The Blog of Michael Lee Mitchell

I saw that No Man’s Sky has released another update. I’ve been with this game since day one—I preordered it and even got the free bonus ship, which I still have to this day. That’s one ship I’ll never give up because it was a launch bonus. I’ve upgraded its storage and technology over the years, and it’s still with me. I remember launch day—August 12, 2016—very clearly. My first thought was: “This is interesting... but broken.” It wasn’t like what they showed on stage. The experience was pretty basic, and I felt cheated. But I saw that they acknowledged the game’s shortcomings and promised to make things right. And they did. They went even further and committed to free DLC. True to the word of Hello Games and Sean Murray, every single update has been free, and they’ve added an incredible amount of value. I don’t play as often as I used to. Back then, I’d spend whole weekends exploring. Now I jump back in every few months, and I still play only my first saved game. And that’s okay....

📷 #mbjune Day 5: Reflection A View from the Liberty Belle at Walt Disney World in Frontier-land in August 2024. You can see the reflections on the water.

📷 #mbjune Day 4: Nostalgia Simpler times and childhood memories.

📷 #mbjune Day 3: Shadow Me and Mine

📷 #mbjune Day 2: ⤴️ Curve Life is full of them 🫠

📷 #mbjune Day 1: 🌳Tree

Finished the second one tonight—just as good as the first and third. A really solid series overall, and you don’t have to watch them in order (though it helps with one part of the overarching storyline). Denzel Washington does a great job bringing his character to life.

Lately I’ve been dealing with some heavy medical stuff related to a heart condition I’ve lived with for years: hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). It’s a rare condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder to pump blood efficiently — and unfortunately, it’s been getting worse. Despite medication, my symptoms have progressed to the point where even walking short distances has become difficult. My cardiology team is working hard to get me approved for a new medication called Mavacamten, which offers real hope for people with this specific form of heart disease. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s a big step forward compared to what used to be available. If that doesn’t help, I may be looking at more invasive options like a septal myectomy — a type of open-heart surgery that could relieve the obstruction and help me breathe and function more normally again. It’s a lot to process, but I’m thankful to have a solid medical team and good care opti...

It’s been a movie weekend 🎬, and this was the last one. No spoilers, I promise 🤐. The Equalizer 3, starring Denzel Washington, was great—just as good as the original 💥. I haven’t seen the second one yet, but you don’t need to watch these in order. Denzel does a fantastic job in these movies 👏. I’ve enjoyed almost all of his films, except Flight, which I personally think was his weakest ✈️😕.

No Spoilers. Not bad for a film based on a true story. I liked the story and the music—it was engaging and covered something I never knew about. Worth a watch if you aren't looking for an action movie or comedy.

This wasn’t a bad movie. It was family-friendly and, according to the end credits, apparently based on a true story.

No spoilers — not bad at all. The characters were solid across the board. Jason Bateman played against type — it was interesting to see him in a different kind of role. Taron Egerton is a versatile actor and delivered a strong performance here too. Not bad for an on-the-fly choice.

I woke up early today, determined to finally get Nostr up and running and join the network. After all, ChatGPT—my AI guide for most things—told me everything would be fine and estimated it would only take 30 minutes to an hour. You're probably thinking it should have taken 15–20 minutes tops. Well, I’m self-hosting everything. Little did I know what self-hosting everything really involves. Remember, I’m not a coder, network engineer, or anyone working in the computer industry. I have some basic computer knowledge and skills, but I’ve been branching out more with the help of AI. I’ve written about it many times on my blog and social media. I’m learning, but I have to be careful—not to get too absorbed. Before I know it, the whole day is gone. Like today. Today came with its share of challenges, because when I start something, I want to finish it—and finish it properly . I like using Portainer with my Raspberry Pi, along with Docker and Docker Compose, but that setup se...

I use Google’s Blogger as a backup for my main blog. I’ve had that Blogger account for over 20 years, and since it’s free and supports custom domains, I figured — why not use it for archival purposes? I used to rely on IFTTT to automate this. When I posted something on my main blog, it would trigger a webhook that sent the post to Blogger via IFTTT. It worked — most of the time. But lately, IFTTT has become unreliable. Since they use a shared API for Blogger across all users, even my modest 3 or 4 posts a day would sometimes fail to go through due to quota limits. So, I decided to take control. I set up a self-hosted automation workflow on my Raspberry Pi to do exactly what IFTTT used to do — but using my own system. It works like a charm. Here’s the twist: in Google’s eyes, to make this work, I had to create an “app” — just to post to my own blog. That was fine, except that in "testing" mode, Google only issues OAuth tokens that last 7 days. After that, you have...

