path: root/content-org/blog.org

#+TITLE: Blog
#+AUTHOR: Michał Sapka
#+URL: https://michal.sapka.me/blog/
#+STARTUP: show2levels indent logdone

#+HUGO_BASE_DIR: ~/ghq/vcs.sapka.me/michal-sapka-me/
#+HUGO_WEIGHT: auto
#+HUGO_SECTION: blog

* 2024  [27/27]                                                       :@blog:
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: blog/2024
:END:
** DONE AI is already used for genocide
CLOSED: [2024-04-04 Thu 21:28]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: ai-genocide
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Israel already uses AI systems during wartime without care of civilian casualties. 
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:

Today, an article on use of AI systems for selecting and targeting Hamas soldiers was published by [[https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/][972 magazine.]]
The entire article is an essential read for anyone, but one paragraph especially caught my eye:

#+begin_quote
The Lavender software analyzes information collected on most of the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip through a system of mass surveillance, then assesses and ranks the likelihood that each particular person is active in the military wing of Hamas or PIJ.
According to sources, the machine gives almost every single person in Gaza a rating from 1 to 100, expressing how likely it is that they are a militant."
#+end_quote

We already have an active AI system which is capable of mass surveillance of gigantic population.
A system which is used to target people for extermination.
A system which has 10% error rate:

#+begin_quote
[...] knowing that the system makes what are regarded as “errors” in approximately 10 percent of cases, and is known to occasionally mark individuals who have merely a loose connection to militant groups, or no connection at all.
#+end_quote

Think, what would have happened if your bank made an error in 1 on 10 transactions?
And we are talking about human lives here.

Not only is the system correct only 90% of time times, but also the results are used to target bombings where it is accepted that few hundred civilians will be killed.

1 in 10 chance, that 300 people will just for nothing.
Dumb computer error.

As a software engineer, I refused to work on GenAI, and at the same time someone worked on mass murder system with a random chance of being correct. 

Please, read the entire  [[https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/][article]].
We're already in worst-case scenario.
This is the doomsday scenario we were so afraid of.

** DONE Absolute FreeBSD
CLOSED: [2024-03-28 Thu 22:08]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: absolute-freebsd
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract The ultimate guide to FreeBSD
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:

I may have been a BSD devotee for almost a year, but I have close to zero knowledge about it.
I get by, but I see the benefits, but it's all surface-level.
It was the same with Linux - I can /use/ Linux, but I don't /know/ Linux.

Absolute FreeBSD is a Tour de France of FreeBSD.
You get to know how the OS operates, what tools are provided, and how to use it effectively.

Let's start with the bad, as I have two gripes with the book.

#+attr_shortcode: "mwl-absolute-freebsd.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover
#+end_img-r
First, only halfway through MWL informs the reader that this book is aimed at /server administrators/.
I am primarily a PC user of FreeBSD, so not all the knowledge is usable.
Counter argument: if you run FreeBSD, out of all other OSes, there is a huge chance you will want to know its ins and outs.

Second: this book is partially an advert.
MWL wrote other books which deepen the knowledge one might get from this book - Jails, ZFS, and other file systems.
Those are huge subjects, and they well deserve a dedicated book each, but even though we have /Absolute/ book here, it is not absolute.
Want to use Jails?
Better get yourself /FreeBSD Mastery: Jails/.

For the rest of this review I'll ignore the /absolute/ claim and look at the book for what it is.
And what it is, is nothing short of amazing.

We start with learning what FreeBSD is, why to use it, and how to install it.
All of those go much deeper than the official /Guide/ go.

After this brief (if 100 pages can be considered brief) introduction, we are thrown into the deepest pits of /FreeBSD/.
We have no idea how to use it, but MWL jumps into the booting process.
It makes sense, as not using SystemD is one of the most praised elements of BSDs, but I would prefer to learn how to install a program.
Nope!
It's rc time!

Having read the book in its entirety, it makes a lot of sense, but when I was reading it, it made little sense.
MWL shows the new administrator how the OS /operates/ before showing how to /operate it/.
To be an effective administrator, one needs to know the /whats/ more than /hows/.
It's much easier to do something when one has the base knowledge.

Then, we jump to backing up the OS.
Surely, any administrator needs to know how to do it[fn:tarsnap].
It's one of those things, which are impossible to fix /during/ an outage.

The next few chapters were especially challenging for me.
Ever tried to recompile a kernel?
Let's learn how to recompile a custom one.
Ever wondered how networking works?
Let's talk about networking in /FreeBSD/.
Want to have a secure system?
Sure you do, so there's a chapter for you!
Interested in how the hard drive is used?
ZFS, UFS, and other acronyms?
Here you go!
There's a lot of info on how data becomes 1s and 0s on a disc.
MWL even throws tidbits of historical knowledge as one may encounter such systems.

We are now on page 371, the middle point.
The reader has proven himself worthy, and the plot thickens.
Time to learn how to use the OS!
And we start with a great surprise: in my Linux days the =/etc= was always a labyrinth of random files.
For /FreeBSD,/ we've got an in-depth analysis of everything that the default installation throws there.
After that, we *finally* learn how to install Firefox in a chapter called "Making Your System Useful".
After that, we're wrapping up with upgrading the system and advanced topics for specific installs - like email send-out or DHCP.
We end with the (aforementioned) Jails and information about how to engage with the community and involve yourself with FreeBSD development.

Is /Absolute FreeBSD/ an absolute book?
Nope.
That's false advertising.
I'd be pretty angry if the book wasn't as good as it is.
It made FreeBSD the /comfiest/ OS I've ever used.
Nowhere else has a single book given me enough confidence in my ability to not only not break the system, but to fix it.

Essential read.
I give it a 4.75/5.

*** Meta
- Read as PDF on Onyx Boox Note Air 2.
- Book bought from Humble Bundle
- Next up: "The C programming language" by K&R.
  Wish me luck!

[fn:tarsnap] You guessed it, There is related a book and it's amazing! Vide [[https://www.tiltedwindmillpress.com/product/tarsnap-mastery-online-backups-for-the-truly-paranoid/][Tarsnap mastery]]

** DONE Andrzej Sapkowski's Time of Contempt
CLOSED: [2024-03-24 Sun 22:27]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: andrzej-sapkowskis-time-of-contempt
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Saga continues
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:

It's a stain of my honor - I am a Pole, but I've never read The Saga.
It's not that I've never read any of The Witcher, but somehow I always stopped after the short stories.
Last year I've decided to finally fix this.
I am a proud nerd for crying out loud!

#+attr_shortcode: "sapkowski-time-of-contemt.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
The classic cover
#+end_img-r

/Time of Contempt/ is the second part of The Witcher Saga, but it's also the 4th book about Geralt and his world.
Let's ignore the short stories for a second and let's talk about this book in context of The Saga.
Here it suffers from being the middle child: Andrzej is developing the characters and story, but it lacks a impactful begging and an end.
I haven't felt like that after finishing the /Blood of Elves,/ as it had a /begging/ and the ending was emotional.
Geralt reunited with Ciri.
The story is clearly not over, but we have a kind of closure.
We know she is safe and ready for what's coming next.

Here?
Here we have no beginning as it follows the last book.
It was to be expected.
But I fail to notice anything new created here.
Yes, we've got /amazing/ development of Ciri (I can't wait what how her blood heritage will screw over everyone), but nothing more.
It just moves from scene to scene[fn:st], not spending any meaningful time anywhere.
After 300 pages of this, it ends with Ciri joining some random group.
I guess I will get to know them in /Baptism of Fire/, but I am not yet there.
Are they good?
Are they cool?
Who the hell they even are?
For me it was a huge let down.

But the biggest thing missing in The Saga is humour.
Both, /Sword of Destiny/ and /Last Wish/ were hilarious.
It was not on Pratchett's level of humor, but Geralt was amazing when it came to deadpan.
Moreover, I have no idea how well it translated to other languages, as it was based on Polish humour, but:
the books were written for Polish reader who was expected to know /Szewczyk Dratewka,/ and therefore the way Geralt dealt with dragon was a funny refernce.
But this aspect is now completely missingm[fn:enemy-mine], but it was what made the short stories for me.

The biggest problem for me however was the fact I saw two seasons of The Witcher TV Series[fn:netflix].
It was terrible and had nothing to do with the book (luckily for me!), but the TV versions of Ciri and Yennefer were irritating at best.
Their book counterparts are not like that - Ciri is extremely cool and Yen is, well, not so bad - but the visual image is etched in my brain.
I finally start to have a separate personnas for them, but it was difficult.
Yes, to some extent Netflix ruined the books for me.

I was never a fan of /fantasy/, as I always preferred /SciFi/.
Give me a blaster or give me death[fn:rand]!
If I found /Time of Contempt/ as a random book, I would not care for the rest of the series.
It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
Sapkowski has a great style and I very much want more, but he has not told anything interesting here.
I will continue reading The Witcher, but mostly because it *is* The Witcher.

I liked reading /Blood of Elves/ much more.

I give it 3.5/5.

