• Maker Space

    Posted on by Don

    Happy May Day!

    Though I’ve been using my new laptop almost exclusively this past month or so, I’d let the final setup tasks fall by the wayside — not abandoned, just on the back burner for a while. But then, over the last few days, I made some real progress:

    My Header Calculation Program

    I moved the program over to the new machine a while ago, but it wouldn’t run (not even to just give a version number and exit), with an error message saying that it couldn’t find the MXML library. I tried setting up libmxml and ran into another other issue: my code was compiled to a 32-bit architecture (two laptops ago), and the new laptop wouldn’t let me use th 64-bit mxml library with the old program. (Not sure how the old laptops let me get away with it.) The obvious answer was to recompile, which was something I needed to do anyway for some parts of the program, to make it compatible with the new database configuration.

    I got libmxml installed properly, ran make, and as expected I found some errors. I needed to install PostgreSQL’s libpq library, which wasn’t too hard, and after that make ran fine, and so did the program itself. It was kind of cool to run the thing, but ASME header calculations really are something I have no longer have any use for.

    That was Wednesday.

    My Local Web

    Today I got my web server configured to display and run my internal website. I got the server up and running a few weeks ago, but I was dreading this next step — it turned out to be more straightforward than I expected; the only hangup was getting PHP installed, which took all of a minute… And now I have my internal website back, including what I expected to be the most difficult part: my LV commuter map. Granted, I’ll probably have to Marie Kondo my way through the place to get rid of all the old clutter, but that’s a task for another day.

    Most of what I did before this week was just moving files, but these were both firmly on the “porting software to a new system” side of things. What’s left for the new laptop? I will likely set up my background soon, to be like the old laptop — right now I kind of like the current dark generic background though, so we’ll see. And then I should be done!


    📂This entry was posted in tech talk

  • More On The New Toy

    Posted on by Don

    So here I am, posting at home from the new machine. I have it mostly set up the way I want it: photos, music, GRAMPS genealogy are now installed — these all required moving database files, but the transfers went OK. The desktop is mostly the way I like it, and I’m actually using it right now to pay bills today (sigh).

    I’m slowly finding out more about this laptop too. Most interestingly, it has no Ethernet port, no power port (you use one of the USB-C connections), and there is a microSD port rather than a regular one. I guess times change… but there are still two USB-A ports along with the two USB-C “thunderbolt” ports, so I guess things also stay the same.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day tech talk

  • Touching Base

    Posted on by Don

    Man, where to begin…

    I guess the first thing to say is that I usually stop posting when I’m blocked by news in my life, usually bad news, that I don’t want to share yet. I can’t think, or write, about anything else until I get it out of my system, so all writing gets blocked for a while. This has been happening for a while but the latest tale can now be told, to wit:

    This isn’t really my story to tell so I’m deliberately being a bit vague, but my son-in-law had a major health scare. He needed some major surgery, but is recovering now and the surgery seems to have done the trick. We’d all been under a great deal of stress until we got the good news from the hospital, now maybe a week ago. The major problem was found while the doctors were investigating a less severe (unrelated) problem he has, so now he’s back to square one on the original issue, but things are looking up.

    Meanwhile, and I might have mentioned this in passing already, but here’s some good news: Ben and Jennie are expecting — the baby will be here sometime around the beginning of August. We are all over the moon. They also got a new apartment, only a few blocks away from us, and are both now busy teaching.

    Laptop Update: My current laptop is suddenly showing signs of physical wear. It’s mostly a problem with the hinge — the electrical connection to the screen seems to be wearing, and the screen blacks out unless the lid is in just the right spot. So, I bought a new laptop this week. I want to go with Linux Mint, and was thinking of getting a DELL or even another System76, but really I was leaning towards Lenovo, and eventually settled on a Yoga 7.

    This is basically a commodity laptop, pretty straightforward (except for a touchscreen and the hinge’s extra flexibility): 16GB RAM, 1TB storage, Intel CPU and GPU. Not bleeding edge by any means, but at least as good as my old laptop and (most important) it feels physically robust.

    I wiped the drive and installed Mint, which was a bit of a nail-biter but mostly went smoothly. Installed a ton of my favorite software, got my databases up and running, got QGIS going & migrated my projects, and I’m now working through migrating my music/photos and local website. I have a lot still to do but the laptop is now fully functional — I walked with it across the river to a coffee shop, and spent the afternoon configuring software and browsing.

    This afternoon is the No Kings protest in town, and I’ll probably take one of the bikes out for a ride tomorrow.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day tech talk

  • Long And Busy Weekend

    Posted on by Don

    Anne & I went to the Philly Bike Expo yesterday with her brother Joe. We saw a few friends, checked out the exhibits (I favored the rides and trail network booths over bikes & equipment), and went to a few seminars, then we grabbed lunch at the Reading Terminal Market and came home.

    Friday we had a family dinner (Emmi & family, Joe & Laura and Ben & Jennie) to plan for Jennie’s upcoming baby shower. We also pulled the trigger and ordered our new shades for the living room and dining room, and did a bunch of shopping, and I got bunch of Mom’s bills and financial stuff done.

    Thursday was the funeral for my sister-in-law Tara’s mom. She was a sweet woman and very close to our family, and it was a long difficult day. We drove down around 7:00 AM in pouring rain, and came home in a sleety snowstorm. Visibility was garbage, but luckily nothing was sticking on the road. Still, long drive there, long dat, and long drive back.

