my ups and downs with usb
When I first started using PCs as a kid, there were only two portable storage formats. Tape (as in microcassette) and floppies (as in floppy diskettes). That was it. Tape was way too slow, so I used floppies, and I always hated them.
Floppies always sucked because they could barely hold anything. Yeah, they were fine for storing documents, but images? Unless they were resized to be really small, forget about it.
When the compact disc got affordable, those were... okay. Yeah, nice to have up to 700MB storage, but whenever you burned a disc, it was just like the floppy where your computer was absolutely dedicated to that file writing task until it was done. With DVD, same thing.
USB 1.1 sticks sucked. Too slow, and what was available didn't hold as much as DVDs did. USB 2.0 sticks, okay, better, but still a bit slow. USB 3.0, yeah, now we're talking. This is usable. Speedy, and acts just like a drive for the most part. And at the time I write this, 512GB sticks are cheap and plentiful.
All good, right? Well, not really because USB obviously isn't just for storage but also to connect peripherals. Keyboards, mice, wireless crap sometimes, printers sometimes, and so on.
My two favorite USB connector types are A (the larger rectangle) and mini. I do not like USB-C even though I know it's superior. I'll get back to that in a moment.
Last year in '24, I had to buy a USB hub. There are a lot of them out there, but this I know: Only use unpowered 4-port, and only for device connections and data transfer. The 7-port ones suck because they will fail way sooner than a 4-port will, and having it powered to charge things is just a bad idea because that makes the hub fail even faster.
If I need to charge anything via USB (such as my phone), I plug it into a block that goes right to the wall. This works fine. No problems.
My USB-A and mini USB devices (which is most of my Garmin navigators) never have problems connecting to a computer. Same for my micro USB devices (those are few in number but they work properly also). I use Linux primarily, but also have a Windows laptop. If I connect USB-A or mini USB to either OS, no problems. They work. But if it's a USB-C thing... sometimes stupid stuff happens.
For example, Once a USB-C connection is established, it's nice and speedy as it should be. However, the establishing of the connection is slower compared to USB-A, mini or micro. I can plug in a USB-A and the device is almost instantly recognized by the computer. But USB-C? No. Takes a little longer, and I have no idea why. Again, once the connection is there, yeah, good. But the fact there's additional waiting with the newer "better" connector? Dumb. And this is not a Linux thing because I see the same crap happen on Windows on an entirely different computer. It's not the computer, not the device, not the hub, not the cable, not any of that. It's something to do with USB-C itself causing the additional wait time. Again, dumb.
I hate the fact you must use specific USB-C cables just so that technology actually works correctly. If you need to charge anything, it HAS to be a charging cord type. If it's not, problems will happen. This was never a requirement with USB-A, mini or micro. You could use the crappiest, junkiest cable and it would work for charging, connectivity or data. Older USB tech never complained about cable type, but USB-C absolutely does. USB-C is so stupid that there are specific Android Auto cables just so it works like it's supposed to. Once again, dumb.
The whole point of C was to have one connector to eliminate cables... but it didn't happen. Most people need 2 to 3 cables (data, charging, car) just for one modern smartphone.
Said once again, dumb.
2024 was about acceptance
Today, 2024-Dec-31, is the last day of 2024. This year in particular involved emotional things that I've accepted.
I'm close to reaching the fifth decade of life, which happens next year.
Part of my brain says meh, age is just a number. But another part says hey, pay attention to it, because it matters... although I can't rightly figure out why it would matter. So when my brain says hey there, pay attention when that age rolls around, I think okay, pay attention to what, specifically? I don't have an answer. Weird.
I don't have a problem accepting the age I am, but there's some infighting going on in my mind about whether the number is supposed to matter or not. I'm thinking not.
Certain things are as good as they're ever going to get
That DriveSmart 76 I bought? Yeah, about that..
I've been trying to find a perfect car navigation solution for years, but it simply doesn't exist. Out of all the nav systems I've tried, the DS76 is as good as it gets since all nav apps for the phone are trash. While the DS76 isn't perfect, chasing perfection with a nav system is a fool's errand. I accept that now, use what works, and if I encounter little annoyances, oh well. It's not like there's anything better.
