Monthly Archives: March 2023

Time waits for no man

In other words: Norway has entered summer time, also known as UTC+2. And while time itself had nothing to do with it, everyone else acts as if it has. I myself will wait till tomorrow and turn the clock one hour ahead during a meeting. Maybe I’ll do it twice. Once before lunch and once again after.

I’ll correct any mistakes when I get home after work.

Actually, I suspect I will keep on making new mistakes, but hopefully not the same ones. Because I don’t have time for that (pun intended, you may slow clap.)

Unrelated. I think it’s time to get rid of Windows 11. Again, this is unrelated to the UTC+2 changes, but it certainly didn’t help either. I’ve been looking at openSUSE, which seems to be enjoying growth as of late. I have come so far as to download the installation, but not far enough to have put it onto a bootable USB drive. Also, I have misplaced the USB drive altogether. But I know where it is, and once I get it back it is “go time.”

Many, many years ago. A bit more. No, not that far. Anyway, somewhere back in time, I used to have Linux as my main operating system. And as time goes, I feel more and more that I should move back. The only thing keeping me back these days are Adobe Lightroom, and possibly Steam. But I don’t play my games, so it seems like a silly excuse. Then again, you haven’t heard my other excuses, so this one may actually be one of the more reasonable ones.

Well. Times up. I have books to read. Hooray!

This blog is IPv6 accessible

Unless it isn’t. In which case you will not be able to read this.

The reason for the above statement is as follows: if you are using IPv6, your computer will resolve this domain name using the AAAA record of the Domain Name System (DNS), which currently points to this blog. If my blog no longer has this IPv6 address, the AAAA record will be void and your browsers request will fail.

Why would this blog no longer have this IPv6 address? Well, here is the thing: I currently host my own webserver. I pay my internet service provider (ISP) a small fee for a fixed IPv4 address, and my domain name points to this address (in the IPv4 world.) When I configured IPv6, I found that my ISP gives me a new IPv6 block each time I press the “renew” button on my router.

Wait? You said you pay for one IPv4 address, but you get a block of IPv6 addresses just like that? How much of a block are we talking about?

The IPv6 space is so vast I get not only one address, nor two, but a small block. How small? 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 addresses to be exact. Which means I can probably give all of my dust bunnies their own IP address, and their own blogs, I guess. Wonder what they would write about…

I digress. Back to the first line. I am one power cycle away from getting 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 new addresses to play with. No need to memorize them, that’s for sure. And when (not if) that happens, the current AAAA record will guide all the IPv6 enabled devices on a hunt for my webpage where it does not exist. Guess I should talk to my ISP about getting a fixed set of addresses.

I wonder which fee they would charge for a /64 block of IPv6 addresses. Even if it is just 1/10th of the price I pay for my one IPv4 address today, I could not afford it.

Anxiety is the part of me that never gives up

Anxiety is the part of me that never gives up. Sometimes it leaves me for a while, but it always comes back to give me a hug when I need it the most. Ignoring the fact that I need it from another human being.

When I want to run and hide. Anxiety runs with me. Not to hide, but to remind me how pointless it is.

When I want to be alone. Anxiety tells me I am not good enough. Not worthy of love. Not even from myself.

When I want quietness. Anxiety plays the drums and shout at the top of its lungs. Always to a tune I cannot stand.

When I want to sleep. Anxiety asks me—with a grin on its face—about the mistakes I have made in my life.

Anxiety is a part of me, and it will never give me up for someone else. Someone better.

My Hybrid Vacation

This past week I’ve had what I would call a ‘hybrid vacation.’ Working in the morning and kayaking after lunch (if the weather permitted, which it did.)

Not only that. I’ve also picked up my dSLR camera, charged the batteries and started toying with light and shadows again. Still missing live models, but I’ll have a lot of inanimate objects around me. Like this piece of paper, telling yet another story of my activities: Practicing my handwriting.

The alphabet written in cursive

This is the first attempt copying some guy on the internet. I’m still making tweaks to find my own style. I also have to produce three extra letters from the Norwegian alphabet. You would think a guy like me, working with computers all day, would prefer keyboard. But no. More and more I am drawn to the pen and paper. Away from the screen.

Talking about being away from the screen: Here are three images I took on a recent walk around sunset.

Birds swimming in water
Bird jumping into water
Sunset with clouds and a bit of water in the forground

That’s it. My attempt at making blogging personal again. Oof, that doesn’t sound too good. That orange joke from USA has ruined “make … again” expression completely.