https://canyoudownloadrice.comCan You Download Rice?2024-03-19T04:36:36.122027+00:00ricehiddenpython-feedgenAnd is Davina McCall the new pope?https://canyoudownloadrice.com/bookshops-i-like-judd-books-bloomsbury-london/Bookshops I Like: Judd Books (Bloomsbury, London)2024-02-10T18:30:26.225855+00:00ricehidden<p>A few minutes walk from King's Cross / St. Pancras, Judd Books offers a wager that you won't leave without at least one book.</p>
<p>Two floors, often busy enough that you're moving out the way of each other every few moments, and mostly non-fiction. At street-level there is a wide selection of what I call "seconds", though I should find the real word one day soon. Essentially, slightly cheaper productions of books published within the last couple of years, new copies, and on offer for around ยฃ4 each.</p>
<p>Downstairs is a trove of second-hand goodies, mostly focused on history, politics and philosophy. The humanities are strong at Judd's, with a very appealing collection of second-hand art, music and theatre books meeting you on your way back up the stairs.</p>
<p>There is even a (small, I admit) selection of anarchism-related titles, nestled above a few more shelves on pacifism. Chomsky is everywhere.</p>
<p>If The Guardian made bookshops, with the aesthetic of Private Eye.</p>
<p><img alt="Can You Download Rice?" src="https://bear-images.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/rice-1707589794-0.webp"/></p>
2024-02-10T18:30:26.225527+00:00https://canyoudownloadrice.com/youtube-i-win/Youtube: I Win2023-12-17T15:52:56.115436+00:00ricehidden<p>For a couple of years now, I've known in the back of my mind that I watch a little too many Youtube videos.</p>
<p>After spending a couple of weeks banning myself from any Youtube, I can tell it wasn't that I was filling a gap. I've found plenty of better things to do with my time, I wasn't sitting uncomfortably, scratching my arms.</p>
<p>It's also amazing to see the "Youtube persona" a little clearer, now I've stepped back. A, for want of a better word, <em>unnatural</em> style where nearly every video contains a suggestion you're missing something in your life and this is the way to solve it.</p>
<p>It's similar to how Twitter makes people talk. It's jarring to hear it in the real world, but some people are so wrapped up in the social media world they can't help but leak it, it seems.</p>
<p>Then of course, there's LinkedIn. But let's not go there.</p>
<p>Naturally, I blame Youtube and it's enchanting algorithm. Putting irresistible videos in front of my eyes to keep me watching.</p>
<p>The downside to zero Youtube is that you do actually miss out on some useful resources. There's yoga channels I want to see, and some real people vlogging.</p>
<p>If only there was a way to use Youtube intentionally, without being manipulated in to wasting your evening on forgettable video after forgettable... what was I saying?</p>
<p>Enter: Invidious. An open-source proxy (of a kind) to Youtube. No ads, no sign in, no "suggested" pages. And the best part? An RSS feed for channels.</p>
<p>So, introducing a way to get out of the Youtube loop while keeping the benefits!</p>
<ol>
<li>Grab an Invidious instance (<a href="https://docs.invidious.io/instances/">here's your list</a>), and search for a channel</li>
<li>Click on the page for that channel (often the first result)</li>
<li>Then copy the link on the RSS button</li>
<li>Add that to your feed reader and - voila - a curated Youtube experience without the crap!</li>
</ol>
<p><img alt="Can You Download Rice?" src="https://bear-images.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/rice-1702828336-0.png"/></p>
<p>And to think I was giving them money for Premium too...</p>
2023-12-17T15:52:56.115112+00:00https://canyoudownloadrice.com/a-few-ways-to-decorporatise-your-life-and-connect-with-real-people/A few ways to decorporatise your life and connect with real people2023-12-08T22:17:20.709285+00:00ricehidden<p>Big chain hotels -> AirBnB / misterBnB ๐ณ๏ธโ๐</p>
<p>Top 40 -> Bandcamp / Mixcloud / funkwhale</p>
<p>Big Algo Social Media -> Fediverse</p>
<p>Any SV tech company -> Indie developers (talk to them!)</p>
<p>Car everywhere -> Public transport</p>
<p>More to come as I discover them ๐</p>
2023-12-08T22:17:20.708952+00:00https://canyoudownloadrice.com/recovery/Recovery2023-11-11T17:49:35.759110+00:00ricehidden<p>"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced."</p>
<p>Words often attributed to Sรธren Kierkegaard, yet where he actually wrote them is something of a mystery.</p>
<p>Less of a mystery is that we have ignored this advice en masse. And we're only going deeper.</p>
<p>Normal, balanced people scheduling their fun in complex project management tools.</p>
<p>Listening to books on 4x speed, skimming rather than absorbing - experiencing.</p>
<p>Not content until each of the 24 hours is professionalised, calendarised, optimised.</p>
<p>Quite what is making us do this is isn't clear to me.</p>
<p>Attempting to outrun death again, this time with a new personal knowledge wiki.</p>
<p>Maybe a life not maximised is a life unfulfilled.</p>
<p>There's always the robots.</p>
<p>The robots are coming.</p>
