Category: Life During The Plague Years Page 1 of 2

The Lane You Inevitably Find Yourself In

On January 23, 2021

In Art Art Cut A Fart, Baseball, Life During The Plague Years, Link Dump, Microsoft

Now that we have someone relatively sane occupying the White House and along with that change comes the hope that we’ll eventually get the Covid-19 (and all of its new and super fun mutant variations) under control, I’m going to try to gravitate towards more sane things myself. The way for me to get there, at least in the short term, is to read about things that aren’t political. That said, Wonkette lives forever in my perpetually open tabs. I just need a breather.

1. This article about Russian Avant-Garde painters that may or not have even existed is one of the more fascinating things I’ve read this week. The idea of creating fictional painters to sell the style of work popular with American collectors is one that makes me want to do more digging since the commerce of art isn’t something I often think about. I do love the whiff of simulacra exuding from the complicated mess.

2. Heartbreakingly especially given how many Hall of Famers have passed recently, Hank Aaron has passed away. Aaron was legendary on so many levels and is yet another crushing loss to delineate this span of time from any kind of feeling of normalcy or continuity.

3. Microsoft were just granted a patent for some creepy dead people AI chatbot idea that I’m not quite ready for. Did no one see Devs? Jesus.

4. AZ man (trying to compete with Florida?) pulls a gun on a customer for wearing a mask which just about epitomizes the state of things in the US right now. Take off your protective wear and risk your life for my bullshit politics or I will shoot you.

So, That Shit Is Over With

By goneaway

On January 20, 2021

In Life During The Plague Years, Oh God, Politics

I am delighted to be on the other side of the inauguration of a president who isn’t an utter moron and see that DC wasn’t overrun by mobs of Truck Nutz enthusiasts. I didn’t watch any of the live streams of the inauguration out of superstitious dread that something awful was bound to happen if I did. It’s the same sort of superstition that I apply to important pitches during baseball games; if I watch every pitch something truly horrific is going to happen and if something glorious happens then, well, that’s what replays are made for. The ick in the White House has been scrubbed away at least until the impeachment begins.

Some things to keep in mind for tomorrow when the sense of immediate relief wears off and we need to start worrying about the aftermath:

1. Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote an excellent piece in the Atlantic about how white supremacy was the only consistent unifying thread of Trumpism that you should really read. Even if the content wasn’t pressingly relevant, Coates is such a gifted writer that it is well worth a once over even if you don’t want to invest another smidgen of mental capacity trying to understand what the fuck happened in the United States over the past 4 (italics for sarcasm) years. The expulsion of their poster boy from a seat of power doesn’t lessen their numbers or anything.

2. Of course, Dear Leader had to be persuaded not to promiscuously hand out pardons that might put him in danger both politically and legally. Shameless until the very end.

3.Telcom lobbyist Ajit Pai is out of the FCC which is good news for everyone who leans heavily on an unrestricted internet which, these days, is everyone who does anything and is another thing worth celebrating. Seriously, fuck that guy.

4. The Q cults don’t know which crazy lies to believe now! This would be a lot more funny if there weren’t so damned many of them. I am enjoying the slapstick comedy of watching the Q-anon folks alternately deciding to viciously turn on each other or that maybe Joe Biden is Q.

The End of This/The Plague Year

By goneaway

On January 1, 2021

In Life During The Plague Years, Music

I’ve been quiet for an extended stretch. I think that utter inertia and borderline despair that affected so many folks during the various lockdowns, open back ups, and subsequent hasty retreats that we’ve lived through over the past year finally settled on me in a bigger way than I ever could have anticipated. I’ve been a wreck lately. Most nights I am in bed before 9 PM because I can’t think of a single good reason to stay awake and I’m exhausted about it.

The pulverizing Primitive Man put out a monolithically heavy record this year that is so perfect for this dark and claustrophobic year that it’s almost too on the nose. I’ve listened to this record a ton since it was released and it cathartic if only by proxy. I’ve barely picked up a guitar since the real lockdowns started and when the hope of this just being a month or two lark started to dissipate. Give them a couple of listens. They’re a local band for me for whatever that is worth. Maybe grab some stuff from their Bandcamp as well since folks gotta eat.

My Good Intentions Are Worth Less Than The Website They’re Printed On

By goneaway

On December 16, 2020

In Life During The Plague Years, Oh God, Politics, This Sucks

I’m starting to think that the perceived ending of the pandemic might actually be effecting my overall mental health more even more than the apocalyptic uncertainty at the beginning of it all. My motivation to do anything even as strenuous as starting a new series on a streaming service has completely fallen off. I’m sure there will be ton of academic work done on the impact of Covid-19 on our collective sanity but it’s hitting me harder than at any point that I remember so far.