    This morning we went to a housewarming brunch at Ben & Jennie’s new place, and tonight we’re invited to an Oscars party but I don’t think we’re going. Personally, I’m beat.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • Well That Didn’t Take Long

    Posted on by Don

    I stand corrected: winter came back last night. We got maybe 4 inches, but other parts of our extended area got up to 12″ or even 18″. The snowfall totals didn’t really follow a set pattern either; they were almost random, maybe a bit heavier south and east of us. (It was the same in NJ: my mom’s town got 6 inches while nearby Freehold got 19″.)

    We were out in the storm last night. Joe’s Tavern (our usual Sunday night spot) was closed, but we met Joe & Laura and Sarah at Red Stag. The snow was really beautiful, on all the trees and falling from the sky.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • A Fast Two Months

    Posted on by Don

    Last post was January 7th, and here it is late February already!

    Not much to say here right now: we are super busy with family stuff — some good news, some not so good, but none of them are my stories to tell. I’ve picked up the cello again, and we got our quartet going again, so I have some music to work on. I’ve read a few books, and maybe I’ll write about them here eventually. My mom is back from Florida, and I’m visiting her again (now that the snow is not so bad) to help with finances etc. Iris is growing and thriving — I sometimes miss when she was a baby, but I absolutely adore the little girl she is becoming.

    The world is still mostly grey/white, but the days are longer and you can feel things getting ready for spring.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • Rest In Peace, Henry

    Posted on by Don

    Kevin “Henry” Mortimer 1964(?)-2026

    I knew him from grade school, and high school, and years of early adult friendship. We called him Henry because he and my brother Kevin were inseparable, and my brother’s girlfriend at the time thought two Kevin’s were one too many, and he “looked like a Henry,” and… there may be more to the story but it’s now lost in the mists of time. He lived in Florida for a decade or so, moved back to New Jersey and our paths crossed occasionally. The last time I saw him was when he came to my Dad’s funeral.

    Kevin passed away yesterday, peacefully as far as I know. He’d hit his head in a fall earlier in the day (or maybe the day before — I’m getting the story second-hand). He went to bed, and his girlfriend found him unresponsive in the morning. He died of cardiac arrest in the hospital.

    Wake and funeral early next week. I think I’ll go out and down a bottle of Budweiser for my friend Kevin tonight.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • First Post!

    Posted on by Don

    Happy 2026!

    We had a small party last night, a bunch from Anne’s knitter crowd, and at midnight we walked over to (or under, for most of the crowd) the Broad Street Bridge, where Anne and I lowered a — well, not a Peep, but a large knitted chick named “Confetti” over the side and down to the waiting crowd below, as they counted down to the new year.

    Anne’s been meaning to do this for a few years, ever since the traditional “lowering of the Peep” in our town was moved from the correct and proper midnight to the lame and family-friendly 6:00. Well friends, it finally happened, and it was good. I didn’t take any pictures (I was busy, and couldn’t really see much anyway), but pictures and video were taken, maybe I’ll post some here if I get a my hands on any.

    We just relaxed for most of the day today, hanging with Iris and letting the traditional pork & sauerkraut cook. Jennie took off this morning to visit her folks in LA, but Ben and Emmi & Kyle came over for dinner tonight. Almost immediately after dinner Anne and I drove across the river to meet friends and watch Jack Murray and the Blue Tarp Wranglers do their annual tribute to Hank Williams at Godfrey Daniels.

    Tomorrow is a hike in Jim Thorpe along with a visit to some family up there, and I may post my resolutions in the next day or so but for now I’m going to bed.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • Last Post!

    Posted on by Don

    Here it is, the last post of 2025! Not gonna lie, I’ll be glad to see this year gone, though I don’t really expect much better for next year.

    Anyway, we’re getting ready for our New Year’s Eve shenanigans, and Anne and I went out and got our costumes for Saturday’s big (and themed, by decade) family party.


    📂This entry was posted in day by day

  • Down to the Wire

    Posted on by Don

    Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Almost the end of the year, not many more opportunities to post, but here are some things…

    New Toy

    It’s not really a new toy, not even new to me, but I’ve been playing a lot with GnuCash (an open-source accounting program) lately. I’ve been using it to help with my mom’s finances. It’s been a real learning curve, but it’s also been fun and I finally get how the program works.

    The Anthracite

    Anne got me a book for Christmas — Telling of the Anthracite: A Pennsylvania Posthistory, by Phillip Moseley. I’m not much past the introduction, but it’s already fascinating.

    The Arm

    My shoulder is now to the point where it has no pain or twinges, I think I am finally healed.

    The Season

    The holiday season has been a whirlwind — we’ve been getting together to watch Christmas movies; we went to the Christmas Eve bonfire at Jeff & Kristen’s farm; celebrated Christmas here with Ben & Jenny, Joe & Laura and Rick & Shari (Emmi & family were in Peoria visiting Kyle’s mom); Boxing Day was at my Mom’s, with my brother & family and my Uncle Pat; and this morning we’ll be doing a small gift exchange with Emmi, Kyle & Iris. New Year’s Eve is coming up, and finally the big Christmas shindig next week. Yikes!


    📂This entry was posted in day by day