I always liked science fiction. Science, not so much.
Science always seemed rigid and impersonal. But science fiction, or speculative fiction, if you prefer — especially of the apocalyptic variety — spoke to the gloomy bog-trotter in my DNA.
So I studied the fiction instead of the science, with predictable results. When it came time for me to go to college, there was only one in the state that would accept me with my miserable GPA. However, the institution excused me from freshman comp because I was a fool for words, as long as there were no equations to solve.
SF seems best to me when the future isn’t pretty, but people manage to muddle through somehow. “A Clockwork Orange.” “Alas, Babylon.” Or “Station Eleven.”
We watched the “Station Eleven” TV series on Max, recently watched it again, and afterward I finally got around to reading the book, which as usual is considerably different. Author Emily St. John Mandel was gracious about the changes, though, saying she thought the series “deepened the story in a lot of really interesting ways.”
I doubt that I’m adding any significant depth with this latest episode of Radio Free Dogpatch, but the notions contained therein have been taking up space in my head for a while now and the Voices would like them to leave. They’re your problem now.
• Technical notes: RFD favors the Ethos mic from Earthworks Audio; Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones; Zoom H5 Handy Recorder; Apple’s GarageBand, and Auphonic for a wash and brushup. NASA noises, starship flyby, countryside ambience and appreciative audience come from Zapsplat. “Wernher von Braun” is the work of the inimitable Tom Lehrer. The Celtic tune is from Freesound. And the outro clip is from The Firesign Theatre’s “I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus,” which remains all too relevant. All other evil racket is courtesy of Your Humble Narrator.
Thanks to Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke for “2001,” Gene Roddenberry for “Star Trek,” Emily St. John Mandel for “Station Eleven,” Pat Frank for “Alas, Babylon,” Stephen King for “The Stand,” and The Firesign Theatre for … well, for everything.
Mad Blog Media 
Open that Apple box and get behind the mule and plow.
I just know that mule’s gonna take a dump on my brogans. Going from 2014 Intel to 2024 Apple silicon, don’tcha know. …
We had the Christmas party up at LANL today for everyone in my old group and since I am still badged and on the roster I went up. Everyone got a little Grinch Christmas ornament gift along with a tasty meal. The Grinch had me laughing. Someone up there has a warped sense of humor.
Did the Grinch look like you-know-who, only green instead of orange? Or like Elon?
More a passing resemblance to Pete Nanos.
https://www.science.org/content/article/nanos-steps-down-los-alamos
“Nanos, a retired Navy admiral, joined the scandal-plagued laboratory–operated by UC for the Department of Energy (DOE)–in January 2003, pledging to right the ship. But tough reforms, a decision to shut the lab down last year after a laser accident (Science NOW 21 September, 2004), and his brash style earned him harsh reviews from lab scientists. A series of suspensions following the disappearance of classified disks (Science NOW 23 July, 2004)–later found to have never existed–led to outrage in New Mexico and Washington, D.C., alike. MIT historian Hugh Gusterson calls Nanos “the most unpopular director the lab has ever had.”
And where did you elect to acquire your newest Apple tool? Apple store? Beast Buys? Off a table at Starbutts whilst no one was looking? No longer forced to suckle on the Windows teat now that I’ve retired, I’ve got to up my game since my laptops are (like me) too dated to bother trying to shift into Windows 11. And the auld beloved iPad is starting to cough, sputter and lurch throughout many apps and searches. My only fear in switching teams is I’ve not had great luck getting Apple to play nice with all the stuff in my Outlook folders.
I feel your trepidation in unboxing the newest “comfuser thing “ since the terms “simple and effortless “ don’t apply to my digital endeavors lately. Jeezus even a simple freezer for food storage demands Wi-Fi access these days. Whenever I’m promised “Plug and Play in seconds!” I know better….there will instead much weeping and knashing of teeth.
Herb, y’olde techie, I bought this latest MacBook Pro online, from Apple, and had it delivered so I didn’t have to brave the sneezing, coughing throngs at the local Apple Store, at which I remain pissed off in any event.
I’ve bought some Apple accessories at Beast Buy over the years, but not any actual Macs, as I recall. I have bought Macs from B&H Photo & Video, where deals can be had, and from Apple’s refurb store, where likewise.
Other World Computing is another good source for used/refurbished items if you want to save a few bucks whilst dipping a toe into the Apple ecosystem. They have top-shelf support that includes excellent DIY videos for the handy user who wants to get under the hood.