The feeling of a continual and torturous walk on a malfunctioning hotel treadmill is the only approximation I can come up with. Maybe that burn is striking in conjunction with our national post-election malaise where something that should have been resolved in a few days keeps dragging on and on until we’re completely burned off all of the outrage built up over the past year. Maybe we’re just tired of better being slightly over the horizon and tantalizingly out of reach. Oh yeah, and then there was the whole series of police murdering people of color to add to the misery as well in addition to the number of people who can’t feed their families because a catastrophic number of businesses have either gone under or struggle to stay open in a time period where a lot of foot traffic is a truly terrible idea. I guess the things I’ve written about above are things I need to think a lot more frequently and seriously about since comparatively I’m only suffering existentially and the Black Lives Matter sign on our lawn doesn’t actually do much of anything.

Some Stuffs From the Webs

By goneaway

On November 13, 2020

In Life During The Plague Years, Link Dump, Oh God, Politics

Still getting acclimated to the ebb and flow of my new gig and mostly working through lunches at the moment so time hasn’t been on my side for wasting scads of time doom scrolling lately. Here’s what ended up on Pinboard:

1. The Donald J Trump Presidential Library site is brilliantly done. I’d seen mention of it in a few places but (incorrectly) assumed that it would be disappointing. It is not. Maybe I’ve just grown so tired of seeing that man’s name in print and the expected bluster, xenophobia, and obsession with how he is seen by the world that I just tuned it out earlier. It is worth a visit if only because it’s better designed than most non-parodies associated with real libraries and museums. Top notch stuff all the way around folks!:

History has judged the former President to be criminally negligent in the death of thousands of American citizens, morally bankrupt in treatment of immigrants, and vastly amoral in race relations in empowering white nationalism.

With our Criminal Records Room, you can do the research on how YOU would prosecute Trump’s crimes against humanity!

2. In an unfortunately similar vein is My Little Crony. It visualizes all of gross business connections between Tory politicians and various companies getting government contracts during the pandemic. It’s ~~good~~ ~~comforting~~ less humiliating as an American to know that we’re not alone in our beleaguerment by the corruption of our elected officials. Not that this was ever necessarily a question or anything.

3. I’m glad that Google is doing something with the still fresh leftovers from its failed forays into VR that doesn’t involve them slowly bit-rotting in an unmaintained state while a group of adherents try to keep the content afloat. We could all use a walk somewhere far away right now. The only issue is that you can’t walk there and stay permanently. That sounds nice right about now.

4. I also learned today that following a half bag of Zapp’s Voodoo chips with an unintentional gulp of coffee is a grave error that can only be undone with vigorous toothbrushing and an optional minty mouthwash chaser. It’s the umami version of the ol’ toothpaste and orange juice disaster and I would not wish it on anyone else.

5. This article over at Slate gives me much more hope after the sheer number of editorials I’ve read over the past few weeks that have basically said that Biden’s appointments are going to nearly impossible to get past the Senate. I strongly believe that Mitch McConnell should be sealed into a capsule and fired at high velocity to the Moon since he doesn’t seem interested in doing much for either his state or the country. Any public servant that single-mindedly focused on gaining and consolidating political power needs to be retired in the interplanetary sense. Poof! Goodbye! Don’t worry about samples! No one wants you to come back.

Probably About Time For Some Words

By goneaway

On November 10, 2020

In Life During The Plague Years, Oh God, Politics, Work Horrible Work

Although Joe Biden wasn’t my first or even second choice for a presidential candidate given his propensity for being a grabass of slightly less odious proportions than the asshole we’re trying to get rid of, I’m glad someone reasonable seeming won the election. I think another full term of Trump would have finished off the tattered remnants of the United States. I don’t think that my positive reaction has nearly as much to do with Biden’s election as it does with the election of a woman of color as Vice President. I’m glad that shit is over with and we can now just amuse ourselves with watching judges bat down ridiculous lawsuits and then of course the Four Seasons press conference/slapstick comedy hour was just more icing on a cake already slick with sugar.

My wife is officially discharged and home from the hospital. She’s going to have to use a walker for a while and is having some interesting challenges navigating our house which has about as many stairs as any newly built house possibly could in even the worst case. It’s going to be a while until she’s fully recovered and we won’t know how much her leg will recover from the strokes until much further down the line of physical therapy and healing. It is good to have her home.