Maxwell Class of 2025 Maxwell Senior Picture My nephew Maxwell has graduated from high school! It’s incredible to see how much he’s grown and matured over the years. I still remember when he was little—there are posts and photos of him from those early days right here on my blog at mitchelltribe.com . I’m so proud of him and wish him all the success in the world as he steps into this new chapter. With this milestone, he now joins my oldest niece, Alexus, and my oldest nephew, Landon, as high school graduates. 🎉

I’ve been meaning to blog about this for a couple of months — the Howard Frankland Bridge, which was part of what I considered my first real job and career in my early twenties.. I crossed it often and saw it change over the years. For a bridge, it never really felt like one — at least not in the usual sense. It had (last I saw) scenic turnarounds on both ends that gave it a unique character. I’ve been under that bridge by boat, and over it by car, and I always felt safe on it. But wow, traffic could get snarled in a hurry if something happened. I’m including two photos — one from when the bridge first opened in 1960, and another from March 2025, showing the newly completed span. I don’t really know why this came to mind, except that I don’t have any bad memories crossing this bridge. Now the Skyway Bridge… that’s a different story, and definitely worthy of a blog post on its own — coming soon. #HowardFranklandBridge #TampaBay #ThenAndNow #PersonalHist...

This review may contain spoilers. This was my first time watching this. It started out pretty good, but overall, it wasn’t that great. I’m glad I never bought it or paid to see it in theaters. I know there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, and while he usually gives a solid performance, this one just didn’t deliver. The whole story was a slog and a snooze-fest to get through. I thought about turning it off, but this was also my first time using Tubi—and as I expected, the ads added another layer of distraction that I don’t enjoy anymore. The ending showed some promise, but the middle dragged on for far too long.

📺 This TV Week’s Watchlist: From Disney+: 🎬 Andor – Season 2, Episodes 10–12 Season and Series Finale ⭐⭐⭐ No spoilers. I finished Andor last night and walked away feeling unsatisfied. The characters were strong and interesting, and the actors and actresses who portrayed them were compelling and talented. The problem was the story. While the season did provide some valuable background, explaining how we got to this point, the pacing felt uneven. Some parts were rushed, while others were overly drawn out. It seemed like they were trying to cram the content of four or five additional episodes into just three. If you're going to do that, then each episode needs to be treated like a classic TV miniseries—back in the day, miniseries would run across three or four nights, and each episode would be about 90 to 105 minutes (to account for commercial breaks). That kind of format could have helped here. Yes, technically (not a spoiler), the show leads into the beginning of Rogue...

In my continuing battle with subscription fatigue, I’ve decided to drop my SiriusXM satellite radio service — they wouldn’t match the rate I had before, so I let it go 👋. For two years, I paid just $6.98 total (taxes included). It wasn’t the top-tier plan, but it suited my needs, especially since I used it two to four times a week. That subscription ends next month. I’m also parting ways with my free Netflix access, which came bundled with a Verizon Peacock deal last year. That runs out in July, and honestly, I’m not sure I’ll pay for Netflix on its own. Lately, I’ve been watching more on Prime Video, Disney+, and my own Plex server anyway 🎬. #subscriptionfatigue #SiriusXM #Peacock #Netflix

Finished reading: Who is Jesus– Really? by Josh McDowell 📚 Finally finished. Learned a couple of new ways of thinking and explaining things. On to the last book in the series.

📺 This Week’s Watchlist: From Disney+: 🎬 Andor – Season 2, Episodes 7–9 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ No spoilers. I thought Episode 7 had a small pacing issue and dragged a bit, but Episodes 8 and 9 picked up nicely. Like I keep saying, I really hope they wrap this up leading into Rogue One with a satisfying conclusion. There are some tie-ins to Star Wars Rebels —might be time for a rewatch. 🎬 Tags: # TV # Entertainment # Disney +

This was much better than I expected. I really liked all the characters—each one felt distinct and well-acted. The story moved at a good pace and held my attention the whole way through. Knowing it’s based on real events made it even more gripping. I can confidently say I’d never want to work in the North Sea—especially not above or below it. If you’re claustrophobic, it could be triggering. Overall, a solid and well-made film that’s definitely worth a watch.

