2023-05-20 from the editor of ~insom
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There has been yet another reshuffle of technology in our
household. I recently realised that when I'm unhappy that
finding things to simplify boosts my mood. I will
subconsciously feel unhappy when things are complex or
suboptimal.
The non-profit my wife works at have a bunch of rag-tag
desktops; almost exclusively cast-offs from my set up. None
of them are really great for the task and having several
desktops set up doesn't suit a crafting space -- which is
primarily for making and not computing (and if there is
computing involved, it's to run things like a vinyl cutter
or printer -- so it's handy to have it near those things).
She also has a Thinkpad T480 laptop which spends most of its
time at home, acting as the admin computer for the
non-profit. Quickbooks was supposed to let her easily work
on the accounts from several places but for _circumstances_
that hasn't really worked out. Her personal computer is my
old work Macbook.
I have a Thinkpad T480, too. We both bought them just before
the pandemic took hold in Canada -- because it would be
useful to have computers we could take places. Then we
didn't go places for 2 years. Hah. Mine was never quite fast
enough for what I want so I ended up with a Windows desktop
(which I am happy with). I also picked up a Chromebook
(because I am weak and it was cheap) and the Dell D400 early
2000's computer that I run Haiku on. I have a powerful Linux
machine which lives in the basement because I use compiled
languages with long build times and I prefer to not make my
laptop cook.
Yes, this is obviously too many computers. This excludes the
pair of machines I run tiny.tilde.website from, too!
My gordian-knot-cutting proposal has been to take both of
the laptops: wipe them, put Windows 11 on, and give them to
the non-profit. They were not _quite_ worth selling
previously (vs. the hassle of eBay) but giving them away
makes me feel good. I would also take two of the (cast off)
desktops from her work, wipe them and get them ready to
sell. They are good computers to someone -- just not to
Square Lemon (the NP) or to me. Square Lemon could use the
cash more than some big/loud workstation class machines. An
Intel NUC that used to power tiny.tilde.website becomes her
Windows machine at home, primarily for accounts and admin.
No waste!
Then the machine from basement can come upstairs and become
my Linux desktop. The Chromebook becomes my only portable
laptop -- mostly used for browsing the web or SSH/VNC so I
can hang out on the couch sometimes.
I love this because it splits my office computing into three
tasks: Paying work on my work laptop, Games and music on my
Windows box, and software development on my Linux PC. I am
lucky enough to have reasonable space for all three and this
suits me, mentally, much better than some kind of all-in-one
device.
There is one small fly in the ointment: the machine I am
typing on now. I used to have a place for the Haiku-running
Dell to live. It was hard-wired in (because I don't think I
have any wifi-things compatible with Haiku and this laptop
predates wifi cards being a standard thing). It also was a
single purpose machine: a way of indulging my nostalgia but
in a useful way: the place I go to use the small web or IRC.
Currently I have that on my lap with an RJ45-to-wifi ...
bridge, I guess? ... and a power brick (the battery is long
dead) plugged into a battery backup with an inverter. To say
that this is not ideal is an understatement, but it
definitely does work.
There is something about my brain and personality that
compels me to acquire stuff, change things, but also resist
hoarding. I suppose I am lucky that I don't _also_ hoard
things, but it does mean I am almost always left feeling
uncomfortable that my set up isn't quite how I want it to
be. Now and then I hit an equilibrium, but once a way to
improve things or mix them up occurs to me then I have to
execute on it to get it out of my brain.
