Public transport systems: a win for everyone.

One of my biggest gripes with mobility in big cities, is that we have the public transport systems to help alleviate the traffic, thus improving the quality of life of the people, and they aren't given enough priority and planning.

Systems of light rail, and bus rapid transit, when correctly planned and implemented, can help to move people faster and conveniently. When implemented well, people can move fast and easily within the city. This in turn benefits their employers and other business owners by making it easier to their employees and clients to get to where they are located.

Not only that, by taking people of cars, the congestion will be a lot less. This means that those who need or prefer using cars, can move faster since there are less traffic jams.

Good public transport systems are a win for everyone, even those who don't use them.

Most importantly, it doesn't take away from personal freedom. A good public transport system actually increase the mobility of people within the city, by granting access to more areas of the city in a more convenient and practical way.

A sign that a public transport system is good, and has quality, is that a big portion of the people who live in the city from different social classes, sees it as a good option to get to where they need to get. And that is something every city should have. 

Linux Mint: from freedom came elegance.

While I love using Linux Mint, one of the things I would love to see more is more people who use Linux Mint sharing the apps and the desk set ups they use.

To be honest, one of the reasons I love Linux Mint is that is one of the distros that is easiest to set on your personal aesthetics. A solid Linux disto that is easy to use, and that is easy to set to be aesthetical pleasing. A distro that has the looks and the technical foundations, so to say.

In a way, Linux Mint is elegant. The closest one that come close in my view was Ubuntu when it used Unity. Other than that, I haven't found that gives me the aesthetics that Linux Mint gives me. And since it changed the release schedule to use LTS versions of Ubuntu as its base, it has been even better.

Printing remotely.

Something that feels like a downgrade when the local server was changed to a server provided by our enterprise resource planning provider, was that we stopped being able print remotely.

The reason that we could print from outside the office, was that the printer at the office was on the server itself. As such, the laptop or computer we used to connect to the remote desktop we used for work, didn't need to be at the same network where the printer was connected to be able to print. When the change was made to the server provided by provider the computer, or laptop, we used needed to be at the same network the printer, because to printer needed to be added to the computer itself.

Which is something that has come to bite me in multiple ways. Mainly when we had a couple of energy outages, and couldn't connect to the network the printer is at. Also when I was out of the office, and needed to help making invoices. I just couldn't print the invoices, since I was out the office. That slowed things down, since someone else had to find the invoice and print it.

Not being able to print some documents from where ever we are located, is something sales reps, my boss, and I, makes our jobs a lot easier and processes a lot faster. And even, has proven valuable several times  since the change was made.

Sadly, that is something that the business lost to do internally. And it seems like is something that our provider is willing to give us. Hope that changes soon, since is something really useful for the business.

Pop!_OS: solid Linux distro.

I decided to give Pop!_OS a try on my home laptop, and after a week of use I came back to Linux Mint. Not that Pop!_OS is bad, is that Linux Mint is a better fit for me.

The main reason that I decided to test Pop!_OS on my home laptop, is that if anything went wrong I wouldn't be as pressured to reinstall Linux Mint and all the apps I really as I would be on my main laptop. And even though the experience was good on Pop!_OS, Linux Mint is just better for me.

The worst bug I faced on Pop!_OS, was that the time went several minutes ahead on almost daily basis. Not that big of an issue, but it could be if I had to do time sensitive things. Other than that, there were just workflow things, like I don't like to use docks all that much, and that I find the software update process more intuitive.

Honestly, now that I've used Pop!_OS, I find it to be a solid Linux distro. I can recommend people to give it a try, and I can see it be a good fit for many users, even those without much experience using Linux.

Android 16.

After reading some good reviews, I decided to jump to what is expected the last beta of Android 16. I wanted to see for myself if Android 16 is really shaping to be a good update and mainly jump to it a bit ahead of time.

So far, it has been quite a nice user experience. As a whole, I don't feel that Android 16 is that much different from Android 15. Seems like most of the changes that affect my user experience are under the hood, which is not a bad thing in itself. And to be honest, since a major release is expected on yearly basis, I don't expect major changes in the user interface each year. I rather have a couple of years that focus on security and performance upgrades, with major user interfase upgrades only when needed.

One thing I've noticed, is that since I started testing beta releases since Android 13 with the Nothing Phone (1), Google has made a great job of making the last two betas quite close to what we get when the final Android version is released. So much so, that the final release is almost the same to the last beta I used.

My main gripe about Android smartphone used to be that I only got OS updates  when I got a new device. Yet, since 2021 with a Motorola smartphone I got at least one Android update. Meaning that since Android 12 I've gotten the latest Android the year it was released without the need of buying a new smartphone.

Which for me is great, since I really believe that OS upgraded should come for several years to reduce e waste.

Not everything deserves a phone call.

That people have their smartphones with them almos the time, doesn't mean that you are available to take a call all the time. This is something that some people, specially of older generations, don't seem to understand, or struggle with.

This is why many of the younger generations prefer communicating via instant messaging, it is less intrusive and allows the other to respond when they can without interrupting what they are doing at the moment. It is also become a reason why some send a message before making a call, to make sure the other person can answer.

It is not, as some say, that we are afraid of phone calls. Is just that they have their place and reasons to be made. The same goes for instant messages, some subjects are better served by making a call.

It could be said, that sometimes an instant message is better that 20 minute call.

Which mode of communication, and when to use it, is better depends on context and who do you ask. Both have their place, and as valuable. Yet as it stands, there are not the same and have their best uses. So, when it doubt as the person you want to communicate with that their prefer.

Pixel and Nothing: my favorite Android smartphones.

I've been using the Pixel 7a for over a year now, and it has been one of the best user experiences I've had so had with a smartphone so far. The only smartphone that come close, is the Nothing Phone 1 , so much so that when the time comes to replace my Pixel 7a, it will come to what Pixel and Nothing have on offering on the mid-range at the time.

While I'd like to have to latest, and greatest, flagship smartphone out there, with the experience I had with both the Pixel 7a, and the Nothing Phone 1, I've come to reilase that a good mid-range smartphone gives mee all what I need. Not only that, the user experience is just as good.

Besides, with Nothing offering at least 3 Android upgrades, and Google offering 7 on Pixels, the devices become all that better for me. Knowing that my smartphone will receive at least 3 years of OS upgrades is something that gives a lot more value for me. Specially since I know now that 3 years is the minimum amount of time I want to be able to use my smartphone before considering upgrading the hardware.

I've been using Android since 4.4 Kit Kat, and since then Android has become my go to mobile OS. And since Android 12 I've been able to use each yearly realize. The biggest user facing change has been with Android 15, and I really like it.

The way Android work, keeps me for even considering to making the jump to the iPhone. Not that the iPhone is bad, but Android gives me both the hardware, and software, that makes my user experience the one I want. Not to mention that Android devices are the ones that fit better to my lifestyle.