Moonless Nights
Public Key:
z5AanNVJCxnNYeFdyoqLV9JKHUcviviTrfr5s6NVdTzQQuN2dsxH35G
Description:
My personal channel, largely replacing those I used to have on other systems, back in the client-server days.

This channel is mostly for just writing personal thoughts about inter-personal relationships, technical opinions, the direction of humanity and its cultures, and a search for purpose, more broadly.

Personally, I am a software developer (systems programming, if you were interested). In my personal life, I am polyamorous (however you feel about that). Socially, I like to associate with the goth scene (which I have done since early 2003).
Re: Disability (on Apr. 5, 2024, 1:47:23 a.m.)
The eclipse will be pretty neat. It is just too bad we will only see 99.9% totality from Toronto (even Hamilton gets a minute or so of totality). It won't really be practical to head over there for just a few minutes of uncommon darkness when lots [...]
Undertow (on Apr. 1, 2024, 2:28:15 a.m.)
Last night was mostly pretty good until... something odd happened.

For some reason, something largely innocuous (sure, it is something which annoys me, but not in any big way) caused me to suddenly shift into a strangely angry mode where I began [...]
Re: Jason (on Mar. 27, 2024, 10:10:33 p.m.)
Hmm, interesting that it was a non-hierarchical group, since it seems so common for people claiming to be polyamorous seem to structure their relationships as very traditional monogamous hierarchies. Still, I always worry about "safe spaces", since [...]
Re: Supersex (on Mar. 25, 2024, 12:32:01 a.m.)
Hmm, never heard of that. It just makes me think of a strip club in Montreal (the only time I ever went to one). Interesting to know that is who "Italian Stallion" original referenced. The only other name I remember being associated with that was [...]
Re: Briscola and Martenitsa (Flower Essence Workshop) (on Mar. 21, 2024, 11:48:13 p.m.)
That approach sounds interesting. It is good to hear that you are feeling a bit better, with regard to this.
Re: Connecting (on Mar. 21, 2024, 11:45:44 p.m.)
If you feel like getting back into the weekly calls, we can give OctoberProject a quick shot and then jump back into TFC, just to hang out for a bit.
Re: grief counselling options (on Mar. 20, 2024, 4:53:25 p.m.)
Hmm, I am sorry to hear that things are so difficult, right now.

If it is of any use, you can always text/E-Mail me. I am often free for a call, too.

I know that I am not trained how to help so I might not be useful in this situation but I can at [...]
Re: Netflix and Chill (on Mar. 14, 2024, 8:05:37 p.m.)
Sounds like quite a lot going on. Good to hear that you are keeping busy.

When is that move, again?
Re: Officially Unemployed (on Mar. 7, 2024, 3:07:54 a.m.)
Hmm, I hope that you aren't too disappointed by that news. It is always an unpleasant situation.
Re: IPFS works. (on Mar. 7, 2024, 3:04:05 a.m.)
Ah, good to hear that the technical issue got sorted out! I suspect something was probably just in a "stuck" or otherwise bogus state and finally finished failing such that it could be restarted, or something.

Good to have you back.
Lingering cold (on Feb. 26, 2024, 12:44:58 a.m.)
Pretty crazy how I felt myself getting sick 2 weeks ago and that seemed to run its course within a couple of days but some of the symptoms still haven't fully cleared up.

I vaguely recall this being more common in the past, where I would have some [...]
Illness.... again? (on Feb. 13, 2024, 12:22:22 a.m.)
Throat started to feel like something was going on yesterday afternoon and sure enough I have the body aches and the slight chill of an incoming fever, tonight.

This is frustrating since I was going to do a grocery run as I used up the last of my [...]
Strangely unsettled (on Feb. 8, 2024, 4:11:53 p.m.)
I am relieved to see that it is warming up. Once it is warm enough for walks in my Vibrams, I need to get out of here. I do feel as though I may be losing my mind.

