#or maybe its so people buy more ram

[oldbookshop]

there is no reason I should be having constant RAM problems w 8GB when we went TO THE MOON on FOURTEEN KB OF RAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[commodorez]

Strange question, but I'm curious. Do you have a least favourite computer?

Ohhhh, good one. I'm going to make some enemies for these, I'm sure.

Least favorite vintage computer:

Apple I

Not for any technical reasons, or anything about its history. I happen to like and respect Steve Wozniak, and everything he did in the service of computing in the 1970s. His ROM monitor known as WOZMON is only 256 bytes so it can fit into a first generation 1702A EPROM, which is damned impressive. I use the newer EWOZMON regular basis on other 6502 machines.

The Apple I exemplifies a computer that no longer exists as a computer. Rather, it's become the legendary trading card for the ultrawealthy techbro types who seek to commodify the history of the home computer revolution that they didn't bother to study. It's been reduced to no more than a static display piece, and a cornerstone of revisionist history, ignoring the larger picture.

An Apple I is considered too monetarily valuable to risk applying power to or fixing, "gotta leave it original!" with failed, leaky capacitors, doing nothing. Well if you can't use it, it ceases to be a computer because it isn't computing anything. They had almost a dozen of them at VCF West XIV, most of which were under plexiglass with a hired guard to keep an eye on them because the high price they fetch. Only one was powered up at a time under the watchful gaze of experts, handling things with museum gloves. Unlike other exhibits, these were not available to be touched or interacted with (which defeats the whole reason people enjoy vintage computer festivals).

Assuming you look beyond the hype, and get your hands on a working Apple I? It turns out to be quite underpowered and limited -- which makes sense, Woz was optimizing the shit outta his part count and budget! I wish I had his skills. It was a major technical achievement to get it to do that much with so little. It's a TV Typewriter (RIP Don Lancaster) bolted to a minimal 6502. If i had one at my disposal in the 1970s, I'd probably do like the contemporary hackers did and modify it as my budget and skills allowed. But it's 2024 and an Apple I -- you aren't allowed to do that. No, if I had an Apple I, I could sell it and buy a house with that money.

If it weren't for all that, I think I'd probably just be indifferent to it, or maybe even like it for what it is.

Least favorite general computer:

eMachines eTower 600is

What a piece of shit. I had one when it was new, running Windows ME and it was hot garbage. I could not stand this underpowered excuse for a computer after a few months when the new computer sheen wore off. Floppy drive died too soon. Didn't come with the advertised 64MB of RAM (who puts 33MB of RAM in a computer?). Hard drive was only 10GB, kept filling it up. It was filled with bloatware, the keyboard was cheap garbage. I don't begrudge my parents for buying it, they didn't know any better and I was too young to have any say in the matter. That said, it endured the shortest tenure of any computer in my house to date.

Never obsolete my ass.

[bauhausdog]

this may be an unpopular opinion but software should be a lot, a looooooooooooooot more sustainable than it is right now, the drive for profit forces consumers to throw away old devices for new ones, this is so horribly wasteful it's offensive

have you tried it a custom windows version before? a windows pc that needs at least 25 gb could be in just plain 8gb, you need 8gb of ram at least? a custom made windows could run under 1.5gb or so.

this is a world of difference for people from low income countries who have low end devices, its the difference from barely running software to a fully working machine

Remember jailbreak and rooting? the phone modding community is still going, there are multiple projects to run a customized version of android, people are even trying to put linux on it, there are even indie phone manufacturers now!!!!!!!!!!, you could buy right now a phone that is not from a big company, but why all of this? to get away from android/samsung/apple as much as possible and reclaim hardware as our own.

a lot of devices that reached end of commercial life is still going thanks to efforts like these.

If possible, please learn phone modding and get a bit tech savvy with custom os, maybe even give linux a try, learn how to install f droid and install super lightweight and privacy respecting apps, use firefox or similar to get an adblocker, the world of tech can be way way less resource and money intensive than you think

[kentosovertime]

hiii! could i request an au where megumi is a bookstore owner and reader often drops by to read/buy R rated books, then maybe one day reader accidentally stays past closing time so her and megs are alone tgt and some boomshakalaka happens? (also i love ur writing so much i hope ur pillow is always cold <3)

𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕠… 1.8k wc, explicit content and language, semi public smut, pet names, use of daddy, choking, unprotected sex

𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣… i got you nonnie ✨ i hope you enjoy! to everyone else my ask box is open for request 😈

✨Masterlist | Tag List | Ask Box | Ko-Fi✨

It was like clockwork every week. You come in late, every time, covering your mouth with a cute yawn that has Megumi’s heart beating faster, his cheeks heating up at how adorable you are. 

He noted from behind the counter how your curious eyes always roamed the shelves, looking for your next title to read. You only ever cashed out with one or two, seeming to pace yourself from getting too out of control on your to be read pile. 

If it were anyone else, he’d obviously prefer someone to buy a lot at a time, it helps his business stay afloat, but with you? He prefers to see you as frequently as possible. The late night visits allow him to regularly admire you from afar. 

After weeks of consistent visits, he starts to notice a pattern in your reading that has his pants tightening. You always beeline to the section Tsumiki insisted he add to the store’s stock, saying it would draw in a whole new demographic of customers to his store.

He begrudgingly had to agree with his sister, it was one of his best selling sections. Not that he knew what books were there, he let her handle curating what was currently popular to fill the shelves in that section. 

It was only once he noticed you purchasing them that he started getting curious. What could be so good about these anyway?

He remembers picking up the start of a series that you bought over three visits, thinking the topic must be interesting to keep you coming back to purchase the next ones, so he borrowed his stock to read the first one that night. 

His eyes darted over the pages in rapid succession, his mouth gradually falling open at the graphic scenes playing out on the page. These scenes were in direct opposition to his original view of you, a cute, innocent woman with a quiet introverted passion for books like him. 

He noticed the more he made an effort to talk to you in the following weeks while he was cashing you out, making sure to ask you how you were enjoying your purchases, the darker your cheeks would flush crimson. Eventually, he grew more comfortable with you, bolder even, purposefully asking prodding questions about your selected novels. 

“What’s this one about?” He hums, playing at a clueless frown, acting like he hadn’t started reading ahead on popular titles that you hadn’t yet bought. He was fairly certain that this one had a particularly graphic scene in an Uber. 

“It’s um… just a romance.” You shrug and seek to fill the silence when he doesn’t immediately respond. “It is about a figure skater and a hockey player. It’s a stereotype but people say that its cute…” 

Oh, he knows it's cute. Cute that you think he doesn’t know how nasty it is.

He went along with his night in a daze, picturing you in the positions in all of the books he’s read since last seeing you, not paying attention to the time until he’s looking at a clock that shows he closed 30 minutes ago. 

Did you leave while he wasn’t able to admire you walking through his front door? He mentally huffs in disappointment, moving to the door and flicking it closed before shutting off the open sign that faces the sidewalk. 

“Excuse me-” You squeak worriedly, holding your arm full of books you intended to buy but you had lost track of time, your mind engrossed in the beginning of the newest book you had picked up. Your voice doesn’t seem to reach him as he spins on his heels and rams straight into you. 

Your breath is knocked from you as you stumble backwards, your books knocking from your arms to topple to the floor with a loud crash. You’re ready to join them and smash your face off of the table of books behind you before a pair of hard arms lace around your waist to break your fall.

“Are you okay?” He asks a bit breathlessly, trying to look over your face to see if you’re hurt, but his gaze is continually drawn back to your mouth that’s parted in shock, panting from the fear of falling and still catching up to your current position. 

“T-thanks to you.” Your voice croaks, more strained than his as the warmth of his hold on you sinks through your clothing and into your skin. Teeth bite at your lip nervously, glancing nervously at the merchandise you damaged. “I’ll pay for these. I’m sorry for being so careless.” 

