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2025-04-19 - compudanzas log

we now have a first 88x31 banner!

colophon

2025-04-19 Reboot - a

This month, the weather is warmer and we are busy cleaning up the boat, airing out the lockers, drying off items temporarily corrupted by mould and moisture. Anything stored in the v-berth lockers suffers from extreme wetness. It is a very, very annoying fact of boat life, but there is really no way to promote good air flow in those spaces. Unfortunately, we kept a box of older backup laptops in a locker that usually does not get wet in the winter, but alas, this space was also corrupted and the laptops have all suffered damage. We had to recycle them.
To continue with tales of computer troubles, I had to nuke the OS on my main working computer due to a corrupted database(I could no longer update my system). Now, my computer is working fine again! I also managed to revive my older Macbook2010, which was also plagued by some OS/hardware issues. I put the machine to work converting and compressing movie files to save space on our external hard drives, and so that they are playable on an old Ipad2.
After installing the latest Manjaro i3 update, I found out that Xsane, the scanning software I was using, was no longer available (temporarily, supposedly), so in the meantime I had to install Simple Scan(Linux software). I updated my page on using a scanner under linux to indicate this.

HEALTH. For the past 2 months I've been immersed in medicine, and first-aid knowledge — I blame rabbit waves for this uptick in interest. When I shared a list of suggestions for meds and items in a first-aid kit online on Mastodon people responded enthusiastically, mentionning additional items I had not considered which encouraged me to continue pulling on that thread. I've updated our own onboard med and first-aid kits, while throwing away long-expired items. While in New Zealand in 2017 a sailing couple we knew sold their boat and gave me and Devine their extremely comprehensive, Swiss-German labelled, med kit, which was sized for a family of 4(they traveled with 2 young kids). We threw away expired epinephrine vials and other antiobiotics, but non-perishable items like suture thread and needles, surgical gloves, and scalpel blades are still good(provided that the packaging seal isn't broken).
In an unrelated event I found The Onboard Medical Guide in a used book shelf in town, written by Paul G. Gill Jr. M.D., a certified emergency medicine specialist, which manages to cover a lot of material in a concise manner. My takeaway so far is that the human body is so, so fragile, and that a boat is a dangerous playground, more reason to have a good kit aboard and the skills to deal with wounds and other likely ailments.

ART. I animated some drawings on the rabbit waves page for Triangular Bandages, and appended a .txt file with all of the med and first-aid reccomendations as well as their intended usage.
I finished a new page for sabotage study for hakum. I am super pleased with the nighttime shading on this one, the page reads well!
I shared an extended version of a website update I wrote in 2023, called kid rek, about re-learning to love drawing for myself.

BOOKS. I am still reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, it's a very long book and I am almost all the way through it. I have some thoughts on this book, but I will wait until I have finished reading it before elaborating.
We thinned our onboard library, bringing a pile of books over to Russell Books in Victoria. This store accept used books that are in good condition, "buying" them back in return for store credit. Devine returned with many new-to-us books to read for the summer, purchased with our store credit. This is a very good system. We gave them our ancient edition of Adventure of Nils, a book that is gorgeous but that will deteriorate too quickly aboard Pino. Nothing lasts on a boat, especially time-worn books.

MOVIE. I went to see Flow, a Latvian animated film. I didn't know what to expect, I had seen images shared around but I never looked it up. A marina neighbor mentioned it was playing at the theater, and convinced Devine & I to go. What a simple, beautiful film...! It communicates such important ideas about cooperation in times of crisis, something that has been on my mind a lot of late. It is worth seeing, I highly reccommend it.

POETRY. Here is Afternoon on a Hill by Edna St. Vincent Millay:

I will be the gladdest thing
    Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
    And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
    With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
    And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
    Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
    And then start down!

CALL TO ACTION. After watching Carole Cadwalladr's latest TED Talk This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like, I donated some money to WayBack Machine. If you're a heavy user, like I am, you should too. Cadwalladr has been through a lot to give this talk, give it a watch and keep up with her updates because she might need our support again soon. I really wish she used a platform other than Substack to broadcast her views, though.
I've shared C.C. O'Hanlon's call for aid here before, and I will again until both he, and his partner Given are able to buoy back to the surface and stay there. Give what you can, every donation, no matter how small, makes a big difference.

