Ed Zitron’s rant was a long read, but it sure did resonate with me. I’ve been in IT for quite a while (our first computer needed an upgrade for lower-case characters) and the current state of tech is utterly depressing. After reading the post, I think that our nerd culture in IT paved the way for the techbros. We need to take a hard look at ourselves, if we want to support this dystopian future we’re heading towards.

Back then, with the family computer (now having 16Kb and lower-case), computing was magical. You all know how it felt like, everything seemed possible, the screen was a window into the future. There were constant leaps in technology - we could store and edit audio, then video, instant worldwide communication. I’m sure that you believed, like I did, that IT could really improve people’s lives and make the world a better place.

But now, the meaningful improvements have become fewer, evolutionary. Consider the updates from your current phone and the last. Maybe the camera was a bit better, but did it really excite you or change your life? What about your laptop? Hardware is plateauing. Just like software.

I know that the engineering behind large enterprises like AWS or Netflix is just fantastic and improving all the time. But from a user’s point of view, not much has changed in a while.

Here’s the problem. We techies believe in the future, that we can change the world. And we are such insufferable know-it-alls that want to help you, and will help you, if you want it or not. There is nothing that could not be improved without computing and digitization. It’s how we are trained to think, it’s in our DNA. While you are speaking, we are making notes of redundancies, mentally tsk tsking your Excel sheets. We view the world a set of problems to be solved.

So then you have a site like (the olde) reddit, or your car, or your TV. All fully functional and fulfill all your needs. But we simply cannot admit to ourselves that our job is done - we must solve the next problem. Even if it isn’t a problem you’ve got!

And so we get computers in everything. In your TV, your car, your alarm clock, your living room lamps and kitchen appliances. All with their host of issues. And we get algorithms in everything, giving us suggestions and sending us reminders.

Current tech is intrusive, overbearing and patronizing - that’s putting it nice. A bunch of well-meant ingenuity is being wasted on problems nobody has.

We need to take people and their time serious, let them do their shit and just leave them the fuck alone when the job is done.

Thanks so much for this post! Ventoy is really the tool I never knew I really needed. Up to now, I have been reflashing and juggling sticks with various ISOs.

But even better, now I could finally update the BIOS on my Framework 13!

Which CPU are you using? I’ve got the 11th gen i5 and battery life is just miserable, especially in standby.

I was wondering if all Alphabet employees aren’t allowed to use ad blockers. Do they really believe that the internet without adblockers is a sane experience?

Back in the 90s when I was in uni, it was the only way to have a unix-like development environment for C/C++. I also spent an inordinate amount of time testing linux on exotic hardware, like 386 laptops or older Macs. There weren’t many distros back then, but I tried them all: Debian, Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, m86kLinux and even (shudder) Slackware.

It was (and still is) an extremely fun way to tinker around. But I have to say, I’m not complaining that pretty much everything works out of the box nowadays!

Most people want to stick to Windows or MacOS, and that’s fine for them if they want to put up with it. Pushing Linux or OSS in general is counter productive IMO and just puts people on the defensive. I’d rather plant a seed here and there. If someone complains about Windows on a kid’s laptop, then hey, I got an old laptop for my daughter and put Fedora on it. It was easy to install and maintain, unobstrusive and she can get everything done for school she needs. Or talking about gaming - you know the Steam Deck? You can game without Windows - Linux is a painless, drop-in replacement!

It pains me that a lot of Linux users were pushy elitist neckbeards that spent so much energy defending their distro of choice and Linux in general. The community tends to make Linux appear like some difficult, arcane way of using a computer. “First you must pass the initiation rite and choose the correct distro!” Seriously, fuck that mindset. Just download whatever, install it and enjoy hassle-free computing!

Yeah finally a decent season! The last few years were tough on a McLaren fan but I’m getting my hopes up for next year. Also, Piastri’s performance has just been astonishing. I thought Norris was first class but now we have a driver pairing that can push each other and consistently bring points home!

Whoah, was he always that bloated?

I’d just recommend Fedora.

I use Fedora BTW.

Highly doubt it. So many other browsers on so many platforms (mobile, tv, Auto,…) are built on Chrome and will have this by extension.

I’ve been paying for wallabag for years but am slowly getting frustrated with the lack of updates to the UI. The Android app hasn’t been updated in ages, and the web UI is clunky and misses features. You can’t even change the font, for example. Omnivore wins there on all counts.

OTOH, Omnivore can’t properly handle multi-page articles.

Cleaning up old kernel versions and accidentally deleted them all. I would’ve thought the distro would prevent my stupidity, but hey, no kernel? You’ll manage!

That doesn’t look half bad, actually!

I’m using AdGuard, which is pretty similar. I had issues with my Sonos speakers. The devices couldn’t find the speakers until I set a few servers on the whitelist.

Apart from that, all’s good.

It looks like the rally game Dirt and can confirm that keeping the Ford Sierra Cosworth in a straight line can be a challenge!

Enter the Void is the most breathless barrage on the senses I have ever wittnessed. The introcould give you epilepsy. The whole film is shot from the ego perspective of the protagonist that gets shot dead 15 minutes into the film. I have never seen anything remotely similar.

I’ve been telling people for years what a wonderful film Tampopo is. But when I explain the plot I just get shrugs and whatevers.

Humans can smell rain better than a shark can smell blood.

I always thought it interesting that every time we talk about when our kids were born, I remember all these details and my wife’s like huh, weird, can’t remember a thing.

It’s a BMW K75 that’s been standing around for about 10 years, an inline 3 with injection and shaft drive. I’m hoping it won’t need much more than new tires, fluids and filters. But even if it turns out cheaper than a newer bike, I’m not sure if a resucitated old bike like that is the best choice starting out.

Ever since my father passed I’ve got his old motorcycle standing around. So first thing would be a driver’s license for motorcycling. But I’m already taking classes so that’s that. And the biggest lesson is what a money sink this hobby can be.

Then I’ll need a motorcycle - either get the old thing working again or get a new one. Or why not both? Because the old one’s 30 years old and doesn’t have ABS.

And the third thing would be a Bambu Lab P1 3d printer. I don’t need the speed but damn do they look good.