Big cast but ultimately disappointing. The pacing was slow, and the story didn’t flow well. Hard to tell how true to life it really was.

I just received a notice that my High Yield American Express Savings Account has dropped its rate from 3.80% to 3.60%. I remember it being 4.00% at the end of last year, and even a bit higher when I opened the account earlier in the year. So, let’s recap: Credit card interest rates are up My pay is stagnating My retirement funds are losing money And now, my savings rate is steadily declining All this while “he who must not be named” shot the whole economy in the foot with what amounts to the largest tax increase in American history, all while claiming “the other country pays the tariff.” From what I’ve seen — and this is just my read on the situation — it looks like savings rates are falling for a few reasons: the Federal Reserve may lower the benchmark rate, competition among banks for new deposits is cooling, and fewer people are borrowing or opening new credit lines. That last one I can see firsthand — I've cut almost all discretionary spending. Over the next few months...

📺 TV Watchlist for Today Amazon Prime: House of David – Season 1, Episodes 6–8: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ House of David was excellent, especially the two-part season finale. I do wish there had been one more episode to really round out the season. Once again, I find myself frustrated by shows only getting eight episodes. Here's hoping we don’t have to wait a year or two for a new one. No spoilers. 🎬 Tags: # TV # Entertainment # AmazonPrime

📺 This Weekend’s TV Watchlist From Disney+ and Amazon Prime: House of David – Season 1, Episodes 1–5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Andor – Season 2, Episodes 4–6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ House of David is very interesting. They do warn viewers that the series takes some liberties with the story and is not entirely based on the Bible, but I think they’re trying to stay as true to it as they can. Andor is progressing nicely—I just hope they tie everything up with a bow to connect it smoothly to the movie. No spoilers. 🎬 #TV #Entertainment #DisneyPlus #AmazonPrime

Today isn’t just another Sunday — it’s Star Wars Day . 🎉 May the Force — or the Fourth — be with you. I'm a big fan of Star Wars (though I’ll admit I’m an even bigger Star Trek fan — too bad Trek doesn’t have its own dedicated day, at least not one that’s widely known). Still, credit where it’s due: Disney — with the help of Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and their talented team — is doing an excellent job keeping the Star Wars universe alive and thriving. That said, I do wish it didn’t take so long for new seasons to be released. I've made this gripe before, but TV series used to have longer seasons and shorter breaks. Now it feels like we wait years instead of months. 📺 May the Fourth be with you — and as we reflect on our own world, I’m reminded of a moment from Rogue One : Saw Gerrera : “You can stand to see the Imperial flag reign across the galaxy?” Jyn Erso : “It’s not a problem if you don’t look up.” 🏴‍☠️ Sometimes, looking away seems easier — but today remind...

Caption: A hand-drawn sketch showing a frustrated man with empty pockets in front of a laptop running Pocket in Firefox. I’ve been using Pocket since I switched to Mozilla Firefox over four years ago. I like Firefox, though I do miss some functionality from Chrome—like the ability to cast directly to the TV. Still, one of the things I’ve always appreciated was Pocket. I actually signed up for Pocket back when it was called Read It Later, even before Mozilla acquired it. I never paid for the service—I stuck with the free plan. But recently, I decided that Pocket is one service I’m willing to support financially, especially to help Mozilla. I also subscribe to Mozilla’s Relay service (which I’ve started using quite a bit) and pay for it annually. Overall, I’ve been happy with Pocket. I even started using it with my Kobo e-reader once that integration became available. But lately, things have started to turn. I’ve noticed that Pocket hasn’t really improved much, particularly when it c...