[fn:rand] If you get the refence know, that I am no longer that type of a person.
[fn:enemy-mine] We've got *huge* reference to /Enemy Mine/ in the single best part of the book, but it's not funny at all.
Sad, scary - sure; but not funny. Just like the movie.
[fn:st] ... /No one had a chance to interrupt/.
/It was really quite hypnotic/.
[fn:netflix] And not an episode more.
It was already too much.

** DONE Elite: "The game that couldn't be written"
CLOSED: [2024-03-15 Fri 16:25]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: how-elite-was-made
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Link blog entry
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: yt
:END:

This is the best YT movie I've seen in months.
It's *about* elite, but half of the movie is about how BBC Micro works.

#+Attr_shortcode: "lC4YLMLar5I" 
#+begin_yt
Elite: "The game that couldn't be written"
#+end_yT

If you have any interest in classic gaming and/or computing, it's highly recommended.

#+begin_quote
Elite may be the most complex 8-bit game ever produced.
And it was arguably the most groundbreaking game ever released for its time.
Back in the early 1980s when arcade-shooters reigned supreme, two undergraduates at Cambridge redefined what computer games even were.

In this video we'll look at some of the technical aspects of how David Braben and Ian Bell were able to construct an entire universe, economy, 3D engine and backstory in 22KB on a 2MHZ processor.
This story is well known in the UK, but computer games history is largely told through the lens of the US and Japan....so overseas viewers may not be familiar with the impact Elite had on gaming, and the wider world.
#+end_quote

** DONE Desk reveal 2024
CLOSED: [2024-03-11 Mon 21:14]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: desk-reveal
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My battlestation
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:

This is my first desk reveal post.
I always liked those, so here we go.

I share my bedroom/office with my wife.
I am able to work remotely 5 days a week, so this is where I spend my days, and significant part of evenings.

#+attr_shortcode: "desk-24-01.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Hers (left) and his (right)
#+end_img-c

You can get detailed info on what is on /my/ part of the +bed+ desk in my /[[https://michal.sapka.me/me/uses/][uses]]/ page.
One thing that is not there is the geometry of the room.
I have the window *directly* behind me.
Terrible location, but since the apartment was designed before WFH times, this was the only option.
One thing we don't have in excess is space.

#+attr_shortcode: "desk-24-02.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Where the magic happens
#+end_img-c

Even though the monitor is a /USB-hub/, it is not a switch.
This is why I have this Ugreen USB switch here.
Now, I need to press the button to change my IO target, change input on the monitor and boom - I can switch between computers.

#+attr_shortcode: "desk-24-03.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Close up on the switch
#+end_img-c

(the photos are dark, I noticed.
Next year I'll try to learn proper exposure.)
** DONE Persona 5: Strikers
CLOSED: [2024-03-08 Fri 21:24]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: persona-5-strikers
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract A short review of SciFi classic 
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:
/Persona 5/ took me close to a year... I think.
It was a gigantic game with unbelievable amount of dialogue.
It was also game I deeply enjoyed, despite not particularly liking anything about.
The story was ok, the gameplay was ok, the RPG element was ok, the dating was ok.
But, somehow, authors managed to join that into one freaking nice experience.

/Persona 5: Strikers/ is none of those things.
It's a linear button masher with characters I like.
But it has /none/ of the good elements of /P5/.

First, it's not an jRPG anymore.
When fight starts, you are presented with dozens of enemies you need to fight in real time.
Half of the time, I had no idea what was going on.
Fights, for me, are terrible.
Enemies were everywhere, and I had no /chance/ to control the battlefield.
Lots of annoyances and finger pain, but no enjoyment.
Just running into random spots, bashing melee attacks and checking for weakness from time to time.
I play on easy and was tired of that very quickly, I can't imagine having any actual problems with this system you have no enjoyment with.

#+attr_shortcode: "p5s-1.jpg" "https://nintendoeverything.com/persona-5-scramble-the-phantom-strikers-boxart-details-screenshots/"
#+begin_img-c
Guess the only way here is to shut my brain down, as it's useless in all this chaos.
#+end_img-c
The real-world activities are almost none-existent.
I loved how the Phantom Thieves bonded and became friends.
None of this here.
You've got some dialogue, but no payoff.
There is some stat related to bonding, but we all know each other.
In P5 the single best part was learning about each other and seeing how their lives improve.
None of that is here.

Dating?
None.
And my chosen love interest from /P5/ doesn't even show up!

Extracurricular activities are limited to finding stuff on maps.

Getting to know Tokyo?
Nope. Every few hours we move to a new city.

Story? Well, I gave up before it started.
After 10 hours, midway through the third jail I gave up.
I had to guard Futaba /again/ and after a moment became so frustrated and bored, that I stopped playing.

I give 2/5 for those 10 hours.
Maybe it gets better later on, but I don't care enough.
I dropped the game and will never return.

** DONE Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) 
CLOSED: [2024-03-03 Sun 16:52]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: colossus-1970
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract A short review of SciFi classic 
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:
Finally, in my series of discovering the roots of cyberpunk in American Cyberpunk I've seen a real gem.

/Colossus/ is a 1970 movie about a not-so-distant-future where Americans decide that it would be a great idea to give control of their military potential to a computer.
On paper, it sounds great - a computer has no emotions, so it will not be stopped by petty things, like morality.
Guess how well that turned out?
Soon after switching on, Colossus learns about the existence of another such system - The Guardian, in the territory of CCCP.

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The movie starts with sexy old-comp scenes.
Fitting, as Control Data Corporation supplied close to 5 million USD in computer equipment.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Sexy!
Rest of the movie is not as sexy.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Colossus in person.
#+end_img-c
And then this SciFi thriller stops being so /crazy-computer/ focused, and analyzes /crazy-human/ reaction.
Colossus starts exhibiting features which were never implemented.
It[fn:it] starts /demanding/ to be connected with the Guardian, so they can communicate.
And the scientist decide that it would be a great idea.
The computers start exchanging data and developing language.
Still - looks cool, let's see what happens.
Only after Colossus threatens humans with ICBMs, Forbin (Colossus's creator) starts thinking that maybe this wasn't the best idea.

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
At first Colossus communicates only via text.
Funny, as those screens sound like matrix printers.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
This one as well.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Because it has a printer!
It took me half of the movie to get that.
Guess I'm too millenial for that to be obvious.
#+end_img-c
The movie is often described as an evil-computer story.
Colossus is never evil in the movie.
It does exactly what it was designed to do - to act without mercy.
The evil ones here are the humans who never stop and think that maybe we are on the verge of the end of humanity.

So yeah, it's an movie about Altman.
We may have destroyed the civilization, but at lest we made a cool program which does things.
No one know what those things are, but those are details you should not worry about.


Story wise, /Colossus: The Forbin Project/ holds splendidly.
Yes, we've got casual alcoholism and the female character exists only to have sex with Forbin[fn:sex].
But the actual meat of the movie could be a base of an amazing movie today.
The questions and subject are more relevant now that half a century ago.
What was a huge /what-if/ scenario becomes a real /ok, but how do we stop it/.
The Pentagon is already working on militarization of AI[fn:pent].
We're pretty much screwed already.

The best SciFi is not about giant battles or space travel for space travel sake.
It's always about humans, a warning for us.
And the /best/ SciFi is a warning for the next generations, as the threads become more real as years go by.

There is a moment in the movie, where the entire day of Forbin is planned and monitored by an AI.
What was a horror story, is now what a lot of us /expect/.

/Colossus/ in a movie version of earlier book of same.
There are 2 more in the series, and (as I've been told), Aliens make an appearance later on.
Maybe someday!

As for the movie, I give it a 4.25/5.
[fn:it] There's an interesting discussion about what pronoum to use - He or It.
[fn:sex] It is a plot point!
A terrible one, but still.
[fn:pent] Vide: [[https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3682355/pentagon-official-lays-out-dod-vision-for-ai/][Pentagon Official Lays Out DOD Vision for AI]].
Note, it's from the official website of US Department of Defense.
** DONE Send links to your friends and make the Web a better place
CLOSED: [2024-02-29 Thu 22:49]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: send-links
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract The missing part of web ressurgence
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:
On the web of the past we had no all-knowing algorithm.
To find something on the web, we were limited to two possibilities: to search for it, or to get it from other folks.
And yet the web flourished not despite but due to that way.
We've discovered cool, new places all the time.

As you may have noticed, I love what the web /was/.
Not the platform-cum-spam-infested thing we have today, but that crazy intertwined /web/ of small websites.
What /the web/ was 20 years ago, we now call /small web,/ or the /indieweb[fn:iweb]/.
And it is beautiful.
We may have more websites than we ever had, but discovering them is near impossible.
Google became useless, and no other search engine has yet reached its quality of the past.
It's not that they are worse, but the evil agents of /cyberspace/ are much more effective.
Spam sites, Reddit, Wikipedia, etm.[fn:etm] dominate, and it's near impossible to get significant traffic from search.

