What is GAFA(M)? This is the name given to the services offered by the tech giants: Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and sometimes Microsoft. Why do these companies get grouped up and named like this? Because they all have a common issue: they trade technology and convenience for their customer’s privacy and/or unreasonable amounts of money. They are a bit like a hydra: many heads of the same beast, and it […]
Going Off Grid
It’s funny, the idea of going “Off Grid” in the real world often involves moving to the woods, digging a well for a water supply, and other slightly crazy things. Going “Off Grid” in the online world actually makes you go more “On Grid” than ever before. It requires you to learn a bit more, and understand a bit more – but it is so worth it. I was constantly […]
How to NOT migrate Nextcloud
When I started on this journey, I thought I was going to write a post about how to move Nextcloud from one server to another. I had a few ideas in my head about how I could go about it. In the end, NONE of them worked very well (for various reasons). So, this is more about how to NOT go about moving your Nextcloud. The silver lining is that […]
YUNO SELF HOST?
I already posted about my move away from WebFaction, so I thought I would give a brief demo of the steps it takes to set up a simple WordPress blog. In my opinion, it’s not that hard. There’s a hiccup here and there, but it’s just a one time thing. This whole process can be done in 15 minutes. Get ready for the picture storm. Pick a server I personally […]
Escaping the Spider’s WebFaction
Intro Yes, yes, I know the title is lame. What am I talking about anyway? WebFaction is a hosting provider that targets the “hobbyist” or higher. Someone who wants to feel like they are installing and managing their own applications – like Word Press, etc. Their proprietary interface makes it pretty easy to use some common building blocks like “Domains”, “Applications” and “Websites” to put together most things you could […]
Free up your time with free tools
I recently had the task of creating wedding invites I wanted to do something a bit more unique though. Everyone is using QR codes these days. I bet I could make an application for filling handling the RSVPs and give people a fancy unique link and QR code. Unfortunately, I’m very busy these days and it seemed like far-fetched dream. Fortunately, someone else already had the idea and did the […]
Words[Aspose]
I’ve generated a report or two in my day. My usual tools of choice have been C# and a 3rd party (free) Excel library. Some notable 3rd party libraries are EPPlus and NPOI. I’ve used this approach because I usually had more time than money. This means time to deal with the gaps that are common in free 3rd party libraries instead of paying the money for a professional library. […]
Words[4]
It’s been a while since I’ve written. It’s partially because I think most of my thoughts are only amusing to me, but mostly because I’ve been incredibly busy. A while ago I was talking to my friend Mike about words, and how we need to invent a new one related to “will” as in “will do”. My thought at the time was about how there are different “degrees” of meaning […]
Harbin
Harbin I recently went to Harbin, China to check out the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival and other attractions. I think snowy & icy landscapes are beautiful and Harbin delivered! I went for about 3 days. I left Dalian by train on a Friday at 9 AM, arrived in Harbin at 1 PM; returned from Harbin by train on Sunday at 2 PM and arrived in Dalian at 5:30 […]