<p>Now they're coming for our cosy "thinking work".</p>
<p>How can we compete with that?</p>
<p>. . .</p>
<p>The concept of an evening routine is everything that is wrong with modern adult life.</p>
<p>So you want to take a block of time once reserved for impulsive dinners, drinks, shows and dancing.</p>
<p>And pummel its essence in to the ground with a tomato timer and side hustles.</p>
<p>I accept that side hustles are often borne out of necessity. The man pays less for more, increasingly.</p>
<p>The robots again.</p>
<p>But friends, life is not for scheduling.</p>
<p>We have a terrifying freedom of choice.</p>
<p>Nearly all options that feel denied are illusions from our environment.</p>
<p>You can attempt to gatecrash a wedding party tonight, if you want. You'll likely get away with it, too.</p>
<p>You can walk out of your door in 5 minutes time and never return - get on a train and flip a coin as to where to alight.</p>
<p>Join the circus.</p>
<p>Start a circus.</p>
<p>Dance the night away.</p>
<p>Paint, sat on the beach.</p>
<p>Be and do nearly anything.</p>
<p>Yet our morning is a science-backed recovery routine.</p>
<p>Meditation, pushups, time-boxed journaling.</p>
<p>This is what a recovery routine looks like.</p>
<p>What are we recovering from?</p>
<p>And would we recover better if we went raving instead?</p>
2023-11-11T17:47:24.828666+00:00https://canyoudownloadrice.com/software-i-use/Software I use2023-11-07T19:54:57.264596+00:00ricehidden<p>Thanks to <a href="https://kevquirk.com/my-default-apps-at-the-end-of-2023">Kev Quirk</a> for putting me on to a nice meme-post that's doing the rounds - what software we're using at the moment. And thanks to <a href="https://defaults.rknight.me/">Robb Knight</a> for keeping track of them all!</p>
<ul>
<li>โ๏ธ <strong>Mail Service:</strong> <a href="https://purelymail.com">PurelyMail</a></li>
<li>๐ฎ <strong>Mail Client:</strong> Apple Mail</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Notes:</strong> <a href="https://getdrafts.com">Drafts</a> & <a href="https://typora.io">Typora</a></li>
<li>โ <strong>To-Do:</strong> Apple Reminders</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Calendar:</strong> Apple Calendar</li>
<li>๐๐ปโโ๏ธ <strong>Contacts:</strong> Apple Contacts</li>
<li>๐ <strong>RSS Service:</strong> iCloud sync with...</li>
<li>๐๏ธ <strong>RSS Client:</strong> <a href="https://netnewswire.com">NetNewsWire</a></li>
<li>โจ๏ธ <strong>Launcher:</strong> Spotlight</li>
<li>โ๏ธ <strong>Cloud storage:</strong> iCloud</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Photo library:</strong> iCloud</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Web Browser:</strong> <a href="https://arc.net">Arc</a></li>
<li>๐ฌ <strong>Chat:</strong> Signal, iMessage & WhatsApp</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Bookmarks:</strong> <a href="https://goodlinks.app">GoodLinks</a></li>
<li>๐ <strong>Reading:</strong> Dead trees</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Word Processing:</strong> Pages</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Spreadsheets:</strong> Numbers</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Presentations:</strong> Skilfully avoided</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Shopping Lists:</strong> Apple Reminders</li>
<li>๐ฐ <strong>Personal Finance:</strong> Numbers</li>
<li>๐ต <strong>Music:</strong> Apple Music</li>
<li>๐ค <strong>Podcasts:</strong> <a href="https://pocketcasts.com">Pocket Casts</a></li>
<li>๐ <strong>Password Management:</strong> <a href="https://1password.com">1Password</a></li>
<li>๐คฆโโ๏ธ <strong>Social Media:</strong> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@vmatt">Mastodon</a></li>
<li>๐ค๏ธ <strong>Weather:</strong> Apple Weather</li>
<li>๐ <strong>Search:</strong> <a href="https://you.com">You.com</a></li>
<li>๐งฎ <strong>Code Editor:</strong> <a href="https://jetbrains.com">Rider</a> (mostly)</li>
<li>๐ฌ <strong>Mastodon Client:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/Dimillian/IceCubesApp">Ice Cubes</a></li>
</ul>
2023-11-06T00:00:00+00:00https://canyoudownloadrice.com/a-corner-of-the-early-web-security-community/A corner of the early web security community2023-11-05T11:49:41.151020+00:00ricehidden<p><em>This post was originally written in 2019 on my old blog.</em></p>
<p>Right off the bat, let me clarify <em>early</em>. I spent a lot of my early to mid teenage years interested in (mostly) Windows-focused security. The interest began around 2001/2002, the hey-day of virus-ridden XP boxes and the gradual rollout of broadband connections.</p>
<p>It was a time where hobbyist and fledgling security products were being built left, right and centre. It was an exciting cat-and-mouse game between malware authors and (often amateur) security researchers, growing mostly due to the general insecurity of Windows XP (pre-SP3).</p>
<p>The early 2000s was also the point where malware expanded from a rather narrow intention of damage for the fun of it. Spyware was born, designed to show you ads at any opportunity. Trojans focused on online banking, with new financial motivations.</p>
