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One One One One!1111

I had some troubles with my Internet the other day.

I ran a podcast on YT, and that podcast kept playing, but nothing else would load. And the YT connection was slow. Occasionally other sites would work again, momentarily, but just as I was about to send an email, or save something somewhere, the connection gave up on me again...

What was the issue? DNS, yes. It seems to always be DNS.

I thought I'd try using Google's public DNS resolver, as I have in the past, but I used the wrong IP.

Theirs is 8.8.8.8. For some reason I remembered it as 666.666.666.666.

I tried 600.600.600.600 too. Didn't work. Tried 1.1.1.1 and it did! But was that really theirs? Had to check, and so I found this.

1.1.1.1

In the words of Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 is a public DNS resolver operated by Cloudflare that offers a fast and private way to browse the Internet. Unlike most DNS resolvers, 1.1.1.1 does not sell user data to advertisers. In addition, 1.1.1.1 has been measured to be the fastest DNS resolver available.

FAST!

It does not mine user data. Logs are kept for 24 hours for debugging purposes only. It's integrated into Cloudflare’s network - which spans 330 global cities, and if you're on a cellphone they even have an app for it with over a million positive reviews.

How had I not heard of this service before either?!

I've been a big fan of Cloudflare for a while now, not least since I learned that you can manage domains there at no extra cost at all, only the price they pay the domain registry. And they give you fair warning on registry price increases well in advance, so you can renew said domains for any number of years (or is it up to 10 years? Maybe there was a limit after all?) before said price increase comes into play.

They offer free DNS services with every domain you keep, not to mention free CDN services for personal sites, that by the way are used to cache and speed up some - if not most - of the biggest sites on the Internet. And unless you want priority services, and DDoS protection, or any other numbers of perks they offer, they pretty much give you all the tools you need to drastically optimize, speed-up and manage your site save for actual hosting at no cost at all.

So in my book they're pretty much one of the greatest companies out there. Making the Internet a better place one site at a time, or service and server innovation on the roadmap...

I wouldn't be surprised if they start offering a free plan for hosting too, though maybe that'd give them a problematic monopoly on website infrastructure. Maybe that wouldn't be so wise.

But this? This DNS resolver worked perfectly, everything started loading again right away, and it is fast. Faster than my ISP default on a good day.

Turns out there may actually be other benefits to using a resolver outside of the default too. It's not a security issue - unless you're with an unreliable resolver host, of course - but rather a benefit! It's kind of like a proxy really. It hides your connection. But that's a post for another day...

For now I'm surfin'! Blazing speeds. Up up and away.

Meet Me In The Middle...

Meet me in the back, says the unjust man. Both the middleman and unjust man take steps forward to the back. The unjust man gives 10% of the drug deal revenue to the middleman. Unfair, but what was the middleman going to do? He was just a middleman. He could be replaced in a heartbeat. And the only way out of this business is six feet under. *spooky Mafia trumpet noir music plays*

Not really restoring my faith in humanity one shady interaction at a time! But props.

Hiding The Windows 11 Notification Box

I've been trying to get rid of that pesky box for so long now!!!

Gave my problem a Google again today, and this time I actually found a Reddit post with a viable answer! Their solution's surprisingly simple:

  1. Download and install Windhawk.
  2. Open it, and search for 'Windows 11 Notification Center Styler'.
  3. Install the mod, click 'Settings', and scroll down to 'Control styles'.
  4. Add this to 'Target': Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Grid#NotificationCenterGrid
  5. Add this to 'Styles': Visibility=Collapsed

That's it! It's gone, and you don't even have to reboot your computer.

It should go from this:

Windows 11 Notification Box

To this, the next time you click it:

No Windows 11 Notification Box!

*immense sense of relief and gratitude*

Seems you can do pretty much all things with Windhawk that you can do with Start11 too, using whatever combination of modules you need. Which also explains why nobody's updating Classic Shell any longer. It's just no longer needed. This seems both less buggier and better, and also free, with mods that hopefully do everything the former did and more!

There is however potential for malicious mods to make their way into the database, so be cautious with what you use. Windhawk is basically just the framework to run your scripts, and the database in large part a community-driven endeavor.

Much like userscripts in a browser.

I'm just surprised I'd never heard of this before. I have a lifetime license on Start11 already, since I didn't know this was an alternative. Though that probably does allow you to do some things that this one does not, this really is comprehensive!

So far, this box removal thing is the only mod I really need.

Further Windhawk mod database exploration TBC.

When You Feel Like You're In The Dirt...

Just know that sometimes you feel like, man, I’m in the dirt but you’re really, you’re in the soil.

You're ready to grow, IWO!

Potential Steps In The Strife For Blogging Betterment

I forget why I do this occasionally, this blogging thing, then sometimes I feel like writing for real, and I remember.

It bothers me that I feel I don't have time for it more often though. That oftentimes when I do want to write, I force myself to do more mundane things instead, that I feel are more important.

