Michael's pondering thoughts

A visionary stands at the crossroads of innovation, contemplating the expansive network that may redefine the future of technology. I have been a loyal Microsoft Windows customer since I've owned a PC and MS-DOS was a thing. I went to the events they had for major OS releases with my Dad. We both went to see the exciting things that happened when they used to stream them at movie theaters. I was there for the launch of Windows 95. But it is my opinion that Microsoft has totally lost its way with regards to the consumer and Windows. Yes, this is a rant, and I believe it may be too late for Microsoft and Windows with consumers. I know I am not a very techie person, but I believe that Windows is getting too messy in a lot of areas like advertisements everywhere, sloppy code, updates that seem like beta versions, telemetry, privacy concerns, and just all around not caring. I follow Paul Thurrott   [ 1 ] and Dave Plummer from Dave's Garage YouTube channel   [ 2 ] , and...

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MILD SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5 stars) Episodes: 6 | Aired: September 2025 - October 2025 Season Overview I've just finished watching Season 5 of Slow Horses on Apple TV, with Gary Oldman delivering another stellar performance. The season was fairly average, not particularly memorable but not disappointing either. It would be intriguing to see a season focused on a younger Lamb and his fall to Slough House, providing a fresh narrative arc. My typical concerns with streaming series persist here: the six-episode format felt too brief, resembling a mini-series more than a traditional season. Moreover, the wait for the next installment could be lengthy, based on previous patterns. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb .

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MILD SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars) Season : 3 | Aired: July 11, 2025 – September 12, 2025 Episodes : 1–10 Service/Network : Apple TV+ Season Overview This season took the top spot, closely followed by the first. The second season didn't quite hit the mark. The plot twists this season were captivating, and I'm looking forward to what comes next. The characters this season displayed more complexity and depth. It was also fascinating to see the series weave in a secular version of a trinity concept to portray the governance of an empire, a bold move considering the author's reputed atheism. Best Episodes The best episode was undoubtedly the season finale, though the preceding three or four episodes were also quite strong. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb .

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: NO SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5 stars) Episodes: 10 Quick Take After snagging a free month of Apple TV, I managed to binge-watch the second season of Silo. It was excellent. I'm really looking forward to Season 3 and hope they explore more of the backstory. Best Episodes The season finale stood out as the best episode. The whole season was truly remarkable. - Episode 10: Into the Fire This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb .

A serious medical discussion about heart treatment options between a patient and his cardiologist. This has taken me so long to post because I am still trying to process a lot of stuff and weighing a lot of pros and cons. I went to my HCM Cardiologist (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Specialist) recently. I had an ECHO first then saw him. It was not good news from the ECHO. Even though I feel no symptoms with the Camzyos, I will need to take drastic measures in the future, though the timeline wasn't really given. But my gradients are not improving. Last time my gradient at Valsalva was significantly elevated with 100% obstruction. This time it was still elevated and still 100% obstruction at Valsalva. You know that it's serious when the doctor comes in, gets close to you like he is a friend, softens their voice, and says while the medicine is keeping me symptom free, my pressures are too high and I need to start thinking of either a Septal Myectomy or an Alcohol Septal Ablat...

An engineer lost in thought, surrounded by a maze of circuits and the glow of futuristic interfaces. Lately, I’ve been swamped with projects and short on energy to tackle them, partly because of my worsening eyesight. I have glaucoma, but thankfully no loss of vision. My treatment includes twice-yearly eye pressure checks and nightly latanoprost. Even so, my glasses prescription seems to need constant updates, and I’ve always had a lot of floaters. My ophthalmologist reassures me that the floaters and eye pressure are fine, but my vision keeps changing, which is frustrating. After a recent visit to an optometrist for new glasses (an immediate improvement at first), I quickly found myself struggling again. It’s baffling how fast my eyesight shifts. This ongoing vision issue is a big reason I’m putting off other projects. Other medical concerns, like my heart health, are actually improving. I have two SunFounder Pis to build, a few minor tasks, and I’m refining my blog and social-e...

Finished reading: Did the Resurrection Happen . . . Really? by Josh McDowell 📚 Good book and a good series. I learned a lot from the series. That is the important part.

I don't typically blog about every anniversary or special date. However, I have a soft spot for "this day in history" and similar themes. Yet, some memories from my youth, like Space: 1999, truly resonate with me. Watching it on Saturday afternoons or evenings, I always thought it was an incredible show. I even bought the 30-year complete edition on DVD. For those unfamiliar with this classic series, here are the key facts: - Premiere Date (UK): September 4, 1975 - Premiere Date (US): Aired in syndication starting September 1975, with some stations airing it in prime time - Final Episode First Aired: November 12, 1977 (varying by region through 1978) - Total Number of Episodes: 48 - Number of Series (Seasons): 2 - Year One: 24 episodes (1975–1976) - Year Two: 24 episodes (1976–1977) - US Broadcast Notes: The series was syndicated in the US, meaning it aired on various local stations rather than a single national network. Episode order varied widely between r...

