bhtooefr @bhtooefr@mastodon.social

If you follow me here, I've moved to @bhtooefr@snack.social and will only use this account as a backup.

Please follow me over there!

I guess I should do an #introductions, given the influx of new people.

I'm Eric, I live in Ohio (it's approximately as bad as it sounds), I throw computers at people for a living, and I have a varied set of interests:

* #retrocomputing is a big one for me, I post about it over on @bhtooefr@cathoderay.tube
* #transportation, including #cars, #bicycles, #trains, and #planes
* #sustainability, #solar, #renewables
* I have opinions on politics. Not very left by Masto standards, off-the-scale left by US standards.

Things that I'm happy to CW:

* Politics (including Fedi politics)
* Religion/spirituality
* Common traumatic events
* Discussion of bigotry
* Intoxicants
* Lewd content
* Some controversial figures/organizations

If there's something not in the list below you'd like me to CW, or I forgot to CW something, please ask.

Things that I will not CW:

* Food
* Tech (except for tech pol)
* Swearing

If you do not wish to see this in TLs, please mute or block me.

If you follow me here, I've moved to @bhtooefr@snack.social and will only use this account as a backup.

Please follow me over there!

BTW, although follower import isn't working so I haven't actually followed anyone that I follow here over there, if you follow me, you probably want to follow me over at @bhtooefr@snack.social

idea for Fediverse software: timed mute

mute a user, but only for a certain time period, with customizable permeability (for instance, maybe allow them to directly reply to you, but not appear in your home timeline)

this way, when someone's being lewd as fuck and you're at work, you can mute them and not forget to unmute them when you're no longer at work

(yes this is a subpost)

(and the specific user I'm subposting has suggested another feature that could deal with this equally well before)

OK

tbh it's slightly ridiculous that the easiest way for me to get a file into my OmniBook involves copying it to my file server, mounting it on my ThinkPad 365XD, copying from there to a PCMCIA card, and shoving that card in the OmniBook

I mean, I could've used Kermit or Xmodem or whatever, but ehh, easier to sneakernet it

you could set up some sort of quadrature pattern or something like that so that the chassis knows exactly where the beam is, and can adjust geometry on the fly to maintain perfect geometry

the only real problem that this can't directly correct for is issues with geometry blooming because of brightness variation, and there's ways you could detect that happening (basically run in overscan at varying power levels to see what happens to geometry in a calibration cycle), and possibly compensate

thought that I've probably shared somewhere before: a beam index/aperture grille hybrid CRT

the problem with beam index CRTs is that they have to constantly run a minimum beam energy to illuminate the internal UV phosphor, for proper beam indexing

but... what if you didn't use beam indexing for *color* at all, using something like an aperture grille or slot/shadow mask for color... and instead used beam indexing for *geometry*?

then, the beam only need be active in the overscan area.

And yes, I know, an upright bicycle would be better than the trike at the specific things that I complain the most about, while also being able to negotiate terrain that the scooter can't safely. (I do also have a folding upright bike...)

But, one interesting thing with the scooter is just how fluid it is to switch between riding at 25 km/h, and walking when needed. Even on a step-through bike, dismounting and remounting is much more of a conscious action, whereas on the scooter you just do it.

Oh, and the trike needs me to change shoes (clipless pedals are a must on a trike, otherwise you risk breaking your ankle), it's a pain in the ass to carry in and out of my apartment, and it just requires so much more planning.

Granted, this is nowhere near as much of a workout, but... (That said, there does seem to be an effect on the legs and arms from it, I definitely feel like I've worked with them after a leg of my commute (~8 km). But nothing like actually pedaling that distance.)

fuck, I actually love this electric scooter

I mean there's things I'd improve about it, but... I thought I'd only be using it as a dinghy for my car, and for getting around areas that I traveled to

...but the weather's gotten good enough to start commuting on it, and it works scarily well for that. Averaging around 20 km/h on my commute (top speed is 25), versus ~17 km/h when I commuted on my recumbent trike, and I don't arrive worn out and sweaty.

TIL that it took until 2017 that China had the manufacturing capability to produce a 100% domestic ballpoint pen, I figured that had happened ages ago:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/01/18/finally-china-manufactures-a-ballpoint-pen-all-by-itself/