A Geek Goes Flying

Just a walk through of something that took me 3 minutes longer than it should have 🤔  Uploading a file via a PHP script was throwing an error. The culprit: upload_max_filesize was set to the default 2M in /etc/php.ini. (Tip: Use phpinfo() to determine the Loaded Configuration File, against the possibility there’s more than one on the system.) Once you tweak php.ini, restart the PHP FastCGI Process Manager, if that’s how PHP is running on the system (it is, at least on the Rocky Linux 9.7 box this service was running on): systemctl restart php-fpm.service And, Bob’s your uncle. (When I was a freshman, you just had to restart Apache ... 🤣)

An amp and a microphone One of the most frustrating parts about being a self-taught n00b when it comes to amp modeling (whether it be in a $100 NUX box or a bit of Fractal kit) is trying to decipher the different fake names the modelers have for the different pieces of kit, especially if you’re not already steeped in guitar tech. Like, the Jazz Clean NUX amp is (I understand) modeled after the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus. The Class A30, the VOX AC30, “a legendary British tube amp known for its jangly cleans, warm overdrive, and chimey tone that’s been a staple in rock, pop, and indie music.” Etc. Sometimes, there’s no hint. Using Fractal’s DynaCabs , for instance, you get a choice of four microphones for the Cab Impulse Response (IR) block. They’re helpfully</sarcasm> identified as Dynamic 1, Dynamic 2, Condenser, and Ribbon.  If you read the Wiki , those map to the Shure SM57 and SM7B, the Soyuz 023, and the Royer 121 – but that knowledge seems to be tribal , not support...

coconutBattery report Early 2020 MacBook Air , I think the max spec vis-a-vis RAM ¹  (16GB) and CPU ²  , and a 512GB SSD ³  (it could have been upgraded to 2TB at the time of purchase). Apple claimed up to 11 hours of web browsing, but Google’s AI reports “many users find that active, mixed-use workloads (especially video calls) drain the battery within 4–6 hours.” I’m not getting 6 hours. With 81% battery health (after 280 cycles, but also 72 months), I should be getting about 3:14 from 100% to dead battery. I think I’m actually seeing ~2 hours, but I’ll measure eventually. Anyway. The question I’m pondering: Do I swap the battery ( $110 for the kit from iFixIt ), and it’s described as a “moderately difficult” replacement . Could probably also have Asurion do it; they did a good job with the MacBook Pro . I know Intel is a dead end, but this is probably the most capable Intel Mac I own, and there will likely be edge cases that I still need x86 support for, for a lo...

I’m starting to rethink my love affair with Anker products. I mean, they do what they say, they’ve never damaged anything I own, and they seem to be well-made generally – but I’ve had some units fail well before I think they should. Examples: Distressed battery My Anker PowerCore Fusion 5000 gave up the ghost after a couple of years. Holds like a 5 minute charge now.  I picked up this Anker 321 MagSafe battery pack in October 2023. It has an 18 month warranty. I’ve used it relatively lightly (maybe 3-5x/month?). It gives me four lights when I charge it, but when attached to my phone, lights lit up or not, it doesn’t charge the phone. Phone doesn’t even see it’s there. (Yes, I’ve restarted the phone.) I’m pretty sure there is at least one other example. That said, my experiences may be relatively unique ? Kinda like Zendure before it, the products are great while they last, but they topple over a cliff earlier than I’d like, and then they’re worthless.  Meanwhile, the Anker ...

BeatBuddy Mini 2 Transitioning from the NUX, which has built-in drum loops (they’re serviceable, and I actually really found I like playing against the percussion backdrop), to the Fractal FM3, which doesn’t, I looked for something relatively inexpensive but flexible, that could stand in. I settled on the BeatBuddy Mini 2  ( Amazon ) from Singular Sound. It’s available on the Singular website as a pre-owned SKU for $111, and they’re offering a 10% discount to new customers, so the total package was a few cents over $100, which also qualified for free shipping¹. It’s a kind of ingenious little device. The drums are actual recordings, not synthetic, and there’s 24 different genres (including Rock and Punk 😎 ) with multiple songs per genre (with different songs having different time signatures; you’re not limited to 4/4), lead-in intros, different verse and chorus recordings with transitions between them, and you can obviously adjust the tempo (beats per minute). Singular ...

I’ve tried a bunch. These Moleskine dupes . (Pen always somehow went missing.) This thing (came close, but without a way to secure it closed, the pages got trashed; the pen is cute though). But I think I’ve found The One™: Leather Field Notes Cover from Etsy seller Tarberry; $21.50 currently (on sale), I got it in black, not personalized. I like that it snaps closed. The ability to stash some emergency cash and a card or three if you were so inclined, are bonuses. Clairefontaine Staplebound 3.5X5.5 notebooks ; $13. I’ve generally had good experience with Clairefontaine paper, if I use it with a fountain pen, etc. I’ve been using these since my days buying pens and an endless supply of journals from Writer’s Bloc [rip]. The other main option are the Field Notes inserts. Currently, a Zebra F-301 I had handy.  I’m likely to swap that for something like a Sakura Pigma Micro , “will not smear or feather when dry,” “waterproof and chemical proof,” etc. (I’ve had, e.g., an improperly...

Okay, so, I tried it out, connecting Out 1 (or 2) to the FX Return input on my Marshall G50RCD 50 watt solid state (“transistor”) combo amp. I’m new enough to all of this that I’m learning things / making observations that are probably “duh, old hat” to most folks, but it’s novel to me. I’m patched in with a standard instrument cable, 1/4" TS to 1/4" TS . Fractal sells a Humbuster™ cable , $20 for 15' (plus $22 to ship, plus tax...), that is probably a better solution, there’s a noticeable (although not overwhelming, at least in this application) hum even with the short cable run and both the FM3 and the amp connected to the same mains power outlet. Do I spend $44 on a cable to use this non-ideal amp, or do I put that money towards a proper FRFR setup (and the XLR cable I’ll need to feed it)? Probably the latter. Meanwhile... Running through the FX Return input, the pre-amp controls for the amp have no effect. Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, do nothing. There is no “volume” ...