Tim Apple

The other week, there was a small battle on the internet between two web service founders. At this point, I do not care about the topic of the battle anymore. These battles happen more often than not. I don’t necessarily have a solution on it, but I do have some words, mainly because it’s none of my business, so why not. 

Both founders historically are pretty good people as far as I can see, I have seen nothing but impartial kindness and well-thought-out discussions on things of controversy from both.  Neither I would call a bad person. And note, there are multiple things both support that I adamantly disagree with, and I still think they are good people. 

So, what pains me is the outrage specifically at one of them, who again seems to me to be almost too nice and civil. How could someone think he is a bad person, let alone abandon his platform because they feel so strongly about it. The virtue signaling drives me nuts to be honest. Let alone the bragging of their virtue, trying to show the world what good people they are. 

Hell, maybe they are good people, then again, I am sure most of them are and in their own way mean well. I cannot argue that. But soon there is going to be a small island somewhere of all the people who are too easily offended, triggered, feeling unsafe, etc.. all isolated from the rest of the world. 

I’m not saying people should be mistreated or that they should not feel safe. I very much hope everyone feels fairly comfortable and safe.  But the truth is, there will always be disagreement and discord amongst peoples, and I know three things to be true. One, running doesn’t help anything. Number two, you nor I are right all the time. Three, there is a ton of gray area everywhere we all need to learn to maneuver through. 

Now that I have said all this and most likely may be targeted for internet oblivion I will go back to my day to day, love you all, please chill out. 

Cheers!

Too much change, too fast. I like things to move slower. Not that I fear change, once I've decided to change, I may move quicker than most. But until the time comes, I'm a slow roller. I have to ease my mind into things, bring myself to accept them.

This includes about everything. Decisions about my kids, home projects, personal projects, and many other things. Mind you, I do not fear change whatsoever, I'm just slow to process the thought of it. Again, once the change starts, I rock right through it.

Sometimes I wish my mind moved quicker, but I'm the tortoise in this race. Everyone out there, be patient. I’m on my way.

Cheers!

Since I set up this blog on Pika I created a contact page, this one here, which I really am starting to love. When I blogged directly from MicroBlog there was a plugin for “reply by email” also. But I’ve gotten much more action since I’ve been on Pika. The point being though, I am really loving the interactions that are starting to take place. 

The idea of starting a conversation over email, inspired by a blog post is wonderful! I am finding myself trying to reply to anyone who has this as an option instead of replying to maybe the social post where I intially saw it. I find the interaction much more enjoyable, and keeping the conversation semi private is nice also. 

Not to mention the random replys I have started getting from my own blog. It really does put a smile on my face when I see a nice bolded new email from a friend or a stranger. I enjoy both reading and replying imensly. 

I’m not going to say this is going to replace social media, but I can have a hell of a good time with the browser, my email client, and rss reader. It’s a wonderful world out there.

Cheers!

Tim

No matter how much I like the analog life, when it comes to journaling I feel digital is much easier at times. Probably seventy-five percent of my journaling is done on a PC or my phone. The rest in my trusted Lochby with a Platinum Preppy. I’ve tried a few methods, apps, and software products throughout the years and I think I may settle. 

What I’ve tried

• Simple text documents - I tried to do this in a sort of flat file folder system, but it is way too cumbersome and in the end, I don’t think it would ever be read or discovered, just deleted after I croak so someone else can use the machine. 

• jrnl - this may be one of the coolest command line apps I’ve used. At it’s base it’s pretty simple, but it can get pretty advanced. Downfall is it needs to be on a laptop or desktop PC. I was trying to access my file by syncing with pCloud so I could append it via my phone, but it wasn’t the smoothest experience. I had to jump through a few hoops to get it to work on mobile. 

• Penzu - penzu did a lot of what I wanted, but I couldn’t get over the UI, it just rubbed me wrong for some reason. It may have improved, that was a few years ago, but it disliked it enough to not give it a second chance. 

• Apple Journal - I gave this a try just the last few days, but it really isn’t worth it. Your only access is on your iOS device, and there isn’t really a great option for retrieval other than just printing it. 

• DayOne - DayOne does a lot, I had used it in the past but never could stick because it was Mac/iOS specific, that is until they got a web version. It’s fairly economical, and a bonus is you can have entries reproduced in a nice little book if you like. 

What I’m going with

I’ve decided to stick with DayOne. I am an iOS user, so it’s great to use on my phone. And as mentioned, now that there is a web version I can use it from my PC whether on Windows or Linux. The book publishing feature is really the closer for me also. Though I haven’t used it yet, I look forward to being able to publish my thoughts to something I can leave lying around when I kick it and the family can find out how crazy dad really was. 

