About me
I'm Ross McDonald. Geek, thinker, Open Source committer, calisthenics practitioner, Italian and Spanish language learner, gamer, Sci-Fi fan, comic/Anime/Manga consumer, coffee and wine lover, husband and father.
Notes
Following on from my last post on Guix it made sense to dig Emacs back out - and this time why not try to do everything with it? So far I have EXWM[1] configured so I can use Emacs as my OS, I've got the usual packages like org, org-capture and org-agenda setup and I have clojure, lsp[2] and cider all in place. For good measure I have IRC, mail and media setup via emms[3]. For Emacs itself, UI and config I've really benefited from Nano Emacs[4] and the fine config samples provided by SystemCrafters[5]. There is still so much more to do but I can already do pretty much everything I need. Launching Obsidian or browsers from Emacs as an OS is pretty awesome. [1]: https://github.com/ch11ng/exwm [2]: https://github.com/emacs-lsp/lsp-mode [3]: https://www.gnu.org/software/emms/ [4]: https://github.com/rougier/nano-emacs [5]: https://systemcrafters.net/
Published :I'd ignored Guix[1] before as I did not have enough time to try it properly. Having recently experienced some drift across my Linux machines (and having grown tired of tinkering at too low a level with bash), and realising my love more and more for all things Lisp (so far a 14 plus years love affair not including time spent with it at University) I decided to just install Guix first class on my laptop dev machine. I need not say anything more than... wow. [1]: https://guix.gnu.org
Published :It's the dawn of a new age - Lisp on my Inkplate 6 plus (ESP32)[1]. I've tinkered with the device infrequently since buying it in the summer (mostly because I am very busy - but partly because I can no longer bring myself to be excited or particularly interested in programming C). uLisp[2] changes the game however after being initially disappointed my board did not have enough Flash RAM to handle Clojurescript via Esprit. The installation was simpler than many blogs and sites make it seem to be. I used Arduino IDE this time as my dev environment is in flux post Sonoma. Couple of gotchas that will save you internet research time: ensure you choose the e-radionica Inkplate 6Plus board (code will not upload successfully with other options), choose 115200 as the upload speed, download the uLisp ino[3] as a raw file then upload to your device via USB-C, when uLisp is uploaded to the device use the Serial Monitor and ensure it is configured to 9600 baud, play with uLisp. I think the use cases are many and will write about some later. [1]: https://hackaday.com/2021/06/21/review-inkplate-6plus/ [2]: http://www.ulisp.com/show?3J [3]: https://github.com/technoblogy/ulisp-esp/blob/master/ulisp-esp.ino
Published :It's not truly interoperable unless it is truly free[1]. Make sure wherever it is most important that you do not rely on proprietary. While you are at it make sure privacy is as good as it can be! [1]: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/software-that-supports-your-body-should-always-respect-your-freedom
Published :This article on the beauty of finished software[1] made me think of all that I love about Lisp[2] and consequentially Clojure[3]. I think we should also think about the beauty of software that is backwards compatible and slow to change (think the opposite of move fast and break things - it doesn't need to move fast or break things if it is done right either first time or shortly thereafter), software that is the result of careful design, which consequently is pragmatic, extensible and a joy to use. [1]: https://josem.co/the-beauty-of-finished-software/ [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisp [3]: https://clojure.org
Published :I decided I do enough interesting things with the family to require me making an effort to remember where I go and what I do beyond an Apple Photos library. Accordingly I've taken the next #indieweb step and implemented a simple version of 'checkin'[1] using the excellent OwnYourSwarm[2]. [1]: https://indieweb.org/checkin [2]: https://ownyourswarm.p3k.io
Published :If you are trying to connect to a pi zero (w) over USB from Parrot and related Linux distros you can follow all the guides on 'connecting to pi zero via USB' you like, unfortunately it most likely won't work, nearly all of them missed the step that made it work conveniently for me... the Avahi daemon[1] - which layers on some service discovery goodness. [1]: http://avahi.org/
Published :'Arc'[1] deserves some kudos. If you are worried about the security of your secret things, passwords and otherwise and would prefer to keep them encrypted on a portable device not on a server or in the control of potentially unreliable parties give it a go. I've opted for a Pi Zero W and got a cool Pimoroni Pibow case for it. #privacy #arc [1]: https://www.evilsocket.net/2017/12/07/DIY-Portable-Secrets-Manager-with-a-RPI-Zero-and-the-ARC-Project/
