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“Under which conceivable circumstance”, I thought, “would keeping these two small little plastic containers be justifiable?” The containers are empty Maxwell House’s french vanilla coffee. Certainly they could be put to good use, but so many other things too. If we were to keep everything we could hypothetically use in the future, we would certainly be in trouble. I am not falling down that rabbit hole, good try White Rabbit! And to the recycle bin they went.

me thoughts

I like the term clanker, to refer to AI. I think I am going to use it from now on. Also, in the spirit of no hello—which I used twice this week—there is also a no slop grenade, and don’t quote the AI, which I will use as well—because such thing has become a pandemic at work. Oh, and because it is relevant, don’t ask to ask. Just ask!

llm rants

We have been watching “Dark” (★★★★☆) , a Netflix series. It is, sort of, similar to “Stranger Things” (★★★☆☆) , though it has a more “scientific” twist in it which makes it very appealing to me. I have also been enjoying its German cast very much; a refreshing change to the more-than-well-known cast in American series. The series itself is 100% more credible because of their setting, as they are not manicured and “perfect”, like the series around here are.

netflix oobie series

The time has come, once again, to spend time with the dearly departed. Oh no, don’t worry, they aren’t dead; they are just retired workmates, and friends 😅. When there was only one retired it was easy. Now, with four retired, it is nothing short of an epic achievement to get them all together in one place, one day, at a certain hour. But try I must!

friends social

Something really must had happened at SendGrid, but can’t find any bona fide source to be certain. In the last four days I have gotten at least two emails per day impersonating them, trying to trick me into entering my credentials on a fake SendGrid page.

tech tubes

Kid is preparing to take the GRE. Out of concern, because as parents we worry about our children, I asked him two days ago how was the studying going. His reply wasn’t too clear, but I gathered he is moving along, while struggling here and there. Life, of course, is an amalgamation of things. One must have some fun while in the struggle, I get that. Focussing on what’s at hand is also very important. I fear he is gluttoning on fun things, while starving the other side of the balance.

We are getting older, and I worry about him should something were to happen to us. I don’t want to come across as a nagger. I will ask him again on his progress come 26 July, 2026.

family oobie

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Can you imagine? This thing has 8 little CPUs, plus many more auxiliary video, audio, image, etc. processors. It generates signals at 2.35 GHz: that’s BILLIONs of little electrical pings PER SECOND. It represents millions of hours of intelligent design by some of the smartest people on the planet. It uses mankind’s most advanced manufacturing processes to lay out and place, at nanometer scale, the billions of transistors and other structures into a material so pure that perhaps doesn’t exist in that form anywhere else in the galaxy.

And “they threw this away!”. Gasp! Sadly, yes. By the millions.

humans humour random tubes

“Red Hat is a family of typefaces produced in 2 optical sizes and a monospace style, in a range of weights with italics. The fonts were originally commissioned by Paula Scher, Pentagram and designed by Jeremy Mickel, MCKL for the new Red Hat identity.”

Today I discovered the font above, Red Hat Text and, of course, I had to get it, and try it. My beloved Open Sans is hard to displace, but I am always willing to try new ones. After all, I love fonts!

design fonts

Shared by movq, a list of grievances—should I say?—on the use or abuse of AI. I am far from being a luddite, but I agree with all. These hit hard:

The issue that double-checking AI output is a painstaking process that takes a long time and a lot of discipline. AI tools use human language and I’ve observed many times that people have a hard time keeping up their “guards”; the output looks like it was written by an expert, which makes it much more “believable”. So, realistically, most people don’t verify the output and they resort to “lgtm”. We might even blindly trust that thing and call it “vibe coding”. How’s blindly trusting anything good?

Oh boy, I am seeing that almost daily.

There’s the (upcoming) brain drain. AI takes over the jobs of juniors. Hence no more juniors. Hence no more seniors – in a few years. You need to train people and you need to do that on real world projects, otherwise they don’t learn the skills that they need.

So much truth! This one made me sad, and worried. You, yes, you reading this, you know it is true.

llm rants tubes

As I foresee that my Postcrossing notes, at some point, might inundate the front page (see how hopeful I am? 😅), I decided that it was best to hide them from it. They will still be under their tag and, of course, searchable.

hugo me tech

The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come.

Attributed to Confucious, the quote above was paraphrased on the “Perfect Crown” (★★★☆☆) , a Korean series Horsie is forcing me to see. The translated caption on a text written in Seoye by the monarch on the series reads “In times of peace, do not forget danger, in times of prosperity, do not forget ruin, in times of order, do not forget chaos”. Indeed.

horsie hulu kdramas quotes series

I have been watching Shrinking (★★★★★) this long weekend of mine. I have binged it just a little bit. The thing is, it’s easy to see why: I love dramedies, and this one is very well done. It also helps that every episode is merely 30 minutes long, and that it has a pretty good cast. For me, it’s perfect.

