Nice to Krita

Posted 5:00 AM by Gerald So

As I continue dabbling in digital artwork, I've begun using the feature-packed painting program Krita. A few weeks ago, I traced a photo of myself as a reference for a new front-facing vector avatar:

Image by Gerald So

I think it's an improvement over the best one I made without a reference following YouTube tutorials:

Image by Gerald So

Here's another vector avatar made by tracing a three-quarter photo:

Image by Gerald So

As well as these turned out, I knew drawing and painting would be easier with a tablet than with a mouse. A generous gift card got me a 2025 Wacom Intuos Pro Medium.

A.I. Don't Think So

Posted 3:00 AM by Gerald So

You may have inferred from my Disability Pride Month post, and I've stated plainly on social media, but I also want to go on record here: I'm against the popular uses of artificial intelligence to write, make art, approximate voices...anything that originated as a human expressive endeavor.

I could rattle off the ethical reasons not to use A.I., but I have a personal one: I want to see what I can do unaided. Until I took the SAT, I declined extra time on tests. I wanted to see how much I could complete in the regular time. I always knew I wouldn't get extra time outside school, that I'd have to make time and others wouldn't.

The artificial in A.I. bothers me. It's not real intelligence; it hasn't been filtered through life experience and become wisdom; yet people and businesses lean on it with poor results. As for me, wherever I can, I will hone my critical thinking, creativity, and life skills. The unacceptable alternative is losing them.

Max Weekend

Posted 7:00 AM by Gerald So

Thanks to a sale at GOG.com, I spent the second half of the holiday weekend playing the 1990 spy computer game SID MEIER'S COVERT ACTION. I recall finishing the game years ago, but I had to relearn three of the four mini-games.

If you're too young to remember the game, a recap: You play Bondian CIA freelancer Maximillian/Maxine Remington, foiling plots by arresting or turning co-conspirators and retrieving key items (blueprints, alarm bypasses, etc.). Your ability to arrest and turn depends on gathering evidence by wiretapping, decoding messages, infiltrating hideouts, and/or trailing suspects by car.

Sid Meier criticized the mini-games in retrospect as being too disparate and distracting from each other. I originally finished just by breaking into hideouts, photoing evidence and snatching suspects in the process, not caring whether I turned them (for double points) or if masterminds went into hiding. Still the mini-games' variety is fun. Breaking cases the way I did as a teen got me promoted to top agent, but the best winning condition is to arrest all twenty-six masterminds. I like that the rival organizations are real: KGB, Mossad, Revolutionary Guards, Colombian Cartel, etc. Only working for the President hasn't aged well, in my opinion.

"Here's a commendation from the President."

Keep it.

Bluesky

Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So

Previously on My Life Called So, in March '23, I quit Twitter and have been on Mastodon alone until today.

On Bluesky, I'll chat with friends and promote projects. I don't want to use Masto mods' limited resources for my BSP, but I'll continue posting to daily writing hashtags.

Fans

Posted 5:30 AM by Gerald So

Earlier this month I updated my almost nine-year-old home office PC's Ubuntu, jumping four releases. Since about then, the computer's fan noise had been too loud for me to stand. At first I thought it was only the 80mm case fan, but upon replacing that, I heard the 92mm CPU fan was more the culprit. With both fans replaced, the computer has finally stopped whining.

Let's Get Bowling

Posted 9:00 AM by Gerald So

This morning I downloaded a 2013 free 3D bowling game for my 2014 Kindle Fire HD. I have no excuse for taking so long.

Emojis and Accessibility

Posted 8:00 AM by Gerald So

My preference is to use no emojis at all.

Fans of Robert B. Parker on Matrix

© by Gerald So | 1:30 AM

Photo by John Earle

I recently began using the free, open-source, decentralized protocol Matrix for end-to-end encrypted messaging. You might use Matrix apps like Element to communicate privately with your family or team. The apps also let you create unencrypted public rooms for less-sensitive topics.

I've created a public Fans of Robert B. Parker room to discuss his works, the film and TV versions, and the sequels commissioned by his estate. If you have or create an account on a Matrix homeserver, you can join the room at https://matrix.to/#/#rbp-fans:matrix.org.

Icebreaker topic: Which of Parker's novels (or the sequels commissioned by his estate) did you read first? Which is your favorite and why?

Mastodon Update

© by Gerald So | 4:00 AM

As Elon Musk floats the idea of a monthly fee for all X users, free open-source social networking software Mastodon has rolled out version 4.2.0, with noticeably improved search features letting users find friends and posts by entering key words, phrases, date ranges, or hashtags.