Of course, there is always that growing sense of worry about those around me, too, [...]
Re: 2 years (on Jan. 24, 2024, 1:29:55 a.m.)
That is so rough to hear that this happened. I do hope that you are ok. It was good to meet on the server, today, to know that you are managing.
Re: Support group. (on Jan. 22, 2024, 12:22:49 a.m.)
Hmm, doesn't sound like it was too helpful to you. At least it sounds like you found at least one of the people interesting.

I always wonder how useful such support groups actually are for people.
Keeping the internet in perspective (on Jan. 11, 2024, 4:41:43 p.m.)
I often find that my mood is terrible because my main exposure to the world is through the internet (since interactions in real life don't exist anymore - apparently even suggesting that is somehow "bad"). Of course, I know that this is not healthy [...]
Re: :D (on Jan. 11, 2024, 4:34:23 p.m.)
Aww! I hope that you are having a good day. This latest approach to how to manage movement in October Project seems to be working reasonably. So, my day is more fruitful than they often are.
Re: Minor Illness (on Jan. 8, 2024, 4:12:05 a.m.)
Aww, thanks for your perpetual positivity. I only hope I can be of some value to you.

Friday night was definitely the worst point, as I was unable to sleep and dealing with an intense fever for a few hours (at least I assume so - I was violently [...]
Bright Spots (on Jan. 8, 2024, 4:07:28 a.m.)
I finally got around to watching some of those recent "controversial" MrBeast videos (you know, where he uses his wealth to help people - apparently this is bad, now). I must say that they are very nice to watch, inspiring, and great to see! I am [...]
Minor Illness (on Jan. 5, 2024, 12:51:32 p.m.)
I seem to have been dealing with a minor cold for the past few days. I really hoped it would be over by today, since I had some important plans, but I woke up with a bit of the sore throat but also now a sinus headache with sneezing and a runny [...]
Toward the New Year (on Dec. 30, 2023, 2:15:43 a.m.)
Thinking about the end of the year and the tradition of people finding something that they "resolve to change", it reminds me of something which has been on my mind, lately. I know the cause of a part of my dissatisfaction with existence and I do [...]
Re: Alarm Update and Breaking Mirrors (on Dec. 30, 2023, 2:11:57 a.m.)
Wow, that story about the alarm is pretty strange. I guess that they might be out of town for the holidays and it started going off. Wonder what it is for and it definitely makes sense to try to call some authority who usually checks in on such [...]
Re: Doomscrolling (on Dec. 27, 2023, 8:23:14 p.m.)
Good to hear that Cacophony is working out well for you. It is good to know that someone is finding value in it.
Holiday toys (on Dec. 27, 2023, 8:21:26 p.m.)
The holidays were generally pretty straight-forward and went well. Got to see my Mom and some cousins on one day while getting to see my Dad and step-sister the other day (not to mention his cats). Aside from a lot of travelling back and forth [...]
Re: Doomscrolling (on Dec. 21, 2023, 11:43:44 p.m.)
I think that this "new world" of implicit isolation and all social interactions needing to be mediated by machines (since we are supposed to afraid of each other, for some reason) is having a pretty negative impact on most people. The people I know [...]
Rougly 70 hours offline (on Dec. 20, 2023, 2:56:44 a.m.)
So, that made for a strange couple of days. Sometime Saturday afternoon, the network stopped responding. This isn't too unusual since the router tends to lock up a couple of times per week (I think it has trouble dealing with IPFS - this problem [...]
Re: Armchair Activists (on Dec. 13, 2023, 8:36:02 p.m.)
Yes, this is something which I also find so tiring about the modern age! It is to the point where it is trendy to be really opinionated about seemingly everything all while refusing to understand complexities of any area of concern or do anything [...]
Re: Ruth Stackhouse (on Dec. 13, 2023, 8:23:50 p.m.)
That joke about the keys is funny. I guess your Mom must have a dark sense of humour to like it. It is my kind of comedy, at least.