Voice Dictation

The other thing I am experimenting with is doing my entries with voice. It’s a habit I’m trying to get into, I find it funny how hard it is to resist typing something. But there are many times a thought doesn’t get jotted down, mainly because I’m feeling too lazy to type it. Also, it can be triggered from my watch if I don’t have my phone with me. Though dictation can be a bit sloppy, I would rather have to revisit and edit than miss doing the entry at all. 

In the end I will still try to-do analog as much as I can, I feel physically writing stuff is therapeutic. But I just don’t find it feasible to carry my physical journal everywhere I go. I will have them exist side by side. They will complement each other if anyone ever reads any of my drivel someday. Maybe in the end, it’s just the fact that I like to talk to myself. Who knows?

Cheers!

Last week, I was thinking about balancing music listening and podcasts. I cut the list of the podcasts I listen to from around thirty to thirteen. It was a podcast massacre for sure. Now just three days later I am having other concerns.  

The thing is, I feel a little lost without all those podcasts, mostly full of information that had no real relevance to my life. I just wanted to hear the spoken word, but my list was cut so short I actually run out of stuff to listen to very fast. I was really itching to add some subscriptions to my player, like really fiending bad. But I had a better idea.

Part of my new wave of consumption is to really increase my book intake. I really do want to read, like a ton. So, I think I am going to reach for an audiobook whenever I feel that need for spoken word, and I’m all out of podcasts. I think a good audiobook would be better for my state of mind in general. And with Amazons Whispersync I can just listen or read depending on my circumstances. 

  So here is to consuming many, many books this year!

Cheers!

Let me first address the actual fact that though I am not a “Gamer”, I do play video games from time to time and have even lost a few months of my life to World of Warcraft more than once. But this morning I had an encounter with a friendly fella on Bluesky that went on a short tangent about video games being good or bad, health benefits, and the like. 

In this conversation, I originally stated I thought video games were a waste of time. Which I do. Every now and again I do catch myself installing  COD Mobile or something on my PC and suddenly missing a week of my life before I pop back out of the delirium. This may just be my highly addictive personality, but when I play, I frigging play! Nonetheless, he pointed out the health benefits, which I believe he took from ChatGPT or the like, I am going to do the same since he shared a screenshot and didn’t type them out. 

Video games can offer a variety of benefits beyond just entertainment. Here are a few ways they can positively impact your life:

1. Cognitive Skills: Many video games require strategic thinking, problem-solving, and quick decision-making, which can enhance your cognitive abilities and improve your brain function.

2. Hand-Eye Coordination: Fast-paced games often demand precise hand-eye coordination, which can translate into improved real-world skills, such as better driving or sports performance.

3. Social Interaction: Online multiplayer games provide opportunities to connect with people from around the world, fostering teamwork, communication, and friendships.

4. Stress Relief: Immersing yourself in a game can be a great way to relax and unwind, providing an escape from everyday stress and helping to improve your mood.

5. Educational Value: Many games are designed with educational purposes in mind, teaching subjects like history, science, math, and even language skills in an engaging way.

6. Creativity and Imagination: Games with open worlds or creative modes, like Minecraft, encourage players to think outside the box and build their own adventures.

Of course, my initial comment was basically, that is great! But I think there are more beneficial things that you can be doing that provide the same benefit. So, I asked the ole’ ChatGPT just that and got the following reply.

Here’s a combined list of activities that offer similar benefits to playing video games:

1. Puzzles and Brain Games: Enhance cognitive skills and problem-solving abilities.

2. Sports and Physical Activities: Improve hand-eye coordination, physical fitness, and reduce stress.

3. Board Games and Card Games: Encourage strategic thinking, social interaction, and cognitive skill development.

4. Creative Arts: Boost creativity, enhance cognitive abilities, and serve as a stress reliever.

5. Reading and Writing: Improve language skills, expand knowledge, and provide mental stimulation.

6. Social Clubs and Group Activities: Foster social connections and improve communication skills.

7. Virtual Reality (VR) Experiences: Offer immersive environments for relaxation, education, and social interaction.

8. Meditation and Mindfulness: Reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being.

9. Gardening: Therapeutic, improve mood, and provide a sense of accomplishment.

10. Cooking and Baking: Creative and stress-relieving, as well as develop practical skills.

11. Traveling and Exploring: Broaden horizons, improve problem-solving skills, and reduce stress.

12. Volunteering: Provide a sense of purpose, improve social skills, and contribute to the community.

13. Dance and Aerobics: Fun ways to stay fit, improve coordination, and relieve stress.

14. Fishing and Hunting: Offer relaxation, improve focus, and connect you with nature.

15. Crafting and DIY Projects: Engage in creative and rewarding activities.

16. Learning New Skills: Mentally stimulating and fulfilling.

Again, I don’t judge, for I am a player of games, let alone I spend a ton of time on my computer blogging, doom-scrolling, mindlessly following links on the interwebs and so on. At the same time, I can agree that most of the things on list two are generally more constructive than playing WoW for eight hours straight. 

