3600 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php Here's a bit of what I like, and what I think. https://ccssite.ccsgraphic.com/images/opinions.jpg https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2025#2025-12-21 I keep getting overwhelmed with the horrors of the world. They keep coming and I’m finding it harder to really feel engaged with life in a productive/healthy manner. So much suffering around me and not so near, but our world is so much more connected than it was even just a few years ago. I keep wanting/wishing that there was more desire to let people be—less focus on the self—but some folks are really just so interested in shaping the entire world into the vision they want. It’s annoying. When you have the time and resources to make the lives of others entirely miserable, it’s entirely unfair to expect those impacted to take time out of their daily life struggles to push back. Sun, 21 Dec 2025 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2025#2025-12-21 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2025#2025-10-22 Depths of despair. Horror of horrors. The world is burning. The sky is falling. Hate is here to hurt. I suffer so much on a regular basis because so many people in this world are scared or hurting or dying—and my efforts aren’t enough to stop it. We’re now at over two years of the most active distruction of Gaza (which continues despite this shame of a ceasefire). I know Sudan is going though some awful stuff. The U.K. is actively transphobic. The U.S.…is absolutely fascistic. All the corporations are just out to make more money at the expense of anything that isn’t their pocketbook. The enshitification of absolutely everything is…yes, that. I keep reading more and more horror stories about so many horrors. I just learned about the existence of CALEA. Apple’s “Liquid Glass” is an absolute horror show. Nobody wants Windows 11. Oh, and half* the internet went down because of a DNS issue with AWS. Despite this pain, I still believe in distributed social media and an end to capitalism if we call come together, collectively in our power to deny the authority of this abuse. * “Half” is hyperbole, but barely. Wed, 22 Oct 2025 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2025#2025-10-22 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2025#2025-07-31 I remember reading about this Chinese blessing/curse in (IIRC) my Teach Yourself Java for Macintosh in 21 Days book: “May you live in interesting times.” These are the most interesting times I’ve lived in, I must say. So, here we are. We definitely done did it again. I did not expect to live through horrific genocide that I helped to fund. I did not expect to be considering being genocided in a worse outcome future. It’s all highly upsetting and I’ve been overwhelmed with trying to do my part to help people survive. But it doesnt’t feel like enough. Nothing feels like enough. I find myself longing for a more ignorant time on my part—to slip into a little all consuming consumption for a little bit. To disconnect and actually feel free. Being so connected to everything just makes that feel more impossible. I’ve had some little moments of getting lost in old Macintosh revelry, comforting TV shows, but I really can’t fully let go. I can’t give myself permission to. Also, generative AI is in ALL THE THINGS and I hate it with such a passion. Only a little while ago I was ambivelant at worst, and perhaps a little optimistic at best. But of course capitalism and consumerism just means more trashing our environment for ease and money at the expense of quality. It was fine as a little novelty. I could even see it as a visualization tool to aid in your personal research (I’m thinking Star Trek again), but now we’re letting the computers take over again. Junk email wasn’t enough, I guess. I just might be hating the internet and technology in general. Everything is so ridiculously complicated and we’re pressured to keep up the pace—pushing people into using generative “tools” as a shortcut. *sigh* I just want to grow food in my garden. For myself. For others. I just want to return to focusing on what really matters for survival. Maybe a little art when I have the chance. I feel like I used to create more. I’ve come across a lot of lovely short films on Vimeo. So much more intriguing than what we get in the like-and-subscribe-sponsored-by segues of YouTube. Some of the videos I used to really enjoy seeing was of people working on cool projects or doing fun comedy skits that didn’t feel like content churn for the ad money clicks. I’m so jaded on what our world has become when I look back to things I was able to experience a few years ago. I think I’m also just failing to people properly… I appreciate having folks in my life who still care about others. That part is nice at least. Thu, 31 Jul 2025 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2025#2025-07-31 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-11-06 Frak! How the frak did this happen again‽ Like, seriously? I’m not surprised, but it’s just wild that we’re here again. Supporting genocide did not help Kamala Harris’ campaign and now I full expect a whole lot more murdered people. This is an emotional take. I was expecting either outcome, but my body is having the same sensations as I experienced the morning after in 2016. I think what I’m experiencing is extreme disappointment in how many folks still voted for Trump. Being in California, I was able to vote for Cornel West. A vote that didn’t count toward anything—and, looking at other state results, third-party voting has so far had no bearing on the outcome of this election. But this was a candidate that I actually had passion for. Why can’t we have nice things (like an anti-genocide position)? Anti-genocide was the right direction (reguardless of election outcome) but it looks like we just get more pro-genocide. (yay /s) We have a couple of months to prepare. We know what to expect (but probably even more, plus some organization this time). *sigh* Wed, 06 Nov 2024 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-11-06 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-10-27 It’s been over a year—this devastating destruction of Gaza. Now Israel is bombing Lebanon. And Iran. So many thousands dead. I keep expecting that if we can show people what’s really happening, they’ll change their mind about supporting this atrocity—this genocide. Sadly, it seems it’s what many people want and it just breaks my heart and brain. Dealing with the pandemic was supposed to be the defining moment of the decade, but it has merged with more wonton death and destruction. And now with the rise of LLM/Generative “AI”—we’re still not able to meet climate targets and capitalists are seriously suggesting we abandon the effort and focus on developing this energy intensive technology—technology that currently is actually very bad at what it does—in order to solve the issue. Do these people hear themselves? Rather than not killing people (and the indirect killing through contributing to climate change) and cutting back on the fossil fuel emissions that are killing even more people—we’ve had major hurricanes that have devestated some regions of the U.S. (but I don’t even have the capacity to fully track that—plus all the other climate change linked disasters happening all over the world). It’s overwhelming! I hate it! I’ve been organizing with folks to try to do what we can to reduce support for Israel’s inescusable behavior (a culmination of nearly three quarters of a century of oppression on Muslim Arabs. I’m thoroughly disabused of the notion that The United States is one of the “good guys.” It was founded on the same kind of colonial genocide and imperial oppression that brought Europe its wealth and position in the world. I can’t remember the last time I felt non–stop horror on a daily basis. In the year of 2024, a country with pleanty of resources and stability is seemingly totally fine as long as its interests are maintained. We are so beyond the time when we came together on a massive scale to push back hard on this. Letting people die (and we know that they are—it’s not a secret to anyone) is just so not okay. Sun, 27 Oct 2024 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-10-27 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-08-14 Bernie Sanders. This was a movement. A United States presidential candidate that carried the message echoing sentiments from Occupy Wallstreet. For me personally, I was moved by the possibility of a better world—or at least one where some things could be better. The words he spoke resonated with me. They weren’t revolutionary—just things that made sense and acknowledged the problems that were quite clear. For all the “advances” capitalism has made, it has clearly caused great harm to the world and to human society. That’s very much evident in the United States with wealth and health inequities. Some moments during the campaign almost took on a magical quality. The bird landing on the podium is the epitome of that experience. Campaign materials were wonderfully designed too (in