In a game where health and strategy collide, every move counts, and the stakes are personal. Well, I have been officially out of Camzyos for over a week. I finally got it after calling the insurance every day for a week and being told something different. It started out that the ECHO hadn't been uploaded to their portal. Message to doctor on MyChart. Sent it to the wrong cardiologist. I have 3: a cardiologist, a HOCM specialist, and an electrophysiologist. So forgive me for picking the wrong one. The message still got to where it needed to go. Didn't matter anyways, as the insurance then found another thing they didn't like on Wednesday. They didn't like the dosage the doctor ordered because they didn't think it needed to be increased because of the ECHO. So they had to reach out to the doctor. Again, another message in MyChart, same thread that I was told I messaged the wrong office. Again, got to where it needed to go. At least they are all looking at the same...

Watched: The Hunters 🍿 ⭐⭐ Old movie first time I have seen it. Didn’t hold up to time.

I’ve made more progress on my blog poster program. I’m doing a few minor changes and adding new features before moving on to another service/platform. The images haven’t changed since my last post, so there are no new ones this time. I added a Kudos button to my Write.as custom domain, michaelmitchell.blog. It’s powered by Tinylytics. I’ll probably be adding more features soon and doing some digital gardening along the way. I also updated my Personal Events social media poster project. Streamline your social media management with a versatile platform that allows simultaneous posting across multiple networks. I hope to finish all the refinements and additions by the end of February. I’m taking it slow and thoroughly testing each connection to make sure every post, no matter the content, looks consistent across all platforms. Someday, I know I’ll settle on just one platform. But for now, I’m enjoying the process.

This was an excellent action thriller. Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne did a great job and are terrific actors. It is a tense espionage story where the lead relies on his intellect to stay a step ahead

A conductor leads a robotic orchestra aboard a starship, with the USS Enterprise framed through the observation deck windows. Computer: Personal log, Stardate: Current. I want AI that resembles two distinct concepts, not the general artificial intelligence (AGI) that others are trying to create. I envision AI to be like the Star Trek computer and helpful robots like Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet or Sonny from I, Robot , without any violent programming. I also want a robot companion like the one from Red Planet . I do not want androids, cyborgs, or anything in between. I have listened to Ed Zitron and read a post from Greg Morris, who think AI systems are merely slop machines and a fad "word salad" generator. 1 I am having to proactively ask others not to send me AI slop to make my life easier. If I am having to rewrite the shallow nonsense that every LLM produces anyway, I might as well just do it myself from scratch. However, I believe AI is us...

This was funny but sad at the same time. I would call it a sci-fi comedy that tries to be a serious action movie. The main character has such a bad day that it becomes funny. If you want a mind-numbing movie to pass the time, this is it. The ending was just okay.

Watched on Saturday September 27, 2025.

I went to the doctors on Friday, hopefully for the last of the required three ECHOs I need while on my medication called Camzyos (you may have seen the commercials on TV for it). I have been on 5mg since June for my Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, and I am oversimplifying here, but the results have been mixed. On the positive side, it has helped significantly. My numbers have definitely improved, not only on my LVOT obstruction (how much oxygenated blood gets out of my heart) but also on my ejection fraction. My shortness of breath during exertion or regular activities is completely gone. However, there are concerning side effects. My fatigue is still there, if not a little worse, and my heart rate is consistently fast with tachycardia episodes. Your heart should slow down during sleep, but mine stays at 75-90 beats per minute or higher all night long, and I can feel it constantly. This is not AFib (an irregular fast heartbeat) but rather a fast, rhythmic beat. The doctor reviewed my ...

Late-night coding with multiple blogs open, in a Hopper-inspired scene of focus and isolation. I posted a vague toot recently saying I was working on "something wonderful." Time to explain what that actually means. I got tired of manually posting the same content to multiple blogs, so I'm building a Python program that does it for me. The problem is simple: I have several blogs across different platforms, both free and paid. Each one has its own quirky web editor, and none of them talk to each other well. Micro.blog hosts my main site, but I want to publish everywhere at once without copying and pasting or relying on unreliable RSS feeds. I already built a Python program for cross-posting to social media that works well enough. Now I'm building something similar for blogs, running on my Raspberry Pi. Eventually I'll connect both programs into a proper POSSE setup (Publish on your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere). Since I'm not a software devel...

From Disney+/Hulu: 🎬 Alien: Earth – Season 1, Episodes 1-7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ May contain spoilers The show and its cast are excellent. Although it began somewhat slowly with necessary background information, it proved worthwhile. I eagerly anticipate the next episode and season. 🎬 DVD: 🎬 Grantchester – Season 10, Episodes 1-8 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ May contain spoilers I consistently enjoy this series. The British excel at producing TV series and entertainment, often surpassing American productions, which tend to be more inconsistent. This series improves with each season and never seems to run out of creative ideas. While I will be disappointed when Season 11 concludes the series, I acknowledge that all shows must eventually end. 🎬

🚨 AI voice cloning + robocall scams are rising—don’t fall for fake loan calls! For nearly a month now, I've been getting a phone call almost every day from numbers all over the U.S., numbers I don't recognize at all. I've only answered twice: the first time it was a female voice, and the second time a male voice. Both were obviously AI-generated, pitching some kind of personal loan. If I don't answer, they leave a voicemail instead. I started blocking some of the numbers, but stopped once I realized they're clearly spoofed and completely random. Here's the most recent voicemail recording: Your browser doesn't support the audio element. Download MP3 | Read Transcript The good news is that the FCC has unanimously approved a Declaratory Ruling that recognizes calls made with AI-generated voices are “artificial” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) FCC Makes AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls Illegal | Federal Communications Commission ...