There is no doubt, there are benefits to playing video games. And if you have an aversion to people or the outdoors, it may be a real good way to build some of those skills. At the same time, don’t use the said benefits of gaming as an excuse as if there were no other way to get them. 

Again, I am not judging, but at the same time, don’t get upset when people say there is possibly a better way to achieve such things. Remember it’s just opinions, and like assholes, we all have one. 

Cheers!

For some years now, almost every book I’ve read is non-fiction. I’ve read a ton of tech books, books on health, and some history mainly. I’m reading my first work of fiction in some time right now. 

I wonder if I should be reading more fiction. Furthermore, I wonder what, if any, benefit fiction may have over non-fiction? Or are they the same? It makes me wonder. When I was young, I read so many fantasy and sci-fi books. It was almost all I consumed, of course that was my peak Dungeons & Dragons era also. 

 My creativity is lacking these days, at least that is how I feel. Maybe reading more fiction would give my creative side a proverbial swift kick in the arse. Then again, maybe reading fiction vs nonfiction doesn’t matter as long as one is reading. 

What do you read more of? Any thoughts on the topic? Please drop me a note and share. 

Cheers!

Most of my entertainment is audio, podcasts specifically. I watch very few TV shows, I maybe one to three going ever, so that’s like three hours of TV a week. Sometimes there is a new show that is fully available and that turns into a couple day binge. But most of the time I’m listening to podcasts. 

I’m also a music lover, who isn’t right? But I find myself listening to less and less music. My podcast subscription list has grown quite long. I find myself listening most of the day and not ever really catching up with all the new episodes. I think this is a problem. In all reality, I feel for sanity and my own relaxation music trumps podcasts. I need to find a way to listen to it more. 

To start off, I think I need to lessen the number of podcasts I listen to regularly. There are a couple I’ve been listening to for over a decade (Coder Radio and Linux Unplugged) and I am forever loyal too. The rest are iffy, most are tech podcasts covering different subjects. I need to find one other tech podcast that is short and broadly covers all the other tech news, I do like to keep up. Then the rest, like Rogan, I will just peek at occasionally to see who’s been on; I rarely listen to every episode, I’m just interested in specific guests now and again.  Oh, and one daily news show, that is really short, for the breadth of non-tech stuff. 

And from there, I will spend the rest of my listening time with Music. Which I hope to have encompass maybe two thirds of my day instead of the maybe five percent it has been of late. 

Maybe I will set rules, podcasts for chores and work around the house and music in the car or something. I’m not sure, but there will definitely be a lot of tweaking involved. In the end, I really want to listen to more music and not have FOMO because I missed some random podcast. 

How do other internet denizens feel about it? Do you find yourself struggling to balance your listening time? Feel free to drop a note. 

Cheers!

This is a repost, I was going to separate tech stuff from regular day to day, but screw it, I’m going to slop all the stuff together. 

Either way, I’m pondering the never ending OS question, yet again, in my life. I’m currently running Windows due to a requirement for a SANS course I’m taking, but I long to throw Linux back on my machine. At the same time, I have a slight craving to delve into the Mac world, though the pricing consistently keeps me away. And I do the same with phones, mind you, I have both an Android and iPhone I hop back and forth between.

In the end, Linux usually wins in my mind for philosophical reasons. But I crave the other two from time to time. Sometimes it’s purely out of convenience, and others because I want to try something not available to me on Linux. The consistency of the others sometimes lures me also, no need to pontificate over which desktop I should use, let alone distro.

And then let’s not get into other devices, like my AirPods, my two HomePods, the Alexa that sits unplugged somewhere, my Apple Watch, Pixel Buds, etc… I have a plethora of things that work sometimes outside their ecosystem but are much friendlier and functional in their own little bubble. This goes for services also now that I think of it.

How does one pick and stick with one OS? I guess it would be simpler if you didn’t follow tech news and were unaware of all the new and shiny services or apps that may be out there. But when you look at the breadth of the technology space, there is so much. I will give it to Linux, when it comes to the technical space, it can do it all usually, but when it comes to gadgets and such, it maybe can be more difficult.

In the end, I guess I will always be a Linux guy, and I can't wait till I can get off using Windows from the day to day. I guess someday I may just need to have more than one machine, or something with a few drives so I can have all the operating systems. Only time will tell, I guess.

Sometimes I think I need a second blog to separate some topics, and then again I don’t. My favorite thing to write about tends to be tech stuff, and it’s what I’m most knowledgeable about. At the same time, I feel these topics shouldn’t be mixed with my random posts about my dogs, farming, god, or whatever tangent my mind is on at the time. 

Should I just throw it all together? Or is it better to keep them separate. Please chime in and share your opinion. Thanks!