What's it all about, Alfie?

Apple is doing something interesting with the iPhone 13 orders this year. In the past, they used to open up ordering at midnight, Pacific Time. This meant that it was 2:00 am local time for me, and I get up early to run, so it wasn't horrible - and given that the new iPhones sell out in a matter of a few hours, it was the only way to get one of the first batch.

Then in the last few cycles, they moved the starting time to 5:00 am Pacific Time, so that meant a 7:00 am start time for me - not bad at all. But there was still the load on the Carrier's APIs, and there would be issues with that, and all manner of other things, so this year they have again, changed things up.

After the Apple Event the Apple web site allowed for a sort of Pre-order, Pre-Order... You can go through all the steps of buying the new iPhone - selecting the size, color, capacity, communicating with the carrier, payment method - everything right up to the point of actually buying it. And then you wait for 5:00 am PT on Launch Day, and you simply finish the order. The iPhone is in your "Bag", and you just need to pay for it.

This gets around a lot of the surge of orders because no one can buy one until Launch Day, and it's the same starting time, but all the communication with the Carrier, etc. is now much more spread out in the days leading up to Launch Day. They haven't started shipping anything, and I don't believe they have even reserved units for sale - but they have done all the work needed to verify that you are who you say you are, and all your selections, so on Launch Day, there is much less to do.

Clever. 🙂 I like it a lot. I've got my phone on pre-order, pre-order, and on Launch Day, tomorrow, I just need to login and click once, and it's in the Pre-Order queue. Nice.

In the last few months there seems to have been a lot of changes in the IRC world. Freenode had what has been called a hostile takeover by some, and a good number of high-profile projects left that network and went to Libera, which was started by some ex-Freenode folks. All this was probably a lot more traumatic for those immediately involved, and I feel for them. It also meant that for the IRC channels and projects I do follow, it meant that many went dark for a bit.

It happens. We adapt.

When the projects popped up on Libera, I was able to get on there, and see that they were as popular and active as ever. Sure, it's a little more diffuse than before because some didn't move, but my IRC Client on macOS - Textual, allows for multiple server connections, so that I can have Freenode and Libera connected, and the side-bar has all the channels - some on Freenode, some on Libera, and it works just fine.

I never expected that it had multiple server connections - I just never needed them... until I did. And when I did, I was so very glad that it handled it as nicely as it did.

In the end, to me, it looks very much like nothing changed, but I know quite a lot did.

I decided to give HBO's Titans a watch, and I have to say it's not bad for a live-action from comics show. I mean it's all the same things that I enjoyed as a kid... yelling at the screen Don't go in there! and then, of course, they do. 🙂 It's just as predictable as you'd expect, and just as silly, and at the same time, the sense of family is nice.

It's just entertainment... it's not Oscar material - just good, silly, escapist TV for having on while you're working or to fritter away an hour.

Yesterday, I had my first trip out of town since the start of the pandemic. I went to Indy for a family get-together for birthdays, and I have to say, it was nice to travel out of town, get there... see folks... and enjoy a nice summer day.

I was still plenty surprised about the lack of mask-wearing by folks out-and-about, and while I know what the CDC guidelines state for mask wearing, and Illinois and Indiana rules for mask-wearing, it seems like such a harmless thing that we have been doing for months, to ensure that we really shut down this pandemic before we start taking chances.

I look at what's happened in India - they thought it was over, and within 2 weeks, they were completely overwhelmed. It could happen here... a new variant... unvaccinated folks getting sick, and all of a sudden we're in another surge that isn't so easily contained.

I'll be wearing my mask in public until the new case count is under 100 a day for the nation... at that point, we're out of the woods. But we aren't there yet.

I just got back from Walgreens, after my second COVID-19 vaccine shot. I was a little surprised that I had to fill out paperwork for the second time - after all... I had filled it all out before the first, and they had to have it on-hand. But it wasn't too bad, and I was able to fill out the form in a few minutes, and then a very short wait, and I got the second Moderna shot.

This is supposed to be the more significant, in terms of side-effects, of the two, so I'm going to take it easy today and tomorrow - just to be safe. But I know this is the right thing to do, and it may feel bad for a bit, but that's because it's doing it's job, and I know it'll be gone in a few days.

Now it's just waiting a few weeks to have the immunity built up, and I can feel much safer about my interactions with friends and family. 🙂

I just got back from Walgreens, where I had signed up on Friday for an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Going in I had no idea what they would have in the way of lines, or which vaccine to provide, but I showed up at 9:10 am today to Get My Shot.

As it turns out, it's the Moderna vaccine, and it didn't take long because I had downloaded the Vaccine Waiver form from the Walgreens website, and filled it out before I arrived. This made it a lot easier - I just sat there, after checking in, and when it was my turn, I got the run-down from the pharmacist, and got my shot.

Simple and easy.

I giggled to myself about the band-aid, and how every kid goes through that phase of loving to have a band-aid on... 🙂 So not bad at all.

My arm felt a little stiff, as if I'd over-exercised, but not to the touch... just like a deeper, muscular ache. But it was fine.

In a few weeks, I'll go back and get my second shot. I already have my appointment, and it'll be just as quick and easy as this one was. It'll be nice to be covered.

A close friend, and his family, all have come down with COVID-19 as a result of some Christmas family time. I am so sorry for them. I know the intentions were good - and the precautions the family took were meant to keep everyone safe, but this is a nasty flu, and it's indiscriminate to whom it will hit. Closed spaces for several hours - like a Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration is just what it likes.

I think my household got it back in February 2020, after some trips to Seattle and San Francisco I had to take for work. I was in a packed airplane, and those cities at that time were hot spots. I got sick, for a few days, and then got better. My daughter was sick for a few weeks, and got better. While we haven't been tested, we survived without major complications.

I hope my friend's family does as well. This is a scary thing to have happen...

Another trip around the sun... I hope for just a nice, quiet day, and then Pizza tonight for dinner. It's my special day, so why not treat myself to pizza? 🙂

It's been a heck of a year, with so many things happening like never before... the pandemic, the election, the working at home, the rationing of paper towels... it's been a year of exceptional events. And not just for me... for everyone. But we keep going.

So I hope that everyone has a little breather today... a little rest... so that we can get back at it on Monday.

Yesterday started Advent of Code 2020, and it looks to be a fun theme - Vacation - and while I'm sure it's been planned well in advance of the current pandemic, I'd like to think that the folks in charge are thinking of all of us, and making it a little more enjoyable this year... because we've been cooped up all year.

The puzzels start easy, and then build through the month, and that's just as it should be - an easy way to introduce folks to coding with fun problems as opposed to so many made-up teaching problems they run into. They always make me smile.

Is that just what we all need now? A smile? 🙂

This morning it's time to hit the Christmas Playlist on my iPhone, as it's just not going to be a normal Thanksgiving, and so there's no reason not to feel a little of the warmth and happiness of Christmas time while we're still in lockdown.

This morning, I see the US has topped 11 mil cases, and the lag between the days with 150,000 plus new cases a day has yet to kick in. It's going to be a hard winter, and I'm lucky - I can do what I need to do without risking my life, or the lives of others. But many aren't so lucky, and this will be a continuation of the harsh times all year.

I guess it was just time to hold onto something that has meant so much to me for so many years. Nothing wrong with that. 🙂