Observations on the world and its inhabitants
“One can’t save time if one does not invest time” Video narration for those who wish to avoid reading. There is a peculiar irony embedded in the modern pursuit of efficiency. The very act of trying to save time often demands that one first spend it. This is the meta-layer of time management that few ...
This post documents the transition from TextBlaze to Espanso on a BigLinux system, detailing the technical hurdles overcome and the final configuration logic. The plan is then to run Espanso on W11. 1. Espanso vs. TextBlaze: Key Differences While both tools serve the same goal, the philosophy of use is different: 2. The Critical First ...
Yes – it’s true. I don’t need to know how to write code for Macros, when I have paid geniuses who can do the work. BTW some people don’t even know what a ‘macro’ is and they’ll be thinking of microscopes. If you’re one of those types, you should save your time for Instagram or ...
Nobody dares to write anything negative on Russia? Why? Cuz you risk receiving a deadly dose of Polonium, Novichok, epibatidine, or some other ghastly poison. Well, I couldn’t give a flying banana! If Instagram is calling you, then fly down the page to ‘What it means‘. Summary of Russia’s aggression Source: Under Destruction – Munich ...
System Profile: BigLinux (Manjaro-based), KDE Plasma Wayland/X11 (on W11 dual-boot), Hardware: Desktop (NVIDIA 3080, Core i7, 32GB RAM), Target: On-demand OneDrive access (FUSE mount) without local storage mirroring. This document records the complete, sequential process used to install and configure OneDriver (specifically the jstaf/onedriver client) on a BigLinux system. The Context: Microsoft OneDrive is not ...
Date: 8 February 2026. System: Scan 3XS Laptop (Clevo X56xWNx Architecture), Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (Arrow Lake), RAM: 64GB DDR5 RAM, DRIVES: 3TB NVME, Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU (Blackwell). In simple terms, this just means no-nonsense very high end. Luddites will be deterred by all the ‘jargon’ in here. ...
The transition to a Linux-based dual-boot system is often marketed as a streamlined experience. However, when high-performance hardware meets specialised networking requirements, the path quickly shifts from a standard installation to a deep-dive into kernel modules and system architecture. This is a technical post-mortem of a transition involving an RTX 3080, an Archer TXE70UH Wi-Fi ...
If you ask the next 100 people you meet what’s the risk of a nuke going off, expect the answer to be (with a smirk), “Calm down. No nuke is going to set off. Everybody knows that once nukes fly it’s the end of the world. Nobody wants that. So the risk , it’s very ...
For the better part of three decades, “personal computing” was synonymous with Windows. It wasn’t just an operating system; it was the foundation of digital life. Blue Screens of Death and endless updates were tolerated because, frankly, there were few alternatives. Apple was expensive and maintained by a cult. Linux was perceived as an obscure ...
This one follows from: Man vs. Machine (Spoiler: The Machine Lost). But on this occasion it was Man and Machine [AI] working together in harmony. The primary motivation for this migration was to reclaim the performance of a 2018 Dell Inspiron 7786. While the hardware remains capable, running Windows 11 felt increasingly sluggish and heavy. ...
The following exploration is not intended as financial or strategic advice for any specific individual or entity. Instead, it serves as a platter of food for thought regarding the mechanics of the digital landscape. Most people view advertising as a simple, static transaction: a result is purchased, or it is not. Nearly every business has ...
Most of the time, we think we’re reacting to the world as it is right now, but we’re usually just living out the consequences of a past that refused to fade. A single event—maybe a project that blew up or a warning heard in childhood—somehow stops being just a memory and hardens into a universal ...
Author’s Note: The following article provides an objective analysis of the legal and geopolitical framework surrounding the extraction of Nicolás Maduro, as presented in official indictments, court documents, and international reporting. The narrative details the legal arguments and strategic rationales employed by the US Department of Justice and military command as documented in the public ...
Humanity has always lived in the shadow of its own ingenuity. Every leap in technological power has widened the gap between what we can do and what we can wisely control. Today, that ancient asymmetry has become the defining tension of our age. We are accelerating into a future shaped by artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, ...
As usual, when ‘they say’ I can’t do it – I do it anyway. Oh yes. I’ve been exploring how to toast bread without a toaster for about 2 years. I’ve cracked it! I along with most people are conditioned to believe we need a specific appliance for every single task in the kitchen. Want ...
