HiWire

Remain In Light – Talking Heads (for the first time!)

I reached the same conclusion researching an upgrade for my dad's stereo system. The Mac Mini (or something like it) + DAC/preamp/headphone amp (possibly all separate) seems like the best compromise to future-proof the system. Traditional hi-fi manufacturers' solutions (e.g., Naim Uniti) all seem to be expensive, clunky, and quickly obsoleted by the rapid advance of digital audio technologies. Running a full computer and operating system (+ storage management) seems like overkill for an audio system, but the crippled alternatives in the hi-fi boxes are worse for functionality and expansion options. You also have a lot more choices in software – running a full-fledged computer allows you to switch between a hi-fi/high-res audio library or casual streaming like Spotify, Tidal, or Qobuz. I gave up on trying to figure out high-res formats and took the easy route – ripping my CDs to ALAC as a way of increasing convenience and backing up the discs. No monthly fees, no hassle.

Gimme Gimme – Meiko

Believe It or Not (Theme from The Greatest American Hero by Joey Scarbury) – at home and screening my calls I had a huge crush on Connie Sellecca back in the day

I've been thinking a lot about the movie Children of Men, lately.

Sony has extended their PlayStation slowdown to the US: https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/27/21196835/sony-slow-playstation-downloads-us-internet-speed-isps-usage-coronavirus

These just popped up in my YouTube... never heard of them before Gary and His Demons Don't Feed the Humans

Could be tied to Doom Eternal or Animal Crossing traffic? The ISPs are probably throttling dynamically as traffic peaks with some kind of weird prioritization (porn). Animal Crossing may be the exact opposite of Doom – a little too soothing for my soul, methinks: This is more my style – No Prisoners! For the Emperor! Purge the coronavirus in cleansing flame:

Essential services are exempted 👋

My internet speed seems to be as fast as ever, too. I don't do a ton of streaming or downloading, though. Looks like employees at 9 Amazon warehouses have contracted the coronavirus, so I won't be doing as much online ordering, either: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/03/employees-at-nine-amazon-warehouses-have-contracted-the-coronavirus/

It seems to be hitting a bunch of services: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/as-players-shelter-in-place-online-game-platforms-see-spike-in-demand/ I've never done [email protected] does it use a lot of power and generate heat? https://www.howtogeek.com/663539/how-to-fight-coronavirus-with-foldinghome-and-a-gaming-pc/ [email protected] has reached 1.5 ExaFLOPS: https://www.anandtech.com/show/15661/folding-at-home-reaches-exascale-1000000000000000000-operations-per-second-for-covid-19

I started reading the Ars Technica review of Half-Life: Alyx when I realized... "I'm too old for this shit." 🤠 https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/half-life-alyx-review-the-greatest-vr-adventure-game-yet-and-then-some/ Wake me up when we have real-life virtual murder parks like Westworld.

It looks like the internet infrastructure is starting to buckle under the strain of increased usage. YouTube is setting standard definition as the default resolution next month and Sony is slowing down PlayStation downloads in Europe. I'm not going to feel too smug about amassing a library of CDs and Blu-rays, just a little. What are you guys doing to adjust to staying at home? I plan on getting a lot more reading and writing done. Unfortunately, the gyms have been shut down so I'll have to stick to running, bicycling, etc. to get my exercise.

RIP Albert Uderzo, co-creator of Asterix the Gaul. A funny, gentler look at European differences from a uniquely French-Belgian perspective.

Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski The translations have been slow coming out, but now that the 5-book series is done, this latest novel (set between the short story collections and the series) was finally released. It's a great adventure – glad to see he hasn't lost his knack for storytelling. There was a 14-year gap between the publication of the last book in the series (1999) and this one (2013, English translation: 2018).