#+attr_shortcode: "icq.png" 
#+begin_img-r
ICQ logo.
Personally I used "Gadu Gadu", which was a polish response.
#+end_img-r
But we had the ace in our sleeves: we were not alone.
We knew people who were into the same things that we were into.
This means that we shared links to interesting sites as we knew they also may find them cool.
For a long time, finding an actually /cool/ link and keeping for ourselves was unnatural.

Today, people go to some big platform website and get /content/ shoved up their faces.
Unfortunately, this is not the good part of the web.
It's either SEO optimized beyond being of any quality, or simply promoted content.
A small writer (like me) has no chance to be visible there.

The small web is born from passion, not from chase of profit.
Only we can make it flourish like it used to flourish.
Simply sending a cool link from time to time to your friends is enough.

So: *[[https://www.wovenmemories.net/2023/10/30/First.Operating.System_Part.1.html][First Operating System -- Part One]] on [[https://www.wovenmemories.net/index.html][Woven Memories]]* is an amazing introduction to how Operating Systems came to be.
It is one of blogs where new posts are much to rare, as each is a treat.

[fn:iweb] Vide [[https://indieweb.org/][Indiewebcamp]].
[fn:etm] /A Latin abbreviation for the literal translation of "and shit", specifically "et merda". Similar to "etc"., and "ie"./
Love it!
And yes, I have huge problems with Wikipedia.
I'll write about it someday.

** DONE Being a webmaster is freaking cool
CLOSED: [2024-02-28 Wed 19:25]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: webmaster
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract On the joyes of peronal webpage
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:
Occasionally I'm seeing articles about the benefits of /blogging/.
It's to be a way to socialize, or to counter the platforms.
Both of those are true and great,
But there is one more, which drives /me/: being a /webmaster/ is a way to create a place of my own.

Most of this website is coded, designed[fn:design], and written by yours truly.
There is a reason that this website doesn't look like any platform - be it wordpress, medium or twitter.
What I am aiming for is a place on the web that will reflect who I am.
Or at least who I perceive as me.

When I was starting, I had a few failed attempts at actually doing something here.
I wanted to pretend to be someone who I am not - a sad professional.
I even had a version written in Next.js!
Only when I abandoned any pretense and made this a /my/ place everything clicked.

#+attr_shortcode: "netscape-v.png"
#+begin_img-r
Netscape, from days of past.
#+end_img-r
What allowed for that was an absolute power to do whatever I want.
This is not something I would be able to do with any SASS platform.
What is the biggest benefit hereis that doing everything myself reignited my passion from teen years - passion towards doing /cool things in the cyberspace/.
I want to have an Emacs site? Sure, it takes 10 mins.
I want it to look like a technical manual? Why not. CSS will accept even the dumbest idea.
I want web buttons? Let's spend a full evening browsing and choosing.
I want to try OpenBSD? Amsterdam[fn:ams] has me covered!

I want to try something almost no one will ever notice?
Here's my [[/me/now/][now]] page with ratings of movies, books and series I've recently finished.
I think of putting more data-driven parts, like scrobbing from EMMS.
It's so much fun!
The possibilites with plain, old HTML and CSS are limitless.

The other part of the equation is complete abandonment of any chance of monetization.
The web runs on ads and sponsors (and porn), but do I want to participate?
While earning millions from doing video edutainment may sound cool, for me it's a sad life.
Mixing hobbies and work is ok up to a point.
After that your hobby stops being fun.

Those two ideas give mu (near) full freedom of expression.
Do I want to criticize big tech?
Do I want to promote piracy?
Do I want to talk how much I love the open web?
Nothing stops me, as I am not working for Google under the boot of The Algorithm.

Here's the neat part: I love the technical aspect.
Learning how to host a site in an unknown environment is cool.
Doing HTML and CSS is cool.
Designing simple site is cool.
Doing what you /love/ is the coolest feeling out there.

It may not be for everyone, but if you are reading this, I am sure you would succeed at creating your own space.
It may be easy to just throw something on Instagram and watch the like counter go up, but it is not something that would fill me with joy.
Participation in creation web of my dreams does.
Not making Musk even richer also.
Blocking Yandex from DDOSing me not so much[fn:yandex], but having learned how to do it does.

So, this is my pledge: create a /website/.
Want to write regularly? Have a blog.
Want to write a Nethack guide?
This, alone, is a great website.
A /good/ website does not need to be regularly updated.
Don't want to write?
Create a Hello website.
Give us a few tidbits about you, or about something dear to you.
It is /your/ website after all.
Your dog deserves a website!

But make it your /own/.
Go off-platform as far as you can.
Know how to maintain a server?
Do it!
Want to have a site without the hustle?
There are still great WYSIWYG SAAS product.
Want to have video content?
A simple index page with list of links is great!

Just create your public space and send me a link :-)

[fn:design] With mandatory credit to [[http://fabiensanglard.net/][http://fabiensanglard.net/]]
[fn:ams] This site is running on a VPS provided by [[https://openbsd.amsterdam/][OpenBSD Amsterdam]] in exchange for money.
No data is being sold, as it should never be.
[fn:yandex] For the last few days Yandex tried to learn my code so freaking hard, that my Gitea instance was being killed all the time.
The solution?
Blocking that bot on my firewall.

** DONE Audio formats
CLOSED: [2024-02-26 Mon 19:31]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: audio-formats
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Why I stopped caring and loved the digital files
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:
I, like many others, like to romanticize useless things.
One of those things, up to recently, were /Vinyl records/.

#+begin_quote
The two things that really drew me to vinyl are the expense and inconvenience.

-- unkown, some Reddit most likely
#+end_quote

Now, I still fully get why people invest in Vinyl, as those are /sexy/ as hell.
It is one of the sexiest formats out there.
The spinning disc certainly does have its magic.

It is also expensive, annoying to use and - as it turns out - dangerous.
There is a semi-recent vlog about it on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az2czfuiymq][YouTube]].

My collection is very small (less than 20 records) and I currently have no record player.
But I was planning on investing in having more.
In hindsight, it was mostly a result to exposure on =/r/jazzvinyl= and similar.
One of the worst things Reddit did to me, is to convince me to invest is some expensive things i never needed... nor I have a huge joy of having.

But I still refuse to listen to /streaming/.
Spotify can go destroy itself - like it is doing with music.
But I still want to enjoy music.
Where does this leave me?

Files!
Files are all that matter.
I can listen to files on my computer, and on the go.
I can have my files on every machine, I can even get them remotely (using programs like =rsync (1)=).
And, what is also important, I can play music files inside Emacs.

How do I get them?
Except of the /alternative means/, there are still legit and good ways to aquire music.
Contrary to the movie business, which is deep in the DMR hell, music is still /purchbsable/[fn:purchase].
We've got lots of stores selling music files - some so detailed, that only a 75-year-old audiophile can fully appreciate the fidelity[fn:hq].

#+attr_shortcode: "23-haul-jan-haul.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
A small CD haul from last year.
#+end_img-r
And (up till recently), you could get anything on CDs, and then simply rip it.
Funny, that CDs cost about the same as they did 30 years ago, at least in Poland.
I am sure that USA, with their Good Will will get great prices.
But you can use those CDs after 30 years, without any problems.
No clicks, pops or speck of dust ruining your audio.

Here comes the great part - there is a /lot/ of music that was never, nor will ever be on streaming services.
You can get them on CDs and on YouTube[fn:yt] (which is the biggest source of music right now).

We also have great new formats.
There is FLAC for all you nerds, but almost anyone will be more than happy with an OGG file.
MP3 is no longer the golden standard.

I am also thinking of the social aspect of music sharing that was completely lost with that autogenerated playlists, but this is an orthogonal subject.

Therefore, I am doubling down on getting my own, local music collection.
I will not only help to /not/ destroy the environment[fn:bb], but also I will not feed the data-gathering machine[fn:lastfm], and not kill myself with the pollution.
I fail to see any downside!

[fn:purchase] Vide my article on [[https://michal.sapka.me/articles/digital-ownership/][Digital Ownership]].
[fn:hq] I get HQ music.
I hear no difference, but I get it.
But investing into DSP is nothing short of madness.
How much drive space do you have?!
[fn:bb] [[https://brainbaking.com/post/2024/02/the-environmental-impact-of-cloud-computing/][The Environmental Impact of Cloud Computing]]
[fn:yt] Yes, YT is a streaming service.
But it's what we call "music streaming", as it's closer to pirate paradise than to a music businessman.
[fn:lastfm] If I'd want it, I'd rather feed [[https://last.fm][last.fm.]]

** DONE Lawmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)
CLOSED: [2024-02-23 Fri 20:29]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: lawmower-man-2-1996
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of the sequeo to a vr killer thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:
Fun fact: I remembered close to nothing about this movie back.
When I was watching the first, everything seems familiar.
Here?
Not so much.
Guess /Polsat/ consider the second one too expensive for regular broadcast.


In /Lawnmawer Man[fn:reviewlm]/ we meet Jobe, now a genius being living in the cyberspace.
But not so much, because in the first few minutes of /Lawmnower Man 2/ we learn that he has not left his meatsuit for the cyberspace.
The explosion at the lab left him an amputee.
But his talents are now in use of the Evil Corporation designing the future of cyberspace.

