January 1, 1977, I remember
January 19, 1977
I remember this day vividly. It was a Wednesday, and I was there, playing in the snow for a bit. I also remember waking up from my afternoon nap (I was in elementary school at the time) and wondering, where did the snow go? It had melted by the afternoon. That’s the only time I recall snow being on the ground in Tampa, Florida.
#Nostalgia #SnowInFlorida #1977
DSLreports.com apparently gone offline
I noticed a couple of days ago that DSLreports.com stopped working. I thought maybe they were doing some maintenance or having a problem. After a couple of days of trying and doing a little research, and admittedly finding no firm answer, the consensus is that it is offline and has shut down permanently. It shut down unceremoniously and without warning. That site was a great resource for finding savings with your ISP and checking if you were the only one experiencing service problems. It will be missed, and I’m not sure if anyone could step in, though I hope so.
This seems to be a trend happening more and more. The things I use are either dying off or being taken over by billionaires who turn megalomaniac. That is why I am turning more and more to self-hosted or managed hosting for some services that I feel are better suited for frequent upgrades and the ability to handle traffic.
IFTTT
In my ongoing effort to learn new things and make better use of the tools I’ve already paid for, I finally set up my own IFTTT triggers. This was made possible with help from ChatGPT—another reason I’m considering paying for ChatGPT.
If everything works as planned, I’ll only have one more issue to tackle: figuring out why Blogger won’t import posts from Write.as.
Posted on Blogger to Write.as and Micro.blog via IFTTT.
Spent about 6 hours fixing a mistake. Luckily it was easy to recover from, but I hate that when it happens. It was extra work I didn’t want to do.
I read today that Paramount+ will not renew the new Frasier. I think that’s a good decision—it just wasn’t as good as the original Frasier, and the laugh track button was overused. #TV #Entertainment #Frasier #Streaming
TV Series Post Just watched the season finale of Star Wars Skeleton Crew. Loved it and the whole series can’t wait for the next season to start. How can they have a hit series and then have something like The Acolyte which was just awful and didn’t fit into the universe. #TV #StarWars #Disney
I don’t want to say this too loudly, but I’m enjoying using ChatGPT to help with my home server and website stuff. It’s helped personalize my Micro.blog site. I might end up paying for it to access more advanced features. Gemini, on the other hand, has regressed into junk. #Microblog #ChatGPT
Technology can be challenging
I’ve been trying to become more self-sufficient with technology lately. I’ve recently started dabbling with setting up a Raspberry Pi and self-hosting different services. I began with Pi-Hole because I’m just tired of all the ads. While this hasn’t eliminated all of them, it’s removed about 80 percent, which is a big improvement.
I’m also moving away from shared hosting (once my contract ends) because of the WordPress kerfuffle, the high pricing of my shared hosting, and WordPress nickel-and-diming for every little add-on. On top of that, I’ve grown frustrated with how complicated WordPress has become. I believe I’ve found the perfect solution, but all of this comes at a cost. I’m definitely stretching my comfort zone with technology and encountering new challenges along the way.
One challenge I’ve encountered is that most of the best blogging tools are only available for macOS, iOS, or iPadOS. Since I use Windows and Android, I often feel left out in the cold. Writing once and then publishing everywhere I want to is not as simple as it should be. I often find myself either cutting and pasting or using awkward workarounds.
Finally made an appointment with an OD to get a new eye glass prescription. The last 2 prescriptions I have had have been done by the techs and they were off to begin with. My Ophthalmologist for my glaucoma doesn’t want to mess with eye glass prescriptions any more. Going to try Neurolens. #glasses
Televison
My Television Habits Have Changed Drastically
I was thinking the other day about how much television I used to watch. I used to sit down about a month before the new TV season began, just after Labor Day, and map out all the new shows—what nights they were on and when they were starting—so I could watch them. I would then make a note or create a makeshift calendar for when the TV shows I watched were returning and check out new shows.
Then, in the days when I had a TiVo and later a DVR, I made sure everything was set to record each episode in case I was working, so I could watch it when I got home or had time off.
I barely watch TV anymore, and when I do, it’s usually reruns of old TV shows on live TV. Most of the new series I watch are on streaming platforms, but even that is becoming less frequent.
The main reason streaming is falling off for me is that there’s no longer a set month or day for new seasons to return. It can take over a year or even two for a new season to come out. Then, when they do drop a new season, many streaming services only release one episode per week. This isn’t like traditional TV, where there was a set schedule with other shows or programs in time slots before and after. With streaming, just give me the whole season, and let me watch as I please. I do applaud Netflix for this—they drop the entire season at once, and you can binge-watch it all at your own pace.
Now, with streaming, you’re lucky if you get 8 to 10 episodes. As I mentioned earlier, the next season is often 1 to 2 years away. This is a far cry from the old days when TV series seasons consisted of 15 to 25 episodes, often with a bonus episode or a Christmas special. The season would start just after Labor Day, take a small break around Thanksgiving, and then return in January or February, depending on the Super Bowl. After the “Big Game,” it would return and end just before Memorial Day in May. Then, there were a few short new shows that returned for a couple of months. Streaming originally filled this gap, if I remember correctly. But now, with streaming, by the time the new season starts, I’ve either forgotten about the series or moved on.
