The Brow @lowbrow@writing.exchange

I haven't actually browsed the federated timeline in a while, only local. Heaven help me, here we go.

Google Pixelbooks are made of disappointment and garbage. Practicaly gold-plated garbage for the price, but garbage nonetheless. ChromeOS belongs in the bin.

Playing with new Raspberry Pi 4! Woo. I'll be attaching the case to the back of my desk eventually, and I have a USB switch for kb+mouse, and a dual-input monitor. Nice to have an alternate low-key Linux desktop to switch over to that only sips electricity. Added a small cooling fan to the case and it's doing quite well.

OK, I'm in the mood for some more science fiction (or hell, even some non-fiction, why not) with a definite lean towards technological transhumanism. Any suggestions?

It's well after sundown and still 80F out. 🔥 Tomorrow is going to suuuuuuuuuuuuuck even worse than today's 103F high, because it's just not going to cool off.

Beans, beans are happening

Baked beans

Right now

Mmm.

Next scifi re-read: Consider Phlebas, Iain Banks.

Finished re-reading China Mieville's "The City In The City." It was even better the second time around. Highly recommend.

Cool story. Power company can't/won't maintain its own carrier lines, so they're just turning off electricity to some nearby places this weekend when there's a fire weather warning, rather than doing their jobs and fixing the lines.

I just finished re-reading Snow Crash. Fun story. Anyone have any book/ebook recommendations?

Well, I laid down a little too much money on a semi-fancy e-ink ereader tablet. It's a bit daffy and I'm not sure I'll keep it yet. I wanted a not-Kindle so that I can actually read ePubs, not just Amazon's DRM crud. I have a fairly substantial library of ebooks that I actually own, not just "licensed" by some service that can yank them away when the mood strikes.

I'm debating on if I should return this (Onyx Nova Pro) for a Kobo model, though... Hm.

Today I tried the "impossible burger" to contrast it with the "beyond burger" I had last week.

It wasn't bad, and with regular burger toppings you'll be hard-pressed to notice a difference between it and a food-service-grade hamburger patty.

It doesn't taste like top-shelf beef and isn't worth paying extra for just in terms of taste, disregarding ethical choices. It tastes like a pretty ok quality cafeteria burger, with that whiff of textured vegetable protein flavor that seems unavoidable.

I'm generally an omnivore, but today I had some uncomfortable beef guilt over a tri-tip sandwich.

I ate a "beyond burger" plant protein burger the other day after my computer job, before going to a computer-based art installation.

I sat there in the shiny artificial fast food environment thinking about population pressure and dwindling resources and plant-protein-substitutes for The Masses and where we are as a society, and... well...

Shadowrun, anyone?

oh, es tanzt das z.n.s.
zum nervensystem!

I did the pool+hot tub thing again today, and my bones hurt less afterwards. I am pleased that my skeleton does not, for the moment, feel like it is angrily trying to achieve escape velocity from the meat wrapper.

I feel like a used q-tip today. Shoved deep in the waxy canal of life and twirled around in the muck, briefly contemplated, and then thrown in the garbage.

went to the gym for the first time in forever. i just went in the pool and hot tub for a while, but wow, it like... it brought all the aches out to play afterwards. i _hurt_. it's not an entirely bad hurt, but it is a bit excessive for how little activity i actually did. i forgot to take NSAIDs with me, oops.

Along with my new job has come a lot more bicycle riding, which is great. I dragged my bike out of the garage and gave it a minor teardown+cleaning. Now I'm trying to think outside the box a bit about what I can do to customize it. I've already got a nice seat w/storage pouch below, cargo rack/panniers, and bottle holder. What next? Some sort of technological doodad? Silly lighting?

Oh lord, i keep like, losing time. Things just fly right by. But i really feel better than I have in a long time. I confess that I _am_ ready for a bit of a recharge, though. Like, a lot of sleep, and wasting some time doing meaningless (to other people) things for myself.

I think I just bought myself a new radio, so a good start so far. :)

I am very happy that my university system is fighting against for-profit journal publishers by not agreeing to Elsevier's onerous contract terms. Research needs to be available to everyone, not paywalled where only huge institutions with tons of money can access it.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/University-of-California-s-break-with-the-biggest-13672062.php

I've been super busy and haven't had a lot of time to pursue much in the way of recreational activities lately. I'm very behind in personal writing projects again.

Does anyone else still send letters? I think I need to write up some nice real actual letters to some folks with some lovely stamps. It's quite overdue.