This summer, Ben got his first part time job… then I made him quit!
Continue readingGrowatt Shine WiFi Not Connecting to Server
If you found a deal on a Growatt Shine WiFi adapter for your Solar Inverter, but are having trouble adding/viewing it on the Growatt Dashboard, and you live in the US, you need to change the default server.
Continue readingThe Solar Shed EV Charger
I’m still a newbie at all the electrical terms, so I won’t try to talk KWh or Amps, but the i3s battery is roughly 3 times larger than my single solar battery. Is it even possible to charge the car with the sun?
Continue readingFor Dooce
Heather Armstrong was about 5 years older than us. She also started her blog, dooce, in 2001, and became Internet-famous in 2002 when it got her fired. Turns out her co-workers did not enjoy her writing about them online. The term “dooced” became a short-hand for losing your job over your Internet activities. The Instagram and Tik Tok generation should take notes…
Continue readingDominican 2023
My first day of college, I was determined to put myself out there and make new friends. My strategy was simple, if I saw someone in at least two of my classes, I would introduce myself to them. When the same guy chose to sit beside me in two different classes on the same day,…
Continue readingUsefully Wrong – The Problem with Generative AI
I’m not saying ChatGPT, Bard and other generative AI should go away — the genie is out of the bottle, so there’s nothing that can be done about that. I’m saying that we need to approach this technology evolution not with awe and wonder and ignorance, but instead learn from the lessons of the past few decades, and carefully think through the unintended consequences of yet-another-algorithm in our lives…
Continue readingJelly 2 – A phone that fits in your pocket
We’ve all kind of accepted our fate when it comes to smart phones. Apple and Google make the OS, control the app ecosystem, and we get to choose from a virtually identical selection of slabs as our hardware, made by one of three vendors, all competing to make bigger phones every year, without adding any new features except evolutionary improvements in the cameras. Its not just boring, its stupid.
Continue readingAdjustment of Status
I won’t try to draw parallels between open borders and open APIs — save that thoughtful application of policy, and an examination of unintended consequences is important in both cases. For us, the status of “permanent resident” has been out of reach for a long time. Last week we got word that it has been granted to us.
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