Today, TV series as a whole have a discovery problem. It used to be that new shows were advertised heavily, with TV networks holding specials detailing upcoming TV series, offering previews, or providing news stories on the web about what was coming. If they still do this, I don’t see it anymore.
I say all this to explain why my TV habits have changed. I find myself watching less TV than ever before, and when I do, it’s usually an old TV series. I also find myself watching more YouTube. Most of my YouTube watching is dedicated to learning about things like how to make use of my Raspberry Pi for home servers, networking, web development, and computer-related topics. I wish I could truly learn to code and write programs.
Well, this rant is over. Have your TV habits changed in the last few years? I think the TV industry is failing to adapt and be creative for this new generation of TV watchers—and it’s losing them as a result. Part of the problem is not taking into account how people want to watch, and not having enough content and seasons ready to go in a timely manner. I know that many schedules were disrupted by COVID-19, but it has been two years since the pandemic officially ended, and life has returned to normal. Some industries and occupations, however, have not readjusted. I also think the issue is partly due to greed—viewers are tired of the relentless push for more ads. Every service I subscribe to, I purposely choose the ad-free version. But now, even ad-free isn’t truly ad-free, and that turns me off. To make matters worse, the constant price increases add to the frustration. Some services are raising prices multiple times in a year, not just every year or every few years.
I honestly don’t know if any traditional TV will be left in the next few years.
#tv #streaming #entertainment #tvshows
I really love micro.blog and trying to get everything just the way I want it. I got the post cleaned up but trying to set outside things up to take advantage of it. I just wish I was more tech savvy.
#tech #blog #learning
Happy Birthday to my Mother! Many more to come. Enjoy your day at Disney World.
#Birthday #Mother #2025
2025 has been a difficult year so far, particularly for California with the...
2025 has been a difficult year so far, particularly for California with the devastating wildfires. I really hope the LA area gets the fires under control and that more people don't lose their lives or property. Let's pray for a calmer remainder of the year.
Want to read: Lost in Space: Infinity’s Edge by Kevin Emerson 📚
Done cleaning up my Micro.blog! Linked all original posts; couldn’t recover some YouTube videos or audio posts as they’re gone or private. This cleanup project was eye-opening—I had more posts than I realized! #Microblogging #DigitalCleanup #ContentArchiving
Well, early night for me. Back to work tomorrow and it comes early 😩
Guess this means the holidays are over for a while. Still, I had a great time catching up with family and friends. What was your favorite part of the holidays? #work #Monday #grind
Welcome to my inaugural post on Micro.blog! I’m excited to be starting this new chapter and exploring all that this platform has to offer. I’ve already imported my posts from WordPress, and I’m in the process of cleaning up some of the formatting, especially the images.#blog #inauguralpost #welcome
Coming Changes and Christmas
The 3 c's. I have my Christmas shopping done. I have all gifts bought and ready for the day. I had to decrease my spending this year, but hopefully everyone will understand.
I have plenty changes coming to the website. Early next year you will see them if you come to the website. I plan on discontinuing my Inmotion Hosting Shared Hosting plan. I have been with them for 9 years. I probably had very minimal impact on their server. The only thing I mainly use is the email service part of it.
I am going to host my email somewhere else. I will move my domain away from SquareSpace and I am moving my blog to Micro.Blog. I think this will be more cost effective, and streamline my flow. I have heard great things about Micro.blog and what really sold me was the fact that they will import my WordPress posts and images.
I am moving away from WordPress for several reasons. It is a little hard to use. Cost way to much for a personal site to have everything I would like. The third reason is significant. I believe this fight with Automattic and WP Engine will intensify. The owner seems like a slightly saner version of Elon Musk. I am so over Elon.
Well, that is it for now look forward to things looking different and feeling different in the few months.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Thanksgiving is almost done for 2024.
Thanksgiving is almost done for 2024. I have been thinking of what I am thankful for this year. Number 1 thing I am thankful for is my salvation that our Lord and Savior Jesus gave us all. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful Jesus has improved my health this year through the knowledge and wisdom of my doctors. I am thankful Jesus provides me with a job so that I can meet my needs and enjoy some extras, even though I probably have too many things.
So I have a lot I am thankful for and hope and pray that Jesus carries me forward into 2025 with the list above and improvement. I really want to expand my technology knowledge level. That is a main goal for next year. But I think the biggest goal for next year is to chip away at significant portions of debt. As I approach retirement, I need to eliminate my debts.
Well I hope everyone else enjoyed their 2024 Thanksgiving Day and got as stuffed on food as I did. Looking forward to the new year personally, and as always reflecting on what has come this year so far and just thankful. #Thanksgiving #TechGoals #Faith
OK just watched Alien Romulus and I thought it was a great reboot to the series.
OK just watched Alien Romulus and I thought it was a great reboot to the series. Hope they continue with this new line. There were some nods to the original series and sequels with Sigourney Weaver. #AliensRomulus #Movies #nospoilers