I’m dusting off (literally) a #RaspberryPi to run #pihole and maybe #forgejo. It’s been a few years. Any suggestions? Anything new?

I finally admitted the truth today: I’m never going to program in #Perl again. Despite it being my main language for 10 or 15 years. Perl5 manual gone.

Has anybody done #twillo and #emacs integration for SMS<->email gateways?

I’m looking for ways to just leave my phone turned off, and a dedicated number for SMS<->email seems like it would be a Good Thing.

Notes to self on setting up #TOTP on #KeePassXC codeberg.org/eludom/ho…

Bloat: A single text 87 character text message converted to #email by Google Voice expanded to 21719 bytes with headers.

Just Turn It Off - Lessons Learned 2 Weeks In.

Some notes, TODOs and observations two weeks into leaving the #smartphone off:

Table of Contents

1. Distracting Trivia
2. Replace Google Authenticator
3. Make passkey work
4. Remaining reachable
5. Podcasts and Audible
6. Find alternative to Google Maps, Waze (paper maps, planning)
7. Distracted Parking
8. Distracted Driving
9. Distracting Newsfeeds
10. Track which sites always/sometimes require phone
11. Give out Google Voice where texts are needed.
12. Give Google Voice number for call-backs
13. New Google Voice Number
14. Distracting apps

INFO Distracting Trivia

Observation - I have a constant urge to look up obscure facts, e.g. “tunes in common meter in a minor key”. But I really don’t need to know. Looking these up is mostly passive, and provides a sort of dopamine hit. Not knowing makes me find other ways to get the answer like “look at common meter tunes in a songbook that I know tends to have more minor keys than others” … I have to be active to find the answer, maybe I won’t find an answer, maybe it didn’t matter in the first place, I have to make a judgment about the value and utility of the information. My mind is engaged in the whole process, whether or not I find an answer. I think keeping my mind active rather than passive is my real goal.

TODO Replace Google Authenticator

State Tax site wants to text or use google auth. I thought I set up passkey, but it’s not taking it. Have to turn on the phone

TODO Make passkey work

TODO Remaining reachable

• reason: away from home for 8 hours. Medical issues. Can’t be unreachable.
  • Possible solutions
    • Do nothing. Just leave it off. Remain unreachable.
    • Don’t go anywhere.
    • Check in at intervals (phone on) then turn it off.
    • Give contact # of someone I’ll be with
    • Get a pager

TODO Podcasts and Audible

• Audible: I binge-listened to 5 hours of “The History of Rome” podcast on Audible.
  • Alternative: Don’t listen to Podcasts and Audible.
  • Alternative: Download podcasts to an MP3 player/bluetooth device.
    • side effect - this makes the decision of what to spend time listening to much more intentional.

TODO Find alternative to Google Maps, Waze (paper maps, planning)

• Google Maps: I used google maps to figure out if there was a better way around a traffic backup.
  • Alternative: Use physical maps, pick routes less likely to have backups.

INFO Distracted Parking

• Mental observations of having the phone on
  • distracted parking: While trying to navigate round traffic jams I pulled over several times to check Google Maps. One time I stopped in gas station parking lot and did not realize I was blocking the entrance and got honked at. Stress. Thanks, smart phone

INFO Distracted Driving

• Fiddling with the phone: I fiddled with the phone more than I should have while driving. Bad. Advertising by the road is designed to take the drivers attention off the road. Bad.

INFO Distracting Newsfeeds

• Note taken on [2024-10-05 Sat 08:46]
  • I’m not reading news web sites
    • answer: back to rss, elfeed
  • I’m not listening to podcats
    • is that a loss?
  • I have to spend more time at my computer
    • but that was my working life for 38+ years

TODO Track which sites always/sometimes require phone

• Note taken on [2024-10-04 Fri 06:29] Bank someimtes caches tokens in the browser, allowing you to skip text messages Failed. Trying to migrate off.

TODO Give out Google Voice where texts are needed.

• Note taken on [2024-10-02 Wed 06:57] Had to turn phone one. Needed text from doctor to re-activate login

TODO Give Google Voice number for call-backs

• Note taken on [2024-09-27 Fri 10:55] I failed. I turned the phone on. Reason: Expecting call to get my car back form car service.

DONE New Google Voice Number

• Note taken on [2024-09-27 Fri 07:56] 9/24/24 or so - resurrected my Google Voice (new number :-(). Can use it for calls, text. Learned to forward phone there. Tested. May port my number there so that I can text from computer.

DONE Distracting apps

• Note taken on [2024-09-27 Fri 07:55] Using a spreadsheet to track medical info rather than an app.

My 23 year old hand-crafted HTML homepage got its biennial or so face-lift www.port111.com/george/

Chrome-based browser processes malloc(2)ing 1 TB virtual memory?

Top(1) is showing chrome-based browsers with multiple processes that VIRT allocations of 1156.0g and such? Why? Each tab doing max possible malloc?

My arch laptop occasionally pauses, wondering if memory starvation is the issue?

A good chunk of the southeastern US got hit hard by Hurricane Helene. I’ve spent time hiking in that area in recent years, and I have friends there.

The southern third of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail is closed: Appalachian Trail Updates. Bridges I’ve crossed have washed away: Video of a washout. Hiker hostels are closed. I’m sure there are thousands of trees to clear and other damage for the trail clubs to repair. This article from The Trek shows some of the devastation on the southern appalachian trial. Unbelievable. I’ve been to all the places shown. This blog has some pictures from one of my trips to Erwin. As a hiker, I feel for all the SOBOs (Southbounders) and flip-floppers who took six months off life to hike the trail. I met some of them a few weeks ago while on a training hike. Those hikes are not gonna happen this year (and next?) south of Virginia.

Hiking depends on a support system

Long distance hikers rely on a network of support: shuttle drivers, hostels, Dollar Generals, as well as emergency rescue services and local hospitals.

Some of the hostels were underwater¹, and at least one hospital was flooded. Bridges are out, and there are undoubtedly thousands of trees that need to be cleared. Emergency services will be slow at best, and possibly non-existent. Fall and hit your head and need to go to the hospital? Get lost and need to call for help with your GPS-enabled pager? Break three ribs? (These examples are not made up .) You MIGHT get help and rescue services, or you might not.

There’s a bigger picture

Communities depend on a much larger support system that includes roads, stores, power, hospitals, commerce, insurance, government, churches, neighbors, friends, and family. Right now, much of that network is down across an entire region of the country. They need time and assistance to rebuild.

Normalcy is one of the conditions that allows hikers to take the moderate risks they choose to take in better days. I’ve visited many of the affected communities recently. I’ve appreciated the experiences I’ve had there, the people I’ve met, and the support they’ve provided me. For now, though, restoring normalcy in the broader context is the priority.

Appreciate the support structures you have. You often don’t think about them until they’re gone.

Footnotes

¹ Uncle Johnny’s was under water. I’ve stayed there.

I have just completed an entire day without turning my phone on. Thanks Google Voice.

EmacsConf 2024 CFP out, proposals due Friday.

@jtr@taonaw.com you should put something in. I’m toying around with walking through my workflow.

emacsconf.org/2024/cfp/

Here’s A plant I’ve never seen before “Old man’s beard”