I'm now microblogging on finger at: 
visiblink@zaibatsu.circumlunar.space

There's nothing of any significance 
there. It's just the kind of stuff 
that you wouldn't want to write an 
extended phlog entry about and it's 
very convenient to ssh into the 
zaibatsu and dash off a post to a 
single text file.

If you've got a finger-log (flog?), 
let me know at visiblink-at-gmx-dot-  
com. I'd like to add you to my 
FingerFeed file (see yesterday's 
phlog entry).

So far, the only person I've 
discovered who really seemed to be 
'serially flogging' is julien over at 
his typed-hole.org account, but he 
seems to have stopped last November.

If you're wondering how to set up a 
finger server, I found a guide to 
running finger on Debian, which I 
tested on Raspbian. The guide is here:

https://famicoman.com/2017/03/01/running-using-a-finger-daemon/

--------------

I read Solene's piece, "Obsolete in 
the IT Crossfire," and it reminded me 
of the changes in automotive 
technology that took place back in the 
1980s. At the time, I didn't like 
electronic ignition systems because I 
didn't understand (and still don't, of 
course) their inner workings. I 
understood how a set of points or a 
vacuum advance functioned, and I could 
fix the problems that might crop up. I 
did not understand the "thick film 
module" on the side of my new 
distributor, and I didn't like that it 
was a 'throwaway and replace' 
component. Now, almost every 
automotive component is throwaway and 
replace, and most mechanics (ahem, 
"technicians") wouldn't have the 
slightest clue as to what caused them 
to malfunction. The computer tells you 
that module B has failed, so you pull 
it out and install a new module B.

So I really do understand the downside 
that Solene's expressing, and I think 
her Slackware roots are showing! I too 
like understanding the inner workings 
of things.

However, having said that, I have had 
to replace an electronic ignition 
component in the cars that I have 
owned since the 1980s exactly once 
(that "thick film module"). Generally, 
those parts just work. They're way 
more reliable than a set of points.

So there's a tension there. I'd like 
to understand the workings of my car 
or truck. But I appreciate the 
reliability of that 'black box of 
technology' that replaced the older, 
understandable stuff. The 9's in the 
uptime are great.

Still, I can't decide which is more 
valuable: understanding or 
convenience. At home, I'm all about 
knowledge. Sitting on the side of the 
road with a busted set of points in my 
hand, I might think differently.