His arms tighten around your middle as you try to pull away and pick up your mess, another apology on the tip of your tongue for staying past closing dies as a quiet whine is pulled from you. The way his grip digs into you, threatening to bruise with how tight he’s holding you, has your knees giving out and relying on him to keep you upright. 

“Something wrong, dear?” He murmurs, leaning his face closer, hovering his lips over yours. “If you tell me I could help you fix it.” 

“Can I kiss y-you?” You mumble shyly as you feel your face heat up. You hope that you weren’t reading into this too hard and making a fool out of yourself. This was your favorite book store in the city and you didn’t want to have to find another one.

“I’d let you do more than kiss me, hun.” You can feel the words vibrate in his chest with a growl, making your breath hitch at how quickly he agreed to it. The open invitation for more almost has you pausing, but you push forward despite your anxiety. 

You don’t have to lean in far for your lips to touch his in a tentative motion, almost testing if you should be doing this, you’d never had a fall conversation with this man, you’ve only admired him from afar and attempted awkward small talk at check up while trying to avoid describing the content of the books you were buy. 

You shiver as he slowly presses his lips to yours, savoring the taste, moaning into you softly when you taste better than he imagined. And out of nowhere it's like a switch flips in him, his mouth pressing into yours with more urgency, swallowing every sweet noise he forces you to make. 

One of Megumi’s hands fists into your hair, jumping on the opportunity to shove his tongue into your mouth when your lips part in a gasp, making you grab at the fabric of his shirt. 

You return his enthusiasm, pressing your body to mold his and letting your head tip back limply to allow him to devour you. The more he presses into you, attempting to get closer than physically possible, the deeper he pushes you into the store. 

The feverish kissing isn’t distracted, even when you collide against a display table of books, the jolt of the collision throwing more books to the floor. The heat rising in you is suffocating, it has your skin crawling to strip your clothing to bare yourself to him. It makes your hands wonder, pushing under his shirt to drag your nails across his skin, desperate to have him make just as much noise as you are. 

A deep groan grates from his throat as he pins you against the table for leverage so you can feel the tightness raging in his pants. He wants you to crave him like you do the men in the books your nose is always stuck in. He needs to you to sing for him, to moan like the little slut he knows you are under that facade, but he just can’t get fucking close enough to you and can’t stop. 

The groans he rewards you with quickly turn into growls of frustration, the make out session devolving into a flustered, rushed clash of lips and teeth. 

“F-fuck- fuck it.” He growls louder and pulls away from you, reaching behind you to rush to swipe the books from the table onto the floor, quickly manhandling your body to force you to lay back on the wooden surface as he pushes his pants down just enough to free his length from its confinement.

“Let me take these off- shit!” You yelp when you already find his hands pushing their way under your skirt to take hold of your hips, tugging you to hover over the edge of the table before you hear the shredding fabric of your panties as they’re tossed carelessly to the floor. 

“You wear these little skirts on purpose?” His voice rumbles straight through you, making your center feel painfully empty. 

“Mayb-” A scream flies from your mouth, cutting off your response when Megumi shoves himself into you with a grin. His hips clap into yours, ever increasing in speed until the table is scraping marks across the floor of the store as it rocks back and forth. 

“You want to live in those nasty little novels so bad don’t you?” He coos, bringing his hand up to wrap around your neck to make sure you’re held in place, completely at his mercy as he drills into you. “How do those pages stack up to the real thing?”

“G-god- s’much better-” You mewl, trying to arch your back into his harsh thrusts that are clapping into your skin at a deafening speed. Your high builds rapidly at the raw feeling off him sliding through your clamping walls, the stretch of him scratching the itch you’ve been chasing with these novels. “C-can you- fucking please - harder!” 

Your cries begging to take more of him snaps the last threads of control in him. Megumi’s teeth grit as he leans forward to adjust the angle of his thrusts before he watches your body jolt and skin ripple with the force he’s exerting on your body. 

“You feel so much better than my fucking hand.” He says between grunts, keeping your neck pinned to the table, reach between the two of you with his free hand to messily circle your clit. “Fucking cum for me, hun… You can let it go.” 

The extra stimulation has your body tensing before snapping in on itself, tremoring with a hoarse cry when he doesn’t let up, fucking himself into with the soul focus of finishing himself. 

“Inside-” You croak, your legs fall around his waist, snaking around him to lock your ankle behind him to make sure he can’t pull out. “Please c-can I have your cum?” 

“Oh god-” His cock twitches inside of you at your siren’s call. He shouldn’t, he really fucking shouldn’t but when your cunt feels this good? “Fuck yes baby, you’re gonna take it like a good girl? Let daddy feel good?” 

You nod your head vigorously, your eyes watering as they squeeze shut at how harshly he abuses your sensitive center until you’re clamping down on him again, sucking him deep when he presses into you and pumps you full. 

“Shit.” He props himself, hovering over you with a dazed look of concern as his chest heaves. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you?” 

He thinks that your blissed out grin is answer enough. 

tag list: @sugarbooger513 @sugarmapoops @roughwithfluff @severelytalentless @silversslut @dreamyyholland @wobblewobble822 @rafzaha @chososhoney @littlemochi @bebechinas99 @saoney @pelicanpizza @damncakie @katgalle @honeyyjems @tsukikoxo @kibananya @reine-son @wallflower010 @tobaccosunbxrst @whereismysane [[[ if your blog name is crossed out i couldn't tag you]]

[ms-demeanor]

Hey! I appreciate your perspective on computer-based things. I think I need to get a laptop and would love your opinion on decent brands. If you don't have an opinion or want to answer please disregard the q.

Context: I'm often on the move and really want something small, light, and that will last a long time. I'm bad about buying new things or taking things to be fixed so ideally it's not something that dies quickly or needs frequent repairs. For a while I used an iPad for this but I need more of a keyboard than tablets have and the shelf life of an iPad is shorter than it should be for the cost. Mine is 7 years old and only works while plugged in... I liked my Macbook Pro I got for college but it's almost 15 years old and given I haven't needed a new one since I don't think spending all that on a Mac makes sense either. I use a gaming PC mostly but I'm going to need to travel a lot more in the upcoming year. I'm ok to spend up a bit since I want it to last.

I think you're going to have to adjust your expectations about the average functional lifespan of electronics. Seven years is a lot to get out of any tablet and fifteen years is way way way above average for a computer.

At work we estimate that the functional lifespan of a laptop will be around five years and the functional life of a desktop will be around seven years; we include upgrades in that lifespan, like adding RAM and storage.

It is not *unusual* to get more than five years out of a laptop or seven years out of a desktop, but if you are a heavy user of anything other than a browser and a word processor, that's about the time when you'll find that the computer feels slow enough to be frustrating. This isn't a hard limit, and it's not something that everyone experiences because people use computers differently, but if you're an artist and you use a drawing program that program will start to feel slow after a while because as updates and patches and drivers have been tweaked for newer devices they've slowly left your device in the dust.

This isn't planned obsolescence, by the way. Computer manufacturers try to "future proof" their devices to a certain extent, but you just can't anticipate certain kinds of changes. Maybe your laptop was manufactured before there were consumer SSDs available so its operating system doesn't take the advantages and limitations of SSDs into account. Maybe your desktop was built for DDR3 RAM and we're now on DDR5 and people aren't writing programs to the standard of the old technology, they're taking advantage of the standards of the new technology.

Since you were able to use your devices comfortably for such a long time, it sounds like you're not a very heavy user and don't need to worry too much about beefing up your specs. However it does sound like you want to keep your computer and use it as long as possible while paying a reasonable price for it (which is good! I think we should all try to extend the lives of our electronic devices as much as possible!).

I actually think you sound like a good match for a Framework laptop.

Framework is a company that makes laptops that are a lot more modular than what's on the market these days. They're mean to be easy to open up for upgrades and sturdy for heavy use. Most of the parts of the laptop are easily replaceable - including the screen - so you can use them for a long time and easily make upgrades that will help the computer feel fresher.

