Good Morning Friends! This post will go in some directions… so fair warning it might be a weird ride. The abandoning of Twitter and adopting Mastodon/Fediverse as my primal social network has triggered many changes in how I look at the services I use. Essentially I’ve come to realize that I had become solely dependent upon the corporatized internet for my day-to-day functions. This was a weird realization given that I come from the very early days of the web, an era when I very clearly had to host anything that I wanted to use and pretty regularly became that guy that hosted a forum or a website for every friend that needed one. For years I had an entire infrastructure running out of my house that I maintained. However, the migration to Cable for internet access brought with it a loss of the ability to actually use any standard ports for anything… so I started leaning more and more heavily on hosted or corporate services.
Essentially I’ve been on this journey of evaluating the things that I use on a day-to-day basis. Some of these things are attached to my workplace, and I have no direct control over them. Other things however I use on a personal level… and I could migrate to something that I had more direct control over. I’ve started making subtle shifts, most recently I stopped using Google as a search engine entirely and made the move so many have over to the less invasive DuckDuckGo. A few years ago I made a similar migration away from Chrome as my primary browser (though I still have to use it for work purposes) and moved everything over to Firefox on both desktop and mobile. When I needed to rebuild the second machine that I use for various sundry purposes, I did so as a Linux Desktop instead of building yet another Windows machine. I am still uncertain if I can really move my primary machine away from Windows, but so far the Linux Desktop experience has been pretty freaking solid.
One of the services that I have targeted recently is the music streaming service that I use. Honestly, I migrated to Tidal out of spite a couple of years ago when Spotify doubled down on supporting Joe Rogan. I loved using Spotify… it was a universally enjoyable experience. Tidal… while technically higher quality just sucks as a user experience and the discovery engine is tuned for someone who is very much “not me”. So after leaving Spotify… it became very easy for me to consider moving away from Tidal because my buy-in was not nearly as solid. Essentially I am looking to move away from corporate streaming audio entirely. For years I maintained my own library of music, and then with the release of Google Music I just sort of decided it was not worth the hassle. I got lazy and it became too easy to pay a single fee and get access to whatever I wanted. Google killed its music offering by turning to YouTube Music… which led me to migrate to Amazon for a while, before finally landing on Spotify. Each step… I felt like I actually listened to music less often… that is until I started my Mixtape Mondays nonsense a few years back.
We are going to jump around a bit and talk about Plex. Effectively Plex is a self-hosted home media streaming solution, and I’ve been using this for well over a decade now as a way of watching any sort of movie or television series. Before the existence of Plex, I used Windows Media Center to fill the same role on my network and used an Xbox 360 as a streaming client. Essentially I hate the tedium of dealing with physical media. Growing up I loved the Nintendo Entertainment System kiosk that allowed you to play one of many different games with the push of a button, and that led me mentally down the path of wanting to jukebox-ize all of my media. It was because of this that I became an early adopter of digital distribution first with Direct2Drive and later Steam… and of course, I used to rip every single CD and DVD that I got access to. For MP3s I had one of those early Creative Nomad players as my primary consumption means, and for Video, I eventually landed on Plex and what is now 12 TB of shared storage that has upgraded like a hermit crab over the years as I have needed more space.
I have no clue WHY it took me this long… but I had this mental separation between video solutions and audio solutions… when in truth Plex is not just a great video streaming option. Earlier this year I started a project that I have dubbed “Fauxtify” where I am collecting all of my audio in one coherent library and trying to wean myself off of streaming audio as I acquire things I was missing from my collection. This has honestly been really fun as I have started scouring the local thrift stores looking for bits of music that I remember fondly over the years and then ripping it to my local server when I get home. I still hate the storage of physical media, and eventually, I will have to come up with a better solution to that than just cramming it in the closet in my office.
I think what I love so much about Plex as a solution is that with a premium account, I have access to all of my media through their mobile and web apps regardless of where I am currently. The server sitting on my network effectively brokers a secure connection between the mobile device and my server without directly opening up a port on my firewall. Which has led me down a path of pining for more solutions that worked like this. What I really need now is Office 365/Google Apps… but in the Plex model where I can host a local instance of it but access it remotely through apps that broker a connection back home.
