Month: December 2018

Fake Flash Drives

By Michael Gregory On In Tech Tips

I have about 30 flash drives in my backpack for various IT needs. Some contain tools to install software, some are entire bootable Linux environments or virus scanners, and some are just for copying files or backing up a user’s computer before doing something dangerous. They’re different makes, models, and sizes; and I’ve got them all on keyrings that jingle a bit when I pull them out. The largest drive that I carry around daily is 32GB. At home I have a 128GB drive which contains a backup of my computer from when I last reinstalled Windows. The largest offerings on Amazon are for 1 TB thumb drives from a reputable company for around $400, with 1/2 a TB at around $100-$130 (but wait a few months and prices will drop even more).

Slowly Approaching Zero Waste

By Kristin Imperio On In Misc

I’m going to preface this by saying I am far, far away from zero waste. I’m not sure that I will even get close. But I’ve continued to be more conscious about how to reduce waste in a way that works for me now, because as I am learning, it’s a practice, like many things.

You may already be applying these pro-tips on the regular (reusable water bottle, maybe!?) so I hope you’ll find these helpful. Below are some things I’ve been practicing in real life:

Path of Exile – Betrayal League

By Will Jay On In Fun Stuff, Misc

Let’s cut straight to it: Path of Exile is an isometric roleplaying game that gets me all hot and bothered. The game servers effectively get wiped once every three months, with players starting back at square one. This wipe is accompanied by a new league, which is a content patch that changes the core way that the game is played. It addresses imbalances to the gameplay experience that were drudged up during the previous content patch. While experiencing new content is what brings a lot of players back into the fold every few months, another chunk of players come back to exert their will on the newly-minted economy.

Words Per Minute

By Laura Jean On In Fun Stuff

In 7th Grade I completed an elective course in typing. Typewriting? Nah, I’m not that old. But the keyboard did look like this, complete with the no2 pencil placement:

Some of the other Birds mock how loudly I type – with authority, some (none) might say – and I wonder if it’s a product of being raised on a landscape of competitive typing. Keyboard buttons required elbow grease to properly place letters. I had to focus to win, to up my Word Per Minute game. No mistakes. No auto-correct. Shift to capitalize. Which hand is responsible for the letter, B?!