They're a bit more expensive than comparable PCs but much easier to repair if you aren't comfortable opening up your own computer (framework is intentionally built to be easy for people who are non-technical to work on their computers), and they are a LOT less expensive than comparable macs.

I still think you're probably looking at around 7 years of regular use out of a Framework and it won't *break* at that point, it will just. Probably be a bit slow and frustrating. You might not be able to get parts for it after a certain point. You eventually won't be able to upgrade the OS. But that's true of all computers.

I've still got my 2005 macbook. It still turns on, I can still use garage band on it. But it doesn't connect to the internet and uses such an old USB standard that it is extremely slow to transfer data on or off of and it cries and freezes if i try to use photoshop. It's not broken, it's just no longer useful as a daily computer.

What I'm defining as functional here is "Is able to run multiple programs (including at least one browser with 50+ tabs open and two office suites) at the same time for 8-10 hours a day without crashing, freezing, or losing data and restarting is not a major inconvenience."

In those terms, it does sound like you're probably in need of an upgrade (I can't imagine that your current machine is particularly quick) and I think that a framework laptop would suit your needs well.

If you're looking for something somewhat less expensive, you can generally find a decent thinkbook with a 12th or 13th gen i5 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 500GB SSD for around $700-ish, which is the low end of what I think you're going to pay for a decent laptop. I'm reccing lenovo here because I personally like them and have found them to be very easy to crack open for repairs and upgrades. Stick to the thinkbook over the thinkpad because that's the business line and is a bit sturdier and they are designed to be easier to upgrade over time.

Actually, here's a thinkbook with a 12th gen i5, 40GB RAM, and a 1tb SSD for under $700. That's a shockingly good price for that laptop; the reseller OEMGenuine is one I've purchased from many times before for work and I've found them to be reliable, though the reason those specs are so good is because they've added aftermarket parts, so your RAM and SSD won't be under warranty from Lenovo.

For Framework you're looking at at least $1000, but it's easy to plug and play with upgrades so you can start out with lower specs (except processor, don't cheap out on the processor) and upgrade later. The framework is a bit smaller and easier to travel with, but I have a laptop quite similar to the lenovo and it's not a huge pain to move around - it's very light but the 15" screen might be bigger than you're looking for.

If you're willing to spend a little bit more and you're very uninterested in doing your own upgrades and would prefer the most computer you can get for your money right out of the gate, this is a 12th gen i7 thinkpad with 40GB RAM and a 2TB SSD for $1150. (I've not ordered from this reseller before, so maybe check over their terms if you're considering purchasing from them.)

[minmin-vs-physics]

Hey! I’m gonna be a physics major next year, and I was wondering if the Mac and iPad combo have worked well for you, or if there’s something else you recommend tech wise?

short answer: yes.

but, im gonna use this has an opportunity to yap about my current study set up. this goes without saying, but what worked for me may not work for you, and my set up evolved over the years as i found what was best for me.

i use an iPad for lecture notes and homework. i think its the most organized you can get them to be without straight up LaTeXing the shit out of them (and i know people who do exactly that, more power to them)

i just write faster than i type, and an ipad allows me to copy paste equations and add photos and stuff which is helpful for diagrams. i use goodnotes 5, and i will sing its praises till the end of time.

i think it pays to develop a clear style for your homework and lecture notes, bc your work will be easier to navigate. here's an example of my lecture notes and my homework.

[hehe general relativity moment]

HOWEVER, you will mostly be having paper exams as a physics student so i recommend you don't get too reliant on your iPad. i tend to do all my studying in notebooks, or loose sheets that i can refer to. practice problems are always on paper.

[stat mech studying i did last week]

i started using legal pads for this from the end of junior year bc they're so convenient! im also incentivized by the stock our dept keeps in the mail room.

i have to do a lot of calculations for research and i prefer to do them on paper or a blackboard if it's something im reasoning out. idk it's so much easier to be stupid on paper than on goodnotes. ofc my research log is kept digitally, but i keep a binder with all my old calculations (both correct, and incorrect) along with my main reference papers.

[i was flipping through this just now and realised how much bs is in it.]

LaTeX is a good skill to have which i didn't realise until too late. if you have to write any paper that's remotely scientific, LaTeX is the way to go. none of that google docs bs.

i use both vscode and Overleaf for editing. i mainly just LaTeX my finalized research calculations into one big doc. it's much easier to show my advisor. also it looks cool.

i got a monitor when my laptop screen broke sophomore spring (something inside me broke as well that semester it was so fun). and if you have the option, i would totally recommend getting one. it's useful having a second/bigger screen.

i use mine for a bunch of things: coding, reading textbooks, genshin impact, Netflix, grading.

on the topic of textbooks, i use digital bc im cheap. but i do buy secondhand physical copies that i rarely reference, but keep around bc it doesn't hurt to start your hypothetical professor office bookshelf early. i only buy the ones i actually respect, like Peskin's Intro to QFT. but the digital copies are usually much handier. i keep an extensive digital collection of books and papers i might never need.

don't be like me keep your digital library more organized!

and yeah circling back to electronics! i use a Macbook Pro rn which has served me well. i guess things are different if you need to run solidworks or other specialized software, but you can always use the lab computers, so that was never a problem. i have an apple ecosystem bc im a slut for capitalism.. i mean i was already halfway there and now im just really used to it, so i like all my devices being friends with each other. my tip is always get more RAM than you thought you needed, and double the storage. but maybe that's bc im mean to my laptop and love hoarding files.

i also keep all my previous notes and printouts so may be i have an academic hoarding problem in general.

in the end, a mix of old school and new age technology bs works best for me!

thank you for your question! i hope this helps :)

[compusever]

Hi there! Bit of a weird question, and I’m not sure if this is the right blog for this, but… best laptop for privacy? I’m going to go to uni in a year and my parents have said that they’re going to buy me a laptop, which is awesome, except— I don’t know which one to chose? I’ve never had a laptop before but I try to take being private online as seriously as I can, and so I don’t really care… well, like, I do care that the laptop has good storage and works and stuff, but I care mostly about how private it is. Which one supports adding privacy-related stuff the best? Which one steals your data the least? I… am actually not sure what kind of questions I should be asking, since… again, never had a laptop before, and I don’t know what about its make makes it private (other than like general online privacy practices across all devices), so I was just wondering if you had any recommendations for me? Tldr: don’t care about fancy features, just want a laptop that more or less works, but would love privacy to be the main focus. This can sort of come at the expense of convenience - I don’t care it if’s harder to set up, use, etc., so long as I can connect to the internet with it.

So the hardware is pretty agnostic on this, the place where privacy is going to become an issue is in the software.

Windows loves to track you and send your data back to homebase; Apple is a walled garden that doesn't let people get deep into configurations; linux is intimidating for a lot of people.

Your actual best bet on privacy would be to get a laptop with no OS and install a linux distro on it, but it sounds like that's probably not something that's terribly approachable for you. So in that case I'd recommend getting a Windows laptop (mac prices aren't worth it) and going through this list to change the settings to ensure better privacy.

HOWEVER please note that you should be getting a laptop with a full OS. Windows has an option for "windows 11s" or "windows 10s" and first off you should be going with 11 at this point but second that "s" means that there are pretty strict limitations on what you can do as a user in terms of configuration and installation.

If you are willing to pay a bit more for Windows 11 Pro instead of windows 11 Home, the pro license cuts off some of the more annoying tracking that Windows does automatically, but I'd say you're better off simply getting the home license and really digging into the settings and getting to know it and setting it up for yourself.

BUT if it's at all possible, honestly I'd say get a bare metal laptop (that means it's just the hardware, no software, you need to install an operating system before you do anything) and install linux. HOWEVER keep in mind that there are some significant downsides to using linux as a student, mostly that you'll likely run into software at some point that you won't be able to install. Also if you're not already pretty good with computers it can be difficult to keep a linux machine running (but very easy to make it private; that's the tradeoff - you can make it more secure more easily, but you really have to know how to fix your own computer if something goes wrong.)

