FWIW, you can still press Shift-F10 to open a command prompt, then run oobe\bypassnro. The computer will reboot / restart the setup process and this time there’ll be a small link “I don’t have internet” that’ll allow you to set up a local account.
Just make very sure not to connect it to the internet (cable or Wi-Fi) before this point.

There have been rumours of newer versions of Windows 11 not allowing the bypass anymore, but I haven’t personally seen any evidence of this so far.

Still a shit show though - trickery like this shouldn’t be necessary.

I feel so guilty because I’m honestly spiraling but everyone keeps telling me I’m not. I can’t, because it makes them look worse.

I don’t even know where to begin.

Going through difficult times is not a weapon in a dick-measuring contest to determine who’s owed the most pity. Downplaying somebody else’s problems in order to make one’s own problems seem more important is not something a friend* does, period.
But then again, those people may just be unable to imagine you holding yourself together so well if you really had all those problems you describe. That’s still no excuse though, a real friend should listen to you and believe you.

I think what (some of) your ‘friends’ are doing is reminiscent of crab mentality. That’s the mechanism that makes sure you’re being gifted a never-ending supply of chocolate and junk food as soon as people notice you’ve successfully lost weight, or alcoholics insisting that their dry friend has just one small beer with them for old times’ sake.
One of the foundations of crab mentality is the assumption that life is a zero-sum game and/or desired resources are scarce, i.e. if you get more sympathy/attention then somebody else will get less.

I’m not saying you should do this - that would require some hefty assumptions about you and your life - but one of the best things I’ve ever done is ranking all my friends and family by the degree to which they’ve made my life better or dragged me down over the years, balanced scorecard-style. It sounds heartless but with some people was a real eye-opener for me.

Either way, surround yourself with people that give something back. If that means losing some ‘friends’, then so be it. A handful of real friends will get you much further than hordes of false ones.

( * I’m including family members here, though they can generally get away with much more BS than a friend just because they’re family.)

Take your time, mate. You’re the most important person in your life!

And no need to thank me - I do think you are a gifted writer (however much or little that may be worth coming from an anonymous person who speaks English as their third language) and just wanted you to know that your sharing your stories is much appreciated even though I don’t have much to add to them. But I totally wanna cuddle with a raver girl now.

Unfashionably late to the party (which seems to be my only secret superpower), but if there’s any way to support you, by any means, do let me know. I always enjoy reading what you write and I would love to give something back.

Glad it worked, and thanks for the feedback!

Thanks to a few centuries of upper nobility, we already know that marrying your cousin for several generations is not always a good idea. It’ll be interesting to see what happens after a few iterations of AIs being trained on data mostly produced by other AIs (or variations of themselves). I suppose it largely depends on how well the training data can be curated.

ChatGPT says:

Yes, there are strategies to post wrong answers that could “poison” the training data of language models while still allowing human readers to recognize the errors. Here are a few approaches:

1. Subtle Semantic Errors: Provide answers that contain subtle but significant semantic errors. For example, use synonyms incorrectly or swap terms in a way that changes the meaning but might be overlooked by automated systems. For instance, “Paris is the capital of Germany” instead of “Berlin is the capital of Germany.”

2. Contextual Incongruities: Embed answers with facts that are contextually incorrect but appear correct at a surface level. For example, “The sun rises in the west and sets in the east.”

3. Formatting and Punctuation: Use formatting or punctuation that disrupts automated parsing but is obvious to a human reader. For example, “The capital of France is Par_is.” or “Water freezes at 0 degrees F@harenheit.”

4. Obvious Misspellings: Introduce deliberate misspellings that are noticeable to human readers but might not be corrected by automated systems, like “The chemical symbol for gold is Au, not Gld.”

5. Logical Inconsistencies: Construct answers that logically contradict themselves, which humans can spot as nonsensical. For example, “The tallest mountain on Earth is Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located underwater in the Pacific Ocean.”

6. Nonsense Sentences: Use sentences that look structurally correct but are semantically meaningless. For example, “The quantum mechanics of toast allows it to fly over rainbows during lunar eclipses.”

7. Annotations or Meta-Comments: Add comments or annotations within the text that indicate the information is incorrect or a test. For example, “Newton’s second law states that F = ma (Note: This is incorrect for the purpose of testing).”