my opinion). The only campaign signs I have are from this campaign (I specifically recall the Rainbow version). After having that taste of hope and real change. I’ve been quite disappointed with where we’ve landed with presidential candidates since then—at least the ones with a realistic chance to office. *sigh* With the horrors of genocide in Gaza, the U.S. still meddling in other countries political goings on, the horrific treatment of folks within this country, I’m starting to lose hope in people. I was raised with the belief that people just aren’t capable of governing themselves and it’s not feeling wrong. I think this leads to people feeling the need to try force to get a unified direction (dictatorship). Although this can achieve the goals of forcing change, sadly, our desires can be so different that it just results in so much horror. Even a benevolent dictator just sets up a system for abuse because they won’t live forever (or maybe they just lose touch and become the kind of problem they were fighting against). At this point in time, I really just want to be able to focus on more direct survival things. Let me tend to a garden, prepare food. I tire of all the abstraction capitalism puts on our lives. Wed, 14 Aug 2024 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-08-14 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-04-05 CW: This post gets into discussion of genocide and hate. I’ve alternated between being absolutely distraught and feeling despondent over the state of the world. It is appalling what is going down in Gaza. I grew up learning about the horrors of The Holocaust. How absolutely vile it was. It’s unbelievable that a similar situation is unfolding in this age of worldwide connectedness. And to be implicated in it financially is— I just don’t have the words now. I’ve been organizing with local community members to get our local government to adopt ceasefire resolutions. It’s shocking how much resistence there is. Some of the open hatred I’ve seen in those opposed is only something I’ve seen in movies or TV. The hate is vile and very real. But this isn't the only genocide. We’re living in a time of concurrent genocide. Is that the norm? We’re also facing lots of anti-trans hate. Anti-immigrant. Antisemitism. Anti-Muslim hate. Anti-Blackness. I haven't been able to even focus on some of this. Entire families are being bombed. I’m tired. So tired. But I expect better than this. Fri, 05 Apr 2024 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-04-05 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-01-04 It’s been a long time since I did any edits to this website that were not just my Opinion pieces. Tonight I stayed up (among other things) adding some missing Nintendo game entries that I’d never added—despite having already created links to them). 20 year old broken links have started to get fixed. Having a primary computer that is a laptop again helps with spontaneous edits. The way the web works these days has changed so much. This opinion page started off as plain HTML before I switched over to adding entries to a database. I think switching to my own hosting at that point allowed me to add more sophisticated components once I moved off of Lycos’ free Tripod site. That was to host it on my very own iBook (G3, Late 2001—have I talked about this elsewhere?). This site is still mostly composed of static HTML files, however. Ugh. It irks me a bit to copy entire pages with all the menus and stuff copied along with it. Perhaps that discourages me a bit from restructuring the site more unless I made it much more dynamic. But, I really don't touch it that much to justify the effort, probably. Oh, also, MIDI and QuickTime files with unsupported codecs are no longer how you put together a website. Social media really seems to have filled in that gap for most folks. I created CCS Site to share a bit more about me and the things I loved. I haven't done that enough. Sunflowers are sorely missing from mention in the site (though I have a picture or two). I’m not sure though, if I should continue developing this site or leave it as a testament to the time period in which it was envisioned. I really do get a kick out of seeing <frameset> and <font> tags when I peek at the source… Thu, 04 Jan 2024 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2024#2024-01-04 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2023#2023-12-12 COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2. Coronavirus. Pandemic. These words/terms changed my life. Once thought to be only temporary, they have now become a nearly four year old saga. In the early days, I canceled plans with others, stayed home, tried to lighten the load and await the promised vaccine. And then the vaccine came and we were still in a pandemic. More vaccines followed, but…we were still facing a dangerous respiratory illness. Lethality may have been reduced, but then we were introduced to the term “Long Covid.” *sigh* It’s tiring. To constantly mask—and yet I continue to for not just my safety, but those around me. Hoping that one day we can beat this thing. Our previous periods of isolation have taken out a few viruses—just not COVID. The constant vigilance about wearing a mask, worrying if it’s fitting correctly or too old, dirty, or damaged. The loss of spontaneity of eating out or with friends. Cuddling with strangers. The isolation remains while we watch others go out, have fun, and eventually catch COVID. Do I want a gold star for not having (to my knowledge) caught this virus? No. I just want my sacrifice to have meaning. I want those who normally have immune limitations to have a bit less restriction on their lives. I want this virus not to have long-lasting effects on more lives. I long for the day I hang out at a friend’s place without weight of asking them to mask for me. To duck into a shop without the dance of the N95 respirator bands over my head. To sing and share food with friends up close. Until that time, I am appreciating the closeness I share with the ones I live with. Being in solidarity of the ones who continue to mask up. Fighting the fight for a just and accessible world for all—one breath at a time. Tue, 12 Dec 2023 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2023#2023-12-12 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2023#2023-01-14 I recently came across someone talking about how Apple didn't support Flash at one point, but other companies did and it was a bad decision. Yes, This is true, but in my opinion, it’s not merely because of flaws in Flash. Since I’m not doing heavy research on this subject (and this is just a place for me to share my opinions), I’m going to share how I remember and saw the fall of Flash happening. Back in the early aughts, Flash was everywhere. So many websites relied on Flash. Yes, it made for a cool experience (if you didn't rely on assistive technology), but it really sucked on the Mac. I recall hitting websites with so many Flash ads (pretty sure I talked about this in my OkCupid experience) and my laptop’s fans kicked into high gear, the system heated up, crashes—it was not great. When the iPhone came out, it did not support Flash and Apple said that it wasn't going to. I believe Steve Jobs actually said some things about it. Okay, so I want to include a link for this, so I looked it up and, well, here’s some details: ON April 29, 2010, Steve Jobs laid out the issues he saw with Flash. As a Mac user at the time, I agreed. He was spot on. But despite those issues with Flash, I don't think that’s what killed it. Using it on Windows, I didn't notice the same kinds of issues I’d been seeing on my Mac. I blame poorly optimized software for Mac OS. But with the popularity of the iPhone and iPad, I saw a number of traditionally Flash websites (photography portfolios were what I particularly worked with) being converted to HTML5—because they wanted them to run on iOS. iDevices, in my opinion, killed Flash. And I’m not sad about that, other than the fact that it had so many security vulnerabiliies that it is difficult to get a browser to work for all of that old Flash content (mainly games). HTML 5 is much more accessible (or at least it can be). Sat, 14 Jan 2023 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2023#2023-01-14 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2023#2023-01-05 I’ve been developing Drupal 8+ sites on and off for a few years now. I’m still learning the basics. When I go online to find solutions to my problems or goals, too often it’s something relating to Drupal 7, or it’s outdated. Tonight, I spent several hours working on integrating php-qrcode (a really cool library for generating neat QR codes) into a website I’m working on. Wanting to do things the right way (use Composer instead of adding the package directly to my module), I looked up details on how to do it. I wound up trying to follow the path Webform uses to include libraries, but PHP and Javascript libraries are treated a bit differently(?). After hours of bashing my head around why I wasn't locating the appropriate class, I came across some clear instructions that I’d