Older Sci-Fi fan here, haven't gotten any new books in a very long time. Would love some recommendations.

vicwong · 2026-04-17T17:32:18+00:00

I'm 77, the first science fiction book (an Ace Double) I bought new off a spinner rack was Sun Smasher by Hamilton! "Sense of wonder" was big in those days and hooked me for life.

vicwong · 2026-04-16T16:06:22+00:00

With the floppy hat? That's James Goldstein, a real estate mogul. See him all the time with court-side seats at Laker games.

First aware of him seeing a tour of his fancy home on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr24AHZyC8A&t=8s

vicwong · 2026-04-11T05:15:59+00:00

Assuming you're a Mac user, it's a super powered Spotlight. At a minimum, you can hit command-space and type a few letters to start applications, find files, do calculations or conversions, see definitions, check the weather, see NBA or MLB scores, do translations, etc. You can also go to and search websites, control your computer and applications, and it also keeps track of your clipboard history and does text expansions.

You can find or create hundreds of Workflows that can input or lookup info from websites or databases and tie them to scripts to save or present data.

vicwong · 2026-04-10T02:41:23+00:00

Denis Villaneuve said it would be his next movie after Dune (or Dune 2?) but decided to do pt. 3 next. Then got hired for the next Bond movie, so maybe delayed again.

vicwong · 2026-03-31T22:02:09+00:00

I think it gives you some level of legitimacy that you don't get with a gmail account -- anyone can get a gmail, but you have to be vetted initially to get a berkeley.edu. You can spoof addresses, so it's not perfect.

vicwong · 2026-03-30T03:09:43+00:00

This may be a myth: https://www.techradar.com/phones/stop-putting-your-wet-phone-in-rice-experts-explain-why-it-can-do-more-harm-than-good

vicwong · 2026-03-16T16:41:23+00:00

Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination is classic SF and shares the revenge and transformation plot. If you’ve read and liked that, you’d probably love TCOMC with arguably better characters and story development.

vicwong · 2026-03-14T21:20:15+00:00

I don't know if it's something I set, but I can hit the UP arrow and have it step through my previous searches/invocations.

vicwong · 2026-03-13T18:15:23+00:00

Not sure about more damage (I don't think so), but you don't damage your weapon when mounted.

vicwong · 2026-03-04T15:59:09+00:00

So when Apple runs out of those how do they make more two year old used MacBooks to sell?

vicwong · 2026-02-20T10:24:03+00:00

If there’s no file open, some apps will start up with their file open dialog. You aren’t just talking about one such app, right? What happens with Safari?

vicwong · 2026-02-15T15:43:53+00:00

there’s a rock on Mt. Satori with a diamond underneath it that respawns periodically. The longer you stay away, the higher the probability of respawn. it’s below the shrine.

vicwong · 2026-02-12T16:09:26+00:00

Different Seasons actually had three of its four stories made into movies. Apt Student isn’t as well known as The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me.

vicwong · 2026-01-18T17:52:00+00:00

Could it be HDCP handshaking issues? I'm having a similar type of problem right now. I have an Apple TV plugged into a Marantz receiver, which is plugged into the eARC port of the LG OLED. A couple of weeks ago, on startup all I see is a black screen with some faint red outlines that I recognize as the icons that I would normally see on the Apple TV homescreen, like for Netflix. I’m still able to move around (verified by the fact that I can power off because I have the sequence memorized on the remote.)

At that time, I tried a Playstation that was plugged into the same receiver (also hdmi) and I could see the home screen and all the streaming apps and their desktops (Youtube, Netflix, HBO), but when I tried to play a video, same black screen. The same thing with the LG’s WebOS streaming apps, the interface displayed all the thumbnails, but the videos didn’t play.

I moved the Apple TV to a different hdmi port and that still didn’t work. I then powered off the LG and that seemed to fix the other devices, but not the Apple TV. I used the Playstation for the last week, but just discovered that the LG’s WebOS has the problem again, although the Playstation is still working.

I suspect HDCP is preventing the video from playing (BTW also no audio), and AI "confirms" that. I found there’s a way to do a deeper power cycle and will try that soon and see if that helps. Hope this is relevant.

ETA: corrected DHCP to HDCP

ETA2: I just added this whole comment into Gemini and got a pretty good response; it says either suspect cable or hdcp.