When the AI hands you the script and the tea kicks in—suddenly, you’re unstoppable. I’ve never been more productive with computers than I am right now. I have several projects in progress, and all of it has been made possible with the help of AI. I know AI is a hot-button issue depending on who you talk to—ranging from environmental concerns to broader ethical debates. But for me, it has made a real difference. It’s helped me get the most out of my technology, and honestly, if this had existed 10 or 15 years ago, I might have ended up in a completely different career. So, what has it helped me with? Well, I’ve tried things I never would have attempted before. For example, I was never quite sure what PowerShell was or how to use it. Now, I just describe what I want to do, and the AI generates the scripts or code for me. Not only does it make me more successful and faster, but I’m also learning as I go—because it explains what it’s doing, why it’s doing it, and how it all works. T...

📺 This Week’s Watchlist From Disney+: Andor – Season 1, Episode 12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ Andor – Season 2, Episodes 1-3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rewatched before starting the new series. Excellent and the real start of the rebellion. Great but a little slow going in parts. If this is the last season I hope they tie everything up nicely for the tie in to the movie. 🎬 #TV #Entertainment #Disney+

After reading @manton ’s post and Rob Shearer’s “Mastodon Exit Interview” at v.cx, I decided to spin up a Sharkey instance 🦈. I have to say—I like it! If the price is right, I plan to keep it alongside my Mastodon instance. I’m hosting it with K&T Host 🎉. #sharkey #fediverse

I follow this group of talented young siblings, and this song feels so appropriate for today. 🎶 They’re incredibly gifted! #Music #LifeIn3D #FamilyTalent #Easter

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:28–48 (ESV) (Luke 19:28) And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. (Luke 19:29) When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, (Luke 19:30) saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.” (Luke 19:31) “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” (Luke 19:32) So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. (Luke 19:33) And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” (Luke 19:34) And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” (Luke 19:35) And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. (Luke 19:36) And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. (Luke 19:37) As he was drawing near—alread...

(Luke 21:5) And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, (Luke 21:6) “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Luke 21:7) And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” (Luke 21:8) And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. (Luke 21:9) And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” After Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and drove out those misusing the Temple courtyard—turning what was meant to be a place for God into a market—He spoke many parables about what was to come. Then He turned His attention to the Last Supper and the betrayal that would soon unfold. T...

Luke 24:6 — “He is not here, but has risen.” (ESV) After enduring betrayal, a rigged trial, brutal beatings, and the agonizing walk to Calvary—Jesus was crucified and laid in a tomb. The skies had darkened. The veil had torn. And now, by Roman command, the tomb was sealed and guarded. You know, the Romans went to great lengths to guard and seal a dead man. If He was truly just a dead man, why post more than one soldier? That’s because, I believe, they knew—deep down—this was no ordinary man. Isn’t it ironic? They treated Jesus in death like a king. They guarded Him in death the way He should have been honored and guarded in life. But this King needed no earthly protection. This King of Kings and Lord of Lords could turn someone to a pillar of salt. Yet they treated Him like a common prisoner—worried not that He would be harmed, but that someone would steal His body and turn Him into a legend. What they failed to understand… was who He truly was . Only a Savior sacrifices Him...

The new Samsung One UI 7.0 will take some getting used to 🤔. I don't have a definitive opinion yet—it’s still new. However, I’m leaning toward the view that some of the old icons were nicer, while a few of the new ones are better 🎨. I'll have to explore it more now that it just updated 🔄.

📺 This Week’s Watchlist: From Netflix: The Recruit – Season 2 (All Episodes) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just finished this one—very good in my opinion! Except for the last episode, which needed a little work. It felt a bit too unbelievable. But overall, the whole season was better than The Night Agent ! 🎬 Tags: # TV # Entertainment # Netflix

I bought this $50 device because I was curious if it could eventually help my aging parents (in their 70s) keep track of the small things they occasionally forget. But before even thinking about handing it to them, I wanted to test it out for myself — to see if the concept actually worked. Let’s just say… I stopped wearing it pretty quickly. 😅 I muted the device and put it aside — but not before it captured one of the funniest AI-generated summaries I’ve ever seen. The device itself, called the Bee Pioneer , actually looks great 🐝. The idea is solid. I first heard about it from @leo on one of his shows, and I figured it had promise — if it worked well. So on Saturday, I went through my usual routine: watched some TV 📺, paid a few bills 💸, and muttered about the President and his latest round of tariff nonsense 🙄. Then on Sunday, I opened the Bee app to see what it had recorded and summarized from my day. And according to Bee’s AI … this is what I did — all in a single day: ...

