> Notes...

‘We’ll probably have a shutdown’, Trump says in Oval Office press conference.

“They want to give Cadillac Medicare to illegal aliens… at the cost to everyone else,” the president said. This is a false claim that Trump and congressional Republicans have repeated since lawmakers have failed to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded. A reminder, this lapses tonight.

Undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible to enroll in subsidized programs like Medicaid, Medicare or the Affordable Care Act.

➝ Via The Guardian.

Finished watching “The Brutalist” (★★★★½) last night—had to split it in two nights, because it is a 3 hours plus film—which I liked. I found it to be a rather unique drama, not only because of the plot, but the way it is laid out (three parts). László Tóth, the main character, never existed in real life, but the film leads you to believe he did. Saying no more, watch it!

Incidentally, the reason that mail will never go away is that it is fully federated, doesn’t require people to be online at the same time, and is easy to archive and search. So far none of the replacements do that.

Ain’t that right?!

Not going to lie, truly worried about the fate of known strangers. Where in the world is Blue? Does anyone knows?

This mug (made in Japan) is only available for purchase at Apple’s Apple Park Visitor Centre. You can find it on eBay, and other second hand places, at exorbitant prices. Alex, a friend of mine, got me this one by driving 30 minutes from his house to the store—I wish I was as lucky as him, living so close to “The Mothership”! I have wanted this mug for a long time, and I love it! Thank you Alex!

There are “other me” (that is, people with the same first and lastname as me) in Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Spain, all using first.lastname@gmail.com (which is mine) on all sort of things: bank accounts, mobile services, soccer clubs, social media, you name it! Is it that they are so non-technically saavy that they provide an email they don’t own, or is it that companies are assuming—as default—their email address is first and lastname, at gmail.com? Truly mind blowing.

Having used Matrix in the past, and even self-hosted my own Matrix “homeserver”, I can categorically say—in my (own) very, very humble opinion—that it sucks eggs.

Always point the finger at you first. “Is the issue at my end?” “What did I do that caused this?” Only after analising everything, and when the level of certainty has reached a 95% (your number may vary) that it isn’t your fault, your issue, then you look elsewhere (aka “pointing fingers at others”). That is, you know, “everything is my fault” first.

Why having any illness (flu, COVID, headaches and fever, stomach bug, etc.) gets no challenge when requesting a sick day from work, but being mentally overwhelmed, or overworked, does?

Having the Apple Watch unlock—and login automatically on—the Mac feels like magic. Yet another reason to have this device on my wrist.

Can’t wait for the next season of “Alien: Earth”, even though we have now cancelled Hulu. Who knows, maybe by the time the next season comes out, Hulu would had had another “Black Friday” special. I am OK paying $1.12/month—or ≤ $5/month—for it, but not $11.99/month.

I am wearing a watch (Apple Watch) for the first time in, like, 25 years. It isn’t to tell the time. Not at all. It is almost exclusively for health reasons (95%), and fast communication/keeping up-to-date (5%). Just like the iPhone I have, which I use for almost everything but as a phone, the Apple Watch is almost anything, but a watch. I’ll say, it is a wrist-held computer.

Child and I saw “The Amateur” (★★★★) last night. I am a fan of the genre, and Rami Malek, hence my rating. Do I recommend it? You bet!

“What do you think about coming to office on Wednesdays?” — “We would rather not, no. Not a good idea.” — “OK, let’s start coming to office on Wednesdays as well, so three days a week onsite.”

Why to ask then?!

It makes no difference that Google has updated Chrome for iOS with Liquid Glass (the first of their applications to be “adapted”). As a vanillist, it means nothing to me.

Watched “Superman” (★★★½) last night. It was entertaining, it was alright, though I am glad I didn’t catch it at the theatres.

Imagine a modern day chef been transported back in time to the Joseon dynasty (old Korea) as the Royal Chef—title exclusively for males. While in it she manages to surf the politics, and court intrigues with wit, all while making amazingly “exotic”, dazzling, delightful meals. That’s the gist—until now, because the series is ongoing—of “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” (★★★★½) , with a new episode coming tonight, and another tomorrow. Can’t wait!

BERLIN, Feb. 3. 1939.—Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels today ended the professional careers of five “Aryan” actors and cabaret announcers by expelling them from the Reich’s Chamber of Culture on the grounds that “in their public appearances they displayed a lack of any positive attitude toward National Socialism and therewith caused grave annoyance in public and especially to party comrades.”

As printed in The New York Times. In 1939.

This site is very neat. It allows you to play—albeit for a short period of time—a multitude of sounds. Amongst my many music likings is trance, and I am enjoying browsing their collection. Especially, psychedelic trance.

➝ Via @claudrod.

“Alien: Earth” just got a few notches more interesting last night. Now we wait until next week. I have to acknowledge; even though bingeing is nice, the anticipation of waiting to see what’s next can’t be beaten.

