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Caseins, Capsaicins & Coughs

What do these three things have in common?

Not much at all for but two thirds of them, but I've been dealing with a pretty irritating cough for a few days now, and I'd planned to write a story about a habanero pepper I recently chopped up, so I figured I'd get to all three of these at once. Plus, if you have a cough: best avoid caseins!

Casein is a protein found in all strains of everyday mammalian milk.

Capsaicin is the oil you can find in certain spicy things, like chili peppers.

Capsaicins are notoriously hard to get rid off, and actually cannot be washed off with water, as I was made aware a while back, when I bought a couple fresh habanero peppers.

They had them on discount price, and I like a little spice, and thought it'd be nice with some of that fresh stuff instead of the typical dried.

So I bought some, brought 'em home, and prepared 'em.

I removed the seeds (with my fingers), chopped 'em up (holding said peppers with my fingers as I did), stuffed 'em in a couple of small jars (still with my fingers), and then - peppers in freezer, and hygiene in handling food thus less important, carelessly stifled a sneeze - with my fingers.

Oh boy.

There's a certain delay in the onset of the pain you feel when capsaicin comes into contact with some of the less ideal membranes of the human body, like the inside of a nose.

As I felt the heat building I realized my mistake, and went to the bathroom to wash away said capsaicin oil (I did not yet know it was in fact called capsaicin oil), with water and soap, and I don't know if some types of soap work better than others, but this type of soap did not!

What I managed to do with said water and soap was more so to further spread the oil, and thus the pain, rather than rinse it away.

It's apparently so that water not only has no effect on capsaicin, but actually amplifies the painful sensation you get from it.

So I Googled. I learned that alkaline things (like for example vinegar, lemon and bicarbonate) can reduce the potency of said capsaicin, as well as regular dairy, due to the casein proteins in the milk! I poured up a glass of milk, and dipped my nose in it, and it was notably better.

I washed my hands with bicarbonate, too, but that seemed less efficient. Lemon was alright, but the skin under my fingernails burned for pretty much the rest of the day regardless... the nose pain on the other hand subsided entirely within an hour or so.

Turns out hand-sanitizer (and other forms of alcohol) may have a similarly helpful effect, which is odd considering they're more acidic than they are alkaline. Maybe it actually removes the capsaicin, rather than neutralize it?

I'll try that next time.

That and regular oil. Oil dilutes oil, and oils are generally soothing.

Though it's strange I actually did not feel the burn on my hands as much, despite generous capsaicin distribution there.

Also interesting: Though you may perceive a burning sensation from capsaicin, it actually does not burn the skin at all. On the contrary, it's pretty good at increasing blood circulation. It helps. It heals.

Maybe that's why you can potentially kickstart a heart with a large dose of cayenne pepper in case of a heart attack - alternative emergency remedy if you're ever in such a situation and there's no other assistance nearby. Not recommended in lack of an attack though! You can buy concentrated cayenne oil, for example, to ingest a high dose easily.

The cough? It's troublesome. Every hour or so I get up and cough up some phlegm, my nose is still running, and yet I have a trip to and hotel booked in Halmstad this weekend. The train ride's 4-5 hours...

Really hope I can get rid of this before then.

One day to go.

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.

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.

A Wednesday Post

Ever seen a crackhead do a backflip off the roof of a two-story house?

This video pains me, he can't have been OK after that landing. Giving someone a dollar to do something like this is in no way the responsible thing to do, and yet since he did how can you not watch this?

It's definitely up there with some of the most impressive movie stunts of all time. And this ain't no movie. And with no dampening. Damn.

It's definitely not the type of thing you'd do if you're trying to abide by a strict longevity protocol to maximize life either, but then again what does our life matter if all we do is live? I mean if we don't LIVE? If our lives are mundane and devoid of death-defying rooftop backflips and/or other forms of grand adventure?

And how do we go about immortalizing our time on this planet if we don't strive for feats like this one? Then again why do we even care? Why are humans so vane and self-indulgent?

I can't but not think of the legacy I leave though, and want there to be more of it. Meanwhile I'm on here updating anime episode counts and archive links in the sidebar, and writing up a quick walkthrough for a little gem of a game I just discovered (DOOM: TGE).