Of course, Jobe wants the cyberspace for himself.

The general plot seems similar to the first one, but they are very much different.
The plot is much more complex, there are many more explosions and I think it makes much less sense than the first one.
I would rate it at 2/5.

But the biggest difference is that this movie is target towards certain audience.
/Lawmower Man/ was a kid-friendly horror.
/Lawmower Man 2/ is a kids' movie.
They completely removed the part which tried to be scary.

We've got bunch od kids (and a dog) fighting and winning against a grown-up.
Yes, they get the help from an adult - the creator of cyberspace.
But the main heroes are the kids.
And the main target are the kids.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Kids flying in cyberspace
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0012.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And flying even more.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Dog preparing to save a day...
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And saving the day by inserting a CD in the drive.
How can anyone consider this to be a movie for adoults?
#+end_img-c

I've read that the director was locked out of the editing room as he was trying to make a different movie.
The producers said a firm "no" and made /Lawmower Man 2/ close to the likes of /Goonies/, /Explorers/ or /Flight of the Navigator/.
It never reaches the coolness of those, but it tries.
A lot of people on the interweb bash the movie on logical problems or being goofy.
Yes - occasionally the plot makes so little sense that they needed to add voice over explaining why the hell the /gang/ is going where they are going.
Yes, it has a dog who saves the day.
38 years old me was not amused, but the 10-year-old inside me screamed "yeah! Radical!".
He was not doing well with being /modern/ back then as well.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Her hair is the closest thing to a "scare" in the entire movie
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
This hippie is the inventor of VR.
Tech geniuses leaving all the tech behind to live in the wild is now more real than ever
#+end_img-c

Jobe is being played by Matt Frewer, who quite often acts like Jim Carey, which is fitting.
He is not the magical-killer he used to be.
He is goofy.

Even the music sounds like something Spielberg would use.

There is no Pierce Brosnan here, as only Austin O'Brien returns from the first one, once again reprising the role of Peter Parkette.

My biggest gripe is the special effect here.
The movie takes place in the future, so we're no longer seeing green grass.
The real world vibe is close to /Blade Runner/ or /Dark City/.
I dig it!

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Cyberpunk!
I'm pretty sure that almost all those scenes happened on the same crossroad.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0011.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Almost Blade Runner.
#+end_img-c

But then there is the /cyberspace/.
In /Lawmower Man/ we had amazing, early CGI closer to an acid trip than anything else.
Here, the cyberspace looks like ours.
They just added CGI here and there.
It looks like an episode of /The Next Generation/, but without most of the campiness.
For the most part it is competent, but there is no spark.
It's not /cool/.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0010.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Our first meeting with new Jobe in the cyberspace.
Yes, this is VR-forest.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0007.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Cyberspace here give more of FMV-game kind of vibe than I would have expected
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0008.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The VR here more social than what Apple showed.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0009.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Luckily, sometimes the VR almost delivers.
#+end_img-c

But the 10-year-old me would not care.
He would rate it as 3.75/5 or "that was cool!".
But he he wasn't picky at all.

[fn:reviewlm] Vide: [[/blog/2024/lawmower-man-1229/][my review of Lawmower Man]].
** DONE The Lawnmower Man (1992)
CLOSED: [2024-02-19 Mon 23:03]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: lawmower-man-1992
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of a vr killer  thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:

Back in the glorious 90s, when kids still enjoyed linear TV, we had /Polsat/.
In the post-communist Poland, this was the first /western/ TV station.
Filled with western movies, and western series[fn:series]
Among those, there were constant replays of /The Lawnmower Man/[fn:trans]
I watched it on every occasion and loved it.

Now, 30 years later it is time for a rewatch.
No cyberpunk deep dive can be considered a good one without /The Lawnmower Man/.

/The Lawnmower Man/ is a movie about a disabled lawnmower man, Jobe, who, with the usage of virtual reality, becomes a genius.
Soon after, an Evil Company, stars secretly giving him drugs contracted by the military.
And as result, he starts exhibiting mind reading abilities and telekinesis (because, obviously, why not?).
We've got the (popular at the time) subtext about the dangers of corporates who, without supervision, play God.
Somehow we stopped doing that, and now we've got Altman killing humanity with the clap of happy crowd.
/Lawmower Man/ is a movie about a great technology twisted by corporate overlords.
Fitting.

Jobe becomes a psychic, genius killer (like every mad genius), who decides to take over the cyberspace.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Remember when huge companies were scary?
#+end_img-c

The movie was initially released as a /Stephen King/ movie.
King, however, sued the producers, as the movie has nothing to do the short story of the same name.
And he won, because it was based on original script called /CyberGod/.
Damn, I miss /cyber/ sounding cool.
They should have the original name, instead of forcing King on everyone.
And yes, I know King was the king back then.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
That's one way to save your neck from Apple Vision
#+end_img-c

The movie is we have here is a much dumbed down version of /Flowers for Algeron/, which I intend to finally read.
I don't think anyone ever called it a /good/ movie, and for a good reason.
It's cool, it's got great cyberspace CGI, it's got Pierce Brosnan.
It also has an opening scene with a monkey using a gun, so yeah.

Story-wise is as straight forward as it gets.
The first half is full of sweet shots of grass and sexualization of a lawnmower.
And the most awkward sex scene I've seen in ages... or two.
Then, through a heavy-handed comment about religion and corporations we go the killing part.

This movie fails as horror (there is not even blood or any scare here), and fails as morality play (it's not smart enough).
But it is a testament to the glorious time, when /cyberspace/ was magical and full of potential.
We sure deserve more of that.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The cyberspace we all need.
#+end_img-c

I give it a 3.0/5.

I was *sure* the ending of this film was from the sequel.
But nope - I don't remember anything from the second one.
Therefore, see you on the other side, /Beyond Cyberspace/.

If anything, it's a great movie to show everyone how amazing trackballs are.
And we all know it is a fact.
No one can tell me otherwise.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The hidden star of the movie, right behind that hairy guy.
Look at that keyboard!
Look at how beige it is!
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Cyber God indeed.
#+end_img-c

[fn:series] And Polish version of those.
We had a great copy of /The Honeymooners/ named /Miodowe Lata/.
The translation of the title is surprisingly spot-on.
[fn:trans] Under an amazingly translated title, which would translate back as /The Lawmower Man of Minds/.
Perfection.
We knew /Dirty Dancing/ as /Spinning Sex/ and /Die Hard/ as /Glass Trap/.
Those were simpler times.
** DONE Hardware (1990)
CLOSED: [2024-02-17 Sat 19:39]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: hardware-1990
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of a killer-robot thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:

I continue my descend into American cyberpunk cinema[fn:cp].
I spent my formative years watching /Anime, art house/ and ignoring most of USA movies.
This means I haven't watched a lot of the /cult/ movies out there.

/Hardware/ is a 1990 movie about a killer robot in a post-nuclear world.
Think of a mix of Terminator, Aliens and Short Circuit.

I heard of this movie years ago, but it seemed to be noting more than a cash grab after the success of /Terminator/ - a movie which I  don't partially enjoy.
After watching, I have to say that there was a of true in this assumption.
But somehow I ended enjoying /Hardware/ much more.

Not that the story is better - if anything, it is much simpler, or just plain /simplistic/.
Say what you will about /Terminator/, but the basic premise was great.
/Hardware/ on the other hand doesn't offer a great idea.
This is a straight movie about a killer robot.

However, I enjoyed it more, as it is much closer to what /Alien[fn:alien]/ achieved
The entire action is encapsulated in only a few, closed locations.
Half of the runtime is spent in a single apartment, where the /Mark-13/ robot shows up from to time a try to murder someone.
Much like the /Nostromo/!

This allowed the movie to be *stunning* visually.
I loved every frame here!
I know that most of the effect is based on fog and lighting, but I dig it!
Just take a look at the gallery below.

Another thing which reminded me of /Alien/ is how they handled the special effects of the /monster/.
We see very little of /Mark-13/ - he is often hard to see, covered in darkness.
From time to time we see his movements, and well.
Hiding him was clearly a good idea... just like with the /Xenomorph/.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie.
I'm not calling it one of my favorites, but I enjoyed  every minute of its short runtime.

I give it a =3.5/5=.

