fosdem OpenBenches · 100 words
At the recent FOSDEM, I did a very quick lightning talk about our OpenBenches project. Sadly, despite the best efforts of the AV team, the video had a missing section. I took my own audio recording and zipkid took some photos, so I was able to recreate it using the Flowblade video editor. Enjoy! Many thanks to Edward Betts for running the dev room and providing the display laptop. …
Continue reading →Book Review · 2 comments · 650 words
This is a curious and mostly charming book about therapy. It is presented as a (somewhat contrived) Socratic dialogue between Skynner the teacher and Cleese the pupil. Skynner lectures on while Cleese interjects with "that's too clever to be convincing" and other witty remarks. It is fun to have a somewhat sceptical interlocutor but it does get a little wearisome after a while. The basic of…
Continue reading →AI philosophy · 3 comments · 1,000 words · Viewed ~378 times
PC Gamer is reporting that the current demand by AI companies for computer chips is having a disastrous effect on the rest of the industry. In an interview, the CEO of Phison said: If NVIDIA Vera Rubin ships tens of millions of units, each requiring 20+TB SSDs, it will consume approximately 20% of last year's global NAND production capacity 駿HaYaO NAND is a type of microchip. Rather than b…
Continue reading →Book Review Sci Fi · 13 comments · 150 words · Viewed ~202 times
Everyone raves about this series, so I thought I'd grab the first book. It's basically fine, I guess. It is moderately amusing having the Muderbot be an awkward teenage boy who just wants to watch videos and cringes when people stare at him. But it is a bit one-note. Similarly, evil corporations hiding details from exo-planet surveyors is a trope which has been a thousand times before. This…
Continue reading →ergonomic gadget keyboard review · 1 comment · 700 words · Viewed ~623 times
The good folks at Epomaker know that I love an ergonomic keyboard, so they've sent me their new "Split 70" model to review. This isn't your traditional ergonomic keyboard. Essentially, this is two separate halves joined by a USB-C cable; so you can position it however you like. Here's a quick video showing it in action: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/split-new.mp4 It is …
Continue reading →Book Review CyberSecurity · 3 comments · 750 words · Viewed ~212 times
This cybersecurity book is badly written, contains multiple offensive stereotypes, is technically inaccurate, and spends more time focussing on the author's love affair with the New York Times than almost anything else. Seriously, if you take a drink every time the book mentions the NYT, you'll spend most of the chapters drunk. Which, to be fair, is probably the best way to experience it. The…
Continue reading →BSky mastodon money Social Media · 6 comments · 450 words · Viewed ~350 times
At the recent "Protocols for Publishers" event, a group of us were talking about news paywalls, social media promotion, and the embarrassment of having to ask for money. What if, we said, you could tip a journalist directly on social media? Or reward your favourite creator without leaving the platform? Or just say thanks by buying someone a pint? Here's a trivial mock-up: Of course, this…
Continue reading →Book Review · 200 words · Viewed ~221 times
This is an excellent "dipping" book. There are nearly 200 articles ranging from short anecdotes, multi-page synopses of complex topics, and quirky little asides. Rather than a linear history of computing, each short chapter ends with a multiple-choice "GOTO". From there, you take a meandering wander throughout retro-computing lore. Some paths lead to dead-ends (a delightful little Game-Over…
Continue reading →camera gadget infrared review thermal · 3 comments · 1,100 words · Viewed ~382 times
I love thermal imaging cameras. They're great for spotting leaking pipes, inefficient appliances, and showing how full a septic tank is. The good folks at Topdon have sent me their latest thermal camera to review - it is specifically designed for spotting wildlife. This is the TS004 Thermal Monocular: Let's put it through its paces! Hardware This is a chunky bit of kit and fits nicely in…
Continue reading →Book Review · 250 words
I had the most intense time reading this book. Do you ever see the date of a famous event and notice that it is also the date of your birthday? When I do, my brain gets a fun jolt of recognition. This book is set perennially on the 18th of November - my birthday. My poor little brain was exhausted and satiated from the repeated mentions. A most curious experience. It would be easy to dismiss…
Continue reading →android gadget keyboard linux review · 1 comment · 800 words · Viewed ~370 times
If I'm being brutally honest, I never really got the appeal of mechanical keyboards. There was always someone in the office who made a godawful racket hammering on their keyboard and then waxed lyrical about the merits of various switches. I'd mostly just dismissed them as cranks. I'm in love with my old Microsoft 4000 ergonomic keyboard. What use could I have a mechanical keyboard festooned with …
Continue reading →Book Review death · 2 comments · 400 words
Why am I reading so much about death lately? This is a wryly funny and cosily charming book about council funerals. Evie King conducts Section 46 funerals under the Public Health Act. If you die and there's no one else around who is able to arrange your funeral, the local council steps in. This could be a coldly bureaucratic process with no wiggle room for anything other than perfunctory…
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