ARTICLES/VIDEOS I LIKED

2025-04-14 - compudanzas log

¿cómo diseñarías un procedimiento para sumar dos números, optimizándolo para ser [inserte opción]?

optimizaciones

2025-04-13 - Rex's journal

Finally got PCVR to click last night. I was feeling disappointed since my new PC with a 5080 kept stuttering over virtual desktop when connecting to my Quest 3. But the problem was my wife was streaming from my Plex server when I tried previously. When I'm the only one on the network? Smooth as butter dude. When it clicks, it's the literal coolest thing ever. I forget I'm wearing a headset it's so awesome.

EmuVR is one of the most amazing pieces of software I've ever seen. It definitely warrants it's own article soon. Imagine emulating any game your PC can handle, listening to music and watching videos in a virtual room surrounded by all the nostalgic items of your 90s and early 2000s dreams. Well, EmuVR is it. There's also a regular desktop mode but VR is where it shines.

2025-04-13 The Process - Devine Lu Linvega's journal

I was recently reminded of that paper about how flat origami is Turing-complete, and of how I never did attempt to fold one of these for myself. I've already written about a paper computer and all the ways in which computer emulators can be operated on paper, but nothing on using the paper itself for doing the computation. So I set out to correct that, and all the while learning how to do hexagonal folds for the first time.

Another thing on my plate has been to gradually getting rid of Uxnasm.c in favor of the self-hosted one. Before I entirely drop that dependency, I want to be absolutely certain that the bootstrapping process is as robust as I could possibly make it. I'm not 100% happy yet, but uxnasm.c is getting closer to retirement.

2025-04-12 - Rex's journal

Been a while. Kinda got depressed after the election. Had a really bad burnout. Was thankfully able to take 8 weeks off work for paid FMLA leave. Found out I'm highly likely level 1 autistic along with my ADHD. Haven't got a formal diagnosis because America. But every assessment, an affirming therapist, and 20 pages of notes aligning my experience with the DSM 5 criteria, the obsessive research, hundreds of hours of reading about it and watching videos, multiple books (Unmasking Autism by Devon Price is a great book!)...seemed like enough info. I don't think neurotypicals spend 3 months obsessing over whether they might have autism like this lol. So just self-diagnosed for now, but a well-informed self diagnosis.

The political anxiety worsens by the day. I don't see a pleasant future in store for any of us. I will continue to get lost in my hobbies - my games, my media server, my emulation on many devices, my fantasy books, and now my VR headset. Ready Player One is the new reality. The world is a crumbling dystopia and I only work to pay for my electricity haha.

On a brighter note - I snagged a giant Pikachu squishmallow on sale for 20 bucks at Costco. And the new Mumford & Sons song is really good!

2025-04-10 — On the verge of something better - NUEDGE unhinged journal

I can’t even believe it: I had more than one good time this week! Granted, I’m not on cloud nine by any means, but I’m still in a pretty good spot. Last night I was able to go out for dinner with a couple newly found acquaintances from the dorm. Being out with friendly people and talking stuff was something I was starting to lose completely. Luckily we managed to sort something out quickly before dinner, then went to a famously expensive area of the city and proceeded to spend a fortune for a burger and a couple drinks. We went to an Irish pub: the atmosphere was nice; the band was cool, yet a little cringe; the food was okay; the drinks were just right.

I sincerely hope this serenity high continues throughout next week, so I can get home with a smile on my face.

2025-04-05 - compudanzas log

created a page positioning ourselves against "generative AI"

ai

2025-04-04 — Another week in the meatgrinder - NUEDGE unhinged journal

What to say? I managed to survive for another week. People I usually have dinner with in the dorm went home. I missed the bingo event and all the chances to better know other people. But it could be worse.

It could rain, for instance.

And yet the sun shines. I rarely see it from this room, but I know it’s out there, and it shines. I just have to endure this for a little bit more, and then everything will turn out just fine.

2025-03-30 - Interipelli's Journal

Raindare has begun documenting her favourite drinks and writing new fictional things. In the meantime, I've been unpacking boxes and slowly adding new content and scans I'd had saved from a backlog assembled just before the physical move.

I thought I hated the cold. It was a constant nuisance in graduate studies within upstate New York, the way that snow would get into boots and freezing rain would stick into the wrinkles of my face. The way that aluminum laptops would bend and latches stick if left to the elements for too long. However, nearly four weeks in Ontario alternating between snow storms, ice storms, and short periods of sun has made me feel somehow nostalgic for a time that wasn't quite as I remember it.