Tweet No More

© by Gerald So | 4:30 AM

In January I blogged about leaving Twitter. I did turn my attention to Mastodon and other things, but only yesterday did I deactivate Twitter. Its remaining appeal was the chance to reach the largest audience among similar apps. In reality, though, its algorithm makes a list of VIPs more visible than everyone else. Goodbye.

I'm grateful for the friendships I maintained on Twitter. I hope they continue elsewhere. If you're considering Mastodon, learning how to use it takes longer than Twitter, but it offers a lot in return. Some of my favorite features:

• Verify your account for free by adding a referring link to your personal website(s) and then adding your website link(s) to your account profile;
• 500-character limit on each post;
• You can edit, delete, and/or re-draft published posts;
• "CW" button toggles a blank warning label you can fill in to hide the post body in case of triggers or spoilers;
• There's no algorithm. You can control the flow of other users' posts to you, for example categorize your total follows into private lists so you don't have to be bombarded by all Mastodon users posting at any given moment;
• You can follow hashtags instead of people, so you only see when someone mentions a topic you're interested in, not everything else they post.
• Hashtagging your own posts lets you more easily look them up later.

Knowing that people pay for, administer, and moderate the instance that hosts my account, I mind the load I put on the server. I use the features to create a calmer, less time-consuming experience than I let Twitter become. If you're looking for that, too, pro tip: Skip following breaking-news accounts. Go to news websites to stay as informed as you like.

Also note a couple of changes to this blog: The front page shows my latest three posts. The sidebar has a Mastodon widget, a contact form, and a blog search box.

My Post-Twitter World

© by Gerald So | 10:00 AM

I created a Mastodon account two months ago and have not only tweeted much less but also resisted posting to Mastodon as often as I did Twitter.

As I blogged previously, I like that Mastodon is decentralized, not for sale, and not driven by an algorithm, but in taking stock of my Twitter activity, I realize I tweeted a lot without thinking. Many of my tweets had no lasting relevance. I don't want to fall into the same habit on Mastodon.

You may argue it's fine; social media posts don't have to be especially meaningful or relevant. Granted, but I argue any communication should aim for meaning and relevance. If not, what are we communicating? Why are we communicating?

Spending more time away from social media, I don't feel the need to have my say on current, fleeting events. I still have the ideology developed over the years, only I'm not expressing it in short social media posts, and it has made all the difference.

Kevin Conroy Dies

© by Gerald So | 7:30 AM

Kevin Conroy, the Long Island-born, Juliard-trained actor who voiced Batman in various projects since 1992's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, reportedly died Thursday, November 10, of cancer.

Conroy's performances as Bruce Wayne and Batman had similar nuance to Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent and Superman. Great actors elevate the material and raise the bar. Yet more impressive, Conroy was a good and humble man. His memory will live on.


Embed from Getty Images

Twitter and Mastodon

© by Gerald So | 6:30 AM

At my programmer brother's nudging, I joined Twitter in 2008, a little more than two years after it was founded. I couldn't think of much to do with it except to announce when I posted here. Despite Twitter's massive growth and changes since then, I've remained and tried to post the disjointed thoughts I always have.

With Elon Musk's tumultuous purchase recently completed, I worry Twitter will finally change too much for me, so I've created a Mastodon account. I like that Mastodon is decentralized, free of both charge and ads, and chronologically ordered. I like that my posts don't further corporate interests. Feel free to follow me.

Interfacing

© by Gerald So | 4:00 AM

Last week Blogger announced it was switching to a new interface in June. I switched early so it wouldn't surprise me. There are things I like about it and things I don't. For me, the best way to compose posts is still in plain text with markup tags. WYSIWYG mode throws in clutter.

Zoom

© by Gerald So | 7:00 AM

If all stays on track, Long Island will be eligible for Phase 1 of reopening someday next week. The illness and death toll prevents me from "enjoying" lockdown, but one bright spot is it's compelled me to set up video conferencing, which has actually let me attend more events than I could get to in person before.

Last night my old boss, Thrilling Detective's Kevin Burton Smith, hosted a virtual Noir at the Bar on Zoom. I was most motivated to attend for the chance to see Thrilling's original fiction editor, Victoria Esposito, who mentored me into the job in mid-2001, before she left to focus on HandHeldCrime, the first crime fiction magazine for portable devices.

Victoria and I had IMed and emailed, but had never spoken live before last night. As part of the event, she read my December 2019 Mystery Tribune story "Fred", which debuts PI Lisa Regina. She, Kevin, and I also divvied up the readers' bios to co-host.


