Tsikbal: from my perspective

All my personal computers run either Linux Mint or Ubuntu, while at work I use Microsoft Windows. If you told me a couple of years ago that I would be able to seamlessly run a Windows server desktop on either Linux Mint or Ubuntu I would have not really believed you. Yet, since last year I've able to do so using Remmina without any issue at all. I've been able to bring some work home and connect to the server at work without any issue what so ever. So much so, that if I had to, I could bring to work any of my laptops to the office and keep working without much issue at all. To be honest, that is something I have wished to be able to have the option to do so for a while now. Not only because it gives me the option to keep working for where ever I want to do so, but because it gives me the option to do so using the OS I prefer to use. And it finally it gives me the chance to use Linux as a viable option. Ever since I began using Ubuntu, I've been looking for ways to use Linux...

Since last year, it has become ever easier not to use cash. As time goes by, its becoming easier to pay via credit, or debit, cards, or just make a transfer via your bank's app. Even digital wallets are making it easier to pay without even having your usual cards on you when making a purchase. To be honest, having to depend on cash as much was something I never thought I would see on my lifetime. Though we are still a long way from becoming a cashless society, big strides are made every day that are bringing it closer every day. The amount of cash I need to have on me has been steadily decreasing with time, and with the pandemic the pace seems to have being picking up. The things I actually need cash for have been decreasing as time goes by, so much so that I find myself surprised when there is at least no an option for electronic option to pay for something. The only thing I have to use cash that I usually pay for, is adding founds for my prepaid mass transit card. Every thing el...

One thing that I recently has starting irking me on Internet forums, is that someone ask some basic question the just google it answers begin to pour in. For me, they are starting to feel like people lack a certain empathy for others that ask a question in a forum looking for an answer from a person that could help them. Not only that, some who ask don't want to use a search engine either because they don't know how to phrase the question, or the amount of information that they get back is just to much for them to process. And when you add into that the amount of trash you get with it, the things get a lot harder to figure out for people who don't really know much of the issue they are asking about to begin with. Sometimes, you just want or need the kind of answer you get from another person. One thing are the answer you get from the results you get from a search engine, and quite another the answers you get from someone who knows about the subject matter you asked about. N...

It seems that the people that complain about that now nothing can be said without offending someone, are those who get called out for being racist, misogynistic, or just plain offensive. They can't deal with the consequences of what they say, believing that freedom of speech means they don't have to deal with those consequences. They seem to want to return to a time when they didn't have to face the push back for their actions the way do with the advent of the Internet, and smartphones, which gives voices to those who have an issue with what they say or do. Sure, the push back is not always correct, or proportionate, but that doesn't mean that there is push back that has substance to it. There is an expectation that people should not raise their voices to change things. The people who express their disdain for those who point out that that certain things no longer have place in our society going forward, are the ones who just are unable to evolve and understand that soc...

One of the main things that worried me if I had to work from home because of the the pandemic, was the fact that on my personal computers at home I use Linux Mint , while at work we use Windows based systems. As such, I was worried about not being able to work from home due to compatibility issues. While I wasn't keen on trying out Wine , because some people who had used it for work have had some stability issues with. As such, I had to look for alternatives to be able to use the remote desktop I use for work. Worst part was that I just had a short notice to set it up to, and start using it in less than an hour. So, after looking for options I ended up opting for Remmina , and it actually is a really good option to do work on remote Windows desktops. So much so, that now is routine for me to bring work home to catch up if I need to do so and I don't want to stay extra time at the office. I have found Remmina to quite stable, and easy to use. It lets me to actually concentrate ...