For your situation, again, I think a Windows 11 Home laptop with the settings adjusted is your best bet.

Absolutely positively don't get a chromebook (you've got no control of the settings on a chromebook and the thing is made to feed information to google) and don't get a mac (you can get better specs on a PC at a lower cost).

For an idea of budget on this, I'd say you can probably get something from Dell, Lenovo, or HP for around $650-1000 dollars that's got decent specs (12th gen or newer i5 processor, 16gb RAM, 512GB SSD) and maybe something more like $500-800 from acer, asus, or samsung. Whatever computer you end up getting, you should get the added drop protection warranty because that means the manufacturer will fix your laptop if you drop it, something that is a bigger deal for college students than most people (because of your environment you're more likely to end up with drop damage than a lot of people AND because you're a college student you probably won't be able to afford to fix or replace the computer)

Good luck!

[madokamagicasecrets]

I got a discounted Steam Deck and I have a few requests for if Valve ever makes a deck 2.

I think instead of using the leftmost mouse pad type thing as the scroll wheel, I think the L1 and R1 should have clickable scroll wheels, which would feel much more organic for things like scrolling through weapons in an FPS or Minecraft's hotbar. Plus, the clicking could be used for secondary hotbars, menus or weapons.

Second, while I like that you can "click" the mouse pads, I think each corner should be its own click. It would make it a bit more natural to map the top 2 as left and right click, and perhaps the bottom 2 could be like when some mice have extra buttons on the side.

Third, I think the pads having mouse acceleration by default is a bit weird and makes things harder to navigate, especially on desktop mode that I'm betting most people using the deck seriously will be primarily using. I also wonder if maybe the corners of the pads should be separate buttons rather than part of the pad, so that clicking doesn't accidentally cause you to slip the cursor and accidentally click the wrong thing, which I have done.

Fourth, I think that there should be additional USB and C ports for things like wired keyboards, mice, or Bluetooth devices that need adapters to function. It would also make porting over files a bit easier than the microSD slot is. And given things like a keyboard and mouse might be crucial to certain games, it should probably have a kickstand and maybe even an HDMI port.

Fifth, and this is much more minor, I think modification should be a bit more accessible, maybe with a hatch on the back held by a screw rather than just screws on a flat back. That way you could throw bigger SSDs in more easily and also do RAM upgrades, which would definitely extend its lifespan. I wanna get a lot of use out of this thing, even with the discounted price and a drop from its initial price on top of that. Plus, if you make the shell more accessible, people can customize the shells, and maybe Valve could even sell their own first party ones. Different colors or patterns would be neat.

I'm still pretty happy with it, but these are all small things that would push it from "something I'm happy with" to "certified best handheld machine I could possibly buy".

[mischiefmaker615]

Senpai

Summary: *requested* your an anime weeb cosplaying to attend your first con- what happens if you run into your boyfriend..

Rating: PG

You quickly closed the door behind you before your fingers moved to practically rip your uniform off. You have been waiting practically forever for this day to come and you weren’t going to waist a single moment still in your SHIELD uniform when you could be finally putting on your cosplay and making your way to anime con. Luckily it was just down the street from the tower this year so you were already yelling down the halls for Jarvis to call a cab by the time you reached your bedroom. And the best part was: the character you were dressing as- Albedo from Overlord- already had black wings ironically like yours! It was probably why it was one of your favorite animes because it made you feel more relatable.. minus the violence of course.  Having already gotten your bag ready the night before, you already were getting your costume on that almost hugged your body just as well as your own work jumpsuit. Thank goodness you had tried it on before hand for it to fit considering breathing in this thing for the whole weekend might have dampened your mood a little bit. Once your hair was already set after placing the horns on your head, make up in place and bag in hand, you would have kept on time if you hadn’t have run into your boyfriend- Loki!

