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<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' ?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"> <channel><title>Greg's diary</title><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary.php</link><atom:link href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary.xml.php"rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><description>Greg Lehey's online diary</description><dc:creator /><dc:date>2025-08-30T14:08:37+10:00</dc:date> <dc:rights>Copyright 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Greg Lehey</dc:rights><!-- for Emacs, this is a -*- mode: fundamental; coding: utf-8 -*- document --><!-- temporary file, entries for last 7 days of previous month, used for RSS version --> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250726-023319</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250726-023319</link><category>animals</category><category>general</category><category>photography</category><category>opinion</category><title>Shearing again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Off to the Smith's shearing shed again this morning, this time with a real camera. I just made it before they finished, and was rewarded by finally meeting Bluey Smith. . </p> <p> Didn't take many photos, not helped by the fact that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OM_System_OM-1_Mark_II">OM System OM-1 Mark II</a> has different functions under the “video” button from earlier models, but the difference from yesterday's mobile phone photos is amazing. Here pretty much the same scene, yesterday (mobile phone) and today (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OM_System_OM-1_Mark_II">OM System OM-1 Mark II</a>): </p> <a id="Photo-0" name="Photo-0" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250724&imagesizes=2#Photo-0"> <img alt="This should be Shearing-in-Dereel-14.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_0" title="Photo Shearing-in-Dereel-14.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250724/small/Shearing-in-Dereel-14.jpeg" width="387" height="174" /></a> <a id="Photo-1" name="Photo-1" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250725&imagesizes=12#Photo-1"> <img alt="This should be Shearing-in-Dereel-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_1" title="Photo Shearing-in-Dereel-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250725/small/Shearing-in-Dereel-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> At that magnification both look acceptable. But look at that whiteboard again: </p> <a id="Photo-2" name="Photo-2" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250724&imagesizes=112#Photo-2"> <img alt="This should be Shearing-in-Dereel-14-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_2" title="Photo Shearing-in-Dereel-14-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250724/small/Shearing-in-Dereel-14-detail.jpeg" width="208" height="326" /></a> <a id="Photo-3" name="Photo-3" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250725&imagesizes=1112#Photo-3"> <img alt="This should be Shearing-in-Dereel-2-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_3" title="Photo Shearing-in-Dereel-2-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250725/small/Shearing-in-Dereel-2-detail.jpeg" width="245" height="275" /></a> <p> Not only is the Real Camera image sharp, it has a completely different aspect ratio. How did that happen? Maybe a different viewpoint? And is the difference in the colours only attributable to the available light? Looking more carefully, it seems that the blue text in the real photo is the smudged text in the mobile phone photo. </p> <p> Yes, this isn't a top of the line mobile phone. It's a <a href="https://m.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_13-12776.php">Xiaomi Redmi Note 13</a>, which I had considered a reasonably good middle-of-the-road phone. Can top quality ones really do that much better? The <a href="https://www.techadvisor.com/article/2254194/xiaomi-redmi-note-13-5g-review.html">Tech λdvisor review</a> claims “Reasonable results in good lighting, terrible night shots”, so yes, maybe others could do better. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-26T02:33:19+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250726-024027</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250726-024027</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><title>Noodle insights</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Somehow I never quite get things right with cooking rice noodles, specifically the <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/noodle-cooking-times.php#Jack-Hua">Jack Hua</a> noodles. In the past I had decided on one minute cooking time and then rehydrating them when I wanted to eat them. But how about cooking them just before use? Tried that today, and discovered to my astonishment that it took 5 minutes! Clearly the noodles continue to soften after cooking, even if cold. </p> <p> I still don't know how to do it right. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-26T02:40:27+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250726-025632</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250726-025632</link><category>politics</category><category>opinion</category><title>Israel finally condemned?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I've been horrified by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel">Israeli</a> treatment of their Palestinian prisoners for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-nov2012.php?subtitle=Israel:%20The%20firings%20will%20continue%20until%20morale%20improves&article=D-20121121-232422#D-20121121-232422">over 12 years</a>, and I've been amazed that the international community has done as good as nothing to stop them. Now they're engaging in textbook <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide">genocide</a>. And gradually Western politicians are taking note of the fact. Today France finally recognized a Palestinian state, something that the Israelis sometimes said that they wanted too. Or maybe not. Or maybe we should just <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_Israeli_annexation_of_the_West_Bank">annex the “West Bank”</a>. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knesset">Knesset</a> has recently <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/23/israeli-parliament-approves-symbolic-motion-on-west-bank-annexation">passed a motion</a> to do just that. </p> <p> Once again I'm amazed that they could have got this far. But only gradually are people doing anything about it. Even France (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Macron">Emanuel Macron</a>) hasn't gone as far as recognizing a Palestinian state; he has just announced his intention to do so in September. </p> <p> What is taking them so long? How many more people have to die? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-26T02:56:32+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250727-033527</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250727-033527</link><category>technology</category><category>photography</category><title>New exiftool</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> No announcement, but on checking I discovered that <a href="https://exiftool.org/"><i>exiftool</i></a> 13.33 has now been released. In the release notes (called <a href="https://exiftool.org/history.html">history)</a> I find: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt> Decode a few more Olympus tags (thanks Karsten Gieselmann)<br /> Handle Olympus RawDev2IFD tag 0x8000 (named it RawDevSubIFD)<br /> Patched to avoid "multi-segment EXIF with external pointers" error when writing Olympus OM-1 JPG files converted by some utilities<br /><br />July 2, 2025 - Version 13.32 </tt></div></blockquote> <p> The last one was my issue, and it seems to work. Looking at an example I had <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?subtitle=Still%20more%20ExifTool%20pain&article=D-20250705-235256#D-20250705-235256">at the beginning of the month</a>, I have: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/18)</font> <font color="red">~/Photos/20250703</font> <font color="blue">876</font> -> <b><tt>geotag orig/A7032091_DxO.jpg</tt></b></code><br />GPSLOG /src/GPS/Tracklogs/Phones/GPSLogger/albo/20250703.gpx<br />exiftool -geotag=/src/GPS/Tracklogs/Phones/GPSLogger/albo/20250703.gpx orig/A7032091_DxO.jpg<br />Warning: [minor] File contains multi-segment EXIF - orig/A7032091_DxO.jpg<br />Warning: [minor] File contains multi-segment EXIF - orig/A7032091_DxO.jpg<br /><del>Error: Can't write multi-segment EXIF with external pointers - orig/A7032091_DxO.jpg</del><br /><del> 0 image files updated</del><br /><del> 1 files weren't updated due to errors</del><br /> 1 image files updated </tt></div></blockquote> <p> The crossed-out lines no longer appear, and the update succeeds. Should the warning appear? I need to think about that. Now to go back and see what else I need to fix. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-27T03:35:27+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250727-033947</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250727-033947</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><title>Blast from the past</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Tidying up the kitchen, found these old scales: </p> <p> I recall them, though I haven't used them for years. They have the advantage that the container is the (interchangeable) spoon at the end. But they don't work. </p> <a id="Photo-4" name="Photo-4" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250727&imagesizes=11112#Photo-4"> <img alt="This should be Hand-scales-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_4" title="Photo Hand-scales-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250727/small/Hand-scales-2.jpeg" width="473" height="143" /></a>a <p> Oh: </p> <a id="Photo-5" name="Photo-5" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250726&imagesizes=111112#Photo-5"> <img alt="This should be Digital-scales-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_5" title="Photo Digital-scales-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250726/small/Digital-scales-2.jpeg" width="301" height="224" /></a> <a id="Photo-6" name="Photo-6" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250726&imagesizes=1111112#Photo-6"> <img alt="This should be Digital-scales-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_6" title="Photo Digital-scales-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250726/small/Digital-scales-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> That used to be relatively common in the days before modern batteries, but I don't know when I last saw one. And yes, the batteries weren't modern. They probably came with the device, and were the cheapest the maker could find. Replace them with rechargeables and all seemed to be OK, though the display is a little weak; maybe it really wants 1.5 V batteries. </p> <p> Why don't I use it any more? Maybe it's not as convenient as it seems. And how old is it? I took some photos of it <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/photos/Photos.php?dirdate=20190713">six years ago</a>, but the text "12/2012” on the back is probably a date. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-27T03:39:47+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250728-051323</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250728-051323</link><category>general</category><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Loss of marbles?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Baking <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/bread.php">bread</a> today. That's becoming less often than it once was, now that we have diversified our sorts of bread, but it's still every 5 weeks or so. </p> <p> But yesterday I made a mistake mixing the starter: instead of 300 g of rye and 600 g of water, I used only 375 g of water, the way I did it until a year or two ago. Not a problem, in principle: add more water to the second rising. But not 225 g more, since some of the starter has been removed for next time. And it (144 g) contains 80 g of water instead of the 128 g of water in the correctly mixed starter. </p> <p> OK, that's simple: calculate the new quantity of water. And I couldn't do it! It's simple, of course: take what I have, subtract it from what I need, add the rest. But it took me 4 attempts, and ultimately I added too much water because I had forgotten the total. Why the pain? Am I losing my marbles? </p> <p> The result was that the bread rose much more than usual. Here after 20 minutes and at the end: </p> <a id="Photo-7" name="Photo-7" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250727&imagesizes=11111112#Photo-7"> <img alt="This should be Bread-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_7" title="Photo Bread-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250727/small/Bread-1.jpeg" width="326" height="207" /></a> <a id="Photo-8" name="Photo-8" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250727&imagesizes=111111112#Photo-8"> <img alt="This should be Bread-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_8" title="Photo Bread-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250727/small/Bread-2.jpeg" width="328" height="206" /></a> <p> Normally it would end up just above the rim of the baking tin. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-28T05:13:23+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250728-051737</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250728-051737</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Buying cars: the pain</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> More thoughts about new cars. More fighting these horrible web sites, showing probably only some of the cars available. But then we had another idea: how about buying a new car for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a>, and I keep her old car? </p> <p> Start all over again. The car must be red (apparently the most important criterion), and it must have automatic transmission. Searches showed that prices have risen dramatically since <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-sep2013.php?topics=h&subtitle=Car%20hunt,%20day%203&article=D-20130906-225146#D-20130906-225146">we bought our last cars</a>. Then I paid $4,750 for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Elantra">Hyundai</a> and just shy of $10,000 for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore">Commodore</a>. Now there is almost nothing available under $10,000, certainly nothing that Yvonne would like. </p> <p> But then I found a 2012 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Accent">Hyundai Accent Active RB</a> with manual transmission for “only” $6,990, from All Auto Solutions Pty Ltd in Prest Street. That's almost exactly what I was looking for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-feb2025.php?subtitle=A%20new%20car?&article=D-20250204-234234#D-20250204-234234">earlier in the year</a>, but on that occasion he didn't have anything. </p> <p> And it's red! Is Yvonne interested? No, she wants automatic as well as red. And the cheapest car that would come in question for her would cost nearly double. Maybe I'll stick to the original plan. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-28T05:17:37+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250729-021926</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250729-021926</link><category>general</category><title>A new car</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> As planned, called up Chris Polkinghorne of All Auto Solutions this morning. Yes, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Accent">Hyundai</a> was still there, so off to take a look, stopping on the way at <a href="https://franko87.wixsite.com/scsc">Sovereign City</a> to ask Leigh about the choice. He wasn't there—off sick for a while, it seems. Hopefully he'll get over it. His mate Mike gave me some information, though: avoid Hyundai! It seems that their quality has deteriorated since my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Elantra">Elantra</a> was made, and the fact that this one was made in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai">Chennai</a> certainly does nothing to suggest Korean workmanship. </p> <p> On to the sales yard and took a look at the car. It looks tatty, inside and out, worse than my 2002 Elantra: </p> <a id="Photo-9" name="Photo-9" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250730&imagesizes=1111111112#Photo-9"> <img alt="This should be Hyundai-1-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_9" title="Photo Hyundai-1-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250730/small/Hyundai-1-5.jpeg" width="306" height="221" /></a> <a id="Photo-10" name="Photo-10" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250730&imagesizes=11111111112#Photo-10"> <img alt="This should be Hyundai-1-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_10" title="Photo Hyundai-1-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250730/small/Hyundai-1-1.jpeg" width="661" height="102" /></a> <p> They had another one, a 2010 model with 133,494 km for $8,990. Also tatty, with marking flaking off the controls on the dashboard: </p> <a id="Photo-11" name="Photo-11" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250730&imagesizes=111111111112#Photo-11"> <img alt="This should be Hyundai-2-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_11" title="Photo Hyundai-2-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250730/small/Hyundai-2-3.jpeg" width="235" height="288" /></a> <a id="Photo-12" name="Photo-12" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250730&imagesizes=1111111111112#Photo-12"> <img alt="This should be Hyundai-2-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_12" title="Photo Hyundai-2-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250730/small/Hyundai-2-5.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> It didn't take me long to decide that I didn't need a car like that. </p> <p> Then <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> had a bright idea: how about that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Yaris">Toyota Yaris</a> over there? Nice and red, automatic, 2013 model. Only slightly over double the price of the Hyundai I had came to see. </p> <p> But apart from that, it ticked all the boxes, including only 83,825 km on the clock. Test drive, all seems well apart from the fact that it needed help starting: flat battery. But that's understandable under the circumstances, and in any case there's a 1 year warranty. So we bought it: </p> <a id="Photo-13" name="Photo-13" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250728&imagesizes=11111111111112#Photo-13"> <img alt="This should be Yvonnes-new-car-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_13" title="Photo Yvonnes-new-car-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250728/small/Yvonnes-new-car-1.jpeg" width="303" height="223" /></a> <p> It still needs to go through a repeat <a href="https://transport.vic.gov.au/registration-and-licensing/registration/roadworthy-certification/roadworthy-certificate">roadworthy certificate</a>, so we won't get it until Wednesday. At least that solved my concerns about paying for the thing via mobile phone. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-29T02:19:26+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250729-022302</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250729-022302</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Give me my money!</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Back home, pay for the car. The $13,000 were slightly irritating because it meant digging into my high-interest savings account, losing $130 odd of interest in the process. But that wasn't the worst. Enter the payer details. Enter the sum. Work past <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Australia">Bank Australia's</a> “are you being pressured? Are you being scammed?” page. Yes, send me an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS">SMS</a>. </p> <p> Sorry, the sum exceeds your daily transfer limit. Please contact support. </p> <p> What's wrong with this? Why didn't they tell me before? What's the limit? How do I contact support? I couldn't find anything on their web site, and their “help” section only offered PDF instructions. But I've been there before, so I found the information on <i>my</i> web site: call 132888. </p> <p> Did that. “Due to unexpected circumstances you're in for a long wait”. While I was waiting messed around and found that I was able to transfer $5000, but that the site had forgotten all the transfer details. Finally I was connected to Hayley, who told me that my daily limit was $5000, and (after interpreting her way of expressing it) I had two alternatives: get them to do it for me, or increase my transfer limit. But it seems that they can only increase the limit temporarily for up to 72 hours, and it would take about half that time just to set it in place. Why? I couldn't get any sense out of her. Anyway, for that she had to send me an email offering me “VIP Access”. It started: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> VIP Symantec (Phone or Tablet) provides the information required to assist you in downloading and registering VIP Access Token for smart phone or tablet. </div> </blockquote> <p> Dammit, I don't want to have anything on my phone that has to do with security. Sorry, that's the only way. What are these people thinking of? </p> <p> OK, do the alternative: she performs the transfer. First, identify me: date of birth and address, please. Dammit, half of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dereel">Dereel</a> can answer those questions. No wonder they're concerned about security: they have no idea. </p> <p> It went on: She wanted me to read out all the information that she already had available on her screen for “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_diligence">due diligence</a>”, a term that I don't think they understand. Then what do you want the money for? Dammit, why should I tell you? Because otherwise I can't do the transfer. OK, for a car. From a dealer or private? Hayley, what do you think when the recipient is All Auto Solutions Pty Ltd? This went on for a while while I grew increasingly annoyed, and then I discovered that it couldn't be sent until tomorrow evening. Why? Because that's the way it is. </p> <p> Somehow this whole business suggests that they don't understand the issues. I have more than enough money in my accounts to pay my debts, and I can't because of arbitrary rules that they have made. Asked her to take a complaint, more beating around the bush, and then I said that was enough. “Anything else I can help you with today?”. You haven't helped at all. But yes, give me the complaint number. Sorry, we don't do complaints, only feedback. </p> <p> Finally I got connected to her supervisor, Nikita, who said much the same thing, and that they're proud of their security. But yes, they do take complaints. I can find the details with a Google search! </p> <p> After 45 minutes, I was no further. But it occurred to me that I could work around the problem: I've already paid $5000, another $5000 tomorrow and $3000 on Wednesday before pickup. Called up Chris and told him of my problems. He didn't seem in the slightest worried. He has probably seen more than enough of this sort of thing. </p> <p> And then I received email: “Your Complaint - Ref: CAS-661500-T7N8Y8”. Somehow things don't seem to tie up. I'm not holding my breath for a resolution. </p> <p> Then while looking for something else, discovered that I have had similar pain <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-mar2025.php?topics=h&subtitle=Bank%20Australia%20pain&article=D-20250305-000009#D-20250305-000009">before</a>. At the time I decided that I should stay with them. But that was before they denied me access to my money. I wonder whether it also applies to credit cards. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZ_Bank">ANZ credit card</a> that I have just cancelled had a $33,000 limit. I wonder if there were restrictions on individual transactions, and whether Bank Australia has something similar. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-29T02:23:02+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250730-032454</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250730-032454</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Insuring the new car</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> How do we insure the new car? It's not a legal requirement, since the registration includes basic liability, but we want at least third party insurance. Back to this <i>horrible</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_Direct">Budget Direct</a> web site, where in fact things went relatively smoothly. Nowadays that's worth reporting. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-30T03:24:54+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250730-032757</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250730-032757</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Australian Taxation Office exploit</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation">ABC's</a> <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/four-corners">Four Corners</a> team has a new episode, <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/video/NC2503H026S00">“No Return: Australia's Missing Billions”</a>, about an online exploit on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Taxation_Office">Australian Taxation Office</a>. Spent some time watching it today, in the process coming to a number of recognitions: </p> <ul> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> This is about the level of incompetence I had expected of the Australian Government, based on personal experience. In particular it relates to this <i>horribly</i> insecure <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/myGov">myGov</a> platform. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> I've been personally involved with almost exactly this scam <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-nov2021.php?subtitle=More%20spam!&article=D-20211102-012718#D-20211102-012718">four years ago</a>. That's interesting for a number of things: they discovered the scam in time, something that the Four Corners programme claimed that they didn't do. And it happened some months before the exploit that the programme describes. I was actually left comparatively positively impressed at the time. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> So far (I've only watched the first third) there's no evidence that the reporters are any cleverer than the ATO's fraud detection system as they describe it. </div> </li> </ul> <p> So after my various online experiences of the last couple of days, should I think like a cracker and plan (and document) exploits? How can I break the security of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Australia">Bank Australia</a>? I don't think I can, as long as I keep them off my mobile phone. And they claim to be able to <a href="http://www.bankaust.com.au/support/voiceid">recognize me by my voice</a>. </p> <p> But what if I have installed their app? One of the ways they identify me is to send me a “secure” <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS">SMS</a>, whatever that might be—they're too polite to assume that I don't know. How does that work if the phone has been stolen? They claim that it does, but they don't say how. </p> <p> And <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_Direct">Budget Direct</a>? I don't even have a password! To authenticate me they use this <i>stupid</i> date of birth and address. Any of my neighbours could steal my phone and log in as me. About the only good thing about it is that I can't think of what harm a cracker could do, though my lack of imagination is exactly one of the reasons why I don't trust phones for security. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-30T03:27:57+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-014519</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-014519</link><category>history</category><category>language</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Goodbye Elantra</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Off this morning for my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elantra">Elantra's</a> last journey. I've had it for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-sep2013.php?subtitle=New%20car%20and%20other%20diversions&article=D-20130911-230531#D-20130911-230531">nearly 12 years</a>, and it has served me well. But it howled all the way to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballarat">Ballarat</a>. Not pain, of course, just the wheel bearing that was the last straw to break its back. </p> <p> Somehow it's sad. The car is still functional, but before long it will just be a pile of metal. And last week <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> took it for some reason, and filled up the tank! I got $200 for it, and lost $60 on the petrol in the tank. </p> <p> How do I deregister it? I should get another good $100 back for the rego, but the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VicRoads">VicRoads</a> web site beat me. Chris had given me the number plates, and he told me that I should send in photos of them. But there was nothing on the site that reflected that. Call their help line. Ah, says Ajay, he would send a video to my phone. To my phone, not my “landline”. Nowadays a “phone” is a “smart phone”. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlVyRgWlBKU">video</a> (from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">YouTube</a>) shows things relatively well. You need to select “Other”, not “written off”. And it seems that “written off” implies an accident. And I have to send photos of the destroyed plates. So, goodbye RUO 901: </p> <a id="Photo-14" name="Photo-14" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250730&imagesizes=111111111111112#Photo-14"> <img alt="This should be Rego-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_14" title="Photo Rego-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250730/small/Rego-1.jpeg" width="303" height="223" /></a> <a id="Photo-15" name="Photo-15" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250730&imagesizes=1111111111111112#Photo-15"> <img alt="This should be Rego-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_15" title="Photo Rego-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250730/small/Rego-3.jpeg" width="303" height="223" /></a> <p> A few statistics: I got the car on <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-sep2013.php?subtitle=New%20car%20and%20other%20diversions&article=D-20130911-230531#D-20130911-230531">11 September 2013</a>, 4340 days or 11.89 years ago. It had 150,975 km on the clock when I got it and 186,832 when I left it today, a total of 35,857 km or an average of 3,016 km per year. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-31T01:45:19+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-031203</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-031203</link><category>general</category><title>The new car</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> The new car, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Yaris">Toyota Yaris</a>, looks different. A number of things confused me, and I spent a good 5 minutes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM">RTFMing</a> before I drove off with the handbrake on. But apart from that everything went smoothly. It has a display of instantaneous and average fuel consumption. The first jumps around so much as to be almost useless. I saw consumptions of between 0.0 and 47 l/100 km, and even during normal driving it changed by several litres from reading to reading. The average stayed constant at 7 l/100 km, probably needing resetting to do anything useful. </p> <p> But it's here. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-31T03:12:03+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-032330</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-032330</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Congratulations! Explaining BSD just got its first reader</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> A new message from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academia.edu">Academia.edu</a> today: “Congratulations! "Explaining BSD" got its first reader”. </p> <p> And about time, too, after <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-dec2002.php#7">over 22 years</a>. Will I get the second one before I die? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-31T03:23:30+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-032807</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250731-032807</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>multimedia</category><category>opinion</category><title>Here is your one-time code</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Accessing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation">ABC's</a> on-demand videos isn't ever easy. I was unable to display the <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/video/NC2503H026S00">“No Return: Australia's Missing Billions”</a> programme on my normal web browser: I got the message </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth">Video Player Error Sorry, there has been a problem playing back this video in your browser. This error has been logged with our technical team for investigation.Please check our list of recommended web browsers . Error Code: 102630 </div> </blockquote> <p> OK, they don't like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox"><i>firefox</i></a>? Try with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_(web%20browser)">Chromium</a>. Log in, please. And because they're so “secure”, they sent me an email: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Here is your one-time code<br /><br />Copy this code to verify your ABC account.<br /><br />The code expires in 10 minutes.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Your ABC Account team<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> And that's all. I suppose the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML">HTML</a> version makes more sense, but in the text version the number was only in the <tt>Subject:</tt> line. </p> <p> And of course that didn't work either. It <i>did</i> work on <i>distress</i>, the Microsoft box, so I think what they're really saying is “we don't like your operating system”. A good thing that there are workarounds. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-07-31T03:28:07+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250801-000701</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250801-000701</link><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Driving the new car</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> chose her new car <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?subtitle=A%20new%20car&article=D-20250729-021926#D-20250729-021926">three days ago</a>, but she has never driven it. Today was the day. One of the problems is that she will have to park it on the left side of the garage: the battery for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics">PV</a> system is at the end of the parking spot, and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore">Commodore</a> won't fit there. </p> <a id="Photo-16" name="Photo-16" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250801&imagesizes=11111111111111112#Photo-16"> <img alt="This should be Cars-in-garage-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_16" title="Photo Cars-in-garage-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250801/small/Cars-in-garage-3.jpeg" width="223" height="302" /></a> <p> It gets parked very close to the wall, and she's concerned that she might damage it getting it in or out: </p> <a id="Photo-17" name="Photo-17" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250801&imagesizes=111111111111111112#Photo-17"> <img alt="This should be Cars-in-garage-2-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_17" title="Photo Cars-in-garage-2-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250801/small/Cars-in-garage-2-detail.jpeg" width="344" height="196" /></a> <p> OK, put it outside for her and let her transfer her belongings. In the process, more statistics. The log book has entries for both Commodores, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_(VT)">VT</a> from 8 February 2000 (56,626 km) to <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-sep2013.php?subtitle=Changing%20of%20the%20Commodores&article=D-20130923-235656#D-20130923-235656">23 September 2013</a> (265,902 km), a total of 4976 days and 209,276 km, making both duration and distance the longest we have ever had. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_(VZ)">VZ</a> had done 143,464 km when we got it on the same day, and as of today it has done a total of 266,144 km, a total of 4329 days and 118,600 km. Here a summary, also including the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Magna#TR_/_KR">Mitsubishi Magna</a> that I had before the Elantra </p> <table summary="Automatically generated table"> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Car</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">Start</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">End</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">Start</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">End</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">km</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">days</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">km/</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">date</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">date</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">km</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">km</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">year</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Magna</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">18 January 2000</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">11 September 2013</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">167833</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">272900</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">105067</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">4985</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">7698</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Commodore VT</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">8 February 2000</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">23 September 2013</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">56626</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">265902</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">209276</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">4976</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">15361</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Elantra</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">11 September 2013</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">30 July 2025</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">150975</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">186832</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">35857</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">4340</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">3016</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Commodore VZ</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">23 September 2013</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">143464</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">262144</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">118600</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">4329</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">10006</td> </tr> </table> <p> And we're not done with understanding the car, particularly the radio. It has an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_Card">SD Card</a> with some data from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota">Toyota</a> on it. I've tried putting in one of my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3">MP3</a> cards, but there's nothing obvious on the menu to tell me how to play it. And I still can't find out how to turn the thing off. Yes, there's a ⏼ symbol there, but it's just on the frame, and touching it does nothing useful. More <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM">RTFM</a> time. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-01T00:07:01+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250801-000734</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250801-000734</link><category>photography</category><category>general</category><title>The Smith's farm again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Test driving <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne's</a> new car gave me an opportunity to go to the Smith's farm in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Mercer,_Victoria">Mount Mercer</a> and take a couple of photos that Bev had requested, notably of the approach: </p> <a id="Photo-18" name="Photo-18" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250731&imagesizes=1111111111111111112#Photo-18"> <img alt="This should be Smiths-property-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_18" title="Photo Smiths-property-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250731/small/Smiths-property-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> Does that look good? How about a panorama of the property? </p> <a id="Photo-19" name="Photo-19" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250731&imagesizes=11111111111111111112#Photo-19"> <img alt="This should be Smiths-property-4-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_19" title="Photo Smiths-property-4-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250731/small/Smiths-property-4-detail.jpeg" width="748" height="90" /></a> <p> Nothing overly exciting, </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-01T00:07:34+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250801-010759</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php#D-20250801-010759</link><category>Stones</category><category>Road</category><category>house</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>More PV quotes</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Call from Angelo, apparently from <a href="https://www.rebateassistancevictoria.org/">Rebate Assistance Victoria</a>, to discuss installing additional <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics">PV</a> capacity. It didn't go well. </p> <p> In principle it was along the same lines as my discussion <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-apr2025.php?subtitle=Second%20PV%20system:%20decision&article=D-20250429-015120#D-20250429-015120">in April</a>. In fact, once again the name Yasmin crops up: she sent me an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS">SMS</a> which I didn't find until after the event. <i>Why</i> are mobile phone communications so popular, and <i>why</i> are they so disconnected with traditional Internet services? </p> <p> In any case, Angelo agreed that I could use more battery storage. He didn't mention direct pricing, just what I would pay per month or per quarter: $174/$522 for a 15 kW (as he put it) battery, and $201/$603 for a 30 kWh battery. Clearly the 30 kWh battery is the way to go. </p> <p> But that was all! And he claimed that then my electricity bill would drop to 0! No way. </p> <p> What's wrong with this? He hasn't mentioned a way to charge the battery. He has my electricity bill: </p> <table summary="Automatically generated table"> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Date</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">Price</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">Solar feedin</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">$</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">(kWh)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">September 2024</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">922.34</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">139</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">December 2024</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">454.66</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">936</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">March 2025</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">337.98</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">1013</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">May 2025</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">465.89</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">510</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Total</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">2169.87</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">2598</td> </tr> </table> <p> A 30 kWh battery needs about 25 kWh per day, or 9,125 kWh per year, to be useful. We're generating less than 30% of that, and that's irregular. I'd need at least another 10 kW of PV panels to keep the thing charged on most days. OK, we can do a 10.3 kW system for $369 per month or $1107 per quarter. Why do people think in such short terms? In any case, “this will cost you nothing”. Here the reality, based on the last year: </p> <table summary="Automatically generated table"> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Electricity bill</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-$2167.87</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Battery</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">$2412</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">PV array</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">$4428</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Total</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">$4762</td> </tr> </table> <p> That's not exactly “nothing”, round $400 per month. And it makes a number of assumptions, in particular that the extra 10 kW of panels can charge the battery every day. That's patently incorrect. Here my generation for the past week: </p> <a id="Photo-20" name="Photo-20" href="diary-jul2025.php?dirdate=20250801&imagesizes=111111111111111111112#Photo-20"> <img alt="This should be PV-statistics.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_20" title="Photo PV-statistics.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250801/small/PV-statistics.jpeg" width="650" height="301.96850393701" /></a> <p> With another 10.3 kW of PV panels, the generation would increase from 84 to 163 kWh. On 25 July I would have had another 3 kWh, less than 10% of the battery capacity, and on 31 July I would have had 23 kWh (clearly the feed-in would go to the battery instead). So even with the additional panels, Angelo's claim of “0 electricity bill” is untenable. </p> <p> And then there's this question of “feed-in tariff”. He claims that it's going up to 27¢ per day. But I recently received a letter from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Energy">Red Energy</a> telling me that it was dropping from 4.5¢ per kWh to 1.0¢ as of tomorrow. He didn't believe me. It wasn't until we had finished the call that it occurred to me that he had his terms mixed up, and he was talking about the normal supply tariff, which indeed is increasing from 27.038¢ to 28.985¢. It wasn't in his interest to sell me expensive feed-in tariffs: at that rate I don't need additional batteries. </p> <p> And how do we install the thing? I'm assuming that his pricing included a second inverter, but how do they coexist? </p> <p> So, sadly: once again an offer that I can refuse. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-01T01:07:59+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250802-021428</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250802-021428</link><category>general</category><category>animals</category><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><title>Jane Ashhurst arrives</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Jane Ashhurst arrived today for a weekend. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> had her first chance to drive her new car alone when she went to pick her up. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Albums/Animals/Bruno.php">Bruno</a> was delighted: </p> <a id="Photo-21" name="Photo-21" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250801&imagesizes=1111111111111111111112#Photo-21"> <img alt="This should be Bruno-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_21" title="Photo Bruno-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250801/small/Bruno-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-22" name="Photo-22" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250801&imagesizes=11111111111111111111112#Photo-22"> <img alt="This should be Bruno-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_22" title="Photo Bruno-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250801/small/Bruno-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> Jane brought an interesting paste with her: </p> <p> It's apparently Neri ume, a sauce so obscure that Wikipedia doesn't know it. <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a> tells me </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Neri plum sauce, or Neri Ume, is a paste made from pickled Japanese plums (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeboshi">umeboshi</a>). It's known for its distinct sour, salty, and sometimes subtly sweet flavor. It's incredibly versatile and can add a fantastic tangy kick to many dishes. </div> </blockquote> <p> We had <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi">sushi</a> for dinner tonight. Gemini had continued with </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Sushi Rolls: Use Neri Ume as a filling or accent in maki sushi rolls. </div> </blockquote> <p> So I tried some with that as a dipping sauce. Probably not the way to go; I'll investigate the alternatives. Jane uses it for a quick rice dish along with bonito flakes. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-02T02:14:28+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250802-023819</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250802-023819</link><category>health</category><category>opinion</category><title>Next cardiac choice</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Call from <a href="https://www.melbourneheart.com.au/prof-peter-kistler/">Professor Peter Kistler</a> today to discuss whether <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> should get a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stent">stent</a>. Spent some time getting a laptop running Microsoft for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom_(software)">Zoom</a> call, but this time he just called on the “phone” (the modern word for “mobile phone”, which at least omits the pain). </p> <p> We thought it was about stents, but he thought it was about her medication and prescribed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotalol">Sotalol</a> instead. Somehow he hadn't been informed of the chest pain that Yvonne had had <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?topics=G&subtitle=More%20cardiac%20problems?&article=D-20250711-013724#D-20250711-013724">a few weeks back</a>. He dismissed the idea that the pain was due to cardiac issue: she had had an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRI">MRI</a> last year. That doesn't tally with my records, but it suggests that things can't get worse. But what could be done is to have a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacemaker">pacemaker</a> installed, which would obviate the need for medication, something that Yvonne would like very much. And <a href="https://ballaratcardiology.com.au/staff/dr-rod-reddy">Dr Rodney Reddy</a> can do the implant. </p> <p> Downsides of a pacemaker? None. But he (Kistler) needs to do a minor ablation a month after implant to turn the thing on: if it stops, so does the heart. That sounds like a downside to me. I get the feeling that it's no longer his area, and that another talk with Reddy would be a good idea. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-02T02:38:19+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250802-024245</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250802-024245</link><category>photography</category><category>opinion</category><title>Nikkor 105/2.5</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Saw a link to a <a href="https://youtu.be/g7ny0GxFzZM">video</a> on the <a href="https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/105f25.htm">Nikon Nikkor 105 mm f/2.5</a> lens. I have one of them, one that I got with my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_FM2">Nikon FM2</a> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-sep2020.php?subtitle=New%20Nikon&article=D-20200910-013738#D-20200910-013738">five years ago</a>. I was not overly interested in that lens—I found the 50 mm f/1.4 and 85 mm f/1.4 more interesting. But it seems that the 105/2.5 is also a classic lens, and the article came up with a lot more information, including pricing that I hadn't expected: he showed this particular model (AI-s aperture coupling) on sale in Japan for 48,800 ¥, currently rather over AUD 500, the upper limit of what I established 5 years ago. And that lens appeared not to have been in as good a condition as mine. </p> <p> Then there is another <a href="https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/information/story/0005/">article</a> on the lens on the Nikon web site, which I must read. Other links are <a href="http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/specs.html#105">here</a> and <a href="https://www.destoutz.ch/lens_105mm_f2.5_890512.html">here</a>. </p> <p> The Nikon page also has articles on other lenses, including the <a href="https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/information/story/0089/">85/1.4</a>. A lot more investigation to do if I ever find the time. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-02T02:42:45+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-010005</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-010005</link><category>history</category><title>Signs of the times</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Seen in my calendar today: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>3/4 life: Wednesday, 17 May 2006<br />May 17 Greg last flew in an aeroplane, 2006<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-may2006.php#17">At the time</a> I didn't realize what a turning point that was. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-03T01:00:05+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-010128</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-010128</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>general</category><title>Ossobuco</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Margaret Swan has left us a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle">truffle</a>. What do we do with it? It's an obvious accompaniment for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/risotto-alla-milanese.php">risotto alla milanese</a>. And that's what you eat with <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/ossobuco.php">ossobuco</a>. So ossobuco it was today: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-23" name="Photo-23" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250802&imagesizes=111111111111111111111112#Photo-23"> <img alt="This should be Ossobuco-11.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_23" title="Photo Ossobuco-11.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250802/small/Ossobuco-11.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-24" name="Photo-24" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250802&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111112#Photo-24"> <img alt="This should be Ossobuco-17.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_24" title="Photo Ossobuco-17.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250802/small/Ossobuco-17.jpeg" width="243" height="278" /></a> <a id="Photo-25" name="Photo-25" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250802&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111112#Photo-25"> <img alt="This should be Ossobuco-23.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_25" title="Photo Ossobuco-23.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250802/small/Ossobuco-23.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-26" name="Photo-26" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250802&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111112#Photo-26"> <img alt="This should be Ossobuco-21.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_26" title="Photo Ossobuco-21.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250802/small/Ossobuco-21.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </div> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-03T01:01:28+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-015707</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-015707</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>language</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Google Translate fail</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> It's been a while since I made <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/ossobuco.php">ossobuco</a>, so I checked on the web, including the <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossobuco_alla_milanese">the Italian Wikipedia site</a>. Seemed straightforward enough, but to be sure I understood everything I put it through <a href="https://translate.google.com/">Google Translate</a>. After that I understood nothing. The best mistranslation was (original on left, translation on right): </p> <table summary="Automatically generated table"> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Ingredienti principali</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">Main Ingredients</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Carne bovina</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">Beef</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">burro</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">donkey</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"></td> </tr> </table> <p> “Carne bovina” means “bovine meat”, and the context makes it clear that it should be veal. But that's nothing compared to translating “burro” as “donkey”. <a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burro">« Burro »</a> means donkey in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language">Spanish</a></i>, but not in Italian. </p> <p> More playing around (I think a couple of backward and forward translations) led me to even stranger things: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> The ''''''' ( (the (the (the ( : in Milanese. other handwriting; pronunciation: ) is a typical dish of obtained from the homonymous (the (the (the ). </div> </blockquote> <p> It's been a long time since I've seen such a mess from Google Translate. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-03T01:57:07+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-020658</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-020658</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Opening cans</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Once upon a time everybody had a can opener, but nowadays most cans have a ring pull. The tomatoes I used for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossobuco">Ossobuco</a> didn't, though. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-apr2016.php?subtitle=Can%20openers%20and%20POLA&article=D-20160414-234442#D-20160414-234442">Nearly 10 years ago</a> I bought a rather strange opener which removes the entire top, but somehow I don't like it. So today I found another conventional opener and used that. I wish I hadn't: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-27" name="Photo-27" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250802&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111112#Photo-27"> <img alt="This should be canopener-fail-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_27" title="Photo canopener-fail-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250802/small/canopener-fail-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-28" name="Photo-28" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250802&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111112#Photo-28"> <img alt="This should be canopener-fail-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_28" title="Photo canopener-fail-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250802/small/canopener-fail-5.jpeg" width="300" height="224" /></a> <a id="Photo-29" name="Photo-29" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250802&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-29"> <img alt="This should be canopener-fail-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_29" title="Photo canopener-fail-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250802/small/canopener-fail-4.jpeg" width="223" height="302" /></a> </div> <p> Of course, I should have known better. I had exactly the same pain <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-nov2019.php?subtitle=Can%20opener%20pain&article=D-20191118-021820#D-20191118-021820">five years ago</a> with the same opener. It's gone now. I still have an electric one that I should try again. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-03T02:06:58+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-021355</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250803-021355</link><category>photography</category><category>opinion</category><title>Yet another Nikkor 105/2.5 article</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Just before going to bed, found <a href="https://petapixel.com/2025/07/31/im-starting-to-get-upset-nikon-hasnt-remade-the-nikkor-105mm-f-2-5/">another article</a> about the <a href="https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/105f25.htm">Nikon Nikkor 105 mm f/2.5</a>. He wants it to be reintroduced. Why? Yes, it seems once to have been a particularly good lens, but that was half a century ago. Only five elements! Now even prime lenses have up to four times as many elements, and certainly for good reasons. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-03T02:13:55+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250804-032732</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250804-032732</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>health</category><category>opinion</category><title>Too much cooking</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Somehow yesterday's cooking exhausted me. I had planned <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/huevos-rancheros.php">huevos rancheros</a> for breakfast and <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/beef-with-orange.php">beef with orange and broccoli</a> for dinner, but one after the other I found it too difficult. Instead I thawed out some <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/lamb-pilau-biriani.php">lamb pilau biriani</a> for the evening meal. </p> <p> Problem: there were only 2.1 portions, according to my notes. OK, make some <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/alu-masala.php">alu masala</a>. That's not difficult. But then Jane complained of a cold, and though she did eat something, we didn't finish the biriani, and I didn't even finish cooking the alu masala. Not a very satisfactory day. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-04T03:27:32+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-015855</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-015855</link><category>health</category><category>general</category><title>Goodbye, Jane</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Jane was feeling no better this morning, and she had decided to return home today. She gave me just enough time to warn <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> that she needed to be at the railway station at 9:30. And almost before we knew it, she was gone. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-05T01:58:55+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-020053</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-020053</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><title>More breakfast noodle experiments</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Somehow I'm getting bored with my <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/recipes.php">breakfast recipes</a>. Today I had a number of leftovers to process, something that I normally do with <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/nasi-goreng.php"><i>nasi goreng</i></a>, but I didn't feel like that today. So I made something like my <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/pad-thai-breakfast.php">fake pad Thai</a>, just with a different <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALDI">ALDI</a> spice paste and with some <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/noodle-cooking-times.php#Beijing-noodles">Beijing noodles:</a>: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-30" name="Photo-30" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20240617&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-30"> <img alt="This should be ALDI-Stir-Fry-Sauce-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_30" title="Photo ALDI-Stir-Fry-Sauce-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20240617/small/ALDI-Stir-Fry-Sauce-1.jpeg" width="216" height="313" /></a> <a id="Photo-31" name="Photo-31" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-31"> <img alt="This should be Noodle-experiment-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_31" title="Photo Noodle-experiment-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/Noodle-experiment-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-32" name="Photo-32" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-32"> <img alt="This should be Noodle-experiment-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_32" title="Photo Noodle-experiment-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/Noodle-experiment-2.jpeg" width="302" height="223" /></a> </div> <p> The result was different, but not bad. I think it's time to start considering my noodle dishes as variable, like I have been doing for some time with <i>nasi goreng</i>. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-05T02:00:53+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-020153</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-020153</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>lagune, finally</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Without Jane, I finally had enough time to look at updating <i>lagoon</i>. It has taken me <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jun2025.php?subtitle=Preparing%20new%20lagoon&article=D-20250621-235639#D-20250621-235639">less than 6 weeks</a>. Build a new world, update ports to the latest and greatest, fight the cables holding the thing in place, into <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne's</a> office, fight the cables holding (the old) <i>lagoon</i> in place, install a 16 port switch because it's all I had apart from an old 10 Mb/s hub, and finally it was in place: </p> <a id="Photo-33" name="Photo-33" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250805&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-33"> <img alt="This should be lagoon-lagune-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_33" title="Photo lagoon-lagune-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250805/small/lagoon-lagune-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> Things weren't perfect. Even before installing the new machine, I ran into cable problems with the old <i>lagoon</i>: the display no longer connected it. But probably we won't need that. </p> <p> For the fun of it, I suspended the system with <i>zzz(8)</i> before moving it and watched what happened when I powered it on again. As I feared, it booted normally. </p> <p> OK, fire it up. <b><i>Why</i></b> do the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System">NFS</a> file systems not get mounted? </p> <p> Mount the file systems, start <a href="https://www.x.org/">X</a>. A good semblance of Yvonne's environment. Just the mouse didn't have middle button emulation, something that I need to automate: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt># Find mouse index. This assumes that the last one in the list is the<br /># one we're looking for.<br />MOUSE=`xinput|grep -i mouse|tail -1|sed 's:.*id=::; s: .*::'`<br /># Look for the index of the enabler.<br />INDEX=`xinput list-props $MOUSE|grep 'Middle Emulation Enabled ('|sed 's:.*(::; s:).