After Dr. Seuss announced that they won't reprint 6 Dr. Seuss' books due racist images they contain; the New York Times ran an opinion piece by Charles M. Blow rising a point against Pepé Le Pew, who normalized rape culture; Speedy Gonzales, whose friends helped popularize the corrosive stereotype of the drunk and lethargic Mexicans; and Mammy Two Shoes, a heavyset Black maid who spoke in a heavy accent. To be honest, I do agree with him about the issues he raised. Yet, the backlash about the possibility of Pepé Le Pew being cancelled got me worried. It really shows that violence against women is so normalized in our society that even the possibility of a cartoon where it is portrayed offends people more than the violence itself. It mind blowing that people haven't have problem against the kind of behavior Pepé Le Pew displays just because it is shown in a funny way. Some even go as far as justifying it, saying that it is just a cartoon or it shows perseverance by Pepé ...

How much telecommunication technologies have helped many people to keep their jobs, by allowing them to work from home is what one of the things that have impressed me the most of what has changed because of the pandemic. If it wasn't because of people being able to do home office, the level of unemployment might have been a lot higher. Also a lot more businesses could have faced bankruptcy if they have given their employees that option. On the other hand, it shows that the capability to make use of home office has been there for quite a while. Seems that many businesses have been reticent to make use of this option because they were afraid that employees would not perform as they they do on site. Yet, the results may give more businesses the data they need to make home office something more of their employees use more often. To be honest, it would be something that I'd like to make use at least once a week, and several of my coworkers would have the option to use with some reg...

One of the mayor lessons that the COVID-19 pandemic, is that no country can truly and effectively, face such big challenges by itself. Multilateralism has become the best way to face not only problems like COVID-19, but to tackle other challenges like global warming and to bring more people out of extreme poverty. Isolationism is not a long term solution. In many ways, it would only compound the problems each country has by not being able to access solutions other countries have, or make it viable to get outside help without being at a weak negotiating position since there isn't much to bargain with that other countries can't get else where. Most importantly, multilateralism doesn't mean that a country has to give their identity away. It means that there is willingness to engage the rest of the world in a way that is beneficial to all parties involved, with a set of rules that have to be followed by all of those who want to participate in any given activity. It doesn'...

The beginning of 2021 has been a lot rougher than expected, specially with the riots that led to storming to the US Capitol . It feels like all what happened on 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic is carrying over, specially since there is still no clear end in sight. People are angry, and stressed, that the economy is still highly restricted. For many, it means that their source of income has been lost with little chance of recovering it. For others, it means a reduced income and for others a certain uncertainty about being able to keep their job for the foreseeable future. For others, it has meant losing family or friends. Even seeing some loved ones battling the virus without certainty they make it. The feeling of uncertainty we live in, is something that for many is proving to be to much to handle. People are scared, or exhausted, about not being able to at least be sure about the short term. In addition, for many is hard to come by with credible information almost about everything the...

With time, we have come to rely on more gadgets to manage more of our daily lives. From smart TVs , to our smartphones , we use them ever more often for work and play. One would think that once we buy them, we would be able to do with them as we want. Specially to be able to get them fix if they fail, and be able to extend their live a for some more time. Being able to repair expensive electronic devices, like TVs and smartphones, is specially important for people who can't afford to buy one every time something happens to them. Some other people, for example, simply don't want to through the hassle of buying a new smartphone if they can just replace the screen or the battery. Yet, many OEMs seem to want to take that choice from the user. They cite anything from safety concerns, to possible intellectual property theft. as reasons why people shouldn't be able to repair they devices. Specially when third party services give that choice to the end user. At the end of the day,...

Before I began using wireless headphones on regular basis, I must admit that I was not really sure about how they would work for me. But since I got a set of Otium headphones a couple of years ago as a gift, I must admit that I found that I prefer them over wired headphones when I'm commuting to, and from, work. Or just when I go for a walk. While I still prefer my wired over the ear headphones Perfect Choice set when I'm at home, or writing at a coffee shop, my Otium pair is one of the things I always carry with me when I go out. I've found wireless headphones to be more practical way to enjoy my music, or podcasts, when out and about. Specially when I take the any of public transportation systems I use to move around the city, since there is no cable to tangle at the worst possible moment. To be honest, while the sound quality might not be as good on my headphones as it is on my wired headphones, it is still more than good enough for the what I expect from them. What I ...