Here’s the thing, no one, not even he knew the extent of your life outside of work. True you were still new lovers, but even the team who housed under the same roof was shut out of your private life.. maybe because your weeb life style got a bit made fun of back in the day. Considering you thought for the most part the tower was empty for the day and planned on sneaking out, your wings fluffed in anticipation and fear when your man turned with annoyance to see who had rammed into him. ‘’by all the nine realms would you- Y/N!?’’ his words were cut short with his eyes widening by the sight of you.  You were pretty proud at your cosplay.. but people you personally knew, let alone your boyfriend suddenly made you feel extremely embarrassed and your arms immediately covered yourself with your mouth trying to explain as fast as you could ‘’I’m just going to this fan expo and most people dress up as characters and I didn’t think I was going to run into anyone and I’m sorry for bumping into you and- will you quit s-staring??”’ you stammered as his expression lost its shock with extreme interest, his eyes raking up and down your frame with a sly smile spreading against his lips. ‘’darling, I have no idea what half that sentence meant but why haven’t you done this before?? You are absolutely gorgeous!’’ he exclaimed as his hands moved to your waist, running over your frame as he stepped closer hungrily and redness crept over your cheeks.  ‘’its only for the weekend.. people who enjoy the same shows and movies gathering now and again together to hang out, dress as characters, buy things- pretty much this whole festival thing..’’ you say sheepishly, a giggle escaping as his fingers pressed accidently at your tickle spots on your sides and he took your hands in his with a smile. ‘’I knew you enjoyed reading those.. backwards novels and those.. high pitched cartoons but I didn’t know you were practically worshipping the hobby..’’ ‘’I wouldn’t say that,’’ you laugh ‘’but I do really enjoy them- but I gotta catch my cab, I’ll be back in a few hours-‘’ you warn him but his hands remain on yours at the very mention of you leaving him. ‘’why don’t I go with you love? If you are to be wearing this, I cant have those mortals drinking up free glances without them knowing you are taken’’ he suggested, his eyes very rarely meeting yours as his hands catch your waist again, his thumbs gently stroking the exposed skin on your hips as you bit your lip. ‘’your not even into this stuff- you barely like watching the tv as it is-‘’ ‘’if I would have known it would be leading up to this type of.. entertainment, I would have been more open to it’’ he smirked, his eyes piercing yours a moment before his hand gently ran across one of your horns as if to see if they were actually real; making you more proud at your work.  ‘’mm  suppose we could try to see if we could get you a ticket upon getting there..’’ you think out loud before taking his hand so your horns wont fall of your head and you giggle before giving him a serious tone ‘’but I don’t want you giving anyone looks,’’ ‘’I don’t-‘’ ‘’or calling anything of any sort stupid-‘’ ‘’that was one ti-‘’ ‘’orrr trying to pull me away every two seconds. We.. do a lot of that hear-‘’ you warn him, your voice quiet as if someone was around as your cheeks redden at that thought before returning your gaze to his ‘’I want this to be purely fun and educational for you only. Plus some authors are going to be there and would hate to miss-‘’ ‘’alright darling, I promise,’’ Loki chuckled and cupped your cheeks ‘’I’ll be following your lead and be on my best behavior.’’ He promised and gently kissed your lips before taking your hand for you to lead the way.

~~~

You stumble into your room finally before throwing your purse to the side- of course setting your new merch much more carefully down- and Loki following close behind as you both sigh from the exhausting day. ‘’and that was only the first day?’’ Loki questioned as he popped down on your bed tiredly- magically perking up when he noticed you preparing to undress. ‘’second day is tomorrow- usually there’s new items, people dressed up, celebrities and authors, etc’’ you explain and remove the horns from your head finally and push your hair out of your face. Noticing Loki watching you, you purposefully turned your back and slowly began to undress as you spoke ‘’your welcome to join again but I plan on getting there as early as I can to milk the tickets..’’ ‘’right..’’ Loki said, distracted as he tried to listen as you pull the outfit down and carefully slip your wings out before it could fall completely to the floor but he tried to keep the conversation going so you ‘wouldn’t notice’ his eyes ‘’and um.. remind me again what this.. sub and dub is..’’ Now in only your undergarments, you slowly walk to your wardrobe, eyes on it only as you pretend you look through at what you wish to wear, hiding a smirk as you feel his eyes on you from behind ‘’sub is if you wish to read wording at the bottom of the screen to help translate what the characters are saying in a different language..’’ you explain and pull out a silky night gown, holding it up and looking it over as if debating on if it will do ‘’dub is if you wish to watch it in English and not have to read it instead.’’  You almost jump when you feel a hand reach over your shoulder and take hold of the gown, snatching it from your fingers before it is tossed aside, an arm snaking around your waist all the while as your back comes in contact with a chest.  ‘’your doing this on purpose aren’t you darling..’’ You could practically hear his amusement in his smile as he lets you turn around to wrap your arms around his neck, coyly looking up at him as you get closer ‘’I learn from the best after all..’’ ‘’well you’ve most certainly have taught me much on what you very much take pleasure in darling, how about I take this time to teach you what I take pleasure in?..’’ he smirked, his voice getting a bit lower as his hands ran slowly to rest on your hips, thumbs rubbing against your skin as you had a hard time realizing that he had been turning you both so the bed was now right behind you. ‘’and what is it that you wish to enjoy teaching me?’’ you asked innocently, seeing the mischief and lust spark in his eyes as his finger tips added very little pressure to indicate he was about to shove you backward. ‘’..pleasure..’’

[danpuff-ao3]

Why astrology is so complicated

With the surge of interest in my astrology stuff (and in part due to a conversation I had with Ephie yesterday), I figured I'd give a little rundown of "when I say astrology is a complex study, I mean it." (Also explains why skeptics' "there aren't only 12 personality types 🙄" nonsense makes no sense, and really maybe you should do at least 5 minutes of research before crapping on a subject, but I digress.)

You can check out the #hp astro tag, or my HP Astro link compilation for more "me having a good time" and less "me ranting and lecturing about astrology because I love it and no one takes it seriously at all." (Like it's fine not to believe in it, but like...at least have appreciation for how complex and deep and ancient a study it is! Please at least understand that there's more to it than you think, even if you don't buy into it. Maybe appreciate how fascinating it all is, between all the symbolism and history and moving parts!)

I'm making this as simple as possible, and the details themselves don't really matter, because I'm not trying to teach you details, I'm giving you an idea of the scale we're working with.

By using the time, date, and place of birth we freeze where the planets are at that given time.

That placement is thrown into 2 charts divided into 12 parts: the 12 signs and the 12 houses.

You have not only the sun sign, but the sun house. And also moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. As well as your rising sign (the sign rising on the eastern horizon.) And various other small planets like Chiron that some people study. There's also your True Node. And really all number of objects with their own meaning, but unless you're an astrologer or a mega nerd you probably just wanna look at the main planets.

Planets

Each of the planets has its own "realm" so to speak

The planets represent "what"

"What" part of you is being represented.

The sun is the core and sense of self, moon is emotions, Mercury is communication, and so on and so forth.

Signs

The signs are the "how" of each planet

How each planet's speciality is portrayed. The specific flavor of energy powering that realm.

Each sign is made up of multiple parts.

We have 4 elements: fire, earth, air, and water.

There are 2 polarities: traditionally called masculine and feminine, but can better be understood as "outward-focus" (or extroversion) and "inward focus" (or introversion.) The fire and air signs are more outwardly focused while the earth and water signs are more inwardly focused.

There are 3 modalities: cardinal, fixed, and mutable. There are 3 signs in each element, and each sign in those element has a different modality. So there's one cardinal fire sign, one fixed fire sign, and one mutable fire sign.

Each sign is ruled by a planet: Sun rules Leo, moon rules Cancer, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Libra and Taurus, etc.

The symbols: each sign has a symbol. Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull, etc.

Seasons: you can also take into account the seasons each sign take place in. Cardinal signs mark the start of a new season (Aries for spring, Cancer for summer, Libra for fall, Capricorn for winter.) The fixed signs are the middle of the season (Taurus for spring, Leo for summer, Scorpio for fall, Aquarius for winter.) Mutable signs are the end of a season (Gemini for spring, Virgo for summer, Sagittarius for fall, Pisces for winter.)

Age: the wheel "grows up" through each sign, starting with Aries "the youngest" sign to Pisces "the oldest sign."

Each sign has its opposition sign. For me, knowing the oppositions helps understanding of the sign itself. Oppositions are an intense connection, where the signs are too similar in some ways and dissimilar in others.

By knowing each part that builds a sign, you can understand that sign better, rather than general stereotypes. All signs have their good and bad. All signs have their potential, that can be used or squandered.

The Houses

Houses are the "where" of it all. What part of you (planet), how it's being expressed (signs), and where it's being expressed (houses.)

The Houses have a very loose association with the signs. I have to stress that. Do not confuse the signs and the houses. They are different. But they come from a similar place, so if you keep in mind their differences, you can use the connection to better learn about the houses. Houses 1 - 12 correlate to the signs by order of the signs, wherein the First House has a connection to Aries and the Twelfth House has a connection to Pisces.