initially discarded because they were a link to an external site—sometimes they’re great, but when you’re in a hurry and up way past your bedtime, you don't want to read an article. After finally figuring out the correct way to do some of the things (I still need to figure out all of the boiler plate stuff for things to “just work”), I was able to produce some QR codes. Much appreciation to the folks who create FOSS. I do wish the world could work that way. Throw yourself into something that brings you passion and all your needs are met along the way… Anyway, I’m just a little bit closer to becoming a "good" Drupal developer. Even though I don't under stand why Composer, I appreciate the machine that does the thing when you stack it all just right. :-) Thu, 05 Jan 2023 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2023#2023-01-05 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2022#2022-12-30 Wow. 2022 was a busy year. I continued my exploration of neurodivergence, rekindled my love for 3D creation, moved to yet another county in my state. First, a personal exploration update. I’m leaning quite heavily to an AuDHD (Autustic and ADHD) neurotype for myself. Yes, I still have my doubts and fear of settling on the wrong thing, but the more I explore, the more I see myself in other’s experiences (and my experiences in how others describe traits). I think I manage okay, but a number of things remain difficult for me—at different times. Peopling being one of those things that I’ve been analyzing a bunch lately and how I cope with social situations. I finally got up the nerve to ask my medical provider about assessment, but was told I’d need to go elsewhere and pay out of pocket. This was quite unsettling after being told they offered them and then being subjected to a barage of questions about my current mental health and history. It really emphasizes the validity of self-diagnosis when access to professionals is limited. So. 3D. Three dimensions. a way to describe our existence in the world. I’ve finally fallen in love with Blender. I spent a little bit of time trying to figure it out many years ago, but it was just too complicated. Now with a slightly more polished UI and access to a trove of YouTube tutorials, I’ve gotten quite a handle on this very un–Mac-like bit of software. It’s really quite powerful, and I appreciate having access to what it has to offer. I’ve been doing things for my D&D campaign, for personal exploration, and even a bit for work. So far I’ve learned modeling, materials application, rigging (ha ha, barely), and animation (again, just barely). The potential to do great things is there. I feel like I have a lot more I can accomplish than I could with some of the older open source/freeware/shareware software I tried in the past that was more Mac-like. So much of knowing how to use Blender lies in knowing keyboard shortcuts and commands. I should add more to my personal site… Fianlly, on moving to a new county. The weather is a bit different. The bugs are different (and a bit more plentiful in some ways). My access to friends is also different (they are once again further away). I seem to keep moving away from friends. I’m out of the more rural area, but futher out from where I developed friend groups. I seem to not maintain close friendships for long. I’ll be close to a small number of people, but when proximity changes (or they move away), I find that I’m less involved in their lives. This also seems to happen when I have a live-in romantic partner. I may tend to glomp onto them, or maybe focus on prioritizing spending time with them to avoid conflict? Is this something folks tend to worry about? I’ve been more focused on nesting (my girlfriend is really into making… Fri, 30 Dec 2022 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2022#2022-12-30 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2021#2021-03-28 The problem with race in the United States is not that white people exist. Before you jump to conclusions, let me explain. We’ve had an issue with white supremecy for quite some time. The belief that white people are superior allows for things like slavery and ill treatment to other people with a different skin color (or just from the wrong part of the world or having different beliefs). White supremecy results in some people (I think mostly white people) thinking this country should only be made up of white people. White supremecy is not something that is only associated with white people, though. It can also be internalized. Me, a Black person, used to wish I was white because I thought whiteness was better than blackness. I rejected the dialect of english that my family spoke because I thought it was inferior. To this day, I gravitate in bias toward white folks and need to make a conscious effort not to. White supremacy has also been institutionalized. Our systems of government and law enforcement were founded on principles of white supremacy. Though we've outlawed slavery, it lives on in a form in our prison system and policing. I'm not here to talk about structural racism. I want to talk about the interpersonal kind. The definition of racism in racial justice is specifically tied to power. In the U.S., that primarily belongs to white people. Again, the problem (in my opinion) is not white people — it’s white supremacy. I’ll explain further. In the United States, white supremecy has informed several racial dynamics in play today. Anti-Blackness, born out of contempt for the slave; anti-Asian, a fear of a people viewed as very different; anti-immigrant, fear of being a (white) minority. These other views did not stay with the originators of white supremacy, however. We're steeped in a white supremacist culture that diseminates these other views. People who are not white and who may not be able to latch onto white supremacy directly can adopt another view that they think gives them better positioning in society. Our problems are not racial differences. They are much deeper than that. They stem from inequalities and a system (be it policy or social) that perpetuates hate. Racial justice movements have the most power and potential when we can all come together against the lie that is white supremacy. We all share a planet. Yes we have differences, but we have many of the same needs. Let’s look for solutions and not scapegoats or whatabouts. How will you help defeat white supremecy? Sun, 28 Mar 2021 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2021#2021-03-28 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2021#2021-02-25 Over the past couple of months, I’ve been doing a deep dive into neurodivergence. After noticing how much I was struggling with work, I started to wonder if I had ADHD. After watching a load of YouTube videos from various creators and social media posters and learning a lot more about what it means to have an ADHD brain, this resonated to a point until I learned that issues with executive function are also associated with OCD (hey, I have that—pretty sure!). After much deliberation, I can to the understanding that what I was experiencing was probably mostly related to OCD. It was nice to be able to tie more of my experience to a condition that I knew (pretty sure!) was associated with me. This was helpful and gave me a good place to start from. I was feeling a bit sad about not really belong to this new community I’d discovered and begun to feel so comfortable in. But neurodivergence also covers OCD! What‽ I had found my people. Great. But my obssessive brain kept on wondering and assessing. I shifted over to autism. I'd been learning that Autism, ADHD, and OCD are often comorbid (in medical terms) so wanted to be sure sure (even though I was pretty sure). I’d learned so much about ADHD, and now I’m learning a lot more about autism. Some stuff reasonates a bit, some not so much. I'm just trying to be okay. All of the assessment of myself that I’ve been doing has had me thinking a lot about my history. I’m also much more aware of what I’m experiencing and how I’m behaving. It’s a bit hard to feel that I’m getting the full picture without regular in-person social contact. It’s all pretty stressful during these pandemic times. *sigh* Brains are weird and neat and also hard. Thu, 25 Feb 2021 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2021#2021-02-25 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-12-20 I have been doing a LOT of contemplation and on my mind—how I interpret and interact with the world. Twitter has been super helpful in finding connections with other neurodiverse folks. There are so many ways our brains make sense of our existence. I’ve been fortunate enough to come across several individuals with diagnoses and/or experiences that I can totally relate to. And it’s been so validating for me and has helped me to recognize that a lot of the ways in which I struggle it’s no because I suck as a human. No, it’s that the word is set up to work in ways that are difficult for me to conform to! With this newfound knowledge, I’ve been evaluating myself and my experiences over the years and everything is starting to click for me! It is