Low and High Tech, Tactics, Front-End Fixes

An Early Friday Hodgepodge

Spring break with the wife and kids, and other travel/family obligations will occupy me over the weekend and into next week. I plan to resume regular posting here April 7, although it is possible I'll be back earlier.

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1. If -- after having to rid your person of metal objects -- you then wondered how the headphones inside an MRI machine work, wonder no more.

Hint: It's not the same technology as the sound-powered telephone, another neat piece of low-tech wizardry.

2. A couple of years ago, I replaced my laptop with a Framework computer so I could upgrade components over time or make simple repairs.

I'm quite happy with it so far and, because there is a hacking culture among Framework users, I tentatively plan to replace the guts of my desktop with Framework components whenever that need arises. (Folks share instructions, specs for 3-D print parts they need, and do other things that make it easier for not-quite-hackers like me to join in the fun.)

As always with such things, I keep an antenna out for interesting news, and have found a someday/maybe project (video) that is too neat not to share:

In this video, I will go over why I felt the need to create my custom portable all-in-one computer. Thanks to #framework I was able to put together something that's super easy to assemble and reproduce.

I generally use my #dygma Defy split keyboard, but working around my Macbook Pro's keyboard was always a pain, especially on flights and other places with limited space.

One of the options I considered was a Lenovo Yoga, but I wanted something more repairable. My wife thought of the name Flying Lotus, which I really like, but like I said in the video is not for everyone...

At the link are the video showing how he made this, the many uses and advantages his design opens up, and a link for kit parts to make one for yourself.

3. A little over a decade ago, this Arsenal fan was overjoyed to see the English Premier League become widely available over cable in the United States. Streaming services eventually plugged whatever gaps there were in cable coverage of the Premier League, as well as other competitions: Now it's possible to see just about any game live one has time to watch.

Just when I thought I couldn't be any more spoiled as a fan, I learned of the many podcasts by more knowledgeable fans. My favorite is the Arsenal Opinion Podcast which is a near-perfect mixture of analysis and entertainment for me. I follow that one regularly.

My second-favorite is FourFourTwo, which is all about tactics. I don't regularly go there, but it's really good, as exemplified by the below embedded podcast about the tactics of Arsenal's "Invincibles" undefeated team of '03/'04.

There has never been a better time to be a soccer fan.

4. Recently, I noted that I had learned about NewPipe, an open-source software front end for YouTube, whose interface is even more frustrating to use on a mobile device than on a computer.

Having now used it on walks and on errands for a week, I highly recommend NewPipe.

Who would have thought being able to easily find what you know is out there, pick up where you left off listening, or even (gasp!) be able to put your phone in your pocket while listening might be desirable features in a streaming app?

(Snark aside, it's possible some "update(s)" changed default behavior to become less usable. My wife's iPhone version of YouTube can run with a locked screen, after all. But if that's the case, why should I stick with something whose maintainers are that incompetent or capricious?)

To install the Android version, I recommend verifying and installing F-Droid, and using it to install and update NewPipe.

Incidentally, you can dodge many of the annoyances of YouTube on a regular computer by using an instance of Invidious.

(Believe it or not, although both of these tout being free of commercials, that isn't at all why I use them. I do not object to commercials, as long as I can otherwise conveniently find and enjoy what I came for.)

-- CAV