<p><img alt="Can You Download Rice?" src="https://bear-images.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/rice-1699184697-0.gif"/></p>
<p>The first community I remember being a part of revolved around Gladiator Anti-virus, the <a href="http://gladiator-antivirus.com/">forum of which still survives</a>. The "GAV" community was fantastic and close, and I still have friends from there to this day. Gladiator had a rather matrix-inspired interface, and with an underlying engine that really performed. Development (apart from the source) was out in the open, and exciting.</p>
<p>Members of the Gladiator community also shared their knowledge and time on other forums, like <a href="http://dslreports.com/">DSLReports</a> and <a href="http://wilderssecurity.com/">Wilders Security</a>.</p>
<p>Gladiator wasn't around for too long, but new signature-based antivirus applications began sprouting up every month. <a href="http://avira.com/">Avira</a>, <a href="http://avast.com/">Avast</a>, <a href="https://www.safer-networking.org/">Spybot Search & Destroy</a> -- all with free versions, born to compete with the incumbent Norton AV.</p>
<p>Antivirus wasn't the only tool you really needed in those days -- the days before having a nice NAT firewall in front of your connection. Worms spread like wildfire using exposed operating systems directed connected to the internet, meaning if you wanted to be protected, you needed a firewall.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.zonealarm.com/">ZoneAlarm</a> was a popular choice, so was the lightweight Kerio (now part of GFI's solutions). My personal favourite was Sygate!</p>
<p><img alt="Can You Download Rice?" src="https://bear-images.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/rice-1699184711-0.gif"/></p>
<p>The personal firewall market pretty much died with the release of XP SP3, which included a built-in firewall. SP3 somewhat stemmed the flow of fast-spreading malware, at least the low-hanging fruit that relied on wide-open ports with flawed software running on them.</p>
<p>As with a lot of niche, hobbyist communities, the security software fan community has a habit of aiming for the perfect setup. It's always been this way, with people trying various combinations of AV, firewall, anti-spyware and even white-listing applications in constant rotation -- only to declare they have given up and now just use a suite that covers all bases from a major vendor.</p>
<p>Until the next week, that is ๐</p>
2023-11-05T11:45:21.029829+00:00https://canyoudownloadrice.com/remembering-p2p/Remembering P2P2023-11-05T11:49:33.806721+00:00ricehidden<p><em>This post was originally written in 2019 on my old blog.</em></p>
<p>It never really felt wrong. You searched, you clicked, you listened.</p>
<p>The birth of large P2P networks in the late 90s / early 00s was one of the first serious, far-reaching examples of the network effect on the internet. It gave access to on-demand music to millions for the first time.</p>
<p>It was the inherent novelty of choice that helped the idea spread, not just the free price tag. No more requests on the radio, or hanging on for MTV, The Box, or one of the more obscure music TV channels to play that song you can't get out of your head.</p>
<p>You could choose any song you wanted. That was the real revolution.</p>
<p>This idea has been born out by the music industry's eventual capitulation in support of services like Spotify, Youtube Music and Apple Music. People will pay, as long as they get unlimited choice, whenever they want.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"What was missing was background music."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>P2P came at the right time. There were thousands -- millions -- of teenagers like me whose spare time was increasingly spent online. We weren't totally normal, but we weren't odd either.</p>
<p>The relatively new phenomenon of sitting at a PC all evening lent itself to P2P sharing's growth too. You had your IM software open talking to friends (mostly MSN messenger here in the UK), you had your browser open choosing which FlamingText logo you wanted for that new site you were putting together. What was missing was background music.</p>
<p>The songs you and your friends had access to grew exponentially. The influx of American rap and R&B, coupled with homegrown Garage and DnB was hard to keep up with. Hence the network effect grew by the imperative of finding songs before your friends.</p>
<h4 id="the-contenders">The Contenders</h4>
<p>After the fall of Napster, KaZaA (or Kazaa, as it was later written) was the hot place to get your songs. Built on the FastTrack protocol, it was indeed fast and was full of any mainstream track or film you could want.</p>
<p>With distinct branding and active development, it embodied the young internet community of the time. It was, to my mind, the first example of Web 2.0 "meaningless name" branding too, even though I'd personally put KaZaA and the other P2P applications firmly in the Web 1.0 camp -- well, maybe 1.5.</p>
<p>The incredible success of KaZaA was shown when "normal" people were using it, not just those of us glued to the screen. Often installed by techie friends (friends of their children, normally) it didn't take long for families to casually accept music was now free and abundant.</p>