All web searches seem to point me toward NextCloud… but it seems to be more of a true self-hosted system where you need to run it over standard ports and expose them through traditional means to the internet. That is not exactly what I want, but I have contemplated setting this up and running it internally just for document storage purposes. This is where I open up a request to my readers. I know many of you also have a penchant for doing dumb things with technology. Is there a solution I am overlooking? What I really want is something that works somewhat like Plex, but for “office” functionality. I could in theory just put NextCloud on the web host that I keep the rest of my public-facing infrastructure on and that may be the road I go down next. At least there I would still have control over it, but I would rather honestly have something on my local network that gets accessed brokered to it from a more hybrid cloud model.
I guess the takeaway is… Mastodon changed how I view my complacency with using the corporatized internet. Another takeaway is “Fauxtify” is working beautifully, and once I flex out my library a bit more I will likely be killing access to Tidal entirely. Now to chip away at my reliance on Google apps.
The post Fauxtify appeared first on Tales of the Aggronaut.
It seems like each weekend we have attempted to tackle one big thing. While the options are limited due to the fact that we are still very much sheltered in place, we have done a fairly decent job of finding something meaningful to do. Before the wider lock down happen we made a trip out to Garden Ridge, or whatever that store is currently called and found new outdoor rugs and throw pillows that have been sitting in the garage waiting on us to open the back yard officially. We’ve had a very cold and wet year thusfar and as a result we pushed this back further than either of us would have liked. However our little backyard oasis is officially open for business… or at least open to the two of us.
In theory we should be opening the pool within the next week, which will be nice because I think given the amount of time we are at home I might actually start using it every day. We need to figure out some sort of clothes line or something for swim suits and towels. The last step will be getting flowers, and from what I can tell our favorite greenhouse is open for business. We are trying to avoid leaving the house when possible, but I think at some point we will risk a trip out to get flowers. The flowers and the ritual of watering and care will start making things seem more normal, even though we are largely stuck in stasis.
As far as Friday’s post goes, I want to thank everyone for their comments. It seems like every so often I need to get one of those sort of posts out of my system and once I have I can move on with life. It is like I am putting all of those thoughts onto the written page and sending them out into the world where they develop a life of their own. However the process of exorcising them from the recesses of my mind helps me to get on with life and stop dwelling on them. I could just as easily write them on a piece of paper and then wad the paper up and toss it into the trash can, but at least on some level I think it is helpful to let those around you who are also struggling know that they are not necessarily alone.
On the gaming front, I managed to hit 120 on the Dino Druid. I actually dinged a few minutes into the podcast on Sunday evening and have since gotten his gear up to around 380 in a few days of World Quests. What I need desperately is a weapon upgrade, and I might actually target some of the LFR options that I have open to me trying to get a polearm or something similar. I’ve been spending some time working on factions on the Alliance Paladin, and managed to unlock Dark Iron over the weekend. The next target is Kul Tirans, which requires me to keep doing daily quests… and there are probably a few zone quests that I could also do to help speed that process up.
That is me and leveling four 120s in very rapid succession. Rather than start with another lowbie and run it all of the way up, I feel like I should probably finish off my Warlock as it is sitting at 113. I could in theory finish it off in a few days and would at least make me feel like less of a slacker for leaving it sitting in BFA level ranges for so long. All of this is oddly soothing because it gives me micro objectives to play towards without really having to think much about it. I know that is not exactly everyone’s idea of fun, but for me it is helping me bring order to chaos. Special thanks to my wife for providing a picture of the bedroom patio, since I failed to take one over the weekend. I hope you all have an excellent week and that you find peace in the midst of the nonsense times we are living.
Cute Co-Conspirators
This is a post that almost wasn’t. This morning I had the strong desire just to say screw it and call this an unofficial vacation day. My morning routine in pandemia has been greatly modified from my normal one. Traditionally I get up, kick the children out of the bedroom, start the Keurig and then go hop in the shower. After the shower I make coffee for both my wife and me, give Kenzie her insulin shot and feed the cats. Then I go into the bedroom and try and roust my wife from the bed and get her into the shower. Over the last several this step has become more challenging and stalling the whole fixing our breakfast and heading up to my office. What used to be a few minutes has started turning into a fifteen minute stall fest. I get that she is exhausted because I too have an exhaustion that is eating away at my core. It sorta reminds me of what it is like when you go without sleep for too long. There is just a weariness that never seems to fully go away and I am guessing it is thanks to six full weeks now of isolation.