*::'`<br /># And enable<br />xinput set-prop $MOUSE $INDEX 1 </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Then the sizes and fonts of the <i>xterms</i> were wrong. That's a separate issue that I haven't got round to fixing for over a year now, since the transition to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FVWM">fvwm3</a>. No <i>/var/mail</i>: that's another <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symlink">symlink</a> to add. </p> <p> Photo processing? We use <i>distress</i> (a Microsoft box) to run <a href="https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/">DxO PhotoLab</a> and other stuff. But I can't wake it. <i>wake(8)</i> needs to be setuid. And then it came up with my credentials instead of Yvonne's, another configuration issue to look at. </p> <p> By contrast, sound Just Worked: plug the plug into the output socket, and all is well. I hadn't expected that. </p> <p> The big issue, of course, was with web-oriented stuff. Both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox"><i>firefox</i></a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_%28web_browser%29">Chromium</a> refused to start. A new device! Chromium was the most helpful: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== yvonne@lagune (/dev/pts/1)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">7</font> -> <b><tt>chrome</tt></b></code><br />[1674:69546526969872:0804/130003.158863:ERROR:chrome/browser/process_singleton_posix.cc:358] The profile appears to be in use by another Chromium process (74466) on another computer (lagoon.lemis.com). Chromium has locked the profile so that it doesn't get corrupted. If you are sure that no other processes are using this profile, you can unlock the profile and relaunch Chromium.<br />[1674:69546526969872:0804/130003.158884:ERROR:chrome/browser/ui/views/message_box_dialog.cc:198] Unable to show message box: Chromium - The profile appears to be in use by another Chromium process (74466) on another computer (lagoon.lemis.com). Chromium has locked the profile so that it doesn't get corrupted. If you are sure that no other processes are using this profile, you can unlock the profile and relaunch Chromium.<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> OK, fool, how do I unlock the profile? I've seen this before, but this time I asked <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a>. Simple: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== yvonne@lagune (/dev/pts/1)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">7</font> -> <b><tt>rm .config/chromium/Singleton*</tt></b></code> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> But why can't the browser offer that function, or at least the information? </p> <p> And then there was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatsApp">WhatsApp</a>, which wanted her to involve her mobile phone and potentially its <i>horrible</i> glass keyboard. After about 10 minutes I was able to work out how to do it without the keyboard. </p> <p> And mail? I installed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postfix_(MTA)">Postfix</a>, but not its configuration. And the system came up running <a href="https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/mail/">dma</a>, the DragonFly Mail Agent. Maybe that's a better choice. First I need to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM">RTFM</a>. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-05T02:01:53+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-035702</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-035702</link><category>technology</category><category>multimedia</category><category>animals</category><category>opinion</category><title>TRT: Still no access</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> One of the pressing reasons for the upgrade to <i>lagoon</i> was because <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> had signed up for a subscription to <a href="https://trtmethod.com/">TRT method</a>, an equine training site that is particularly fussy about what browsers it talks to. Now that we have the latest and greatest <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox"><i>firefox</i></a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_%28web_browser%29">Chromium</a>, it shouldn't be a problem, right? </p> <p> Wrong. First we no longer had a login, which was relatively simple to fix. But when we did, the videos didn't display. What we got was: </p> <a id="Photo-34" name="Photo-34" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-34"> <img alt="This should be TRT.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_34" title="Photo TRT.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/TRT.jpeg" width="343" height="197" /></a> <a id="Photo-35" name="Photo-35" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-35"> <img alt="This should be TRT-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_35" title="Photo TRT-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/TRT-detail.jpeg" width="402" height="168" /></a> <p> Are those padlock icons an indication that it doesn't like something? It's too polite to say. Sent off a message to support and got no answer by evening. I have been able to access the videos before, so it's presumably a bug in their web software. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-05T03:57:02+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-041619</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250805-041619</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Old spice</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> The <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/alu-masala.php">alu masala</a> that I made <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Too%20much%20cooking&article=D-20250804-032732#D-20250804-032732">yesterday</a> called for black mustard seed. Where is it? I couldn't find it. All I had was yellow mustard seed, which had expired about 11 years ago. </p> <p> How much else has expired? It's time to dispose of really old stuff, say over 10 years old. And there was plenty of it: </p> <a id="Photo-36" name="Photo-36" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-36"> <img alt="This should be Spice-jars-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_36" title="Photo Spice-jars-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/Spice-jars-1.jpeg" width="370" height="183" /></a> <a id="Photo-37" name="Photo-37" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-37"> <img alt="This should be Spice-jars-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_37" title="Photo Spice-jars-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/Spice-jars-3.jpeg" width="303" height="223" /></a> <p> It's gone now, though it hurts. Much of the stuff smelt perfectly usable. But in many cases we also have newer versions. And somehow the spice shelves don't look any emptier: </p> <a id="Photo-38" name="Photo-38" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-38"> <img alt="This should be Spice-jars-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_38" title="Photo Spice-jars-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/Spice-jars-5.jpeg" width="266" height="253" /></a> <a id="Photo-39" name="Photo-39" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250804&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-39"> <img alt="This should be Spice-jars-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_39" title="Photo Spice-jars-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250804/small/Spice-jars-4.jpeg" width="291" height="232" /></a> <p> </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-05T04:16:19+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-011548</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-011548</link><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Scale accuracy</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?subtitle=Trusting%20digital%20devices&article=D-20250719-014827#D-20250719-014827">Last monh</a> I found problems with my bathroom scales, and since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALDI">ALDI</a> had them on special, bought a second set to compare. The results were not good: </p> <a id="Photo-40" name="Photo-40" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250729&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-40"> <img alt="This should be ALDI-scales.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_40" title="Photo ALDI-scales.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250729/small/ALDI-scales.jpeg" width="363" height="186" /></a> <p> The new scales are the ones on the left, and they showed less than the ones I had, though not consistently. Here it's 700 g less, but it varies. So, since they're on special and can be returned, we bought two more of them. They're <i>all</i> broken! I've established that my existing scales show the same as <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne's</a>, or maybe 100 g more. But what I had from the new ones was, compared to the existing scales: </p> <a id="Photo-41" name="Photo-41" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250805&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-41"> <img alt="This should be Scales-19.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_41" title="Photo Scales-19.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250805/small/Scales-19.jpeg" width="260" height="260" /></a> <a id="Photo-42" name="Photo-42" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250805&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-42"> <img alt="This should be Scales-20.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_42" title="Photo Scales-20.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250805/small/Scales-20.jpeg" width="258" height="262" /></a> <p> In more detail: </p> <table summary="Automatically generated table"> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">Scale</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">Average</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">Max</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"></td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">difference</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">1</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.5</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.5</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.3</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.8</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.53</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">0.5</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">2</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.8</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.6</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.2</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.4</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-0.5</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">0.6</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left">3</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-2.8</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-2.4</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-1.6</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-2.5</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">-2.33</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">1.2</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"></td> </tr> </table> <p> So not only do they disagree with each other, they disagree with themselves from one reading to the next. Back they go, of course, but I'm really quite disappointed that they're <i>that</i> bad. I'm reminded of the German homonyms „Waage“ (weighing scales) and „vage“ (vague, inaccurate). </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-06T01:15:48+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-011602</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-011602</link><category>animals</category><title>Kangaroo crossing</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Walking the dogs today, saw this: </p> <a id="Photo-43" name="Photo-43" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250805&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-43"> <img alt="This should be Kangaroo-tracks.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_43" title="Photo Kangaroo-tracks.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250805/small/Kangaroo-tracks.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <p> Nothing unusual, but a particularly clear view of how kangaroos move across soft ground. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-06T01:16:02+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-011734</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-011734</link><category>gardening</category><category>opinion</category><title>Suffering Alyogyne</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Somehow our <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alyogyne_huegelii">Alyogyne huegelii</a> is not doing well. It has been windy recently, but I didn't think it enough to cause this kind of damage: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-44" name="Photo-44" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250805&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-44"> <img alt="This should be Alyogyne-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_44" title="Photo Alyogyne-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250805/small/Alyogyne-1.jpeg" width="302" height="223" /></a> <a id="Photo-45" name="Photo-45" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250805&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-45"> <img alt="This should be Alyogyne-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_45" title="Photo Alyogyne-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250805/small/Alyogyne-2.jpeg" width="223" height="301" /></a> <a id="Photo-46" name="Photo-46" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250805&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-46"> <img alt="This should be Alyogyne-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_46" title="Photo Alyogyne-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250805/small/Alyogyne-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </div> <p> Should I maybe try to plant another one in a more protected position? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-06T01:17:34+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-012014</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250806-012014</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Ossobuco: worth the trouble?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Ate some more of <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Ossobuco&article=D-20250803-010128#D-20250803-010128">Saturday's</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossobuco">ossobuco</a> today. Somehow it wasn't cooked enough (only 2 hours, as specified). Next time, if there is a next time, it will be 4 hours. But somehow it's <i>boring</i>. We should find better ways to eat <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle">truffles</a>. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-06T01:20:14+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-014246</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-014246</link><category>history</category><category>opinion</category><title>80 years since what?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Eighty years ago today, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki#Bombing_of_Hiroshima">nuclear warhead was dropped on a city in Japan</a>, completely obliterating it. Have people become more civilized since then? I don't know. But it's sad to note the almost complete lack of mention of the incident in the world's newspapers. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-07T01:42:46+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-014944</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-014944</link><category>health</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Jane left something behind</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Woke up this morning with a scratchy throat, and <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> was also not feeling her best. It seems that Jane didn't leave soon enough to avoid infecting us. So far it's not serious, and hopefully it'll blow over soon. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-07T01:49:44+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-015048</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-015048</link><category>health</category><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Reducing orange juice quality</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Things have quietened down in the USA, though their supreme leader continues to cause pain. But today I read an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/05/orange-juice-sugar-healthy/">article</a> in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post">Washington Post</a>: they're planning to reduce the amount of sugar in orange juice in the USA. <i>What?</i> That would ruin it. </p> <p> It seems that the sugar content of current US orange juices is round 24 g per 8 oz glass. Yes, that's their bizarre measurement, and clearly they're 8 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_ounce">US fluid ounces</a>, 29.573 ml and thus 4% more than an Imperial fluid ounce. Reducing to sane measurements, that's rather more than 10% w/v of sugar. And they're talking about reducing the allowable sugar quantity from 18 g to 17 g in an unspecified serving (I'm guessing at 7.2% w/v): </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> The FDA sets a minimum standard for the sugar content in order to call a drink “pasteurized orange juice,” the kind commonly sold at grocery stores without added sugars. If manufacturers fall below that threshold, they are essentially no longer allowed to call their products “pasteurized orange juice.” </div> </blockquote> <p> What a horrible thing to do to sugar-addicted US Americans! </p> <p> And here was I thinking that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization">pasteurization</a> was a process to prevent things going bad and had nothing to do with the composition. I took a look at our fresh Australian orange juice. 9.8 g/250 ml, still a strange measurement, but which clearly corresponds to 3.92% w/v. That's OK: it's not pasteurized, and it's more than sweet enough for my taste. Why do they pasteurize orange juice in the USA? Pasteurization doesn't improve the flavour. Do they have unpasteurized juice with less sugar? The juice in our fridge has a use-by date of 27 September, and we didn't buy it all this week. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-07T01:50:48+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-023116</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250807-023116</link><category>technology</category><title>lagune: the next fix</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> went shopping today, time to do some very little work on <i>lagune</i>. It's mainly working now, but <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutt_(MUA)"><i>mutt</i></a> wasn't working correctly. It seems that the port didn't install <i>/usr/local/lib/.muttrc</i> (a strange place). Copying the file from <i>lagoon</i> fixed that, but we still have issues with the fonts. </p> <p> And then there's this frustrating <i>mail(1)</i> program. It's part of the base installation of <a href="https://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</a>, but <i>mailutils</i>, a port dependency that I don't need directly, installs its own <i>mail(1)</i> in <i>/usr/local/bin</i>. And <i>/usr/local/bin</i> is in front of <i>/usr/bin</i> in my <tt>PATH</tt>. The result: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">/var/tmp</font> <font color="blue">64</font> -> <b><tt>mail grog@lemis.com</tt></b></code><br />Cc: fdafdasf<br />Subject:<br /><br />(Interrupt -- one more to kill letter)<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> That <tt>Subject:</tt> prompt is the key. It shouldn't be there, and for reasons I have long forgotten, this version of <i>mail(1)</i> doesn't work well for me. </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">/var/tmp</font> <font color="blue">65</font> -> <b><tt>wh mail</tt></b></code><br />15464781 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 216136 15 Jul 11:12 /usr/local/bin/mail<br /> 8976076 -r-xr-xr-x 3 root wheel 105296 4 Aug 11:40 /usr/bin/mail<br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">/var/tmp</font> <font color="blue">66</font> -> <b><tt>chmod -x /usr/local/bin/mail</tt></b></code><br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">/var/tmp</font> <font color="blue">67</font> -> <b><tt>hash -r</tt></b></code><br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">/var/tmp</font> <font color="blue">70</font> -> <b><tt>pkg which /usr/local/bin/mail</tt></b></code><br />/usr/local/bin/mail was installed by package mailutils-3.19<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Done! </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-07T02:31:16+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250808-014829</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250808-014829</link><category>health</category><title>Under the weather</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> was feeling decidedly seedy today and spent most of the day in bed. I wasn't feeling nearly as bad, though I also had sniffles and a cough. Hopefully it will soon be over. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-08T01:48:29+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250808-015006</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250808-015006</link><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>What's that stuff?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Found this in my washbasin in the course of the day: </p> <a id="Photo-47" name="Photo-47" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250807&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-47"> <img alt="This should be Object-in-washbasin-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_47" title="Photo Object-in-washbasin-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250807/small/Object-in-washbasin-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-48" name="Photo-48" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250807&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-48"> <img alt="This should be Object-in-washbasin-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_48" title="Photo Object-in-washbasin-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250807/small/Object-in-washbasin-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> What is it? And how did it get there? My best bet is that it's something off a plant, but what? And how did it get there? Until proof of the contrary, it's a cat. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-08T01:50:06+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250808-015533</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250808-015533</link><category>technology</category><title>cron on lagune</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Did relatively little work on <i>lagune</i> today. On the one hand, there isn't much to do, and on the other hand <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> is not very interested in her computer at the moment. But I can't get <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron">cron</a></i> to run! Well, it runs and writes to its log file, but it doesn't do what I put in <i>crontab</i>. How do I debug that? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-08T01:55:33+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-005422</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-005422</link><category>health</category><category>general</category><title>Health</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> was still feeling under the weather today, and she spent most of the day in bed. I wasn't feeling too bright myself. It started off alright, but by evening I was feeling decidedly unwell, although I didn't have any outward symptoms, and we went to bed 2 hours early. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T00:54:22+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-013237</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-013237</link><category>animals</category><category>general</category><title>Off to Pene</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> had an appointment with Pene Kirk today to give <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Albums/Animals/Larissa.php">Larissa</a> one of her periodic injections. So I took her, seeing Pene for the first time in months. All over there and back in 45 minutes. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T01:32:37+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-013643</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-013643</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>lagune: cron and dma gang up</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> So why doesn't <i>cron</i> work on <i>lagune</i>? Why, doesn't <i>cron</i> work on <i>lagune</i>? After some searching discovered that it did, but the mail system (<a href="https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/mail/">dma</a>, the DragonFly Mail Agent) wanted some configuration after all: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>--- dma.conf 2025/06/26 10:49:45 1.1<br />+++ dma.conf 2025/08/08 02:21:45<br />@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@<br /> #<br /> # Your smarthost (also called relayhost). Leave blank if you don't want<br /> # smarthost support.<br />-#SMARTHOST<br />+SMARTHOST mx0.lemis.com<br /><br /> # Use this SMTP port. Most users will be fine with the default (25)<br /> #PORT 25<br />@@ -60,4 +60,4 @@<br /> # MASQUERADE herb@ert will send all mails as herb@ert<br /><br /> # Directly forward the mail to the SMARTHOST bypassing aliases and local delivery<br />-#NULLCLIENT<br />+NULLCLIENT<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> After that, <i>cron</i> was able to send me its error messages, and I got things working. But it still doesn't explain why the <tt>@reboot</tt> line didn't work. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T01:36:43+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-014716</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-014716</link><category>photography</category><category>opinion</category><title>Preparing photos for printing</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Once upon a time, all photos were printed, with the exception of slides and the ones I postponed for another day. But since we have computers and digital photos, I almost never do it any more. The <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-feb2022.php?subtitle=Printing%20photos&article=D-20220202-023917#D-20220202-023917">last time</a> was 3½ years ago, and it was enough fun in itself. But now Bev Smith wants some prints of the photos I took at the end of last month, and she wants to put them in a frame. That's more complicated: I need to crop them to a standard format. Which of these photos is best? </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-49" name="Photo-49" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250724&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-49"> <img alt="This should be Shearing-in-Dereel-6.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_49" title="Photo Shearing-in-Dereel-6.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250724/small/Shearing-in-Dereel-6.jpeg" width="387" height="175" /></a> <a id="Photo-50" name="Photo-50" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250724&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-50"> <img alt="This should be Shearing-10.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_50" title="Photo Shearing-10.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250724/small/Shearing-10.jpeg" width="278" height="243" /></a> <a id="Photo-51" name="Photo-51" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250724&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-51"> <img alt="This should be Shearing-11.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_51" title="Photo Shearing-11.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250724/small/Shearing-11.jpeg" width="278" height="243" /></a> </div> <p> Arguably none of them, but I don't get much choice. The first is the ridiculously wide rendition from my mobile phone, the second a 3:2 ratio (like 35 mm cameras and their modern successors) which could be printed at 8"×12", and the third a 5:4 ratio suitable for printing at 8"×10". While it's surprising how little difference there is (the native <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Four_Thirds_system">Micro Four Thirds system</a> format of 4:3 falls in between at 1:1.333), I need to make a decision on every single photo. And that was a real pain. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T01:47:16+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-021839</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-021839</link><category>health</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Cleaning up the bathroom cupboard</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> is coughing a lot, and I'm coughing too. She found some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strepsils">Strepsils</a> in the medications Jane left behind, but they're for sore throats, not coughing. And in any case, I have some. </p> <p> Do I? Where are they? Before I knew it, I was removing everything from the cupboard under the washbasin: </p> <a id="Photo-52" name="Photo-52" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250808&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-52"> <img alt="This should be Tidying-bathroom-8.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_52" title="Photo Tidying-bathroom-8.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250808/small/Tidying-bathroom-8.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-53" name="Photo-53" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250808&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-53"> <img alt="This should be Tidying-bathroom-7.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_53" title="Photo Tidying-bathroom-7.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250808/small/Tidying-bathroom-7.jpeg" width="222" height="305" /></a> <p> Lots of stuff that I had completely forgotten about, the cruft of 10 years, much of which interested <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Albums/Animals/Bruno.php">Bruno</a>: </p> <a id="Photo-54" name="Photo-54" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250808&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-54"> <img alt="This should be Bruno-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_54" title="Photo Bruno-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250808/small/Bruno-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-55" name="Photo-55" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250808&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-55"> <img alt="This should be Bruno-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_55" title="Photo Bruno-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250808/small/Bruno-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> Yes, two different kinds of Strepsils, varying only in flavour. And yes, two different kinds of cough mixture, one this <i>horrible</i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senega">Senega</a> <b>&</b> ammonia mixture that I got <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2019.php?subtitle=More%20health%20issues&article=D-20190727-025721#D-20190727-025721">6 years ago</a>, and another one that I bought <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2019.php?subtitle=Cough!%20Cough!&article=D-20190728-043855#D-20190728-043855">on the following day</a>. We both tried it with uncertain results. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T02:18:39+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-232006</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-232006</link><category>health</category><title>Gradual recovery</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Feeling a lot better this morning, arguably normal. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> wasn't, and it took her all day before she started feeling relatively comfortable. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T23:20:06+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-232302</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-232302</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Jack Hua revisited</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I've been cooking the <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/noodle-cooking-times.php#Jack-Hua">Jack Hua rice noodles</a> in advance for ever, but last time I tried cooking them immediately before incorporation into the dish, somewhat hampered by not knowing the correct cooking time. Now I know it: instead of one minute in advance, I need <i>5</i> minutes: clearly the pre-cooked noodles soften in the meantime. </p> <p> Today I did it again, and discovered that the noodles have a completely different texture, softer and slightly sticky, somewhat like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kway_Teow">Kway Teow</a>. To my taste they're <i>much</i> better like that. I liked the noodles before, but this way they're even better, and they don't disintegrate. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T23:23:02+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-235637</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-235637</link><category>multimedia</category><category>animals</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>avidemux again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> was feeling much better in the afternoon, with the result that she went out and took some video of her horses. </p> <p> Oh. That requires <a href="http://avidemux.org/">avidemux</a>, which has caused me pain for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-oct2012.php?subtitle=avidemux2:%20the%20pain&article=D-20121021-234119#D-20121021-234119">over 10 years</a>. I had seen it as the last frontier of bringing <i>lagune</i> up to speed. </p> <p> OK, nothing for it, bite the bullet. It ran as slow as molasses—so did <i>rdesktop</i> to <i>distress</i>. But both ran without any further problems. </p> <p> Hopefully the speed issues are related to running over <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System">NFS</a>; I wouldn't put it past this kind of program to issue single sector I/O. Now that it's working in principle, I can move the photo disks from <i>lagoon</i> to <i>lagune</i> and then retire <i>lagoon</i>. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T23:56:37+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-235700</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250809-235700</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>language</category><category>opinion</category><title>Dak galbi?