Saturday, 7th June, 2025

Been consolidating VPS applications down to a single server for public items and will have another for private applications. Both Oracle VPS under their free tier. When they first started offering them I was worried they’d take them away and wasn’t sure how much I liked Oracle so didn’t use them that much. However, it’s been about 4 years+ and nothing has happened so I might as well just use them. The free ARM VPS are very generous and you can get two small x86 ones. Think when I first started there wasn’t much for ARM in the repos but now pretty much everything is there. Also tidied up DNS records. Still got the private VPS to do. Although can’t decide if I should just host those things at home.

Been using the Linux (Debian) laptop and have been enjoying it. I stopped using it before has it had a bug where it wouldn’t wake up from sleep. Eventually I searched for the solution and seems it was a kernel parameter on this specific cpu. It’s still a bug in Debian but I’ve fixed it. It’s not quite as nice as a MacBook but it’s much nicer than windows. Did think that maybe I should’ve spent the money on a Mac vs that radio. But there we go. The best part of the radio is that now I have to buy transverters and other accessories for it.

Oh now I have to read and watch all of this content for typewriter maintenance. That sounds fun, and there’s a huge Royal at the hackspace that’s been on the “to fix” heap for ages. Someone is trying but not sure how far they’ve got. I talk like I’ll know what to do and be able to fix things. I can buy tools and stuff at least 😅

I should redo the Fuji film sims to give me an incentive to use the camera again.

I should do a lot of things.

Browsing https://selfh.st/ and seeing lots of neat apps, open source versions of high quality programs that you have to pay for otherwise. However, I don’t really need a lot of these and it’s a bit stressful looking at the all and thinking about using them. The only one I’m tempted to try is immich photo management, but also I can’t be bothered to maintain it and its database for something I probably won’t use. I looked at a couple of activitypub servers (also thought about micro.blog) but I’m not interested in social media, regardless of if I can host it. I just like my blog. I should just close it.

Friday, 6th June, 2025

Well I just rebought the radio I sold. Upside is for slightly less than I sold mine for. My previous chat about microwaves was a reason why I wanted it back. It’s such a versatile radio. Hopefully I’ll use it 😅

I’ve been getting annoyed with Windows recently. But maybe that’s just me trying to justify getting a Mac. Not sure that’ll solve the problem, it’ll just shuffle the deck again.

I have three free VPS on Oracle cloud. I wanted to install Debian on one and use for an allstarlink node (think ham radio over pbx). But my goodness is the cloud interface panel confusing. I darent touch anything as I suspect I won’t get the resources I currently have assigned, but also I can’t figure how to change anything. I do think maybe I should scrap them and pay for a vps elsewhere. But it’s free!

I’ve made a list of the VPS and now seeing what’s installed on them. Also made a list of what I want and then I should rejig it all. Found a nice guide to install Debian on them (as only comes with Ubuntu) and turned out you can have 6 free VPS!

Thinking of binning my wiki and using Apple Notes. When I find something useful I should make a blog post of it or not presume that others will find it useful. Given I’ve found it, they can probably find it too. Unless they’re not looking for it. I’ll keep the radio wiki as that feels more useful as it’s more curated.

I also think if it’s a link to somewhere good then I should use a service that’s built around managing links, like linkding. Vs the wiki which work for it but less good.

Also want a MacBook.

Thursday, 5th June, 2025

A nice day out. But of a drive though to get to some of these last hills nearby that I’ve not been to. Rain kept at bay, although I could see it in the distance.

I should find some headphones now. Cheap but not cheap…

I sold a lens as well. The 50-230 XC Fuji lens. Never use it. Wasn’t a very expensive one but another pointless thing in the house.

Watching videos on the Olympia SM series. I would like one…

I install navidrome on the server and have started listening to albums I’ve not touched in 15+ years. It’s great. I should listen to my music more 😅 I did rip all my CDs to FLAC but now when I look in the folder for some artists it’s empty or only one album and I know there were more. I’m sad about that. I can get the songs from spotify but I used to own the CD…

Down the rabbit hole of what headphones to get for the echo mini…

Wednesday, 4th June, 2025

I was very close to buying Snowsky Echo Mini but then saw they had a retro mini and then looked at iPods. The problem was I kept changing why I was buying it and creating scenarios and then reading endless reviews. There are two problems: 1. Don’t want daughter on her phone the whole summer holidays but she uses it for music and we don’t want to be that mean. So thinking of some secondary device she can listen to music to on. 2. I want to have a non-computer based device for listening to music. She’ll use Bluetooth and I won’t. So really it’s two problems which probably want too different devices - although summer music is temporary so that pushes me share a device or spend the least. This triggers the internal struggle again.

Also, probably I won’t use mine. Mostly as I can’t break the habit of sitting on the computer all night.

I dug out the Smith-Corona Viceroy De-Luxe that I have. Doesn’t quite work, nearly every key does work except Q and 1/2 symbol. Ink is dry too. I don’t really want it and I don’t want to try and fix it. It is a nice size but that’s about it. I was going to sell it but they sell for nothing and there are listings for £10 which expire and no one bids. It has no sentimental value and it’s not a “top notch” one so probably I should just give it away. Think I only paid £20 for it. Maybe take it to the hack space or give it to a charity shop. Smells a bit old too.

Tuesday, 3rd June, 2025

Wish I never got rid of my SanDisk Sansa clip from 10+ years ago. Was the perfect little digital music player. But back then I got sucked into Spotify etc and “I don’t need this anymore”. Now I wish I had it so I could listen to music and not get sucked into my phone. Or even whilst going out on hikes. Be nice to listen to music or podcast or audio book etc but not be worrying about phone battery. Trying to find something equivalent, but it’s hard as either 1000 cheapo things (which may or may not be good) or people on reddit going “this is the budget one you want. <$200>”

Also eBay is charging more now for them than when new. Obviously.

The Shangling M0 looks nice but more than I want to spend. This is a rabbit hole.

Monday, 2nd June, 2025

Lovely blue sky this morning. Made me annoyed as I’m working today and off tomorrow when a low front hits. Probably push it into Thursday or Friday. The corona ejection or whatever it was that caused a big geomagnetic storm is still lingering so that would’ve put a dampener on an outing anyway. Also I looked at the mountain weather forecast and it’s not blue skies there. So there we go, maybe not missing out on much as I thought. Wish I was retired though 😅 plenty of nice coastal parks to activate.

Went to bed early as I was so tired. Still feel tired today. I know I’m grumpy when I’m tired but it’s hard to not be.

Randomly opened DayOne and added some entries to the family journal from this weekend. I forget how nice the app is. As before, I should do this more often! The usual feeling of burden to do it but then joy at having done it and looking back. This year has been very poor and end of last year wasn’t great. But even a photo and a sentence is better than nothing. Also reminds me of another reason to get a Mac 😅 although they have the web version too which I could use on any computer…(but don’t).

Sunday, 1st June, 2025

3D printers are annoying. Well my one is or can be. Mostly bed leveling/cleaning/ adhesion. Trying not to buy a new one to solve the problem. Was talking to another dad at swimming pick up and he has three Bambu printers! He’s made this huge Lego man with a swim suit, googles and hat for the club which is pretty cool. He said he had an ender but got annoyed with it and the bambus are so good. Thanks man. 🤑