Birdfeeding
Aug. 9th, 2025 02:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows and house finches.
EDIT 8/9/25 -- I put out water for the birds.
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I suppose that it had to happen sometime.
For years now I have been wearing a hair shirt in protest about the way the internet/computer manufacturer consortium have “ruined the internet”. The hair shirt consisted of used laptops from the local computer recycling organization and buzzed along just fine, but lately the poor old things have been breaking down. My 2012 rebuilt MacBook Air and a 2014 Lenovo are both crippled by hardware issues so I had to go out looking for something new.
When I went to the shop to look for a “quality used car” what I saw was that prices for the newer Macs (they do seem to make good hardware) were not that great. Since my 11 and 13 year old computers were gassing out (I have had them 4+ years) so buying another cheap computer (working 10 year olds run in the $80.00 to $120.00 range) I didn’t want to mess around with hair shirts anymore. I am too old and my decades long protest went unnoticed.
So I went to the least evil of the big retail places (wally world) and they were selling new M1 MacBook Airs for $600.00. Now I suppose that this is Apples gesture to poor folk since a new M4 is more expensive by quite a bit. So I put a crowbar on my wallet and I am pecking away at it now.
I had to make a choice about the “ecosystem” that I wanted to work in. Apple or Google or Microsoft. Essentially, my opinion ended up being Apple as the least scummy of these three. Microsoft is now and has always been “la creme de la scum”. I despise everything that they are. Google is way above MS on the scumometer, but their Chromebook system really isn’t all that useful and is pretty closed and marginal. That left Apple.
It isn’t a super great choice but I suppose that it is something that I can live with. They are a manufacturer of pretty and well built hardware that is on the spendy side but seems to last forever. Their software is pretty much the same as what I have been using except for the annoying decision to keep the window control buttons on the right side rather than the left side, but truthfully, that isn’t that big a deal.
What I am hoping is that this is my last computer. I am hoping that it outlasts me. Apple will try to sell me shit I am not interested in buying, and I think that their intrusive overwatch to get ideas concerning my spending habits will lead them to the logical conclusion that I am not really a part of their market.
So all of this verbiage is my admission that I have been hanging on to a dead idea that the internet isn’t primarily controlled by corporate interests. It is time to look at it as a utility that I spend money on. It has replaced my television for news, it has replaced the post office for mail, it has replaced my newspaper and magazine subscriptions, the connection provided by the funny looking black cube is part of my telephone service.
Nope, this is another aspect of things that I am not particularly thrilled about. The world has changed from my salad days when my opinions and worldview were installed in the meat puppet that carries me around. Most of the promises that were made in the days back then when my e-mail was a PDP-11 on the DARPAnet and I hooked in from home on a 1200 baud modem didn’t pan out. As usual, the world that was promised wasn’t available for delivery.
So my excessive expenditure is the best compromise that I can come up with. It ain’t perfect, the choice limits some choices, but the choice is the best that I can come up with taking into consideration lifespans of both the hardware and the user.
I still don’t like it much. But there is much that I don’t like.
Here we are, well into August, and here is a stack of new books and ARCs to consider for the dog days ahead. What here looks good to you? Share in the comments?
— JS
Today, I got the urge to get some snacks from the local Asian grocery store, and so I did and I thought I’d share what I got! It’s not much, as I tried not to go overboard, but it’s a good assortment of snackies.
Here’s the small haul:
Normally I wouldn’t buy a big tub of miso, but I decided to make Half Baked Harvest’s Miso Chicken Thighs and Coconut Rice for dinner tonight, so I had a reason to buy it. Had to get some MSG, of course, that stuff rocks (can’t believe I used to think it was bad for you!). Picked out a chicken curry bun and two onigiri, one salmon and one salted plum. Definitely had to pick up some daifuku mochi with red bean paste, y’all know I love red bean filled mochi. I’ve never seen the banana shaped snack before, but I thought it was cute and figured it was worth trying. Thankfully, they had my most favorite milk tea so I bought a can of that, and also opted for their creamy coconut bun. They also had a giant package of rice crackers for cheap, so I snagged that, too. I just love how insanely crunchy and umami flavored they are.
So, yeah! Some nice snacks to start my weekend off right. I’m so excited to use the miso in my cooking tonight, I think it’ll really add some great flavor.
Like I said, I really wanted to buy more, but now I just have reasons to go back. What looks good to you? Do you like red bean paste? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
I've been remarkably passive of late. I just can't seem to work up any angst or curiosity about much of anything. I suppose that I will be accused of "being depressed" because I am not out there "chasing my dream". Truthfully though, It is not depression, it is the simple idea that the world really doesn't give a shit one about how I think things should be run. The world is probably right about this. When I look back at my life and decisions made, there really isn't anything that stands out as being outstanding.
I'm taking a break from thinking about how I think. I'll probably take it up again when the weather gets bad in the fall. My current thinking (in place of the thinking about thinking) is about how everyone seems to love the idea of an apocalypse and gets bent out of shape when you point out that the more likely scenario is that everyone will just have to tighten their belts.
I am definitely not doing any in depth study of the current world events. The first reason is that the organizations reporting are parochial in the extreme. I would say that "both sides" are the problem, but truthfully there aren't just two sides. It is an out of control scrum with no referees and rules that I don't in any way understand. Most importantly, I have no way to register my necessarily uninformed opinion and even if I were to do so, the recipient would not care one little bit.
Walked over to the football field and watched the high school football team begin practices. Whew, they are itty-bitty little guys. Thank god that they are in a small district of small schools. It would be awful if they had to play a big regional school of farmboys. Listening to them talk though, it would seem that a call from the NFL will be coming any day now. I really don't remember being all that cocky. Maybe I was, but I certainly don't remember it.
Not much will be happening this weekend. Medical advice was to put a television camera into an orifice that usually goes the other way to see if repairs need to be made. I get to experience laxatives and clear fluids to prepare for such. Forgive me if I am not thrilled.