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> was still feeling not hungry this afternoon and only wanted a soup. OK, time for me to look at one of the myriad spice pastes that I had bought without thinking that I would have to eat them alone. These three single-server Korean ones sprung to mind: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-56" name="Photo-56" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250809&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-56"> <img alt="This should be Bulgogi-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_56" title="Photo Bulgogi-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250809/small/Bulgogi-1.jpeg" width="436" height="155" /></a> <a id="Photo-57" name="Photo-57" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250809&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-57"> <img alt="This should be Jeyuk-Bokkeum-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_57" title="Photo Jeyuk-Bokkeum-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250809/small/Jeyuk-Bokkeum-1.jpeg" width="436" height="155" /></a> <a id="Photo-58" name="Photo-58" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250809&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-58"> <img alt="This should be Dak-Galbi-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_58" title="Photo Dak-Galbi-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250809/small/Dak-Galbi-2.jpeg" width="436" height="155" /></a> </div> <p> The fine print (and Korean text) show that the first is really <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgogi">Bulgogi</a>, the second is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokkeum">Jeyuk Bokkeum</a>, and the third is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dak-galbi">Dak Galbi</a>. But look at that spelling: <b>닭갈비</b>. I've never seen the bottom of the first syllable before. It looks like a <b>ㄹ</b>, variously an <b>r</b> (at the beginning of a syllable) or an <b>l</b> (at the end), followed by a <b>ㄱ</b> (<b>g</b> or <b>k</b>). So I would have read that syllable as <b>dalk</b> or <b>dark</b>, not <b>dak</b>. High time to brush up on my Korean lexicography. </p> <p> The second two promise <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gochujang">Gochujang</a> and “hot and spicy”, just what I need. What else do I need? For the Da[rl]?k Galbi, 250 g of cabbage amongst other things. So it's the Jeyuk Bokkeum. 280 g of pork for one serving! I ended up using 240 g, and it still seemed far too much: </p> <a id="Photo-59" name="Photo-59" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250809&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-59"> <img alt="This should be Jeyuk-Bokkeum-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_59" title="Photo Jeyuk-Bokkeum-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250809/small/Jeyuk-Bokkeum-3.jpeg" width="436" height="155" /></a> <a id="Photo-60" name="Photo-60" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250809&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-60"> <img alt="This should be Jeyuk-Bokkeum-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_60" title="Photo Jeyuk-Bokkeum-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250809/small/Jeyuk-Bokkeum-5.jpeg" width="436" height="155" /></a> <p> The result didn't look too bad: </p> <a id="Photo-61" name="Photo-61" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250809&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-61"> <img alt="This should be Jeyuk-Bokkeum-6.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_61" title="Photo Jeyuk-Bokkeum-6.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250809/small/Jeyuk-Bokkeum-6.jpeg" width="436" height="155" /></a> <p> And of course it was <i>far</i> too much for a single serve. But it didn't taste too bad. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-09T23:57:00+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250811-015717</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250811-015717</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Beef, broccoli and orange again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> As planned for last weekend, finally got round to cooking <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/beef-with-orange.php">beef with orange and broccoli</a>. To my surprise, the broccoli, now 10 days old, was still in perfect condition. And I skipped deep frying the meat, which on the one hand saved some work, but it left the meat unevenly cooked. I think that deep frying is really an improvement. And there wasn't enough sauce. More seriously, <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> decided that she doesn't like the orange peel, which is the whole point of the dish. I wonder if we can salvage the rest. Or maybe it would work with thin strips of peel. </p> <p> Part of the process was to grind a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_anise">star anise</a>. Where is it? Oh, there, expired in March 2010. That was one that got away from my purge <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Old%20spice&article=D-20250805-041619#D-20250805-041619">last week</a>. Fortunately I found some fresh star anise, and it's amazing how much stronger the aroma is. I wonder if I should dispose of other spices that are “only” 5 years old. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-11T01:57:17+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-004936</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-004936</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Tonkotsu? Zum Kotzen!</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Tried another “instant noodle” dish today, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALDI">ALDI's</a> “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonkotsu_ramen">Tonkotsu ramen</a>": </p> <a id="Photo-62" name="Photo-62" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250729&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-62"> <img alt="This should be Ramen-kit-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_62" title="Photo Ramen-kit-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250729/small/Ramen-kit-5.jpeg" width="250" height="270" /></a> <a id="Photo-63" name="Photo-63" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250729&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-63"> <img alt="This should be Ramen-kit-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_63" title="Photo Ramen-kit-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250729/small/Ramen-kit-3.jpeg" width="234" height="288" /></a> <p> OK, how do I cook it? It's described on the back in tasteful condensed 5 point white on pale green text. Even when I enlarge it, it's still difficult to read: </p> <a id="Photo-64" name="Photo-64" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250729&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-64"> <img alt="This should be Ramen-kit-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_64" title="Photo Ramen-kit-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250729/small/Ramen-kit-4.jpeg" width="265" height="255" /></a> <p> OK, identify the tonkotsu sauce and dehydrated vegetable sachets: </p> <a id="Photo-65" name="Photo-65" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-65"> <img alt="This should be Tonkotsu-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_65" title="Photo Tonkotsu-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Tonkotsu-1.jpeg" width="302" height="223" /></a> <p> And yes, this is the side with the “text”. There's nothing at all printed on the other side. It's a process of elimination. Next, where do I put it? They supply a microwave oven proof container and lid: </p> <a id="Photo-66" name="Photo-66" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-66"> <img alt="This should be Tonkotsu-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_66" title="Photo Tonkotsu-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Tonkotsu-4.jpeg" width="302" height="223" /></a> <a id="Photo-67" name="Photo-67" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-67"> <img alt="This should be Tonkotsu-6.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_67" title="Photo Tonkotsu-6.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Tonkotsu-6.jpeg" width="332" height="204" /></a> <p> But the instructions are explicit: put the ingredients in a “microwave safe” bowl. That doesn't sound as if they're referring to what they supplied. But more to the point, it makes sense to put them in the bowl from which they will be eaten: </p> <a id="Photo-68" name="Photo-68" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-68"> <img alt="This should be Tonkotsu-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_68" title="Photo Tonkotsu-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Tonkotsu-3.jpeg" width="302" height="223" /></a> <p> It's not very much water, only 220 ml. Normally I'd put between 280 and 320 ml. And there's clearly not much in there apart from noodles and dried vegetables. OK, add half a boiled egg, some small cooked prawns and a bit of chopped spring onions: </p> <a id="Photo-69" name="Photo-69" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-69"> <img alt="This should be Tonkotsu-9.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_69" title="Photo Tonkotsu-9.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Tonkotsu-9.jpeg" width="301" height="224" /></a> <p> How was it? It could easily have been the worst instant dish that I have had, but <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?subtitle=Maggi%20instant%20mee&article=D-20250725-023112#D-20250725-023112">last month</a> I had worse. This just tasted of nothing. After some soya and chili sauces it tasted better, mainly of soya and chili sauce. A revelation, to be sure: <i>who</i> eats this junk? And of course I find my word play appropriate: in German, „zum Kotzen“ means “to make you vomit”. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-12T00:49:36+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013714</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013714</link><category>photography</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Printing photos</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Norman">Harvey Norman</a> have a special on photo printing at the moment, finishing tomorrow. When tomorrow? They're too polite to say. So to be on the safe side, I should order Bev Smith's photos today. How hard can it be? </p> <p> Terrible! </p> <p> The problem? It started with me not being able to log in, though I have an account. Stupidly, I hadn't written down the password, though I was relatively sure what it was. And while I was fighting their password recovery system (“Can't reset password right now”), it came up with my login details. But by then I had created a second account. </p> <p> Then choose one of two different fonts for the same “album”, one existing and one new: </p> <a id="Photo-70" name="Photo-70" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-70"> <img alt="This should be Hardly-Normal-1-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_70" title="Photo Hardly-Normal-1-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Hardly-Normal-1-detail.jpeg" width="400" height="384.90566037736" /></a> <p> And that one just didn't upload the images: </p> <a id="Photo-71" name="Photo-71" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-71"> <img alt="This should be Hardly-Normal-2-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_71" title="Photo Hardly-Normal-2-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Hardly-Normal-2-detail.jpeg" width="500" height="238.03191489362" /></a> <p> “Failed”. Why, fool? </p> <p> After half an hour of head-scratching, I looked for help. No human available, just another of these sites that only allow you to report problems that they have thought of. Sent off a request anyway, went out and thought it over. What if the image is too large for their system? The file I tried to upload was 20.16 MP or 6.4 MB in size, not inappropriate for an 8"×12" print, which would require 8.64 MP at 300 dpi. But try something smaller? </p> <p> Yes! This <i>stupid</i> site can't accept normal sized images. The camera (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OM_System_OM-1_Mark_II">OM System OM-1 Mark II</a>) has a relatively low resolution. What about these “mine is bigger than yours” cameras with 80 MP or more, like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujifilm_GFX100S">Fujifilm GFX100S</a> with 102 to 408 MP? Sorry, we don't do Fuji? </p> <p> Much more mouse pushing, and finally I had all the images in place. </p> <p> Oh: </p> <a id="Photo-72" name="Photo-72" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-72"> <img alt="This should be Hardly-Normal-3-detail-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_72" title="Photo Hardly-Normal-3-detail-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Hardly-Normal-3-detail-2.jpeg" width="269" height="251" /></a> <p> After all the trouble I went to to crop the images to 4:5 or 2:3! This one was to be printed 8"×12", or 2:3. What do I have? </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Size: 4417 x 2945 pixels (13.01 megapixels, 1:1.50) </tt></div></blockquote> <p> But the exact aspect ratio would be either 4417 × 2944⅔ pixels or 4417½ × 2945 pixels. Is it really that fussy? Other images (the minority) got through without being “cropped”. By accident I put a 4:5 image in the 8"×12" section, and it was of course also cropped. But the display showed <i>where</i> it was cropped, so I'm relatively sure that these ones are correct. </p> <p> And how did I delete the incorrect image? I didn't find out how. I just set the number of copies to 0, but it remained on the page. </p> <p> Finally, check out: </p> <a id="Photo-73" name="Photo-73" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-73"> <img alt="This should be Hardly-Normal-5-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_73" title="Photo Hardly-Normal-5-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Hardly-Normal-5-detail.jpeg" width="392" height="172" /></a> <p> What does that have to do with payment method? I don't think they know either. And yes, I accepted both items to maintain my sanity. And it was done! We'll send a confirmation to <tt>brokenphotos@lemis.com</tt>. They didn't, but I have a confirmation number, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal">PayPal</a> is my witness. </p> <p> To be fair, this isn't all Harvey Norman's fault. The processing is done by <a href="https://www.Fujifilmimagine.com/">Fujifilmimagine</a>, a site too polite to reveal anything about itself—that's described on a different web site on a <a href="https://www.fujifilm.com/au/en/business/photofinishing/imagine">different domain</a>: “Fujifilm Imagine is an award-winning multichannel platform successfully used around the world”. </p> <a id="Photo-74" name="Photo-74" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-74"> <img alt="This should be Hardly-Normal-4-detail-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_74" title="Photo Hardly-Normal-4-detail-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Hardly-Normal-4-detail-2.jpeg" width="516" height="131" /></a> <p> I wonder who supplied the award. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-12T01:37:14+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013752</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013752</link><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Fixing the gate</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> We've had a really <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath-Robinson">Heath-Robinson</a> arrangement round the front gate to stop <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Albums/Animals/Larissa.php">Larissa</a> from escaping to the road: </p> <a id="Photo-75" name="Photo-75" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20241020&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-75"> <img alt="This should be Arresting-gate-opener-9.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_75" title="Photo Arresting-gate-opener-9.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20241020/small/Arresting-gate-opener-9.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <p> And it didn't work, so we had to close it with a chain, rather detracting from the electric gate. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> has been trying to get Paul Donaghy to come by for some months now: pull the dropper and replace it closer to where the gate travels, and put some battens between the dropper and the other side of the fence post. Straightforward enough. We have the dropper equipment (on loan from Chris Bahlo), and Yvonne arranged that Paul would bring some battens. </p> <p> Paul came this afternoon, where I <i>really</i> had other things to do (this damn <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Printing%20photos&article=D-20250812-013714#D-20250812-013714">photo printing</a> pain). No battens. Clearly a loss of communication. So we replaced the dropper and put some more electric fence wire on the other side of the post. No, says <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a>, Lara can still get through. Another dropper. OK, now it works. </p> <a id="Photo-76" name="Photo-76" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-76"> <img alt="This should be Entrance-gate-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_76" title="Photo Entrance-gate-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Entrance-gate-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> No, she still wants the battens. OK, just leave me out of it. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-12T01:37:52+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013757</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013757</link><category>animals</category><category>photography</category><category>opinion</category><title>Yellow-striped black cockatoos</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Seen walking today: </p> <a id="Photo-77" name="Photo-77" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-77"> <img alt="This should be Black-cockatoos-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_77" title="Photo Black-cockatoos-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Black-cockatoos-1.jpeg" width="236" height="285" /></a> <a id="Photo-78" name="Photo-78" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-78"> <img alt="This should be Black-cockatoos-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_78" title="Photo Black-cockatoos-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Black-cockatoos-3.jpeg" width="221" height="306" /></a> <p> That could really have done with a longer lens. I really should take the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/products/olympus/lenses/olympus_12-200_3p5-6p3">12-200</a> lens on such walks. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-12T01:37:57+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013813</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250812-013813</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><title>Truffle omelette</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> We still have some of Margaret Swan's truffle left over. Nothing for it. An omelette, which I normally think of as being a breakfast dish: </p> <a id="Photo-79" name="Photo-79" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250811&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-79"> <img alt="This should be Omelette.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_79" title="Photo Omelette.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250811/small/Omelette.jpeg" width="317" height="213" /></a> <p> </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-12T01:38:13+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250813-021154</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250813-021154</link><category>general</category><category>photography</category><category>opinion</category><title>Sunrise</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Up at 7 this morning to go to the toilet, and saw this outside: </p> <a id="Photo-80" name="Photo-80" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250812&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-80"> <img alt="This should be Sunrise-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_80" title="Photo Sunrise-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250812/small/Sunrise-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> Problem: I was in my underwear, and I didn't have time to get dressed. This photo worked, sort of. One that didn't was taken from my office with the <a href="https://explore.omsystem.com/us/en/m-zuiko-ed-8mm-f1-8-fisheye-pro">Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8 mm f/1.8 Fisheye <b>PRO</b></a>. The reflections kill it, but I can't make up my mind which of these two projections is worse: </p> <a id="Photo-81" name="Photo-81" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250812&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-81"> <img alt="This should be Sunrise-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_81" title="Photo Sunrise-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250812/small/Sunrise-1.jpeg" width="294" height="230" /></a> <a id="Photo-82" name="Photo-82" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250812&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-82"> <img alt="This should be Sunrise-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_82" title="Photo Sunrise-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250812/small/Sunrise-2.jpeg" width="326" height="207" /></a> <p> </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-13T02:11:54+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250813-021744</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250813-021744</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>No banking without app!</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?subtitle=Banking%20%E2%80%9Csecurity%E2%80%9D&article=D-20250717-021206#D-20250717-021206">Last month</a> I received notice from my accountants that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macquarie_Bank">Macquarie Bank</a> wanted me to use an <b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_app">app</a></i></b> to verify <i>every</i> transaction. Normally the accountants do that for me. </p> <p> I've already made my objections clear, but at the time my adviser, Peter O'Connell, was on holiday. He's back now and called me up and discussed the matter. Yes, I must approve <i>every</i> transaction with their <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.macquarie.authenticator">Macquarie Authenticator</a>, which replaces their previous system of sending <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS">SMSes</a>. </p> <p> I've grumbled at length about people who associate mobile phones with security. But is this maybe the misguided way of the future? It seems that we don't have much alternative. I need to contact <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Australia">Bank Australia</a> and see if they can help, but I doubt it. Can I use my old mobile phone, the one that no longer works as a mobile phone? To be investigated. </p> <p> Or am I incorrect? Is it <i>really</i> possible to be secure with mobile phones? Are face and fingerprint recognition reliable enough? There seem to be too many potential attack vectors that I can't oversee. </p> <p> But I have seen some that the banks haven't, so I'm not confident. One example is an email that I forgot, dated <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-oct2024.php#9">9 October 2024</a>: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>You may already be aware that from late November, Macquarie Bank will require clients to approve all new payments initiated by PPT Financial via the Macquarie Authenticator App. This will replace the option of approving payments via SMS secure codes.<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> But that's doubly incorrect: I have never approved a payment via SMS, and this requirement didn't happen. Does that increase my trust level? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-13T02:17:44+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250813-021803</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250813-021803</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><title>Laugengebäck again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Baked more <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/Laugengebaeck.php">Laugengebäck</a> today. Gradually we're getting our act together: </p> <a id="Photo-83" name="Photo-83" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250812&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-83"> <img alt="This should be Laugengebaeck-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_83" title="Photo Laugengebaeck-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250812/small/Laugengebaeck-1.jpeg" width="304" height="223" /></a> <a id="Photo-84" name="Photo-84" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250812&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-84"> <img alt="This should be Laugengebaeck-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_84" title="Photo Laugengebaeck-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250812/small/Laugengebaeck-2.jpeg" width="335" height="201" /></a> <p> That was after 18 minutes at 220°, rather longer than <a href="https://www.einfachbacken.de/rezepte/laugenstangen-wie-vom-baecker">the recipe</a> envisages. Are they dark enough? They're now very close to the image in that recipe: </p> <a href="https://www.einfachbacken.de/sites/einfachbacken.de/files/styles/973_730/public/2024-11/Laugenstangen%201.jpg"> <img alt="" title=". Click to see in original size." src="https://www.einfachbacken.de/sites/einfachbacken.de/files/styles/973_730/public/2024-11/Laugenstangen%201.jpg" width="300" /></a> <p> But would more time in the lye help? Higher temperature? Longer baking time? Or is everything good as it is? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-13T02:18:03+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250814-015838</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250814-015838</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Toyota: RTFM</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> has had her new car for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?subtitle=Driving%20the%20new%20car&article=D-20250801-000701#D-20250801-000701">two weeks now</a>, and she's still very happy with it. But that's at least because she doesn't use the radio. It's modern, but the controls seem straightforward enough: </p> <a id="Photo-85" name="Photo-85" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250813&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-85"> <img alt="This should be Toyota-Yaris-radio-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_85" title="Photo Toyota-Yaris-radio-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250813/small/Toyota-Yaris-radio-1.jpeg" width="302" height="224" /></a> <a id="Photo-86" name="Photo-86" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250813&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-86"> <img alt="This should be Toyota-Yaris-radio-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_86" title="Photo Toyota-Yaris-radio-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250813/small/Toyota-Yaris-radio-2.jpeg" width="182" height="369" /></a> <p> Problem: pressing on the ⏼ does nothing useful. After much reading the detailed manual, which thoughtfully also provides information about models unrelated to her car, I discovered the solution. It's <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Rant/bad-language.php#intuitive">intuitive</a>: press on the volume button underneath the symbol. </p> <p> OK, try it out this morning. Oh. The radio was already off. OK, turn it on. Works as advertised. </p> <a id="Photo-87" name="Photo-87" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250813&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-87"> <img alt="This should be Toyota-Yaris-radio-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_87" title="Photo Toyota-Yaris-radio-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250813/small/Toyota-Yaris-radio-4.jpeg" width="389" height="174" /></a> <p> Turn it off again. Nothing happens. </p> <p> So I <i>still</i> don't know how to turn the radio on and off, after two weeks! Why is this so complicated? </p> <p> As if that weren't enough, I thought it a good idea to check the oil level. Open the bonnet with the convenient catch under the steering wheel, where I expected it to be. But I couldn't find the secondary catch under the bonnet. There's almost always a catch that you can feel easily, but not here. More <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM">RTFM</a>. Yes, it's where I expected it, and there are two conflicting drawings, politely not showing the orientation, that describe this lever, slightly offset from the middle: </p> <a id="Photo-88" name="Photo-88" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250813&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-88"> <img alt="This should be Toyota-Bonnet-catch-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_88" title="Photo Toyota-Bonnet-catch-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250813/small/Toyota-Bonnet-catch-3.jpeg" width="311" height="217" /></a> <a id="Photo-89" name="Photo-89" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250813&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-89"> <img alt="This should be Toyota-Bonnet-catch-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_89" title="Photo Toyota-Bonnet-catch-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250813/small/Toyota-Bonnet-catch-1.jpeg" width="246" height="275" /></a> <p> You need to pull the lever <i>up</i>. Once again, why is this so complicated? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-14T01:58:38+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250814-023602</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250814-023602</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Completing lagune</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> So <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> has been able to process videos on <i>lagune</i> with <a href="https://www.avidemux.org/admForum/"><i>avidemux</i></a>. And I don't see any great issues with photos with <a href="https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/">DxO PhotoLab</a>. Time to move the (external) disks to <i>lagune</i>, showing in the process that I'm even less agile than I should be. </p> <p> But it didn't take long. Update <i>/etc/fstab</i> and mount: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">135</font> -> <b><tt>mount /Photos/</tt></b></code><br />mount: /dev/da0p1: Device busy<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Huh? I've never seen that message on <i>mount</i>. It would make sense if the device were mounted elsewhere, or that the mount point were in use, but neither were the case, and <a href="https://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</a> doesn't care if you mount the same device or mount point twice. </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">137</font> -> <b><tt>df /Photos/</tt></b></code><br />Filesystem 1048576-blocks Used Avail Capacity Mounted on<br />/dev/nda0p2 198,102 63,658 118,596 35% /<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Nope, that's the root file system. </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">138</font> -> <b><tt>mount /Photos</tt></b></code><br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">139</font> -> <b><tt>umount /Photos</tt></b></code><br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">140</font> -> <b><tt>mount /Photos/</tt></b></code><br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">141</font> -> <b><tt>df /Photos/</tt></b></code><br />Filesystem 1048576-blocks Used Avail Capacity Mounted on<br />/dev/da0p1 7,630,061 4,123,279 3,430,481 55% /Photos<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> That looks right. But what happened the first time? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-14T02:36:02+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250814-024147</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250814-024147</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><title>Lithium-ion AA batteries</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> back from shopping with a set of 8 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-Ion">Lithium-Ion</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AA_battery">AA batteries</a>, which I hope will last longer in her wireless microphones. We've established that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel–metal_hydride_battery">Nickel–metal hydride batteries</a> don't have enough voltage to hold out more than an hour or so, and non-rechargeable batteries are unpredictable, so we end up changing them before they're discharged. We can do that with Li-Ion batteries too, but they should last longer, and they're rechargeable. </p> <p> The batteries came with a remarkably complicated-looking charger that shows red (charging) and green (charged), along with a dancing display of blue on the batteries themselves. And it even has a beeper to tell us when <i>each</i> battery was charged. </p> <p> How do 3 V Li-Ion batteries supply the 1.5 V that AA batteries should supply? Unevenly, it seems. Before charging the batteries had between 1.50 and 1.58 V. After charging, they had between 1.50 V (not the same battery) and 1.62 V. I wonder if there's some kind of voltage regulator in there. Strangely, there's little about them on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a>, which only refers to the 3 V versions. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-14T02:41:47+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250815-002419</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250815-002419</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>More lagune pain</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> So now <i>lagoon</i> has been completely migrated to <i>lagune</i>. But there was still this strangeness that I noticed <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Completing%20lagune&article=D-20250814-023602#D-20250814-023602">yesterday</a>. I had managed to mount <i>/Photos</i> without difficulty, but then I had the same problem with the backup disk: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2025 05:05:19 +1000<br />From: Cron Daemon <root@lagune><br />Subject: Cron <root@lagune> /home/local/bin/syncphotos<br /><br />mount: /dev/da1p1: Device busy<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> And what's more, <i>/Photos</i> was no longer mounted. A remount showed: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt> <br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">150</font> -> <b><tt>mount /Photos/</tt></b></code><br />mount: /dev/da0p1: Device busy<br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">151</font> -> <b><tt>mount /Photos/</tt></b></code><br />mount: /dev/da0p1: R/W mount on /Photos denied. Filesystem is not clean - run fsck. Forced mount will invalidate journal contents: Operation not permitted<br />You have new mail in /var/mail/grog<br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">152</font> -> <b><tt>date</tt></b></code><br />Thu 14 Aug 2025 09:36:21 AEST<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Is there something wrong with the disk? Tried copying raw data: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">154</font> -> <b><tt>dd if=/dev/da1 of=/dev/null bs=1m count=1000</tt></b></code><br />dd: /dev/da1: Device busy<br />0+0 records in<br />0+0 records out<br />0 bytes transferred in 18.072301 secs (0 bytes/sec)<br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">155</font> -> <b><tt>dd if=/dev/da1 of=/dev/null bs=1m count=1000</tt></b></code><br />1000+0 records in<br />1000+0 records out<br />1048576000 bytes transferred in 5.032489 secs (208361330 bytes/sec)<br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">156</font> -> <b><tt>dd if=/dev/da1 of=/dev/null bs=1m count=1000</tt></b></code><br />1000+0 records in<br />1000+0 records out<br />1048576000 bytes transferred in 5.040510 secs (208029758 bytes/sec)<br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">157</font> -> <b><tt>date</tt></b></code><br />Thu 14 Aug 2025 09:42:56 AEST<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Once again this “device busy” on the first attempt, followed by a success on the second. What's in the logs? </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Aug 14 09:37:07 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): Polling device for readiness<br />Aug 14 09:37:09 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): READ(10). CDB: 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00<br />Aug 14 09:37:09 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): CAM status: SCSI Status Error<br />Aug 14 09:37:09 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): SCSI status: Check Condition<br />Aug 14 09:37:09 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): SCSI sense: NOT READY asc:4,1 (Logical unit is in process of becoming ready)<br />Aug 14 09:37:09 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): Error 16, Retries exhausted<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Oh. And when the backup was attempted? </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Aug 14 05:05:18 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): SCSI sense: NOT READY asc:4,1 (Logical unit is in process of becoming ready)<br />Aug 14 05:05:18 lagune kernel: (da1:umass-sim1:1:0:0): Error 16, Retries exhausted<br />Aug 14 05:05:18 lagune kernel: g_vfs_done():da1p1[READ(offset=65536, length=8192)]error = 16<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> And immediately before it in the log file was: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Aug 13 21:02:32 lagune kernel: (da0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): SCSI sense: NOT READY asc:4,1 (Logical unit is in proce<br />ss of becoming ready)<br />Aug 13 21:02:32 lagune kernel: (da0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): Error 16, Retries exhausted<br />Aug 13 21:02:32 lagune kernel: g_vfs_done(): da0p1 converting all errors to ENXIO<br />Aug 13 21:02:32 lagune kernel: g_vfs_done():da0p1[READ(offset=313759268864, length=32768)]error = 6 supressing further ENXIO<br />Aug 13 21:02:32 lagune kernel: UFS: forcibly unmounting /dev/da0p1 from /Photos<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> At least that explains why <i>/Photos</i> wasn't mounted. But why is all this happening? Everything points to the system not waiting until the disk is up to speed. What has changed between <a href="https://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</a> 12 and 14? Still more searching to be done in an area where I had hoped not to have to do anything. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-15T00:24:19+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250815-002519</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250815-002519</link><category>history</category><category>opinion</category><title>Web pages from the distant past</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> While looking in my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revision_Control_System">RCS</a> control files today, found this: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>-r--r--r-- 1 grog lemis 7,942 11 Nov 1996 work-history.html,v<br />-r--r--r-- 1 grog lemis 4,138 11 Nov 1996 <a href="early-history.html">early-history.html</a>,v<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> What's that? They prove to be the earliest web pages that I ever stored in RCS, thus also reinforcing my assumption that my <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/index-1.1.php">home page</a>, dated February 1997, was in fact started much earlier. I've tidied up <i>early-history.html</i> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/early-history.php">here</a>. </p> <p> Sadly, they're not very interesting, and not surprisingly they're full of markup errors. <i>work-history.html</i> doesn't render at all. Only after looking at the source did I discover that it's in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roff_(software)">roff</a> format. </p> <p> Interestingly for the dating was this first line in the files: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><!- Hey, emacs! Edit this file in -*- html -*- mode! </tt></div></blockquote> <p> That's completely incorrect, of course, and the end of the comment is missing, but it suggests that I already had <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emacs">Emacs</a> macros to handle web pages. Unfortunately I can't find any reference in the Emacs revision history. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-15T00:25:19+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250815-021427</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250815-021427</link><category>gardening</category><title>Many-coloured Schlumbergera</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumbergera">Schlumbergera</a> that <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yana/">Yana</a> brought us <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2023.php?subtitle=Yana%20returns&article=D-20230711-020336#D-20230711-020336">over 2 years ago</a> now seem to have all taken, though one is still thinking about it: </p> <a id="Photo-90" name="Photo-90" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250815&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-90"> <img alt="This should be Schlumbergera-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_90" title="Photo Schlumbergera-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250815/small/Schlumbergera-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> But the others have a number of flowers in different colours: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-91" name="Photo-91" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250814&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-91"> <img alt="This should be Schlumbergera-8.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_91" title="Photo Schlumbergera-8.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250814/small/Schlumbergera-8.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-92" name="Photo-92" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250814&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-92"> <img alt="This should be Schlumbergera-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_92" title="Photo Schlumbergera-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250814/small/Schlumbergera-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-93" name="Photo-93" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250814&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-93"> <img alt="This should be Schlumbergera-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_93" title="Photo Schlumbergera-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250814/small/Schlumbergera-4.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-94" name="Photo-94" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250814&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-94"> <img alt="This should be Schlumbergera-6.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_94" title="Photo Schlumbergera-6.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250814/small/Schlumbergera-6.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </div> <p> I wonder what the first one has in store. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-15T02:14:27+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250816-014213</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250816-014213</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>More lagune fun</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> So why does <i>lagune</i> time out trying to mount my external <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB">USB</a> backup disks? Spent some time looking through man pages and myriad <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sysctl">sysctls</a> without finding anything obvious. Then, just for the fun of it, I asked <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a>: “How do I set the number of retries for a USB disk to become ready on FreeBSD?” </p> <p> Now what's the chance of getting a useful answer to so specific a question? But I did! In fact, a surprisingly detailed description of the situation, along with what to do about it. </p> <p> But it's so complicated that I can't help thinking that there must be an easier way. There is one, of course: just try to copy a sector from the disk before trying to mount it. It will probably fail, but by that time the disk will be up to speed. </p> <p> Another thing I forgot: <i>syslogd</i> should log to <i>eureka</i>. Done, but it needs restarting <i>syslogd</i>. That shouldn't be necessary. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-16T01:42:13+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250816-015140</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250816-015140</link><category>technology</category><title>More nvidia fun</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Display <tt>hydra:0.3</tt> is dead! Not the monitor, just the display. Switch to server 1 and it's fine. Switch back and it's dead. </p> <p> The background is understandable: I had used that monitor to look at some weirdness on <i>distress</i>, the Microsoft box. Clearly it had something to do with that. But why isn't it coming back again after correct connection? Fired up <i>nvidia-settings</i> and discovered: </p> <a id="Photo-95" name="Photo-95" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250815&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-95"> <img alt="This should be nvidia-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_95" title="Photo nvidia-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250815/small/nvidia-1.jpeg" width="299" height="226" /></a> <a id="Photo-96" name="Photo-96" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250815&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-96"> <img alt="This should be nvidia-1-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_96" title="Photo nvidia-1-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250815/small/nvidia-1-detail.jpeg" width="339" height="199" /></a> <p> How did that happen? And how do I fix it? Spent some time pointing and clicking. It had a field <b>Configuration</b>, but I couldn't select anything. With a bit of moving around, it somehow came good, but this program always confuses me. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-16T01:51:40+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250816-015146</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250816-015146</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Macquarie bank security</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=No%20banking%20without%20app!&article=D-20250813-021744#D-20250813-021744">On Tuesday</a> I considered the alternatives to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macquarie_Bank">Macquarie Bank's</a> <i>requirement</i> of authenticating via mobile phone. One possibility would be to use my old mobile phone, the one that can not longer work as a phone. My guess is that their <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.macquarie.authenticator">Macquarie Authenticator</a> app will <i>require</i> the mobile phone network, even though a direct Internet connection would be more appropriate. </p> <p> But that's only a guess. To be sure, let's install it and see what it says. </p> <a id="Photo-97" name="Photo-97" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250815&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-97"> <img alt="This should be Authenticator-app-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_97" title="Photo Authenticator-app-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250815/small/Authenticator-app-2.jpeg" width="177" height="384" /></a> <p> Where is it? Ah, it's <i>far</i> too secure to say what it is. Just that black padlock “Authenticator”, also designed to make it difficult to find in the list of apps. OK, fire it up: </p> <a id="Photo-98" name="Photo-98" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250815&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-98"> <img alt="This should be Authenticator-app-3-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_98" title="Photo Authenticator-app-3-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250815/small/Authenticator-app-3-detail.jpeg" width="272" height="249" /></a> <p> That's clever, isn't it? I never had one. So I sent mail to Peter O'Connell, asking for it to be sent by normal post to avoid the insecurity of email. His response included: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Note, Macquarie will send you your ID number, however it has to be sent to your email address.<br />Under no circumstances, will they send in the mail.. </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Somehow every step scares me and convinces me of my suspicion that they don't know what they're doing. Others seem to agree. Here the current ratings section on the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.macquarie.authenticator">Toyshop page</a>: </p> <a id="Photo-99" name="Photo-99" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250815&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-99"> <img alt="This should be Authenticator-app-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_99" title="Photo Authenticator-app-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250815/small/Authenticator-app-4.jpeg" width="450" height="150" /></a> <p> </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-16T01:51:46+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250817-003044</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250817-003044</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><title>lagune: The last step?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> So what's missing for <i>lagune</i>? Not much, just the issues with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB">USB</a> disks and the connection with <i>distress</i>, the Microsoft machine. I <i>really</i> hate setting up <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba_(software)">Samba</a> and Microsoft networking. </p> <p> Finally got round to doing it. It wants a password! And I didn't write it down. OK, I can set one, since it's only for Microsoft to talk to <i>lagune</i>. Once again I dragged out my decades-old copy of <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Documentation/CFBSD/">The Complete FreeBSD</a>. Time to add it to the <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/HOWTO/New-lagoon.php">new lagoon</a> page. </p> <p> Setting up on the Microsoft side worked without problems once I found their “share” page, which seems to wander from one unexpected place to another. I never will understand Microsoft. </p> <p> With the disks, noted a reference to a port <i>smartmontools</i> with a program <i>smartctl</i> that, with the <tt>-a</tt> option, produces much output that I must investigate more closely. </p> <p> The only other issue was for syncing to the web servers: she didn't have the <i>~/.ssh</i> files for <i>fra.lemis.com</i>. That was easy enough to fix. Now all we need is for her to test it, which should come soon. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-17T00:30:44+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-001206</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-001206</link><category>technology</category><category>photography</category><title>lagune: done?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> So far the migration to <i>lagune</i> has gone relatively painlessly. In particular my concerns about <a href="https://www.avidemux.org/"><i>avidemux</i></a> proved unwarranted, and I was able to <del>mount</del> share file systems on Microsoft with relatively little pain. So today <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> processed her first photos. </p> <p> All went well until I put them through my postprocessing scripts. They failed. No <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExifTool">ExifTool</a>. OK, run round in circles trying to find the name of the port (it's <i>p5-Image-ExifTool-devel-13.33</i> or most of that string), install it. More missing ports. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageMagick">ImageMagick</a>? Ah, you mean ImageMagick<b>7</b>. And then the one that completely caught me off guard: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>for i in `ls *.jpeg *.gif *.png 2>/dev/null`; do echo $i; done | by 2 /Photos/Tools/mktinysmall.php /Photos/Tools `pwd` small 270000; MYDIR=`pwd`; IMAGELINKS=`pwd`/Imagelinks; if [ -f $IMAGELINKS ]; then (cd ~/public_html/Photos/`basename $MYDIR`/small && checkimagelinks $IMAGELINKS small); fi<br />sh: /Photos/Tools/mktinysmall.php: not found<br />sh: /Photos/Tools/mktinysmall.php: not found<br /><code><font color="blue">=== yvonne@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~/Photos/20250816</font> <font color="blue">13</font> -> <b><tt>l /Photos/Tools/mktinysmall.php</tt></b></code><br />-r-xr-xr-x 1 grog lemis 2,025 1 Jul 2021 /Photos/Tools/mktinysmall.php </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Huh? Ah, this is <i>sh</i>'s inimitable way of saying “I can't find the interpreter in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shebang_(Unix)">shebang</a> line”: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>#!/usr/local/bin/php </tt></div></blockquote> <p> OK, install <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP">PHP</a>. But which? </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/8)</font> <font color="red">/home/grog</font> <font color="blue">6</font> -> <b><tt>pkg search php | wc -l</tt></b></code><br /> 3292<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Over 3000 ports for PHP alone! Does it understand just <tt>php</tt>? Of course not:</p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/8)</font> <font color="red">/home/grog</font> <font color="blue">7</font> -> <b><tt>pkg install php</tt></b></code><br />pkg: No packages available to install matching 'php' have been found in the repositories<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Much searching brought me to <tt>php85</tt>, which installed and worked. </p> <p> Somehow most of the pain here is in the Ports Collection. </p> <p> In passing, it's interesting to note this message: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>WARNING: The convert command is deprecated in IMv7, use "magick" instead of "convert" or "magick convert"<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> “IMv7” is clearly ImageMagick's way of referring to itself. And yes, that makes sense: “<i>convert</i>”, like many ImageMagick programs, breaks name spaces. I should read up on it, but even the brief help takes up several pages: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== yvonne@lagune (/dev/pts/3)</font> <font color="red">~/Photos/20250816</font> <font color="blue">18</font> -> <b><tt>magick | wc -l</tt></b></code><br />magick: invalid argument for option @ error/magick-cli.c/MagickImageCommand/1358.<br /> 347<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-18T00:12:06+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-005831</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-005831</link><category>history</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Reading books again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> A while back we watched <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Town_Like_Alice_(miniseries)">“A Town like Alice”</a> on TV. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> was impressed, and wanted to buy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Town_Like_Alice">the book</a>. </p> <p> <i>What?</i> What are public libraries for? So we borrowed it from the <a href="http://centralhighlandslibraries.org.au/">Ballarat library</a>, and Yvonne read it and found it good. </p> <p> Did I want to read it too? I have barely read any books in the last few years. They've been overtaken by digital media. But it sounded like a good idea, so I'm currently gradually working my way through the book, rediscovering in the process my liking of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute">Shute's</a> style. In this case it was particularly the geographical details, the part that Yvonne found boring. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug1965.php#17">Sixty years ago</a> my father and I drove through much of the area described in the march described in the book, and I was able to differentiate nearly all the real locations from the made-up ones. Only one detail was wrong: Shute wrote that the Japanese attacked <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaya">Malaya</a> after the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor">Pearl Harbor</a> attack; in fact it was before, in the early hours of 8 December 1941. </p> <p> And also <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug1965.php#17">60 years ago today</a> I met my first real girlfriend, Lesley Cannings. I had planned not to mention this kind of anniversary, but Shute forced my hand </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-18T00:58:31+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-014620</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-014620</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>More app vulnerabilities</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Another <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-17/dreame-smartphone-app-vulnerable-to-hacking/105640808?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=abc_newsmail_am-pm_sfmc&utm_term=&utm_id=2611955&sfmc_id=242052094">report</a> of a mobile phone security breach. Some badly written app leaks sensitive information. </p> <p> Sure, they'll (probably) fix it. But how many others are there out there that might do the same? How many will come in the future? I'm sure that there must be some testing facility, maybe one that's obligatory or will soon become so, but they can only ever prove the existence of vulnerabilities, never their absence. This app (“<a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=dreame%2brobot%2bvacuum&c=apps">Dreamhome</a>”) is on the <a href="https://play.google.com/">toyshop</a>, so that's not much help. The entry currently includes: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Data safety </p> <p class="listitemwidth"> Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time. </p> <div class="listitemwidth"> No data shared with third parties </div> <div> Learn more about how developers declare sharing </div> <p class="listitemwidth"> </p> <div class="listitemwidth"> No data collected </div> <div> Learn more about how developers declare collection </div> <p class="listitemwidth"> Data is encrypted in transit </p> <p class="listitemwidth"> You can request that data be deleted </p> </blockquote> <p> It's worth savouring these statements. No data collected, but it's encrypted in transit. You can request that it be deleted, but there's no guarantee that the request will be honoured. Doesn't that fill you with confidence? And it's all the more stupid because this is a <i>vacuum cleaner</i>. There's no reason on earth why you should need any credentials to run the thing. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-18T01:46:20+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-014625</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-014625</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Roast pork again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Roast pork for dinner this evening. I've always had difficulty getting the crackling right, so this time I followed not one, but two recipes: the one on the packaging and <a href="https://www.pork.com.au/roast-hints/">this one</a> from <a href="https://www.pork.com.au/">Australian Pork</a>. Or at least, that's what I thought. Australian Pork, too, seem to have changed their minds. </p> <p> In principle the recipes are similar, but the devil's in the detail. First oil and salt, then put in a hot oven for a while, then (maybe when the crackling starts to be evident) drop the temperature. </p> <p> But that's where things differ. The instructions on the packaging want the meat cooked at 220° for 30-40 minutes, then 30-35 minutes/kg at 180°. No mention of meat temperature. </p> <p> The Australian Pork recipe wanted it cooked at 250° with heat from above for 12 minutes, then at an unspecified lower heat until the crackling develops, then at 180° until the meat temperature reaches 80°. </p> <p> That's what I recorded <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-dec2021.php?subtitle=Crackling%20pork&article=D-20211229-024011#D-20211229-024011">3½ years ago</a>. But since then, Australian Pork have changed their recipe completely. No top heat any more, only 220° to start with for 40 minutes or “until the rind crackles”. Then drop to 160° and cook for 30-35 minutes per kg, until the meat temperature reaches <b>65°</b>. </p> <p> I suppose the good news is that it's no surprise that I'm confused. In the last 3½ years Australian Pork has changed its recipe significantly. 65° is quite low for pork. 80° is too high, as I accidentally discovered today. </p> <p> According to the recipes, my joint (1.17 kg) would take about 80 minutes to be done. My progress: </p> <ol> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Start: meat at 14°, put into 240° oven. </p> <a id="Photo-100" name="Photo-100" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-100"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-3-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_100" title="Photo Roasting-pork-3-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-3-detail.jpeg" width="321" height="211" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> 12 minutes: </p> <a id="Photo-101" name="Photo-101" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-101"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_101" title="Photo Roasting-pork-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-4.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> 20 minutes: </p> <a id="Photo-102" name="Photo-102" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-102"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_102" title="Photo Roasting-pork-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-5.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> 24 minutes: skin “pops”: </p> <a id="Photo-103" name="Photo-103" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-103"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-6.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_103" title="Photo Roasting-pork-6.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-6.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-104" name="Photo-104" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-104"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-6-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_104" title="Photo Roasting-pork-6-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-6-detail.jpeg" width="270" height="251" /></a> <p class="listitemwidth"> Drop temperature to 230°. </p> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> 40 minutes: meat temperature 59°, drop oven temperature to 160°. </p> <a id="Photo-105" name="Photo-105" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-105"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-8.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_105" title="Photo Roasting-pork-8.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-8.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> 51 minutes: meat temperature 68°, change heat to top only </p> <a id="Photo-106" name="Photo-106" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-106"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-9.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_106" title="Photo Roasting-pork-9.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-9.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> 63 minutes: meat temperature 78°, open oven door, leave on top heat to brown crackling: </p> <a id="Photo-107" name="Photo-107" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-107"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-10.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_107" title="Photo Roasting-pork-10.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-10.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> 66 minutes: meat temperature 80°, stop cooking. </p> </li> </ol> <p> That's <i>very</i> different from what the instructions suggest. Yes, the third recipe wanted 220°, not 240°, but described it in a very misleading way: “preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan- forced.” What they clearly (now it's clear) meant was “240° in a conventional oven, 220° in a fan-forced oven”. But even that wouldn't explain the great difference in the times and temperatures. </p> <p> While resting, the meat temperature went up to 89° before dropping again. That's far too much. And though the crackling was nice in places, it didn't go through to the meat: </p> <a id="Photo-108" name="Photo-108" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-108"> <img alt="This should be Roasting-pork-13.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_108" title="Photo Roasting-pork-13.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Roasting-pork-13.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> How do I get it right? Next time I'll read this entry again and take it from there. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-18T01:46:25+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-022428</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250818-022428</link><category>animals</category><title>Bruno</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Albums/Animals/Bruno.php">Bruno</a> is continually on top of cabinets: </p> <a id="Photo-109" name="Photo-109" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-109"> <img alt="This should be Bruno-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_109" title="Photo Bruno-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Bruno-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-110" name="Photo-110" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-110"> <img alt="This should be Bruno-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_110" title="Photo Bruno-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Bruno-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> That's a studio flash next to him, but it doesn't seem to interest him: </p> <a id="Photo-111" name="Photo-111" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250817&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-111"> <img alt="This should be Bruno-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_111" title="Photo Bruno-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250817/small/Bruno-4.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-18T02:24:28+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-020055</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-020055</link><category>health</category><title>Dentist again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Finally my sniffles have died down, and I went for my dentist's appointment originally due two weeks ago. </p> <p> It was supposed to be a routine checkup, but somehow the issues discovered <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-feb2025.php?subtitle=Wrong%20dental%20treatment&article=D-20250227-225057#D-20250227-225057">in February</a> aren't over. Hopefully that's not another molar to be extracted. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-19T02:00:55+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-020158</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-020158</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>New Indian grocery</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> On the way into town, in to visit a new Indian grocery, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Patel-Convenience-Ballarat/61577288356033/">Patel Convenience Ballarat</a>, another place with only Facebook web presence. </p> <p> My first consideration was: why have they opened now? It has only been <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-mar2025.php?subtitle=Off%20to%20Sebastopol&article=D-20250312-002326#D-20250312-002326">5 months</a> since the <a href="https://www.indoasiangroceries.com.au/">Indo-Asian Groceries</a> opened a branch in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastopol,_Victoria">Sebastopol</a>, and I don't see the owner being run off his feet. </p> <p> This place is enormous! I don't think I have ever seen as big an Indian food shop anywhere. And it's full of produce. There must be several tons of rice and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atta_flour">atta</a>, and an amazing number of other things, many of which I haven't even heard of. There were even over $1000 worth of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha">Ganesh</a> idols: </p> <a id="Photo-112" name="Photo-112" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250818&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-112"> <img alt="This should be Ganesh-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_112" title="Photo Ganesh-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250818/small/Ganesh-1.jpeg" width="396" height="171" /></a> <a id="Photo-113" name="Photo-113" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250818&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-113"> <img alt="This should be Ganesh-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_113" title="Photo Ganesh-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250818/small/Ganesh-2.jpeg" width="223" height="303" /></a> <p> I hadn't intended to buy anything, but I ended up with some beans (for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/frijoles.php"><i>frijoles de la olla</i></a>) and tanduri masala. But I couldn't find a chatni that I liked. Somehow the food is very much tailored to Indian people. Are there enough in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballarat">Ballarat</a> to keep them running? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-19T02:01:58+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-020220</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-020220</link><category>photography</category><category>general</category><category>language</category><category>opinion</category><title>Picking up the photos</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Are my photos ready? They promised to send me email when they were done, but that seems to be an idle promise. Fighting my way through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Norman">Harvey Norman</a> web site, I discovered that the status was “IK DCM Set To Ready”. What does that mean? Called them up, and Chris wanted to know my name and whether the photos were normal size. </p> <p> Normal size? What's normal for Chris? Less than 8"x10", anyway. Yes, they're ready. What does “IK DCM Set To Ready” mean? He doesn't know either. </p> <p> In the afternoon went there and had to ask a cashier where the photo centre was. Vague pointing to the west. Over there, where another salesperson took me to the real place, only a few metres to the north of the first cashier. Again, name and size, please. Picked them up with no identification whatsoever, a far cry from <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-mar2025.php?subtitle=A%20new%20deep%20fryer&article=D-20250325-235650#D-20250325-235650">five months ago</a>, where only I was allowed to pick up the item, though I didn't record whether they asked for identification on that occasion. </p> <p> The packaging was interesting, too. Quite substantial envelopes with the text “Photo's DO NOT BEND”. Is that in keeping with the rest? </p> <p> And the photos? They don't look bad, though it looks as if they have cropped 1% to 2% off the edges. As far as I can see, that's nothing to do with the cropping they claimed on some images. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-19T02:02:20+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-234906</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250819-234906</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>lagune: done?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> My attempts to bring the USB disks up on <i>lagune</i> have been less than completely successful. Once again I ended up with a forcibly (and dirtily) <i>umount</i>ed <i>/Photos</i> file system. The information from <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a> was useful, but it seemed to be over the top. It did, however, point to the fact that the timeout handling was in the CAM layer. Are there no <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sysctl">sysctls</a> that control that? What does this give me? </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/8)</font> <font color="red">/home/grog</font> <font color="blue">29</font> -> <b><tt>sysctl kern.cam.da</tt></b></code><br />...<br />kern.cam.da.default_timeout: 60<br />kern.cam.da.retry_count: 4<br />kern.cam.da.poll_period: 3<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> There we go! </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/8)</font> <font color="red">/home/grog</font> <font color="blue">30</font> -> <b><tt>sysctl kern.cam.da.retry_count=6</tt></b></code><br />kern.cam.da.retry_count: 4 -> 6<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> We'll see if that works, but I have a good feeling about it. </p> <p> What else needs to be done to fully cut over to <i>lagune</i>? In principle nothing: <i>lagoon</i>, located physically under <i>lagune</i>, is no longer doing anything except maintaining its uptime: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt> lagoon up 438+11:00, 0 users, load 0.31, 0.23, 0.21 </tt></div></blockquote> <p> OK, build a new world on <i>lagune</i> before rebooting. Oh. It failed. Why that? But it's not critical for the work I have to do, so I just continued with the current system, dating back only 2 weeks. Remove the display cards from both machines and put the card from <i>lagoon</i> in <i>lagune</i>: the one originally in <i>lagune</i> had a noisy fan. Bring it up again. </p> <p> Yes, it works for the most part. A surprising number of minor details, though. My <i>xe</i> script, which runs <a href="https://xearth.org/"><i>xearth</i></a>, failed with an unexpected error: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Error: Can't open display: unix:0 </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Oh. <tt>unix</tt> is an old, worn-out magic word, and this particular incarnation of the script dates to </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@lagune (/dev/pts/5)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">5</font> -> <b><tt>l ~yvonne/xe</tt></b></code><br />-rwxr-xr-x 1 yvonne home 4,783 6 Sep 1997 /home/yvonne/xe<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Savour that: not quite 28 years old! Nowadays we just write <tt>:0</tt>. I suppose this has bitten me before, but I didn't chase it up. </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> <i>Indeed, <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2020.php?subtitle=unix:%20old,%20worn-out%20magic%20word&article=D-20200828-024038#D-20200828-024038">almost exactly five years before</a>. I even came up with the same description.</i> </div> </blockquote> <p> But it seems that it was no longer in use. The real code is in the <i>.xinitrc</i> file. No idea why that didn't start; I'll follow up next time. </p> <a name="mouse-config" id="mouse-config"></a> <p> And once again the mouse didn't come up with middle button emulation. Why? Forgot to set it for this particular machine name. But while searching for the correct incantation, found (thanks again to Google Gemini) a great simplification. Here from the code for <i>hydra</i>: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt># This one is the J.Burrows from Officeworks, also with side buttons<br />MOUSEID=$(xinput | grep -m 1 "Telink 2.4G Mouse" | sed 's/^.*id=\([0-9]*\)[ \t].*$/\1/')<br />if [ "$MOUSEID" != "" ]; then<br /># One of these should work<br /> xinput set-prop $MOUSEID 286 -0.5<br /> xinput set-prop $MOUSEID 296 -0.5<br />fi<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Here I have tried <tt>set-prop</tt> on two different numbers to save going looking for them. But it would be so much easier the new way: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>xinput set-prop "Telink 2.4G Mouse" "libinput Accel Speed" -0.5 </tt></div></blockquote> <p> And I <i>still</i> have issues with <i>syslogd</i>! <i>/etc/syslog.conf</i> is correct, but it doesn't log to <i>eureka</i> until I restart it. Is this another instance of the race condition that stops me mounting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System">NFS</a> file systems at boot time? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-19T23:49:06+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250820-001650</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250820-001650</link><category>politics</category><category>history</category><category>multimedia</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>A federal Ukraine?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> How do we solve the issue of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War">Russo-Ukrainian War</a>? It's not helped by people like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump">Donald Trump</a>, who (currently) wants to award <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Putin">Volodymyr Putin</a> parts of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine">Ukraine</a>. </p> <p> That's stupid, of course. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia">Russia</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian–Ukrainian_Friendship_Treaty">committed to the territorial integrity of Ukraine</a> in 1997. They have broken that treaty. And now they want to be rewarded for it? </p> <p> But one way out might be to restructure Ukraine as a federal state, where each state (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblast">oblast</a>) had more autonomy. Might that not be a good start to appeasing Russia? </p> <p> But a memory came back to me. Didn't something like this happen in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_the_People_(2015_TV_series)">Servant of the People</a>? Each oblast had a delegation that wanted something for themselves, maybe independence. But in which episode? The <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6235122/">IMDB page</a> wasn't very helpful. How about AI bots again? </p> <p> <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a> came up with a clear statement: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> The episode of "Servant of the People" that explicitly shows a delegation from various oblasts is Season 3, Episode 1. </p> <p class="listitemwidth"> In this episode, Ukraine has supposedly "disintegrated into small separate principalities" following the overthrow of Holoborodko. It depicts different regions being given new, often satirical, names (e.g., Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts united as "USSR," Lviv Oblast as the "Galician Kingdom," Crimea as the "Crimean Emirate," etc.). This is where the idea of delegations from these "new" oblasts would come into play, as they are portrayed as distinct entities. </p> </blockquote> <p> OK, take a look. No, not what I was looking for. How about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT">Chat AI</a>? </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Hello! In the TV series "Servant of the People," the episode featuring a delegation from the various oblasts is Season 1, Episode 3. </div> </blockquote> <p> Not that one, either. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_(language_model)">Claude</a>? That's easy. It has no idea. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeepSeek">DeepSeek</a>? </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> One notable episode that features a delegation from various oblasts is Season 2, Episode 6 ("The Minister"). In this episode, representatives from different regions come to discuss their problems with the central government, including issues like funding, infrastructure, and political disputes. </p> <p class="listitemwidth"> Another relevant episode is Season 3, Episode 3, where regional leaders and local officials interact with the president's administration, sometimes in a confrontational manner. </p> </blockquote> <p> Now doesn't that give you the feeling that they know what's going on? It seems that the episode I was looking for was the last one, both in this list and in the series: season 3, episode 3, first broadcast on 28 March 2019, 3 days before the first round of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Ukrainian_presidential_election">2019 Ukrainian presidential election</a>. And in that connection, it's interesting to see the results by oblast: </p> <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/2019_Ukrainian_presidential_election%2C_round_2.svg/1024px-2019_Ukrainian_presidential_election%2C_round_2.svg.png"> <img alt="" title=". Click to see in original size." src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/2019_Ukrainian_presidential_election%2C_round_2.svg/1024px-2019_Ukrainian_presidential_election%2C_round_2.svg.png" width="400" /></a> <p> The areas that Russia claims are also the ones with the highest support for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_the_People">Servant of the People</a>, something that I hadn't expected. Would a federal system help solve the current situation? It's hard to say. But why haven't I heard anybody come up with the idea? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-20T00:16:50+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250820-003947</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250820-003947</link><category>animals</category><title>What's that egg?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> found another egg in the dam paddock today, roughly <a href="https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/37%C2%B048'01.6%22S%2b143%C2%B045'01.0%22E/@-37.8005021,143.7498204,125m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d-37.8004497!4d143.7502712?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgxNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D">here</a>. </p> <a id="Photo-114" name="Photo-114" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250819&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-114"> <img alt="This should be Eggs.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_114" title="Photo Eggs.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250819/small/Eggs.jpeg" width="299" height="226" /></a> <p> That's the white one; the brown is a large (69 g) hen egg. This one weighs 52.2 g. What kind of egg is it? How did it get into the middle of the paddock? My guess is that it's a wild duck egg. Is it? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-20T00:39:47+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250821-020713</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250821-020713</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>lagune: tying up loose ends</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Another attempt to build a world for <i>lagune</i> today, this time with <tt>j -4</tt> instead of <tt>j -8</tt>. And it worked. </p> <p> Preparing for rebooting <i>lagune</i> applied my <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary.xml.php#mouse-config">new-found information</a> about mouse configuration: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== yvonne@lagune (/dev/pts/2)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">2</font> -> <b><tt>xinput set-prop "Logitech USB Receiver" "libinput Accel Speed" -0.5</tt></b></code><br />Warning: There are multiple devices matching 'Logitech USB Receiver'.<br />To ensure the correct one is selected, please use the device ID, or prefix the<br />device name with 'pointer:' or 'keyboard:' as appropriate.<br /><br />unable to find device Logitech USB Receiver </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Oh. Yes, <i>xinput</i> shows me that there's a keyboard with that name too. But where do I put the <tt>pointer:</tt>? Directly in front, without a space, it proves: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== yvonne@lagune (/dev/pts/2)</font> <font color="red">~</font> <font color="blue">3</font> -> <b><tt>xinput set-prop "pointer:Logitech USB Receiver" "libinput Accel Speed" -0.5</tt></b></code> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Put that in the <i>~/.xinitrc</i>, and after reboot it worked as expected. </p> <p> So <i>lagune</i> is up and running, and things seem mainly OK. But there are still a few things that I've been keeping my eye on. </p> <p> First the external <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB">USB</a> disks. Did changing the number of retries work? Yes! Here the kludge in <i>/home/local/bin/syncphotos</i>: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>--- /home/local/bin/syncphotos 2021/02/12 23:17:55 1.18<br />+++ /home/local/bin/syncphotos 2025/08/18 00:07:12<br />@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@<br />+if [ `hostname` = "lagune" ]; then<br />+ # Work around slow spin up of backup disk<br />+ dd if=/dev/da0 of=/dev/null count=1<br />+ dd if=/dev/da1 of=/dev/null count=1<br />+fi<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Previously we had: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>dd: /dev/da0: Device busy<br />0 bytes transferred in 18.057944 secs (0 bytes/sec)<br />dd: /dev/da1: Device busy<br />0 bytes transferred in 18.050228 secs (0 bytes/sec)<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> But now we have: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>512 bytes transferred in 19.116480 secs (27 bytes/sec)<br />512 bytes transferred in 19.074229 secs (27 bytes/sec)<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> So it seemed it timed out one second too early. Now all is well. </p> <p> And the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System">NFS</a> file systems? Now that mail is working properly, I get a message: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2025 <b>14:42:38</b> +1000<br />From: Cron Daemon <root@lagune><br />Subject: Cron <root@lagune> mount -t nfs -a<br /><br />mount_nfs: eureka: Name could not be resolved at this time<br />mount_nfs: eureka: Name could not be resolved at this time<br />mount: /eureka/home: No such file or directory<br />... </tt></div></blockquote> <p> That's the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron"><i>cron</i></a> entry for <tt>@reboot</tt>, so it does work after all. Comparing that with the log messages, we have: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Aug 20 14:42:39 lagune ntpd[1389]: error resolving pool 0.freebsd.pool.ntp.org: Name could not be resolved at this time (2)<br />Aug 20 <b>14:42:39</b> lagune kernel: re0: link state changed to UP<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> So for whatever reason (something I still need to check), interface <tt>re0</tt> is down at that time. And so the mount commands also fail, and that's probably the reason that the <i>syslogd</i> logging fails too. OK, I can run a script <tt>@reboot</tt> that first waits a few seconds before mounting the NFS file systems and restarting <i>syslogd</i>. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-21T02:07:13+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250821-022144</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250821-022144</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>How I hate git!</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I haven't committed anything to the <a href="https://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</a> source tree for nearly a year, though there's plenty to do. To avoid the attention of the Grim Reaper, it's time for another one. Simple update to <i>du.1</i>. Commit, no problems. “Push”, problems, discretely commented in yellow on unknown background: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/7)</font> <font color="red">/src/FreeBSD/git/main/usr.bin/du</font> <font color="blue">53</font> -> <b><tt>git commit du.1</tt></b></code><br />hint: Waiting for your editor to close the file... Waiting for Emacs...<br />[main fc4f6c2cb3fd] Describe relationship between block count and EOF.<br /> 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+)<br />You have mail in /var/mail/grog<br /><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/7)</font> <font color="red">/src/FreeBSD/git/main/usr.bin/du</font> <font color="blue">54</font> -> <b><tt>git push freebsd</tt></b></code><br />To gitrepo.freebsd.org:src.git<br /> <span style="color: red">! [rejected]</span> main -> main (fetch first)<br />error: failed to push some refs to 'gitrepo.freebsd.org:src.git'<br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: Updates were rejected because the remote contains work that you do not</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: have locally. This is usually caused by another repository pushing to</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: the same ref. If you want to integrate the remote changes, use</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: 'git pull' before pushing again.</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: See the 'Note about fast-forwards' in 'git push --help' for details.</span><br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> OK, do what it says: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/7)</font> <font color="red">/src/FreeBSD/git/main/usr.bin/du</font> <font color="blue">55</font> -> <b><tt>git pull</tt></b></code><br />remote: Enumerating objects: 60, done.<br />remote: Counting objects: 100% (14/14), done.<br />remote: Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done.<br />remote: Total 60 (delta 11), reused 11 (delta 11), pack-reused 46 (from 1)<br />Unpacking objects: 100% (60/60), 84.08 KiB | 2.33 MiB/s, done.<br />From https://git.freebsd.org/src<br /> 3ff0231c87f3..dc5f8c344299 main -> freebsd/main<br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: You have divergent branches and need to specify how to reconcile them.</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: You can do so by running one of the following commands sometime before</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: your next pull:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: git config pull.rebase false # merge</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: git config pull.rebase true # rebase</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: git config pull.ff only # fast-forward only</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: You can replace "git config" with "git config --global" to set a default</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: preference for all repositories. You can also pass --rebase, --no-rebase,</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: or --ff-only on the command line to override the configured default per</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: invocation.</span><br />fatal: Need to specify how to reconcile divergent branches.<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> Ha ha, only annoying you. In the illegible text it now says that you need <tt>--ff-only</tt>: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt> <br /><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/7)</font> <font color="red">/src/FreeBSD/git/main/usr.bin/du</font> <font color="blue">56</font> -> <b><tt>git pull --ff-only</tt></b></code><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: Diverging branches can't be fast-forwarded, you need to either:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: git merge --no-ff</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: or:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: git rebase</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint:</span><br /><span style="color: yellow">hint: Disable this message with "git config advice.diverging false"</span><br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> What's this <tt>merge</tt> nonsense? This was a virgin tree until I changed a single file. But who knows? Try again: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/7)</font> <font color="red">/src/FreeBSD/git/main/usr.bin/du</font> <font color="blue">57</font> -> <b><tt>git merge --no-ff</tt></b></code><br />hint: Waiting for your editor to close the file... Waiting for Emacs...<br />Merge made by the 'ort' strategy.<br /> UPDATING | 7 +++++++<br /> lib/libc/net/gai_strerror.c | 44 ++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------<br /> lib/libifconfig/Symbol.map | 2 --<br /> lib/libifconfig/libifconfig.h | 1 -<br /> share/man/man4/iwlwifi.4 | 4 ++--<br /> share/man/man5/src.conf.5 | 9 ++++++---<br /> share/mk/src.opts.mk | 2 +-<br /> share/mk/src.sys.mk | 2 +-<br /> sys/arm64/arm64/elf32_machdep.c | 2 +-<br /> tools/build/options/WITH_CLEAN | 4 ++++<br /> 10 files changed, 46 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-)<br /> create mode 100644 tools/build/options/WITH_CLEAN<br /><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/7)</font> <font color="red">/src/FreeBSD/git/main/usr.bin/du</font> <font color="blue">58</font> -> <b><tt>git pull --ff-only</tt></b></code><br />Already up to date.<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> The first sign of success! </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== grog@hydra (/dev/pts/7)</font> <font color="red">/src/FreeBSD/git/main/usr.bin/du</font> <font color="blue">59</font> -> <b><tt>git push freebsd</tt></b></code><br />Enumerating objects: 15, done.<br />Counting objects: 100% (12/12), done.<br />Delta compression using up to 32 threads<br />Compressing objects: 100% (7/7), done.<br />Writing objects: 100% (7/7), 947 bytes | 947.00 KiB/s, done.<br />Total 7 (delta 5), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 (from 0)<br />remote: ================================================================<br />remote: Currently only allow merge from vendor/*<br />remote: ================================================================<br />remote: FATAL: VREF/MERGE-CHECK/src: helper program exit status 256<br />remote: error: hook declined to update refs/heads/main<br />To gitrepo.freebsd.org:src.git<br /> <span style="color: red">! [remote rejected]</span> main -> main (hook declined)<br />error: failed to push some refs to 'gitrepo.freebsd.org:src.git'<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> And that? That looks like a current situation, though it's not what release engineering says. </p> <p> And in passing, this requirement for pushing from an up-to-date tree looks like a recipe for disaster on a tree that is updated frequently (several times a minute, for example). How can you keep your tree up to date long enough to perform the push? </p> <p> <b><i>HOW</i></b> I hate git! </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-21T02:21:44+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-015629</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-015629</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><title>Leftover KL Hokkien Mee</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> We still have leftovers from <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?topics=k&subtitle=Roast%20pork%20again&article=D-20250818-014625#D-20250818-014625">Sunday's roast pork</a>. The meat itself is no issue: cut it into 3 mm slices and freeze it for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/Abendbrot.php">Abendbrot</a>. But there's the crackling. </p> <p> And then we have some cabbage left over from a planned meal of <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/enchiladas.php">enchiladas</a>, scrapped after I read my diary comments from previous occasions. </p> <p> What can I do with them? <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/KL-Hokkien-Mee.php">KL Hokkien Mee</a>? That uses crispy pork fat, not quite the same thing as crackling, but close. It also uses <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_sam">choi sam</a>, not that far from cabbage. OK, fake it: </p> <a id="Photo-115" name="Photo-115" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250821&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-115"> <img alt="This should be Experimental-KL-Hokkien-mee-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_115" title="Photo Experimental-KL-Hokkien-mee-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250821/small/Experimental-KL-Hokkien-mee-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-116" name="Photo-116" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250821&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-116"> <img alt="This should be Experimental-KL-Hokkien-mee-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_116" title="Photo Experimental-KL-Hokkien-mee-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250821/small/Experimental-KL-Hokkien-mee-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> How was it? Quite edible. But I think I will stick to my normal recipe next time. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-22T01:56:29+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-015650</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-015650</link><category>gardening</category><category>opinion</category><title>Preparing for spring</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Jesse Walsh along to do some tidy-up work in the garden, including completely removing the contents of one herb bed and half of the other one: </p> <a id="Photo-117" name="Photo-117" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250822&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-117"> <img alt="This should be Herb-bed.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_117" title="Photo Herb-bed.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250822/small/Herb-bed.jpeg" width="301" height="224" /></a> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-22T01:56:50+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-022810</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-022810</link><category>gardening</category><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><title>The last tomatoes of winter</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> It's 10 days before the first day of spring, and Jesse brought me this: </p> <a id="Photo-118" name="Photo-118" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250822&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-118"> <img alt="This should be Tomatoes.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_118" title="Photo Tomatoes.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250822/small/Tomatoes.jpeg" width="303" height="223" /></a> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> tried one. It was bitter. What can we do with the rest? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-22T02:28:10+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-022819</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250822-022819</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Still more cabbage</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Another way of using up the cabbage we have is as <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/cabbage-salad.php">Weißkrautsalat</a>, “white cabbage salad”. After discussion with <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> I used my version. And I don't think I like it much any more. As it stands (200 g of apple to 500 g of cabbage), there seems to be too much apple. And somehow it's not interesting enough. I put in 2.5 times as much <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caraway">caraway</a> as in the recipe (which calls for 2.5 g for 500 g of cabbage), but I think it could be even more. And maybe it could do with more lemon juice. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-22T02:28:19+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250823-015905</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250823-015905</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Fried cabbage</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> We still have lots of cabbage left over. How can I cook a breakfast from it? Once again <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a> to my aid, and once again it came up with some useful leads: Chinese Fried Cabbage (手撕包菜 - Shǒu Sī Bāo Cài), “Thai-Style Garlicky Cabbage with Fish Sauce” and “Hmong-Style Fried Cabbage with Bacon and Oyster Sauce”. I didn't follow up the last two, but the Shǒu Sī Bāo Cài sounded interesting, and in the end I made up <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/chinese-fried-cabbage.php">my version</a>, with the help of <a href="https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-cabbage-stir-fry/">this recipe</a> and <a href="https://redhousespice.com/chinese-cabbage-stir-fry/#recipe">this one</a>. </p> <table summary="Ingredients"> <tr> <td align="right"><b>quantity</b></td> <td> </td> <td><b>ingredient</b> </td> <td> </td> <td><b>step</b> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">60 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">minced pork</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">1</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">15 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">garlic</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">2</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">3 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">hot chili</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">2</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">250 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">green cabbage</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">3</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">2 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">sugar</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">4</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">20 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">light soya sauce</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">5</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">10 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">water</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">5</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">7 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">Chinese wine</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">5</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">10 g</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">Chinese vinegar</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">6</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="right">15 g (1)</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="left">spring onion</td> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="right">6</td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> </table> <p> Preparation </p> <ol> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Fry the pork in oil until slightly cooked. Reserve. </p> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Fry the garlic and chili gently. </p> <a id="Photo-119" name="Photo-119" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250822&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-119"> <img alt="This should be Fried-cabbage-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_119" title="Photo Fried-cabbage-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250822/small/Fried-cabbage-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Tear the cabbage into medium-sized strips: </p> <a id="Photo-120" name="Photo-120" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250822&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-120"> <img alt="This should be Fried-cabbage-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_120" title="Photo Fried-cabbage-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250822/small/Fried-cabbage-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-121" name="Photo-121" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250822&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-121"> <img alt="This should be Fried-cabbage-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_121" title="Photo Fried-cabbage-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250822/small/Fried-cabbage-4.jpeg" width="302" height="224" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Add meat and cabbage to pan and fry lightly: </p> <a id="Photo-122" name="Photo-122" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250822&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-122"> <img alt="This should be Fried-cabbage-6.