Bad Friday 2025

Another no-holiday holiday? Yeah, same ol’ shit. There’s actually nothing new to report. Notes posts are rapidly becoming placeholders for banality. The only noteworthy observation is the weather. The Spring season is here, but the weather is worse than it was during Winter. Most days are overcast, sometimes there’s a thick layer of vog. Ambient temperature is still cool.

The days of using a VPN are coming to an end. Nearly all of the free wireless networks are using aggressive methods to block VPNs. The Stealth obfuscation mode and alternative routing on ProtonVPN are “hit and miss.” A couple of the approved Web sites are blocked on some of those networks, which was the only reason to deploy a VPN. Oh well, switching to cellular data is the easiest solution.

Most VPN users are concerned about “privacy,” specifically concerns about ISPs and Web site logs. On a personal note, there is absolutely no concern about the latter issue. The approved Web site list is short and getting shorter. Nothing controversial. No social media, no streaming media, and only a handful of commercial sites. Browser data is manually cleared after each session, so “fingerprinting” is minimized. Cellular data is always disabled when not in use, so IP address is always changed when enabled again.

Well, the “Orange Bad Man” administration has put everything in empire into a state of flux. However, upon closer scrutiny, there may have been few options. The collective “West” and empire have been in a state of (moral, social, political, and economic) decay for a long time. The entire edifice requires demolition before any kind of restructuring can occur. Only time will tell, but the prospects are dim.

The aforementioned state of flux has increased personal anxiety and angst. Previous decisions are now being re-examined. There has been some concern about returning to the miserly ways as well. Again, only time will tell. Of course, the “existential vacuum” (as defined by Victor Frankl) has become a harsh reality.

Miscellany: Panda Express® on King Street has apparently reopened after a few weeks of remodeling. Will there be a return to dining at the establishment? Who knows?

Postscript: The RSS feed link will be removed in the continuing effort to limit Notes exposure.