The series has the right combination of funny, gut wrenching, happy, sad feelings. And, well, all that is right up my alley, too.

appletv series

Yesterday, while having lunch with George at Kimchi, I learned that my favourite waitress, and someone I consider a friend, has retired. I felt a mix of happiness and sadness that’s lingering until now.

friends george life me

On 15 of May 2026 I started receiving daily emails at work addressed to “Dr. Fries”, with links to papers, conference invitations, etc. Apparently I have become a heart surgeon. If I knew becoming a doctor was this easy, I would have become one long ago. I wouldn’t have picked “Fries” (sorry if that is your surname, not intending to mock it), though. They aren’t good for your heart. Trust me, I know, I am a doctor.

Update: 21 May 2026 @ 14:54:09

TIL, thanks to Lyse, that Fries is a German surname, and that it is pronounced more like “Freeze”. Dr. Freeze sounds pretty cool, not going to lie—no pun intended! 😂

friends humour work

The Sun has begun to shine through the upper window of the room where I sit when I work from home. It is a sign of an arriving summer. Though I welcome its gentleness—it is very soft at the time it hits my glasses from behind—I am fully aware of what is to follow: parching heat. Yes, summer is coming.

random weather

While fika may seem like just a coffee and cake break, it holds a much deeper cultural significance in Sweden. It’s a moment to pause, connect and recharge — often more about the company and conversation than the coffee itself.

Today, more than ever, we need fika in our lives. To pause, connect (without electronics!), and recharge. Indeed!

humans social

Grabbing everything bagel chips from the box, and re-arranging said box afterward, so that Horsie doesn’t realise I have taken some, is the ultimate deception. Let’s see how well I fare. 😅

family horsie humour

I figure that is never too late to start on this one, so, 🎉 happy birthday George 🎉! Though it seems you are catching up, all the running you do will keep you in the same place 😜.

birthdays friends george

Having almost everyone going back to the office has brought a shortage of available toilets at any giving moment. Today, for example, I tried to utilise one in four different occasions finding them all occupied. The fifth time I decided to camp out, and started a timer. It took 15 minutes for one to become available. Oh, and not everyone is back to the office. Come June, so we are told, everyone will come back, five days a week. It is going to be chaotic, to say the least.

Loo shortage, who would have thought, eh?!

humans humour work

This year, I have only watched one new movie worth my five star rating. Last week, I watched the second. I admit that “Project Hail Mary” (★★★★★) left me with a knot in my throat at least a couple of times. It was absolutely worth the $25 we paid for it—we bought it instead of renting it because it was $20 versus $25—and it’s one I will certainly watch again.

appletv movies oobie

Benches are microcosms of an expansive debate about who belongs in urban public spaces. When they are removed or made uninviting, we lose more than just a place to rest.

I completely agree with this, and have noticed the “benchless” trend. I feel we are lacking of humanity by not having them. I don’t like it, and I am glad I am not alone. Why are they getting removed around here? Hobos.

➝ Via Hacker News.

social via

Came across a fortune cookie photo on r/pics, which read “The one who gives should not remember, the one who receives should not forget.” Of course, being Reddit, it has a lot of sarcastic, witty, off-the-rails, etc., comments. What would people expect from a fortune cookie, right? Yet the essence of it, what I think it refers to—and that is, to do good and forget, and to always remember the good received—remains.

social thoughts

Lately, Kaizen has taken over the division under which I work. It is kaizen everywhere: on walls, there are weekly meetings about it; kaizen this, kaizen that. The push to “kaizenise” every team is real. While laudable, it ceases to be the bottom up, voluntary “philosophy”. Yet, even for us, non-Japanese, the approach is worth it. So is rajio taisō. Actually, Americans would benefit a lot from the second. Should I propose it?

japan work

A beautiful cardinal has chosen our house front bushes to make his home. It is a shy bird, and so far haven’t been able to take a photo (sorry, Lyse!). That didn’t stop us from fully “adopting” him, so we went and bought, and installed, a feeder, and the most delicious, organic seeds we could find.

lawn nature random

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five years mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!

George had told me about this one a while back, and I had it on my watchlist. Now it’s no longer. We started to watch “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (★★★★★) last night. Soooo good! Even though we only saw two episodes, I can confidently rate it (if that were to change, I will update this note).

friends george oobie paramount series

This message can’t be saved because it no longer exists. It can only be discarded. Make sure you copy the contents of the message before you discard if you want to use them later.

