For the record, I use version 0.42 for things that worked once, on my machine. This is a great read, and I agree: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/02/some-esoteric-versioning-schemes-monotonic-moronity/ #programming #code

A smart but non-programmer friend is working on a business idea, and referenced using an AI for basic accounting logic and math. I had to share examples of "AI" failing basic math skills. You want accounting / money moving functions to be clear logical code that can be audited and explained, not black box magic. "AI" might be useful for trend analysis, fraud detection, etc.. but will need results closely checked. #AI #Accounting

If you have noticed a lot less spam SMS/Texts lately, awesome. You may also be missing a lot of normally useful texts. There is change in process and legit entities are scrambling. AT&T, T-Mobile, US Celluar, Verizon Wireless, ClearSky and Interop basicly dropped all non mobile phone traffic not 10DLC registered and not using "Campaigns" and are swamped vetting the processes they are enforcing. #VoIP #SMS #10DLC #Campaigns

Good short read: "We are destroying software" https://antirez.com/news/145 Well, I'm not much... because I agree with the above link and live in my own little worlds. No external frameworks, rarely use "cut/paste" code because it doesn't work in my worlds.

Good leadership: Understands its limits, supports the people and experts it "employs" and rarely makes decisions based on short term optics. Takes the blame and spreads praise. Bad leadership: Tosses it's experts out (fired and ignored) and makes decisions based on a random chaos generator while blaming others. #leadership #ethos

Just found and fixed a bug so stupid (of me), and so hard to reproduce that when I stared at it I swear it laughed at me maniacly. The sort order from an SQL query matters and may need additional fields when you aren't sorting the array created afterwards. The glitch only manifested when the data order was off, in just the right way. The tech support crew was deleting the whole set, letting the system recreate the rows in the right order. #SQL #bug

I dropped a heavy table today on my left ankle (cuz I tripped and fell in the process of getting it off my truck) because I (invoke macho voice) said "No... I can do it by myself".. I'm going to physically be ok.. it hurts but nothing broken. But I'm at that humble reminder point that I need to say "Yes, I'd appreciate a hand with that" more often. Maybe you do to. Use me as an excuse. Say after me: "Meuon F'd up.. I'm not going to...." Say it again.

A few months ago, I worked on a function in the dev system and added a column to a table. Did not do a proper migration when I reloaded data. My fault, purely. It's re-enforcing how the constant interuptions of life and running real biz make doing serious dev work, where you stay in the zone on 1 project for days, hard. Once the chatter and interruptions start with normal people that glorious focus zone is gone. Today I made it from 6am to 8am.. 2 hours. Sigh #WFH

I'm enjoying Fosstodon for the geeky things are dear to my soul. Ya'll are awesome and encouraging even when techno-ranting. I've been tuning up my personal website and am starting to "blog" more there. Geeky things will cross post to Fosstodon (Thanks to an easy API) but for everything else: I'll be posting more personal stuff at https://geeklabs.com than on large scale social media sites. #blog

It's only "spyware" if it's from Russia, China or N. Korea. Otherwise it's just sparkling helpful social media advertiser tracking. Sparkling Espionage if from a TLA directly, but most of them just snarfle the data from the social media platforms. #spyware

Showing off one of the proprietary devices, with permission.

Older G.E. MRI's have physical buttons that must be pressed for several functions. They are not software/UI controllable and must be interfaced mechanically.

The picture above is a part of the device we design, build and code showing the solid state relay control board inside in the process of being wired up.

Assembly and serviceability is much better when the cabling/wiring stays in place when the cover is removed. A detail you learn from years of experience repairing equipment.

Below is a finished "BPD" (Button Pushing Device) printed in a client selected sparkly blue. The paw pad buttons were also custom. This was an upgrade for an existing client, they knew we loved such things. Mostof these are boring gray or white, The bottom of the solenoids are cushioned with felt pads to protect the very expensive G.E. controls this slides over.

GeekLabs will be showing these and other technologies developed with/for Virtual Scan at ACVIM 2025 this June.

I’ve always been a "Maker". It's something within me and part of everything I remmeber. Recently (last few years) I’ve gotten into FreeCad and 3D Printing. While there are things I can’t share (designs for proprietary medical imaging (MRI) devices, patient positioning and electronic devices) there is a lot I can. I'll apologize for the weapon centric designs, but they are easy and fun ways to re-learn CAD and printing and some of those are for other people. Sharable Models on Printables.com

Trying to avoid the outside world for fear I might vent (or worse) I've been updating my personal website and also getting a lot of code cleaned up and tested. Also been playing with Mattermost with a few normal humans. It's impressive.

The basics. There is no reason I flew to NJ, spent a long night debugging and fixing things, except for a "lack of the basics" by multiple very smart, educated, and well motivated people. I can not blame anyone, or anything other than that. Look at a problem. Look at everything around it. Has it always been that way? Why? Simplify. Question everything. Be paranoid. Trust little, maybe even nothing. Especially not that cable between A and B. Or that both versions of the client and server software are compatible. All modern signaling cables are essentially RF antennas. Treat them as such. No sharp bends. Shielding and adapters matter. Less adapters are better. Basics. I have not been a "biomedical engineer" since the 90’s. My understanding of the "basics" has been re-validated in 2025 after an insane level of shotgun efforts by multiple parties. Sigh. I fear for the future. Go read "The Marching Morons" my living nightmare as I ask myself, how much of the world can I keep running.

The short version: The Marching Morons

Answer to the obvious question: The Siemens site engineer had made multiple visits and serious efforts to solve issues amidst attempts and finger pointing my in-house IT staff, external IT staff and others. Sometimes it just takes an old geek to ask "WTF?!?" with spare cables, and a SharkTap and WireShark to prove the network is awesome but the application client and server is dropping packets and not re-transmitting.

2am brain: I bet you can not do the whole monthly billing data creation using just SQL, ready for import into QuickBooks (as a CSV). 5am brain: Got You! Did It! Using only 49 lines of SQL and only 1 variable. Not sure which brain won, but going to try to get some sleep now. #SQL #MariaDB

Just ran/requested chkdsk /f on reboot on a venerable Win2k server via remote (VNC) It's attached to / controls $600k worth of hardware, yet apparently the OEM has no other options. Seems all the old geeks that could rewrite code for new hardware/OS are all gone. Been lookin at it, it's mostly VBS scripts and some unix emulation code. Cuz the original was apparently on Sun OS. Prayers requested. #chkdsk

Been beating on some code to do serial port control for controlling a Numato USB attached solid state relay board. Code looks awesome. Should work. Even seemingly worked once. I was sending commands with a slash N \n (line feed) instead of a slash R \r (carriage return) I feel stupid, but also it's been a LONG time since I wrote code for a serial port. #serial

While it hypes being simple, it is powerful. Am setting up yet another DokuWiki site for someone for geeky documentation, and again: DokuWiki is awesome. First time really needing complex ACL (Access Control) and am impressed how well enforced they are by single page and namespace. Donation on the way to @dokuwiki@phpc.social #DokuWiki

Years ago, I built a very simple mailing list server to run a few mailing lists (chugalug.org and others). As I moved it to a new server and updated the code, I had to eat my own dog food. As I read my readme.txt and figure things out from scratch: I sucked. Younger me that had just written the software had a lot of stuff stuck in his head that did not make it to the docs. Now updated.

Got the basic Melee working. Easier than I was expecting. Need a few tweaks like using port 993 and SSL instead of depreciated TLS on port 143. for imap. I think it's time to migrate Chugalug.org to the new server.