will be established on the market of web browsers in the near future. The libweb and libjs libraries were started to build an intependent engine behind Ladybird. An application that will be seen as a usable alternative to Firefox in daily use with no need to fall back on another browser is still far away though.

NetSurf

Another small web browser that good HTML, CSS and JS support is NewSurf. LibDOM, LibCSS and Duktape (JavaScript) are combined to create a simple and portable browser. NetSurf can be found on Atari, Haiku, Linux, RISC OS and other systems. I've also found it a few times on my journay through alternative operating systems (about which I still have to write in this blog). It's the portable, small browser.

Servo

This is one that I like a lot personally. A noval web engine written in Rust. There is currently no full-fledged browser application that uses it. But there is a GUI demo that allows to test the engine with any URL. In my experience, web sites with elaborate design that make use of different layout rules and a lot of JavaScript tend to render better with Servo than with a current Ladybird (LibWeb, LibJS). Support for CSS3 rules is also better than with the small browsers NetSurf and Dillo. The potential is more readibly visible with this one compared to other new projects. Maybe the fact that browsers based on Servo only exist for specific devices is responsible for it being less known than Ladybird. No wonder Mozilla sucks up Serve during their project to replace parts of Gecko with re-implementations in Rust. I guess eventually there will be no big difference between the two engines.

Text-based web browsers are probably not an option for most users. Most web sites are designed for a graphic layout only and even when a page is structured well and can be read with a screen reader, seeing people usually prefer a GUI to a text-based interface. But if you want or a use case requires it, text browsers like links2 or lynx are also worth checking out, of course. Another thing that I'd like to mention here because it could be considered an alternative web browser are auditory browsers. But this entry is meant to be about browser engines, not browsers. Otherwise there would be many more projects that I should mention (browsers with a small user base, forks of Firefox, browsers for quick keyboard use).

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