I am baffled by our heat pump, and why it is heating even though it is not a time that it should be heating, and that it is already hotter than the temperature to which it should be heating.

Tomorrow, I need to read some manuals, and work out what is going on.

It looks like a Shelly 1, fitted into a ceiling lamp, has popped :(

(At least, it is no longer addressable over IP.)

Aargh.

It doesn't matter that you've had sex with them before.

It doesn't matter that they came back to your place.

It doesn't matter that they agreed to something else.

It doesn't matter how they are dressed.

It doesn't matter that they previously agreed to that specific thing.

It doesn't matter that you are in the midst of something consensual and they changed their mind.

It doesn't matter that their "no" isn't forceful or violent or accompanied by them leaving.

Clear, enthusiastic, ongoing consent is both sexy and vital.

I fear that there will be some *dreadful* takes on consent (elsewhere) following Brand's conviction.

# "In the UK, Face Sitting Porn Might Land You in Jail"

An excellent write up by @nprofile1q..., of the Crime and Policing Act. I've had quite a few questions about this, from people engaging in risk aware, consensual activity.

Contains sexual themes, obviously.

https://www.404media.co/uk-crime-and-policing-act-pornography/

It seems that Thunderbolt no longer works on my laptop. That is... annoying. Because it is not that old.

Fortunately, my old "hot spare" laptop still works, so I can get on with my work.

But it looks like I am in the market for a new laptop. I'm not sure that I'd go for a ThinkPad again, which is also annoying because that has been my go-to for a while.

Remember, remember, the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason, and plot.
For good admin reasons
Turn on sign-up approvals
To keep fedi #NoSpam and #NoBot.

It arrived too late for Halloween, but never mind!

I hadn't spotted the Shelly Camera before.

Local recording (to a microSD card), HomeAssistant integration (Wi-Fi, but I'm not sure if it can handle an encrypted video stream), and not an absurd price.

https://shellystore.co.uk/product/shelly-camera-white/

We are expecting trick or treaters (pre-arranged children of friends) later.

So, to scare them, I've given a Windows XP machine a public IP address and no firewall.

Vampires are very polite.

After biting into a fair maiden, they always say "Fangs a lot".

From a global allocation perspective, RAM should be (a) removable, and (b) distributed to many computers all around the world.

That some billionaires do not see this baffles me.

I love that I can chat with people, and make friends, all over the world, in real time, so easily. There are some wonderful humans in the fediverse, and it is a genuine pleasure to chat with you.

I love that using renewable energy, and reducing grid dependency, is increasingly viable.

I love having a bicycle with a battery, so that I can use a car less, and cycle with a massive smile on my face. Wheee!

I love that I can run my business from home, and so get to both work *and* spend a lot of time around my wonderful wife.

Tech in 2026 isn't all bad, but sometimes I have to remind myself of that.