Letting go of chasing perfection is a thing I had to do a few times in '24. Here are a few examples:
There's no such thing as a perfect pen, so I settled with Zebra Z-Grip Retractable ballpoints because I got sick of buying pens. Good enough.
There's no such thing as a perfect guitar string, so I just use Ernie Ball Super Slinky in .008 size.
There's no such thing as a perfect computer mouse, so I bought a few wired USB optical mice spares. The Microsoft Basic Optical wired USB works for me. I very much appreciate "wired, plug it in, no drivers or control software required, just works" computer mice.
The two main advantages to letting go of chasing perfection is that it makes things easier, and opens up paths to happiness not ordinarily seen otherwise.
It is totally okay to stay within certain bubbles
This one actually concerns what I write here.
I need to remember that you can't please everybody.
There have been times I've written full articles (long ones, mind you), but then scrapped and never posted them solely for reasons such as uses old popular culture references only people over 45 would recognize, overly technical and may go over the heads of some readers, assumes foreknowledge the reader may not have, and so on.
I accept that I have self-imposed rules for what I post here that I really need to let go of.
This may mean more free form stuff will appear for future articles with a decidedly "for people that grew up in my time" and/or "this is for nerds" vibe to it...
...and there's nothing wrong with that. That's the thing I need to both accept and remember. I suppose that's one for the New Year's Resolutions list.
meowmus the cat
I didn't ask for a cat in my life, but this one just happened to show up.
A few months back, some new neighbors moved into the house next to the one I live in. No big deal. A short while later, they got a cat. Okay. Some time passes, and the cat started exploring. Cat ends up on top of the wooden fence separating the properties. It's just there, not scared at all, and mew'ing. I go to pet the cat. It lets me, and eagerly.
I figure okay, cat is on the fence, and it likes me (a lot), whatever. I give him a few pets, then he putters off back to his owners. No big deal.
Meowmus then starts appearing on the fence routinely. He's in good shape, well fed (he's definitely not starving or anything), and doesn't have that wild/feral cat thing going on at all. Bear in mind I grew up in a house where cats were around all the time, so if he exhibited stuff like fleas, dander or whatever, believe me, I would know. And if he got messed up by doing outdoor cat things that cats do, again, I would know.
I made a decision early on not to feed Meowmus at all, because I knew if I did, he'd never leave.
Well, that didn't stop him from wanting to come over for a visit...
...daily.
Meowmus is absolutely the neighbor's cat, but what happens is that after he gets fed by the neighbors and then put out to do whatever, he hops the fence and comes over to visit.
What does he want, Fancy Feast? Some catnip, perhaps? Nope. Pets and playtime. This cat is a total love monger. He wants his pets and play, and if he doesn't get that, he's very vocal about it. You'd swear he's a Siamese given how vocal he is, even though he's not. He also likes chasing sticks where if I take a stick and drag it on the ground, he pounces on it.
Oftentimes, Meowmus will wait under my car until I come outside. I come out, and mew-mew-mew, there he is.
When it gets dark out, Meowmus goes home back to the neighbor's house. He knows where the food is.
I always wash my hands and use hand sanitizer after touching Meowmus. Better safe than sorry. Only once in my life did I have a bad reaction to a cat. Oddly enough, it was an indoor cat that was mine. She probably got into something, I pet her later and whammo, hands got all rashed up a day later. They cleared after a few weeks. Yeah, this happened a long time ago, and again it was only once, but I never forgot it because it sucked. That experience taught me that even if a pet is in your house and never goes outside, doesn't matter, wash your hands and sanitize. It's generally good practice to do that anyway.
Meowmus is actually smart because he hardly goes anywhere and stays where it's safe, which is the neighbor's place and where I am. This cat has plenty of opportunity to just run off wherever, but nope, he pretty much likes where he is and stays put. He's also a people cat and loves everybody.
I don't actually know what the cat's real name is. I call him Meowmus.
I don't know how long Meowmus will stick around, but he's one of the friendliest cats I've ever met. He gets fed elsewhere, pops by for pets and play, sleeps under my car for a while (but he knows to scoot if he hears the car start), then goes home.
I'm okay with that.
garmin drivesmart 76 (because i don't do smartphone navigation)
There was a very brief period of time when I tried using navigation on the phone. Twice. The first time I tried it, I could barely read the screen due to sun glare. The second time, the phone overheated from Florida sun in less than 10 minutes and shut down. I went back to using a Garmin and stayed there.
