New Mexican biometric passport.

I renewed my passport a couple of weeks ago, and got my first Mexican biometric passport since they got implemented in 2021. To be honest the whole process was quite simple, but since the only appointments available where on municipal liaison offices to the SRE, I had to wait a couple of weeks to actually get it.

To be honest, I don't mind the wait to pick the passport up. Yet, I'd like to have the option to have it sent to my office or home. Though the wait wasn't that long, it took no more than 20 minutes to be called to be handled my passport, it would be far better to have it delivered since it would mean I wouldn't have had to use a vacation day to go get it.

The passport itself isn't all that different than the one it replaces, which it isn't a big deal on itself. I think that's good, since I've always liked the design of the Mexican passport and the fact that passport one of those things that are an international standard.

Now, its time to get some international travels.

Linux Mint sold me on long-term support software for my OS.

When I was an Ubuntu user, I did enjoy getting a new OS release every six months. It really matter if big upgrades didn't come every time, but it was something nice to have even if it was just for novelty sake.

Now that I've move to Linux Mint, I've come to appreciate long-term support software. Even tough the big releases come every couple of years, the three point releases that come in-between makes the wait worthwhile. The best thing, is that if any big upgrade in a component of the OS can be come with a point release, not having to wait until the next big release to come.

To be honest, the long-term support model for the OS has won me over. Mainly because it simply has proven to cover all the needs I've for my computing needs without having to worry about my system braking every 6 months. Which, with Ubuntu didn't happen to me.

What's best, Linux Mint's point releases keeps my system reasonably up-to-date without having the worries of upgrading completely every time.

So, if you want a good Linux distro for general computing with support for at least 5 years, but with an option to upgrade to a new version every two years, Linux Mint got you covered.

New CEO at Twitter.

Elon Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino as the new Twitter CEO, and the conservative Twitterland went crazy over it. It seems like she is to connected to the progressive and globalist side of things.

To be honest, she seems to have the credentials to at least be given the chance to see if she can manage. I thing she can do a good job, and definitely a better one than Must has been doing so far, but only time will tell.

At the end of the day, the most vocal people against the appointment are the ones who aren't happy with anything, or the ones who can't give a chance to anyone that doesn't believe the same thing they do. We'll have to give Linda a chance to prove she is a good option for the CEO role.

Looking forward for Android 14 on the Nothing Phone (1).

Android 14 beta is coming to the Nothing Phone (1) in the coming weeks, and is something that makes me happy.

The Android 13 upgrade for the Nothing Phone (1) came at the start of February, and it has been quite a nice upgrade. I actually participated on the open beta program that started on December 2022, and since then Android 13 felt like a good upgrade. As such, I'm looking forward to upgrading to Android 14, when it comes live.

If an open beta for Android 14 come around, I willing to becoming a part of the open beta. While I know the beta testing for Android 14 might not go as smoothly as the open beta for Android 13 went for me, it seems like a risk I'm willing to take.

I'll see if I make the jump when the know issues for beta testing come, but there is a high probability I might make the jump.

So far, the Nothing Phone (1) has been one of the top 3 Android smartphones I've owned, and it proven that middle range smartphones are a good fit for my use case. So much so, that if I jump brands I'd go for a Google Pixel.

Nothing has become on of my favorite Android smartphone brands, the others being Motorola and Google Pixel.

Software is a tool to fulfill the needs of its user.

When the discussion of which OS, or app, is the best the most important question is often left out of it. People tend to lose sight of what said OS, or app, is going to be used for by the end user.

For example, I've found out that the best OS for me is Linux Mint. Linux Mint runs like a charm on my laptop, and it has all the software I need for my needs. Yet, I wouldn't recommend it for someone who needs to use AutoCAD, or Adobe Photoshop, since they need macOS or Windows to use those apps.

Which OS, or app, is the best for any given user is the one that better fits their needs. There is no one size fits all, at the end of the day most software is developed in order to meet a certain set of use cases in mind.

At the end of the day, the best software is the one that works for you. That software can change as your needs change with time, I used to prefer Windows, then moved to Ubuntu, and finally I'm happy with Linux Mint. It might be that with time I'll move to other OS, but so far I've seen no need to do so.

The same goes for Android and iOS, the best one is the one that just works for you. The whole discussion about how the iPhone can do this that Android smartphones can't, and vice versa, is meaningless for most users. For the average smartphone user, the best smartphone is the one that works for her/him, no matter the technical specifications of the smartphone itself.

Each user have certain needs, and the best option is that one that covers those needs the best.

Flexibility to manage my time more effectively.

After a couple of years of using Remmina as a remote desktop client for work, it has helped me to be quite effective at work and to be able to keep using Linux Mint on my main laptop even after we returned to work on site.

To be honest, since it has been so reliable that I can't see myself no using my laptop for work and personal use since it allows me far more flexibility in both areas than having to use separate computers for both uses. Being able to seamlessly accessing all the data from me personal, and professional, lives from my laptop make managing both a lot easier.

While doing so can present some cybersecurity issues, those issues can be managed a lot easier with modern software and some time management skills so not be overwhelmed.

What I enjoy the most about what the mobility my laptop gives me, by allowing me to connect to the work server remotely, is that I can have more options from where and when I can complete certain tasks. As time goes on, it becomes more apparent that being able to have access to every aspect of my life from a single laptop, and a smartphone, makes managing it a lot easier.

When technology can be manage to better fill your need, it can empower you to become better at what you do, while allowing you to have a healthier personal-work life balance.

Nothing Phone 1 has become my favorite Android smartphone so far.

