The high life » Cuba

written by owen, published 2020-Feb-10, comment

Some random old shots.

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Logbook » Arabella

written by owen, published 2020-Feb-06, comment

I was on my way to the ATM when I skipped over a 5$ coin on the ground. Was about to double back for it when the lady came out of the ATM and smiled. I went into the ATM and the cash got stuck in the top of the opening. With quick thinking I yanked at the bills like a bank robber, shifting them until I could free them all before the door slammed back down. Apparently the machine divided up the change into too many bills that could not fit through the opening. If I had been a second slower I would be in a world of annoyance. By the time I was done I saw the ATM security guard quickly grabbed up my 5$ coin and stuffed it in his pocket.

I need to book an appointment a new appointment for the dentist before my wisdom tooth starts to flare up again. Anyway I am out. Every time I go to the dentist she tries to convince me to come back to get cavities refilled and I tell her that I have a fear of dentist and she tries to convince me that its not going to hurt and I look to the corner of the room until she stops talking.

When you are like me you do not want to have too many fun things to work on. If I end up having 2 fun things to work on I will naturally take the fun-er route because obviously why would I spend my current time working on something less fun when I have a valid excuse to work on something else? It is hard to really determine what I will find fun because I am working on so many things at the same time.

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Traveling without moving » Capsule Hotels

written by Tami, published 2020-Jan-29, comment

I thought this post was fitting since its now 2020.

A few decades ago, now was the future. It's safe to say that I am a little disappointed with the lack of flying cars, robots as our overlords or the possibility of being able to teleport to Europe via a machine like the 'Transporter platform' aboard the 'USS Enterprise-D'. Instead, I get to sit on long flights with minimal leg room and fussy babies. Still, I am grateful to be able to travel. But, suffice to say, I'm not totally disappointed as I have been lucky enough to experience some things, that just a few years ago would be considered 'futuristic'. For instance, self-checkout machines are pretty dope; robot seating at restaurants is wonderful; not to mention self-driving cars, bullet trains going over 200 mph, toilets with warm seats that play music and to say the least, Capsule hotels.

I can remember quite vividly watching a program on Television Jamaica (TVJ) when I was a teen or pre-teen showing how futuristic Japan was. The show noted that Japan had limited spacing which resulted in ingenious ways of accommodating the large population. It highlighted how Japan developed underground parking where you simply pushed a button and your car comes up in an elevator (experienced that, its true). The program also highlighted Capsule Hotels which were made to accommodate people who were traveling and just needed a night’s sleep with a warm shower for a very low price. At the time to me (the 90's), it seemed otherworldly as in the west, we like everything big. Big cars, big houses, big hotel rooms, Big Mac! But here was a country offering a space so small to fit only one person at a time; I couldn't fathom it then, but fast forward to my adult life where I got to experience something I had seen many years ago one afternoon on a random international program in Jamaica.

At about 1.2 meters wide, made of fiber glass, this unique hotel provides private enclosed single futon beds in a sleeping pod or for better wording a 'capsule'. Basic amenities are also provided like a locker to store your luggage and belongings, shared bathroom facilities with shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, body towel, face towel, toothbrush, toothpaste and indoor slippers and returnable sleeping garments. All this for a very small price of ?3000 ~ ?4000 per night. Check in is at 1pm daily and check out usually at 10am the next day. But, if you intend to stay more than one night, you have to check out and re-check in every day at 1pm.

Traditionally, capsule hotels only accommodated males and to this day, there are still male’s only hotels. However, in recent years newer capsule hotels have opened up in accommodating both males and females by providing separate accommodation floors for both. In today’s America, this would make controversial headline news with all the confusion of inclusion of LGBTQXYZABC gender roles. But this is not yet an issue in Japan. These hotels range from very basic, like the one I described and stayed in, to somewhat luxurious which provide spa’s, restaurants and lounge areas.

My stay at the basic hotel was met with somewhat dissatisfaction as the capsules only came with an on/off light switch and a power outlet. I couldn’t adjust the air which was too hot even for winter, which made it difficult to fall asleep. The garments provided for sleep were uncomfortable and restricting for me as typically, Japanese women are small busted and I walk around daily with two big balloons on my chest. The white fiber glass walls were little menacing, akin to somewhat of being in a mental institution and the small capsule might have been a little too claustrophobic for my tastes. I do however plan to stay in a less basic capsule next time, maybe with a TV, air adjustable controls and whatever else they’ll provide. The experience was a 7/10 for me, but might be enjoyable for someone else.

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The Jamaica photo project » Hellshire Beach, St Catherine

written by owen, published 2020-Jan-25, comment

The good parts. The bad parts.

Sugarmans

Looking east towards Kingston

Looking east towards Kingston

Beach goers sunbathing

Looking west towards Kingston

Looking east towards Kingston

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Technology » Deep dive into windows 7 support ending

written by owen, published 2020-Jan-23, comment

I am sad this morning because #Windows 7 told me I will no longer be getting updates, security patches or tech support. I will miss those tech #support guys that I used to call at Microsoft when I was lonely and wanted new features to enhance my quality of life. #rip

Support is one of those memes in technology which has been coming up more and more in the modern age of software as a service (SAAS) and security through never ending updates (STNES). In the old days you could only buy software when it was tested and completed. Nowadays to buy software with LTS. Few people attempt to explain what it actually means to have "no support". It is assumed that bad things will happen - malicious software will attack you from all angles. If you are using windows 7 you most likely see the quoted message below popup on your screen when you log in;

"As of January 14, 2020, support for windows 7 has come to an end. Your PC is more vulnerable to virus and malware due to:
* No Security updates
* No software updates
* No tech support

Microsoft strongly recommends using windows 10 on a new PC for the latest security features and protection against malicious software."