UPDATE (May 30): Kevin has posted a two-hour cut of the recorded event:



Here's the video cued up to Victoria's reading of Fred:



Thanks again to everyone who attended.

The Quest for Sleep

© by Gerald So | 6:00 AM

In early April, my 21-year-old innerspring mattress finally became un-sleepable and I spent the next few late nights researching a replacement.

With only space for a twin, I ruled out several luxury, pricier options. Not swearing by innerspring or memory foam, I was intrigued by Tuft & Needle's promise of a different-feeling, proprietary adaptive foam.

Two T&N mattresses were in my price range on Amazon: the original, $280, with a 3-inch adaptive foam comfort layer and a 7-inch polyurethane support layer, and the Amazon-exclusive T&N Nod, $220, with a 2.5-inch comfort layer and a 5.5-inch support layer. I went for the greater height.

With the mattress decided, I had sheets that fit lower, 6-inch models. Luckily one sheet served for a week while I researched new ones, going with 300-thread count 100% cotton percale, about $40 from Pinzon and Boston Linen Co. respectively.

Next, not wanting the hassle of a comforter and fearing a cotton blanket would shed itself to death in the dryer, I chose a bed-length lightweight fleece, $12.99 from Utopia Bedding.

Finally, for a pillow, since I liked the T&N mattress, I bought T&N's $75 standard size pillow. Unlike the majority, shredded foam-filled pillows, the T&N pillow is a 5-inch-thick slab of adaptive foam. Other pillows whose mattresses I didn't own cost $75 or more, and I had had enough of less expensive, wrong pillows over the years.

The pillow arrived yesterday and my first night on it was good, but off-gassing was more of lingering issue with the pillow than with the mattress. With my head on the pillow, my nose was closer to the gasses released since unpacking. Support-wise the pillow held up.

I think I've made the right choices for me. My thanks to the people behind GoodBed.com, Mattress Advisor, Mattress Clarity, The Sleep Judge, Sleepopolis, The Sleep Sherpa, and The Slumber Yard.

It's Not YouTube TV. It's Me.

© by Gerald So | 4:30 AM

Last September, I dropped cable TV in favor of YouTube TV. This saved $72 a month and offered unlimited DVR storage for nine months.

Last month, though, YouTube TV announced a $10 price hike to $50 per month, taking effect May 13. Some new channels came along with the hike, notably Discovery-owned ones, but I'd gotten used to not having them. In short, YouTube TV became less valuable to me. We're canceling it this weekend.

It's not the radical move it would've been before smart TVs. We'll still have Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and free Pluto TV. I'm looking forward to being largely off a live TV schedule. It'll give me more time for reading, writing, and anything else I'd like to do.

It means I'll have to buy more shows on DVD to watch them, but in the long run, that'll be less than I was paying per month for all the channels I wasn't watching and the one I was at any given moment.

YouTube TV

© by Gerald So | 5:30 AM

With a ten-year-old Samsung TV giving up the ghost, a 32-inch Toshiba TV of forgotten age, and fed up with our rising cable TV bill, my family switched to an Internet-only plan last month after buying TCL 55-inch 4K UHD HDR Roku smart TVs for $400 at Costco.

With YouTube TV for $40 a month, we get almost all the local broadcast channels, more cable channels than with our last package, more sports channels than ever before, and DVR-like features to save unlimited programs for nine months.

Our monthly bill dropped from $177 for TV and 100 Mb/s Internet to $105 for 100 Mb/s Internet and YouTube TV.

Marvel's Daredevil Season 2

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 4:30 P.M.

I've finished watching Season 2, having started two minutes after it went live at 3:01 this morning. Not a 13-episode cat-and-mouse game, more of Season 2 felt like standalones, yet everything tied together in the end.

Jon Bernthal as The Punisher and Elodie Yung as Elektra pleasantly made me forget anyone else had ever played the roles. Meanwhile the returning characters, particularly Foggy and Karen, again had meaty subplots that seldom relied on Daredevil to prop them up.

Thematically, Season 2 did a fine job contrasting Daredevil and The Punisher, Daredevil and Elektra, and Karen and Elektra. Season 1 raised the bar for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Season 2 continues to lead the way.

TV Or Not TV

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 8:00 A.M.

After a year of TV reception so flaky I'd almost entirely stopped watching a traditional set, yesterday I exchanged my wonky cable box for a newer, working model. (The nearest cable store is too out of the way to fit into a busy day.) Having reduced my dependency on cable channels in that year, I also happily downgraded the number of channels in the package.

To think, not many years ago I was against watching TV online.