kevinctofel

kevinctofel, 1 day ago to random

1. No
2. It
3. Isn’t

3 reasons the Snapdragon Dev Kit is the Mac Mini killer we've been waiting for https://www.xda-developers.com/3-reasons-snapdragon-dev-kit-mac-mini-killer/

kevinctofel, 2 days ago to retrogaming

I’m having way too much #RetroGaming fun with this Miyoo Mini+. Installed #OnionOS this morning which adds so many useful features. Nice theme switcher where I found a fave, which you can see in the video.

Also got hooked up with RetroAchievements, a website that creates and tracks achievements in these old #videogames. This was $70 well spent and I’m just getting started! (Literally… with the original Legend of Zelda)

A custom Star Wars menu theme on the Miyoo Mini+ retro handheld

kevinctofel, 6 days ago to VideoGames

Having grown up as #VideoGames became a “thing”, I splurged on one of the many #retrogaming handhelds for me and my son. He’s an avid gamer of the #GameBoy generation.

Impressed by this little device, the Miyoo Mini+, which can be had for $60 to $80. Emulators for a bunch of handhelds and consoles. There are more powerful / larger options and plenty of software mods you can do.

Now my son wants us to start a YT channel and “review” old games as if they just launched. 🙄

A handheld gaming device displaying a list of Game Boy Advance games, including "Crash Bandicoot" and "Donkey Kong Country." The device has a D-pad, buttons, and shows a user's legs and feet in the background.
A person holding a handheld gaming console playing a retro-style video game.
A person is holding a retro handheld gaming device displaying a boxing game with characters "Little Mac" and "Glass Joe" on the screen.

kevinctofel, 7 days ago to ai

Consider me not at all shocked that Humane is shopping itself.

TBH, I expected Rabbit to do this first because the company doesn’t offer a compelling hardware product but because the software / #AI approach is the real product and far more valuable. Well, if it worked better, that is. I figured Rabbit built a low-cost hardware box simply to showcase the actual product that it would/will later try to sell.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/21/24162185/humane-seeking-acquisition-rumor-ai-pin

kevinctofel, 19 days ago to til

🆕 blog post: May 10, 2024 - #TIL

Personalizing my local #AI, replacing paper towels, and the world's longest (unofficial) ski jump of 291 meters.
#Obsidian #Ollama #LLM

https://myconscious.stream/blog/May-10-2024-TIL

kevinctofel, 23 days ago to ai

I had been meaning to look at using #Ollama for local #AI & today I caught this excellent video how-to. Still not sold on the current hype of AI but it would be foolish to overlook its place in our future.

Honestly, this little project was the most fun I’ve had in a while: installing/using different AI models, using AI in the #terminal, then in a #browser, even creating a persona for the prompts. And it’s all running locally (no internet needed!), so it’s #private. 🤓

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wjrdr0NU4Sk&si=x5I0kG2iwZGefc7d

kevinctofel, 1 month ago to motorcycles

#Motorcycle ride for lunch, 30 miles from home. Gorgeous weather!

kevinctofel, 1 month ago to motorcycles

Fellow #MotoGuzzi #motorcycle owners will probably disown me (🤣) but I downsized and traded in my 2015 Guzzi. Opted for a smaller, lighter ride and huge boost in MPG with a 2024 #Triumph Speed 400.

Was considering a #RoyalEnfield Hunter 350 but for the extra $1,000, I think you get a lot more in the Speed 400. I will miss the unique, analog character of the Guzzi for sure, however.

kevinctofel, 1 month ago to Wyze

Any #camera project or product page that uses stock #photography to represent camera output should be avoided like the plague IMO. Good on PetaPixel for the sleuthing here. 👏🏻

https://petapixel.com/2024/04/18/this-viral-kickstarter-telephoto-camera-makes-impossible-promises/

kevinctofel, 2 months ago to random

“I don’t think it’s safe to assume that the software developer job market will rebound. I’m hoping it will stabilise at a sustainable level, but even that isn’t guaranteed. The tech industry has “innovated” itself into a crisis, but because the executives aren’t the ones out looking for jobs, they see the innovations as a success.”

