And here are some using my new “dial it in” method. Cut a test, measured how far off it was, adjusted the template that far and it’s done, no guess-and-check-oops-too-far.

That would make sense for the era. The particular font scrolling effect most of them started with is likely also a built-in effect? I never once played with Windows Movie Maker.

A joke from Kingdom of Loathing.

Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?

Depends on the games you play. Because of things like DOSBOX and Wine, it is sometimes easier to get DOS and early Windows games running on Linux than it is Windows. Valve’s Proton compatibility layer allows games written for Windows to Just Work^TM on Linux. My diet of nerdy factory building games and indie titles works perfectly well in Linux, my cousin who plays Bethesda and EA games ran into more irritations. The major compatibility barrier is competitive online multiplayer and anti-cheat systems. Many developers intentionally exclude Linux compatibility. The game runs fine, but you’ll get banned for doing it.

Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?

Probably, depends on the game. I didn’t have much of a problem modding Kerbal Space Program or Satisfactory, the communities offered mod managers that worked perfectly well.

If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?

My suggestion would be to go full native if you can. Like, Adobe Photoshop isn’t available on Linux, so instead of trying to make it work, give GIMP or Krita or one of several others a try. Increasingly, things like Slack are Electron apps, which basically run as a glorified web browser, so they’re fairly easy to port to Linux and it’s becoming increasingly typical to upload them to Flathub.

Can Linux run programs that rely on frameworks like .NET or other Windows-specific libraries?

Yes, through a compatibility program called Wine, which I’ve already mentioned. Though again I would recommend going for native applications than trying to use Windows software on Linux.

How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a “Linux Update” program like what Windows has?

Short answer: Better than Windows does.

Different Linux distros will handle this slightly differently, but generally speaking your system will come with a thing called a package manager. It’s basically an app store but everything in there is free. The package manager handles updates for the OS itself as well as the software you’ve installed, up to and including updating to the next version of the OS if applicable. In fact as I write this, my computer is asking if I want to upgrade to Fedora 42.

It’s also not as onerous as Windows updates; most of the time it’ll update software, you can use the rest of the system while that’s happening, and it’ll finish and it’s fine. Sometimes it’ll say “must restart computer for changes to take effect” but it won’t force or nag you to do that. You can come to a stopping point in your work, then do a normal restart. None of that “Updating your computer 1 of 7…” it just does a normal boot in a normal amount of time.

How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source? Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?

Linux has a system of permissions, a bit like how Windows will sometimes ask you to run things as Administrator. Linux has had that concept longer than Windows has, Linux will call it the Root or SuperUser.

Increasingly, sandboxed applications that run essentially in their own virtual machines are being used to limit what an application can access. Flatpak has a system of permissions not unlike Android, where you can say “No this app doesn’t need camera access.”

We get a lot of security from having a package manager we actually use. Linux users aren’t in the habit of downloading random .exes from all over the internet. Software in the repos is vetted and signed. Don’t run code you don’t trust.

Few Linux systems come with built-in antivirus software. Conventional wisdom is it isn’t needed. Antivirus software does exist for Linux, but it’s often to detect Windows malware in server traffic. For an end user desktop it’s not necessary.

Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux?

AMD publishes their drivers directly to the Linux kernel. My 7900GRE Just Works^TM. Nvidia tends to be a bit more of a pain in the neck. Your system will likely come with the open source Nouveau drivers, which will run but possibly not very well, and you’ll need to install proprietary drivers, which…the method you go about doing that varies from system to system.

Now, I had a hell of a time with the hybrid graphics on my laptop, but I think that’s another story.

Oh, yet another story: on my GTX-1080 in my previous computer, I started to have an issue with a new monitor I bought. Turns out the card needed a firmware update or it wouldn’t let the computer boot with a late model DisplayPort monitor attached. Not a driver update, a firmware update. Nvidia does not publish the tool to do that for use in Linux, so I ended up taking the GPU out and borrowing a Windows computer.

Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?

I think I could use dd to wear out an NVMe SSD via excessive writing. But basically no. You’re not going to flip a switch in a settings menu and hear a bang from your case.

And also, what distro might be best for me?

I would recommend trying several. A few of my favorites over the years have been Mint Cinnamon, Fedora KDE and Ubuntu Mate.

I mean, there was a particular format of them, I think they were made in Youtube’s old built-in editor, there’s a distinctive style that is extremely 2007.

Hell I still sometimes find those old “lyrics” videos. Remember those? They all had that bluish teal background? Some of them survive to this day.

I think I’ve done a reasonable job improving my dovetail jig.

