Blog Posting Month - Recap and updates

So November went by and I very quickly fell off of the posting bandwagon. Still, I'm so glad we did it. The most surprising thing to me was how much less of an ordeal and hassle it was compared to what I expected. I thought that going from almost never posting (or like, once per quarter) to every day would be very tough. I figured that, in order to keep that pace, most of my posts would be a paragraph or two. Instead ideas came fairly quickly on most days. My plan going forward is to try to stick to weekly posts so that I don't completely fall out of the habit.

I thought I'd look back and give updates on a couple of posts.

NextCloud + NewsFlash was about trying out a new RSS reader system. I can now report that I am absolutely loving this setup, and it's completely changed how I browse the web. I remember really liking RSS feeds and assumed that I'd take to it again, but it's been a long time since Google Reader, so I wasn't completely sure. I am really enjoying curating my feeds, looking around for new ones, and settling on a way to organize them. I hardly ever browse bookmarks anymore.

One thing I'm trying out is keeping my feeds fairly trimmed down. I added in several feeds for larger publications and found them to be too spam-y and click bait-y. I currently have just enough subscriptions to where there are usually a few posts for me to look through each time I check my reader. I don't want that time-sucking infinite scroll feel that I used to get looking through Twitter and I don't want late-breaking outrage posts.

On a very loosely-related note, I have my eye on a cheap thin client like this for hosting my NextCloud and Blog servers.

Originally, I was drooling over the new Raspberry Pi 5s, which are much faster than current versions, to the point where they need active cooling to run at their advertised speed.

But right as I was looking to the pull the trigger on a Pi I listened to this episode of Linux after Dark where they talked about the new Pi and whether it was really best for server applications like what I'm using them for. The short (and maybe obvious) answer is that they're really not. Pis are great at what they were built for–electronics projects, learning, and edge-type stuff, but for straightforward Linux server applications they have some downsides. They're not x86, they don't have the storage connectors you'd want for heavy disk applications, they're not expandable and, except for the 5, they're a bit under-powered for running multiple things.

The thin client I posted above, on the other hand, are almost perfect for home server applications. They don't need active cooling, they're x86, they have some expansion options, and they're dirt cheap. One interesting thing they talked about in the episode is that these are especially cheap because they hit the market right as COVID shutdowns happened. So many large organizations ordered whole pallets of these and then had to turn around and give their employees laptops instead. You can find these for $20, which is just insane. By the time you add a fan, new case, and new power supply to the Pi5 you're getting up towards $100.

I've not stuck with Swords of Freeport at all. I very quickly realized that my energy and imagination weren't up to the task of advancing through the game. I really appreciate the writing, the humor, and the format of the game, and I'm still blown away that one person can do all of that. But–and this is something I meant to cover here originally–I find that gaming has changed for me from a primary activity or hobby to something that I do to relax. I'm not sure that I could go through a Starflight or even Stardew Valley these days. I very much need a game not to feel like work in order to enjoy it these days. That's a bit of a shame since putting in hard work and overcoming difficult obstacles is what makes some of those games so rewarding.