Kyle Rankin @kyle@librem.one

@yaelwrites Sure, if you use something that isn't mainstream, whether it's a game written for Windows on a Mac, a website written for Chrome on Safari (or sometimes even Firefox), or some web app written for Windows on a Linux desktop, there's a chance something won't work.

That said, modern desktop Linux, like the PureOS we ship on our stuff, is easy to use and works well with a lot of things.

@yaelwrites Well if you ever decide you want to take the plunge, let me know. The main pain with both are having hardware support everything, which we do out of the box.

@yaelwrites But the beauty of Qubes is that all your problems are compartmentalized.

@yaelwrites Possibly! But then you'd also get to try out Qubes if you wanted!

@yaelwrites I'm obviously biased, but if Linux is an option, the Librem 14 has a lot of ports.

@twotwenty I wish e2ee were easier to implement so I had more choices for a full-featured client than web wrappers. I guess that's similar to my feeling about Signal :)

The interesting thing about Moxie stepping down from Signal is that many in infosec trust Signal less because of the protocol and more because they trust Moxie. How much of that trust will transfer to the project/new CEO?

@remulus The best tip I got from typewriter restoration forums is that last one. Sewing machine oil + cotton balls or cotton swabs is a nice, gentle (but really effective!) way to clean dirt from enameled surfaces safetly. Just use a small amount of oil and clean with cotton balls/swabs until no more dirt comes up, then gently clean any excess oil on the surface.

@remulus Thank you! I've gotten a lot of tips from typewriter restoration blogs/forums. I use dish soap + water w/ cotton swabs, cotton balls, or paper towels for general-purpose cleaning. I use cotton swabs for hard-to-reach, and delicate parts (like the numbers on the registers). I use cotton swabs + isopropyl alcohol for unpainted metallic parts (basically anything you'd oil or grease). I use 0000 steel wool for rust, cotton swabs + sewing machine oil for the painted exterior.

It's back in full working order. Here's 1111 + 9999.

It's looking and working a lot better already.

Here's what over a hundred and fifteen years of dust looks like.

Today I'm cleaning and refurbishing a 1906 Brunsviga mechanical calculator. It's the oldest calculator in my collection and the first with a pinwheel mechanism.

I got some positive feedback about my articles from a stranger and it surprised me just how much it meant. I've made more of an effort recently to tell people when I appreciate their work because of how rare (but meaningful) positive feedback is.

@ruff Closed: could not reproduce.

Final ant update (I hope): the ant is gone! It must have found a way out of the monitor over the weekend.

I got a free floor loom today! This is a four harness loom made by the Towle company in the 1950s or `60s. Used floor looms are like upright pianos in that they are either very expensive or very cheap/free. This one came with a bench, warping board, and a box full of accessories!

If you have a tech career, retooling is especially important. I've made 4 major career pivots so far (dev->sysadmin->security->executive) and while each was a planned and smooth transition, each required a combination of mentoring/on-the-job training and self-study.