Good to hear that you got to meet her and get some encouragement and insights from her but it is sad that you [...]
Re: Small Update (on Dec. 9, 2023, 5:30:04 a.m.)
That move does sound exciting. Especially if you are ending up with a bigger room. It will be a big change and something very new to experience so I hope that the close and move go smoothly.
Was nice to get out (on Dec. 2, 2023, 8:39:11 p.m.)
Went out to a club I haven't been to in a while, last night. This was mostly since I had been missing the music and vibe of one of the DJs I don't see too often, these days. It was also just to get out on my own to socialize more (I am far too [...]
Re: Better mood, today. (on Dec. 1, 2023, 2:18:37 a.m.)
Sounds like things are going well. It is good to hear that your Dad is improving. Wow, 7 years ago... What a different time that was (somehow better in every way, it would seem).
Re: Hi, I'm the problem, it's me. :D (on Nov. 23, 2023, 10:31:07 a.m.)
Wow, so he passed out again, after he came home, and you had to catch him? I hope that he is ok.

That issue with shipping is part of why I rarely get things shipped directly from me: I have been screwed in the past by either being at work, or [...]
Re: Lebanon Hanover (on Nov. 18, 2023, 2:37:54 p.m.)
Yeah, they are quite good (I usually put some of their videos on when getting ready to head out to the club) and have a surprisingly authentic trad goth sound. It is crazy to listen to them and think "nobody makes music like this, anymore" and then [...]
Re: Vegan Fettucine Alfredo (on Nov. 18, 2023, 2:35:13 p.m.)
Hmm, that does look good. I will need to think about making sauces like that, in the future, since I do have a blender which I haven't used in probably 15 years.
Re: Kami Kehoe - SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD. (on Nov. 16, 2023, 6:27:13 p.m.)
Not too surprising, seeing as traditional goth rock also seems to have returned (Lebanon Hanover): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahJGWww1jNc
Re: Baseline tiredness (on Nov. 14, 2023, 1:54:17 p.m.)
Yeah, at least a week. It is dark enough in here that I need lights on to do anything, even at noon.

Between the dark room and the constant construction noise in the mornings (since they are repairing the building's exterior surface), I am [...]
Baseline tiredness (on Nov. 13, 2023, 9:31:06 p.m.)
I am not sure if it is the weather and time or year, the fact that all my curtains have been drawn for a week due to work being done on the building (making it perpetually dark in here), or something else but I have been so tired for the past week [...]
Seven Nights Ghost (on Nov. 12, 2023, 12:32:08 a.m.)
I was watching some VODs related to Seven Nights Ghost. This game doesn't look very interesting/fun (but well made and a story well told) but it ended in an odd way.

In the end, it comes down to a connection between people because of shared [...]
Why does everything need a government, now? (on Nov. 10, 2023, 1:28:24 p.m.)
I heard something yesterday about some sort of bizarre drama in the Rust "community" (community should only ever be put in quotation marks since it has become a marketing term - except for the times when it is used to impose control onto people or [...]
Difficulty in smiling (on Nov. 2, 2023, 1:48:55 a.m.)
About a week ago, I was reminded of a bizarre problem I have while out wandering around: I can't smile.

I walked past some woman in the park and she kindly smiled at me as she walked past. I couldn't do anything in response but look away blankly. [...]
Re: Halloween 2023 (on Nov. 2, 2023, 1:39:23 a.m.)
Good to see you managing to get up and use the bars.

I hope that you had a good Halloween. Mine was ok.
New personal site launch (on Oct. 30, 2023, 3:12:16 p.m.)
Finally managed to cut-over my personal site to its new content (referenced in the context).

This is generated as static output from Cacophony, using it as the source of truth. This means that it doesn't put any specific requirements on the web [...]
Re: Thankful. (on Oct. 28, 2023, 5:26:36 p.m.)
Ah, well I am glad that I am not boring. I always worry about that.
Re: Halloween Plans (on Oct. 28, 2023, 5:25:49 p.m.)
Yeah, it is pretty odd how some people are still in maximal hysteria mode. By this point, nothing else has changed for over a year or will change, going forward, so their behaviour is either permanent or until their own minds calm down.