I have been in love with Expedia’s “Two Step” commercial for a long time. Not only is it well produced, but the smile of the main actress captivated me from the very first time I saw it. Yeah, a silly crush. 🤭

On this one, upgraded to Tahoe last night. This time I didn’t do a wipe-install, but a regular upgrade. Simply restarted the mini—which has been running without reboot for a couple of months, or so—and went through the upgrade. Smooth, no issues.

I have macOS 26 to install and play with, and today, out of all days, I am stuck working past 3.5 hours my quitting time.

I have failed at this. Like, miserably. I feel powerless against myself. I shall try much, much harder! Perhaps enlist family, and work mates to help? “Hey, smack me if you see me chewing the inners of my mouth!” That could work, right?

Watched “The Piano Teacher” (★★½) because Muan wrote is was good. I didn’t like it. Ten minutes into it I knew I didn’t like it, but I watched it all. Maybe I will watch it again; it might be an acquired taste.

A very dear friend of mine is turning 70. I have known him for more than half of his life and, yet, I don’t know what to get him on his birthday. I am at a loss! See, he is one of those for whom shopping is very difficult. He is not that into technology. He doesn’t use Apple products. He doesn’t wear watches, nor any kind of jewelry. Ugh! So hard! I only have two months—barely!—to choose, shop, and ship.

Saw the movie “Black Bag” (★★★★½) the other day, and I liked it very much. Both main casts, Cate Blanchett, and Michael Fassbender are favourite of mine. Recommended!

Eating out is something that I am giving more and more thought, before I do it. We used to go out to eat at least once a week (weekends), but prices have gone up everywhere, and portions have shrunk, and quality has diminished. Yeah, “times they are a-changin’”.

Call me old school, boomer, curmudgeon, whatever! I, for one, have absolutely no interest, no desire, to carry a foldable mobile device, of any kind. OK, moving on now.

Thanks to Claudine I learned about, yet another, Japanese phrase—and concept—embodying cultural and philosophical meaning. The word, mottainai, means “what a waste”, as in “don’t throw that away yet; it can still be useful.” I wonder how long is the list of Japanese’s concepts/philosophies, but I am in love with each I have come across with!

So, about the Apple Event today, I am planing to get an Apple Watch 11, likely for Christmas, or Epiphany. Tempted by the AirPods Pro 3, but not quite sure I will get them. Excellent event, as always!

Today is “the day”. I will say—or, rather, write—no more.

“It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this!”

Taco Bell wants you to use their self purchasing machines. They are a mess. No search function, so it is next to impossible to find what you want, especially if you are not a regular.

At the one at 7853 Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL, waiting to order at the counter takes an eternity. They keep servicing their drive through, and kind of ignore you. Once you have successfully placed your order, and it arrives, make sure to check it carefully. It will be wrong 98% of the time. Mine was, and I realised too late, when I was already at home.

That Taco Bell sucks.

I am struggling trying to get me stop biting the inside of my mouth. You know, like gnawing the skin inside of it. I almost got it once, but subconsciously went back at it again. It bothers me greatly. Today I am starting once more.

Update: 01 Oct 2025 @ 20:34:00

Caught myself again at it. Stop biting your mouth! (ala General Bethlehem (third comment), on “The Postman”.

I came across the following quote, and that sent me through the rabbit hole. The quote goes (and there are several variations of it):

“Be not afraid of any man, no matter what his size; when danger threatens, call on me and I will equalize”.

It seems that the exact wording for this came from Winchester (not Colt), thought I haven’t found verifiable sources for that. One bit caught my attention, though, which relates to Colt, and a phrase on similar sentiment, which is “God created men equal, Col. Colt made them equal.” According to PBS, Colt died failry young, “having never fired a gun at another person”.

I am absolutely loving Perplexity AI. I have gotten to a point on which I treat everything with an “AI” on its name with reservation, even disdain. Perplexity is a different kind.

“Perplexity AI is an advanced AI-powered search engine designed to provide accurate, well-sourced, and real-time answers to user questions in a conversational format. It uses cutting-edge language models, such as GPT-4 and Claudine, combined with real-time internet searches to synthesize responses from authoritative sources and always cites these sources for transparency. Unlike traditional search engines that just list links, Perplexity delivers direct summaries and supports features like document uploads, contextual follow-up, and the ability to handle both factual and complex queries for individuals and teams.”

Emphasis mine. Authoritative sources, and citing them, is paramount. This one might be the first AI (ugh, that acronym!) I will be willing to pay for.

We have been watching “Alien: Earth” (★★★★) on Hulu and, though it is an ongoing series, I can safely rate it. I like it! Quite entertaining, offering a completely different plot twist to the “Alien” movies.

Yep, it is happening again—like each year, LOL. Christmas is (might?) coming early, everyone! Add the Apple event to your calendars, and be there or be square!

Only three days on the Star of the Seas, and we all want to go back to be cruising. Oh, and certainly do not want to be at work! LOL. Oh well, it is what it is.