Forced to alter my online activity:

I have been forced to alter my internet activity because of the internet service provider (ISP) outages plaguing my area. Internet access is spotty at best. Until they get the issues fixed my blog updates will come sporadically.

Updates to the blog:

I have added a new RSS feed from NASA's Astronomy Image of the Day. You can find it on the left news feed at the bottom. Clicking the links will open the images in a new browser tab.

Coronavirus Lockdown:

The facility I live in is still on lockdown because of the new infection rates in my area. Now that Arizona has ditched the daily new infection reporting and started reporting weekly we are using the weekly average which has yet to reach the number needed to release the lockdown.

See you in the next post.

 I finally got past my Google site access problem. What was my Google site problem you ask? I'm so glad you asked. Everyone has been recommending people use a VPN for internet privacy and that's a good thing but with everything there is a down side. Google has started blocking VPN access which blocks VPN users from accessing any Google service which kept me form posting to my blog or editing my website. Enter "Tor Proxy"! Using a Tor Proxy negates the need for a VPN and gives you a static virtual IP. 

The results are in from my sleep study. It is confirmed that I have sleep apnea. I have an upcoming appointment with my Pulmonologist to discuss my options other than a C-pap machine. With my severe claustrophobia, having my face covered is not an option.

Medical Transportation woes

 My medical transportation woes continue. I finally got my sleep study done after being rescheduled 5 times, mostly because transportation never showed up to take me. 

The first one was cancelled by the sleep study without informing me which left me with no ride home so I had to drive my power chair 11.4 miles in the middle of the night.

Second time: Transportation never showed up to take me there.

Third time: I got a Covid infection and was put on quarantine for 10 days.

Fourth time: Transportation refused to take me without a negative Covid test on file.

Fifth time: I got to the study and through the study but transportation was a no show to take me home. Had to drive my chair the 11.4 miles again to get home. At least this time it was day time.

Oh the woes of relying on others to get where you're going.

One day I'll get the right day for posting

I know, I know, I'm late again. My internet woes continue with sudden disconnects and low connectivity. maybe with enough complaints my ISP will fix the issue. I have a pair of new automotive horns installed on my power chair but having an issue wiring it up from battery access. When I get it wired I will post a YouTube video. The Covid lockdown continues but I'm getting ready for the day I get to leave the ALF for something other than medical appointments. Imagine being locked in your house for two years, not allowed to leave or have visitors. More to come next week.

Wednesday blog on Friday

 I know, I know. I'm two days late with this post.

Things have been rather weird here. The internet is still going in and out but only in the AM. I'm guessing it's waiting for the coffee to kick in. All we can do is go with the flow.

I finally got my Linux virtual machine to work right so now I can run programs designed for Windows in my Linux Mint. I should say my cousin got it to work right.

I got a scare when I found a lump on my left leg. I saw a dermatologist about it and it is just fibrous tissue, nothing to worry about so I'm not getting it removed. Diabetes makes it far riskier to have it removed.

See you next Wednesday

Windows apps on Linux

It's been a hard week

 

 Today I learned how to run applications designed for Microsoft Windows on my Linux PC. Needless to say I was really geeking out on that ability. Allow me to explain the need for emulating a Windows operating system on a Linux computer. Almost every Linux user has made the change from Windows out of the need for better security than Windows has, today it's even more so with the buggy updates and less than appt software Microsoft is putting out. Some Linux users however have their favorite Windows based (but not Microsoft created) software. Enter Windows OS emulators on Linux designed to let you use the software you are used to in an OS you can trust.

It looks like my internet issue has been fixed by Cox after almost a week of spotty connectivity and sudden drop outs and limited bit rates. Wow what a frustrating week for someone who just about lives on the net.

My sister caught Covid-19 and developed Covid pneumonia this week and is bouncing off the walls in frustration at being quarantined. Now she is in financial straits because her husband also had to take time off from work to take care of their child. My sister is getting better (she says) but the financial setback is going to be hard to bounce back from. When will we ever get this damn virus under control and come together as a nation and get behind the science that works.

A day late & a dollar short

 This post was supposed to be made on Wednesday but Systemic internet interruptions prevented that.

Just before my internet woes I bravely upgraded to Linux Mint 20.3 and quickly started having issues with my Firefox browser. Thinking it must be a problem from my browser extensions I went to work fixing the problem even going as far as employing my cousin and fellow Linux user's help to no avail. As it turned out, the issue wasn't Linux or Firefox. It was a problem in the Mozilla web servers themselves. According to a news release someone at Mozilla activated an http3 protocol that shouldn't have been activated. Yes, that means a web3 portal is getting ready to open up. 

If you find are suddenly having issues reaching some websites from Firefox that you could get to before you can find a temporary work around here

In other life news:

I was supposed to have a sleep study done on Saturday but it never happened. This is an appointment I have had to reschedule four times for various reasons and now a fifth time

First scheduling canceled by the sleep clinic over a staffing issue but they failed to inform me till after my transportation service dropped me off and left. Being done at night it left me 11.4 miles from home with no ride and too late to get one. On demand ride service late at night is basically non existent for power chair drivers. I wound up driving my power chair all the way home after 21:30 hrs (11:30 pm).

Second scheduling: The medical transportation service never showed up.

Third Scheduling: I was on qaranteen with a Covid-19 infection.

Fourth Scheduling: The medical transportation once again did not show up.

Next attempt is on February 7th

I got a set of automotive horns for my power chair to install before we in the ALF get off lockdown. Yes we are still on lockdown (since March 15th 2020). If we ever do get off lockdown and I'm able to go places other than just medical appointments, which is difficult enough as you read above, the horns will make it safer for me to be around traffic. Many chair drivers get run over while crossing the street. I've lost three friends so far from this issue. All of them were cut off or hit by a car or truck driver that was trying to turn right on a red light.

I am still working on getting my movie collection back in order after the failure of an 8 terabyte Hard Disk Drive. I lost 4,0186 movies in total. My collection is back up to 504 movies now but I am weeding out the lesser appealing content so don't quite need an 8 TB HDD so I got a 6 TB instead. You can see a list of my movie collection here

That's it for now. Take care, be safe and I'll see you next Wednesday.

Happy New Year 2022

 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2022

I got an odd start to the new year with no power in my ALF room when I woke up. Lucky that it was just a tripped breaker.

On the 2nd the facility had to replace a major portion of the sewer main line which gave the residents 2 days of no water or plumbing. That was loads of fun. I was always told I was full of crap but this time it was fact.

Other than that my first week in 2022 has been great but still on lockdown because of the uptick in Covid-19 new cases.

Tech Fun Coming Soon

 This week I have been commissioned to build a business server and business website for the ALF (assisted living facility) I live in. I'm looking forward to the task.

The office is preparing a location for the community computer I rebuilt for the residents of the ALF. The computer has to be locked down to a table to prevent theft. It is sad that even older and disabled people would resort to theft but one resident did break into the office and stole the administrator's laptop.

We at the ALF are still under lockdown with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 going strong in our area. I'm looking forward to the day that "new Covid-19 cases" get below 500 in my area so my lockdown can be lifted.

Thus ends the week.

Next post comes next year.

First Post

 Tuesday 12/28/2021

This blog will be updated every Wednesday .

Today I start my weekly blog about what's on my mind.

My Mental Madness! I wanted to call it "Brain Droppings" but a well known comedian already took that, thanks George Carlin.

A little about me

I am a retired, disabled telecommunications engineer. My disability started as a fall from a radio tower causing a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

More on that later.

My hobbies include 3-D paper modeling, yarn crafts of all sorts. building computers and robotics. I am also big into human space travel.

More on that later.