On computers and cameras as containers

In a traditional cold-season home activity, I've spent a while recently setting up a "new" server system on my home network. I'm quoting "new" because it's a repurposed desktop PC that's about a decade old, retrofitted with Linux and more disk capacity than its designers probably ever envisioned as being connected to its SATA ports.  It's working well for now, though. It's entirely possible that its aging power supply may die or that its motherboard may fail. Power supplies aren't hard to replace, but finding appropriately sized and cabled motherboards might be harder.  The important thing, though, is my data; if the surrounding hardware fails, I can remove the new disks, read them elsewhere, or build them into a new system.  The computer isn't a destination in itself; rather, its purpose in my IT life is to act as a means to get data on and off of disks.  The "peripheral" disk device is the central component, and the "central" CPU is present and running in order to support it.  Similarly, the purpose of a digital camera is to translate views into bits that can be stored on a memory card and processed, and that become independent of the camera that collected them. A closed camera whose images couldn't be exported or viewed except through its own screen wouldn't be nearly as interesting or useful. The cheap and ever-more-capacious storage modules can be read and written elsewhere; their information is what matters, not the surrounding systems that load the information into them.

Winter has teeth!

The season hasn't been especially cold so far except for one night's visit to the negative Fahrenheit numbers, but I thought that this ice pattern in a stream looked rather jaw-like, and that the sun's backlight made it somewhat jack-o'lantern-ish.

Over three orders of magnitude!

I don't think it's common for the price of a given good to vary by more than three orders of magnitude depending on its location and circumstances, but that seems to be the remarkable situation with cellular data, so I'll remark on it. In the US, I'm using a plan which seems to be fairly typical, and that offers 2GB of data per month for $25.  That's $0.0125 (1.25 cents) per megabyte, and is an allowance that I've never used as much as half of; if I track usage, it's more a matter of curiosity than of financial concern.

My US carrier, not atypically, posts pay-per-use rates for international roaming that range up to $19.97/MB, which is almost 1600 times higher than my domestic cost.  It's practical to communicate in this price bracket with occasional access to text-only email (which may have been the primary use of mobile data when the rate was set, but I don't know the tariff history), but is much harder to manage economically in an era of rich graphics and autonomous mobile apps "phoning home" to their servers.  There have been numerous horror stories from unwary travelers who have returned from overseas trips with smartphones to find that their data services worked smoothly but the the resulting charges dwarfed their air fares.

It's now possible to get international packages with terms that have improved significantly over recent years, allowing cheaper roaming to many countries (e.g., 120 MB for $30, or $0.25/MB, 20 times my domestic plan rate and about 80 times cheaper than the pay-per-use rate), but these don't operate everywhere.  (Tip: if visiting an excluded country, find Wi-Fi, use SMS, or make the most of a rare opportunity to disconnect.) If one of these plans is active, it moves the criteria for mobile data usage from something like "only in case of emergency" or "only if price is no object" to "apply thoughtfully and carefully, where and when useful", but not as far as the domestic "use freely and don't worry much about measurement" category.  I'm able and willing to measure usage and act accordingly, so this works for me, but it can seem awkward and unfamiliar if you're accustomed to data usage being effectively free within an existing plan.

On travel, packing, and writing

Looking back over posts here, I see that a lot concern travel in some form, which makes me think to inaugurate a tag on this theme.  I'm a fairly occasional traveler, and each trip has its own drumbeat of anticipatory preparation, generally culminating in early arrival at a departure terminal, waiting there to leave.  On the preparation side, it seems that the notable voyagers of years past assembled rolling libraries of attire, their capacious trunks sufficient for any formal occasion.  On my side today, clothing choices are usually simple, casual footnotes relative to the technology items (and, be sure not to forget, their chargers) that share the cubic inches available in carry-on bags.  Oh, and maybe a snack or two, since it's usually unclear whether or when food might be available.  It's always a compromise to compress one's personal environment into portable form, and departure or absence from the familiar promotes introspection. You bring yourself on any trip you take, after all, and your mind stays powered without plug adaptors.  I don't think the volume of travel essays is coincidental. 

Online used books: do they make it up in volume?

I recently wanted to get a copy of a book from the UK, and found several online sellers offering it for prices of 1 cent upward, plus shipping. That seemed too low to believe, so I stepped up to another offer of 99 cents and $3.99 shipping/handling. It arrived a week or two later, and I imagine air post might have taken up at least much of the $3.99 by itself. It might even leave a negative amount left over for the handling and envelope required. Presumably, there'd been work needed beforehand to catalog the inventory, as well. This for a book with a price tag still affixed for several pounds. And, as noted, there were several low price sellers also offering, some for even less. I'm wondering how the business model works, or what I may be missing here. I won't argue with success, though.

Safety alert! This plug was ours. Could it be yours too?

We turned toward each other, to ask the same question: "Do you smell something burning?"  Nasally-led investigation led soon to the clothes dryer, whose operating cycle seemed to be largely complete, but whose electric outlet displayed a trace of smoke.  Once the circuit was switched off, the plug's unpleasant countenance was revealed.  Apparently, arcing from loose or corroded plugs and sockets is a major cause for electrically-related fires. We're very glad that we caught this one while it was contained, but are still working to dispatch the remaining odor.

Grumpy holiday guidance to fundraisers

I've been known to make donations to organizations or causes whose goals and efforts I support.  Sometimes, though, I have second thoughts about doing so, given some of the responses that well-intentioned generosity has engendered.  I don't know whether or how my reactions may be unusual, but doubt they're unique. In this year-end season, I thought I'd frame some of these concerns as if in an open letter to keepers of worthy causes, suggesting means that could make those causes more amenable to support.  Here goes.

Don't call me on the phone.  This is unlikely to achieve a positive result, no matter what time of day or how enthusiastic I may be about the cause involved.

"Annual" means once a year.  Attempts to solicit contributions described as being annual on a more frequent basis are likely to be recognized and rejected.

Thanks and requests don't mix well. A response to acknowledge a contribution is appreciated.  If combined with an additional solicitation, however, that leaves at least this recipient thinking that the original donation wasn't deemed and welcomed as sufficient.

A prior gift represents a likely midpoint for its successor range. Please respect and value the amount that a donor has decided to offer, and the fact that subsequent gifts may vary either above or below it for any number of reasons.  Please refrain from proposing specific desired amounts, or scales that lead only upward from a prior value.

Time-limited pledge drives are counter-motivating.  I hope and expect that a contribution made outside a particular advertised window can still be useful and appreciated, and am unlikely to be motivated by the end of a calendar or fiscal year, by an ephemeral matching offer, or by interruptions to broadcast programming.  In fact, I'm sufficiently contrarian so as to be more likely to make donations outside such designated cycles.

Thanks for reading.