Coding Myself a VPN Toggle

At fifty, I am becoming the Linux nerd I feel I should have been at twenty-five. I had a problem. I wanted an easy way to connect and disconnect from Diamond’s VPN. Yes, I could use the Network Connections interface in Linux Mint, but sometimes it expands while I was navigating to the VPN toggleContinue reading “Coding Myself a VPN Toggle”

So Smart I’m Dumb

Let’s begin with this: Windows XP, running in a virtual machine on Linux Mint. Hell, I even configured the Quick Launch toolbar, and the single screenshot I have of my XP days shows I never used the Quick Launch toolbar. So, why do I have a Windows XP virtual machine running under Linux? Yesterday morning,Continue reading “So Smart I’m Dumb”

Office Space, Three Years On

Last week, Diamond entered the fourth year of work-from-home. I work out of the offices two or three days a week — it depends on the kind of work I’m doing and the projects I’m working on — and have, honestly, since the end of March 2020, but full time in the office, for mostContinue reading “Office Space, Three Years On”

Decorating the Bedroom

Late last year, acclaimed comic book creator George Pérez announced that he has terminal prostate cancer. Since then, the outpouring of love for the artist of Crisis on Infinite Earths, The Infinity Gauntlet, New Teen Titans, Future Imperfect, JLA/Avengers, and too many other projects to name from the comics world has been both massive andContinue reading “Decorating the Bedroom”

Anniversaries and Old Photographs

Diamond Comic Distributors celebrated its 40th-anniversary today. And, even though the office doesn’t have many people working out of it right now due to COVID, the office was decorated for the day with signs. There was even a banner at the main entrance. I hadn’t been out the doors into the main lobby since MarchContinue reading “Anniversaries and Old Photographs”

Adventures in Off-Brand LEGO: The Laser Pegs Aircraft

Friday! The end of a long week of deadline after deadline, deadlines that hurt me physically Tuesday and Wednesday, with one more deadline and one more project to do. So, I walked into the office building, stepped off the elevator, and was greeted by… At least it was National Donut Day, and even if IContinue reading “Adventures in Off-Brand LEGO: The Laser Pegs Aircraft”

LEGOing Up a Webcam Tower

A few months ago at work, I built a LEGO stand for my webcam. I’d bought the camera at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. It was supposed to clip onto the monitor, but I have a curved superwide monitor at the office and the clip, while well-intentioned, wouldn’t attach to that. I had to come up withContinue reading “LEGOing Up a Webcam Tower”