It is no secret that I love fonts. I collect them, and enjoy them very much in all mediums. It shames me to admit that I had forgotten how nice Verdana looks. I am noting this incidentally, because I came across this post, which is pretty good, and humorous on its own, and, yes, the author uses Verdana.

fonts humour

The kid and I had some small talk over a bowl I broke while doing the dishes. He wrongly thought I had broken a mug of his that I often use to drink coffee, and was lamenting its loss. Even though I didn’t break it, and told him so, I reminded him that one day it will break, so he may as well get used to that fact. Everything eventually breaks, it’s just a matter of time.

family oobie

Re: Claudrod #1777170474

I agree with Claudine. Just like her, I grew tired of social media a while back. That includes LinkedIn, for those fooling themselves to believe it isn’t (it is, actually, one of the worse). Today I have accounts on Instagram (and by inheritance, Threads), Bluesky, Reddit, Hacker News, the Fediverse, twtxt, and LinkedIn. I contribute to none, but twtxt (sporadically), and browse to none—but Hacker News and Reddit—unless it is strictly needed: say, a friend sends me a link to either of them. On Reddit (very specific subs) and Hacker News I am mostly a read-only consumer.

It is all fake, Claud, very fake.

claudine friends re social

Do you want to take a leap of faith, or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone?

Because it is leaving in two days, I was forced to watch “Inception” (★★★★☆) . It was worth it. The problem is, I will need to watch it twice more to get a full grasp. Am I sleeping? Where is my totem?

movies netflix

Be kind to everyone because everyone is fighting some kind of battle.

Ain’t that the truth! Saw that on the back on a pretty old, beat up, very noisy pickup truck.

humans quotes random

Thank you for being a valued member since 2012. We hope you’re enjoying everything Netflix has to offer. We’re updating your monthly price to $26.99 (pre-tax) on May 26th, 2026.

Mother%^%$%^#&$&$%^&$%##$%^ $#&$# #$^$#% $%$%^{$ #$%}$#%^$#& &%^ W$%^%$ #^&! There, I had to get that out of my chest.

netflix rants

Re: Blue #1777051206

I am glad you are back, Blue, and that my “smoke” signal reached you. We all have ups and downs in life, but I truly wish your ups are plentiful, and your downs scarce.

humans re

Emails sent from iCloud+ (custom domain) to various Microsoft domains (outlook.com, hotmail.com, msn.com) keep bouncing with “please contact your internet service provider since part of their network is on our block list”. Of course, the “internet service provider” is a red-herring. It’s email service provider; it’s Apple.

You would think the giants have their relationships figured out, eh? Apparently not. This only happens with Microsoft, though, no one else.

apple rants tech

A few bits on randomness that floated around my mind as the last meeting was about to close.

• The weekend approaches and other than putting away some folded clothes I have nothing to do out of what we ordinarily do on weekends. Our lawn, back and front, is mowed, and nothing else needing doing comes to mind.
• The HOA board needs to find a way to communicate that is less asynchronous than email. Getting replies five days after the original mail was sent ain’t useful. We may as well send letters; they will arrive faster.
• After three years without hearing from her, my favourite-of-all-times barista finally replied to my “happy birthday” on Instagram. She is doing great! Thanks to George—and Threads—I still have an Instagram account, which I now use a handful of times each year.
• Lyse, if you spot misspellings, let me know! 😜

And with that I end the notes for this Friday, unless some major comes up (I hope not!).

friends george random thoughts

Re: Blue #1776596926

I don’t know if you ever come across my notes. I check yours and have worried in the past about you. Sorry to hear about your loss.

humans re

“Lost my cat, her name is Lily. Please help me find her!” I am sorry for your loss, but let’s clarify a few things.

One does not simply lose a cat, a cat leaves you. If the cat is gone, more often than not you sucked, and the smart feline decided to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Stating the cat’s name, unless it is one found on a tag around the neck, is also fruitless. “Here Lily, Lily, come here girl. Liiiiiiilyyyy!”, nope, not going to work. The cat will look at you—well, no, will look through you—and keep minding her own business.

humour random

My oldest sister would have been 75 years old today. She chose to die on 30 December 2024, rather than battling leukaemia. We went to see her, and she was happy, and laughing, and saying her goodbyes to everyone. She died on her own terms, and faced death with a smile. How many of us could do the same?

elders family thoughts

It was alright. We accomplished quite a bit. I didn’t know how to use Robert’s Rules of Order very well, but I don’t think we have to. We are a pretty small board (only 4 voting members), and the use of the rules is not a requirement of any kind. Maybe I will not use them from now on.

me politics

Tonight is our first HOA meeting with me as the president. I am a bit worried, as I want to get a few points across on topics that might be contentious. It is also an online meeting, because at least three of us want to meet that way, instead of physically. It will save the HOA $75/month, and could guarantee a more constant quorum. Finally, I am experiencing back pain today, which kept me off work. If I still have it when the meeting starts, my mood might not be the best. Oh well, we’ll see!

me politics