This also means houses are sometimes thought to have their own element. As in, the First House is fire, Second earth, Third air, Fourth water...

Aspects

This is where it gets really complicated.

If you see a circle chart and see a lot of lines....those lines are the angles, or "aspects." These are the planets' relationship to each other.

You can look at sign-based aspects to get an idea of how the energy of those planets works together. Remember: water and earth go well, fire and air go well. Fire and earth? Less good. Air and water? Less good. Planets in different water signs will be trine. Planets in an earth and water are sextile.

You have harmonious aspects, such as trine and sextile, where the planets have an easy relationship. You have hard aspects like square and opposition, which face more challenges. Then you have conjunctions, which can be both or neither (the planets are very close and very similar; aims might blur.) There are also minor aspects such as semi-sextile (hard) and quincunx (neither.) Quincunx relates to planets that might not otherwise have a relationship and is more or less those planets making eye contact.

The aspects are formed by angles. Each planet is in a degree and minute of a sign. So its exact placement will determine exact aspects. 3° Taurus forms an exact trine with 3° Virgo. But there's an orb of anywhere from 5 to 10° to determine aspects. So 3° Taurus still trines 8° Virgo.

Exact aspects indicate those planets' aims are coming together, and how those aims clash or blend.

Rulership and Dignities

Each sign is ruled by a planet, yes?

Those planets when in those signs are said to be "domicile"

When that planet is in an opposition sign, it is said to be "detriment."

Each planet also has a second sign it's happy in, which is known as it's exaltation. And the opposition of the exalted sign is when the planet is in fall.

These are called the "essential dignities"

The planets work "best" in their domicile and exaltation (the purpose of each planet in a sign with the right energy for its purpose) while the planets face a bit of struggle in signs of detriment or fall (this charger was not made for this device, but it's making do.)

For the sake of the next section, I'll also explain:

The rising sign, while not a planet, is an important part of the chart. The planet that rules the rising sign is called the chart ruler. So that planet has a bit more prominence.

The sun and moon also have rulers, which are called the dispositor of the sun and the dispositor of the moon respectively. This is obsessive nerd type details, but I will say I do care about the dispositors if the sun or moon is the chart ruler.

Priority List

Not all planets are equally important. They all have some level impact on you, but some will be more impactful.

The sun, moon, and rising sign are called The Big 3 and, as you can tell, are the Most important. The sun and moon the luminaries. The sun is the core of who you are. The moon is your inner world. The rising is how the world sees you.

Mercury, Venus, and Mars are called the "inner planets" which are also known as the "personal planets." Closer to the sun, so closer to who you are, and cover more personal matters such as communication, relationships, and drive.

Jupiter and Saturn are intermediary planets and are of moderate importance. Some people group them with the inner planets, but not I. Jupiter governs "abundance" and Saturn governs "discipline." Luck and life lessons.

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are the "outer planets", also called "generational planets." Farther from the sun, farther from who you are. People in your generation will have these same sign placements. The house placement on the planets matter more than the sign, because that's more tailored to you.

If an outer planet is the chart ruler, or has a connection to an inner planet, then we might examine the outer planets more closely. But the outer planets govern things like "progress" (Uranus), "dreams" (Neptune), and "transformation" (Pluto) so...yeah kinda hard to fully grasp and explain what they mean.

Example Placement

Imagine, if you will, Venus in Taurus in the Second House.

Venus: love, relationships, hobbies, interests

Taurus: fixed earth sign. Also: the bull. Second sign of the zodiac. Springtime.

Second House: possessions.

Venus is domicile in Taurus.

Taurus is stubborn, sensual, loyal, hard-working, luxury-loving.

Taurus wants to have a good time and a good life. It wants to relax and enjoy itself. All fit into Venus' harmonious aims.

Taurus is an earth sign, and earth represents the physical, material world. So Taurus likes luxury. Or more specifically: comfort. Cozy blankets, good food, good music, etc. Taurus wants to feel good.

Taurus also values tangible items. Jewelry, sure, but also things like keepsakes, mementos, etc. Taurus can be quiet sentimental in this way.

Taurus is very sensual and sexual: think love (Venus) + physical (earth.)

As an earth sign, Taurus values security. As a fixed sign, Taurus is stubborn and steady. Taurus is prepared to work hard to have a good life. But Taurus is also set in its ways. Taurus is prepared to dig in its heels and work hard to hold onto its comfort and security. Even if it means eating hte same delicious meal 10 days in a row, or listening to the same sweet song on repeat.

Venus covers hobbies. For Taurus, this could be earthy things such as gardening, comfort things such as knitting, yummy things such as cooking, sensual things such as music. It covers interests, so maybe an animal-lover, or candle-collector.

Venus represents relationships (romantic and platonic.) So Taurus is loyal. Affectionate (physically, especially.) There is a focus on the physical world, so perhaps sharing an interest or hobby. People they can be at peace with and relax with.

Then all of this...in the second house. House of Possessions. There is a focus on money and material gain.

With Venus, perhaps being drawn to people of status, or people who can help you get what you want.

This gives an extra enjoyment (Venus) of luxuries themselves (the tangible objects, second house) and owning them.

The Second House is how you make money. In Venus, this could mean through relationships (marry rich!), other connections (friends in high places), or even earning them through hobbies. A star baker who decides to monetize their skills and what they love.

Taurus and the second house view objects and money as security. So first and foremost, possessions as survival and safety. Then, once attained, it's about comfort and joy. Or, even, hedonism and indulgence if taken too far.

So much potential and so much to it! And this is only Venus.

There are still...2 other inner planets to account for. And the Big 3. Alone. Then...what if Venus is aspecting another planet???? That's extra consideration!! And one should at least be aware of the outer planets!

So...yeah. There's a lot to it.

Don't even get me started on synastry (comparing 2 charts; as in...how your chart works alongside someone else's) or transits (your chart vs. where the planets currently are and how that impacts your day to day life.)

[dojae-huh]

At time of listing, BTS accounted for 87.7% of hybe's total sales.

Oho, even more than I thought. Albums sold don't reflect the whole picture as there is merch, games and brands sales.

Anyway, Kakao's tender offer is closed. Because of a lot of offers from people wanting to sell their SM shares (for 150k won) and the laws of fare game Hybe could sell less than the half of the shares bought from LSM (for 120k). Due to the drama SM share price went up, and now, when the tender is over and Kakao won, it dropped back to the previous numbers (today it's 97.6k) . Which means Hybe will have to sell the remaining shares much cheaper than it bought them originally, at a loss.

The loss is small (8-16mln USD), the deal with Kakao about Dear U or whatever they agreed on will probably bring in profit to cover it easily. However, what a blow to the reputation. "SM with Hybe" site, the BBC interview, the talk about saving k-pop. Hybe will also still need to pay LSM for 10 years and is obliged to buy his remaining shares for 120k (not that he is interested to sell them, I bet).

On one hand, Hybe is now the second largest shareholder and can just keep the rest of SM shares, on the other hand, the money to buy SM was borrowed, and BTS was announced to suspend group activities. Plus there are several new projects that will take time to return investment. Anyhow, Hybe invested the money in labels and other companies, so maybe it will jsut start earning not from its own artists.

Back to our rams as we say in Russia.

I see different news outlets releasing news about DJJ everyday. About the Launch video, about fans discussing lore, etc. SM should pay for all these. It really wants DJJ to have a quick start. What is interesting, is the people who worked with DJJ not only subscribing to the unit's IG, but also hyping them with reposts and comments. Yes, they need to advertise themselves and the projects they worked on, however, it is usually is done after the debut, when it's possible to link the MV, show bts pics, etc.

[stevensavage]

Using Bitcoin After The Apocalypse

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, Steve's Tumblr, and Pillowfort.  Find out more at my newsletter, and all my social media at my linktr.ee)

“What does the future hold,” is a question we ask a lot. Partially because we’re human and partially because right now we’re in the Polycrisis. I think about it due to my humanity, due to the chaos, due to concern for people, and of course a healthy level of paranoia. I’m not living in the future I was promised or anything close, and I’d ask to see the manager but it’s sort of me.

So what do I think the future is? The future is planning to use Bitcoin after the apocalypse.

I’m not a fan of cryptocurrencies - there’s some interesting technology in there, but overall it’s not so much a money as a kind of stock with little foundation. It’s a kind of social engineering with no foundation but belief. However I do follow news and conversations on crypto as it is part of our current world and affects us. One conversation I followed had someone expressing utter frustration with a crypto enthusiast: said enthusiast said Bitcoin would be great after the apocalypse.

Think of that for a moment. An actual human said that. A person who in theory can drive and hold responsibilities figures that you’ll use Bitcoin when society collapses.

