Late last year, I bought a new Mac min. I've always had a soft spot for the Mac mini computers and more or less have used each generation. This one with the M4 processor is a powerhouse and will happily work on video, audio editing and anything else I throw at it. There are 3x USB-C ports on the back, 2on the front and given that I use 2 of them for displays, I saw the Raycue and thought it might be a tidy way to increase connectivity. I ordered from Raycue direct, after checking previous iterations and other reviews. It arrived a month later (they had more orders than expected and Christmas got in the way). On the front are 2 USB-A ports, a USB-C, microSD and full size SD card slots. On the rear is an extra power point, a USB-C for the host computer, an audio port, HDMI, and another USB-A. It's all perfect for my needs. The Mac mini sits on top and it only adds 2cm to the height. Inside the hub is an SSD slot for increasing storage. I took the liberty of fitting a 2TB SSD t...

I hate throwing things away and that includes my weekly sourdough discard. Here's a quick recipe to use discard in baguettes. Ingredients 1000g Strong flour 20g Salt 700g Water @ 27ºC 100g Sourdough discard Method Mix the flour and salt together Mix the water and sourdough together Mix it altogether in a large bowl Leave a lid on for 8-10 hours Heat oven to 230ºC Divide the dough into the number of baguettes you want Sprinkle with flour and roll them Place in oven, reducing down to 180ºC Cook for 30 minutes

I’m writing a quick test post here to check that these posts will successfully back up to Google Drive. Trying an out an automation with IFFFT , which could be handy given that I have lost so many posts in the past. UPDATE: That worked. So what happens is when I post on here, an automation happens an hour later. The applet creates a Google Doc containing date, title, the post itself and the added image.

  I’m not a massive user of Organic Maps , but it’s my go-to app when I can’t use data outside my mobile plan, it comes in really handy. I tend to bookmark a bunch a places to visit and then easily navigate by foot to them, without a connection. Organic Maps is an open source app, based on OpenStreetMaps - a community driven map that has very high-quality, and importantly, up to date maps around the world. Anyway, I subscribed to their blog to keep up to date with developments and came across this song someone had made and I love it. Talks about privacy, lack of tracking, community led open source - all the good things. I will have to write more about this, but I came across the song and wanted to share here first.

I've been working on AI at work, immersing myself in Large Learning Models (LLMs), Generative AI and their narrative in everyday life. I follow a lot of technology but there are two fields that I don't quite "get" - one is blockchain and crypto, and the other being artificial intelligence. I have learnt that AI is really an umbrella term for a number of technologies. To define it,  AI is the technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.  I have my own opinions on its' application, but I decided that I needed to learn more and started with a Google Digital Garage course, called Boosting productivity with AI . An odd place to start, but I'd already been working on the topic. It was an hour-long livestream that was useful.

A while back, I blogged that I had bought a Raspberry Pi 400 and that I was really pleased with it. Since then, I have experimented with several operating systems from the default Raspberry OS to Ubuntu MATE and now Chrome OS. It's easy to do and if you have a few microSD cards, it's not destructive, simply insert the one you're in the mood for and boot up. So why Chromium OS? Because I've been so pleased with the Pi400, I am selling my Mac mini. I love that mini, but it is frustrating with forgetting my keyboard, booting to a blank screen and several other niggles. I can't complain about the operation, but with a work Mac, my iPad Air 4 (with keyboard) and the Pi400, it is sort of surplus. Oh, and I have an old 2013 MacBook Air used for roasting and it's still working perfectly. I've been using Raspberry OS as the main OS on the Pi 400 for a week of two and it's been fine. I've configured it the way I want it and to be honest, no complaints. However...