Tom Hardy hasn’t been in a good film for years.

When I saw him pop up in a trailer I used to be like “can’t wait to check this out”.

Now when I see him I think “this is going to be terrible”.

I’ve written about how consuming excellent content isn’t a search problem. It’s a focus problem. blot.blog/2025/02/2…

I wish I had the strength to get up and walk away when presented with a QR menu in a restaurant.

Amazon MGM now has creative control over Bond 😬 blot.blog/2025/02/2…

Raising a glass of Wild Turkey to Hunter S. Thompson, who died 20 years ago today. The father of Gonzo journalism, he was a rebel, trailblazer, and master of chaos. (1937-2005) 🦇 blot.blog/2025/02/2…

I hate tiny mug handles. elliot.my/262

I’ve written a deep dive into the tech that powers my life. imlefthanded.com/2025/the-…

I like dedicated servers

I’ve had some form of dedicated server on and off for many years.

I get cheap ones (from Hetzner, OVH or OneProvider). They’re really useful. They have fast connections, powerful CPU’s and plenty of storage. And they’re no more difficult to maintain than a VPS.

What do I use mine for?

  • Sharing big files. Especially big ones. I have a ‘cold storage’ folder on my S3-powered website for files that I’ve shared via email, Twitter, etc. down the years. I never delete those files. But I don’t want to pay the AWS storage/bandwidth fees for a 4GB .zip of football player images I once shared on a video game forum. My dedicated server can have those.
  • Backups. I can’t backup my entire media library. But the essential files on my Mac are backed up to the server.
  • Website hosting. VPS’s are very popular and capable these days. But you can’t beat a dedicated server. And once you start spending £30 on a VPS, you can get a lot more bang for your pound by getting dedicated hardware.
  • Video transcoding. The main reason I have my server is to transcode full quality HD and 4K BluRays to more manageable sizes.
  • VPN. I wouldn’t say I can ‘hide’ very well using the server as a VPN, as the IP address never changes and only I use it. But still, it gives me some protection.

Being ill in 1643 must have been awful

Whenever I’m unwell all I can think about is how horribly uncomfortable and boring it must of been to be ill for most of history.

I’m in a nicely warmed home with constant access to drink, food, painkillers, and the excellent TV documentary “The Vietnam War”.

And it’s still awful.

But at least I’m not lying on a sagging, bug-filled straw mattress in a drafty London house in 1643, while rats and smoke steadily seep through the warped wooden walls.

At least I have a bathroom a few yards away, instead of a reeking chamber pot that’s overflowing.

At least I have my phone, instead of my only entertainment being church bells and my wife reading me the Bible.

At least I have ibuprofen and codeine, instead of a delightful mixture of dried toad and mercury.

At least I’m taking in plenty of fluids, instead of having bloodletting to ‘balance my humors’.

It’s not so bad really.

I remember being so excited about the rise of tech. I was sure nerds would create a utopia – a fair, enlightened future built on logic and code. How naive I was.

My advice: never assume the new rulers will be better than the old ones – even if they’re ’your people’. Power always corrupts.