The fall of civilization. You probably don’t have a computer, you probably don’t have the internet, and an entirely electronic currency is your hope for the apocalypse. It was watching faith in gold transferred to faith in the blockchain, completely disconnected from the reality of civilizational crises.

Planning using Bitcoin in the Apocalypse is a perfect summary of where we are now - hoping utter faith in nothing saves us.

We’ve got a world in crises - climate change, political meltdowns, diseases, resource issues, microplastics, etc. Even though I have a lot of faith in humanity, it seems pretty clear we’re in for a hard crash. We need real ideas, real leadership, and real solutions involving material subjects like food, location, weather.

But a lot of people are absolutely enchanted with technical and philosophical bullshit. Crypto of course, which I heard best described as “having a computer do sudokus you use can use to buy heroin.” AI is supposedly going to save us, say the people whose job is to sell us on AI. Meanwhile both technologies suck up technology, resources, and mindshare when we might want to use all that to deal with climate change.

We’re following “leaders” who sound like image board teenagers and 80’s sci-fi novels on repeat, lost in their own worlds. Or maybe we have leaders who are recycling bigotries and biases of the past, while promising we’ll get back to that past even though it existed largely in our imaginations. We’re trying to go back to the 1950’s or the 1850’s or hell, the 1050’s for some people, and few if any of the advocates seem to know anything about real history.

We end up with people who are happy to bring polio back and think advanced technology just happens.

So much of our world is bullshit ideas and bullshit people who aren’t anything, just things we clap our hands for, hoping they’ll be real this time. Believe enough in everything that we know isn’t true and magically we’ll all be saved. The Final Judgment delivered by a god speaking in internet memes and platitudes.

We’re metaphorically hoping crypto will save us in the apocalypse. We’re hoping a teetering pillar of belief and hype will right the wrongs - while it burns real resources and kills real people.

And ultimately, no, it’s not going to work. I watched parts of LA go up in smoke, Arizona has it’s own dangers in 2025, and Florida and its neighbors get rammed with more and more hurricanes annually. We need solutions, we need to prepare, and even the con-men and con-women have conned themselves into acting like it’ll be OK.

Humanity will get through it. But the question is how well, how many, and how long it takes us to establish a functional world. But the answer isn’t hand-wavy, easily exploited memethink.

Steven Savage

www.StevenSavage.com

www.InformoTron.com

[charleythehouseplant]

So I know OP’s question was probably rhetorical but I got curious, so I looked it up and went through like a dozen internet rabbitholes and the answer is capitalism! Kind of.

(Full disclosure: my sources for this include the foundation Oneindig Noord-Holland, the foundation Ecomare, and the official tourism website for the island of Texel, except for the two images cribbed from Wikipedia, so I am reasonably confident in its accuracy from a historical perspective, but I do not know much about sheep as animals.)

See, Texel is a small island in the northern part of the Netherlands. You can walk across it lengthwise in an hour if you walk slowly. (20km, or 12,5 miles.) Effectively this means there’s just not a lot of grazing area for cattle, and what grazing land there was was just not good enough for cows, and it was not good farmland for crops because the salt from the sea on the wind is going to literally salt the earth and you will know only misery if you try to grow them any substantive scale and how do people exist here—

So what Texel did have was sheep. Lots and lots of them. The original Texel sheep would have looked like extremely average children’s-picture-book sheep. They were generally very small, with tiny little tails, and were famous for having Very Soft Wool, to the point where they would catch a great price in a few hours at cattle markets. (Fun fact: the old Texel sheep was so famous, in fact, that until 1846 it was literally illegal to import off-island sheep to Texel for fear of polluting the gene pool.)

What Texel also had was a very convenient location. Here is a picture of the province of Noord-Holland as it exists today. That island in red is Texel. Near the lower-left of the sea there is the city of Amsterdam, which was historically the most important port over there.

Ships would sail out north past Texel, stop there to buy supplies and maybe hire a few sailors, and then wander off to steal spices or something, whatever. But if you were an enterprising capitalist circa 1818, wouldn’t you want that passage to the ocean to be a lot faster? So you wouldn’t need to pay sailors for however long it took for the river connecting Amsterdam to the sea to get off its ass and allow passageway?

Enter King Willem the First, who ordered water-constructionist Jan Blanken Janz to work out a Plan. So they dug a channel all the way north from Amsterdam to the sea.

But wait! What happens to Texel now that half of its local economy disappeared, you ask? Well, they still had all these sheep with their amazing fur, so they doubled down. But now that their entire livelihood revolved around sheep, well, that sheep is kind of tiny, isn’t it? Not a lot of wool, and not much eating when its lifespan nears its end.

Enter Hendrik Dijt, of farm De Waddel. (De Waddel was built in 1625 and still exists today! You can buy lamb meat from them! How cool is that??)

Anyway, in 1888, Hendrik told his son Cornelis to go to England, which had way more modern (for the time) breeding methods for its sheep and was doing all kinds of weird experiments with mixing its heritage breeds to make Better Sheep. Cornelis returned with a Border Leicester breeding ram, and went back at least once to also buy Lincoln and Wensleydale rams at some point though I can’t find an exact timeline. Their purpose was to get an all-purpose sheep that could give a good chunk of meat, be milked, and hopefully still kept that lovely wool that made Texel sheep famous.

And they succeeded! To the point where in 1909 the “verbeterde Texelaar” (improved Texel sheep) became the new breed standard for Texel sheep and they got their own separate studbook out of it.

To this very day, sheep are important to the Texel economy and as a cultural touchstone. I went there in 2009-ish and if there is literally any product you can get off a sheep you can obtain it there in gift shops with a little note explaining what it is.

Anyway, fun fact I learned today: Texel sheep also come in “blue”, and the blue variant has its own sub-variant that’s called “badger-head” because the white markings on its head look badger-like!

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading!

what the hell is going on with texel sheep

[gizopedia]

Galaxy Tab S10 Plus Review Introduction So, what's the deal with the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus? Well, it’s Samsung’s bid to give you a tablet that ticks off everything: style, power, and performance. But, does it actually deliver on all those promises? If you're someone who's juggling between work, play, or a bit of everything, this review is gonna answer whether the Tab S10 Plus is your new daily driver. Design & Build Quality First off, let’s talk looks. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus comes wrapped in a sleek, premium metal finish that just feels solid in your hands. It’s slim, light, and, honestly, just easy to carry around. If you're moving from room to room or tossing it in a bag, it’s not going to weigh you down. As for colors, Samsung gave us options like silver and black. Pretty safe choices, but hey, they look good. The thin bezels are a win, too. Less frame, more screen to enjoy. Daily use? It feels premium like it should at this price point, but it won’t win any creativity awards. Display Ah, the display. This is where Samsung flexes its muscles. It’s rocking a big ol' Super AMOLED screen, and trust me, the colors just pop. Whether you're watching movies or scrolling through socials, everything looks sharp and vibrant. And with the high refresh rate, it’s silky smooth. It’s not just another pretty face either. The brightness is solid enough to use outdoors without squinting. Comparing it to other tabs? Well, it’s honestly a step above. It's not budget tablet territory. It's where Premium lives. Performance Here’s where the magic happens. Inside, you’ve got some serious firepower with a fast processor and enough RAM to handle your multitasking moods. Streaming? No problem. Gaming? Oh, yeah, it handles it. Open a bunch of apps, switch between them? Not even a hiccup. It’s made for people who need to get stuff done but also sneak in a game of PUBG between meetings. And it doesn’t get too hot either. Samsung's cooling does a good job, so your lap won't be on fire if you're using it for hours. Software & User Experience Running on Android, with Samsung's One UI layered on top, this tablet has some pretty neat features to offer. You’ll notice things like split-screen multitasking that work well on a screen this big. Want to run two apps side by side? Go for it. Oh, and the S Pen. It’s included and does add to the experience. If you’re into sketching, note-taking, or just feel like navigating in style, it’s a nice touch. Pre-installed apps? Yeah, there’s a bit of bloatware, but nothing too in-your-face. You can ignore most of it. Battery Life Battery life is another big deal here. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus packs a large battery, so you can push through a full day of use—streaming, browsing, note-taking, you name it. Now, if you're hardcore gaming or watching movies non-stop, expect that to dip, but it’s still impressive. Charging? It’s decent speed-wise, but not lightning-fast. You won’t be waiting forever, but it’s not the quickest charge around. Cameras Okay, I know what you're thinking: a camera on a tablet? Yes, it's not the thing you're buying this for. But for what it is, it’s pretty solid. Front and back cameras do the job well enough. Daylight shots? They’re crisp. Low light? Meh, don’t push your luck. It's perfect for Zoom calls, though, and maybe the occasional photo if you're desperate. Audio & Media Experience Now, let’s talk sound. The stereo speakers on the S10 Plus are seriously impressive. They’re loud, and clear, and give a nice bit of depth to whatever you're watching or listening to. No headphone jack, though. That’s right, Samsung’s keeping it wireless these days. Time to pull out the Bluetooth headphones if you haven't already. Connectivity & Extras As for staying connected, this thing’s packed with all the good stuff. Wi-Fi, LTE/5G if you spring for that model, Bluetooth, and USB-C for charging and data. It’s got a microSD slot, too, so storage worries? Not a thing.