Finally, MacRumors is a decent source for info on Macs/iStuff, including where (and if) bargains may be found. Their buyers’ guide is especially useful when it comes to telling you what’s available now and what’s coming down the road if you can wait awhile. Jason Snell at Six Colors is another solid source about Mac info.
The best Apple laptop for most people may be the M3 MacBook Air. Light, fast, smart, reasonably priced (for a Mac, anyway). Hal has one, an M2 model from 2022, and swears by it, rather than at it. The usual recommendations apply: You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much memory and storage.
And yeah, the “smart” craze involves all the wrong products. We need smarter people and dumber fridges, washers, and TVs.
Herb, ole buddy, the freezer wouldn’t take no for an answer? Taylor sells a smart doodad you can stick in your guitar case so you can check the humidity over the intertunes using an app. I put that in the “ you gotta be shittin’ me” category along with fridges and freezers.
As far as Patrick buying a new laptop, Sandy and I are still processing it. His purchase, if it really happened, is also in the above category.
Smart fridges and freezers. Oy. Just what we need, eh? Some other cold Voice in our heads.
“Yo, muttonhead, you’re out of baloney again. Or full of it, one or the other. Har de har har. …”
As for the new MacBook Pro — true fact. I just spent a half-hour moving user data over from the old one and am downloading Sequoia 15.2 as we speak. “To boldly go where no Dog has gone before,” etc.
Congrats. Let us know what you think. We were thinking of a new laptop to replace two old Macbook Airs along with two new iPads to replace our old 7th generation ones. Might have to head to Simutech in Tucson and do some swapping and trading.
There definitely will be a breaking-in period. For me, not for the MacBook Pro. I’ve jumped forward in time 10 years in hardware (Intel to Apple silicon) and four iterations of the macOS (Big Sur to Sequoia).
So this ol’ dawg is having to learn some new tricks along with re-downloading a few third-party apps, like Rogue Amoeba’s Audio Hijack and Hindenburg (both for podcasting). But that’s no big deal. I quit rassling with Microsoft and Adobe stuff years ago and mostly use Apple’s apps for all my little hobbies.
Everything’s Thunderbolt 5/USB-C, too, so I may need some adapters for this, that, and the other. For instance, my external drives are all old-school USB or Firewire. And I use a USB-connected Shure MV7 mic for adding random bits of jabber to the podcast once I’ve recorded the narration in the Zoom H5 and dragged it into GarageBand.
But the blog is all browser-based, so no issues there. And with the new iteration of Safari maybe I won’t have to go to Firefox or Chrome to do a bit of postproduction manipulation on the podcast. Auphonic had been requiring me to crank up the Chrome.
Off we go, into the wild, weird yonder. …
Now you’ve done it POG….had to bring up USB’s which are only “universal “ for 3days before someone decides to go a questionable “faster, better” route. The other day I cleaned out a sizable drawer of power and data transfer cords while muttering about how most were either never used, or even understood as to their purpose. The camera brands all had their own while the number of power cord thingies boggle the mind and makes one think that it’s how the Russians plan to take us down. Then the fun really began a few years back. You’d plug your USB A cord into your new car or device and nada…it wasn’t the newest cable version so tough shit Herb….no music for you. Calm down Herb you say, after all it’s a Bluetooth world now so whaddya doing dicking with cords anyway? Oh lord…..as Don Henley said “bring back the Duke of Earl”.
But let the record show, I did dump friction shifting a long time ago so I’m only a 3/4 troglodyte.
For reals, USHerB. Mini-USB, Micro-USB, USB-A through C, which is also Thunderbolt 4-5 or whatever.
And then there’s Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, and/or HDMI for connecting your external display. Lightning cables for the various iThings.
I likewise have a couple largish boxes full of ancient cables and gadgets from the Before-Time: ADB, DVI-A, -D, and -I, VGA, mice of various USB connectivity, and what have you.
And don’t get me started on the hurricane of SD cards and their blizzard of adapters. ¡Ay, Chihuahua!
I did discover a nice bit of news while setting up the new MacBook Pro, however. One of the external drives I use, from Other World Computing, came equipped with its own USB-A/C adapter, attached to the cable by a sliding loop, so it won’t go walkabout on you as you shift it from one hookup to another.
It’s that time. More light.
More light! More!
Speaking of A Clockwork Orange, Air Force brat Malcolm McDowell had a short but sweet bit in Thelma, on Hulu, that’s worth a gander. A pistol-packing 95 year old tries to hand out some grey-haired justice, with the obligatory 3 mph take on the French Connection’s car chase.