Paradigm Shift

Jul. 2nd, 2025 04:39 pm
filkferengi: (Default)
[personal profile] filkferengi
Sometimes the smallest change can alter one's whole perspective, shift one's paradigm, or open up all kinds of options. Here are just three from over the years, all connected with our house.

After about a year of marriage, I got house fever. We were initially hunting for two bathrooms, looked all over various parts of the Atlanta metro area, and came up empty. Then I said, why not look for one bathroom? We soon had an all-brick ranch with 3 [tiny] bedrooms and one bathroom. My dad the contractor was eventually able to turn the water heater room into a small en suite. [note: it was on the south side of town, with lower taxes. Even with his student loans and them not counting my temp income, it was what we could afford.]

I have very routinized food choices. There was one Michaelina's entree I ate several times a week for over two decades [until they quit making it]. Most of that time, I stored them in the freezer door, front to back. After a decade or two, I finally figured out, I could store half again as many in the door, if I stacked them side-to-side, like books on a shelf. [Ironic that it took me so long to figure out, given the hundreds of feet of mostly double-rowed books in the house.]

The main bedroom, kitchen, and living room of our house all came with ceiling fans. The computer room, in the corner that catches full afternoon sun and is thus the warmest room in the house, has no ceiling fan. [My dad said there wasn't enough structure in the ceiling to support one.]

My spouse went to his first SABR [baseball] convention last week - right during the big heat wave. I run hot anyway [like Granny] and spend most of my time reading on the computer. Even with the lovely insulation [airport and bookshelves], not a fun time. I'm short, & the ceiling fans are nearly a foot overhead. Nevertheless, it was warm enough, I lunged, and turned on the living room fan. Leaving it on all the week kept the whole house amazingly cool [nearly 20 degrees cooler than outside].

How did it take me 3+ decades to discover this delightful fact? Normally, I'd feel all kinds of doofy, but am too busy being rather chill about the whole thing.

;)

Murderbot TV adaptation good!

Jul. 2nd, 2025 07:19 am
[syndicated profile] lois_mcmaster_bujold_feed
So...

I signed up for Apple TV the other day expressly so I and my weekly media-watching buddies could take a break from our usual Asian fare to see their production of Martha Well's Murderbot. (Heaven knows I don't need yet another streaming service, but...) We binge-watched the first 8 half-hour episodes last night.

I am astonished and delighted (and envious) with how well the show has managed so far to stick to the original story -- they are still in the first volume, All Systems Red. So great to see something that isn't part of the endless stream of media retreads and remakes we are plagued with. Casting is pretty great as well -- one could identify nearly all of the characters in their first appearance, before they even opened their mouths.

And they totally get the humor of the story. Granted the tales are action-heavy, but though the Tor book covers are wonderful pieces of art, nothing about them even hints that any humor will be found beyond them.

Given the dry commentary on corporate shenanigans in the stories, I was meta-amused by the fact that Apple streaming won't play on my Chromecast; happily my son the IT support found the way around (going directly from my laptop.)

It looks like the first season of these half-hour episodes will cover All Systems Red; let's hope it is successful enough to go on to another volume and season.

Recommended.

Ta, L.

posted by Lois McMaster Bujold on July, 02

BUNNY WABBIT!

Jul. 2nd, 2025 09:06 am
thewayne: (Default)
[personal profile] thewayne
Got home last night about 9pm from a cardiology appointment in Las Cruces (all is fine, annual EKG monitoring me). I pull in to the driveway, then into a path so I can turn around and back in to the carport. I back in so I won't have a problem pulling out if it snows, not that it may ever happen here again.

And when I pulled into the path, something scampered away - BUNNY!

At first I thought it was a cat or raccoon, as those are normal for the area. In my two decades up here, I can't recall having seen any BUNNIES up here, but sure enough it started hopping away! Thus applying my powers of deduction, I concluded it wasn't a kitty or raccoon.

I mentioned it to Russet, and she reported seeing one on the neighbor's property, perhaps we may have a warren in the area. I'm a little surprised as I'd think that coyotes and raccoons would make quick work of one and a population wouldn't be very viable up here on the mountain.
thewayne: (Default)
[personal profile] thewayne
Well.

What's going on is slightly complicated, and not necessarily a big deal, depending. There are eight flaws found in Brother systems, and they all boil down to one fairly serious vulnerability. A flaw was discovered in how Brother generates the default system administrator password based on the serial number of the printer: if the serial number of the printer is known, you can reverse engineer the password. And here's the problem: if you have not changed that password, THEN you are vulnerable to all sorts of potential mischief! And that's where all the other flaws come into play.

