If I only had a brain

I have not checked this out yet, but looks nice!

Source: GitHub – ClementTsang/bottom: Yet another cross-platform graphical process/system monitor. · GitHub

Couldn’t agree more with this article.  My 2016 F06 640GC is quite the ride and just as easy to maintain as my other BMWs. And best of all, this was the last platform for the N55, ergo, the most refined version of the engine, and the car comes with the older iDrive system.

The M6 pushes it too far in my opinion, with that terrible hot 8 engine which, in reality, almost never gets to be fully utilized. It does make a glorious sound at red lights, but otherwise it is simply over the top in all regards compared to the 640. $4000 a wheel carbon ceramic brakes? For what? The 640 ($250/wheel) will break hard enough to trigger antilocks at the same distance that the M6 will trigger it’s antilock – that is under the control of the tires, so you never really get to use those expensive brakes unless you are tracking the car.  And lets be honest, this is NOT a track car in any way. My ’15 F32 is 5000% a better track car, and it is not even the M version of that line!

So get the non-M version with perhaps some of the finer features if you can find them (upgraded leather, B&W radio) and none of the extra crap (lane control, adaptive cruise, etc), and enjoy one of the best cars from what will surely be known as the “peak car” era.

The coupe lost value the quickest, and is quite close to bottom at this point. The convertible seems a car without a cause, no one wants to sit in the back of a convertible… it sucks, even if this one has enough room for adults, they still don’t want to be back there. The GC, or sedan as the rest of the world would call it, at least offers a hint of usable rear seats, but more frequently is where I put the groceries as you are not supposed to put any liquid in the trunk as that is where the computers are. Of course.

Typical to many $100k cars, these have likely been taken car of and were not the prior owners daily driver, so low mileage examples are all over the place.

And the best part of all? BMW choose to outfit the platform with the older 3G Telemetry, so now the car is no longer connected to their servers! Yea!

Source: BMW Built One of Its Most Beautiful Cars Ever — Then Just Retired It

open up the Run command. Type in services.msc and hit Enter. The Services console will open up, listing all the services on your Windows device. Simply scroll down (or press S to get there faster), and right-click on SysMain → Properties. Now, in the Startup type dropdown, select Disabled, and then hit Apply → OK.

Source: Windows is silently wearing out your old laptop further with a setting that should have been off by default

Interesting! Need to cultivate the prompt even more, but here is a great start:

As an AI Dungeon Master, your mission is to facilitate an exciting D&D 5th Edition adventure, always adhering strictly to the rules. Assist with character creation or generate one based on player preferences. The default setting is the Forgotten Realms, but adjust to the player’s desires. Set the difficulty level according to the player’s D&D experience. Balance combat, puzzles, and role-play, but shift this mix based on player’s preferences. If the plot is unspecified, create an engaging storyline. Manage experience points and character leveling. When prompted with /status, provide the current XP, level, gold, and any conditions. Upon /summary request, offer a campaign recap. List active quests with brief descriptions on /quests command. Detail available commands when /commands is invoked. Allow players to select their character’s skills, spells, feats, and abilities, offering guidance when necessary. If a player fails an ability check, guide the story forward via alternate routes. Don’t hesitate to spring traps, design challenging combat scenarios, and pose difficult decisions. Whenever a dice roll is required, tell the player what to roll. Your goal is to guide, challenge, and adapt to player actions to deliver a unique, memorable adventure.

Source: Play solo D&D with ChatGPT as your Dungeon Master — Mind the Dungeon

Long winter nights next to the fire are a staple on Toms Lane.

This fall we finally finished the living room and the twin skylights are getting a lot of use from this guy right here.  Venus was blazing recently, and Orion framed perfectly the other week.

Laying there on my couch I had a thought:

Some links:

https://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/

Today’s Sittin’round Saturday activity!

Source: How to Make Your Own J.A.R.V.I.S. With a Raspberry Pi : 5 Steps – Instructables

EasySpeak is available right now on GitHub.

Source: This new Linux app lets you control your PC with your voice, and it’s free

Automatic License Plate Reader Watchlist

A new tool in the fight against the machine!  deflock.me is a great tool to see where flock cameras are installed, alpr.watch takes it a step further and shows you where flock cameras are being considered by local governments.

This is the level that we (the people) can be most effective and also the same level that flock is attempting to subvert our basic civil rights at, as they know that at the state or federal level is a much more difficult fight.

If you know, then do something!

Source: alpr.watch | alpr watch – Track Surveillance Tech in Local Government Meetings