From: @baldur
https://toot.cafe/@baldur/112134185328712030

kevinctofel, 2 months ago to animals

#SilentSunday #DogsOfMastodon #Dogs

kevinctofel, 2 months ago to motorcycles

Too nice outside to pass up an early season #motorcycle ride on the #MotoGuzzi

kevinctofel, 2 months ago to ilaughed

Lengthy (25-ish minutes) #video here but well worth the watch. Best take I’ve seen on the #Apple #VisionPro to date.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5MhRZp2uunc&si=zbnATChKYoDK-uJi

kevinctofel, 2 months ago to minimalism

🆕 post: Minimalism activity check for February

A recap of what I added and removed from our #minimalism lifestyle in February. (Spoiler alert: I blew it.)

https://myconscious.stream/blog/Minimalism-activity-check-for-February/

kevinctofel, 3 months ago (edited 3 months ago) to Wawa

🆕 blog post — Working at Wawa

I made a conscious effort to lay low this month. After putting my #Chromebooks site on pause, I wanted to hit my personal “reset” button. So I did until now.

That offline time gave me a chance to think through some personal challenges. And one of them, a reduced income, is now sorted out. At least to a point. Earlier this month, I got a part-time position at my local #Wawa, less than one mile from my house.

https://myconscious.stream/blog/Working-at-Wawa/

kevinctofel, 3 months ago to Cats

#SilentSunday #cats #CatsOfMastodon

kevinctofel, 3 months ago to minimalism

🆕 post — Monthly minimalism activity for January 2024

In order to hold myself a little more accountable, I kept track of my #minimalism efforts this month. I’m sharing what I bought and/or added to the home and what was removed.

https://myconscious.stream/blog/Minimalism-activity-check-for-January/

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to retirement

Should we stay in our current house or should we look for a more suitable #retirement home? As a #minimalist, I’m leaning towards a smaller place. And I recently saw a “smart” pre-fab home that appears ideal and reasonably priced.

The “smarts” aren’t likely what you think, but they make all the difference.

https://myconscious.stream/blog/I-love-this-smart-home-for-minimalist-retirement/

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to random

It’s time to log out. I’ll be putting the About #Chromebooks blog on hiatus for a bit. Possibly for good. Here’s why and what’s next.
https://myconscious.stream/blog/Logging-out-of-Chromebooks-for-a-while/

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to firefox

🆕 post -- How to install Firefox on a Chromebook the easy way

Want to install #Firefox on a #Chromebook the easy way? Until this week, #Mozilla officially said there are two ways. Neither of them is ideal.

But there’s a third way now that Mozilla is offering Firefox packages for #Debian and Ubuntu Linux. Since #Linux on #Chromebooks uses #Debian, you can directly download Firefox and quickly install it.

https://www.aboutchromebooks.com/how-to/how-to-install-firefox-on-a-chromebook-the-easy-way/

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to random

You call it the “Weather” app.

I call it “Places I’d rather be”.

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to random

🆕 post -- ChromeOS 122 bringing Focus Mode to Chromebooks

A built-in #Pomodoro timer is coming to #Chromebooks. Here’s an early look at Focus Mode, now available as an experimental feature in #ChromeOS 122.

https://www.aboutchromebooks.com/news/chromeos-122-focus-mode-to-chromebooks/

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to random

Learned today about this local “non-profit dedicated to supporting bicycling, pedestrians, and public transportation”. It offers repair classes, education and works to better the biking experience in the area.

Would love to set up a similar “PC co-op” to teach people how to repair and use their computers, choose lower-powered PCs that still meet their needs, recycle old parts to use in PCs for donations / reduce e-waste & build a local computing community. 🤔

http://lvcat.org/

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to solarpunk

Love, love, LOVE the chapter that covers a small company shipping goods up and down the Hudson River in what’s basically a clipper ship. No emissions! #solarpunk #ecosocialism #climatecrisis
https://youtube.com/watch?v=twGcjDnOb_U&si=OKzh_qevfu7GvkzD

kevinctofel, 4 months ago to gaming

This #videogame #simulation is freely available in the #Steam store and I found out today there’s a web version. 👍🏻 Haven’t played it at all yet but will now after hearing about it on a #ecosocialism video I watched this morning.

“Try your hand as a global planner of a future society. Play with a wide range of technologies and policies spanning different fields and ideologies. Will you lead the world to ecological utopia or planetary ruin?”

https://play.half.earth/