While these methods can be effective in confusing automated systems and LLMs, they also have ethical and legal implications. Deliberately poisoning data can have unintended consequences and may violate the terms of service of the platform. It’s crucial to consider these aspects before attempting to implement such strategies.

That screenshot alone brings back so, so many memories.

Been with Winamp ever since my first 486DX all the way up to my first 4k screen when it became unusable due to size/scaling issues.

I’m really keeping my fingers crossed for this one to succeed.

Hmm, the way you describe it makes sense.
You’ll probably want to send the UPS a command to kill the power after shutdown is complete. I’m not sure what software you use on the server (if any) to manage the UPS, and not too familiar with them anyway, but a common concept would be: UPS reports power failure with <$minimum runtime remaining, server shuts down gracefully and sends a “kill power” command to the UPS at the end of its shutdown sequence, UPS kills power, power eventually returns, UPS turns back on, server gets power again and reboots.

I know APC PowerChute and whatever software comes with HPE UPSes can do that.
It also means your UPS has some runtime left in case of emergency or if the power returns and quickly fails again.

Congrats on your new setup! A UPS is never a bad idea.

As for the auto power-on, check the BIOS settings. Most have an option that says somehing along the lines of “computer power state after plugging it in” and you can usually set it to on, off or whatever it was before power loss.

Well, I can confirm from personal experience (me and family) that tourists wanting to enter the US aren’t treated that much differently from criminals.

But then you’ve created dozens (or hundreds) of opportunities a day for someone to get your passcode by shoulder-surfing, which you probably wouldn’t even notice in many situations. I’d argue that unless someone forcibly borrowing your face or fingers to unlock your phone is a strong possibility, entering a passcode each time is less secure than using biometrics.
Especially since the passcode also protects various security settings.

What’s your favourite position then?

Postal 2. The game mechanics and open-world flexibility have aged amazingly well, it’s still very funny, and I love the way the game’s level of violence firmly depends on the player’s actions.
Plus the Postal Dude’s petition to make whiney congressmen play violent video games is needed more than ever.

On Android I miss Spaghetti & Marshmallows, where you had to build towers out of said materials. That was a wonderful game with great physics but sadly only runs on very old phones.

Thanks though, it’ll be “fun” having my niece and nephew tell me how I’m old

They’ve only started doing that now? Lucky you!

Seriously though, the 40’s aren’t a bad age. I hope you’ve had a great party and enjoyed it. And remember, getting older means you’ve survived this far!

Happy birthday, whenever it is! You know what they say - once you’ve turned 40, when you wake up and nothing hurts, you know you’re dead. So far can mostly confirm. But on the other hand, you’re officially entitled to ask kids to get off your lawn now. It all sort of evens out.

Ack. Bedbugs are the worst. Fingers crossed you’ve gotten rid of the little fuckers.
In case you didn’t know yet, there are dogs that can sniff out bedbugs. A friend of a friend trains such dogs and she says demand is high. If you haven’t tried that already, maybe it’s worth a shot?

Around here I can’t say there are many dull moments.

Barring a surprise blizzard in April, spring appears to have arrived in full force. We all enjoy the days getting longer and warmer and stuff getting greener. Our cherry(?) tree is already in full bloom.
Last week the gardener was here to discuss some work around the house - we’re looking to get a new fence, turn an uneven gravel/weed field into additional parking spots and replace some hedges. The cost estimates should arrive tomorrow so we can start picking the things we can afford.

Once the garden gets a do-over, I can also design the new mood lighting and install new underground cabling. The current garden lanterns’ brightness levels are very individual and heavily depend on how wet or dry the soil around the cables is. It’s also impossible to get at the cables without ripping all of them apart.

Somebody who had to leave the company under less-than-ideal circumstances a few years ago, died a couple of weeks ago, presumably of natural causes greatly helped along by excessive smoking and a suspected drinking habit. SO who was the one to let her go back then feels bad about it, though objectively there’s nothing she or anybody else could have done.
To help her get this (and other things) off her mind, I took her to a four-day road trip to Como, Monaco and Nice, which sounds much fancier than it was. But it was a good idea and helped us both to get some lovely mediterranean sun and untangle some stuff in our lives.