I've been using the Nothing Phone 1 for about 4 months now, and it has been the best Android smartphone I've used so far. To be honest, since the upgrade to Nothing OS 1.5.3, based on Android 13, I've seen a marked improvement in my user experience.

The only changes I made to how the Nothing Phone 1 comes out of the box, is that I prefer to use the Discreet Launcher and Jugo icon pack. Other than that, I don't make any more changes.

One of the things I like the most about the Nothing Phone 1, is that it doesn't come with much bloatware. Other than the custom launcher it comes with, and a couple of apps like a weather and Bluetooth paring apps, it is as close to vanilla Android as it comes.

So far, all my coworkers that have seen it have liked the design of the Nothing Phone 1 so far. Some like it because it reminds them of an iPhone without being a copy of it. I can see how, and I don't mind it since I like the iPhone industrial design while I prefer using Android over iOS.

I use my Nothing Phone 1 on Movistar network in Mexico, and so far it has worked like a charm. Since about January, Movistar has started to roll it's 5G network in Guadalajara, and where 5G is available I've been able to use it with no issues at all.

I do recommend the Nothing Phone 1, just make sure its compatible with your mobile provider network before buying it.

I prefer to be able stay mobile.

One of the things which make laptops a better fit for me, is that they allow me to work no matter if I'm not at the office. Being able to keep on top on of my job independently from my location, has become something that invaluable for me.

I'm someone that doesn't like to stay at the same place for long, and being able to work outside the office has become something that keeps me a lot more interested in my job. Being able to work outside the office keeps my job interesting, and helps me to focus a more since staying at the same place bores me easily.

To add to my preference to laptops, is that I like to keep my digital life with me where ever I go. That's why the laptop and smartphone combo works so well for me, since I can take them with me anywhere I go. 

In a way, I'm a digital nomad. I like to able to take my digital life where ever my real world life goes. My real world, and digital, lives have become integrated in ways that it is hard to separate them cleanly. So much so, that both my professional and personal life exist on both worlds.

I guess that I've become one of those who lives life on both worlds seamlessly, and can't imagine not being able to access either one at a moment's notice. While there are people I only interact with only on the real world or digitally, most of the most important people in my life interact with me both ways.

While I never intended to take this path, it came naturally to me. So much so, that I find it hard to give it up. Time has proven to me that a mobile life is possible, even within a single city, and that makes that much harder to give it up.

Beta testing Nothing OS 1.5.1.

I've been testing Nothing OS 1.5.1, which is based on Android 13, since it was released on December 2022. Since then, it has seen a couple of updates and only has improved.

To be honest, so far I haven't seen any bug that has been a deal breaker for me in my daily usage. So, I only expect to be better when the stable version is released, or at least stay as good as it has been so far.

I was somewhat hesitant to sign-up to the beta testing, but when I read what was expected from it when it rolled out I decided to jump in since there was nothing that would break the user experience in my daily use. So far, I've been proven right and it has been better that I was expecting.

Does that means that I'd recommend everyone to beta test? No, since beta testing might brake things for you that you need on the device you use. You need to read what is expected from the software release, and from that decide if you can help with the beta testing.

At this point, if you are looking for a good mid-range Android smartphone, the Nothing Phone (1) is one of the best options out there so far in 2023.

Linux Mint: my Linux distro of choice.

I've been using Linux Mint continuously since 2019, and it only has been getting better with time. Linux Mint was one of the Linux distros I tried when I was choosing a distro to jump to when I was making the jump to Linux back in 2012, which at the time I choose Ubuntu.

Yet, when Canonical decided to drop Unity as its user interface, I decided to make the jump to Linux Mint. I simply like Cinnamon as an user interface rather than GNOME, even if Ubuntu ships with a customized version of it.

To be honest, when GNOME 3 was released I was looking an alternative for it. At the time, I tried both Ubuntu's Unity and Linux Mint's Cinnamon. Unity won because at the time Cinnamon was a bit too buggy for my use, even though I preferred Cinnamon workflow.

As such, when Canonical dropped Unity for the main release of Ubuntu I made the jump to Linux Mint. The Linux Mint team had developed Cinnamon to the point on which all the bugs of the early versions of the user interface had been fixed, and added features that made it more useful for my use. Not only that, by the time I came back to Linux Mint, the decision to base it on the LTS version of Ubuntu made it all that much appealing to me. Specially since I've come to prefer stability over cutting edge technology on my daily driver.

Linux Mint has become my preferred OS by far, since its stable and just works for me.

Beta testing Nothing OS 1.5.

Nothing, company behind the Nothing Phone (1) asked for people to apply for beta testing for Nothing OS 1.5, the company's implementation of Android 13, to be pushed to selected participants on the December 15th of 2022.

After sleeping on it, I decided to jump on the chance to become a beta tester. Though I had the Nothing Phone (1) for a couple of weeks before that, the experience with it had been quite good. Though I know that testing a beta version of any software, specially on hardware you use as your daily driver, is quite risky the idea of getting Android 13 on my smartphone was quite hard to skip.

After a couple of day of using it, I'm happy to report that I've been one of those use case where I haven't seen no deal breaker bug. Actually, it seems that it works a bit better that it did with Nothing OS 1.1.7, which is based on Android 12. Though it's still early on the beta testing phase, it makes me hopeful that when the final version of Nothing OS 1.5 will be quite an improvement.

For what I gather from the communications of Nothing, I can expect several updates during the beta testing of the Nothing OS 1.5. So, the jury is still out on how much of an improvement it will be over Nothing OS 1.1, yet so far the signs are that it will be a solid one up.