I also started a new job today which pays more and is potentially more interesting work. I can’t and won’t mention the company but I’m hoping to actually manage to stay at one company for more than two years. It has been a while and the job market for systems admin work that isn’t centered around AWS is slightly better than it was a couple of years ago so there is at least a little pressure to try to keep us happy and in place. It was probably the worst time to start something new but I had two choices of start dates and the thought of remaining at my old job for another month was unbearable.

That’s where I’m at. How the hell are you?

So Much Shazbot

By goneaway

On October 31, 2020

In Apple, Cool As Fuck, Life During The Plague Years, Link Dump, The Dollar Dances On Our Asses, Work Horrible Work

I’m trying to stick with my pledge to not make excuses for my absences because why would I? This typically means, and will in this case, a link dump but I should also mention some of the things going on away from the keyboard since that’s where my focus is most of the time lately.

I’m starting a new job in just over a week. I managed to scrape up a week off between the two which fills me with joy and dread simultaneously. Colorado is back up to Safer At Home Level 3 which means there won’t be a whole lot of anything going on in the city and my house has rapidly degenerated into a state approximate to a 1990s punk house while my wife has been in the hospital over the past three weeks. That’s one of the weirdest parts about being largely confined to home; you’re stuck in the middle of it, realize in full what a godawful mess it is becoming, and cannot summon any enthusiasm for doing anything about it. That’s where I am right now.

Speaking of hospitals and my wife, her projected release date coincides with my first day at the new job. It’s hard to say in just words how relieved I am that she’s getting ready to come home after the sheer number of ‘so scared that I spend the day trying to not break down’ scares that we’ve had over the past couple weeks. I have no clear idea yet what the fiscal impact is going to be but I’m fairly certain that a 3 week hospital stay will not be inexpensive even with relatively good, for a stagnant startup, insurance coverage. I’m trying not to even think about that now but it looms eternally in the background along with all of the other worries that come with ~~stupid~~ adult life.

Here are some sights I saw:

1. You may or may not care about skate shoes. I happen to care a bunch but mainly because I’m always trying to find vegan skate shoes that don’t look like a hacky sack wrapped around my foot. The Savier story is pretty goddamned interesting. I read this story during lunch and ended up falling down an incredible rabbit hole chasing down a bunch of shoes and people who make shoes mentioned in the story.

2. Although this examination of Apple’s newfound commitment to lessening e-waste versus what you’re actually going to buy which incidentally comes in even more packaging is factually correct it is also a frustrating read for me. I have a cheap/old iPhone from Sprint-Mobile that is about ready to go back to the mothership because I have actual use for it. I’m also replacing my OnePlus 7 Pro 5G with a Pixel 5. It’s shipped and should be here shortly. Uh oh! I’m switching phones with different charging standards!! I have several warp chargers for my soon-to-be-ex OnePlus. Will I throw these chargers away? No, because they’re still useful as chargers for other USB-C devices. They may not charge what I’ve plugged it into up to 80% in a scant few minutes but in the wide world of Covid-19 I’m not away from home or even my desk very often. I can wait the extra 20 minutes in most cases. The point here being that because all of my phones excepting my cheapo iPhone all use a standard charging cable that magically just works (that phrase seems oddly familiar – perhaps from another lifetime?) with most of the devices that need charging. I need to charge my Kindle? Easy, just unplug the USB-C cable and plug the microUSB cable into the brick. The multiple wireless charging stands that I used with my Pixel 3 XL — they still fucking work with the new phone two versions later.

3. I really enjoyed reading one man’s 35 year history with Amiga machines as constant in his life. The stories about his nascent experiences with computers and the warm nostalgia that surround those memories was really heartening for me.

4. I also enjoyed this criticism of the odd design decisions Zoom made when implementing end to end encryption because it was a easily digestible and entertaining explanation even to someone who is really not all that interested in the specifics of encryption. The furry stuff creeped me the fuck out but I guess nobody rides for free?

