Just updated the back end of this thing again. I don’t know exactly what it is about this site, but I do like writing even if it is infrequent. It helps me organize my thoughts and take stock of what has been happening. I usually do the majority of my writing at coffee shops, but since the pandemic, it’s been hard to get to places to sit and work. The blurring of lines of work and play has been really challenging.
That said, I am going to make a real effort to work this into my general taking stock of things, if only because it’s the thing that I’ve had the longest with regard to my digital footprint. I love the URL, I love the content even if it is so cringe. It’s just nice to know despite my world constantly changing, it’s still there.
I also have re-revived some old sites that have been hit with a nasty bit of malware that frankly was probably there for years at this point. I believe I cleared it out root-and-branch.
Firstly, and foremostly, I’ve wanted to write on this thing in forever. I’ve been putting it off for a while because, truthfully the web stuff I manage was getting too out of date and I didn’t have the time or energy to update it. Writing on the site just reminded me of all the potential security holes it had.
Honestly, it probably wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be. It was only about a year out of date, but the way I set it up didn’t lend itself to change easily, even if this was originally the goal of the whole thing.
WELL, IT’S 2021 AND WE ARE LEAVING THAT IN THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY.
This site you are now on is now properly containerized. I spent a bunch of time banging my head against the wall to get all my configuration files correct and now I can spin up a WordPress site with proper certs in a single script. All my other sites that I manage I’ve moved back to a more managed host. They will load slower, will run on older versions of software, my total control over all the aspects of the back end is gone, but with that, I don’t have to worry about them. They will just hum along without much of my input. It’s a huge mental relief because some of those sites were just completely offline for too long.
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
Sorry, first thing, that popped into my head when I tried to type “So we…”
I plan on trying to split up some post ideas I have into many smaller posts because I tend to blow these things way too far out of proportion and they never end up posted.
In that, let’s do some quick re-caps and get the hell out of here 15 minutes early.
Like, many, I’m sure, I’ve been on more Zoom calls than I can count this past year, but I did manage to do some good things within them and in spite of them.
Dimescon happened again, albeit online this time. This has been a yearly tradition where we do small presentations on just about anything. The numbering of events has skipped a year as Dimescon 2020 never happened because 2020 doesn’t deserve a moniker. This year mine was about one of my favorite things, posting. It has been lovingly edited and posted below. I’m all blurry because the source media file is taken from a Zoom recording and my picture was all teeny tiny in the corner.
TECH SIDEBAR: I recently have been trying to figure out ways to augment my main computer as I have many that could provide use. In that I figured out a way to get remote rendering with Adobe Premiere. That means I can have my little server box work away at a final render of a video and not be locked out of my main computer while it cranks through all my insane effects in three and four dimensions. I did this by installing Adobe Media Encoder on the server box and setting a watch folder. This watch folder is network shared. That way when I transfer the Adobe Premiere project file over in the folder, it sees it and starts rendering sequences in the root folder in Premiere (not in a bin). The one hiccup is I have to make sure I transfer my media files over BEFORE the project file, otherwise Adobe Media Encoder tried to start rendering without the source files and messes up. Otherwise, it is very cool. More on the shared computing stuff later.
Remote rendering on my server box viewed from my main PC
My improv group did a holiday show, that I quite liked, we did a riff on a Hallmark movie that I thought went very well. Here is that show:
OK, this has been a solid first post of 2021. I’m going to call it here and continue on later. In conclusion, 2021 is a land of contrasts.
Hello, from the hyper-time sphere, where time is both accelerating and standing still.
Last time I posted (besides the boring nerd server post) was in April, and let’s say things have still been happening. Lots of things are still happening.
So let’s get this train wreck-a-rollin’
Improv
But all the venues are closed (or were, and still should be), how can anyone be doing the righteous work of improv comedy? Well, go to the online, like everything else in your world. “But, Matt, wouldn’t it be worse?” Oh, sweet summer child, of course it’s worse, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. And do it we have. We’ve has a few online shows, and they have been alright given the circumstances. It has, at the very least, allowed me to multitask on new levels. Managing downloading pictures to show, a live chat, music, sound effects, audio and visual cues, and also Im the occational prov. Well, it’s a lot.
Activism
You are not going to believe this, but activism stuff is still happening. I know, you’re like “Get right out of town, Matt.” First, no, I will not, and second, it’s true. Given the *gestures around to everything* there is still work that very needs to be done.
It seems like forever ago now, but I did host another candidate stream, found here:
That took a lot to put together, but I think it went smoother than the first. I’m the stream boy. I’m the one who streams. I should probably work on the naming a little.
We also got an opportunity to put together a short video to be played during the all digital Taste of Tippecanoe. I had four day to put it together, but I like how it turned out. I tried some editing techniques I’ve not done before. Editing video is so relaxing. Getting lost in the edit is like one of my favorite things ever. Pure zen.
Check that out here:
Tim and Matt Play
We are still going! A little more sporadic than we have been, and I’ve been dealing with just monumental tech issues for a solid month since updating to Windows 10 2004 (Beware!), but I’m hoping to get that figured out soon. It is only extremely frustrating. Come hang out with us Thursdays at 8:30-ish. We love interacting with friends in the chat.
Fighting Games
I don’t know exactly what sparked it, but I have been so into fighting games lately. Way more than I have in any other recent time. I haven’t had nearly enough time to play and practice them, but Street Fighter V, Killer Instinct, and Smash are pretty much all I play when I get a moment. Just caught the bug. I’m hoping to maybe get an actual solo game stream where I rotate stuff eventually, and they will definitely play a key role. If you ever want to play any of those, let me know.
Running
I can’t get enough of it, and I want to do more. The NYC marathon got cancelled (this is a good thing!), but the initial email said I was guaranteed next year as a resolution. The follow-up turned out that that is not the case. You are guaranteed an entry next year or one of the next two following years. That sucks ass. Here’s to hoping. Since I think all major marathons will be cancelled this year, if they already haven’t, and I wouldn’t do one anyway all things considered, I am thinking of planning my own personal one to run sometime when the weather is far from rightful. Is it fall yet?
Honestly, I’ve been up to so much and without much of, if any, a break. I am kind of fraying at the edges, but I am going to try to keep it together as best as I can. I hope you are all healthy and keeping it together the best you can, too.
