things i've learned after using linux for a year
June of '23 was when I officially switched over to Linux. It's now June of '24 as I write this, and yeah, I'm still using it. My flavor of choice is Kubuntu LTS, which means Long Term Support. I specifically wanted that because I am not a distro hopper. Some who run Linux change their OS every week. I didn't want that. All I wanted is something stable and reliable so I could get my computing stuff done.
I still do keep a spare Windows 10 laptop for just two things. Garmin GPS updates and printing. That's it. The Garmin Express software is Windows or Mac only and that's the way it's more or less always been. Yes, people have been screaming at Garmin to release a Linux version of Express, but they've never done it and probably never will. And as for the printing stuff, this is actually something I could get working in Linux, but I don't bother given how infrequently I print anything. It's not that much of a hassle to put a document on a USB stick, turn on my Win10 laptop and print that way.
What's the best part about Linux?
Yeah, I still do this because it's fun. However, I've changed the way I go about it so I can get ultra precise loops.
There are only two tools required to do this, mpv media player and FFmpeg. And yes, we will have to go to the scary command line to make this work correctly. When you want precise loops, that's what you have to do.
It is usually true - other than just by looking outside - that the only thing you really need to get weather information is a weather station and/or a big 'ol outdoor thermometer.
What those tools can't do however is tell me a forecast, nor give me any information from a significant distance.
I've been sick all week. Caught a bug. Is it flu? No idea. Maybe.
I don't get sick often. Maybe once or twice yearly. But when I do, it hits hard and there is a routine I go through to allow my body to heal itself.
I'll try my best not to make what I'm about to describe sound gross.
It's not the Strat-style pickup configuration and electronics that really make this great but rather the bridge.
What you're looking at here is a G&L ASAT III from the late 1990s. It does not load strings from the rear but is rather a top loader, and things get better from there.
The main reason people buy 9V batteries are for smoke alarms. This has been the way of things for what, 40 years now?
In guitar and bass player circles, the 9 volt is used for pedal effects (a lot of BOSS pedals use a 9V directly under the footswitch), acoustic-electric guitars with a preamp and active electric bass guitars.
Regardless of where you use the 9 volt battery, there's basically only one rule you need to follow so you don't get ripped off with these things.
This is an absolutely outstanding way to get into a very proper Fender Stratocaster HSS, no question about it. And yeah, I had to post this one because it's too good of a deal to pass up.
This guitar did cost 4 figures to get it, but at the moment, it can be had in the 3's.
Above is the Garmin DriveSmart 65, which is still a popular model at the time I write this. I use a 66 model personally, but the 65 is still really nice. People like the 7" screen (technically 6.95"), love the legibility as it's really easy to read, love the screen brightness, the voice control, the traffic reporting, and so on...
...but WOW, are people ridiculously stupid when it comes to the operation and care of this thing because they keep burning them up.
I'm going to list off the stupid things people do with this that cause overheating and how to prevent it from ever happening.
Nobody my age should be drinking this stuff.
My energy drink of choice was Monster Lo-Carb. I liked the taste, and it is truly low on Calories at under 50 per can.
I started drinking Lo-Carb years ago in my 30s and didn't stop until recently because I finally found a substitute that actually works for me.
Oh, do you have to pay a pretty penny just to get this.
Above is the Fender 70th Anniversary Ultra Stratocaster HSS. It's expensive, and it only comes in one color. That color is called Amethyst.
Actual amethyst is quartz with a violet color to it. And yeah, I think Fender did translate that to a finish fairly well. The color does "move" as far as I can tell and definitely looks like something upscale. And yes, this is the kind of finish that does change color depending on how you look at it.
Is this guitar all about the paint? Of course not, and there's certainly more to it.