🎩Ladies and gentlemen, gather round. A new menace stalks the land. Not alcohol. Not cars. Not loneliness, poverty, trauma, or the small matter of human biology. No—something far more sinister: Chatbots. Yes, the same tools people use to summarise emails and ask for chicken marinades are apparently ushering in a new age of mass psychosis. ...
In a stunning blow to the “thoughts and prayers” of the school of hospital management, a new study suggests that nurses might actually be more than just decorative additions to hospital wards. In what is being hailed as the most ground-breaking scientific achievement since someone noticed that fire is hot and the sky is generally ...
In the early stages of a writing career, the focus is often on the “mechanics”—the foundational rules of grammar, syntax, and punctuation. While these are essential, the transition from a competent writer to a compelling author occurs during the final checks of a manuscript. This is where prose is transformed into an immersive experience. For ...
Despite explicit instructions, generative AI systems routinely drift into US English spelling and conventions across longer writing projects. For British-English authors who use AI assistance, this creates a persistent and time-consuming editorial burden. The key insight that resolved this was accepting that generation and linguistic compliance should be treated as separate stages. Rather than attempting ...
As some may not be aware, I’ve been developing my own software to convert text into high quality electronic speech. That development continued for several hours today. As I will remind myself – as if I need to – £490 for 1.6 hours for human narration vs AI-driven production estimated at ~£1.51 for 100 minutes ...
The group chat, pretentiously named The Committee for Public Safety, had been dormant for three months. It blinked to life on a rainy Friday night. Elara [20:14]: [Link: Billy Joel – Just the Way You Are] Elara [20:15]: Is this the most romantic song ever written, or a toxic plea for stagnation? I need coffee ...
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is widely recognised as the industry standard for software development. However, its core strength—managing complex text files with precision—makes it an exceptionally powerful tool for authors of fiction and non-fiction alike. Luddites and lazy folk should stop right now – leave this blog and get back to Netflix, Instagram and ...
1. The Problem: “All or Nothing” Microsoft Word’s built-in word count feature is binary: it counts everything or nothing. For an author, this is often insufficient. A 50,000-word manuscript might be heavily dialogue-driven or dense with internal monologue, but Word treats “Hello” (dialogue) exactly the same as Hello (thought). There will be times when an ...
1. The challenge of communicating with AI Many people, especially those using unpaid AI plans, unknowingly exhaust limited tokens by submitting very short, vague prompts. These models are powerful, but they cannot make accurate assumptions about a user’s goals without deliberate guidance. By applying a few basic principles, users on free tiers can obtain deeper, ...
If you listen to the current discourse in the creative world—from the Authors Guild to the picket lines of Hollywood—you will hear a single, deafening word: Ethics. We are told that Artificial Intelligence is a “plagiarism machine.” We are told it is “stealing souls.” We are told that using it is a moral failing akin ...
The Challenge of the Sequel Writing a duology is a delicate balancing act of memory and tone. This is particularly true for my current project, KNS. Before diving into the methodology, it is important to acknowledge that there is nothing fundamentally wrong in using AI as a tool to assist with drafting. Like any sophisticated ...
Most people do not keep their files organised, properly named and easily retrievable from a computer and cloud services. That’s fine because ‘everybody’ has individual choice and can demonstrate their independence, so as to show that they do not suffer with OCD. I however, couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks of me. So, I ...
A View from the Trenches Over the past year, the journey of writing and publishing the first novella The Kael’Nyrin Scrolls: Our Children of Starlight on Amazon has been an education in reality. It was a process defined not by the romanticised notion of “being discovered“, but by the difficult, granular lessons of production, formatting, ...
What is power? The word appears everywhere. We speak of political power, purchasing power, horsepower, electrical power, power of attorney, statistical power. Each domain offers its own technical definition shaped by its particular concerns. But is there something fundamental beneath these variations? Something that unifies them? Rather than cataloguing the many meanings of power across ...
For writers, journalists, and professionals operating within the United Kingdom, adherence to correct UK English spelling is not merely a preference; it is a fundamental requirement of competence. Official and academic audiences expect consistency, and mandate the use of British conventions. Using the established standards ensures clarity, maintains editorial authority, and respects the national linguistic ...