The Things That Made It Past The Collection Of Calamities I Call My Life

By goneaway

On October 14, 2020

In Apple, I Wish I Didn't Know About This, Life During The Plague Years, Link Dump, Oh God, Politics, Work Horrible Work

It’s been an inordinately busy week. I’ve been spending my days slogging through work, interviewing with another company (shhh), and visiting my wife in a cardio thoracic ICU nearly every night. My wife is recovering from two small strokes that she suffered either during or after surgery. The main effect is aphasia which means she struggles with verbally expressing thoughts. This is painful because my girl is a talker and is brilliant at relating something that happened in a story and I hate to watch her struggle. That said, the doctors have said that the recovery process from this can take a very long time and she’s improved dramatically from yesterday. It’s difficult but it doesn’t feel like the end of the world, just a change. I’m okay with things changing and generally uncomfortable with catastrophe. I know she is having a terrible time being stuck in her head and I need to be better about filling the silences. I have a feeling we’re both going to have to adapt on a level that neither of us is accustomed to. I’m just happy she’s awake right now.

These are some things I noticed today:

1. To begin with, most Apple hardware has an unpatchable vulnerability stemming from the T2 chip and the outlook is not looking great in terms of mitigating this issue. I’m sure there is some amount of karmic retribution here but I’ll settle for vague analogy about putting all of your eggs in a single basket. I’m typing this on a vulnerable machine in the spirit of living dangerously.

2. Tangentially related to Apple, this brilliant person adapted an iSight into an acceptably modern camera by packing the pretty shell with a Raspberry Pi and doing some 3D printing to piece it all together. The responsible mad scientist also created a GitHub repo for all of the necessary components in case you want to play along at home.

3. My son’s school was scheduled, rather optimistically, to resume in person learning next week. We just received notification from the district that they’re now pushing that date out until late November. I really and fervently hope that when our idiot in chief runs out of steroids and dies that we, as a country, start to take this a little more seriously and listening more carefully to scientists when they try to warn us about killing ourselves. I am completely in support of calling everything off until we have a safe and effective vaccine. I have enjoyed hearing about attempts Trump’s fundamentalist supporters have made to square up their fervent belief that their draft dodging, adulterous fuck boy is somehow the torch bearer of Christianity while having his morbidly obese life saved by a treatment utilizing stem cells. At some point does your brain just throttle itself and eventually turn off?

4. My ballot arrived in the mail today. I look at voting like an act of exorcism. I’ll fill it out tomorrow and drop that shit off. Make sure you do the same even if you disagree with my politics completely. You owe it to yourself and everyone else in the ragged remains of a country to participate in this so-called democracy.

The Old Switcheroo

By goneaway

On October 12, 2020

In Life During The Plague Years, Robot System For Robots

After finishing up the WordPress after spending too much time and effort trying to force Serendipity to function in ways that it really wasn’t intended to. I basically like s9y but decided that I no longer had the time I would otherwise dedicate to writing what potentially were interesting things here to mucking around with the backend of Serendipity. I enjoyed using it after so many years of WP but ultimately took the easier option to keep what I do here more enjoyable and less cumbersome.

One of the scariest parts about Serendipity is that it does not do a particularly good job at exporting entries especially for WordPress which doesn’t have any easy time importing s9y RSS. I ended up recreating all of the older posts manually which was equal parts fun and horrible like most things related to the web. All of time stamps are of course horrendously fucked up but I got most of the entries over nearly in spite of the new/horrible editor that is default in WordPress these days. I’ll need to chase down and repair all of the block quote and strikethrough stuff from earlier posts that I’m 100% sure broke after the rapid-fire copy/paste marathon that brought the old stuff over. I’m sure the Google bots are going to have a field day finding all of the broken shit but I feel like I accomplished something for myself today that wasn’t either doom scrolling the news or pointlessly mowing the lawn.

This House Feels Strange

By goneaway

On October 7, 2020

In Life During The Plague Years, This Sucks

It’s been a while and I’ve decided that I will no longer make excuses for my absences from writing here because I’m an
old grown-ass man and I don’t have any more pretensions about writing to an imagined audience; this is for myself and the robots. Unfortunately, I’ve been away for different reasons and this mostly has been due to my wife’s health. We found out this weekend that she is going to need another round of open heart surgery which is jarring enough by itself. She survived an aortic dissection a couple of years ago which required emergency open heart surgery but this went from an urgent care visit to scheduling surgery in a matter of 36 hours.

Needless to say, it’s been jarring for me and all I have to do is keep the household running in her absence. Despite my natural inclination for solitude when it’s available to me, which is very rare in Covid times, I feel less inclined to do anything and spend more time working the increasingly ragged seam of free form anxiety. Although when I was younger I was often teased about being a living embodiment of entropy I have become increasingly drawn to the quiet comfort of routine. She is the core of that routine and it sucks not to be able to mumble something to her across the room.