HiWire

I'm surprised at how exposed some of the crowds are – it might be unlikely, but I'd want to be behind something solid near the corners at least.

Found a new bucket list drive... heaven for me:

Science! New research on cold-brew coffee and other applications: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/the-chemistry-of-cold-brew-coffee-is-so-hot-right-now/

Bachelor No. 2 or, the last remains of the dodo – Aimee Mann

It was worth the wait!

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 Folding@home... 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/ Folding@home 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).

I gave WineBottler a try and didn't have any luck with Internet Explorer 11 or 8, so Parallels might be a better bet. This is Microsoft's official page re: Internet Explorer 11 testing with 90-day virtual machines: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/

Here are the system requirements for Parallels: https://www.parallels.com/ca/products/desktop/resources/#requirements You'll still have to source an operating system to run Parallels... the last time I ran Parallels, it automatically gave a link to download Windows 10, but you'll still be nagged by Microsoft to activate (pay) after a while. According to EveryMac, the 2010 MacBook Pro is compatible up to Windows 8. I'd recommend downloading Windows 7 instead, because it is easier to use. You'll need to get a 25-character product key from someone to activate Windows. https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2.4-aluminum-13-mid-2010-unibody-specs.html Download Windows 7: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows7 Parallels uses less space than Boot Camp, if I recall correctly, but you'll still need at least 16GB + 500MB of disk space, according to their documentation. VirtualBox is a free application that is similar to Parallels and Fusion, but it doesn't have quite as many features: https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/6.1.4/VirtualBox-6.1.4-136177-OSX.dmg VirtualBox Extension Pack (required for USB): https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/6.1.4/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.1.4.vbox-extpack You'll need to download a copy of Windows as above to use VirtualBox.

This looks promising... use the Microsoft Remote Desktop app on your Mac to access Microsoft's remote Azure computer (requires a Microsoft account) to run Internet Explorer: https://osxdaily.com/2015/10/19/use-internet-explorer-11-mac-os-x-easy/

You can set up the HP to accept remote connections if it's running Windows 7 or later Professional or Enterprise edition (not Home): https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/turn-on-remote-desktop-in-windows-vista/ Then you can download Microsoft Remote Desktop 10 on your Mac to log into the HP: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/microsoft-remote-desktop-10/id1295203466?mt=12 or for older Macs, Microsoft Remote Desktop 8: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/microsoft-remote-desktop-8/id715768417?mt=12 You'll need to know the IP address of the HP (by clicking on the network icon at the bottom of the screen on the menu bar) and then opening network settings and clicking on the (I assume) wi-fi area. Eventually you'll see an IP address that looks like: 192.168.1.101. You'll also need to know the user name and password of the HP computer to enter into the Microsoft Remote Desktop app on your Mac.

One of These Nights – Eagles