Published : 'Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet'[1]. At this point I'm not sure how far control of expensive things IN SPACE which are critical to some down here is from whimsy. 😞 [1]: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/elon-musk-biography-walter-isaacson-ukraine-starlink
Published :'UK Government Seeks to Dispel Encryption Concerns'[1] - I'm very glad that this has been stopped for now. This gives all involved time to find better ways to tackle the root problem. Privacy and the creation of a safe society are intrinsically linked and it is complex to understand how. [1]: https://www.govinfosecurity.com/uk-government-seeks-to-dispel-encryption-concerns-a-23021
Published :'Largest local government body in Europe goes under amid Oracle disaster'[1] - very sad, if nothing else because there is no reason to use Oracle, or IBM's alternative, or Microsofts etc etc. There are plenty of perfectly usable and free alternatives and there have been for decades. So so sad. [1]: 20230907-bigtech-needlessly-breaking-the-world.edn
Published :'Twitter accused of helping Saudi Arabia commit human rights abuses'[1] - I don't know if it is true, but it is just one more bit of bad over there at 'X'... I'm re-evaluating whether I want to continue tweeting (xing?). Oh yeah, the verb is now broken/unclear... [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/04/twitter-saudi-arabia-human-rights-abuses
Published :My Beepy[1] turned up yesterday. I've been busy but still managed to tinker enough to get Beeper[2] up and running on it. The fun factor is very high and I can see the promise of more projects to come. Right now I need to spend some time getting to know the Blackberry keyboard and learning how to use gomuks[3] as a Beeper client. [1]: https://beepy.sqfmi.com [2]: https://www.beeper.com [3]: https://github.com/tulir/gomuks
Published : In the spirit of iterative design I'm revisiting my previous information sharing architecture[1] and Udat Watchy Github repository[2] posts with a few updates. I've settled on Vox Machina[3] as the name for my data and event handling architecture. Accordingly I have started to migrate my Github repositories over to the vox-machina Github organisation. I have also done some thinking about the structure of the architecture to see if it can meet all my needs which has updated the diagram a little. More to come. [1]: https://r0ss.me/notes/20230608-information-handling-early-thoughts.html [2]: https://r0ss.me/notes/20230609-watchy-udat.html [3]: https://github.com/vox-machina
Published : So Beeper is working out very well for me. I have setup Messages, Telegram, Signal, Discord and Google Chat. There are a few minor issues with images not working at times, but overall the interface is very usable and this is saving me a good amount of time. I can't wait for my Beepberry to arrive so I have my dedicated comms cyberdeck.
Published :I was one of the lucky ones on a 'bump' 500 to the top of the Beeper[1] list! Very excited to be able to start using it, have been waiting for a while. This gets be on one step of the way to using Beepberry[2] :-) Open hackable devices and unified messaging - that's a good place to aim for. Will report back on Beeper. [1]: https://www.beeper.com [2]: https://beepberry.sqfmi.com
Published : I've been fascinated with working with information better for years. Some thoughts are starting to coalesce. These thoughts include how I'm looking into collection, processing, publishing and sharing information. This is a healthy blend of professional and personal interest. The diagram presents a number of ideas I will expand on as I develop my thinking. Here at least I've got some names for machinery that amuses me.
Published : Another day another 'silo' implosion. This time Reddit[1]. I'm confused, why are we enthralled by these silos? We can share our thoughts without paying, without our data being locked behind paywalls or preposterous third party API shenanigans. What do we need beyond Indieweb style protocols and cooperatively run hardware to enable them? Sure a little governance thinking... some of us are looking into that also. [1]: https://tinyurl.com/5rffp94v
Published :Experimenting with using Github as my Task Manager. Pretty much all my projects are in Github anyway and the 'Projects' functionality cuts across repositories and integrates nicely with todos in repos. The mobile app provides for projects interaction which is a bonus. Currently the MacOS client does not seem to. Finally looks like I can create todos on some kind of recurring basis with Github Actions. I will report back!