We've started Dragon Shadow Spell, the Black/Matrix OO follow up that's like a gorgeous, high resolution (by PS2 standards) Final Fantasy Tactics with a setting closer to Phantasy Star Online. An unexpected combination. If Japanese wikis are to be believed, there's an alleged focus on gay male couples. Not too far off from Black/Matrix by any means, though it's still unusual to have more than one. Raindare remains interested. We'll see what lies ahead.

2025-03-30 — 1 high + 1 low = 1 average - NUEDGE unhinged journal

Today I had the chance to hang out with a friend of mine who is also in the city. At first, I feared she agreed just to be kind, but while I was getting home she texted me and thanked me for the nice walk in the centre, as she had been struggling to find a friendly moment since she moved. The sun was shining; people and tourists were comically weird as usual; it was finally warm after weeks of rain.

It’s not the weekends, then: it’s just weekends spent alone in my room with no view. As long as I remember this, I should not struggle that much again: I can still go out for a walk, even if I have to take the bus to get to something vaguely resembling a park. I will do it nonetheless.

2025-03-30 Spring - Devine Lu Linvega's journal

Spring is finally poking its nose in Victoria and messing around on the computer is the last thing on my mind at the moment. But I did find some time to make a bit of non-sense with Flick, and improve the Solresol documentation.

2025-03-29 — Rambling is free - NUEDGE unhinged journal

Let me be frank for a minute: I don’t like that I’m in need of being back here again. I would have rather preferred to be in good mental shape. Yet here we go again. If you’re reading this and want some extra context, here you can find the previous iteration of this alt site of mine. It isn’t the only site I have, but it’s the only one I know for a fact nobody IRL can associate me with. And I don’t want to waste a perfectly functional account on an obscure Web platform just to ramble about random things until I feel better and back everything up on a random cloud provider and forget it for a year or two, do I?

In the last 18 months, many things happened. If I were at home, I would pull out my bullet journals, skim through them and enumerate the most important events of 2024. Unfortunately, I’m in a new city right now, far enough from home that I plan to go back just for Easter, and for a couple days at most. I’m here because I found a job and wanted to try to live away from the safety home provides. The trial period ends in August, and then the company and I will decide on my future. As you can guess, coming back after 472 days of radio silence (based on my Status Cafe page) means that my psyche isn’t exactly in perfect shape.

But I’m already digressing too much. This wannabe journal is public for a reason: I want it to be a little bit more sincere than what it would be if I wrote it on paper. I have a shitty bullet journal with too many things to do and too few recent good memories, but I always have a weird, uncomfortable feeling when I think of actually writing down all I feel on something anyone close to me would be able to read. And yes, I’m also used to writing about myself online too much: the word “I” is too frequent on these entries, for my taste. But it’s a journal, a diary if you will, so maybe it’s just normal, and I’m setting too high of an expectation for myself, as usual.

Let’s go in order, more or less. In December 2023, I graduated. In the meantime, I had chosen another school for my master’s degree. Oh, and also I was trying to recover from a deep crush that ended quite wack and made me feel useless and aimless. 2024 was an okay year compared to its predecessor: I met some new cool people at uni, I had the chance to go to the seaside after a couple years devoid of any travelling, I was more on time with my exams. And yet the feeling of not being enough, not having any success with girls (damn, they should be called women at this age!), having no clear purpose never went away.

And now I’m here, in a distant (not really) city, with no real thing to do outside working and studying for my remaining exams. Weekends feel bad. I took up pornography after months of not even feeling the need for something similar. I spent hours watching YouTube last Saturday, because I feel like I have no reason to go out and meet new people—it feels hopeless. And when I feel a little bit better, some random thing reminds me of some terrible thought, be it being single, a loser, unfit for everything I care about or all of the above.

Right now I’d rather go home and avoid the truth, i.e. I’m not ready for this. And this is why I must stay here as much as possible: when this internship ends and I get to avoid inhumane Excel spreadsheets once and for all, I don’t want to forget how miserable life without my family and friends is. I don’t want to forget my privilege of living in a quiet, clean neighbourhood where nothing ever happens. I don’t want to take the calm of not getting embarassed for any woman passing by for granted.

This journal will help me remember all of this. Hopefully.