That 12 inch Porter Cable model; it has some problems with repeatability. The reference marks are quite wide and positioned in a way to give a lot of parallax error. There was no real way to quantify how far you’ve moved the template in and out, which meant it’s basically guaranteed to come out of alignment. So I took a knife to it. Scribed the alignment line around all the tines and put graduation marks on the brass thumb wheels. It’s a lot easier to be deliberate in adjusting this thing now.

It still needs a few other things here and there, and I need to put those alignment marks on other templates. But it’s a start.

So, if you’re working 22 hour days for $450 a month, you’re not really in a position to decide what equipment gets installed on the boat. There’s a lot of things that are technically possible but not done because it doesn’t serve company greed.

I’ve increasingly noticed this. It’s irritating.

Tell you a problem I’ve had with it recently: search.

Used to be, you’d search Youtube for something like 'how to make a zero clearance throat plate for table saw" and you’d get pages of useful results, then some not so great results, then things that make you say “no not that kind of throat.” and by then it’s just giving you results with at least one of the search terms in it.

Now, you’ll get maybe ten relevant results, then about ten results that have absolutely nothing to do with your search, just…stuff it would clutter your home page with. Like you’re not trying to find information. You can feel that “increase watch time at all costs” shit.

Record it and play it back at dinner.

I’ve been using Fedora KDE for…months? Maybe a year now? And I’ve yet to see it hang or crash.

I’ve never really had a “desk job” where my job was to sit at a desk 9 to 5. But a few of my past occupations included at least some desk time, such as:

• Flight instructor. Most of my day was spent either in the classroom briefing/instructing, or in the plane instructing/overseeing. I spent a significant portion at a desk creating lesson plans, updating logbooks, communicating with students, grading assignments, communicating with other instructors, communicating with our Designated Pilot Examiner, filling out FAA paperwork, that sort of thing.
• Aviation mechanic. This is more of an administrative job than the posters at your local trade school would lead you to believe. An owner/operator/pilot/plane haver guy brings you a plane for an annual inspection, now you have a research project. What exact make and model is this thing? What modifications has it had during the 50 years it’s existed? Under what authority were those modifications made? Is it still in original or correctly modified condition? Are there any manufacturer service bulletins or FAA airworthiness directives issued for this aircraft, and I mean THIS aircraft, or its components? Like, they’ll call out ranges of hull numbers in these things. Then there’s recording all the shit YOU did to the plane while it’s here.
• Project manager of a short-run job shop. First up: Meet with the customer and massage the idea they have out of their brain. 3 times out of 10 tell them which aisle in Wal-Mart they can find what they want, 1 time out of 10 explain why what they want isn’t physically or technologically possible. Once I’ve got a good idea of what the customer wants, it’s time to do some preliminary design work, research materials and prepare an estimate, deliver this to the customer. 7 in 10 times we hear back from that, get the okay to build, now it’s time to order materials, do any of the design work which may include CAD design, electrical design, computer programming, whatever. Scheduling and directing my team, contracting with any talent I don’t have in-house, the all important staring at a wall visualizing fourteen different variations on some little yet pivotal detail, and then I’d end up in the shop running laser cutters or lathes or table saws or whatever to get it built. Then the most important part: Invoicing the customer.

Someone’s acting their wage.

I’m still processing Michelle Trachtenberg.

I’ve driven a pickup truck for 20 years and never once had anything stolen out of it. “Safest big city” as a phrase strikes me similarly to “most comfortable chest wound.”

Remember when it was a joke that the iPhone cost that much? “It’s $500, you have no choice of carrier, the battery doesn’t hold a charge, and the reception isn’t very…”

It’s actually funny going back and watching early episodes of The New Yankee Workshop and hearing Norm brag about the “new” glues that were coming available. “This is a one-part glue, you don’t have to mix it up, it’s ready to use in the bottle, it’s water proof and it cleans up with water! I wouldn’t have even tried doing this myself without these modern glues.” They avoided showing brand names and such on the show; Norm was usually careful to hold the glue bottle with the back facing the camera, but he’s clearly holding a bottle of Titebond 2, with it’s blue cap.

And I mean, yeah. imagine building furniture without PVA glue, you change how you think.

I forget why, but Picard and Riker are away, Data is in command with Worf as his first officer. Data wants to be analytical and consider all options, Worf wants to fire all phasers and die in glorious battle. Data comes to a decision and gives orders, and Worf says “Finally!”

Data asks to see him in the ready room, and then dresses him down for talking back to him in front of the crew. They hash out what they expect the role of second in command is supposed to be, and with the military shit out of the way, Data then acknowledges that this dressing down may have damaged their friendship, and Worf replies that no, he was out of line so it was his fault, that he acknowledges that he was out of line and if we can overlook this incident he’d like to continue being friends.

Stated problems, voiced objections, addrressed objections, no personal slights, no raised voices, actual accountability expected and accepted…manliest conversation ever filmed.

I will FEED HIM.