Notes

I wrote a quick article on how to take a better scanline-free photo of a CRT screen with a phone:

https://jcs.org/2023/03/04/crt

Through the Looking Glass (1984)

Whenever I see my Framework laptop collecting dust in the closet and think "I should use this more", I start typing on it and immediately remember that the obnoxious lid wobble is the biggest reason why I don't use it.

I upgraded the lid to the CNC version but it didn't help any. Framework says the stronger hinges actually make the wobble worse so I'm avoiding those.

I wish they would figure out how to eliminate that like other vendors have.

I finished cleaning and restoring these blue guys

I like the authenticity and weight of the mediterranean blue 2500 (on the right) but the ringer is so loud even on its quietest setting

The AT&T 100 feels kind of cheap but its digital ringer has a very 80s feel and the blue matches my office nicely

Dumb things have been written:

- binkp module connects to hub, logs in, and downloads all outstanding files, caching them to disk
- each file in the local cache directory is processed and any pkzip files are parsed, looking for ".pkt" files inside them and inflating them in memory
- each fidonet packet is processed, ready for importing to the BBS's local database

Now I'm just waiting for my application to join fsxNet to be approved

Dumb things I am having to write today in 2023:

- a Fidonet "bink" protocol parser (https://www.ritlabs.com/binkp/)
- a PKZIP in-memory extractor (https://pkware.cachefly.net/webdocs/casestudies/APPNOTE.TXT)
- a Fidonet packet parser (http://wiki.synchro.net/ref:fidonet_packets)

I get that BBSes are mostly dead and this technology hasn't changed much since the 80s but I wish one of these message networks would throw away all these ancient protocols and just pass around JSON messages for syndication

Beware of Geeks Bearing Diffs

"If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough."

http://muezza.ca/thoughts/openbsd_imac_g4/

I made a little utility for OpenBSD that listens for left and right two-finger touchpad swipe gestures and generates keyboard events so Firefox will navigate back and forward accordingly

https://github.com/jcs/tpadnav

Current mood

https://deskto.ps/u/jcs/d/4jthj0

lol

and what would a little toy computer be without its own custom over-engineered multi-threaded compositing window system

don't talk to me or my son ever again

I've been using macOS instead of OpenBSD on my laptop for a few months and since XQuartz still doesn't have Retina support and I can't use sdorfehs, I reimplemented its core functionality with Hammerspoon

https://github.com/jcs/spoonfish

https://deskto.ps/u/jcs/d/ulofmj

At some point there will be enough reused gift bags in circulation that no one will buy new ones, collapsing the gift bag industry and driving up the value of existing gift bags to the point that they start being given as the gifts themselves. But those will need to be put in something when given as gifts, so gift bags will be gifted in less attractive gift bags.

How cute (and totally authorized, I'm sure)

There appears to be a Gemini competitor called Spartan that is mostly the same but without TLS. Maybe now I can write a System 6 app for one of these things.

https://gemini.yesterweb.org/proxy/spartan.mozz.us/

Hello, cyberpals! If you are reading this, then I’ve implemented enough of the Mastodon API in my own ActivityPub server to post something through the Metatext client.

Well it took me a full year, but the initial release of my Subtext BBS server software for Macintosh System 6 (and above) is now available

https://jcs.org/subtext

This is an excellent film
https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1592321491097464832