such powerful experience! I’ve been under so much stress the last few years. It’s been so hard to feel like I’m making a difference in the world, or that I actually bring value to my relationships and work. I’ve had an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) diagnosis since I was in my teens (and had symptoms of something as a younger child). That explained some things about me, but over the years (particularly more recently with more isolation), I began to feel that perhaps it didn’t impact me as much as it did when I was in school. But I’m still struggling. This year, with the pandemic, and stresses high all around, I’ve been particularly keen on the writings and thoughts of folks with mental illness. This is a subject I’ve often had interest in (well, it’s starting to feel more obvious why now). I’ve flirted a bit with the possibility I may have ADHD, but I’ve always been like “nah, I’m not restless and I don’t lose things.” But reading the stories of other folks who have other symptoms, I found myself incredibily compelled at how much I connected with the symptoms described. After more reflection and discussion with my therapist (who is against labels, ha ha), I started to realize that maybe I’ve been compensating for some things. I don’t lose things (usually) because I have routines that I’m quite obsessive about—always checking for my phone when moving about, double-checking that I have my keys before clocking the car. I started to wonder if this was a result of some trauma but later on realized that I have OCD. I could have an obsession with not losing things so even though I quite often lose things in my apartment if I absent-mindedly set something down while transitioning between spaces, I’m extra careful when I’m out (usually), and when I’m home, there are some specific spots where I want to park things. OCD, ADHD, and ADS (Autism Spectrum Disorder) have been linked in various ways. Now I’m wondering where my mind fits into these labels. Perhaps an exact label isn’t specifically important, but it helps with affinity and seeking strategies to help my relating to the rest of… Sun, 20 Dec 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-12-20 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-08-28 I started this evening watching The Black National Conference. It had many stories of the struggles we face today. I ended my evening learning about Chadwick Boseman’s passing. *sigh* I really felt this one. His most iconic role as T'Challa and Black Panther meant so much to Black folks. The role and film felt really special. It hurts to lose him so young—especially given the anti-Blackness we’re facing in this country. The depiction of Wakanda was so aspirational for how we want to be able to view ourselves as not less than—of how things could have been. This year, 2020, has just been so hard. It’s always sad to lose a celebrity that we are attached to. It’s hard when governmental policies fall short of what we want or need. And it’s terrifying when thousands of people are dying of an illness. When we have to isolate, but also flee for our lives when a fire threatens to take it. This is super U.S. or even California centric. Things have been getting bad for a long while. What will this election bring? Will we have a first Black (and South Asian and Woman) vice-president? Will we see a shift in transmission of the virus? Will the Post Office survive? How many more beloved creators will turn on the Trans community? With “fire season” just starting, how many more evacuations will people need to experience? I really went all over the place with this post. Coming back to the inspiration for this post: Thank you Chadwick Boseman for your wonderful portrayal of a beloved Black superhero. Wakanda Forever. Fri, 28 Aug 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-08-28 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-06-17 I’ve noticed a few folks talk about how the “little bit” racist things have been weighing on them over time. I thought that maybe I’d not been experiencing it as much. But I’m definitely noticing it more now these days and am recognizing these experiences in the past. Wow. It has been an enlightening experience. I’m remembering all those times I’ve felt uncomfortable with interactions with folks, the times I felt put off—and I blamed myself for having those feelings. Yes, I’m a bit obssessive-compulsive, but that doesn’t mean that what I’m experiencing is okay. I have been one of the most conflict avoidant folks. I dislike the presence of bad feelings between folks. I’m the peacekeeper, the negotiator. This is not without its toll. I didn’t share my true feelings because I didn’t want to hurt other people, even if I was hurting inside. I wonder what kind of programming I had to prioritize the wellbeing of white people over my own. I guess I don’t really need to guess. The answer is bound to be white supremacy (with a big helping of white fragility). I’m seriously in need of a decolonization of self. Wed, 17 Jun 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-06-17 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-05-29 The rage I feel. Time after time, Black people are being killed by the police. People make excuses for them. Now, when folks are justifyably angry, the president of the United States is threatening to kill Black people for protesting about the killing of Black people. He’s not failing to read the room (as if this kind of thread would ever be appropriate). He’s letting his racist roots show—once again. This is so unreal. Or at least, not something I expected to see after years of progress. So many have put their lives on the line to fight for justice, for equity. And we’re doing this in the middle of a global pandemic! What is wrong with this country? Why is the government so unsafe for people of color? I remember when my family watched the TV show COPS as a kid. My mom would always squirm with discomfort when the police were taking someone down. I recall her saying that they were swarming like ants. A tactic that overwhelms the prey. The “nice” or easy thing to do would be to keep our heads down so we’re not next. “If I don’t do anything to upset anyone, I’ll be fine.” Maybe that works for a bit, but through a simple misunderstanding or thoughtless action, you could be the next target. Constantly living in fear of doing the wrong thing is not sustainable living in a society that values freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Yes, don’t be mean to other people, but fearing that saying or doing the wrong thing could cost you your life? That is not right. I’ve personally been spared a lot of state violence, but I’ve certainly had my fill of interpersonal conflic due to discrimination. But sometimes structural discrimination is difficult to identify at the individual level. We need to move back to get the bigger picture. What would my life be like if I weren’t afraid of being somewhere I shouldn’t be. What if I wasn’t afriad of taking a spontaneous action that might have someone think ill of me? Who will I be when I feel brave and confident in being equally valued as a human being in this society? But, that can’t happen until we remove racist institutions. When our value is not based on our net worth. When our potential is not determined by our privileges of circumstance. *sighs* We shall see. Fri, 29 May 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-05-29 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-05-24 This unprecendented time has brought out a new renaissance in my creative endeavours. Just yesterday I did a faux TikTok video that kind of expressed my feelings around lack of touch. I poured a good few hours into it and the result is entirely rediculous. I’ve been noticing over the last few days how I’ve heavily focused on nostalgia of years past—my obsession with all things Apple and Macintosh, revisiting old forums I used to frequent (or at least the ones that still exist). I have really come into my second isolation period. My first period of isolation was in my teens. I did my schooling at home (Independent Study—I taught myself) and didn’t have any friends outside of my immediate family. I hyper focused on learning HTML coding, computer drawing and photo manipulation, some music, and computer programming (Java and JavaScript for the most part). I did do some cool things then. I actually contributed to an open source 3D modeling and rendering program. I abandoned the work, however, and someone else had to take it over. In this time, I’m finding myself focusing on video once more. Looking back to my first Mac app (it was AppleScript-based) and getting it working again (why did Apple have to drop XIB for NIB?). Drawing and live streaming are also big focuses for me now. I had a long stint at sewing for masks (that world pandemic thing was still happening—even now) which gave me an opportunity to improve my sewing skills. I guess what I’m getting at is that I think I do a lot better when I’m not constantly negotiating people and their drama (not that them having drama is a bad thing, but being more empathic, it makes