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As I have mentioned in Jacob's Jacobless Jacobing, I recently bought another micro PC for the purposes of installing Raspberry Pi OS (in this case Raspberry Pi Desktop.) The more I learn about smart devices, the more I want to return to monke build a proper standalone adblock/anti-tracking machine. Seriously. We live in a schizophrenic's nightmare. That 4K LG TV is like the offspring of the Five Eyes and Mark Zuckerberg. Your "Internet of Things" refrigerator is phoning home to China. A Russian has hacked into your washing machine. My solution to this Orwellian hellscape is try out a Pihole. Raspberry Pis, as devices, have become so cartoonishly expensive that it's actually a better economic decision to buy a low end micro PC (see above.) This thread will primarily serve as "lol, Knuckles thinks he's a linux geek" but will hopefully include at least a little useful info. The new micro PC, a Beelink SER, arrived today. I learned that the other low power micro PC I bought in 2022, a Minisforum UM350, is significantly more powerful than the Beelink. The former has a Ryzen 3 3550H (4 cores, 8 threads, better per-core performance, Vega 8 graphics) and the latter has a Ryzen 3200U (2 cores, 4 threads, Vega 3 graphics.) This is actually a good thing as the UM350 can pull up to 35W (I think mine is rated at 20W, but it's been ages since I looked that up.) The 3200U pulls 15W. Obviously, I will be running the Pihole 24/7 once it's fully set up. Also, I don't exactly need 3D graphic performance of any kind with it. The biggest surprise thus far is that I bought a unit that was not supposed to come with an OS and surprise, SUCKER! It's got Window 11 pre-installed. That OS is like a goddamn venereal disease. This evening I downloaded the Pi Desktop OS image. It's a svelte 3.4GB. I'm not sure I have the energy at this hour to format a bootable thumb drive and begin the OS installation process.

Grant Green’s Funk in France: From Paris to Antibes (1969–1970) Full

Mishima by Philip Glass, Kronos Quartet (1985) https://open.qobuz.com/album/0075597988956 Example: More Philip for fun. (probably should watch this at some point.) Followed by: Philip Glass: Mishima by Maki Namekawa 2018 https://open.qobuz.com/album/svzhtflbqsm9a Example: I really like the arrangement by Michael (also the conductor of Kronos Quartet above). Lends a more delicate nature to the work, also I like Piano. I didn't know Maki's work before this. Added things to my queue (now at 854 albums).

Happy birthday, Stretch! Here's a comic from 15 years ago.

Yeah, but can they play live... yup Video quality is all over the place - but sound is good.

"You Can Have My Walkman, Just Don't Take My MixTape" https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/28/style/mix-tape-analog-music.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9FA.Aap5.CDGpwOT5lktS&smid=url-share

In one paragraph he bemoans how little streaming services pay artists, and in the next relishes his experience listening to bootleg Sonic Youth recordings.

the noise spikes are 120hz (100hz for you) and due completely to the switching noise of the input diodes. every power supply, even tube rectified ones do this. The idea is to remove the spike noise, and its not easy. caps across the diodes, etc, just does not work. and by the way, so far, I can't even get close to these numbers with a shunt regulated supply, the noise rips right thru the main current source. 7815 is rated at 90 microvolts of noise (ti datasheet). which is great except that in the typical configuration the diode noise rips right thru, and is usually in the millivolt range. and the voltage stability is +/-4% over commercial temperature range. plus line and load regulation. S22, same thing, the capacitance multiplier at the input is useless. Some companies in the stupidly overpriced 3 terminal replacement business call this a gyrator. Nope, not a gyrator. yes it can regulate at 3V, but you don't want to do that. What you might want to do is use that voltage to calculate line voltage -15% for the absolute minimum voltage. Then make sure all the components are rated for line voltage +15% its all about heat in the pass transistors. if you want to go down to 8 volts, you have to change the series zener to 4.7v that zener is there to make sure the thing starts up under load. and change the reference to 5v here is the original design that was modified by ucc, then modified by me. http://waltjung.org/PDFs/Improved_PN_Regs.pdf

RIP photographer Ian Berry. So many great shots over the years. https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/photojournalism/rip-ian-berry-the-magnum-photojournalist-who-shot-the-only-photos-of-the-sharpeville-massacre-and-who-spent-more-than-seven-decades-working-hard-being-humble-and-insisting-the-job-was-never-about-the-gear https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographer/1228/ian-berry And for Dylan fans Also https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/ian-berry-intimate-portrait-serge-gainsbourg-jane-birkin/

RIP Ian King - one of the guitarists for the FU's, local Boston band from the 80's, and later Straw Dogs. Got to see the FU's in the early 80's (stayed FAR away from the mosh pit!), and oddly again this year when they were part of a punk show along with a band my friend manages. They had an intelligent cynicism, even some about the punk rock scene..... Old: New (I saw them around this time, at another location):