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I feel I shouldn’t tell too many people about this little gem, as I want it to be my secret retreat. I’ve been twice to Elounda Garden suites and never does it disappoint. In fact I aim to go many more times if it’s not completely booked.

Let me start by saying that the suites are all fresh, clean and modern, they even have a little kitchenette for self catering should that take your fancy. The pool isn’t large but plans are in motion for a second larger pool to be built and possibly even a gym.

The reason I love this place so much is the manager and the other staff make it a home away from home, I always miss them when I leave and can’t wait to see them again as I plan my next return. The breakfast is perfect with little Cretan elements that inspire you to explore the Creatan cuisine further and enjoy countless meals at the many restaurants and bars that are only a short walk away at the centre on Elounda. Don’t get me wrong this is a quieter side of Crete and is mainly aimed at a more mature adult however it is enjoyed by many a young person and at times can become reasonably busy.

I use Elounda Garden suites as a base to explore the island from, each time travelling further to discover more. But as I’ve said it’s like returning home after a long day exploring and this is why I can’t keep this gem of a place to myself.

Elounda Garden suites is a perfect place to begin your discovery of Crete.

Altered Carbon is a cyberpunk TV series on Netflix. The story revolves around a man who is brought back from the dead to solve a multimillionaire’s murder case. In terms of cyberpunk tropes, it’s got it all: high tech and low life, neon signs, a super-rich caste, a failed state whose only purpose is to serve the ruling class, drugs, violence, cynicism and grime everywhere.

There are a number of small things that bother me about it. As a fan of cyberpunk, I wished the show was a little more subtle in its exploration of themes, like poverty or religion. Also, the whole jaded muscular military guy trope feels tired at this point. Often, the show presents itself like yet another police procedural drama. Many reviewers have also correctly complained about the pace, which is uneven.

The motivations for some of the characters and groups are never convincing. The only thing that seems to drive the villain is nihilism and a pathological obsession for family, which just makes the character look undeveloped. The Uprising wants to make people mortal again, but why? Something about “it’s not human nature”. Then they explain that the problem actually is that only the super-rich have access to immortality, which… okay, but wouldn’t it be best to just fight overthrow the system that distributes benefits unfairly in the first place?

Having said that, it still has a watchable quality to it and you do want to know how the plot is resolved. Despite my grievances, it’s still more good than bad, hence the three star rating. If you’re into the genre, I can recommend it, but don’t go into it expecting something like Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell. It really isn’t.

If you’ve been wondering whether you should make a Mastodon account, the answer is, yes, you should. (If you haven’t been wondering, you might want to start here to read more about the project.) While Mastodon has more in common with Twitter than with Facebook, it is also entirely its own thing, a living, growing, decentralized community of humans building a new social network from the bottom up, on the basis of open standards like ActivityPub and free software like Mastodon itself.

mastodon.technology, in spite of the “official-sounding” name, is just one of many instances in the Mastodon network. It is indeed focused on techy/nerdy topics, though of course you can follow people on other instances as usual. There is a code of conduct which is quite sensible, and which is enforced through a shared blocklist. Operations are funded through a Patreon account. The server code is up-to-date.

Right now the operation of the instance very much seems like one person’s passion. The “About” page is short on technical details (backup policy, monitoring, etc.), and most of the tech stuff seems to be sitting on the personal Patreon account. To continue scaling past 10,000 users or so, it may be time to think a bit more about how to grow the administrative side of the community.

(Update: The instance was shut down in late 2022.)

Mi ĉeestis la 42-an Internacian Junularan Festivalon (http://iej.esperanto.it/ijf/?lang=eo) en Ascea ĉi-jare. La marborda urbeto troviĝas sude de Napolo, pli sude ol averaĝa IJF. Eble tial estas malmultaj partoprenantoj (aŭ eble pro manko de varbado en la antaŭa jaro). Ĉirkaŭ 50 homoj ĉeestis.

La organizado estis kiel ofte tre itala. Ĉio malfruis, aferoj foje malklaris, kaj ŝajnis, ke la helpantoj faris pli ol la organizantoj mem. Taga programo estis maldensa, sed la vespera programo estis interesa. Opera koncerto, popolmuzika koncerto, kaj sukcesa internacia vespero.

La loko estis iom malfacile atingebla, sed almenaŭ estis busetoj por veturigi homojn kun valizoj. Ankaŭ la ĉambroj estis tute bonaj, kaj la manĝo bonis, krom komence por vegetaranoj. Kelkfoje ilia dua plado estis nur laktuko.

Sekvontjare ni esperu je pli granda partoprenantaro!

After staying for the past 7 days at the Mykonos Princess located a few miles outside of Mykonos town, it was a bit emotional to leave. Don’t let the name fool you, this hotel is luxury with a view. The decor was very contemporary, with for example desklamps created to form a chandelier and bamboo ladders to dry the towels. Thought has definitely gone in to the design . The best part of the experience was the staff , the view was stunning ,the decor was lovely and the food was delicious but the staff topped it all . Nothing was too much trouble, always willing to go above and beyond and make it a dream holiday as they put it . The Mixologist at the bar created the best cocktails I’ve ever had and with a meaningful conversation to boot. The Manager befriended us early on and got to know us well as he tried to make our vacation memorable and stress free . The waiters , cleaners and other staff were always happy to engage in conversation and help with any needs you might have and always with a smile . By the end of the stay we were sad to leave as we had really developed friendships with many members of the team it felt like leaving family after a stay .

Thanks Mykonos Princess for a dream holiday.

I purchased this keyboard tray because my adventuring into the standing desk realm is coming to an end; my back just can’t take it. I still have my nice adjustable standing desk but it just doesn’t go low enough to have the correct wrist height. Enter, this keyboard tray.

I realized very quickly that I needed/wanted a keyboard tray that had “negative angle”; aka the tray can angle down away from you, not toward you. Your wrists aren’t meant to be bent upward for long periods so pretty much every single keyboard tray that does that is wrong (I Am Not A Doctor, This Is Not Medical Advice).

Pros:

• This keyboard tray is solid (thick heavy metal) and adjustable enough.
• Negative angle!
• Separate mouse pad that can go on either the left or right side and can angle independently of the keyboard surface.
• It slides in and out.
• It was relatively easy to install. You do need a power drill, drill bits (to pre-drill the screw holes), and a wrench.

Cons:

• I’d appreciate just a bit more range for the adjustments. I’ve maxed out the negative angle and could use a touch more, or at least the option of going a little more.
• Adjusting is done by a single tension point (think those quick release levers on your bike wheels), which is nice/easy but also limits the fine tun-ability slightly.

AnkiDroid is the best spaced repetition flashcard software for mobile. Period.

It’s more customizable than others out there, free as in freedom and as in cash (at least the Android version), and, most importantly, it works wonders for learning and memorization.

One thing that could be improved is allowing plug-ins to extend functionality of the app, like the desktop version does. Also, some actions can only be done via the desktop program, which makes it a second-class citizen for me. The fact that it can sync seamlessly across devices makes it a smaller problem, however.