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Red sky of postnuclear... summer?
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The Nomad.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Nomad searching the desert for stuff for sale.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
An ordinary store.
Great vibes!
Fun for the whole family.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Same store, different view.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The perfect glasses.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0007.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Seems like somene realy liked Jin-Roh.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0008.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
What posses as art now.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0009.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Computer we want but don't deserve.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0010.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
An art studio. Nothing out of the ordinary.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0011.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Remember when spirituality was cool?
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0012.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Let's give our murder-robot eyes from a camera lense.
I'm sure no one will drop it.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0013.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
UI we all want.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0014.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
What lurks in the shadows.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0015.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Yup, Jin-Roh.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0016.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Yankee-Roh.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0017.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
With some striking shadows.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0018.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
I have become bread, the destroyer of worlds.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0019.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Prelude...
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0020.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And the (most likely) last usage of a refrigerator as a safe place which makes any sense in the history of cinema.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0021.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Yup, a hand.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0022.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Hold the presses!
The glasses are back!
I repeat: the glasses are back.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0023.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Mark-13 in all of its glory.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0024.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
This is only a window, but what a window it is.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0025.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
They have not used Wilhelm's scream.
What a wasted opportunity.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0026.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
In 2024 those are rookie number when it comes to unnecessary lights inside a computer.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0027.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
I am a sucker for this type of fish eye.
Always reminds me of /City of Lost Children./
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0028.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
It doesn't get more era-apporiate than this.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0029.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Ok, it does.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0030.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
One of the few CGI moments here.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0031.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And one of /many/ lighting shots.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0032.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Look how black it is. Classy.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0033.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
But does it run Quake?
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0034.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Back to the desert, like a fine sandwich.
#+end_img-c

And a few nice /gore/ sceenes which I won't show it.
This is a family-friendly website!

Links:
- [[https://thetvdb.com/movies/hardware][Hardware on TVDB]]
- [[https://www.theofficialrichardstanley.com/][Director's official website]]

[fn:cp] I disagree with calling those movies "cyberpunk" as they lack the "punk" element... or most of "cyber".
No one rebels against the system, no one enters the /cyberspace/.
But following this definition, I am not sure if we can call any movie other than /Johny Menomic/ a /Cyberpunk/.
Often we put all dark-sf into "cyberpunk" genre, which limits our ability to be pricks about it.
[fn:alien] Aka "the clearly superior of the /Alien/ series"

** DONE STD of Apple
CLOSED: [2024-02-16 Fri 16:29]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: apple-std
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Apple is making the world worse for next genrations
:END:
First: I was an Apple fanboy, but damn.

To get you up to speed:
EU forces Apple to support different web rendering engines on iOS, which means full Chrome and Firefox are finally viable.
As a result, Apple decided to stop supporting Progressive Web Apps[fn:pwa].

Officially it is to /not decrease/ security of iOS, since Apple no longer controls the referring engine and it's capabilities.
You can read the full support article on [[https://developer.apple.com/support/dma-and-apps-in-the-eu][developer.apple.com]].

But under the legal and marketing buzz it's clear to see that Apple will no longer support PWA exactly because the /capabilities/ are no longer under their control.
Those /web apps/ are currently able to support almost everything what native apps can - just not on iOS.
Without Apple's control, we could have full spectrum of capabilities just waiting for developers.

Now, I dislike PWA as the usability is a nightmare.
But then again, native /touch/ apps are not much better.

It's clear that this move has only monetary reasoning, as almost all apps could completely bypass App Store.
This goes amazingly well with their recent policy on alternative App Store[fn:appstore], and shows what an anti-consumer company Apple has become.

Much to the lack of my surprise, it's not clear enough.
Reading comments on one of the primer Apple news sites you can easily find opinions like:

#+begin_quote
Petty and vindictive

Modern Apple in a nutshell
#+end_quote

but also:

#+begin_quote
thanks for screwing up things again, EU.

next time people pat themselves on the back for regulating Apple, show them this.
#+end_quote

#+begin_quote
I just hope that the EU DMA act, inflicts so much pain, to users in the EU, that the users demand the EU. Change the laws OR the users are forced to abandon Apple, and “choose” Android. … it will prove what is Factual. That users Always had a choice, and no one is forcing them to use an iPhone. Apple will survive, no worries there
#+end_quote

#+begin_quote
For those of you trashing Apple over this move: Really? Do you seriously think that these new EU legislations gave them any other choice, given that PWAs were integrated into the OS itself, and directly reliant upon the Webkit engine?

Nope... it's absolutely guaranteed that someone in the EU would have eventually sued, if Apple had simply left this feature intact. From Apple's point of view, this was a decision made entirely by their legal department, to avoid that potential lawsuit.
#+end_quote

#+begin_quote
Perfect example of unintended consequence of EU meddling in things they don't understand.
#+end_quote

Luckily most comments on this [[https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-confirms-ios-17-4-disables-home-screen-web-apps-in-the-european-union.2419554/page-3][thread]] are closer to the first quote than the rest of those quotes.

However, this makes me less angry with /Apple/ (is it's to be expected from them) but instead with people who would defend them.
And as a result with myself, as I could see myself being one of those.

Apple is so close-knit ecosystem that one can use the entire digital world thought their lens only.
I remember how shocked I was seeing a humble ThinkPad with it's user-replacable memory[fn:tpad], SSD, and even Wi-Fi card[fn:wifi].
Things, which are standard and extremely pro-consumer, are imaginable when all you know is Apple.

Kids this day's (I always wanted to use this term. Get of my lawn) /live/ on their computers - be it a laptop of a phone.
But they are completely computer illiterate.
All they can do is to buy a device and tap the screen.

It would be completely fine if this was nothing more than a hobby, but computers in 2024 are much more than that.
The outside world is driven and shaped by them, so knowing how they work is /essential/.
However, instead of people being able to /understand/ how all of this works, they've accepted this close word.

Let's not call it /garden/ as this world has mostly positive vibe - even it's /walled/.
We should come with a more descriptive term, one that would be as disgusting as the entire idea being it.
I propose „surface traversable domain” - as one can only use what is on the surface.
Everything underneath or outside is inaccessible.
/STD/ for short.

[fn:pwa] [[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps][Intro to PWA on mdm web docs]]
[fn:appstore] Read more on in my post [[/blog/2024/apple-dma/][Software devolution in the hands of Apple]]
[fn:wifi] Vide: [[/bsd/thinkpad/fixing-thinkpad-x1-wifi-on-freebsd/][Fixing ThinkPad X1 Wifi on Freebsd]]
[fn:tpad] Vide: [[/blog/2022/month_without_apple/][A month with a disgusting ThinkPad]]. I am still proud of this cheeky title.
** DONE Let me buy your stuff
CLOSED: [2024-02-14 Wed 16:08]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: let-me-buy-your-stuff
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Stream-only is not an option
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:
I don't think many artists[fn:artists] visit my site, but no can can stop me from pledging you.

Musicians, writers, game developers. Please, let me buy your stuff.
Preferably /directly/ from you.

The only streaming I pay for is YouTube, and I want to drop it as well soon.
This means I am getting my dose of media locally.
From /files/ and /audio players/, like a gentleman.

Now, this gives me two options: high seas or purchasing.

Most of the artist I listen to are long dead.
And this makes the problem easy: I have no moral problem with simply downloading the stuff without any care for copyright.
If there is some new translation or the offer is good - sure.
But, looking at /A Love Supreme/:
- Coltrane: dead since the 60s
- Elvin Jones: dead since 2004[fn:props]
- Jimmy Garrison: dead since the 70s
- McCoy Tyner: dead since 2020[fn:props]
The album itself was released almost 60 years ago.
That's a lot longer than I am even alive!

But there are also new, young, and very much alive artists.
Just recently I've been listening to [[https://www.ambroseakinmusire.com/][Ambrose Akinmusire]]. I've bought both of his albums available on [[https://ambroseakinmusire.bandcamp.com/][Bandcamp]], and they are amazing.
I can't recommend Owl Song enough!

But that's just a portion of his work.
The rest is available only on streaming of by importing CD from the USA.
The first option is a *strong no* for me, as I respect artists too much to just participate in their destruction.
The other is acceptable, but the shipping costs are high (there's also the Amazon problem, but it's nothing compared to streaming).

So, please: if you create any form of art, consider direct sale.
Spotify, steam[fn:steam], netflix, amazon - those are not the only options.
I'm not saying to abandon them, as it would be crazy.
We're not in the good timeline after all.
But let me buy it as well!
I /will/ buy it and, as a result, give you more money from a single album than it's physically possible using Spotify.

[fn:artists] I respect you too much to use the word "content".
[fn:props] Mad respect for living such a long jazz-filled life.
When you read biographies of the Great Cats of the Past you learn that long lifespan is not something that comes from life on road... and drugs.
[fn:steam] Vide my article on [[/articles/digital-ownership/][Digital Ownership]].
** DONE Terry Pratchett's Interesting Times
CLOSED: [2024-02-13 Tue 21:06]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: interesting-times
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract A very short review
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:
Cover blurp:
#+begin_quote
Mighty Battles! Revolution! Death! War! (and his sons Terror and Panic, and daughter Clancy).

The oldest and most inscrutable empire on the Discworld is in turmoil, brought about by the revolutionary treatise What I Did On My Holidays. Workers are uniting, with nothing to lose but their water buffaloes. Warlords are struggling for power. War (and Clancy) are spreading through the ancient cities.

And all that stands in the way of terrible doom for eveyone is:

Rincewind the Wizard, who can't even spell the word 'wizard' ...

Cohen the barbarian hero, five foot tall in his surgical sandals, who has had a lifetime's experience of not dying ...

...and a very special butterfly.
#+end_quote

#+attr_shortcode: "pratchett-interesting-times.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover
#+end_img-r
I am, what one could call, an old school /nerd/.
All I care about are old operating systems, ancient editors and old SCIFI[fn:manga]
Ah, and some text based game where you are a cute "@".
/Of course/ I like Pratchett.

