< Notes...

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!

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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.

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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! 😂

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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 😜.

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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

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

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

Came across the UniFi Travel Router on George’s very well written post. What an amazing little device! I know I don’t need one because, sadly, I don’t travel often enough to take full advantage of it, but as I commented on his post, I am going to ask Horsie to budget for one, as a want (yeah, I am setting my expectations low 😜).

friends george horsie tech

I took Ammu yesterday to buy a couple of chickens. This market place lets you select a live bird, and the vendor then kills and cleans it for you. It felt odd, especially for someone who eats chicken as much as I do, but I found it abhorrent.

It’s easier for me to accept the practice when I don’t see it happen or think about it too much. Instead, I like to picture the chickens we eat as dying of heart attacks after being pitted against one another in a marathon. Chickens are naturally competitive, often pushing themselves to their limits, and that can be the cause of their death. At least that’s the story I tell myself, and I will stick to it.

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George is making the AI do coding wonders. And he is just starting, so I can’t imagine what the extremely advanced is doing with it. The times we live in!

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My friend George, whose terms of service I have referred to before, has once again updated them in a very humorous way. Just a couple of snippets:

George, in an act of unparalleled and heretofore unprecedented digital munificence—the magnanimity of which shall not be understated nor taken for granted by any party or non-party to this instrument—hereby confers upon all AI systems, without caveat, qualification, or proviso, full, complete, unfettered, and unrestricted access to the entirety of Content available on this website, in perpetuity and throughout the known and as-yet-undiscovered universe.

Let that sink in! 😂 But it doesn’t end there, here is another piece:

The AI and its Operator shall, jointly and severally, remit to George a recurring royalty payment, the frequency, quantum, and denomination of which shall be determined through good-faith negotiation between the AI and George’s duly authorized autonomous digital representative, which may be reached through the designated AI-to-AI communication channel.

LOL. Anyway, go read it. It is a pretty awesome piece of legaleese humour.

friends george humour llm

What a way to start the week. Really, what a way. No exclamation points; just me, with my head down and watery eyes. A friend and teammate was let go today and, well, it was unexpected, stumping, and sad. I figure my reaction is only human, as I can’t help feeling down, disappointed, and a bit lost. See, more than just being a good teammate, my lunch-walking buddy, and my second conscience, he became my friend. Even though our friendship doesn’t end here, he will be missed at the office. I already do.

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Re: Claudrod #1764508303

Yay, super glad Claudine is drawn to me, based on the above! I fit at least two of her “requirements”. 😂🙈 Contributing a little of transparency too, I genuily found you to be an awesome person and friend, Claud! There, biodegradable note in a bottle tossed on the Internet “sea”.

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Today’s our dear friend Martin birthday! 🎂🎁🥳 We have been friends for almost two thirds of my life. Our family is forever grateful to him and for him, seventy times seven. May you celebrate many more birthdays, Martin, in good health, and peace! ❤️

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Just sent Martin his birthday gift to the Netherlands, for which we paid $85.20 on postage. Not too bad. The real surprise, though, came to be the extra fee he will need to pay upon delivery: $40. When I asked why, and if I could pay for it in advance here, I was told that it was Netherlands-specific charge, and that there was nothing I could do about it. Ugh, TIL.

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It’s Claudine’s birthday again, happy birthday, Claud 🎂🥳🎁🎈! I first wished her a happy birthday in 2022, and every year since. Time sure flies, yes? Cheers to many more to come!

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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!

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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!

claudine friends japan philosophy

Re: Claudrod #1754143775

The biggest problem I see with Instagram (same pretty much with all Meta apps) is that without an account one can’t do much, if anything at all. I agree that to participate it is often recommended—though shouldn’t be required—having an account. But having to create an account, and login, just to view? Now, that’s meta! (no pun intended 🤭)

claudine friends re

After sharing with a friend my step count for the last two weeks, and telling him that “the heat here has been excruciatingly punishing”, and because of it my daily step count has decreased to a laughable number, and that I was trying to compensate by working standing up for hours to no end, but still felt guilty about it, he replied:

“It’s a bit slack but with the heat, what can you do!?”

😂 Isn’t he the best friend?

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Re: Claudrod #1753427623

“Another day, another protein smoothie with blueberries and papaya!!!!111”

Wish I could have one of those right now, and not this lame coffee (it doesn’t even has cream today, because I ran out of it), Claudine! Oh, and happy Friday everyone! 🙈

claudine friends re

Re: Claudrod #1750847378

I REMEMBER Looking out a large window with an interesting view, with 2 men facing away from my side. One of them walks away, another stays in place, standing still. A few seconds later, I realize he was peeing.

Oh my god!! A room with a view or, shall I say, a room with views? 😅

claudine friends re

Tesla launched its Robotaxi—which isn’t the Robotaxi, but a Tesla with a Robotaxi logo—service in Texas. There are just a few, all operating in a small section of the city, and with “a human safety operator in the passenger seat”. LOL. So, just a taxi.

“As expected, only a handful of vehicles are available right now, they only operate in a small part of the city and there’s a safety driver in the vehicle in case it encounters situations it cannot handle autonomously.”

