@ernie@writing.exchange
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ernie

@ernie@writing.exchange

Editor of Tedium, an offbeat newsletter that’s been rocking since 2015. I complain on the internet a lot.

Interests: #writing #news #history #technology #retrotech #weird #geoworks #freelance

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ernie, to random
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Morning Brew has an opening for a “puzzle creator.” https://jobs.lever.co/morningbrew/e3e1be3d-d7e0-4684-8345-9ff5a1bd2f3c

geerlingguy, to random
@geerlingguy@mastodon.social avatar

Level up your remote video calls... just need a few thousand bucks and 8 years tweaking things, and you get: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF-MAuGPhcY :)

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@geerlingguy I remember when we talked a while back you called out a small delay in my audio from my video, which I have to admit I was kind of impressed by. I have to imagine not many people catch stuff like that!

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

I don’t regret using a profanity yesterday to tell the anti-v*xxer off in that “Steve Albini just died” thread.

Here’s some context. I had just been at a funeral literally an hour before. It was sad, and it was important to honor that person’s life.

I open my phone just after that, and that woman’s post was the very first thing I saw.

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

It is the most dishonorable thing to do to use someone else’s still-fresh passing as an excuse to further your agenda. So don’t.

I promise not to do that often. But, please, respect the dead.

You are not a public health expert. You are a person with an opinion and a social media feed. You disrespect yourself, and everyone around you, when you use your voice to exploit the dead for your own messaging desires.

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

I have an idea. I would like to build a desk for myself using a slab of wood and a bunch of milk crates.

Milk crates are cheap. You can buy them for $5-$6 each on specialty sites.

I have the perfect spot for it on my third floor, next to a window. I could theoretically fit a 100-inch slab of wood in the spot.

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

IKEA offers some good wood blocks that are as wide as 98 inches (leaning towards counter tops over table tops, which are made of slightly nicer materials). They also offer Kallax, which would work as well as a bunch of milk crates. I could feasibly put a Kallax AND a 98-inch counter top in this space and use the space efficiently.

I guess my question is, is IKEA+milk crates a cool desk idea or a dumb one?

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@SteveHeist I have two options given my space: I could do three rows of crates on one side, like a Kallax, and then attach one side of the desk to the wall using metal brackets, or I could do two crates on either side.

There is also a 28-inch-wide window hutch directly in front of the window that goes off the ground by about a foot. I could potentially put one crate directly on that on either side and make it fit. I would likely need a wider slab of wood to make that work in that case.

ernie,
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@alexhammy Tedium is a lifestyle.

ernie,
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Look what I found on the curb

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

79.5x30, good size

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@ralfmaximus put a table leg in there, make it double as a monitor arm

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

Just got an invite to the UK Vape Expo in my spam folder. It starts tomorrow. Should I stop everything to take part?

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

Booo https://www.androidauthority.com/oneplus-12-oneplus-open-bloatware-premium-flagship-3440400/

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

Use profanities carefully.

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@tehstu nope, the other site

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

Steve Albini doesn't die he reboots

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

Out of second-hand embarrassment, I’m not linking the article. (It’s a student journalist.) But oof, that correction.

dsilverman, to random
@dsilverman@mastodon.social avatar

Bluesky to add DMs, video support and in-app custom feed curation | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/08/bluesky-to-add-dms-video-support-and-in-app-custom-feed-curation/

ernie,
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@dsilverman Thank the lord. The lack of DMs on these newfangled platforms has really been a sore spot.

ernie, to random
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

The problem with Apple is that they basically have the same play every time out and it’s utterly predictable: They increase the processing power without changing what the products are fundamentally about. That means, every time they release a new iPad Pro it misses the target market entirely.

ernie,
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@ivan yes. Mac Address is a great channel by the way.

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@dennyhenke @ivan I see that you have strongly banked on the iPad being a real productivity tool, and it works for you. Fine. I bought an iPad on day one back in 2010. I once interviewed for The Daily, the iPad newspaper that News Corp. once ran. These days, I own a 2018 iPad Pro.

ernie,
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@dennyhenke @ivan The thing is, it is a device that in a productivity mode forces you to have to work in its own context. If you like that context, great. But many people feel left out.

And when I say “left out,” I don’t mean they only see the iPad as a media consumption device. I mean that there is a context to using an iPad that seems to want to intentionally push you against your natural context. Traditionally, the lack of trackpad was a great example of this.

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@dennyhenke @ivan That is not to say that professional tools don’t have contexts on the iPad. They do.

But go back to my critique of what I wrote. Apple is showing people managing a live filming using an iPad and a few iPhones alone. That is clearly far afield of the productivity context that we usually experience the iPad in, which is for tasks like light office work, drawing, and music composition.

The problem is Apple is presenting productivity settings that don’t feel real.

ernie,
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@dennyhenke @ivan My feeling on the iPad is simply that it’s a nice value add from a creativity standpoint, but I find the screen too small for my needs, and I flip between too many ecosystems to really make it work. The gaps in the productivity apps are always just painful enough to keep me away. (Example: I make a lot of animated GIFs. Guess which feature Photoshop on the iPad hasn’t traditionally supported?!)

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@dennyhenke @ivan I think Apple’s ecosystem decisions have harmed things, too. I don’t think they understand just how much the decision to limit outside browser engines, for example, has harmed the experience. It means every time I pick it up, most of my extensions are gone.

I think if it was opened up like MacOS—not in terms of OS design, but in terms of not being dictated by App Store rules—it would make more sense for most people. The closed ecosystem harms its upside in many ways.

ernie,
@ernie@writing.exchange avatar

@dennyhenke @ivan Your commentary was a thoughtful critique, so I wanted to try to be as equally thoughtful in my reply. I hope it makes sense. Thanks.

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