And that brings me to one of Garmin's current offerings, the DriveSmart 76.
There was a December sale on the DS76 with a sizable discount, so I bought one.
I've been using Garmin automotive navigators for close to 20 years, bought many different models just because I like them, and have even performed repair on a few. In other words, I know these things, very, very well.
With the DS76, I get something I've never had with a previous Garmin model. Support for three satellite networks. It receives GPS, Galileo and BeiDou. In plain English, that means if the GPS satellite network encounters a glitch and temporarily doesn't work (rare, but it happens), Galileo and BeiDou are there as backup so the unit can continue to work. The technical name for this is multi-GNSS support.
Do I still get traffic reporting? Yes. The DS76 (specifically the 'full' model and not the EX version) receives traffic reports over FM, mostly for highway and interstate traffic. I happen to live in an area with traffic coverage, so it works.
What's good about the 76?
Multi-GNSS as mentioned above is nice. Screen is plenty bright for daylight driving, and at night dims to a level that's just right to where I didn't even have to adjust it. Route calculation and recalculation speed is plenty fast. The "OK Garmin" voice control works great. Definitely the best voice control system Garmin has ever come up with.
The best part however is the legibility. I thought the 6" model DriveSmart 66 (which I do own) was going to be good enough, but the 7" (it's actually 6.95" but whatever) display on the 76 really does make a difference in the positive direction. You wouldn't think a 1 inch physical size increase of a display would make much difference, but it really does.
I should also mention yes, there's the 8" DriveSmart 86, but I have nowhere to mount a display that large in my car. The interior of my car can fit a 7" display, so that's what I went with.
Interestingly, the 76 is the "smallest 7" you can use. If you look at 7" tablets, they all have a fat/wide bezel. Not the 76. The screen goes right to the edge. This means if you decided to get a 7" tablet with GPS antenna, that takes up significantly more real estate in the car compared to the 76 - especially when you take the mount into consideration. And that tablet is going to weigh more than the 76 does.
I was on the fence on whether to keep the 76 or not after the purchase, but after using it for a little bit, yeah, it's a keeper.
i finally watched it's a wonderful life
Over 20 years ago, I said to myself that one day I'm going to watch It's a Wonderful Life. I finally did.
Yeah, that movie. The one everybody has seen at least 10 or 20 times if not more. The one where many make it a tradition to watch every year. It was not until December 2024 at the time I write this that I finally saw it. Yeah, I'm not kidding. I never saw the movie as a kid nor as a young adult. It took until middle age before I finally watched this.
Did I purposely avoid this movie? A little. Even though the flick was shown for free on television every year (and probably still is), I just didn't watch it whenever it was on. My thought was that it's a black-and-white thing, it's really old, probably really campy, and I probably won't like it.
Well, old this movie definitely is since its original United States release date of January 7, 1947. It was released in Poland first on December 20, 1946. Whether you consider it a '46 or '47 release, the movie was released over 75 years ago. Yeah. Old.
I had the choice of whether to watch this in black-and-white or color. Three colorized versions exist. One from 1986, one from 1989 and the last from 2007. I purposely chose black-and-white since that's the format it was originally released in.
Here's what I observed and what I got out of the film:
I like the way George Bailey's story was told. In particular, every time the movie starts getting sad, there's an imaginary emotional floor of sorts where things could go from sad to depressing. The movie never crosses that line. When sadness starts, the movie bounces off that line and gets back to feeling good again. Said another way, the pacing is excellent, nothing ever gets too sad nor too serious, and the great story keeps going from beginning to end. It's amazing.
There's really obvious war effort Americana in the film. That's totally understandable, since World War II ended in September 1945, just a few scant years prior to the movie's release. However, the fact that's there didn't shake the film off its rails at all, but instead added more interest to it as part of the overall story.
I was totally wrong thinking this movie would be campy. It's not. The emotional balance throughout the whole story is just plain good. Also, at no point while watching did I lose track of what was going on. Again, that's due to excellent pacing.
It's no wonder so many people love this film so much. I get it now. I know why the love is there.
Will I start watching this every year now? Maybe!
If you want to see what real Hollywood movie making magic is, see It's a Wonderful Life.