Over the last few months, I’ve gotten into the home lab/server kick—mostly to learn, do some things for myself, and finally put to use a lot of the computer tech I’ve collected over the years. (I’ll make a blog post about that in the future.) Lately, I’ve been thinking about how to make better use of my collection of over 700 DVDs and Blu-rays. I recently bought a Plex Lifetime Pass right before the price doubled, and I think it was a good investment. I know I could use Jellyfin, but not all of our TVs support it—whereas they do support Plex. I’ve started adding newer DVDs and Blu-rays to my system in preparation. I’m moving back to physical media and away from streaming services because of all the nonsense—shows and movies disappearing for arbitrary reasons, content being pulled without warning, and the fact that you’re only licensing what you think you own. Well, guess what? I do own the physical media. Which brings me to my question—and where I need some guidance: What kind of...

This post details my experience with MXRoute and MXGuardDog for email hosting and spam filtering. I've been using MXRoute for my email hosting since January 2025. When I started looking for a new web host, my previous host included email in its shared hosting plan, which worked well initially. However, I explored several alternatives, including Fastmail, but found it too expensive for my needs. I also considered using my paid ProtonMail account. While I could have used it for myself, it would have introduced complications for my parents, who are in their 70s and not very tech-savvy. Therefore, I began researching other email hosting providers and looked into Purelymail (purelymail.com), Migadu (migadu.com), and finally, MXRoute (mxroute.com). After reading various reviews, MXRoute stood out as the best option. I was particularly drawn to its affordability: 25GB of storage for just $30 for three years (essentially $10 per year), with renewals at the same price. Best of all, tran...

Employee-Provided Healthcare I've been wanting to write about this topic for a while, but the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson allegedly by Luigi Mangione has been weighing on my mind. First and foremost, healthcare in this country has been in shambles for a long time. Throughout my career, I've always had employer-provided healthcare—through two government employers (state and county) and one private employer. I can say that the state-provided plan was the cheapest but middle-of-the-road in terms of quality. The county government plan was a little more expensive, but it was by far the best coverage I've ever had. Now, I work for a private employer, and while I'm grateful to have insurance, it has been the worst plan I've ever had—and I work for a hospital.

I went to my cardiologist today for my last visit with him. Dr. Patrick Chang of the University of South Florida is moving to Orlando, FL, and leaving the university, so if you’re looking for a great cardiologist, he’s definitely one to consider. His fellow will be taking over for him, and I like him too—plus, he’s young, so I should be seeing him for the next 20 to 30 years or more! 🙂 The news I got today is that they want me to see a cardiomyopathy specialist at USF. I’ve been feeling tired all the time, and I’m already on the maximum dosage of my medication combo for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. My last ECHO showed some improvement, but my left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient is still elevated at 55 mmHg. #Cardiology #HypertrophicCardiomyopathy #HCM #BigHeart

Well, I’m glad I only have 9 years until retirement. Hopefully, Social Security sticks around, because who knows if my 401(k) will rebound. The President keeps shooting us in the foot economically 🦶🎯. It took years to get this bad—it’ll take years to fix, but he thinks months will do! #politics

There’s nothing more frustrating than waking up and thinking, I’m going to do a simple task to start the day. 😤 I planned to clone my nearly full 2TB NVMe drive to a new 4TB drive. I grabbed my external drive case, connected the new drive, and launched EaseUS Clone Disk. The first 566GB copied without issue. Then, suddenly, the speed dropped to a crawl. 🐢 Around 70%, I got the dreaded blue screen of death and a reboot. After three failed attempts with the same result, I tried installing the new drive and cloning in reverse. One more blue screen later, I gave up after nearly 12 hours of troubleshooting. 🤦‍♂️ Frustrated, I ordered a disk cloner so I can copy directly between the two NVMe drives without interference. Both drives check out fine, so I have no idea what’s causing the issue. This whole experience was a headache 🤯, and I didn’t get around to the other things I had planned for the day. Tags: #NVMe #SSDUpgrade #TechFails #PCProblems

Why is a civilian tech CEO with significant business interests in China being briefed on potential US-China conflict scenarios? Seems like a concerning conflict of interest.