Published :Beepberry[1] is what I was 'researching' when I was distracted by Watchy per my last note. I had to preorder instantly :-) There is something so appealing about these open hackable devices. I'm working on some projects that leverage new ways to make information accessible (and open up events that are trapped in silos) and orienting around fun gadgets makes it easier to get some skin in the game to ensure good design! [1]: https://beepberry.sqfmi.com
Published :Came across Watchy[1] by SQFMI when going down the rabbit hole on hackable devices. I have always avoided hardware (seem to have infinite patience for software but am not confident with hardware). Had to buy it for the promise of open source hackability - a device that works how I want it to where the possibilities for what I can do with the data are endless. Early days, but it's on my wrist and counting my steps. Will report back. #watchy [1]: https://watchy.sqfmi.com
Published :I've finished creating a first attempt at part of the Webmention[1] protocol on my little Indieweb toolkit experiment. So far only receiving 'reply' webmentions on 'notes' on my site, but its a start. When it is feature complete and robust enough I'll update my indieweb wiki pages. Feels good to build it out for myself - slowly bringing me back into the software engineering world after a considerable time away. #indieweb #webmention [1]: https://indieweb.org/Webmention
Published :I see material like the study commissioned by Meta (conjecturing on the value by 2035 of what it is peddling)[1] much as I see material published by a16z on the 'state of crypto'[2] - speculative BS created purely to sucker the next cadre of unfortunates in to parting with their cash. 😞 [1]: https://www.reuters.com/technology/metaverse-could-contribute-up-24-us-gdp-by-2035-study-2023-05-09/ [2]: https://api.a16zcrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/State-of-Crypto.pdf
Published :Ok, Fediverse posts (Indieweb notes only for now) seem to be working. I hit a snag in trying to trigger delete Activitypub activity from Bridgy Fed but that is potentially down to the particular tool I am using. It's been fun. Next on to building out some indieweb-login functionality on a pet project mine - more on that later.
Published :In a huge coincidence (World Password Day) yesterday (late evening) I spent a big chunk of time working on enabling passkeys, looking into the web dev side of them, and of course implementing the brilliant #indieauth. Very satisfying finding ways to use them in new projects I'm tinkering on, particularly where my projects concern friends and family, giving people ways to control their identity is just the right thing to do.
Published :I think this sentence is one of the best I have read in recent months. On the subject of ChatGPT Dan McQuillan says 'Instead of expressing wonder, we should be asking whether it's justifiable to burn energy at "eye watering"[1] rates to power the world's largest bullshit machine.' [1]: https://twitter.com/sama/status/1599669571795185665
Published :I'm having some trouble with definitions. Dichotomy - 'a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different'. Trichotomy - 'a division into three categories'. So my first thought on how to go beyond this where there is no obvious number is to use polychotomy - 'a division or separation into many parts or classes'. Reading a little deeper though (and this is not sourced from a definition) I see 'Di', in dichotomy means 'between or across' rather than 'two', perhaps the meaning of dichotomy has changed (or has been perceived to have changed) over the years. Now what to do?
Published :When you are building a Micropub capability on your indieweb site and you have too many post types to add and too little time - which are the most important? 😀 I've kept it easy so far, replies and likes - basic social capabilities - but I'm excited to do something more creative with reviews, favourites or something to do with one of my hobbies. #indieweb #micropub
Published :So I don't want to use Twitter in the browser, with ads and an interface I just don't want to be forced to use. Currently using email notifications on an adhoc basis as the UI now - obviously far from ideal - what are other people doing? Obviously anything I post goes to my own Indieweb website first and any silo's after. Clearly I'm on Mastodon and enjoying! #mastodon #twitter
Published :I have finally taken the first step towards implementing my own Micropub endpoint. Only notes (what I for some reason prefer to call posts) currently provisioned for but I can see the attraction of opening up my possibilities for adding content to my own site (and from there to re-posting in the silos). Feels good to bring the dev skills back online (albeit slowly - and wow the code is brittle right now) 😀 #indieweb #micropub
Published :There is a feeling of great satisfaction to be had when in addition to doing your bidding as you use it in your daily work your computer is busy working hard on something else for you at the same time. In this case using Whisper by OpenAI to transcribe all those little notes I've made to myself while walking or generally away from ⌨️. This is happening locally on my Mac and I feel like I finally have a minion 🤓. #openai #whisper
Published :Too much raw data is moving, obscuring the route to resolving issues in the real world - why is that? I'm interested in finding a better way to use information to resolve a subset of real world problems, without large and complex ontologies, without semantics bleeding across boundaries, without lock-in, without stifling innovation, without feeding 'big data' platforms or 'monism'. #signals
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