it much harder to focus on myself). That sounds a little selfish, but I do need to take care of myself sometimes. It really helps me in the long run with my relations with others. I’ve started playing some video games again—by myself. I don't usually play much on my own, but with the right games, I can enjoy them (I guess). I’m currently playing Donut County. It’s a light puzzle game that is not high pressure—I like that. I also preordered Paper Mario: The Origami King because I loved the first Paper Mario game which is the only one I’ve ever played (I didn’t get to play the sequel). I wonder if feeling more connected to myself have anything to do with feeling judged when being around other people. Feeling self-conscious doesn’t do much for self-esteem I would imagine. Last year while on my most epic road trip, I’d come to the realization that I wanted to live alone again. I also decided that I really wanted to do more travel on the road. The moments of solitude then are echoing a bit in my experience now (but less outside adventure which kinda sucks). Even with all that we’re going through together, the fact that we need to come together more than ever to save… Sun, 24 May 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-05-24 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-05-05 I haven’t touched another being for nearly two months. I miss touch. Sometimes I touch myself or imagine others touching me. Us humans are social creatures, and for most of us, touch is very important. When people ask me how I’m doing, my response is often, “I miss touching people.” Living in this unprecedented time of a pandemic that has scarcely left any country untouched, the United States has been a perfect storm* of disaster* (*CW: adult language). Following the election in 2016, the dismantling of government programs and regulations, the ineptitude of leaders. We beat SARS. MERS, well I’m not sure about that one. I fear that COVID-19 will be around indefinitely because we couldn't get our collective selves together to knock this out. So many folks are losing their lives, dying alone…and instead of us all coming together by staying apart, folks are clamoring to ease restrictions on gatherings and economic activity. Why? Because people can’t survive on what they’ve been paid in the past and what the government is (or in too many cases) isn’t paying them. We don’t need an economy to feed people. By my best understanding, the reason we have money is to make sure that some people don’t take more than they need without giving anything in return. But wait. I think we do have that problem. The capitalists who are taking in a lot more money than they’re giving out seem to be taking up more than their fair share. If only there were a way of redistributing that wealth to folks who aren’t able to get enough to survive or have a decent life. Tue, 05 May 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-05-05 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-04-10 I haven’t spoken to you about one of my greatest joys in entertainment: Steven Universe. I first started watching this show while recovering from surgery. Being on drugs, it was a delightful experience. But after the drugs wore off, I was still raptured by this world. The mystery, the sheer joy, the themes of love and abuse are all too real for to ignore this show as just another children’s cartoon. The epilogue series not only dove deeper into those themes, but brought closure for fans who’d felt the tremendous impact of the presence of this show on their lives. I’ve done quite a bit of processing with this show being the prompt. Not only is the story compelling, but I find the music so incredibly beautiful and moving. The art too is such a treat for view as the story unfolds. This show is magical (both in content and in reality). I never thought I could feel this deeply about something as an adult. It’s amazing. Go watch it if you haven’t already. Fri, 10 Apr 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-04-10 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-03-14 CW: Death Three days ago, I went to my first funeral ever. I've only ever been to memorial services in the past. This was a very different experience. Having a body present was a bit unnerving for me. I've been so sheltered from it that I really don't know how to handle it. I have no desire to see bodies. When I pass, I wish my body to cease to exist. When my bunny died several years back, I had him cremated. I did not collect his ashes. Personally, I'm not afraid of dying, but I do fear the evidence of death. My first funeral ever was for a dog. We knew each other and had lived together at one point. Since we hadn't lived together for a while, what words do you say? I was saddened by their passing, but we weren't very close. We didn't spend a lot of time together. Rituals around death are interesting. I think what I do is mostly done in private. Thoughts and memories and of course tears. I feel extremely sensitive to scenes of death. And that is reflected in how I respond to the death of others. From an anxiety perspective, it's overwhelming. Sat, 14 Mar 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-03-14 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-02-29 I’ve had quite a year of learning. About love. About myself. About others. And about this country. I feel the most adult I’ve felt yet! But first, an update. My old MacBook Pro seems to have restored a bit of battery life. I unplugged it to take to a presentation (but then totally forgot it at home, but that’s another story) and the next day it was still pulsing it’s sleep light (remember those‽). After my iPhone 3GS’s battery expanded, I’ve been afraid of destroying a computer by charging a bad battery, but they seemed to have better sense than to charge one that was unsafe. So, now I have an old computer that I can unplug and take places. Yay. Okay. Back to what I’ve learned. For the last several years—a decade, actually—I’ve been living with other people. On my long road trip (yeah, I totally did that), I learned that I really felt best when I had more time alone. I enjoyed seeking out people for social contact, or, at least I knew it was something that was healthy for me. I tend to be a homebody who stays home and interacts with the folks that are around me. This is probably due to how I grew up. I didn’t have school friends and did most of my socializing with my sister. I fall into the same habit when I live with other people. On my road trip last year, I traveled over 11K miles in about a month. It was my most epic road trip ever and it has cemented my love for being out on the road. I long to go back. Being nomadic felt good. I wasn't tied to too much stuff. There was always something new to see. Did I mention I did the trip in an EV? I’m super fascinated with them now. I guess I'm always going to be a geeky nerd. When I started writing here, my fascination was mostly around art and computers and the web. The web. It has changed so much. It’s such a regular part of our lives now. It’s no longer special. It’s been so standardized and focused on social media platforms. I miss the unique experiences I had out here. I get nostalgic just thinking about the old forums I used to visit (that have now been abandoned—replaced by the monolithic social media networks. Big business has taken over. And the hackers and the scammers. I miss the days of setting up a web and email server and not worrying about updates unless you wanted a new feature. The worst that happened to me was being an open relay for spam. Nowadays. Holy crap! Sat, 29 Feb 2020 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2020#2020-02-29 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2019#2019-11-30 So, I manged to skip three years this time. For probably at least a year of that time, these opinion pieces were not accessible. So, what's going on with my life right now? I'm doing some work on myself, to work through anxiety, isolation, overdependance on social media. I'm a creator at heart and I want to focus on doing that more. It's what feeds me, gives me purpose, and provides something for others to consume (that seems wrong, but it can be a mutual creative-consumption relationship). I'm writing this on a 9 year old MacBook Pro. It's amazing how far keyboards have come. This scissor-based mechanism feels somewhat spongy in comparison to the butterfly keyboards of current Apple laptops. I've gotten so used to the new ones (and so far I've kept the crumbs and other detritus out). It's also fascinating how slowly it boots. I'd forgotten how slow rotational storage medium can be. And it's constantly making noise! Anyway, getting back to what I wanted to say… I'm about to start writing again; a novel that I've been thinking about for a number of years. No, not the one that I pretty much abandoned (but perhaps I'll start that one up again), a new one. After the battery on this computer went dead (and the battery of my old iPhone expanded after I plugged it in to charge), I was afraid to use this computer again. I've primarily switched to using a desktop