I have a new avatar! It’s now live on Micro.blog, Bluesky, and Mastodon. This was my first time using Fiverr, and I think it turned out pretty lifelike. Let me know what you think!

Today, I leveraged my single Mastodon instance, my Raspberry Pi, and my paid Claude AI account to create an automated weather posting system for my home location. Using Claude AI, I generated code to automatically post weather updates and other information—tasks I previously relied on IFTTT for. It was an interesting project, and I plan to extend it further with additional automated posts. I can see IFTTT and Zapier either having to step up their game or eventually fading away. AI is a game-changer for those of us who aren't coders. While I’m sure the code isn’t the most optimized (Claude AI is supposedly the best at code generation right now), it’s incredible how AI allows regular people like me to experiment and bring my ideas to life. This is how I envision AI—not as a replacement, but as a helper and a great equalizer. I know this technology will inevitably change lives (not necessarily for the better) and eliminate some jobs, but it’s also making powerful tools and knowledge...

📺 This week’s Watchlist: Matlock – S1 Ep. 15 – Game Face ⭐⭐⭐ Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage – S1 Ep. 14 – A Sportsbook and a Breakup, This Is That Moment ⭐⭐ From NetFlix: The Night Agent – S2 Ep. 2 – Disconnected ⭐⭐⭐ The Night Agent – S2 Ep. 3 – Government Property ⭐⭐⭐ Hoping to squeeze in a few more episodes this weekend! 🎬 Tags: # TV # Entertainment # NetFlix

I canceled my Paramount+ subscription on Saturday, just before the renewal day yesterday, and I’m thinking of dumping a few more. I canceled Apple TV+ a few months ago. There are TV programs I like on both, but I just can't justify it anymore. These subscriptions are like vampires, siphoning a few dollars here and there until my budget is bled dry. These little charges are starting to eat away at my budget.

You know, the Republicans through Trump and Musk have found the key to cutting money to everyone but their rich owners and hiking taxes in the form of tariffs so they can say they don’t raise taxes. But a tariff is a tax. #Taxes #Tariffs #politics

I totally agree with Leo's perspective in this YouTube video . If I could easily move all my PC games to macOS or Linux, I'd jump ship in a heartbeat. The problem is that not all of my games are compatible with macOS or Linux, and the cost of switching would be significant. If there were a one-time platform transfer option, that would be a game-changer—I’d be gone in an instant. While there's a lot to like about Windows 11, there's also plenty to dislike. My biggest frustrations are the forced OneDrive integration and the Outlook fiasco. Microsoft should reconsider some of its recent decisions, as they’re pushing away users like me who prefer more consumer-friendly choices. Tags: # Microsoft # Windows # Consumers

Watched on Sunday March 9, 2025.

It all started with a simple question: Can I take an RSS feed from one blog and feed it to another? I knew that my Write.as blog automatically generated an RSS feed and that I used to import posts directly into Micro.blog. However, I was running into issues with duplicate posts. So, I had an idea—why not see if ChatGPT could help me or if there was already a program that could parse an RSS feed and pull it into Micro.blog? ChatGPT confirmed that it was possible. It suggested that I use my Raspberry Pi to run a script that would fetch the feed, filter out what I didn't need, and then push the cleaned-up version to Micro.blog. Diving Into the World of AI-Assisted Coding My coding experience was minimal. I had learned QBasic in college over 30 years ago and had taken an introductory Python course about a decade ago. In other words, I had just enough knowledge to get myself into trouble. So, I knew I’d have to rely almost entirely on AI to guide me through this project. To ensure...

All my life, I’ve been told that Russia and Putin are bad for the U.S.—which I believe. But now, we want to get closer to Russia just because they’re big and powerful? Republicans were once at the forefront, saying Putin’s Russia is evil. Now, Russian assets are in charge of our country, and suddenly, Republicans say Russia isn’t bad? This is exactly why I’ve given up on party affiliations—neither party cares about the average moderate citizen, as the Constitution was set up to protect and as our Founding Fathers envisioned. Something is happening in this country that I can’t wrap my head around. What’s next—normalizing relations with North Korea and kicking South Korea to the curb? I can see why people voted for him. They really thought his talk was all bluster and that he would actually help with inflation. Well, nope—I don’t see that happening. And no, I didn’t vote for either candidate because both were bad in different ways, and the party system desperately needs reform. I v...