I will attempt to go over this message in fine detail and try to explain it to the best of my knowledge. Every user on your entire network of Windows 7 machines will have no doubt seen this message by now.

"The end date"

The January 14,2020 date means that you will stop getting those annoying requests to install updates to your computer. This does not mean that the updates will totally stop but consumers on the lowest level of the food chain can hope to get less and less of them and be able to turn on their PC without stress.

"You PC is more vulnerable to virus and malware"

This is one of the most over used meme. The fact is everything connected to the internet is vulnerable to virus and malware at all times, Wednesdays, Thursdays, everyday. It is no more or less with or without support. Everything is a in a state of waiting to be hacked or you yourself might install malicious software that deletes all your data.

"No Security Updates"

Security updates protect you from known viruses. Most of the viruses are unknown which is why there are so many security updates. The severity of the virus, when, and where it will affect Windows is also unknown so with or without support a windows user is really hoping that Microsoft finds out about the virus before it hits their computer. It is essentially a catch-22 situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules and limitations of time and space. You will get hacked.

"No Software updates"

I have been using windows 7 for several years and have NEVER seen a significant update to the base explorer that I could identify. It is as if the windows 7 explorer is frozen in time once you buy it. I am not even sure what "Quality of Life" updates mean because it certainly is not obvious. Facebook is hacking you through your friends.

"No tech support"

Wait is there someone at Microsoft that you can call to fix your Windows when it segfaults? Ok. Well if you did have someone that number will be disconnected and the twitter account will nolonger stalk @you when mention #windows #problem.

"Microsoft strongly recommends"

The word strongly in there suggests that some kind of urgent action is required on the part of the user at this very moment.

"using windows 10 on a new PC"

So the strong recommendation requires that you use a new operating system called "windows 10" and on top of that you buy a "new PC". Imagine driving down a road in a car that suddenly flashes across the dashboard "We strongly recommend that you buy a new car!". This is hard to imagine because this does not happen with cars. Automobiles are highly regulated, very expensive and can be maintained in serveral ways without the need aid of the original manufacturer.

"latest security features and protection against malicious software"

So "security updates" has been changed to "security features" in this section. And "malicious software" has been added instead of "malware". Most of this seems to point to you only getting new security features if you buy a new operating system. Protection seems arbiturary and does not specifiy what level of protection will be provided or the types of malicious software that you will be protected against. This seems to be just another ride on the never ending support cycle.

No Guarantees

Few people in Technology talk about the fact that computers are a "use at your own risk" medium. Software is eating the world and enabling children in Africa to make water from air. Simply nothing that exists on a computer is guaranteed. They work; when they work, while they work, if they work and if not, then you are out of luck and you can go dead a bush somewhere with no compensation. The few users that get some form of compensation need to prove the scenario in a world of chaos are akin to lottery winners.

This is the nature of personal computers and computer hardware from the beginning of time. There are particular areas in computing which need a higher tolerance such as the medical and automotive industry but in recent time even those industries have been show to be prone to glitchs after two fatal Boeing plane crashes were to a result of cost cutting software upgrades and price justification by addons. All software/hardware is covered by an End-User-License-Agreement (EULA) which reduces the chance of liability in case you die as a result of using the devices.

This EULA allows consumer computers to operate at in a environment that is often less reliable and cheaper since they do not have to do rigorous testing and quality control as would be needed in the medical and automotive fields. Smartphone batteries can explode or RAM can sporadically crash in certain unexplained circumstances and you just have to live with it, reboot and restart. Park at your own risk.

So in this context of cheap hardware and "no guarantees" what is support? Or what specifically is "windows support"? There is no wikipedia page. If you go to the Support website you will see a gigantic search box with more that 41,400,000 results if you search for "windows". The first result from the search is a link back to the page with the big search box.

Conclusion

With all this being said there are many kinds of support. Support is this nebulous/catch-all phrase that has a hidden timeline attached to it. If you told a consumer before they bought a new PC/OS they would probably think twice. This is one of reasons these messages do not popup on smartphones - it is more profitable to spend money marketing totally new versions and dumping/recycling old phones into poorer markets. PCs are harder to dump so why bother?

It does not matter what version of windows you are running because you are not secure and the hardware is not secure and your passwords are weak sauce. That fancy new bluetooth mouse you bought is not working? You will get 100 new mice drivers in the next update or you will get none - no one is really sure. You buy hardware+software, you enjoy it for a couple years then you are forced to buy something new - this is the way.

The long and short of it is that While you could continue to use your PC running Windows 7, without continued software and security updates, it will be at greater risk for viruses, trolls and malware. Going forward, the best way for you to stay secure is on Windows 10 or 11 or an apple device. And the best way to experience Windows 10 is on a new PC (so you should throw your old windows phone into the trash). It is possible to install Windows 10 on your older device, it is not recommended.

www.fsf.org/windows/upcycle-windows-7

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