2021-10-06

I started keeping a journal on paper, in a little notebook, written with a fountain pen. I think that's contributed to me updating this place a little less, although tbh the paper journal is usually literally a few words about my day- films watched, meals cooked, etc.

You're not missing anything.

Current obsessions: due to reading Showstopper! I'm kind of interested in Windows programming and vintage Windows. I was such a Unix nerd and anti-micro$oft (lol) from so young that I think I really passed over some things which are actually great in Windows NT based operating systems.

I put Windows 11 on a machine today, but I had to override the TPM check. I previously had it on a Raspberry Pi 4 and that lines up with my other current obsession: becoming familiar with AArch64 (i.e. ARMv8).

I think that ARM is likely to become one of (if not "the") dominant ISAs in server-side computing, like it already has done in mobile and is starting to in Macbooks and Chromebooks.

I haven't reached for gdb to do my job lately (maybe in years) but I have been that person in the past and I think I'd still like to be able to be that person in the future; after the total dominance of x86_64 is usurped.

What else? Well I got a small cheap CNC and I'm having fun with that because it seems lower stakes than using my big CNC (which I am now selling).

I am continuing to improve at manual machining. It's the art of compromise a lot of the time -- how will I hold this piece (safely and accurately), how will I mount this tool etc.

I recently knurled some brass, made a fancy thumb-nut for use joining two pieces of metal temporarily and I made collet block (which is bad) -- and I used the collet block to make a hex wrench (which is worse).