I started reading him /years/ ago in the only way acceptable - chronological[fn:wrong].
And I had a few years long pause.
Now, after a series of reading /only/ technical books I am returning to fiction.

/[[https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/books/interesting-times/][Interesting Times]]/ is an ok-level Pratchett book.
It's not close to his best, it's not close to his worst[fn:worst].

This time Rincewind has to travel to Counterweight Continent and help a rebellion.
There he reconnects with old acquaintances - Twoflower, and Cohen to Barbarian.

The problem is that there is not much more.
We've got a lot of Chinese things, which is new.
But the story itself is extremely straight-forward.
Nothing memorable happens.
I finished it 2 days ago, and already I would have a problem recollecting any standing out moment.
I still remember moments from other /Discworld/ books a decade after I read them!

But Terry's writing makes me not care and just enjoy the journey.
He is able to make a boring story interesting, and his characters are always great.
I was reading the book while putting my son to sleep, and I almost gave him a heart attack with a laughter attack.
This alone makes it worth it!

Not the best place to start with //Discworld// (the best is, of course, /Colour of Magic/) but as n-th book in the series it's very enjoyable.

I give it a =3.75/5=.

*** Meta
- Read as EPUB on Onyx Boox Note Air 2.
- Read in Polish translation
- Next up: back to Andrzej Sapkowski's with "Time of Contempt". I am not a good pole, having not read the entire saga. I promise to do it before my 40th birthday[fn:fort]


[fn:wrong] It's ok to disagree, just like it's ok to be wrong.
[fn:worst] Being a bad Pratchett's book still means being a very good one.
Most authors would love to reach the level of one of those at least once.
[fn:fort] Which is closer that I expected
[fn:manga] And manga&anime, but that's beside the point.
Not American comics though.
Never cared about those, and it seems I never will.
** DONE Wireless free since 2023
CLOSED: [2024-02-12 Mon 11:17]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: upgraded-to-wired
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract I have upgraded my setup to fully wired
:END:
I just noticed that my entire primary computer status is wired now:
- network is running through a copper cable,
- audio is going through a cable to headphones,
- my keyboard and trackball are integrated and wired.

I have to say, that upgrading from (legacy) wireless options was easy and good in the long run.
No longer have I think about batteries or spotty connections.
The setup works without any problems now.
Not only is the connection perfect, but also higher quality perfumeries were never downgraded to wireless connection, so when looking for premium headphones there simply is no BT based option[fn:hp]

Yes, cables *may* break - especially those for headphones, but since they are easily replaceable it's no problem.
Luckily, no one would buy headphones without detachable cable, right?

I can wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone.
The biggest surprise is that cables often come with /lower/ price compared to Bluetooth.
After a few months, I see no reason to downgrade it.

And pro hint: with an /USB switch/ I can move between personal and work computer /with a single keypress/.

[fn:hp] Well, there are but let's be real.
They will open their wings only with connected cable.
Even if there is a BT connection, it's better just use wire.

** DONE Ghost in the Machine (1993)
CLOSED: [2024-02-09 Fri 22:59]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: ghost-in-the-machine
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of a computer thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:
Talk about a surprise!
I was expecting a /schlock/, but I've seen a nice move.
A dumb one, but still.

The plot is the biggest problem: a serial killer has an MRI and due to electric storm gets his soul moved to computer network.
With this, he becomes able to:
- kill person by moving to a microwave and changing its settings,
- kill a dog by arousing it with a TV program (using nothing by electric breakers), then hitting the dog with a VHS tape ejected from a VHS player which causes the animal to run towards the pool

#+attr_shortcode: "ghost-in-the-machine.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover
#+end_img-r
It makes as little sense in the context of the movie as it does here.
But the acting is (at the very least) acceptable and the FX are better than they should - and there is a lot of them.
Moreover, the camera work is crazy!
The movie /looks/ better than it should.
It seems that this dumb, little movie got more passion in it than the entire MCU combined.

The problem is that I have no idea what was going on.
People were dying, cool computer interfaces were shown, but the plot barely connected those scenes together.

It's a classic thriller from early days of personal computing revolution.
I enjoyed it a lot.
It is not a /good/ movie, but it is enjoyable.

I give it a =3.0/5.=

links:
- [[https://utf.thetvdb.com/movies/ghost-in-the-machine][Ghost in the Machine on TVDB]]

** DONE Phone usage and thoughts on Linux phone
CLOSED: [2024-02-08 Thu 22:08]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: phone-usage
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract I want Linux phone, but it doesn't seem ready yet
:END:
Recently, I've become very angry with my iPhone.
Not only Apple is actively trying to become the worse company in the business[fn:apple], but the UI of the phone is getting worse with each version.
This makes me sure that my next phone won't be an iPhone.

But then, what do I need the device for?
Do I even need an /Android/ and toy with de-googling it?

It seems that I primarily need:
- phone calls
- SMS
- Browser
- SSH Client
- XMPP client
- Email
- Acceptable camera
- Audio jack and local music playback.[fn:ip]
  
It isn't much, so it looks like /Linux/ phone, like /PinePhone[fn:pine]/ would be more than enough.

The one thing which stops me from ordering one (together with that amazing keyboard case[fn:pinekb]) are the not-great reviews, like the one [[https://zerwuerfnis.org/daily-driving-the-pinephone-pro][Zerwuerfnis]] recently posted.

Now, as listed above: I don't need a lot.
But I want the phone do those things great.
I can accept ok-camera (with sadness), as there still are great point-and-shoots on the market - often much better than the ones in phones.
I stopped taking lots of photos[fn:photos] some time ago anyway.

What I can not accept is bad reception and bad battery life.
I am a father, and therefore phone is primarily an emergency device.
I need to be able to call the doctor whenever I need to, and I need to be reachable by the daycare.
And, from what I read, /Linux/ fails here.
It is much better than /iOS/Android/ and being geeky toy, but it is not ready to be a phone.

Seems I will need to wait a while longer to surround myself with superior mobile experiences, like SXMO[fn:sxmo]

[fn:pine] [[https://pine64.org/devices/pinephone_pro/][PinePhonePro on pine64.com]]
[fn:pinekb] [[https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-pinephone-pro-keyboard-case/][Keyboard on pine64.com]]
[fn:apple] [[/blog/2024/apple-dma/][Software devolution in the hands of Apple]]
[fn:ip] iPhone, of course, looses this test.
[fn:photos] Which, itself, is a subject for a different day.
[fn:sxmo] A tiling WM for a phone. Vide [[https://sxmo.org][official website]].
 
** DONE Music Monday: Owl Song 1 by Ambrose Akinmusire
CLOSED: [2024-02-08 Thu 21:11]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: owl-song-1
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract An amazing new jazz release
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: yt
:END:

*Every Monday I will try to post some music, just to brighten up someone's day.*
*I stole this idea from [Ruben](https://rubenerd.com/tag/music-monday/).*

/Yes, it's Thursday./
And yes, it's been a while.

A lot of new Jazz releases add some drum machines, rapping and so on.
I am all for progress, but I don't like this particular route.

[[https://www.ambroseakinmusire.com][Ambrose Akinmusire]]  goes a different route.
I am not an expert (far from it), but what I hear are **amazing** harmonies and trumpet in the mellow style of Tomasz Stanko.
It's unapologetically modern without jumping onto pop music.
I love it!

#+attr_shortcode: "9bren_zvQwE" 
#+begin_yt
Owl Song 1
#+end_yt

You can buy the full album on [[https://ambroseakinmusire.bandcamp.com/album/owl-song][Band Camp]].
You can also check their [[https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-jazz/the-best-jazz-on-bandcamp-january-2024][best of January releases list]].

** DONE Books and their sizes
CLOSED: [2024-02-06 Tue 19:25]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: book-size
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract A short rant about huge books
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:
I used to /love/ buying physical books.
I would still /love/ to, but I am no longer able to.
It's not that the books are too expensive[fn:exp].
The problem is that I live in a typical European flat (64 square meters or 688 square feet) which means I am limited on space.
Books, however, have became /gigantic!/

#+attr_shortcode: "br-size-1.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Old and new polish edition of Blade Runner.
The new one is gigantic in comparison.
#+end_img-c

The publishers started internal war on my shelf space.
I would accept it if there were usability improvements, like bigger font size.
But nope - I fail to see any significant difference.

#+attr_shortcode: "br-size-2.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Old and new polish edition of Blade Runner.
The text sizes are very similar.
#+end_img-c

Back in the 90s, books were a wanted good and the published could not print enough.
In 2024, they lose the battle against yet another bore fest from Netflix.
They are a luxury now.

It's funny, as my last purchase (/Masters of Doom/) is a US issue which is much better sized.
It is bought to be stored in gigantic US houses, but it's much easier to store.

Guess I'll sell most of my post 2010 issues and replace them with older one.
There is an amazing 1993 issue of /Dune/ which gives me painful level of nostalgia.