In these morning interactions I attempt to be the adult and get us up and moving… but this morning was an extreme struggle. I wanted nothing more than to give in and return to the warm embrace of our bed. Why the hell does the bed feel so good in the morning, but a complete shit show at night when you are struggling to get to sleep? The thing is… I feel horrible for feeling horrible. My life is a freaking charmed existence because while I am taking a 10% cut in pay, my wife and I both have jobs that we can do remotely and stay safe and sheltered within our home. I am risking nothing while there are folks who are struggling to feed themselves, while we have stockpiles of food that we are slowly working our way through. That said I am glad I checked the “best before” date on the pasta I almost stuck in the oven from the bottom of our freezer… because the date was some point in 2010.
Numbers for Oklahoma
I have to admit that I am scared on many levels right now. I am scared that our economy is crashing around us and I am scared about how long it is going to take for this to recover. On some level I am scared wondering if this is going to lead to societal collapse. Then on other levels I am scared even more that we are going to open up everything too soon and start the entire process all over again. I live in a state with a Governor that is hell bent on pushing folks out the door, but I am not interpreting the numbers in quite the same way he is. I see that we are still in full swing of infection and that while the numbers are not increasing, they are not really decreasing either. I am tired of being afraid and I think more than anything that might be the source of the weariness that I can’t quite shake.
Early in the process I made a decision to start tracking the numbers for myself. I felt like I kept seeing completely different numbers being reported by different sources, and the only real way to keep from getting “spun” is to look at the raw data. So each day at 11 am, the state health department releases new data and each day I copy this down into a google sheet, and now I have my own charts that I can reference. The problem with the data still is the fact that we are testing a woefully small number of individuals. However based on what I am seeing I am not seeing an infection in the decline, but one that is still more than happy to keep going like the energizer bunny. The shutting down of everything and the social distancing orders have kept things stable, but my fear is that once we stop these things in what is likely to be the coming weeks… we are going to see a significant spike.
Kenzie guarding her Hairband
I realize I just did a bait and switch with this post, given that I posted photos of my adorable co-workers but have really not talked about them at all. Right now they are likely the only part of my personal equation that is keeping me sane. Sure it is annoying as hell to have Kenzie screaming at me at the top of her lungs to toss a hairband while I am on a conference call… but it is also super sweet when she wants to crawl up into my arms and snuggle. Kenzie and Josie are very much a team, and here lately I have ended up with both snuggled on my legs together while I am hanging out on the sofa. I just wish Mollie could find a way to get along with the two of them, because we have this circle of abuse going on. Kenzie picks on Mollie and in turn Mollie picks on Josie. There are times I think Mollie just is trying to play with Josie… and then there are other times that she absolutely seems like she is terrorizing her.
I am sorry that this isn’t the most interesting post to be reading today. I am likely not going to syndicate it, because I generally don’t when it is something deeply personal and not at all game related. I figure posts like this are only for my most regular readers, the ones who are going to check in regardless if it sounds like I have something interesting to say. I still think in the grand scheme of things I am doing pretty good, but the edges are most definitely fraying. Week five is when things started to get real for me, and I am worried about my friends who are on week nine now. I partially heeded the warnings coming from my friends in the Seattle area, so at least we have toilet paper. Getting food and stuff has mostly been a number of no-contact pickups from Walmart Neighborhood Market. We are doing fine, but both suffer from an exhaustion that we probably will never shake until we are able to move around freely again.
I love you all, and I hope you are doing okay out there.
A Josie Shaped Puddle of Fur
There are going to be times in your blogging career where you need to make a post but have nothing much to talk about. For me this is one of those mornings. It is effectively my Friday after having not really had a weekend last week due to issues arising that caused me to work Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. My brain is fully in tilt mode, and as such my goal is to do as little as humanly possible today. So in honor of “Topic Brainstorming Week” I am going to teach you all a not so well kept secret. Cute animal pictures are a reasonable replacement for actually having something to talk about on a given day. So this morning I am going to more or less ramble about how life has been going for me and share pictures of my cats. The other night I sat down on the couch for a few minutes and this happened.
