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Light, Tunnel At End Of?

Housekeeping, Technology

I know that many of you have had problems commenting on this website, and I’ve been unable to resolve the thing myself.  Ordinarily, Tech Support 2 would have addressed it, but he’s been unable to get to it because for some reason, he prefers to devote more of his time to earning a living to support his family than to take (unpaid) time to address my website’s issues.

Anyway, this is to announce that I have recruited a Brand New Tech Support (TS 3), who is a personal friend and who has very kindly offered to take on the (unpaid but very-much thanked-for) responsibility.  TS 2 will be handing him the keys to the kingdom at some point in the very near future (I hope).

There may be some dislocation involved, in that TS 3 may have to reset the password files, in which case you will have to re-register.  Sorry, but in my defense I can only say “WordPress”.

Then once again you will be free to vent your anger, snarl at the universe, shout at me and post your always-welcome corrections to my all-too frequent errors of fact.

Please be patient while all this comes to pass.

Return Of The Teeny

Drive Time

The first time I ever saw a SmartCar was over in Yurp, back in the early 2000s.  I loved the idea of a “city car” — still do, in fact — because living in downtown Chicago at the time, I could see its wonderful utility.

It made even more sense for Yurp’s teeny lil’ city streets.

For those of you who’ve only ever lived in the suburbs or on farms, it’s easy to dismiss the SmartCar as just a little toy.  For city dwellers, though, this is a godsend.

Yeah, it doesn’t hold much more than a driver and a passenger, or a driver and a couple shopping bags — but that’s really all you need in the city.  (For the record, both I and Connie could fit inside, but only if I pushed my seat forward because we couldn’t fit side by side #KimShoulders.)

And of course it fails the Kim Storage Test in that I don’t think you could fit a rifle case inside — although I never tested it because at the time I wasn’t shooting rifles that much #Chicago #NoGunRanges.

Also, at the time the SmartCar launched, there was no Fiat 500 on the market.  But now there is, and to me the 500 represents the ultimate compromise between “too small, really” and “still too small, but less so” or even “acceptably small, because you can fit a rifle case in it”.

All this was triggered by the news that the SmartCar is going to be relaunched, as a Duracell car only.  Of course, I wouldn’t touch one because a.) it’s going to be built (of course) by the Chinese, b.) because it’s hideously ugly — see the linked article but you have been warned — and c.) because I already own a Fiat 500 via New Wife, and see no reason ever to sell it.

But it remains a decent option for people living in tight spaces — hell, at least it gives protection from the weather, which is more than its competitor does.

Future, By Subscription Only

Corporate Fuckery, Technology

Reader Stephen S. chimes in with this little piece of technological bastardy:

The rapidly approaching future of the Windows PC is no longer just about what’s on your desk, but what you’re permitted—by subscription—to access from the cloud. Microsoft promotes this as inevitable and, to some, the advantages are real. Yet for those uncomfortable with their digital world being defined and priced by a faraway corporation, alternatives remain.
What is worse is that Microsoft will have your data on their cloud (OneDrive) and you will need to continually pay to have access to it.   On the flip side, because it is on “their” computer systems (1970’s Supreme Court Decision), they will be able to scan it and use it for training their AI.  They will also be able to sell your data to 3rd parties, again because it is on “their” computers.  [Microsoft has already changed their EULA to reflect this]
How does the medical profession make sure the patients’s data is secure.  Although on a personal level, I’m sure Microsoft’s AI would love finding out about illness discussions, personal behavior, etc to be sold to 3rd parties.  That kind of info is what insurance companies would love to know, and the users would be paying Microsoft to provide it to them.
But a larger point occurs to me.  Microsoft would be getting the financial data for people and businesses smaller than the DOW 50, and that is a gold mine for them (Wall St spends millions to collect it).  Again, the users are paying Microsoft to provide their financials to Microsoft, and then Microsoft can then use it.

How nice.

It has taken me a Herculean effort to stop this OneDrive bullshit from imposing itself on my paltry online existence, and I’m not even sure that I’ve been that successful.  I get the occasional “warning” email that my OneCloud subscription has expired or my storage allocation is full, and that they can no longer store any more of my data — to which, of course, my unspoken response is:  I never wanted you to store my data anyway, so fuck off.

I have no idea how this is going to end, or if it ever will.

Reader Request

Housekeeping

From Reader RobinB:

“Moving to a smaller apartment and sadly, can’t take my beloved piano with me. I would love to find it a new home where it will be played and cherished. Let me know if you want it or know someone who might be interested.”

Sadly, I have no room for a piano and I can’t play one anyway, so I’m out of the picture.  If anyone else reading this wants a piano, contact me and I’ll forward that onto Robin.