for personal use, but it's so hard to use those from the comfort of my warm bed. It's been raining almost all day (and will continue to do so tomorrow (yay, atmospheric river). It seems okay, though. It knows not to charge the battery. I miss these entries. I've recorded some interesting experiences in my life. I've missed sharing some significant ones with you as well. Sat, 30 Nov 2019 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2019#2019-11-30 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2016#2016-04-24 Hello again. I have once again skipped an entire year. (I swear that I didn't intend to.) I've recently become a bit politically involved. Racial justice. LGBT rights. Better pay and working conditions for workers. And I will be voiting for the first time this year, which means supporting politicians. I grew up without a lot of political involvement and it has taken me a while to feel somewhat comfortable with advocating for equal rights and protections for marginalized people. When it came to politicians, the first time I felt that I really cared was in the U.S. presedential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. I was quite afraid of what vulnerable populations might have to face under a presedent that viewed poor folk as takers. In the current presedential election, a candidate has actually inspired me. Speaking like someone who understands social justice work, Bernie Sanders has actually inspired me. I've participated like I never have before. But I still worry that bad things will continue to happen, like the drone strikes under President Obama. I also fear for even worse should other candidates win. Sun, 24 Apr 2016 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2016#2016-04-24 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2014#2014-11-26 Ack! I did it again. I forgot to post for most of the year. Since getting an iPad, I just haven't been on my computer enough to be around to post, I suppose. (That's no excuse, I know. iPads can do all kinds of things.) What's been happening this year? Well, I'm continuing to learn all kinds of things. Relationship things. Racial things. Queer things. Web things. My life has taken another turn in the career sector. Intersectionality happened. Web & tech plus advocacy and a little bit of touch. Sometimes I wish people didn't have such strong and differing opinions about the rights (or even the existence) of others. Of course, I want my opinions to be the rule for everyone, but morality is a funny thing when everyone decides for themselves. We all think our way is the best way. I could say I wished everyone could just mind their own business &emdash; then everyone could just do what they wanted to do, as long as they weren't infringing on anyone else's ability to do what they wanted to do. But as awesome as that might sound to some of you, that leaves out the ability for anyone else to advocate for someone who might not be able to partake in this system to the full ability one should be able to. That could be for various reasons. A big reason that can and does happen today is systemic discrimination. As much as we want things to just work, parts that don't work the same as others &emdash; and in the case of humans: trigger subconscious, psychological preferences &emdash; may not work well in a system, or not even be installed. Asking for others to change for more inclusiveness totally violates that imagined system of existing. sigh Wed, 26 Nov 2014 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2014#2014-11-26 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2013#2013-05-19 I've managed to let another year slip by with absolutely no posts. I've been very busy learning, growing, and getting involved with my communities. I'd like to talk about one of those today: Cuddle. What's so great about cuddling? Well, human touch is quite important for early development and continued happiness. Touch fosters trust, connection between individuals and has proven health benefits. But I'm not here to talk about those today. I want to talk about cuddle community. I think we should all come together to talk about touch&emdash; and share it! I'm working on a project called Cuddle Club that's meant to help people find other like-minded intimacy seekers. I'm working with another cuddle connoisseur to publish a framework in which to enjoy cuddling with your friends (new or old). Sound interesting? Feel free to email me (an email address is located on the home page). Sun, 19 May 2013 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2013#2013-05-19 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2011#2011-10-04 This is something that has bothered me for a while. I respect police officers for the most part, but sometimes—sometimes they do things that just make me question the possibility of the abuse of power. What kind of things make me wonder about this? No, not the abuses happening with the Occupy Wall Street protests. I'm referring to simple acts like changing lanes without signalling. Someone explained that officers are allowed to talk on cell phones (held up to their ears) while driving. Fair enough. I suppose texting while driving would be okay too (though I haven't actually witnessed this). What about speeding when the lights aren't flashing? That and weaving in and out of traffic really freaks me out. I suppose there's a purpose for all of this, but I can't help but wonder… Tue, 04 Oct 2011 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2011#2011-10-04 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2011#2011-01-04 Receipts. You get them everywhere. At the grocery store, the pharmacy—even where you get an oil change. But you know what? I'm tired of all these paper receipts! They clutter up my home and fill my bag with their blight! What we need are virtual receipts! How many businesses do you have accounts with? Even those shopper loyalty programs. They know who you are and have your email address. Why can't they just email their receipts to you? It'd save loads of paper and make me very happy. If you had to return an item, you no longer have to remember where you left that tiny scrap of paper. Just do a search for the product name in your email and pow! You're ready to go. I hear that you can link virtual coupons ot your Safeway Club card. Nice! Let's take this concept just a little further and save a tree or two. :-) Tue, 04 Jan 2011 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2011#2011-01-04 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-05-08 I saw the film Avatar recently. I really liked it and was just thrilled with the difference in scale between the world of the Na'vi and of humans. Everything was so lifelike. But, I couldn't help but think about Jurassic Park… First of all, many of the animal sounds remind me of Velociraptors. Yeah. That's about my only complaint there. But, comparing this film to Jurassic Park. Back then, that film was pretty groundbreaking, but you could easily tell the difference between animatronic and CGI dinos (the animatronic ones had much more stable skin coloration and fit into the environment very well). What's funny is that even though I know that all the Na'vi characters were CGI, but at one point, one looked animatronic. It was the way he interacted with particles and dust on his skin. So realistically life like that it looked like it had to be real. When movies get to the point where you forget (or don't even consider) that such basic things as the world around the characters isn't real… it's just amazing what's being done now with this technology. Sat, 08 May 2010 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-05-08 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-31 I have an alarm clock that I never use. It's been with me since childhood. I once slept through that thing, incorporating it into a dream. I stopped using it because it started to scare me out of my sleep. It has such an abrupt (and loud) start! Being jarred awake by the screechy beeping was very horrific. I fell in love with the alarm from my Nokia phones. It starts off soft, then slowly increases in volume. I'm such a light sleeper now that I often turn it off before it reaches its highest volume. I loved the alarm from my Nokia 6230 so much that I hunted it down to put on my iPhone. (We're still working on the nuances of volume control there…) I've had a few experience with someone else's alarm clock. It's way loud and makes that *boop boop boop* sound. I was rather hating it until I realized that it also uses a ramping up volume. The bad thing is that it never stops. The Nokias I had would self-snooze after a few minutes of not being answered (unless my memory is mistaken and I unconsciously snoozed them, ha). I mean, it makes sense that the continuous tone, if it's not working isn't going to suddenly work as is evidenced by my sleeping through the alarm once and incorporating it into my dream. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-31 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-27 There are a few things that annoy me about the iPhone. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But it's not perfect. Irritation number 1: Your app quits if you answer the phone. True, this could just be a minor annoyance—as long as your app is simple or properly saves its state. But if you're in the middle of doing something in an app that doesn't… Yeah. Major pain. What makes this even more frustrating is that you can be on the phone, then open up an app to do whatever. Would it be such a bad user experience to just bring up a floating overlay box that you can dismiss while leaving you in the app? That little return to phone call strip at the top of the screen could call up the overlay again. Frustration number 2: You've been on the phone (or even just answered it), then notice that the party you're talking to is starting to sound very distant. Did they drop their phone? Are you in an area that's too noisy? No! The speaker hole just isn't lined up with your ear! The iPhone is the only cellphone I've used so far where I've had this problem. There's just so much non-speaker area on the fairly wide surface that the chances of it happening are much higher than on all my previous phones. (All Nokias, in case you were wondering.) And not only is it surrounded to the left and right by dead space, but the speaker hole itself is a tiny slit; further still making it a hard target to aim for. Simple back and forth jiggling may not fix it. You might have to go up and down too. So, that's it for my iPhone rant. Sat, 27 Mar 2010 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-27 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-20 Sometimes I wish that it wasn't so easy to get addicted to blogs such as Failbooking, Clientcopia or Photoshop Disasters. Sometimes they're funny, but so often, they're not. And even when they're not, I still trudge through (even reading the comments). I do appreciate sites like Not Always Right, because they moderate their posts. It doesn't take ages to catch up if you've been away for a while. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-20 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-19 Yes. I know. It's been a while since I've posted. Once again, I'll try to do better. So, what opinion am I expressing now? Well… I finally watched the new SyFy channel and I no longer think of it as "Siffy". I heard it spoken too many times and the new name has finally settled in with me. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2010#2010-03-19 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-11-09 So, I've upgraded to the new SeaMoneky 2.0. It certainly has a lot of new features and offers compatibility on par with Firefox. It seems really great. But I have just a few gripes… Issue number 1. The back, Forward, Reload and Stop buttons all have text labels now. I don't really like seeing them right next to my favorites bar with link text in a size larger than the button labels. Of course, if I show the buttons without text, then Mail & Newsgroups loses the text labels below its buttons (which have a much nicer divider between button and label text. Issue number 2. My new mail count badge on the dock icon shows I have over 2,000 unread messages. This goes back over several years and I have no intention of going back to read them all. Now the only way to know if I have new messages, is if I catch the growl notification. Meh. This one really kinda bugs me. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-11-09 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-10-04 Okay. I saw it. It took me a while to recognize what it was. If you're a geek/nerd, you probably have seen it too. Where in the world did this "Siffy" come from? As I was scanning cable TV lineup, I'm like, what is this "Siffy"? Doesn't look or sound familiar? That's because it's spelled S-y-F-y and pronounced like the shortened form of Science Fiction. Formerly known as SciFi. What the …? I think it's silly. I pronounced it "Siffy" and that's sticking. It's been a while since I've watched the SciFi channel, so I had no idea they'd gone and done this. If you know any former Skiffy haters, well, maybe they'll be happy now. Sun, 04 Oct 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-10-04 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-10-03 Do you have a PO Box? Tired of driving (or walking) all the way to the post office only to find it empty? Well, here's an idea. I think it would be very beneficial (for those who don't get mail regularly, at least), to have an email alert system, letting the user of the PO box know when new mail has arrived. This would save time and fuel (if applicable) for the user, and would also reduce traffic from folks who check their box more often than they need to (only to find an empty box). But it doesn't stop there! For every drive to check on an empty box, consider the carbon released into the atmosphere. Everyone could save from this feature. What could be required to implement this feature? Here is where we run into reality. Would it result in an increase in postage? (Good grief! Let's hope not!) Sat, 03 Oct 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-10-03 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-10-02 Update! New (old) hard drive in iBook crashed — hard. Remember to backup your data, folks! Fri, 02 Oct 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-10-02 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-09-12 So the hard drive in my Late 2001 12" iBook was finally biting the dust. It lasted about a good 8 years. It got a lot more use as a server than was intended, most likely, but it really gave it's all. I'm noticing that the newer drive is whisper quiet — you can hardly tell it's on! Everything's all peachy now, but it wasn't just a few hours ago. Do you have any idea how much time it takes to get to the hard drive of an iBook? At least half an hour with dozens of screws, tabs, tape and adhesive. My older 12" wasn't as bad as the newer 14" iBook I used for parts, however. This is interesting considering how simplified Apple is taking their products. All these lovely unibody designs. I'm really appreciating the MacBooks with easy access to the hard drive (without having to take the machine apart to get to it). I've never taken apart a Dell or Lenovo laptop, so I don't know the difficulty there, but from what I've heard, you don't have to be a computer technician to replace these basic parts. I hope the "new" (by only about two years) drive lasts for several years. I may yet move on to more professional offerings yet. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-09-12 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-05-30 It's rather amazing what getting outside, going out to a busy area to eat or just hang out can do to someone. I was out with a friend eating at a buffet. It was alive with people! At first, I was apprehensive. Who wants to eat at a crowded restaurant? But then, after being seated and beginning to eat, something kinda cool happened. I started noticing all the families. The kids. The lovers. All these lives coming together in this place, each with their own story. I don't really have an "opinion" on this, but it made me feel really nice. A few random folks chatted me up a bit. It felt very—well—nice! I'm not sure how else to explain it. It did a lot to buoy my spirits. Then, while driving through town, I noticed people taking advantage of public structures. Taking in the view, or just spending time with a friend—the world seemed so alive and full of wonder. These are the special times. Take note of them. Enjoy them. Remember them. Sat, 30 May 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-05-30 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-04-13 Some people get no pleasure except from harassing others. It's sad. Are they helping others? Themselves? No. They are merely hurting the world that we all live in. It is not constructive. In the short term, it will hurt some, and might make the attacker feel good, but how will people around this person respond to them in the future? How will they see her now? What of the one directly hurt by these events? Is any thought given to the repercussions of these actions? No. And it's sad. Mon, 13 Apr 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-04-13 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-04-01 Friendship is hard. Who expects it to be easy? But when is friendship not worth the effort? I'm facing this decision right now. I want to be a friend, but I'm not feeling it in return. Just expectations of entertainment or requests for soothing feelings or reassurance. It's taking a toll on me. I'm unhappy, stressed, frustrated and am emotionally spent. I have no patience left. But yet?I keep holding out hope that things will be different. Sometimes I want to feel vulnerable, but only when I know I have someone to turn to, or that it serves a purpose. I feel like I've been turning the proverbial cheek for months now. Yes, I fought back some, but did it do any good? It only made things worse. Solution? There are some folks who just don't know how to have friends. At least not close friends. I think for these folks, it's best to keep one's distance and not get too close. Wed, 01 Apr 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-04-01 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-03-12 Remember when I exclaimed the virtues of OkCupid? Well… OkCupid is now filled with Flash ads. Flash ads really slow down my system. Big fat ones. Ugh! It's so frustrating. It's almost as scary as going to someone's MySpace profile. The site has also been redesigned. It's a lot more confusing to use now. This makes me sad. Oh. I also haven't found any cool people there in a while. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2009#2009-03-12 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-10-22 Is the Internet breaking? I've noticed a lot recently that my IM client will not connect to all networks. Trying to access sites on those networks doesn't always work. Is it that large portions of the Internet stop working, or is this just testing what may be a challenge to Net Neutrality? More likely than not, this is just a hiccup in a router somewhere, whether it be on the ISP's network, or a link in the backbone of the Internet itself. All I know is that it is highly annoying. :-) I think my wireless router is in on it too, as it's been dropping wireless network traffic a lot (requiring a reconnect to set things right). A friend's community wireless network appears to have been hacked, with accesses to popular social networking sites being served junk sites instead. I rely on the Internet for more than just play. It's work. So when it's down, it really impacts my productivity. It's bad enough that the cellular reception in my room is so poor. I can't lose the Internet too! Wed, 22 Oct 2008 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-10-22 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-10-17 Earlier this week, Apple released the new MacBook. It appeared to be a worthy replacement for the 12" PowerBook G4. This was the last of the smallest "professional" portable's Apple made. With the refresh, the MacBook was getting an advanced aluminum enclosure, all new technology, and finally graphics capabilities that didn't suck (relatively speaking, of course). I had decided that this could very well be my next portable. I could live without the modem that my PowerBook still retains and the shared memory of the video on the new MacBook, as I'd be gaining all kinds of cool stuff. A faster GPU, thinner case, much faster processor, Gigabit ethernet?wow, just a whole lot of things. I was feeling pretty good with the tradeoffs. That is, until I discovered there was no FireWire port. Doom! Oh noes! The outcry online has been great. It was bad enough on the MacBook Air, but I wasn't going to be getting a MacBook Air, as it was missing everything else. But for the near perfect portable?it just made the discontinuation of the 12" PowerBook that much more painful. It was almost replaced. Almost. But almost was as far as it got. These can never be perfectly perfect. I was fortunate to find the perfect balance (for me), in my PowerBook. After reading many, many pages of complaints and reasoning, I did come across a couple of posts that really seemed to put things into perspective for me. I then thought about the discontinuation of FireWire support on iPods. I still have my iPod mini. It hasn't affected me yet. No need to panic. I think I'll be fine with it now too. I have my 12" PowerBook G4, and probably will for at least a couple more years. I still have my Late 2001 iBook with its FireWire port to host certain devices that I use. I really don't plug a FireWire device into my PowerBook very often. I'll be fine. :-) Fri, 17 Oct 2008 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-10-17 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-10-16 I've found a new favorite TV show (for now). The original Buck Rogers TV series. Oh, and the music. I love that end theme. Guess what. It's by Stu Phillips (Yes, he did the Knight Rider theme too!). For an older science fiction program, it was pretty well done. :-) How did I start watching it? Through hulu. A great resource for watching some older NBC programs (that are no longer on the air), as well as some more recent stuff. I think it's really great that these old shows are available to watch for free. I'm thinking, that just because of the music, I'll have to check out Battlestar Galactica (the original). The theme sounds kinda nice. I've seen brief bits of the new Buck Rogers series, but I'd like to get through the original first. :-) Thu, 16 Oct 2008 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-10-16 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-09-10 So the new iPod nano does look a bit like the Zune. Funny. But it actually looks pretty good. The colors are gorgeous. I'd love to have that blue one. Ahem? I can't help but wonder if the design was changed after the "experiment" with the "fat" nano or if Microsoft was actually on to something with that Zune design. "iPod" is such a common word now. A few years ago, it thought it rather odd. Now it's popular enough to have several different models (and 9 different colors with the nano). Apple has come quite a ways and is now a media sales powerhouse. Hmm. And all the pretty iPods that result. :-) I'm always envious of colors that I didn't get. When I get a particular model of something (like a car, or of course, the iPod), there's always a new one coming out with a better color (or at least a color I like better). You know I like blue. I love the new iPod nano blue. It looks so, well, you know. I still have a first generation iPod mini with that oh so pale blue. I'm extremely intrigued by the iPhone/iPod Touch (the proper name is not "iTouch"). Of course, during Apple's September 2008 Special Event, Steve's demo made it seem that watching movies on it must be somewhat nice, but just seeing demos with cool movies makes me want to pick one up just to do that. Can I afford an iPod Touch? But I'd really prefer an iPhone for that ubiquitous Internet access. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-09-10 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-08-02 Trying to date? Find friends? Just plain bored? Give OkCupid a try. It's got a really cool matching system that helps you find compatible people, and encourages sharing about oneself through their profile. This makes it easy to feel a connection or spark with people you view (besides just their looks). I really like the social networking atmosphere. OkCupid really encourages the user to make contact, share about themselves with profile essays, journal entries and comments on others' journals. The site has a lot going for it. And best of all, it's all free. Sat, 02 Aug 2008 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-08-02 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-06-30 Vista. Yep, it's going to be one of those kinds of entries again. I had a client whose Boot Camp install of Vista got hosed due to improper shutdowns with Parallels. That's one problem, but apparently this particular problem (booting into a black screen after the Windows "Welcome" message) is semi widespread. Anyway? I needed to fix the install. I tried a few common fixes (startup repair and System Restore) without success. Can I just reinstall Windows? I might break a few apps, but it shouldn't be too much hassle. After booting from the disc, all I see is the option to Install. I figured I should figure out what that means. It seems I don't have an option to "Upgrade" because I'm not booted from Windows. Say what? But I can't boot from Windows because it's broken. After some reading, I came to the understanding that this option would wipe out all user data and installed applications. This meant that I'd have to do a manual backup first. I did the best I could and started the process. Quite painful. I should have been ready for such as a month or so prior, this same machine needed an upgrade from Vista Home to Vista Business (I won't say why). I couldn't simply update from the install disc because the version of Vista already installed didn't have the latest Service Pack. Yeah, I had to update the copy of Windows I was going to wipe out with an upgrade to a newer version before I could do that?all in the name of saving installed applications, documents and user settings. While I've never had to reinstall Mac OS X (yet), losing installed apps and documents is never an issue (a few settings here and there, or apps "lost" due to some incompatibilities, but never the wiping out of user documents!). What made this whole process even more insulting is that the Windows Vista installer does make a backup of the previous (now practically worthless) Windows installation? Mon, 30 Jun 2008 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-06-30 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-05-10 I've gotten some really good candy from a small company called Artisan Sweets. They have candies, honeys and sweets from all over the world. I'm loving the Orange & Honey French salted caramels. :-) Sat, 10 May 2008 https://CCSsite.ccsgraphic.com/opinions.php?year=2008#2008-05-10