I enjoyed Heart of Champions. It could have been a little shorter, but the performances were strong and the story was compelling.

I really need a new chair. I bought a Secretlab Titan chair in 2020 at the height of the supply shortages and COVID-19. I had to wait a few months for it and paid almost $500 . I figured that since I work remotely a couple of days a week and would be sitting in it when I’m home from work, it would be a worthwhile investment. I should have done more research. For the first year, the chair was alright—the seat was a little uncomfortable, but the backrest and headrest were fine. Fast forward three years, and one day, while sitting in the chair, I suddenly found myself on the floor. One of the base spokes/feet broke and sent me tumbling. To their credit, Secretlab sent me replacement parts, but ever since then, the chair has been going downhill. The hydraulic cylinder is failing—if the chair is facing a certain way, it sinks all the way down. The armrests are also wearing out and becoming rough. I say all this to emphasize that I want and need a new chair. But with the current state ...

You know, I think the media should pull all their coverage and reporters from the White House. Trump thrives on media attention. I know Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN won’t, but the people who watch them 24/7 wouldn’t care anyway. All we’re getting is lies, half-truths, and garbage as it is. #politics

What a total disgrace by the President and Vice President of the United States. This was clearly a planned move by both of them, only serving to benefit Putin. Just like the President's claim that Ukraine started the war, this plays right into Russia’s hands. Russia must be laughing at us, while Europe and our allies are left questioning the reliability of the U.S. Where is Congress?

Glad tomorrow is Friday. This week, I just haven’t had the get up and go in me.

A Little History I started blogging back in 2001, beginning with Blogger—probably like many others at the time. I remained on Blogger even after Google acquired the platform in 2003. However, I wasn’t a prolific blogger back then. Instead, I focused on maintaining a personal website where I frequently updated content, mainly pictures. At the time, I used my ISP’s residential web hosting service, which was included in my package, and built my site with Microsoft FrontPage. I became very proficient with FrontPage and really miss it—but I digress. When Microsoft FrontPage was discontinued and ISP-provided web hosting started disappearing, Blogger remained. So, I began using it more and more. I also started using Microsoft Live Writer—another great tool that unfortunately disappeared. For many years, I stuck with Blogger. Later, I experimented with WordPress, but I found it difficult to use and wasn’t impressed. Then came all the hullabaloo surrounding one of WordPress’s creators/owner...

I wish Microsoft Windows 11 Phone Link allowed you to delete text messages from the app on Windows. You can do almost everything else—so why not that? Another decision I just don’t understand. #Microsoft #Windows

First day with my new glasses 👓, and it’s great! I can finally see the computer screen without closing one eye or the other. Both screens are now perfectly readable! 🤓

Finally got my new glasses today and I can see again. I haven’t seen this clearly in 2 years. Soon as I put them on they were different but in a good way.

📺 Today’s Watchlist: Paramount+ 🎬 Tracker – S1 Ep. 9 The Disciple ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🎬 Matlock – S1 Ep. 12 This is That Moment ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🎬 Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage – S1 Ep. 11 Working for the Enemy ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Looking forward to finishing them all for this season! #TV #Entertainment

Who would want to work for the federal government, especially at an independent agency that Congress has expressly legislated into existence, if the next President can whimsically cut it out by Executive Order (which is unconstitutional) and cut off its funding? Where is Congress?

All in the Family is one of my favorite TV shows. I watch it almost every night and own the entire series on DVD. Why am I telling you this? Because lately, as I’ve been watching it, I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s going on in this country politically. And you know what? Trump is like Archie Bunker—but worse. The character of Archie Bunker and Trump have a lot in common. Both are New Yorkers. Both have racist tendencies—though I believe Archie’s stem from ignorance and learned behavior, while Trump's words and actions often suggest a belief that people of different races are lesser in intelligence and quality. Both refuse to admit when they don’t know or understand something. Both lie to cover this up. Both rely heavily on stereotypes. And both paint Republicans and politicians in a bad light. (For the record, Archie was a Republican.) The key difference? Archie had redeeming qualities. His ignorance and intolerance were rooted in tradition and, more importantly, a lack...