The other [...]
Re: Notes Early on a Monday... (on Oct. 24, 2023, 2:02:30 a.m.)
I would suspect that, when it comes to attending funerals, it is mostly important for the people who knew them well or people close to those who knew them well and may be feeling the loss deeply.

If it isn't going to be a good place for you, due to [...]
Re: "I is only a baby, no, I is 14 meow!" (on Oct. 22, 2023, 1:42:16 p.m.)
Aww, always good to see the little kitty doing well.
Re: The singing stones in the sand (on Oct. 22, 2023, 1:41:41 p.m.)
Thanks - I think that the recent progress with some of these projects, or maybe the time of the year, has left me more inspired.
WebRTC is a go! (on Oct. 19, 2023, 5:31:08 p.m.)
Just got off of the first successful test call with my Dad. This was a successful run of my own minimal WebRTC client and signalling server.

Now, I just need to make the error handling more informative, fix a timeout issue in the proxy [...]
The singing stones in the sand (on Oct. 19, 2023, 1:05:03 a.m.)
It is midday and I am restless. I leave the tower to take a walk through the desert outside. My mind continues to dive back into dark places, no matter how much I try to focus on something useful.

That is part of the problem, of course: There [...]
Re: This is 41. (on Oct. 18, 2023, 3:59:30 p.m.)
Aww, it is nice to see you and the kitty!
Progress and plans (on Oct. 18, 2023, 3:58:19 p.m.)
Despite this WebRTC work being largely uninteresting (as it is basically just front-end stuff), I do seem to have it basically working. For this system, I am going with something simple: Starting a "chatroom" data channel and video/audio stream [...]
Uggh, so tired (on Oct. 17, 2023, 3:19:52 p.m.)
I am not sure how much of this is the time of year (I remember the beginning of autumn usually being a time of year when I feel extra tired), the lack of mental engagement (this WebRTC stuff will be useful but it is SO boring to poke at and only [...]
Sluggish movement (on Oct. 16, 2023, 8:51:01 p.m.)
After a pretty tedious day of poking at some WebRTC experiments, I do seem to have something which basically establishes the connection order and allows data to pass between multiple processes.

It was slow-going since I find this stuff rather [...]
Tired and next plans (on Oct. 13, 2023, 1:54:27 p.m.)
I have been oddly tired, this week. I think it is due to the time of year: I recall the cold shift at the beginning of autumn coinciding with feeling unusually tired, in years past.

In terms of next projects, I think I will do that WebRTC [...]
Re: Liking how Cacophony works (on Oct. 10, 2023, 12:34:18 p.m.)
Hmm, that is really strange since it means that the call is happening and correctly returning. Does anything interesting show up in the console when you visit that page?

I wondered if maybe there was a problem with IPFS Desktop or some rendering [...]
Re: Liking how Cacophony works (on Oct. 10, 2023, 1:58:05 a.m.)
Hmm, does it still show the cache sizes correctly, after that? Something like "Followee cache size: " with some number of bytes? I will have to fix that before the final release so I will need to figure out what could be going wrong.
Re: Liking how Cacophony works (on Oct. 9, 2023, 1:45:30 p.m.)
Yeah, I find myself often having a similar problem.

Let me know if you find any issues with that build since it should be basically the same as RC2, which will likely become the final release.
Independent games are impressively good (on Oct. 9, 2023, 1:24:14 p.m.)
I really like how things like GOG and Steam have made buying independent or classic games easy, these days.

As an added bonus, Steam's forays into the console market have put emphasis on Linux compatibility.

Sure, I like my big games, like [...]
Liking how Cacophony works (on Oct. 6, 2023, 4:20:10 p.m.)
Given that Cacophony work is winding down (really, just some documentation updates to the wiki and ReadMe, then it should be "done"), I do find that I like how it turned out.