But beyond that, oftentimes I don't feel like writing in the first place. I just feel tired. The impulse to put pen to paper doesn't come naturally. The inspiration's not there unless I force it.

I've been thinking of ways to make writing more fun again, and to re-ignite that spark of constant creation and content exploration...

I'm wondering if:

  1. I need a break from routines. Or new routines.

    The ones that I use to force creativity on a daily basis, may be counterproductive long-term.

    I still keep these routines because I recognize the value of commitment, even when there's a lack of inspiration, as for example The War of Art suggests, in how professionals separate themselves from amateurs. But is this applicable to all situations? Could I simply be committing to the wrong routines? To uninspiring ones?

    Has for example writing a hundred word post and a diary entry every day served its purpose?

  2. I need more sleep.

    This one's not so easy to fix, but I wonder if the main reason inspiration's lacking is just that I don't have the energy for it.

    What do about this though if so?

    That's something for another post.

  3. I need a more positive home environment.

    As some of you may know, I share a co-habitat with my parents, who are old, and at times bitter or cynical, and oftentimes scared, and overall though cherished and kind not the most optimistic and motivating people to be around. I spend a lot of time either worrying about their health, or feeling frustrated about their waning ability for reasonable discussion; to see things with a clear mind.

    Or to do essential things. Keep a healthy diet. Tend to personal hygiene. Stay motivated and interested in life outside the television, and not just let themselves stagnate and wither away.

    You gain quirks as you grow old, to say the least, and you stop making an effort for, or caring for certain things. Though even more so the more you distance yourself from the world.

    I suppose this transformation isn't exclusive only to old people, but to anyone who spends too much time in a bubble, though it seems amplified by age. Your cognitive capabilities definitely change with age, and I think even more so when you don't constantly challenge yourself, and at least attempt to explore new ideas and habits.

    On the home front I ought sort out my room too. I've been hoarding too long. During my school years we moved regularly, so you were forced to go through your things and keep only the essentials.

    Maybe that's why I started collecting in the first place, that I felt like I had to recoup what I lost with each move... now though I have more than enough, and stuff takes time to manage, too.

  4. I need less focus on what I need.

    I just need to do. I need to suck it up, stop making excuses, learn to prioritize what matters in life, and focus. What would make me feel the most accomplished? What change is in my best interest?

    My circumstances aren't a disadvantage. I'm in a privileged position, I am. How many get the opportunity to reminisce, assist and spend time with their folks in the first place, no matter the age gap?

    And to live as affordably as I do.

  5. I need to become more efficient.

    In regard to blogging I used to just write. I barely revised. I didn't put much thought into grammar, or structure, or the thoughts I convey.

    I'm slower now, but more deliberate, and I definitely write better. Skim posts from a decade ago and tell me I'm wrong.

    But do I really need to be as pedantic about my writing as I've become? That I spend multitudes more time revising it than I spend writing it in the first place?

    Revising posts has become a bit of an obsession. One of those quirks that come with age maybe. I think it reflects a desire to sort my life out, yet cleaning posts instead is a misplaced intention.

    Plus of course, if you don't get enough sleep and energy overall, you're slower too. It's an obvious facet of suboptimal conditions for any forms of prolific endeavor, be that blogging or other.

    I recognize a part of the tiredness is probably psychological, from not being in the most encouraging milieu. But that's on me too, and on how I handle the energy I get from my surrounding.

  6. Writing on some new topics might help too.

    Maybe I've been stuck on the same old too long. What interests me now? Same old? That may be a problem.

The more you figure things out the more you can do about them though! And just pondering and writing about your problems like this usually helps.

For starters I'll be testing and troubleshooting two old printers today, putting them up for sale, and then let's on with the day shall we? And write like there was no tomorrow!

There may not be, who knows!

In other news I've been home with a cold for six days today. Took my first walk in five days yesterday, felt a bit worn out, but better.

I've two days to rest and recoup fully before the next cruise, this time with a buddy, and before a trip to Halmstad this weekend with another, to stroll around the city my big bro once upon a time went to school in...

I'm exploring the South now. Like with Göteborg recently. Haven't been around Sweden much outside of the Northern half, and Stockholm, it's time to battle stagnation there too. Even though my pride and prejudice tells me can't nothing compare to the wild and free Northern Norths after all!

I'll see you anew when I do! When I make some true breakthroughs in this here sometimes down-trodden and bog-like, but when alright sometimes mind-boggling like a frog with a fog light blogging department.

Don't get disheartened. We're just getting started.

Meet Me In The Middle...

Meet me in the middle, says the unjust man. The sadistic man takes a step towards him, he takes a step back. Meet me in the middle, says the unjust man. The sadistic man takes a step towards him, he takes a step back. Meet me in the middle, says the unjust man...Meet me in the middle, says the unjust man. The sadistic man takes a step towards him, he takes a step back. Meet me in the middle, says the unjust man. The sadistic man takes a step towards him, he takes a step back. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH says the unjust man- he just fell off a cliff.

Restoring my faith in humanity one altercation at a time! Props.

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