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_122" title="Photo Fried-cabbage-6.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250822/small/Fried-cabbage-6.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Add sugar and liquids and sauté until cabbage has softened a little. It should not be completely soft. </p> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Add vinegar and chopped spring onions. </p> <a id="Photo-123" name="Photo-123" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250822&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-123"> <img alt="This should be Fried-cabbage-9.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_123" title="Photo Fried-cabbage-9.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250822/small/Fried-cabbage-9.jpeg" width="301" height="224" /></a> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> Reheat, then serve. </p> </li> </ol> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-23T01:59:05+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250823-022613</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250823-022613</link><category>photography</category><category>history</category><category>opinion</category><title>Rangefinder camera history, yet again</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> The centenary celebrations of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica">Leica</a> continue. Today I looked at this video, by a Leica employee: </p> <iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pAq-owv-ScY" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" > </iframe> <p> The breakthrough: the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_II">Leica II</a>, a camera with an inbuilt rangefinder. </p> <p> But was it? <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-may2025.php?subtitle=More%20ancient%20photography%20insights&article=D-20250508-030055#D-20250508-030055">My understanding</a> was that the first 35 mm camera with a built-in rangefinder was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contax">Contax</a> I. Both cameras were introduced in 1932, but when? Previously I had been given to understand that the Contax was first, but I didn't have a date. Off to ask the usual AI bots, which replied: </p> <ul> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> <a href="https://answerr.ai/">Answerr</a>. Hung. A second time wanted me to log in as Google or Microsoft. Goodbye, Answerr. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> <a href="https://ui.chatai.com/home">ChatGPT</a>: The Contax I, a 35mm rangefinder camera, was released by Zeiss Ikon in 1932. However, the exact date of its release is not well-documented. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> <a href="https://claude.AI/">Claude</a>: The Contax I camera was released on May 12, 1932 by Zeiss Ikon in Dresden, Germany. This was a significant date in camera history as it marked the introduction of one of the first high-quality 35mm rangefinder cameras that would compete directly with Leica cameras of the era. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> <a href="https://chat.deepseek.com/">deepseek</a>: The Contax I was officially released and presented to the public on November 21, 1932, at the Leipziger Messe (Leipzig Trade Fair) in Germany. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a>: The Contax I, a 35mm rangefinder camera, was released in 1932. There is no information available on the exact day or month of its release. </div> <p class="listitemwidth"> The Leica II, a 35mm rangefinder camera, was introduced by Leica in 1932. However, similar to the Contax I, there is no information available on the exact day or month of its release. </p> </li> </ul> <p> Now doesn't that help? Of course, the video clip didn't mention Contax at all, just that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_M3">Leica M3</a> was released “nearly 25 years later” (really 1954, 22 years later). It had great improvements! A rangefinder coupled with the viewfinder! A bayonet mount! Both what the Contax I had 22 years earlier. But unlike the Contax, it still had a horizontal travel cloth focal plane shutter. </p> <p> I'm still puzzled that the Contax didn't run rings round the Leica. Looking through the technical details of the photos in „Das Gesicht des Krieges“ (1942), I find that out of an estimated 80 photos, only two were taken with Leica, about 20% with other cameras, including 6×6, and the rest (a good two-thirds) were taken with Contax. Why have things changed since then? Was it thanks to the Soviet theft of the plant? </p> <p> Of course, the date isn't that important. It seems unlikely that Leitz and Zeiss weren't aware of what the other was doing, even if it didn't amount to espionage: a coupled rangefinder was such an obvious requirement. And indeed the Contax I showed significant signs of being rushed to the market. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-23T02:26:13+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250823-030923</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250823-030923</link><category>photography</category><category>opinion</category><title>Film rewound!</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> While investigating the <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Rangefinder%20camera%20history,%20yet%20again&article=D-20250823-022613#D-20250823-022613">Leica anniversary</a>, played around with my <a href="https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/FED_(Original)_(_FED_NKVD,_FED-S,_FED-1)">FED 1</a>. It still had a film in it: <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-apr2025.php?subtitle=FED%20film:%20finished!&article=D-20250420-020451#D-20250420-020451">four months ago</a> it was finished, but I was unable to rewind it. </p> <p> But this thing has such a tiny rewind knob. Here on the left, compared to the <a href="http://www.cjs-classic-cameras.co.uk/other/diax.html#diaxette">Diaxette</a> on the right: </p> <p> It must require twice the turning that the Diaxette (the last camera I used without a rewind lever) did. Can it be that I just hadn't turned it enough, and that the stiffness had some other cause? </p> <p> Yes! I was finally able to rewind the film. What is it? </p> <a id="Photo-124" name="Photo-124" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-124"> <img alt="This should be FED-film-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_124" title="Photo FED-film-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/FED-film-2.jpeg" width="324" height="208" /></a> <p> Oh. A reusable (and from its appearance frequently reused) cassette. So now I need to find a way to identify the film. Open the cassette in a darkroom and cut off the leader? That might help decide whether it's colour or black and white, but not much more. </p> <p> To be fair to the Leica/FED, the tiny rewind knob was not limited to that model. A number of my other cameras have such tiny rewind knobs, including the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahiflex">Asahiflex</a>. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-23T03:09:23+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250824-020224</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250824-020224</link><category>gardening</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Garden flowers in late winter</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> It's a month before the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox">equinox</a>, time for the monthly <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Albums/garden/Flowers.php">garden flower photos</a>. </p> <p> As I noted <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jun2025.php?subtitle=Garden%20flowers%20in%20late winter&article=D-20250621-235625#D-20250621-235625">last month</a>, this winter has even fewer flowers than normal. The spring bulbs are there, but nothing else seems to have noticed the coming spring, due in only 9 days. I had expected some signs of life from the Box Elder, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo">Ginkgo</a> and oak: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-125" name="Photo-125" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-125"> <img alt="This should be Box-elder.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_125" title="Photo Box-elder.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Box-elder.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-126" name="Photo-126" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-126"> <img alt="This should be Ginkgo.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_126" title="Photo Ginkgo.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Ginkgo.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-127" name="Photo-127" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-127"> <img alt="This should be Oak-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_127" title="Photo Oak-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Oak-1.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> </div> <p> Hopefully that's also the reason why my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clematis">Clematis</a> “Edo Murasaki” hasn't shown any signs of life yet. It did flower <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jul2025.php?subtitle=Clematis%20in%20winter&article=D-20250716-012035#D-20250716-012035">last month</a>, so hopefully it's just late. </p> <p> Things continue to deteriorate. As I feared last month, my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_japonica">Camellia japonica</a> has had it. Here two months ago, last month and this month: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-128" name="Photo-128" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250621&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-128"> <img alt="This should be Camellia.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_128" title="Photo Camellia.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250621/small/Camellia.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-129" name="Photo-129" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250723&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-129"> <img alt="This should be Camellia.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_129" title="Photo Camellia.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250723/small/Camellia.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-130" name="Photo-130" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-130"> <img alt="This should be Camellia.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_130" title="Photo Camellia.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Camellia.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> </div> <p> It would be gone by now had Jesse had the time to remove it <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Preparing%20for%20spring&article=D-20250822-015650#D-20250822-015650">on Thursday</a>. </p> <p> Less unexpected is the situation in the north paddock, where <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> had a number of seedlings planted <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jun2025.php?subtitle=Planting%20trees&article=D-20250615-014827#D-20250615-014827">two months ago</a>. Then we had: </p> <a id="Photo-131" name="Photo-131" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250615&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-131"> <img alt="This should be New-trees-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_131" title="Photo New-trees-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250615/small/New-trees-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-132" name="Photo-132" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250615&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-132"> <img alt="This should be New-trees-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_132" title="Photo New-trees-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250615/small/New-trees-5.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <p> Now we have: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-133" name="Photo-133" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-133"> <img alt="This should be Paddock-trees-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_133" title="Photo Paddock-trees-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Paddock-trees-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-134" name="Photo-134" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-134"> <img alt="This should be Paddock-trees-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_134" title="Photo Paddock-trees-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Paddock-trees-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-135" name="Photo-135" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-135"> <img alt="This should be Paddock-trees-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_135" title="Photo Paddock-trees-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Paddock-trees-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </div> <p> Somehow our <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alyogyne_huegelii">Alyogyne huegelii</a> is continually beset by damage. It's still alive, but <i>another</i> branch has broken off: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-136" name="Photo-136" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-136"> <img alt="This should be Alyogyne-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_136" title="Photo Alyogyne-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Alyogyne-1.jpeg" width="224" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-137" name="Photo-137" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-137"> <img alt="This should be Alyogyne-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_137" title="Photo Alyogyne-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Alyogyne-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-138" name="Photo-138" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-138"> <img alt="This should be Alyogyne-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_138" title="Photo Alyogyne-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Alyogyne-3.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </div> <p> The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia">Strelitziae</a> are looking relatively good, though. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia_nicolai">Strelitzia nicolai</a> has two flowers on their way, and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia_reginae">Strelitziae reginae</a> also seem to be preparing something: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-139" name="Photo-139" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-139"> <img alt="This should be Strelitzia-nicolai-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_139" title="Photo Strelitzia-nicolai-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Strelitzia-nicolai-1.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-140" name="Photo-140" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-140"> <img alt="This should be Strelitzia-nicolai-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_140" title="Photo Strelitzia-nicolai-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Strelitzia-nicolai-2.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-141" name="Photo-141" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-141"> <img alt="This should be Strelitzia-nicolai-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_141" title="Photo Strelitzia-nicolai-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Strelitzia-nicolai-3.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-142" name="Photo-142" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-142"> <img alt="This should be Strelitzia-reginae.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_142" title="Photo Strelitzia-reginae.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Strelitzia-reginae.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </div> <p> And though the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_rosa-sinensis">Hibiscus rosa-sinensis</a> “Uncle Max” in the garden is not looking as good as it could, one in the lounge room is flowering happily: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-143" name="Photo-143" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250823&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-143"> <img alt="This should be Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_143" title="Photo Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250823/small/Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-144" name="Photo-144" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250824&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-144"> <img alt="This should be Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_144" title="Photo Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250824/small/Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-1.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a> <a id="Photo-145" name="Photo-145" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250824&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-145"> <img alt="This should be Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_145" title="Photo Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250824/small/Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-2.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> </div> <p> And the cutting I made <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jan2025.php?subtitle=Little%20garden%20work&article=D-20250127-014406#D-20250127-014406">six months ago</a> is also growing steadily: </p> <a id="Photo-146" name="Photo-146" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250824&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-146"> <img alt="This should be Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_146" title="Photo Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250824/small/Hibiscus-rosa-sinensis-3.jpeg" width="224" height="300" /></a> <p> </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-24T02:02:24+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250824-030639</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250824-030639</link><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>A Town Like Alice continued</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I'm still reading “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Town_Like_Alice">A Town Like Alice</a>” at a snail's pace, checking lots of things as I go along. I find my guess about the location where the women ended up to be quite close, somewhere between <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Dungun">Kuala Dungun</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Terengganu">Kuala Terengganu</a>. But the geographical accuracy is suffering, and it seems that Shute had never heard of Kuala Terengganu. The women spent a lot of time between <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerantut">Jerantut</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maran,_Pahang">Maran</a>, though they had come from the south. Jerantut was never close to anything there, and I wonder why <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute">Shute</a> mentioned it at all. Presumably he had been there at some time, though it must have been really tiny. It was barely on the map when <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jan1966.php#14">I was last there</a>. </p> <p> And then the sea journey from London to (ultimately) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kota_Bharu">Kota Bharu</a>. All well as far as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo">Colombo</a>, but then the sea journey went via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangoon">Rangoon</a> (way off course) and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang">Penang</a> to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</a>, from whence she caught a plane to Kota Bharu. That makes no sense at all: she could have disembarked in Penang and caught a much shorter flight to Kota Bharu. Still, an interesting book from my point of view. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-24T03:06:39+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250825-002943</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250825-002943</link><category>general</category><title>Nothing doing</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Somehow I've been too active lately, but today was an exception: I did almost nothing. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-25T00:29:43+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250825-003445</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250825-003445</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Vietnamese Phở bò</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I've been making <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/pho.php">Phở bò)</a> (Vietnamese beef soup) from a Thai paste for years now, though I doubted its authenticity. And I also bought some cubes that <i>do</i> come from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Nam">Viet Nam</a>. </p> <a id="Photo-147" name="Photo-147" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20220612&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-147"> <img alt="This should be Pho-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_147" title="Photo Pho-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20220612/small/Pho-1.jpeg" width="284" height="238" /></a> <p> I've eaten this version <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jun2022.php?subtitle=Ph%E1%BB%9F%20alternative&article=D-20220613-015344#D-20220613-015344">before</a>—this was the last cube in the pack. On the previous occasion I was irritated by the quantities (1 cube is intended to give 500 ml of broth), and as a result didn't stick to the instructions. Today I just made 320 ml. And it didn't taste bad. Not very similar to the Por Kwan paste, but almost certainly more authentic. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-25T00:34:45+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250825-004334</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250825-004334</link><category>food</category><category>and</category><category>drink</category><category>opinion</category><title>Still more new spices</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> In the evening, <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/recipes/tanduri-murg.php">chicken tanduri</a>, made with this mixture: </p> <a id="Photo-148" name="Photo-148" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250824&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-148"> <img alt="This should be Shan-tanduri-masala-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_148" title="Photo Shan-tanduri-masala-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250824/small/Shan-tanduri-masala-1.jpeg" width="214" height="314" /></a> <p> And yes, it's better than the Patak paste that we've been using. That's no surprise. For once, I stuck exactly to the recipe: </p> <a id="Photo-149" name="Photo-149" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250824&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-149"> <img alt="This should be Shan-tanduri-masala-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_149" title="Photo Shan-tanduri-masala-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250824/small/Shan-tanduri-masala-2.jpeg" width="269" height="251" /></a> <p> </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-25T00:43:34+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250826-001853</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250826-001853</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Macquarie security</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I've finally got round to doing something about the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macquarie_Bank">Macquarie Bank</a> authenticator. I had been warned that I could be in for a long wait, so I waited until I had a couple of hours to spare. </p> <p> The call started well, with an on-hold announcement giving me URLs with “forward slashes”. But my concerns about the time were unfounded. I was speaking to Angelica, a non-native English speaker, after 3 minutes, and despite some intelligibility issues the whole call only took 17 minutes. </p> <p> What did I want? My Macquarie ID. But somehow they had ended up with me being registered with <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne's</a> phone number, and since modern communication and authentication revolves around phones, I first had to change that. And basically that's all I managed. </p> <p> In preparation I had brought Yvonne's phone for identification, but no, they didn't need that. My phone number, full name and <i>date of birth</i>. Not even my address! </p> <p> But which phone number? I have a new <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi#Aldi_Talk">ALDImobile</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_card">SIM</a> specially for the authenticator, and it's currently waiting for activation, so I currently don't have a number. That so completely baffled Angelica that I had to repeat it twice after a suitable timeout. OK, give my normal number, I can change it later. </p> <p> She gave me other information that I haven't seen elsewhere: the authenticator is only needed for transfers over $2000. How many of them are there? There was also talk of my online bank account, but what do I need that for? And if this is an account for the Lehey Family Superannuation Fund, why should I have direct access at all? Why is the account (apparently) in my name? </p> <p> And that was basically the call. I was to wait for an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS">SMS</a> with the URL of an app that would complete the authentication. That involved taking photos of my driver license and of myself (“smile, please”). And the data that it gleaned was less than convincing: </p> <a id="Photo-150" name="Photo-150" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250825&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-150"> <img alt="This should be Macquarie-authentication-3-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_150" title="Photo Macquarie-authentication-3-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250825/small/Macquarie-authentication-3-detail.jpeg" width="295" height="229" /></a> <p> What's wrong with this picture? At the very least, they ignored one potential source of identity: the old phone number. Yes, it can maybe no longer exist or have been given to somebody else, but that could have been confirmed. More to the point, how have they positively identified me? The photo of the driver license might help, but the incorrect identification suggests that the identification program isn't very clever. And the “smile please” is presumably to thwart the use of a photo for identification purposes. </p> <p> And that's all that I see. Somebody could have stolen my driver license, and if they look like me or use makeup techniques to look like my driver license photo, they could pass that test too. That alone, along with name and date of birth, is completely insufficient. </p> <p> What else can they do? Owner lookup for the phone number, of course, and presumably they'll do that. Is that sufficient? </p> <p> What next? Wait for email from Macquarie with details of how to get the coveted ID. That could take up to a week. </p> <p> The good news seems to be that the authenticator is really just an authenticator. So it doesn't really seem to pose the kind of security threat that I had feared. But we'll see when they have done their due diligence. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-26T00:18:53+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250826-010230</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250826-010230</link><category>general</category><title>New clothes dryer</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Our clothes dryer is getting tired: it requires several attempts to power on before it stays on. Nothing for it, says <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a>: a new dryer. </p> <p> Today Glen Castleman came by with a new, modern one with LED display, which thus cost $200 instead of the $150 for the last one: </p> <a id="Photo-151" name="Photo-151" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250829&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-151"> <img alt="This should be Clothes-dryer.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_151" title="Photo Clothes-dryer.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250829/small/Clothes-dryer.jpeg" width="222" height="305" /></a> <p> Hopefully it will last longer: we had the last one for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-sep2022.php?subtitle=A%20new%20clothes%20dryer&article=D-20220929-011434#D-20220929-011434">less than 3 years</a>. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-26T01:02:30+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250826-010235</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250826-010235</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>The revenge of Corsair</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Now that <i>lagune</i> is up and running, I need to look at <i>hydra</i>. I have had it for <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-oct2023.php?topics=c&subtitle=The%20new%20hydra&article=D-20231018-033635#D-20231018-033635">nearly two years</a>, and I've never finished setting it up. In the meantime we have a new release of <a href="https://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</a>. Time to build a shadow machine on <i>dereel</i>, Bruce Evans' old <i>zetaplex</i> machine, which gave: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@hydra (/dev/pts/38)</font> <font color="red">/usr/src</font> <font color="blue">17</font> -> <b><tt>uname -a</tt></b></code><br />FreeBSD hydra.lemis.com 13.4-PRERELEASE FreeBSD 13.4-PRERELEASE #1 stable/13-n258139-35bde8969eb6-dirty: Sun Jul 28 08:42:07 AEST 2024 grog@hydra.lemis.com:/home/obj/home/src/FreeBSD/git/stable/13/amd64.amd64/sys/GENERIC amd64<br /><code><font color="blue">=== root@dereel (/dev/pts/0)</font> <font color="red">/usr/src</font> <font color="blue">12</font> -> <b><tt>uname -a</tt></b></code><br />FreeBSD dereel.lemis.com 14.3-STABLE FreeBSD 14.3-STABLE #5: Mon Aug 25 14:54:35 AEST 2025 grog@dereel.lemis.com:/home/obj/hydra/home/src/FreeBSD/git/stable/14/amd64.amd64/sys/GENERIC amd64<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> First, though, I wanted more memory. One of the things I want to test is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualBox">VirtualBox</a>, which uses ridiculous quantities of memory. And <i>dereel</i> only had 16 GB, with two memory slots free. </p> <p> That's OK: I have had two 8 GB <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIMM">SIMMs</a> floating around for some time. Just what I need. But the ones already in the machine have heat sinks, so it's difficult to get a normal SIMM in between the two. Remove one. But somehow it didn't work as expected. On (much) closer inspection, it seems that these SIMM sockets have levers only at the top, and at the bottom they're fixed: </p> <a id="Photo-152" name="Photo-152" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250825&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-152"> <img alt="This should be Memory-chips-5.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_152" title="Photo Memory-chips-5.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250825/small/Memory-chips-5.jpeg" width="220" height="308" /></a> <a id="Photo-153" name="Photo-153" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250825&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-153"> <img alt="This should be Memory-chips-6-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_153" title="Photo Memory-chips-6-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250825/small/Memory-chips-6-detail.jpeg" width="384" height="176" /></a> <p> OK, finally get the chips in. Power on. Nothing. Much investigation that pointed to the SIMM I had removed: </p> <a id="Photo-154" name="Photo-154" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250825&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-154"> <img alt="This should be Memory-chips-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_154" title="Photo Memory-chips-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250825/small/Memory-chips-1.jpeg" width="399" height="169" /></a> <p> That's one of those horrible violent “Vengenance” SIMMs. But more to the point, it claims to be 16 GB! </p> <a id="Photo-155" name="Photo-155" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250825&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-155"> <img alt="This should be Memory-chips-1-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_155" title="Photo Memory-chips-1-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250825/small/Memory-chips-1-detail.jpeg" width="484" height="140" /></a> <p> Why is it showing as only 8 GB? </p> <p> After some messing around, got the original two SIMMs working again. I'm reminded of this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/xkcd">xkcd</a> cartoon: </p> <a href="https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/success.png"> <img alt="" title=". Click to see in original size." src="https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/success.png" width="300" /></a> <p> Put the other SIMMs into the old <i>lagoon</i>, where they worked fine, but it only had 8 GB to start with, so I still haven't reached my goal of 32 GB. But <i>dereel</i> is now up to date. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-26T01:02:35+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250827-013905</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250827-013905</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Instagram: You are not worthy</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Received a message today with a link to an image on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram">Instagram</a>. Probably not interesting, but it's straightforward enough to take a look. </p> <p> Or so I thought. First I had to log in. But that wasn't straightforward: </p> <a id="Photo-156" name="Photo-156" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250826&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-156"> <img alt="This should be Instagram-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_156" title="Photo Instagram-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250826/small/Instagram-1.jpeg" width="184" height="366" /></a> <a id="Photo-157" name="Photo-157" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250826&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-157"> <img alt="This should be Instagram-1-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_157" title="Photo Instagram-1-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250826/small/Instagram-1-detail.jpeg" width="333" height="202" /></a> <p> Why? To the best of my knowledge I have never posted anything on Instagram. Did somebody else, maybe, breaking my (weak) password? Followed up the offer to receive my “content” and found: </p> <a id="Photo-158" name="Photo-158" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250826&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-158"> <img alt="This should be Instagram-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_158" title="Photo Instagram-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250826/small/Instagram-2.jpeg" width="312" height="217" /></a> <a id="Photo-159" name="Photo-159" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250826&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-159"> <img alt="This should be Instagram-2-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_159" title="Photo Instagram-2-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250826/small/Instagram-2-detail.jpeg" width="536" height="126" /></a> <p> 30 <i>days</i> to send it to me? OK, Instagram, see if I care. </p> <p> And yes, I did get a warning <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-sep2024.php?subtitle=Instagram%20pain&article=D-20240928-021431#D-20240928-021431">nearly a year ago</a>. Only it didn't make any sense, and they didn't say why. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-27T01:39:05+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250827-014137</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250827-014137</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Macquarie: the next step</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> As promised, mail from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macquarie_Bank">Macquarie Bank</a> today, in HTML-only format: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> As requested your phone number has been updated. </div> </blockquote> <p> Punctuation is original. No indication of the promised Macquarie ID. Sent mail to Tori McLean, who arranged it so quickly that both her reply arrived only a minute later than her reply. And yes, I was able to set it up. But then more obsolete security measures: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>To assist in fraud prevention, you are required to register for 2-Step Authentication, an extra layer of security used to identify you by using something you have (e.g. mobile phone) or something you know (e.g. secret questions and answers). </tt></div></blockquote> <p> That proved to be secret questions: In what city/town did you grow up? What is the name of the first school you attended? Who was your childhood hero? And no, I didn't have the option of selection my own question (“What do you think of our antediluvian security?", for example), and the answers had to be in a limited character set that at least excluded an apostrophe. And the <a href="https://www.macquarie.com.au/help/personal/accessing-online-and-mobile-banking/macquarie-authenticator/set-up-macquarie-authenticator.html">help file</a> was interesting, containing things like </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> 3. Go to Step 3 to continue </div> </blockquote> <p> But finally it was set up. I wonder if I will ever need it. </p> <p> Later a survey about how I found it. And another indication that this is a real Australian bank: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2025 23:25:57 -0700 (PDT)<br />From: Macquarie Bank Customer Experience <invitation@feedback.macquarie.com><br />Subject: Gregory, we'd love to hear from you<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> I suppose that's what people get from interfaces that can't tell the time. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-27T01:41:37+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250827-021721</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250827-021721</link><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>VirtualBox revisited</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> The main reason for updating <i>dereel</i> was to test the latest version of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualBox">VirtualBox</a>. Tried to start it, first loading the kernel module: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt><code><font color="blue">=== root@dereel (/dev/pts/0)</font> <font color="red">/eureka/Photos</font> <font color="blue">26</font> -> <b><tt>kldload /boot/modules/vboxnetadp.ko</tt></b></code><br />kldload: can't load /boot/modules/vboxnetadp.ko: module already loaded or in kernel<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> <i>/var/log/messages</i> gave the clue: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>Aug 26 14:15:31 dereel kernel: KLD vboxdrv.ko: depends on kernel - not available or version mismatch<br />Aug 26 14:15:31 dereel kernel: KLD vboxnetadp.ko: depends on vboxdrv - not available or version mismatch<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> <i>dereel</i> is running <a href="https://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</a> 14.3, but the packages system had loaded kernel modules for 14.2. And if you save the 75 pages of log messages that normally just run off the screen, <i>and</i> you read it, you can discover that this is a feature, not a bug: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Message from virtualbox-ose-kmod-71-7.1.12.1402000: </div> <p class="listitemwidth"> To avoid crashes due to kernel incompatibility, this module will only load on FreeBSD 14.2 kernels. </p> </blockquote> <p> A lot of help that is! <i>When</i> am I going to get past pain with the Ports/Packages collection? Nothing for it: I had to build the package from source, requiring a surprising number of dependencies. And they have changed the menus that they still pop up in the middle of a port. Once they were in colour and had some kind of graphical interface. Now we're back to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/curses_(programming_library)">curses</a>, and I can't navigate them: </p> <a id="Photo-160" name="Photo-160" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250826&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-160"> <img alt="This should be Ports-collection-message.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_160" title="Photo Ports-collection-message.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250826/small/Ports-collection-message.jpeg" width="400" height="216.43059490085" /></a> <p> Maybe that's just because I save the log (see above), but it doesn't seem to be an improvement. </p> <p> After barely more than 100 minutes and 620 pages of output, it was done. And it installed with no problems, producing a surprising amount of information in the process: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"><div style="text-align:left"> <tt>VirtualBox was installed.<br /><br />You need to load the vboxdrv kernel module via /boot/loader.conf:<br /><br />vboxdrv_load="YES"<br /><br />You also have to add all users to your vboxusers group in order to use vbox.<br /><br />% pw groupmod vboxusers -m jerry<br /><br />Reboot the machine to load the needed kernel modules.<br /><br />Bridging Support:<br />=================<br /><br />For bridged networking please add the following line to your /etc/rc.conf:<br /><br />vboxnet_enable="YES"<br /><br />USB Support:<br />============<br /><br />For USB support your user needs to be in the operator group and needs read<br />and write permissions to the USB device.<br /><br />% pw groupmod operator -m jerry<br /><br />Add the following to /etc/devfs.rules (create if it doesn't exist):<br /><br />[system=10]<br />add path 'usb/*' mode 0660 group operator<br /><br />To load these new rule add the following to /etc/rc.conf:<br /><br />devfs_system_ruleset="system"<br /><br />Then restart devfs to load the new rules:<br /><br />% /etc/rc.d/devfs restart<br /><br />Troubleshooting:<br />================<br /><br />Running VirtualBox as non-root user may fail with a fatal error<br />NS_ERROR_FACTORY_NOT_REGISTERED. In this case delete /tmp/.vbox-*-ipc file.<br /><br />If you experience "Network: write Failed: Cannot allocate memory" errors<br />try to increase net.graph.maxdata in /boot/loader.conf<br /><br />If you are using AIO, then increase these limits (https://bugs.freebsd.org/168298):<br />vfs.aio.max_buf_aio=8192<br />vfs.aio.max_aio_queue_per_proc=65536<br />vfs.aio.max_aio_per_proc=8192<br />vfs.aio.max_aio_queue=65536<br />To check if AIO is used use: kldstat -v | grep aio<br /><br />If you are experiencing VMs freezes with an error in VBox.log such as:<br />"<br />00:01:29.590192 AssertLogRel /usr/ports/emulators/virtualbox-ose/work/VirtualBox-6.1.44<br />/src/VBox/VMM/VMMR3/PGMPhys.cpp(5148) int PGMR3PhysAllocateHandyPages(PVM): RT_SUCCESS(rc)<br />00:01:29.590221 87/128: idPage=0x3d400 HCPhysGCPhys=000000027eaed000 rc=VERR_NO_MEMORY<br />00:01:29.590247 Changing the VM state from 'RUNNING' to 'GURU_MEDITATION'<br />00:01:29.590261 Console: Machine state changed to 'GuruMeditation'<br />00:01:29.590695 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />00:01:29.590696 !!<br />00:01:29.590697 !! VCPU0: Guru Meditation -8 (VERR_NO_MEMORY)<br />"<br />and see a lot of free RAM, then increase sysctl vm.max_user_wired<br />(https://bugs.freebsd.org/252227).<br />For dedicated VM servers, a good start is:<br />("RAM in GB" - max(1, "RAM in GB" / 32)) * 1024*1024*1024 / PAGE_SIZE<br />PAGE_SIZE on x86 is 4096.<br />Examples with different RAM sizes in GB:<br /> 16: ( 16-max(1, 16/32)*1024*1024*1024/4096 = 3932160 => 15GB<br /> 32: ( 32-max(1, 32/32)*1024*1024*1024/4096 = 8126464 => 31GB<br /> 48: ( 48-max(1, 48/32)*1024*1024*1024/4096 = 12189696 => 46.5GB<br /> 64: ( 64-max(1, 64/32)*1024*1024*1024/4096 = 16252928 => 62GB<br />128: (128-max(1,128/32)*1024*1024*1024/4096 = 32505856 => 124GB<br />256: (256-max(1,256/32)*1024*1024*1024/4096 = 65011712 => 248GB<br /><br />When assigning IP addresses in host-only mode from ranges outside<br />of VirtualBox's defaults, the respective ranges need to be listed<br />in /usr/local/etc/vbox/networks.conf (https://bugs.freebsd.org/259399).<br /><br />Check the wiki page for known issues and troubleshooting:<br />https://wiki.freebsd.org/VirtualBox<br /> </tt></div></blockquote> <p> But that was enough pain for today. Next I need to find how to import my existing virtual machines. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-27T02:17:21+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250828-002125</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250828-002125</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Mobile telephony pain</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Wednesday is the day <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne</a> goes shopping. She frequently calls me to ask about something she has found. What I need is a photo. But that's trivial nowadays with video calls. All I need to do is to show her how to do it. But what app should I use? </p> <p> What do <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">the twins</a> recommend? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatsApp">WhatsApp</a>. OK, that could even have the advantage of being cheaper, since—I think—it uses the data network rather than the mobile network. How hard can it be? </p> <p> Almost impossible. I failed. Well, I established contact, but for our purposes we need the rear camera. How do you switch to it? Slowly and unsurely, it proved. A popup appeared in the bottom right, including a symbol that suggested that it might switch cameras. Press on it. Nothing happens. Press on it again. It switches to the rear camera and back again: I think that I hadn't waited long enough after the first press. And out of annoyance the emblem disappeared. </p> <p> All this was accompanied by an extremely irritating low-frequency acoustic feedback between the cameras, which I couldn't get rid of even by turning the volume down to minimum. By this time Yvonne was getting quite upset, and I was only just able to discover that I could possibly retrieve the switch icon from the main display. </p> <p> Yvonne went shopping, and after cooling down a bit I tried another experiment: does WhatsApp really work without a phone? Played around with <i>hirse</i>, which doesn't have a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_card">SIM</a>. Yes, it does work, and I can register with the phone number from <i>albo</i>, my “real” mobile phone. It disabled access on <i>albo</i>, which is fair enough. Now we just need to find out what is cheaper. Arguably <i>hirse</i> could still have a useful life ahead. </p> <p> Yet another experiment. When Yvonne called, using the standard <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android">Android</a> app, I selected “video call”. <i>Bad</i> idea. We could see each other, but there was no audio. And after hanging up, I couldn't call her; after the normal 30 second delay with no ringing, it went to voice mail. </p> <p> Back home, I came to the conclusion that my selection didn't switch the call to video: it started a second call, thoroughly confusing both of us. My guess is that the first call had been put on hold, along with the audio. But even back home I still couldn't call the phone. I had to reboot to do this. </p> <p> In passing, as so often, the display on <i>my</i> phone went blank while talking to Yvonne. I suppose that's a feature (save power), but it's particularly irritating. I had to press the power button to get any display again. Potentially it's related to the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.hackerchick.raisetoanswer">Raise To Answer</a> app, which never seems to have done anything useful, but which I suspect is responsible for the displays I sometimes see when trying to answer, something like “don't cover the microphone”, and obscuring the answer display. Goodbye,Raise To Answer. We'll see if at least that pain goes away. </p> <p> <b><i>WHAT</i></b> a pain this Android is! </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-28T00:21:25+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250828-004240</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250828-004240</link><category>animals</category><category>photography</category><title>Mona attacks camera</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I need to be more careful where I put my cameras. Today <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Albums/Animals/Mona.php">Mona</a> walked around my desk and knocked my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OM_System_OM-1_Mark_II">OM System OM-1 Mark II</a> along with the <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/products/olympus/lenses/olympus_12-200_3p5-6p3">12-200 lens</a> onto the ground. </p> <p> The damage? The lens cap came off. The lens itself shows no sign of damage, but the back of the body—presumably where the camera hit the ground—has some paint missing from one corner of the body. But it's so small that it could have happened earlier. </p> <a id="Photo-161" name="Photo-161" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250828&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-161"> <img alt="This should be Camera-damage-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_161" title="Photo Camera-damage-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250828/small/Camera-damage-1.jpeg" width="300" height="225" /></a> <a id="Photo-162" name="Photo-162" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250828&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-162"> <img alt="This should be Camera-damage-1-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_162" title="Photo Camera-damage-1-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250828/small/Camera-damage-1-detail.jpeg" width="358" height="188" /></a> <p> And the flash trigger on top of the camera has been cracked open: </p> <a id="Photo-163" name="Photo-163" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250828&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-163"> <img alt="This should be Camera-damage-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_163" title="Photo Camera-damage-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250828/small/Camera-damage-2.jpeg" width="257" height="263" /></a> <a id="Photo-164" name="Photo-164" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250828&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-164"> <img alt="This should be Camera-damage-3.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_164" title="Photo Camera-damage-3.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250828/small/Camera-damage-3.jpeg" width="290" height="233" /></a> <p> That's harmless. Apart from the fact that it's old and I have more than I need, it still works, and the lid just clipped back into position. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-28T00:42:40+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250829-003559</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250829-003559</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>How to answer a mobile phone call</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Mobile%20telephony%20pain&article=D-20250828-002125#D-20250828-002125">Yesterday's</a> mobile phone pain was at least partly due to the fact that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android">Android</a>, or maybe <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaomi">Xiaomi</a>, have changed the way they want calls answered. I don't understand how that could happen, since I haven't updated anything. But they seem to do that, either from one brand to another, one Android release to another, or maybe the phase of the moon. Looking back through the years, I have: </p> <p> March 2018, Samsung phone: <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Rant/bad-language.php#swipe">swipe</a> right. </p> <a id="Photo-165" name="Photo-165" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20180329&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-165"> <img alt="This should be Incoming-call-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_165" title="Photo Incoming-call-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20180329/small/Incoming-call-1.jpeg" width="187" height="361" /></a> <p> January 2020. Two different ways: </p> <div align="left"> <a id="Photo-166" name="Photo-166" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20200107&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-166"> <img alt="This should be Screenshot_20200107-120005.png. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_166" title="Photo Screenshot_20200107-120005.png. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20200107/small/Screenshot_20200107-120005.png" width="195" height="347" /></a> <a id="Photo-167" name="Photo-167" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20200107&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-167"> <img alt="This should be Screenshot_20200107-120321.png. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_167" title="Photo Screenshot_20200107-120321.png. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20200107/small/Screenshot_20200107-120321.png" width="195" height="347" /></a> <a id="Photo-168" name="Photo-168" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20200107&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-168"> <img alt="This should be Screenshot_20200107-120321-detail.png. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_168" title="Photo Screenshot_20200107-120321-detail.png. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20200107/small/Screenshot_20200107-120321-detail.png" width="386" height="175" /></a> </div> <p> February 2022: </p> <a id="Photo-169" name="Photo-169" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20220224&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-169"> <img alt="This should be MIUI-ring-indication-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_169" title="Photo MIUI-ring-indication-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20220224/small/MIUI-ring-indication-2.jpeg" width="174" height="387" /></a> <a id="Photo-170" name="Photo-170" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20220224&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-170"> <img alt="This should be MIUI-ring-indication-2-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_170" title="Photo MIUI-ring-indication-2-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20220224/small/MIUI-ring-indication-2-detail.jpeg" width="382" height="177" /></a> <p> But that was years ago. Time to annoy people again. Now, to answer a phone, you need to “swipe” in a different direction: </p> <a id="Photo-171" name="Photo-171" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250827&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-171"> <img alt="This should be Mobile-phone-pain-4.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_171" title="Photo Mobile-phone-pain-4.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250827/small/Mobile-phone-pain-4.jpeg" width="174" height="387" /></a> <a id="Photo-172" name="Photo-172" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250827&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-172"> <img alt="This should be Mobile-phone-pain-4-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_172" title="Photo Mobile-phone-pain-4-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250827/small/Mobile-phone-pain-4-detail.jpeg" width="446" height="152" /></a> <p> Or do you? Just to make it more fun, they don't say. </p> <p> By chance, while searching the phone setup options, I came across this: </p> <a id="Photo-173" name="Photo-173" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250829&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-173"> <img alt="This should be Android-phone-settings-1.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_173" title="Photo Android-phone-settings-1.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250829/small/Android-phone-settings-1.jpeg" width="174" height="387" /></a> <a id="Photo-174" name="Photo-174" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250829&imagesizes=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-174"> <img alt="This should be Android-phone-settings-1-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_174" title="Photo Android-phone-settings-1-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250829/small/Android-phone-settings-1-detail.jpeg" width="611" height="110" /></a> <p> My first reaction was to think that the wrong digit was raised, but yes, it really wants to say “Accept incoming call” or some such. And yes, I can just press on it: </p> <a id="Photo-175" name="Photo-175" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250829&imagesizes=11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-175"> <img alt="This should be Android-phone-settings-3-detail.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_175" title="Photo Android-phone-settings-3-detail.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250829/small/Android-phone-settings-3-detail.jpeg" width="343" height="197" /></a> <p> No “Vertical swipe”, of course. That's an old, worn-out magic gesture. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-29T00:35:59+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250829-020347</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250829-020347</link><category>language</category><category>opinion</category><title>Why “swipe”?</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I've grumbled for years about the use of the term “swipe” to describe the motions needed to get the attention of a mobile phone. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary">Oxford English Dictionary</a> has a number of definitions: “to drink hastily and copiously”, “to strike at with the full swing of the arms”, “to deal a swinging blow or hit at”, “to steal”. But for some never reason I never checked a US American dictionary. Did that today in my Webster's New Encyclopedic Dictionary (“all new 1994 edition”). To my surprise, the much less detailed definition was a noun meaning “a strong sweeping blow” and a verb meaning “to strike or wipe with a sweeping motion”, presumably strong. </p> <p> But on revisiting the OED, I find that they also have another definition “To pass (a credit card, identity card, etc.) through an electronic device in order to read and process data magnetically encoded on it”. Somehow this action with mobile phones is crying out for a different term. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-29T02:03:47+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250829-021118</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250829-021118</link><category>general</category><category>technology</category><category>opinion</category><title>Still more mobile phone pain</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> For reasons almost completely unrelated to my pain answering phones, I decided to put a second <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_card">SIM</a> in <a href="http://www.lemis.com/yvonne/">Yvonne's</a> phone. We're currently both using <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi#Aldi_Talk">ALDImobile's</a> $15 card with 365 day expiry. But it charges a lot for data, and currently we're using a lot. Yvonne's card lasts for about 2 months before needing recharging. A second card for data? I've been doing that for a while, and I think that it just comes in cheaper. I had the SIM card that I had planned for <i>hirse</i>. Put it in, activate it. That's simple, says the packaging. </p> <p> They lie, like they have lied before. Their web site has bugs, and after entering my code the <b>NEXT</b> button did nothing. For some reason I called their support line before trying a different browser, and of course that's what they asked me to do. But though I got further with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_%28web_browser%29">Chromium</a>, it still kept erasing things. Finally I had to identify myself, and for some reason I chose my driver license. Don't do that! They want the number written on the back in 3 point text partially obscured by the larger text. </p> <p> I should have known better. I've <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-nov2018.php?subtitle=Activating%20a%20SIM%20card%20for%20Ruth&article=D-20181109-042538#D-20181109-042538">seen this before</a>, and last time it took me <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-nov2018.php?subtitle=ALDImobile%20activation,%20day%202&article=D-20181110-013850#D-20181110-013850">three days</a>. </p> <p> This time was different. It just said “authentication failed”, and that I would have to pay $1 by credit card to complete the authentication. No option to go back and try again, no refund of the $1. I still had <span style="color: grey"><mumble></span> on the phone, and asked him to do something. He did: he hung up. </p> <p> Dammit, $1 is a small price to pay if it solves the problem. So I paid, and how about that, it was activated. But why is <i>everything</i> such a pain nowadays? </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-29T02:11:18+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250830-020608</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250830-020608</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Google POLA</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> I seem to have spent the whole week fighting “modern” technology. <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=How%20to%20answer%20a%20mobile%20phone%20call&article=D-20250829-003559#D-20250829-003559">Yesterday</a> I established that the method of answering a mobile phone had changed with neither warning nor explanation. Today, while searching through the maze of twisty little menus, all different, I found that Google had updated the phone app yesterday. Admire the formatting in the description: </p> <a id="Photo-176" name="Photo-176" href="diary-aug2025.php?dirdate=20250830&imagesizes=111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112#Photo-176"> <img alt="This should be Google-smoking-gun-detail-2.jpeg. Is it missing?" border="0" id="Photo_176" title="Photo Google-smoking-gun-detail-2.jpeg. Click to redisplay larger version of image." src="https://lemis.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/grog/Photos/20250830/small/Google-smoking-gun-detail-2.jpeg" width="309" height="219" /></a> <p> I still don't understand why they do this. If there has ever been a violation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_astonishment">POLA</a>, this is it. What do they hope to achieve? </p> <p> Do <a href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a> know? Yes: </p> <blockquote class="fullwidth"> <p class="listitemwidth"> <b>Q:</b> Why has the Google phone app changed the way you answer an incoming call? </p> <p class="listitemwidth"> <b>A:</b> Google has recently rolled out a major redesign for its Phone app, which includes a new way to answer incoming calls. This change is part of a broader "Material 3 Expressive" update, aimed at refreshing the look and feel of several Google apps. </p> <p class="listitemwidth"> Here are the key reasons and details behind the change: </p> <ul> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="list2width"> <b>New Gestures</b>: The most noticeable change is the move from a vertical swipe (up to answer, down to decline) to a horizontal swipe (right to answer, left to decline). This gesture is more similar to the one used on iOS, which some users may find more intuitive. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="list2width"> <b>Preventing Accidental Actions</b>: Google has stated that this change is intended to help reduce accidental answers or declines that can happen when a phone is taken out of a pocket. The horizontal gesture is less likely to be triggered by mistake. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="list2width"> <b>Aesthetic Redesign</b>: The change is part of a larger visual overhaul. The new interface features a cleaner, more streamlined design with bigger, more defined buttons (often described as "pill-shaped"). This includes a prominent red "End Call" button. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="list2width"> <b>User Feedback</b>: While some users appreciate the new, modern look and find the horizontal swipe easier to use, the change has been met with mixed reactions. Many users have expressed frustration with the sudden, unannounced shift and the new design's "oversized" and "blocky" appearance, especially since they didn't manually update the app. </div> </li> </ul> <p class="listitemwidth"> <b>Can you change it back?</b> </p> <p class="listitemwidth"> While you can't revert the entire app redesign, you can change the incoming call gesture back to the old style: </p> <ol> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Open the Google Phone app. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Go to Settings. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Look for an option like "Incoming call gestures" or similar. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Change the setting from "Horizontal swipe" to "Single tap." </div> </li> </ol> <p class="listitemwidth"> This will replace the swipe gesture with the more traditional "Answer" and "Decline" buttons. </p> </blockquote> <p> There's this “<a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Rant/bad-language.php#intuitive">intuitive</a>” word again. Clearly “some users” are the people migrating from Apple, since it's anything but “intuitive” to people who are already using the app. </p> <p> So what is this really saying? </p> <ol> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Google has found a reason to change things for what appears to be cosmetics at best. This is probably in keeping with the industry habit of changing appearance for change's sake. </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Google didn't see any reason to inform users </div> </li> <li class="fullwidth"> <div class="listitemwidth"> Google didn't give users any choice. A vertical <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/Rant/bad-language.php#swipe">swipe</a> would be an easy enough alternative. </div> </li> </ol> <p> No wonder they gave up their motto “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_be_evil">Don't be evil</a>”. </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-30T02:06:08+00:00</dc:date></item> <item><guid isPermaLink='true'>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250830-021903</guid><link>http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php#D-20250830-021903</link><category>technology</category><category>general</category><category>opinion</category><title>Authenticating with driver license</title> <description> <![CDATA[ <div align="justify"> <p> Another pain I had <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2025.php?subtitle=Still%20more%20mobile%20phone%20pain&article=D-20250829-021118#D-20250829-021118">yesterday</a> was activating the new <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_card">SIM card</a>. I could barely read the partially obscured tiny text on the back of my driver license, even with a magnifying glass, so I ended up having to pay $1 to bypass it. </p> <p> But I have this <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-aug2023.php?subtitle=Digital%20driver%20license&article=D-20230824-023644#D-20230824-023644">digital driver license</a>. Does that show the second number as well? Yes! It hides it behind a misleading layer of false security, but it's easily legible. </p> <p> And it's clearly not the same as the one on my physical driver license! Never mind, I have two, in case one fails. Look at the other one. The text is in a different place, much more legible, and the same as on the digital license. </p> <p> How do I have two licenses? I lost it <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-may2023.php?subtitle=Reinstating%20driver%20license&article=D-20230505-033044#D-20230505-033044">two years ago</a> and applied for a replacement, which received the same number. Then <a href="http://www.lemis.com/grog/diary-jun2023.php?subtitle=Fun%20with%20VicRoads&article=D-20230627-050233#D-20230627-050233">only a month later</a> I found the same one, identical in every respect. </p> <p> Well, no. This one detail was different, and it seems I gave my best guess at the old number. Somehow this all still seems really silly. </p> <p> A whole week fighting “intuitive” modern technology! </p> </div> ]]> </description> <dc:creator>Greg Lehey</dc:creator> <dc:date>2025-08-30T02:19:03+00:00</dc:date></item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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