Sure, it has basically no usage, but I don't know how to really get [...]
Re: The chicken or the egg? (on Sep. 29, 2023, 12:33:22 a.m.)
Yikes, those withdrawals would definitely be unsettling. I hope that your doctors are giving you good guidance in this endeavour.
Re: 4.1 pre-3 (on Sep. 29, 2023, 12:31:08 a.m.)
If you press "Save draft", with this version, does it work?

I know that the normal way that this works, it will save before it tries to publish, so that is probably why it would save and be something you could retry if the publish failed due to [...]
Re: 4.1 pre-3 (on Sep. 28, 2023, 3:02:05 a.m.)
Thanks for taking a look.

Based on that image, I think I have seen that thumbnail problem before: It only seems to be on new posts which are currently being synchronized. I do plan on fixing this before the final release.

That is peculiar that [...]
Re: Cacophony 4.1-pre3 release (on Sep. 27, 2023, 3:05:07 a.m.)
I am interested in seeing what you think about it. I definitely need more input into some of the UI details, as well as just a sense of how well it is working.
Re: The last while (on Sep. 20, 2023, 7:44:00 p.m.)
Good to hear that you are doing some things to keep busy, at least. I feel like my own world is in a similar "waiting for something to happen while we all get older" sort of state.

By the way, I found the bug which was causing those Chromium [...]
When the excitement of youth turns to the dread of old age (on Sep. 8, 2023, 12:26:24 a.m.)
While watching the video in the context (a discussion of the ending of Oppenheimer - the video does include spoilers), I was struck by something interesting (my comments here shouldn't constitute spoilers in any sense beyond a vague "feeling" - this [...]
Re: Line breaks and paragraphs in posts. (on Sep. 5, 2023, 4:13:25 p.m.)
Ah, I am seeing these now. I suspect that your IPFS was dead for a few days.
Technically, when it draws a post on the main "play.html" page, it is replacing newlines with "<br />" tags. You can tell that the line does start over but I agree that [...]
Imposters of reality and knowing oneself (on Aug. 30, 2023, 10:36:23 p.m.)
Something I think about, from time to time, is how I don't really know what I am.

That is, I don't know if I am any good or of any value to my profession. Instinctively, I claim that I know what I am doing and how to do things, but I am not sure [...]
Oppenheimer (on Aug. 30, 2023, 10:18:47 p.m.)
Went to see this movie, today. It was very good. As others have said, it is less about World War 2 and more about Oppenheimer's life, more generally.

Fascinating and tragic tale. Apparently, it is unusually historically accurate, too (important [...]
Re: As my dad says... "I keep going!" (on Aug. 29, 2023, 9:32:35 p.m.)
Sounds like things are going generally well.

Good to hear that they are giving you the go-ahead with phasing off of that medication.

That reminds me that I need to get around to updating the IPFS version for testing the next Cacophony version. [...]
Re: 4.1 pre-release 0 (on Aug. 24, 2023, 10:05:07 p.m.)
Hmm, did it used to work in Chrome, before the update?

I suspect that this problem is that same need to force a cache refresh. You should be able to fix that by pressing shift+ctrl+r when looking at a broken page.

I suspect that it works in [...]
Just meandering (on Aug. 21, 2023, 7:46:35 p.m.)
Went for a long walk, today. My eventual destination was Dufferin Mall, to get a Cinnabon, but I figured I would take the long way.

I walked down to Queen and Dufferin, to get a sense of how far away that intersection is. A new club, Ground [...]
Nice drawing (on Aug. 14, 2023, 8:40:55 p.m.)
I see what you mean, about it being anime-style. It looks good.
Definitely a busy day (on Aug. 14, 2023, 8:39:53 p.m.)
It sounds like you got up to quite a bit. That is odd to hear from an ex via LinkedIn. I always like to keep that space professional so it always confuses me when a friend, with whom I have never worked, wants to connect there.
2003 Blackout (on Aug. 14, 2023, 8:36:21 p.m.)
I suspect that the band I heard in the part was here for the 20 year anniversary of the 2003 blackout, since there is usually a gathering in the part related to that, every year. There are quite a lot of people down there, tonight.