[fn:exp] they are, but that's not the point here.
** DONE I no longer love The Web
CLOSED: [2024-01-31 Wed 18:54]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: i-no-loger-love-the-web
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract I think I finally get why web no longer excites me
:END:
When I first started using The Web, sometime in the late 90s, I fell in love.
Unfortunately, the love is gone.
I don't feel inspired, or energized.
Most often I am anxious whenever a new fad enters the collective mind - be it crypto, NFT, VR or AI.

It wasn't always like that.
I was deeply into new tech things.
I devoured magazines and news sites and whenever I found something new, it seemed cool and even though I would not be able to afford it, it still made me feel engaged.

For a long time I've been trying to understand reasons for this change.
I now think there are two.

*** Big tech

When I think of inventions of the past, I think of small groups of people coming out with great ideas.
Be it Wozniak, Torvalds, Carmack, Knuth, or Stallman.
They were heroes, geniuses.
They gave their best and changed the world.
Nowadays, we've got Musk, Cook, or Zuckerberg on the forefront of the verge.

We've still got folks driven by hunger and ambition.
But they are powerless against capital.

"We're making something fucking cool" was changed to "we've made a great return of investment".
When I think of ClosedAI or Apple Vision, I am unable to admire the tech.
It is amazing, but I couldn't care less.
Instead, I wonder how will the drive for profit destroy it.

Technologically we are already living in what cyberpunk fiction warned us about.
What we use, and what defines us, is owned by a few incomprehensibly humongous companies.
Google and Apple are trying to own the digital world.
Altman and Zuckerberg are actively racing who will destroy the society faster.

We've allowed Silicon Valley to take the web from us.
One bite after another, we've given them everything.
Websites became social media profiles; IRC became Discord; email became gmail.

But we all know that.
The web is enshifitified beyond recognition.
But this is not it.
This alone is not why I fell this way.
All of this could be easily reverted.

This would break the web, but, by itself wound not be enough for me to loose faith in it.

*** No longer a safe space

The bigger problem is that there is no longer space here for people like me.
I joined The Web as an escape.
Most of the people I've met online were (at the very least) socially awkward.
It was different from now, in the sense that we treated The Internet as a completely separate place.
It was /our/ safe space.
We were not who were in the flesh word.
We were who we /wished/ we were.
Not for profit, but the heck of it.

In 2024 *everyone* is on The Web.
The Web is omnipresent, it became intertwined with the offline world.
You no longer /log in/ as it is no longer a separate entity.
It's all one and the same.

And with this all the problems of the /offline/ world polluted cyberspace.
The same people we were avoiding on our IRC channels, are the people who shape what The Web is.

Personally I blame iPhone.
This is the device that removed the barer.
"No mater where you go, everyone is connected"[fn:lain].
The Internet molded into the Flesh World.

The web was taken from us, and with that, it stopped being a truly safe place.
No longer one can be their true self, as we need to promote our meat suites.
How many people lost their jobs due to some random joke?
How many people pretend to be someone, who /others/ want them to be?

Yes, I was a troll and I felt that the web is /my/ control.
It was my escape, but it is no longer.
It is controlled by the same crowd who made my younger days much worse than it should be.

[fn:lain] A quote from "Serial Experiments Lain"

*** Escaping the failed escapism

This is why I find /retro/ so appealing.
I join small communities which are connected not by superficial, or physical attributes.
I am not on the Polish web, nor on man web, nor on guys who can't grow beard despite being almost 40 web.

These days I am into Emacs, and BSD.
Both are classic tech and people into them are into the same things I am into[fn:cool].
It's easy to find privacy, and cyber-independence oriented folks out there.
And it is exactly what the web was.
A community of people who had a lot in common, despite having nothing to do with each other.
I've met people online who I connected on a deeper level, than to people who I've eactually met.

On the web, I was not surrounded by classmates, or family.
I was surrounded by /my/ friends.
And we were playing on /our/ rules.

Those rules are no longer accepted.

It seems that by searching for like-minded communities I inevitably find people who are just much of a relict as I am.
But we are still on the hostile, soulless Web on today.

I have a son now.
He is 5.
20 years ago I would not be able to curb my enthusiasm for showing him around the web, for sharing our passion for cyberspace.
In 2024, I am afraid of what he will find here because he is so much like me.
Will he find his own /safe space/?

----

I am publishing this text with huge hesitation.
I know that most people won't agree, as they may see it as a personal attack.
It may be read as "not girls allowed".
It was not the intention.

But maybe I am looking at this wrong?
Maybe there is silver lining somewhere?

But hey, this is what /blogs/ are for.

[fn:cool] Not to mention that they are extremely cool!

** DONE Software devolution in the hands of Apple
CLOSED: [2024-01-26 Fri 19:51]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: apple-dma
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Apple tries dodging creating user freedom once again
:END:
Let's go back some 60 years into the past.
Image buying a /mainframe/ computer for a low price of 200k USD.
You can not install any arbitrary software there, as the architecture is closed.
PC with its openness will come in some 30 years.
For now, you have bought machine, but you are also renting it.
Any changes require a dedicated team to come to your site.
You are also forced to pay constant fee every month for the privilege to use the machine.

This was the standard way to /compute/ in the 60s.
But we have evolved.
Nowadays, you buy a computer and nothing keeps you from doing anything with it.

Unless you bought it from Apple.
Yesterday the Big A dropped a news article[fn:apple] about how they will comply with Digital Markets Act[fn:dma].

In short: they Cook-ed it.
They fulfilled the letter of the law, completely bypassing any reasoning behind the act.
One may say: Apple made the Cookie popup of the DMA.

Yes, external store will be possible and one may install[fn:sideload] programs bypassing Apple App Store.
It may even be possible to bypass Apple requirements for programs this way.
Hooray?

First of all: no /truly/ independent store will emerge.
Apple still needs to accept store before it is allowed to install anything.
And this comes with two requirements:
- 0.5Eur fee for each first install from so-called "Core Technology Fee" [fn:fee].
- 1 million EUR credit[fn:fee] [sic].
  Yup, to secure the above you need a letter of credit from a bank.
  This ensures that no independent store, akin to F-Droid will emerge.

But that's not all!
Apple requires that each version of you program distributed from different stores needs to be the same.
So, if you even think of having it /also/ on Apple App Store, you are forbidden from giving more freedom to a user in version sold /outside/.

And with those two Catch-22 requirements Apple stopped any real user freedom on their platform.
You may create an independent, non-for-profit store if you have enough profits to do that.

This goes against everything I believe in when it comes to /software/.
I want open computers empowering users, not closed ones guarding them.

And the scariest part?
Some folks are defending this policy.
Sometimes I feel like a relict of the past.

And I wonder how will they the botch opening iMessage.
I used to be an Apple fanboy.
I even owned an Airport Extreme.
But, as a father and person living from software development, I am at this point where I don't want to have anything to do with this company.

I own an iPhone 13 Mini and I hate UI.
I am forced to work on an MacBook and I hate how little one can customize there.
I also own an AppleTV and the availability of programs there is a joke.

I planned to /never/ buy an Apple device ever again.

But with this I am no longer just an ex-fanboy.
I am now actively *against* what they do and what they stand for.
This is no longer the company I fell in love with[fn:love].
For some time we've been discovering that a single provider shouldn't control the entire chain.
Apple became the /worst/ enemy when it comes to software freedom simply because /they can/.
Little by little, they prove Stallman's take[fn:stallman] is stop on.

Wake me up when Linux is ready for everyday phone use, because Google is a poor alternative.

[fn:dma] [[https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/index_en][The Digital Markets Act on EC site]]
[fn:apple] [[https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/01/apple-announces-changes-to-ios-safari-and-the-app-store-in-the-european-union/][Apple announces changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union]]
[fn:sideload] let's not call it "sideloading".
[fn:fee] [[https://9to5mac.com/2024/01/25/apple-says-third-party-app-marketplace-creators-must-have-e1000000-letter-of-credit/][Apple says third-party app marketplace creators must have €1,000,000 ‘letter of credit’]]
[fn:love] yup, having any positive feelings towards a company is not a good idea.
Proven by case in point.
[fn:stallman] [[https://stallman.org/apple.html][Reasons not to use Apple]]
** DONE Technical book review: Hacking APIs
CLOSED: [2024-01-19 Fri 20:01]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: hacking-apis
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Short impression of 2600 magazine
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:

#+attr_shortcode: "hacking-apis.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover
#+end_img-r
I am a software developer with a new-found interest in security.
Childhood spent watching hacking-related entertainment didn't go to waste.
When I saw the /hacking/ humble bundle, I knew I needed it.
My first read[fn:smnet] from that bundle was not a love at first sight I expected it to be.
Luckily, /Hacking APIs/ is a completely different beast.

The title says it all: it's about hacking web APIs.
The target audience seems to be aspiring pentesters.
I may even say that no prior experience is expected, as the author explains /a lot/.
You will learn how those APIs work, what to look when testing them and how to exploit them.

The book gives a really nice overview of most common vulnerabilities types, giving me new ways to be smug.
It is always welcomed.