This also was the first long trip with my electric car. Travelling in it was an absolute pleasure both for me as the driver and for SO as the passenger. Charging it was rather easy and straightforward all through Switzerland and Italy, though prices are a labyrinth. It definitely pays to check whether a particular charge point is cheaper with Plugsurfing, SwissCharge, Chargepoint or direct payment.
France was a bit of a disappointment in that aspect, at least the Alpes-Maritimes. There were precious few fast chargers in the first place, Nice was full of chargers that only residents can use, and on many rest areas we either couldn’t charge at all because of a thoroughly unhelpful error massage, or we needed to download an app just for this one charge point. There’s definitely some room for improvement.

Speaking of work, the accountant and I have devised a solution for a long-standing problem / conflict concerning people working for us with different types of salaries. It’s not as elegant as I had been hoping for, but the rules are simple and the process can be automated to a high degree. Now I need to develop the new workflow and extend our payroll software accordingly, which is going to cause a headache or two. Especially until the other person doing salaries has been convinced to use all of the tools as intended.

At home I’ve finally found some time to de-junk the room that’s supposed to be(come) my workshop. It looks so much better now and I’m so happy that I walk through there several times a day just to enjoy the free floor space.
Sadly the previously very tidy shelter (a separate room) is now full of boxes from the workshop. Plus I also still need to install a missing air exhaust valve in the shelter. I’ve finally obtained the valve, but the existing bolts have apparently been installed by a kindergartener - not a single one is in the correct position, so I need to saw them all off and install new ones. The fun part is that they’re very difficult to obtain, as only a handful are certified for use in shelters in the first place, and they’re normally only sold to businesses. Argh. There are just way too many regulations for such a simple thing!
But…! The fiber network I’ve installed in the shelter works like a dream and I’m very happy. No more copper cables blocking the place where the valve should be.

Maybe I should also install a TV and a small fridge in the shelter. It’s the only place in the house where I’d be guaranteed to not even hear it if anyone’s looking for me. And as far as I can tell, the kids aren’t even consciously aware of its existence. Hmmm…

I’ve also used the workshop to finally finish a small pet project of mine - a doggy stick library to set up at the place where we normally go for walks and to meet other dogs. It’s not much to brag about in terms of woodworking skills or looks, but I’m very happy that it’s survived the first couple of rainstorms and looks like it’s already been used by other dog persons. Sadly the image upload facility currently appears to be broken, not sure if the issue is with Beehaw or Jerboa. So no picture today.

I’ve also tried to subscribe the entire family to a fire safety course, so next time somebody sets the kitchen on fire (twice so far within a year) they know what to do. Sadly it’s difficult for everybody to be available at any of the current course dates. Maybe I can teach a mini-course myself with one of the fire blankets and extinguisher sprays we have around the house, but the fun part of the real course is that huge steel contraction where you can simulate all kinds of fire and small explosions to fight.

SO will also fly to Argentina in April to visit some family members and enjoy the distance from people who cause her stress or work at home (i.e. kids and workmates).
We’re aware of the country’s political and economic situation, and we know how not to draw attention to the fact that we’re rich gringos who probably don’t understand the language and local tricks to fleece tourists very well (we do know most tricks and how to protect against them). But still I worry about her - a lot has changed since our last family trip in 2019, and people’s desperation is ever increasing. I hope her sister the police officer will join her in Buenos Aires.

Ugh. Probably all of them.
As long as they don’t conclude that obnoxious behaviour is acceptable in your place, that is.

Maybe loud military-style exercise music at 0600 sharp would help?

I can’t offer much good advice or help, only some friendly words. Ziggy sounds like she’s had a good life with a loving family. The way you describe her situation there’s probably not much more that could be done for her even if money were no issue, but I would argue that you’re already doing the most important thing: being there for her and showing her that she’s loved and not alone.
Spending a pet’s last days or hours together is the hardest part of having a pet. Some pets are family members, which is something pet-less people for the most part can’t understand. You caring (and being strong) for Ziggy despite feeling helpless yourself is probably the most precious gift you can give her. Never forget that. Whatever happens in life that you have no control over - and cancer is a super-extra shitty example - the most important thing is to have somebody who cares about you. And for Ziggy that’s you.

So far I’ve found most of what I’ve been looking for on www.exlibris.ch, though www.orellfuessli.ch seems quite nice as well. Normally it says in the details whether or not a particular book comes with DRM.

The DRM-free books are still digitally marked - Ex Libris will include your e-mail address in one of the first pages, and there are probably subtle differences in the text itself. I don’t mind that, though I blame the technology for the occasional annoying ‘typo’ in the book.