I still [...]
New speakers: Creative T60 (on Aug. 9, 2023, 9:13:36 p.m.)
Stopped off at a few places, on the way home, to see what was available. After checking various reviews, and various other decision-making inputs, I ended up heading back out to pick up a set of Creative T60 units.

These are way smaller and [...]
Problem with the speakers (on Aug. 8, 2023, 10:05:15 p.m.)
The problem seems to have something to do with the speaker internals. I think it is related to heat, as it doesn't happen immediately if I haven't had the speakers on for a while, but I can't be sure. I could try running them through my UPS, in [...]
Speakers suddenly breaking (on Aug. 8, 2023, 12:16:28 a.m.)
The speaker system attached to my main computer started acting up on Saturday afternoon. It seems to crackle loudly (seemingly on the right channel) and then the speakers turn off.

At first, I thought I correlated this to a software issue but that [...]
Probably exposure (on Aug. 5, 2023, 5:09:55 p.m.)
I think part of the problem is that I am constantly being exposed to ideas or situations which make me feel powerless, worthless, and unwanted.

This is mostly related to not having anything interesting to do. I used to get a lot of sense of value [...]
Meta-Lameness (on Aug. 5, 2023, 2:08:24 a.m.)
When I sit back and look at how disconnected I feel and what I wish I could find in more of my day-to-day life, I suspect that I must come across as quite the whiny bitch.

I worry that I am a bad friend and partner, useless employee, and generally [...]
Oddly down, today (on Aug. 2, 2023, 7:20:28 p.m.)
Luckily not hungover, today, just lethargic. Still, been feeling a strange sort of unnameable unhappiness, all day.

I think it is the feeling of just not being engaged with the world.

Not sure what I will do through tonight but might end up [...]
Exiting the gate (on Aug. 1, 2023, 11:50:47 p.m.)
I pass through the gate and enter into the new realm, goblet still in hand.

It is odd to suddenly feel this wave of peace wash over me. This place is not like the previous, yet somehow similar.

I am finally ready to live here, in the place I [...]
Ah, now I see this! (on Aug. 1, 2023, 9:04:08 p.m.)
Not sure if I didn't see this before or just didn't remember, for some reason.

I like it. This album-like approach to building the video worked well, too.

At some point we should also talk a bit about how to make an actual photo album into a [...]
The "Dark Age" Meme (on Aug. 1, 2023, 1:33:00 p.m.)
The "Dark Age" Meme
I tried to explain Cacophony to someone I have known for a while, this past weekend. Her first response was, "So, how do you control what people say on this system?"

I find this more than slightly horrifying that some people are so quick to take [...]
Seems to be working (on Jul. 30, 2023, 2:51:11 p.m.)
It looks right on my end. Some thought will have to be put into making this use-case a bit more elegant in 4.1, I think.
So tired (on Jul. 29, 2023, 12:01:39 a.m.)
Not sure why, but I have been very tired, all day. I am not sure if it is the heat, getting a lot of sun in the past few days, just a generally poor mood, or something else.

Whatever it is, I hope I am feeling better for tomorrow since I need to [...]
Always a nice-looking kitty! (on Jul. 20, 2023, 10:56:30 a.m.)
This is a post made to reply to your picture of Korey using the new 4.0 pre-release 0.

Since you are on version 3.1, you should be able to see this post in my feed, but it won't show you that it is a reply.
Promising work on v2 Cacophony on-IPFS data model (on Jun. 29, 2023, 5:53:07 p.m.)
I managed to find a way to make the single post "extension" handled as an inline piece of data, instead of pushing it out of line. The solution ended up being elegant, not breaking the XSD in any way.
The approach works very nicely if the extension [...]
Hello World! (on Jun. 8, 2023, 10:10:24 p.m.)
I decided to create this new channel for less technical thoughts and also to test out the multi-channel UI, etc.

No big things to post yet but I will do more with this in the future,
Jeff.