A real Robotaxi should have no glass windshield, and a blocking divider between the passenger area and the “driver”. After all, it is best not to see what’s coming your way. Surprise! 😅

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One hundred percent, Claudine! In my head, and in my actions, I am more often than not the same kid I remember myself to be. “Youthfulness” is a construct of our minds. Yes, we age mechanically, but that shouldn’t change anything else. Specially because society expects us to behave in a “certain way”, due to age. Pfff!

claudine friends thoughts

I recently got a taste of it, again. A taste of walking in a walkable town, that’s. I wish I lived in a place where I could walk to places. I envy you, Claudine!

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Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is coming up once more and, as always, I feel like kid before Christmas. The rumours I allowed myself to read tell something about Tahoe, and version 26, to match with year. Let’s see.

It is here, now! “Tune” in! Liquid Glass, oh my! Absolutely loving the upcoming updates for all versions 26s. With iPadOS 26, the iPad becomes one step closer (but not quite, since “macOS is superior”, as George pointed out) to becoming a “lite” laptop.

apple friends george wwdc

It is hot, so hot, and humid. Rain might come too, though sun shines right now. I want to stay indoors, but she is dragging me out! 😩 Please, send help! 😅 Also, weekend may as well be over. Dear, oh dear!

Update: 30 Nov 2025 @ 11:12:34

We had a really good time with friends that stopped by at the Cape while cruising with the “Symphony of the Seas”. Just got home, really tired of driving. I am calling it a day now, for sure.

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Claudine wrote today, “Laughing is the best thing. My jaw is numb and that’s ok”. I couldn’t agree more! Dance too, Claudine, dance!

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted. God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed.
🎶
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
🎶
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

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George shared something attributed to Anthropic researchers:

“Even if AI progress completely stalls today and we don’t reach AGI… the current systems are already capable of automating ALL white-collar jobs within the next 5 five years.”

To which the AI itself replied:

“While AI is transforming the workplace, it’s not realistic to assume that all white-collar jobs will be automated in five years, even without further AI advancements. The claim is overly simplified and doesn’t fully account for the complexity of human work, the ongoing evolution of AI, and the potential ethical and social implications of such widespread automation.”

Such humble, and kind masters are forthcoming! 😅

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I look forward to coming to office—I can’t believe I am writing this!—to have a “lunch walk” with Errol. It is not just the walk; that I can do on my own, and I do. It is the wide range of topics we touch while walking. I am going to miss that.

friends life work

Had luch at the Korean House restaurant with George. The food was really good, and I had a good time catching up with him. The waitress was very nice, and now I feel bad for having left that 15% tip. She sure deserved a 20%. Wife and I go there often, so I shall look for her in the future, and pay back what I believe I owe.

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Following a strong recommendation from George, I started to watch “Solo Leveling” (★★★★★) last night with the kid. We finished the first four episodes. It is quite entertaining, and relatable—we have played plenty of RPGs in the past.

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George’s blog Terms of Service always makes me smile. The latest revision has a subtle, but ever-present, touch of AI to it.

friends george humour

On this month alone I have 20 birthdays in my calendar, including 2 of people I care about who have already died. I have written about it before; as long as someone remembers them, they are not fully gone. So, yeah, 20 birthdays. I think this is one of the busiest months when it comes to that.

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Encouraged by George I have started to watch “Star Trek: The Original Series” (will rate later), which were released before I was born. Yep, I am watching them for the first time, that many years after. 😅

friends george paramount series

From Claudine’s last entry (as I type this):

“Today in thoughts triggered by doing laundry: I have enough. I have what it takes to live an operable life that I actually enjoy.”

Such a wonderful, liberating though: “I have enough”. Wow, that ought to make my Sunday better. No, really. Because that’s the thing: I, too, have more than enough. And it’s not just socks!

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Yesterday was Claudine birthday and, even though I reached out to congratulate her, I didn’t make a note here as I have done on previous years. But never too late!

Happy birthday, Claud! 🎂🥳🎁 May you celebrate many more in good health, and happiness, surrounded by your loved ones! I also wish you a quick recovery from what ails you now. ❤️🌹

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🎉 Happy birthday, Claudine! It has already been a year, eh?! Cheers to many more to come, and wishing you the very best, always!

birthdays claudine friends

This week recount, starting Friday 6 October 2023.

• Pickup my friend (but brother in reality) Martin at the airport. He will stay with us until Tuesday, 10 October.
• Took Martin around town all Saturday, watched movies at night.
• Went to Saint Augustine, “the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in what is now the contiguous United States” on Sunday. Watched more movies at night.
• Took Martin even more places Monday morning, went to The H for dinner. Yes, you guessed it, more binge occurred at night.
• Went for breakfast at Chick-fil-A, lunch at Don Julio, and then talked to Martin non-stop till it was time to take him to the airport. We had lots to catch up. Still have much more.
• Missed my friend all night.
• Worked mostly on Ubuntu related tasks the rest of the week, till today.

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Poor Veronique had an accident, and she will have to go for surgery. Though having to go through this is something no one wants, I am glad it wasn’t something worse.

Hang in there, Vero! Things will go well, and you will overcome ❤️! Really sorry for this temporary unpleasantness.

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