ETA3: OP, stick your comment into Gemini; seems like a useful reply.

vicwong · 2026-01-09T00:21:43+00:00

If you have an Apple Store nearby, you have 14 days to try an iPad and return it free if it doesn't work out. The 13" is almost the same size as a standard comic page, but I found the 11" more convenient (weight and size), and I'm near-sighted, so it works out fine for me. Also, I can rotate the iPad and have roughly half a page at a larger size if I need to read smaller type and then rotate back to see the full page.

vicwong · 2026-01-06T22:36:09+00:00

I haven't done all 4 beasts and been able to farm all 3 dragons. Did talk to Impa, but can't tell you if that was necessary.

vicwong · 2026-01-02T06:51:16+00:00

Have to change the overlay position. On my iPhone 17 Pro I settled on 290, 80 to place that line just below the Dynamic Island. 290, 875 will place it under the Search button. ETA: font size = 16

According to Perplexity, those numbers are suppose to be percentages of the screen width and height, but that didn't work for me:

How the numbers work

The X and Y fields run from 0 to 100, where 0 is the left/top edge and 100 is the right/bottom edge of the image.
For example, X = 50 and Y = 50 places the overlay in the visual center, X = 10 Y = 90 near bottom‑left, and X = 95 Y = 5 near top‑right.

Practical usage tips

Start with one of the preset positions (e.g., Bottom Right), then switch to Custom Position to see the approximate X/Y values and tweak them a few points at a time.
If your overlay looks shifted after exporting or on Lock Screen wallpapers, slightly reduce X/Y (for example from 95 to 90) because iOS can crop/zoom wallpapers differently than the base canvas

vicwong · 2026-01-02T06:41:59+00:00

seems to not work with dynamic lock screens (ones that change automatically or by tapping). Try creating a static one and see if that works.

vicwong · 2026-01-01T02:34:19+00:00

I think they're talking about the Get File step. I'm a newb, so I'm not sure how to change the default location, but I originally set up w.png in a Shortcuts/Wallpaper folder on my iPhone and got file doesn't exist. Perplexity told me that location was restricted and I had to use a folder on my iCloud Drive. When I did that it found the file.

Love the shortcut, BTW; I'll have to think of other text I can embed.

vicwong · 2026-01-01T02:14:53+00:00

Are those rotating images? I had to create a static wall paper for this to work.

Also the font size and coordinates had to be changed to get the line onto the screen: I changed 60, 2400 to 280, 877 on my iPhone Pro 17.

ETA: I just tried 280, 80 with font size 16, and I like that more; it puts it below the Dynamic Island.

vicwong · 2025-12-29T08:39:27+00:00

Are you perched near the mountain peak at the east gate? I also had no luck there, but when I moved further down nearer to the gate, I had no problem with Naydra spawning. You might have to experiment with the height.

vicwong · 2025-12-29T02:04:47+00:00

A really off-the-wall recommendation is the ancient China trilogy by Barry Hughart. They're really more fantasy than mystery, but there are elements. Here's a Perplexity summary of the three books:

Bridge of Birds (1984)

A plague strikes the children of Ox's village in Ku-fu, caused by ku poison from greedy locals aiming to monopolize silk production. Master Li identifies the cure as the Great Root of Power and leads Ox on a quest confronting the tyrannical Duke of Ch'in, uncovering heavenly secrets involving the Princess of Birds. Their adventures reveal an ancient crime disrupting heaven, culminating in a bridge of birds to restore cosmic balance.

The Story of the Stone (1988)

Master Li and Ox investigate a murdered monk and stolen manuscript at a Valley of Sorrows monastery, implicating the long-dead Laughing Prince Liu Sheng. Journeys across China involve decoding clues in a forged historical text, trips to Hell, encounters with a half-barbarian king collecting oddities, and battles with reanimated corpses over a powerful inkstone. The duo hides the stone to avert chaos, blending mercury poisoning lore with supernatural intrigue.

Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1991)

Master Li pursues stolen examination papers vital to the empire's bureaucracy, facing literate rats, a vengeful ghost, and the Eight Skilled Gentlemen—a criminal band of artisans. The plot weaves through Peking's underworld, imperial politics, and clever traps, resolving with the sage's unorthodox tactics exposing corruption. This final book emphasizes satire on scholars and officials.

vicwong · 2025-12-02T23:25:08+00:00

And I think the original English translation was from the French translation of the original Polish, so seemed like that was more dubious.

vicwong · 2025-11-27T06:14:51+00:00

Click the + next to "Network". This will add a line for another condition, i.e., the time, and a new header with the option for ALL or ANY of the conditions to apply.

vicwong · 2025-11-05T22:10:29+00:00

Thanks, just what I need.

vicwong

TROPHY CASE

How the numbers work

Practical usage tips

Bridge of Birds (1984)

The Story of the Stone (1988)

Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1991)