A Man of Letters

chrisevans-sexualfrustrations

Steve?

ms-demeanor

Okay but he’s right and he should say it.

runcibility

“Smart” and “Cloud” also mean data gathering. I need to have a tangent, so pardon me while I run with this…

Here’s the thing: I’m a nerd. I want to be able to automate things in our home and to have usable data. So I want smart electrical plugs that allow me to have rules and show me what’s hooving up a ton of energy. That’s useful to me, but that’s not the bargain that tech companies are willing to strike with me, because they want to be able to gather data and sell it.

What’s annoying as hell is that every currently supported thing that does this wants to be a cloud-based application that requires me to install an app on my phone.

I. Do. Not. Want. This.

I want my plugs on a network so I can flip open a browser on my laptop or phone or tablet and access them that way. I do not want them on or touching the goddamned internet. I do not want an information-gathering-and-data-leaking-phone-app.

The one thing that I’ve found that semi-reliably does this is no longer supported by the manufacturer. Every other goddamned option requires me to have it be app-controlled and I can’t control the data gathering from the manufacturer.

In this case, I am DEFINITELY an old-coot yelling at THE cloud.

winneganfake

Honestly, same. This is one of the few things that I’m glad to be too poor to afford the cool toys on.

gothiccharmschool

Same here. I don’t want my household appliances connected to the cloud. I don’t need my thermostat, fridge, or TV connected to the internet. I absolutely do not something like an Alexa.

“Smart” and “Cloud” also mean data gathering.“

I work(ed) in tech. I have a decent understanding of what sort of data can be harvested through those things. I’m not ready to go off-grid and become a witch that lives in the woods, but there are days when it’s a tempting idea.

amanofletters

You know all those sci-fi stories where the populace willingly allowed themselves to be surveilled and pacified by technology because it was so cool and cutting-edge and convenient, and those swell old tech companies were just SO EXCITED to tell us how much we want it at CES?

I bet those stories seemed so outlandish at the time.

ATTENTION WRITERS

Google BetaBooks. Do it now. It’s the best damn thing EVER.

You just upload your manuscript, write out some questions for your beta readers to answer in each chapter, and invite readers to check out your book!

It’s SO easy!

You can even track your readers! It tells you when they last read, and what chapter they read!

Your beta readers can even highlight and react to the text!!!

There’s also this thing where you can search the website for available readers best suited for YOUR book!

Seriously guys, BetaBooks is the most useful website in the whole world when it comes to beta reading, and… IT’S FREE.

suppermariobroth

In this post, you can see two recordings of gameplay of Super Mario World side by side. Both start at a pipe near the middle of the Chocolate Island 1 level, then the footage on the left goes inside the pipe to get launched over the gap, while the footage on the right jumps over the gap instead. This results in an unexpected difference at the next gap with the springboard: if Mario goes into the pipe, there is a level midpoint tape above it. If Mario does not go into the pipe, the midpoint is absent.

The reason for this is that even though it may look like Mario is immediately emitted back into the level when he enters the pipe, he actually enters a parallel version of the level instead, one almost entirely identical but with small differences such as the existence of the midpoint tape.

amanofletters

The more practical reason:

The player is rewarded or given a concession if they’re feeling adventurous and go in the pipe.

The fanciful reason:

Mario’s world exists in a continual state of flux, and at any moment, can shift around him.

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

ATTENTION WRITERS