Kenzie and Her Box and Mollie giving a mean Didgeridoo Solo
I’ve said before that we are living in interesting times, and I am sure in hindsight this will be something we talk about for the rest of our lives. However on other levels we are living in exceptionally dull times. The highlight of my week thus far has been managing to get a grocery pick up slot for tomorrow since there is always competition for those. The cats and my wife are in theory keeping me sane, or at least I hope this is the case because I am not sure I would know otherwise. At first the cats were extremely confused as to why the hell we were never leaving the house. Now I think they have more or less settled into the same routine we have. Side note it has been extremely important that we keep a routine, because without that day and night would sort of blend together. I still get up and go through the same routines as usual, it is just that I never actually leave the house.
Big Boy thinks he belongs to us
We occasionally go around the block and my wife spends a lot of time out on the front porch, where we are constantly visited by this guy. He has a proper name I am sure, but we more or less just refer to him as “big boy”. This is the same cat that I posted photos of earlier giving me headbutts when he wants attention. He always wants attention and he always wants food… because he seems to be a bottomless pit for both of those. He is adorable however and I am super happy that he comes to visit regularly, because if not for me I might never leave the house at all. My wife had been successfully getting me out each day on a walk, but right now I have a puncture wound on the bottom of my foot from stepping on something I shouldn’t have stepped on… and am now waiting on that to heal. It is fairly important to actually leave the house to do something each day however to remember that the sky and fresh air do exist.
Mollie vs the Hairband
The cat that always gets left out of these posts is Mollie, in part because she rarely sits in one place long enough for me to take a photo. She is exceptionally skittish and does not get along well with the other two, but can be sweet and affectionate at times. Mostly in our household she is that weird roommate that keeps to themselves and occasionally comes out to be friendly. I had to dig back a bit in my photos to find some good pictures of her that had yet to be shared. The thing around her neck is an elastic hair band from the dollar store… and Kenzie LOVES playing fetch with them. I came downstairs from my office one day to find her sitting up on our bar with one around her neck. I am guessing Mollie was playing with it, because I have seen her toss them up in the air and catch them when she thinks nobody is watching.
Mollie and the rug
Here is another rare photo of her laying on the rug, and I happened to snap it as I entered the room because I just happened to have my phone in hand. Moments later she darted away because that is a thing that Mollies do. I’ve never actually managed to catch her when she is snuggling, because the slightest movement and she bolts. This is sad because at this point we have had her for I think four years? There are days when it seems like we have made progress with her, and other days she seems just as skittish and crazy as the first day we got her. I take every opportunity however to give her attention, and being around during the day means I am getting a lot of those opportunities. She however is a cat that play bites and as a result I have several battle wounds right now.
Josie conked out behind my monitors
For the most part though things are going fairly well. I wish it was all over tomorrow, but I feel like I am better equipped for this sort of lifestyle than most. I am thankful that we have had a bad habit of buying shelf stable or freezer food and never actually getting around to eating it. This has served as a good opportunity to dig deep into our freezer and find things we had forgotten about. I am also super thankful for delivery services, which gives us the opportunity to feel like things are normal and we are just lazy not too scared to leave the house. I’ve been working remotely for a month now, and there really is no clear end in sight. I expect to be doing this same thing at the end of May as well and then MAYBE just MAYBE we get to go back to normal in June. Maybe leaving my house will be a birthday present. All things considered though we have fallen into a rhythm that is our new normal, and I am exceptionally thankful we are both healthy and still have jobs.
It is at this point that I feel like I have to acknowledge those who don’t have one or either of those things. I am scared about how many people I might lose during this event, and if I myself die I want to make sure you all know how much you mean to me. I am thankful that you have all been along on my journey and love you dearly for the interactions that you share with me. Maybe that is too real talk to end a post on, but I have run out of things to say. I hope you all stay safe out there and we all make it through this on the other side. Now that I have bummed everyone out, just go back and look at the adorable cats. So again we loop back to the original lesson… adorable animals are a reasonable replacement for content.