Still, I will not benefit from a huge part of this book as it reads like a commercial for Burp Suite.
Yes, it is a standard and learning what one can do with it is great.
But I am not a pentester, so I will not need all that practical knowledge.
It's a great exercise for me, nothing more.

It will also come in handy if I decide to switch trades.

Highly recommended book!

*** Meta
- Read as PDF on Onyx Boox Note Air 2.
- Issues bought from Humble Bundle
- Next up: back to "Absolute FreeBSD".
[fn:smnet] [[/blog/2023/cybersecurity-for-small-networks/][Cybersecurity for Small Networks]]

** DONE 2600
CLOSED: [2024-01-12 Thu 21:23]

:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: 2600-magazine
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Short impression of 2600 magazine
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:END:
For quite some time I've been looking for a magazine to read.
In my younger days, reading computer game magazines was the best thing.
Way before the +internet+ big tech ruined everything, polish gamers have already found a safe haven.
In the dark days of post-communistic 90s, we were feeling like living in the future.

And then they, one by one, died.
Killed by "free" sites filled with ads and sponsored content.

It may very well be anachronistic to wait for a review that will not even move on the screen.
But this is exactly what I found to be great about them - slow moving, regular, without much fuss, much more deliberate.

I've been reading quite a few magazines recently, but finally I have found the one which fills me with passion - just like the ones from my childhood.
Now I have something to wait from, to learn from and, well, feel to be a part of it.

I have finally found *2600*[fn:site].

What is 2600 you ask?
Well, the magazine self-describes as /The Hacker Quarterly/ and it fully shows the purpose.
It's a magazine written, edited and read by /hackers/ that is released since 1984[fn:1984]
Hackers in the /original/ sense of the word - tinkerers trying to expand what is possible to do with electronic devices.
Other than that, the team behind 2600 also organized *Hope*, a hacker-focused conference (known as what Defcon was when Defcon was good. I've never been to either one, so I'm just repeating) and even made a few movies.
They were also very involved in the "Free Kevin"[fn:kevin] campaign.

All in all, 2600 encompasses everything that is good about computer-oriented communities, and it rejects the current status quo of closed, surveillance based systems.

It's not that this is the first time I've heard of it, but with the digital version, it finally became economically sane to get familiar.

Funny enough, I've bought my first issue late in December - just a few days before the next issue came out.
After finishing those two, I feel extremely satisfied.
I don't remember when was the last time I wanted to read a magazine from cover to cover.
This is exactly what the doctor ordered.

The biggest shock for me was how /soft/ the magazine is.
On the Internet, all /hackers sites/ focus on the technical stuff.
/2600/ also has some articles that are strictly technical, but there's not much of them.
It is, however, full of /hacker/ culture.
For me, as a /hacker/ much more in /spirit/ than in /abilities/, this is simply wonderful.

It seems that U found what I was looking for a long ass time.
All this, because 2600 is finally available as digital download.
I need to give my data to make the payment, but the PDF comes without any DRM.
Beats paying dozens USD just for shipping by a mile!

Though paying by Monero would be much more l33t.

Finally, as part of [[/blog/2024/email-project/][The Email Project]] I have emailed the editing team.
A significant portion of these 2 issues I've bought is occupied by letters from readers.

*** Contents of  Winter 2023/2024 issue (40-4)
#+attr_shortcode: "2600-40-4.webp" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover of issue 40-4
#+end_img-r
- The Road Behind
- The Dark Side of DNA Data
- The BoneBox
- Artificial Intelligence and Creativity
- Career and Gloating in Las Vegas
- TELECOM INFORMER
- Enhance Your Typing Experience With Mechanical Keyboards
- Adventures in Lockpicking
- Ooops; v97.129
- Geo-Distributed Bug Bounty Hunting
- Being a Hacker
- Byte-Sized Justice: A Tale of Hacker Ethics and Copy Protection
- A Quick Intro to Biohacking
- HACKER PERSPECTIVE
- Privacy: Protecting Your Personal Information Online
- The AI Risk Nobody Seems to Mention
- American Shanzhai, Part 4
- EFFECTING DIGITAL FREEDOM
- Quantum Computer Algorithms, Part III: DES Decryption
- GPT Revolution: Reimagining Programming in the Era of AI
- Snitched Out by Tech
- I Fight for the Users
- ARTIFICIAL INTERRUPTION
- Platform Capitalism Can't Surveil Absurdism (and Worse)
- Alzheimer's and AR Tech
- Book Review: Pegasus
- Book Review: Fancy Bear Goes Phishing

*** Contents of Autumn 2023 issue (40-3)
#+attr_shortcode: "2600-40-3.webp" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover of issue 40-3
#+end_img-r
- Memories to Come
- Designing an OpenAI Powered IRC Chat Bot for Fun and Profit
- Cute App, But I'll Use My Own
- Saying Goodbye to an Old (GPFS) Friend
- TELECOM INFORMER
- The Arrival of 2600 Digital Delivery
- Why Aren't You Cracking Your Users' Passwords?
- A Technology Life Story
- Social Engineering is Forever
- Is AI More of a Tool or an Ethical Challenge?
- Quantum Proof Encryption
- But I Don't Want a Copilot
- HACKER PERSPECTIVE
- Diskless Malware
- Hacking the Airwaves
- Adventures in Zero Trust
- American Shanzhai, Part 3
- EFFECTING DIGITAL FREEDOM
- Go On a Journey
- Morbid Curiosity in the Weaponized AI Era
- See You on the C-Drive (A Series of Late 20th Century Fragments)
- ARTIFICIAL INTERRUPTION
- Is 2600 Still Relevant?
- Learn Linux, People!
- WasteTrackers and More


*** Meta
- Read as PDF on Onyx Boox Note Air 2.
- Issues bought from [[https://2600.com][2600.com store]] <BR>
- Next up: back to "Hacking APIs". It's great!

[fn:site] [[https://2600.com][Official website of 2600]]
[fn:kevin] [[https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/blog/how-the-free-kevin-movement-changed-the-cyber-security-industry][How the Free Kevin Movement Changed the Cyber Security Industry]]
[fn:1984] that's one year older than me!

** DONE The Email Project
CLOSED: [2024-01-03 Wed 18:26]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: email-project
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract This year I want to rely on Email even more!
:END:
I have no resolutions for 2024, as the last ones were dropped long before December.
There is however one thing I wanted to do for a long time: to rely on Email more.

So my project for 2024 is as simple as sending email.
I will not use any other means (sigh, social media) to reach people I want to contact.
Instead, I will use plain, old email.http://localhost:1313/blog/2023/cybersecurity-for-small-networks/

Last year one person (won't name publicly due to respect and privacy) emailed me, and we've been exchanging messages since then.
It was the surprise of the year and I met a person I would never have a chance otherwise.
I would like it to happen more, as this is a great growth experience.

I'm not leaving [[https://emacs.ch/@mms][Mastodon]], but I will not approach people using it.
Furthermore, I'd love to leave Discord and Messenger, but folks there are pretty stubborn :)

** DONE Links for week #01
CLOSED: [2024-01-03 Wed 18:12]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: links-01
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Cool links from week 01 of 2024
:END:

It's the New Year, so here are some cool links I've stumbled upon recently:
- **[[https://www.anildash.com/2024/01/03/human-web-renaissance/][The Web Renaissance Takes Off]]** -
  Maybe the web is not lost?
  A very short opinion piece.
- **[[https://www.jwz.org/blog/2023/12/remember-when-mozilla-made-a-web-browser/][Remember when Mozilla made a web browser?]]** -
  I use Firefox, I promote Firefox, and I am very sad to have to agree with author
- **[[https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/things-are-about-to-get-a-lot-worse][Things are about to get a lot worse for Generative AI]]** -
  Guess who got caught training on and recreating copyrighted content?
  Spoiler: it's AI
- **[[https://blogsystem5.substack.com/p/the-ides-we-had-30-years-ago-and][The IDEs we had 30 years ago... and we lost]]** -
  A cool, short article on IDEs of the past and how little have they progressed
- **[[https://aftermath.site/true-lies-4k-uhd-blu-ray-james-cameron-peter-jackson-park-road-post][They Want You To Forget What A Film Looks Like]]** -
  jump from VHS to DVD was huge; from DVD to HD big; from HD to 4k was incremental at best.
  In this article we explore a few recent upscales and how bad they are.
  Spoiler: it's AI

But, most importantly, The Weaver published _TWO_ new articles on computer history:
- [[http://wovenmemories.net/2023/12/30/First.Operating.System_Part.2.html][First Operating System -- Part Two]]
- [[http://wovenmemories.net/2024/01/02/Subroutines.html][Subroutines]]


* WIP
** TODO Bringing back web buttons, antipixels, and banners
** TODO Wikipedia is a problem
French Wiki bans contributors based on their opposition to trans people naming (https://eldritch.cafe/@Pandora/111980158155555456)
Wikpedia has a list of /controvesion subjecs/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_controversial_issues


** New things make me sad
** TODO Don McMillan  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwz-Md6OoyA