I listened to a fascinating pod with Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently too. Although Lex (the host) comes across unfortunately naive when you listen, it's clear he prepped a lot for this episode, and just hearing Volodymyr's perspective on things, and his patience, is enough to make it all worth it.

The fact that we're getting interviews with world leaders in podcast form now is just amazing, and shows how the world is changing. I really prefer one-on-one conversations like this too, with hosts that I trust to ask the right things, or at least keep a clear mind and judgement, as opposed to our very spoonfed and shortform traditional news and media.

Even if the final verdict in regard to Volodymyr's take on the war, and how to end it, is ultimately that Ukraine has to be in a position of power for any meaningful negation to be possible at all.

Pride really will be our downfall. It makes sense it's part of the seven deadly sins.

Speaking of which: They'll actually be showing Se7en at the cinemas again soon! I hope to see it. It was before my time of seeing anything but kid's films at the cinema.

Saw Heretic, Nosferatu and Paddington in Peru there recently - all three on the same day - yesterday, and that was a killer set of movies.

Watch in reverse order if you want to save the best for last. Or watch in that order if you want to have a laugh when it's over, and not linger on contemplations of life and death and the essence of control.

Wonder what perspective Putin would have on Heretic. World leaders commenting on controversial or otherwise make-you-think type media would be fascinating to see...

On a more positive note do y'all know Harry Mack? Did y'all catch his Dr. Phil freestyle recently? Did y'all know he could do this? Did y'all know his house burned down in the recent California wildfires? I guess this wasn't all that positive a note after all! My bad.

The New Year may not be starting off as ideally as the last one for all, but I do hope his spirit's still strong, and I really hope he had offsite copies of all of his songs!!!

Reminder: Spend time in the moment. Take nothing for granted. Live your life with this kind of energy. RAGE.

Mike Shinoda's final meal may be worth a watch too. Good conversation. Some other LP videos. And here's Madelline singing Dopamine IN TWO LANGUAGES AT ONCE (French/English). Very cool! Headphones is a must though. Or a broken speaker, if you'd rather just listen to one language
at a time.

Apparently that particular track's good for ADHD too! Who knew some people need to play two tunes at once to truly appreciate 'em the way most of us appreciate the one song, and calm the fuck down.

To spend time in the moment. And take nothing for granted. And live.

Yes I realize I've been spending all too much time on YT again. I'm attempting to do something about that right now - as I type this after just skimming through a bundle of RATM reaction videos with Krizz Kaliko, Shaq, LBoyd and FlawdTV.

To be fair these particular selections of viewables have been building up in my Nytt textdokument (4).txt draft file for a while now, and I'm just now getting to posting about 'em.

Also gotta post about this new WaterFlame album.

I'm not a huge WaterFlame fan - I have none of his other albums, but when I first found out about the great NewGrounds back in the day, and started perusing the audio that was available there, and unexpectedly stumbled into the realm of Techno and Trance, with artists like @ParagonX9 spearheading my interest for the genre, there was also this one up-and-coming artist by the name of @chainsaw_09 there, who piqued my interest... and then he disappeared!

Years later I find out it was in fact @WaterFlame!

So he went back to his roots with this one, remastered a bundle of his old stuff released under said alterego, and threw in a bundle of previously unreleased tracks from the same era. And that is pretty cool. So I had to buy it. And soon I shall listen through...

There's also a NEWGROUNDS DOCUMENTARY ON THE WAY!

Here's the Kickstarter for it.

My first thought when I saw the ask was honestly that Conner's getting a little greedy with the budget, but I misread, I thought it was 800,000 USD, it was but 800,000 SEK! That's conservative - especially after that misconception.

It's still a lot. It's more than most creative projects of a seemingly similar caliber, but considering this'll probably be a full-time gig for at least a year or so for two people, and involve plenty of other artists and creators on the site, who ought also get some compensation, it's a bare minimum for sure.

I hope they make it. Will check back later and remind. They're certainly doing their marketing right, but there's a long stretch left on the funding.

Also Nintendo just introduced their next console, the Switch 2, the first console in their assortment with a straight up numerical title?! This one really won't stand the test of time when it comes to innovation, mark my words, it looks like an appreciative upgrade but... same name!? Come on.

The trailer's a disappointment too. I miss the old Nintendo, when they were always on the cutting edge; always new new...

Also this giveaway is still going!

That's all. Cyberdevil over and fall.

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