Ordered a raspberry pi 4 B, plus case etc., from a local computer shop (doing my best to avoid amazon). I can pick up the order today. I found a linux debian 32bit driver for the scanner, so there's a chance it might work. Even if it doesn't 100% meet my needs as a everyday machine, it won't be wasted because I can use it for gemini. Maybe I'll get cocky and set up my own server, who knows. Really happy here on the small internet. Definitely interested in pursuing a smaller, lighter energy/data footprint.

Before Covid (BC), Spouse and I got fed up with Xfiniti so we went to a different internet provider. Spouse set it up. Well, he got us on a DSL connection. I don't think he quite understood what that meant. The numbers sounded fast to him. The important bit was not giving money to Xfiniti anymore - our bill was cut in half. But our connection is roughly fast enough to watch a streaming movie on the lowest quality if we don't do anything else on the background. So, it's adequate, but downloading a large file can take a day or two and Disney Plus sometimes snubs us entirely. We complain to each other but Xfiniti is dead to us and we won't crawl back.

But it does make me think about how the internet used to be over dialup. A fast broadband connection (or unlimited 4G) is now assumed to be the default, so belly up to the trough, boys! I remember being careful about my image sizes when I was building my website to not bog down a slow connection. Websites used to be built to be inclusive. There are still a lot of people in the world who are limited by the local infrastructure and data costs. I've lived in Alaska, for instance, where people only a few miles outside of Fairbanks only have the option of a satellite internet connection. My friend said she got faster internet in the winter when the leaves were off the trees. Satellite often comes with a steep data cost. The small internet would be very popular in villages that are off the road system, I bet. Alaska would love the small internet, and I would not be surprised at all to run into a disproportionate number of Alaskan nerds here. (In fact I should reach out to the Alaskan nerds I know and see if they are already here.)

I started reading gemlogs starting at the bottom, and I've gotten up through part of left_adjoint (very much enjoying their entries). So many interesting, insightful perspectives. Even the deeper tech stuff that I don't have the background to fully appreciate is interesting. I am absorbing the culture of this place through everyone - "when in Rome". Will be able to interact more once I finish reading the whole list.