You can also get a keyboard attachment if you’re planning to use it more like a laptop, but honestly, the on-screen keyboard’s pretty decent for most uses. Price & Value Here’s the part where wallets might cringe a little. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is up there in price, especially if you go for the higher-end model. But, considering the performance, display, and overall quality, you're getting a lot of tablets for your money. Is it worth it? If you’re a power user or someone who’s in the Samsung ecosystem. If you're just looking for something to casually browse on, it might be overkill. Pros & Cons Conclusion So, who should get the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus? Well, if you’re someone who needs a tablet that can keep up with you—whether it’s for work, entertainment, or creativity—it’s a beast. It’s powerful, stylish, and does everything you'd expect, and more. But, if you’re just after something simple, there are cheaper options out there. At the end of the day, the Tab S10 Plus is a solid all-rounder, but it’s aimed at those who plan to push it to its limits. So, is it your next tech buy? You tell me.

[public-hazard]

oh no. I’m making a real post

this is what i would call.. a rant. Its main point is about laptops and shit being functional after more than 3 years before I conclude it by telling you to backup your shit.

it’s actually part 1 of 2 because I’m a fucking NERD

essentially, TL;DR the state of laptops and anti-repair sucks and i hate it, technological parts will fail eventually, and it should be easy for the consumer to fix the shit they bought. backup your shit bc things can fail at any moment.

i love computers. i love technology! I love seeing technology grow and people make bigger better things that are cool! yes I do! hell, even ai is interesting! ai art would be objectively fucking fascinating to see a machine learn how to mimic a human action EXCEPT FOR THE MINOR CAVEAT THAT WE, AS HUMANS, HAVE NO QUALMS ABOUT STEALING! THAT’S THE ISSUE! and also some other stuff probably but that is SO NOT THE POINT

now that I’ve successfully avoided an ai tangent, let’s move on to what this post IS about

What in the actual FUCK are modern laptops. i don’t WANT a thin, ultra-flimsy piece of shit that is designed to break or be obsolete in less than 10 years

i have a laptop! From what, 2010? 2011? it needs probably more RAM and to be upgraded from windows 7 to 10. is it still usable, today, in 2024 for basic shit: ABSOLUTELY. It has problems, sure, but those are SOLVABLE PROBLEMS. I CAN REPAIR THIS FUCKING LAPTOP. YOU HEAR THAT? I CAN REPAIR IT. probably through finding replacement parts n shit but NOT THE POINT.

it probably has some other stuff that I can fix too! It probably needs basic maintenance because it’s a laptop and it’s never been opened or anything except for the time i went to replug-in the keyboard and maybe.. fucked it up worse. but hey, i tried and uh, probably should’ve done a bit more, but the keyboard was borderline unusable before anyway so if the tried and true unplug and plug back in didn’t work, it was already capital F Fucked. (hp pavilion g6)

oh, and general note: check your fucking batteries. consistently. you do not want to clean a Wii remote that’s had crusty ass AA batteries in it. if it is bigger than it used to be, or otherwise bulging, yes that is bad. the more you know.

2014 or 2015: meet the HP stream 13!

it was probably below average for its time. it sports 2 GB of RAM and I’ve made this fucker bluescreen thrice because of it. its a budget laptop. you want something that can do.. basic shit? perfect. it can do your taxes!

it cannot perfectly display a Google doc over 30 pages though with other things running! it will break shit. can’t blame it though, it’s trying its best. it’s also still running windows 8.1, though, not sure how much this affects it. no i will not be researching it for a tumblr post.

is it still usable: absolutely did you not fucking read. my mom uses it for her taxes! it’s hot pink, how snazzy.

my dad has a computer that’s newer with what’s that… 4 GB of RAM? It can with windows 10 but now has windows 11! and… oh. what’s that? I’m having the same amount of memory issues as A LAPTOP RUNNING WINDOWS 8.1 WITH HALF THE RAM. DID YOU HEAR THAT? HUH? actually i think the issues are WORSE but its not mine so i will not be knowing for certain. but it was at least on par or worse. Someone online told me that 4 GB is not enough for windows 11. i do not completely trust a stranger i met once but.. i can’t see anything in task manager that’s just hogging resources (other than antimalware from windows or whatever the fuck it’s called)

the point of that is: WHAT THE FUCK.

is it usable: yes. it can do work stuff. it can do your taxes. it’s not a snazzy hot pink though.

if you got to this point, I love you.

anyway.

for the record, I think that things should be easily repairable by the person who bought it. replacement parts should be provided and support should be offered for at least 5 years. it should not be more effective for me to buy a new laptop than to upgrade or fix the one i already have. not that I’m saying it’s the case (I’ve yet to do repairs OR upgrades)

but that is a problem. buying aftermarket and cloned versions that you have no real clue the quality of should not be something the consumer has to do to keep the thing working.

technical parts fail all the time. Files can corrupt, things can stop working. back up your shit and NEVER EVER rely on a perfectly working device to stay perfectly working forever. eventually, it will become obsolete. planned or no, eventually, it will have been made for a period of the past and technology advances all the time. games get bigger and beefier, operating systems give you software you didn’t ask for.

and i didn’t even talk about ports or CD drives or- fucking other shit.

[pauloalmeidabrsposts]

Wanna buy a new notebook? Check out some info about the right configuration of the machine

Nowadays people are searching for a notebook with a great configuration that can help them use it in a lot of situations. In fact, a good portable computer has some advantages in comparison to a regular one. In both cases, the user can act on some different tasks, like browsing the internet, writing emails, watching videos, etc.

Still, before you buy a new machine, it is extremely important to get to know some information about the notebook. You have to understand some terms like RAM, SSD, and the generation of the processor. This will indicate if the portable computer has the right configuration according to your own needs.

The cost benefit is a characteristic that can guarantee that you are buying a product with everything you need with a low budget. This is a moment which requires some understanding of how the machine works, and if it has the tools you are searching for. So, it is necessary to obtain some information about the product.

The good news is that if you want to buy a good notebook you can search on the internet for more information and data about the portable computer easily. They are presented in e-commerce sites and grand technology corporations pages. You can compare the machines, their price, their configuration and choose the best for you.

The ideal notebook

First, it is important to understand why you are buying a notebook. Is it for studying? Playing video games? Will you use it for your professional activities? To watch movies? Maybe you need a top of the line computer, or one to use in a park. A basic disposable can help a lot with a great number of tasks.

Before acquiring a notebook, take a look at some information like the cost, processor, RAM memory, storage memory, video card, the screen and its resolution, and so on. If you need a machine only to study, there's no need to get a computer with the best performance, a basic one will do the job.

By the way, the notebook processor is like the brain of the machine. It can make the device faster and smoother, but it will increase the price exponentially. It will help to search on the internet, play video games and with heavy softwares. If you have the money, don't think twice, buy it! It is worth it!

RAM memory

Regarding the RAM memory, this is the place where the apps, softwares, applications and the operational system will get the fast data on the notebook. The more memory you get, the faster your machine. It is important to say that the minimum of RAM in a computer is 4 gigabytes. This means that a product with this configuration can do a lot of tasks with a low price.

Indeed, if you can buy more RAM do it. The reason for this is that a 8 gigabyte machine is a basic configuration for today's tasks. We are seeing some technology innovation like never before, so, if you wanna use the best tools on the market you need to acquire a machine that can run it.

Internal storage

One of the most important configurations of the notebook is related to their internal storage. In this case, a machine with an SSD is required. The reason behind this is that it is faster than the conventional HD. The minimum capacity is 128 GB. It is important to notice that it will be used mostly to run the operational system Windows.

If you can get a good SSD with a great capacity, you will be able to store a great quantity of photos, videos, documents and a lot of softwares and applications. So, it is worth it,. then again, a notebook with great cost benefits can help you on a lot of tasks and can be used for professional activities.

Video card

Also known as graphics card and GPU, the video card wil process everything that is visual on your notebook. For example, it will help you to watch videos, photos, effects, and play video games if you want to. It can be integrated or dedicated. The more advanced the video card, the more expensive the machine is.

By the way, the size of the screen is also important. A 15-inch model can go on the schoolbag, it is not so heavy, and can be used to work or to study. A bigger display has its own benefits, is more expensive, but can be used in different ways, so you need to watch your necessities before buying a notebook with these characteristics.

Conclusion

Before acquiring a notebook it is necessary to check out their configuration, the computer specifications. Be warned, it is common on the market to get a great number of machines with the same characteristics but with different prices. It is important to know your necessities and how much money you want to spend.