<p>KaZaA inspired rivals, the most popular options being Shareaza, Bearshare, and Morpheus. These multi-protocol clients were mostly based on the Gnutella network, though Morpheus originated on the FastTrack network from KaZaA's developers.</p>
<p>As for the general populace, KaZaA stayed popular until it started to become overly commercialised. Pro versions available, it didn't fit with the easy access, no cost ethos that seemed inherent in the P2P world.</p>
<p>So in came Limewire, the single most successful P2P client when judged by the installation base among "normals". Java-based, Limewire gave fast, accurate results and spread like wildfire. Those friends of sons and daughters replaced the virus-ridden KaZaA network with the Gnutella-based Limewire.</p>
<p>While all that was going on, purists were enjoying using clients like SoulSeek, and eDonkey/eMule. Boasting availability of niche genres and higher-quality recordings, these networks emphasised the sharing aspect far more than the more mainstream clients. What you had to share to others dictated your success in downloading from the network.</p>
<p><img alt="Can You Download Rice?" src="https://bear-images.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/rice-1699184195-0.gif"/></p>
<p>Some also-rans were popular among their users, but didn't become as big as Limewire or KaZaA. Ares and WinMX to name but two, were fantastic networks with high-speeds and their ease-of-use was unrivalled.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Once-secret rap battles not recorded with the intention of release. No spin, no gloss -- raw music."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Whilst Spotify and other streaming services today give the convenience and broad access to millions of tracks reminiscent of the P2P sharing days, the spirit is very different.</p>
<p>Designed with corporate, money-making intentions in mind, today's music networks don't capture the ethos of innovation driven by community needs of the early days. The focus was on features, on reliability -- there was something to achieve. You could find music not commercially released, once-secret rap battles not recorded with the intention of release. No spin, no gloss -- raw music.</p>
<p>It was a world to explore, not a place to be spoon-fed the label's latest cash cow. It was community-driven with a feeling of innovation, and of course at the end of it you had a non-DRM MP3 file to do with what you wish.</p>
<p>The time you waited for a track to download gave it an importance and dignity that I feel is somewhat damaged by the instant streaming world. It's never been easier to skip. You downloaded, listened to the whole thing, and then judged. Now we can skip, skip, skip.</p>
<p>The original networks were, by definition, participatory. Everyone could add to them. Now, even with huge libraries, we still have curation inherent in every commercial service available.</p>
<p>It's also reasonable to suggest the time it took to download files on a P2P network contributed to the rise of individual tracks over entire albums. Music libraries became random collections of singles, each with infuriatingly different file name structures and tag information, rather than cleanly presented albums.</p>
<p>And that, of course, meant playlists were important too.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"We did it because we could."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The ethics of downloading copywrited material have been talked about over, and over again. I don't want to rehash the argument here. At the time, especially as I and my peers were coming of age in high-school, we didn't feel like criminals.</p>
<p>We did it because we could. It was available, we didn't need to go out to a shop, and importantly we could listen on the same PC we were stuck to all night. We could manage our libraries, use cool software like Winamp to play in style. We could share with friends. It made tracks more popular than they might have otherwise been, and we got to enjoy them whenever we liked.</p>
<p>The music industry's acceptance of the general model has won most people over. Spotify, Apple Music and others have practically killed the idea of file-sharing in the mainstream populace, at least in Western countries.</p>
<p>Apart from curated collections, and not waiting 15 minutes for the 96kbps MP3 to download, using something like Spotify doesn't feel all that different from scrolling through Kazaa search results, functionality-wise.</p>
<p>Even as I feel such strong nostalgia and longing for a return to the days of community-focused software like my personal favourite, Ares, I enjoy my Tidal subscription and it's instant delivery of music allows me to focus on other things during my day. I still curate my own library, though now with the knowledge that one day, it may disappear because of a commercial decision.</p>
<p>My one regret is losing, somewhere along the line, every track I downloaded all those years ago. It would be a thrilling time-capsule to devour.</p>
2023-11-05T11:37:00.819075+00:00