Now, if you changed the default password when you installed your printer, then you're fine. Nothing to worry about. Everything's great. If you didn't, then you need to change it ASAP and patch your printer right now!

This flaw also affects 59 printer models from Fujifilm, Toshiba, Ricoh, and Konica Minolta. I'm assuming they use either Brother engines or the same algorithm for generating admin passwords.

The flaw affects 689 printers, the article provides a link with all of the models listed. Since the default password was built into the printer's read-only memory, it can't be patched. Brother is changing the way they generate the password. But again, if you've changed the default password, you're good. The other flaws are patchable, I don't know if patches are out yet but I'm sure they will be available soon if not already.

https://www.theverge.com/news/694877/brother-printers-security-flaw-password-vulnerability

Rebuilding journal search again

Jun. 30th, 2025 03:18 pm
alierak: (Default)
[personal profile] alierak posting in [site community profile] dw_maintenance
We're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.

Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.

Demonic Ox e-cover sneak peek

Jun. 29th, 2025 03:39 pm
[syndicated profile] lois_mcmaster_bujold_feed
Artist Ron Miller just finished it this morning...




Vendor page copy:

The Adventure of the Demonic Ox

"When sorcerer Learned Penric hears of the suspected demonic possession of an ox at his brother-in-law’s bridgebuilding worksite, he thinks it an excellent opportunity to tutor his adopted daughter and student sorceress Otta in one of their Temple duties: identifying and restraining such wild chaos elementals before harm comes to their hosts or surroundings.

What begins as an instructive family outing turns anything but routine when a mountain search becomes a much more frightening adventure for Penric and his charges. What is undergone there by both mentor and students will yield lessons both unexpected and far-reaching."

***

All parts are now in the hands of my ebook wrangler at Spectrum, and will be uploaded to the usual vendors, Kindle, Nook, Apple Books, Google Play Books, and Kobo, when her work queue permits, but with luck this coming week.

This cover was tricky. We started with more figures, and spent a long time in frustrated fiddling with them before figuring out that they actually didn't belong on the cover in the first place. Less is more.

Ta, L.

posted by Lois McMaster Bujold on June, 29
pegkerr: (Default)
[personal profile] pegkerr
For the last week I have slept on the futon in my office because my bedroom had been emptied so that it could be replastered and painted. I hired a contractor to do the plastering, and they did a great job (badly needed, as the wall was full of a bunch of long, meandering cracks). I opted to do the painting myself to save money.

The painting got delayed because it was so hot last weekend. I managed most of it over two or three days but then (total klutz that I am) I stumbled over a painting extension pole and managed to break a toe, making it increasingly painful to get up and down off the floor, just when it was time to paint the baseboards. To make things worse, I suddenly started experiencing arthritis, this time in my right hand. Suddenly, the painting job was getting to be a bit too much.

Rather desperately, I sent out a call for help to my family text thread, and one of my nephews gracefully came through. He showed up and put in several hours putting the second coat on the baseboards and window frames and finishing up the closet.

I love my bedroom's new look. I have to get new linens and curtains and put up artwork. But I'm really pleased with how it looks so far.

I found a light switch cover with a tree of life on it, which is a much-appreciated touch.

Image description: Two views of a freshly painted bedroom. Lower half: view of a bedroom with blue/green walls. Upper left corner: a small chair and side table in a corner, where dark green and light blue/green colors meet. Upper right corner: a light switch plate with an ornate botanical tree of life.

Painting

25 Painting

Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.
pegkerr: (Default)
[personal profile] pegkerr
A new generation has arrived!

There will be a sparsity of details in accordance with her parents' wishes, but for now, let's call her 'M.'

Image description: Top: Peg holds her granddaughter at their first meeting, with Fiona smiling by her side. Lower right corner: baby! Lower left corner: Delia holds baby!

Granddaughter

24 Granddaughter

Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.
thewayne: (Default)
[personal profile] thewayne
The bill passed the Commons 314-291 and now goes to the Lords, and I don't have a clue what happens there.

The bill is fairly simple in operation. If you have a terminal condition and six months to live, you have the right to end your life. Two doctors go before a three-person panel who must approve your application, and that seems to about it. The original legislation had the two doctors going before a judge, fears of further clogging up the judiciary had them change it to the panel. No information on how the panel is constituted.

Canada, Spain, New Zealand, most of Australia, and clinics in Switzerland support assisted dying, along with the USA states Oregon, Washington, and California.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/uk/uk-assisted-dying-commons-vote-gbr-intl

https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/20/1354239/lawmakers-in-britain-narrowly-approve-bill-to-legalize-assisted-dying

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