#Tech #Apple #MacOS #Linux

If I had a blog, this would be a blog post. I don't, so you lot are blessed with it... it's a bit long.

I've been diving down some deep rabbit holes recently, making some tough choices about my tech stack.

It's kind of a macOS vs Linux post but just about considering practicalities rather than ideology.

Since 2020 my main computer has been an M1 #MacBookAir with a nice big 4K LG monitor, an OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock with umpteen ports, and a Sound Blaster Katana soundbar. I also have an elderly Linux #Thinkpad that I bought second-hand for controlling the #ModelRailway but I'll come back to that.

As a privacy advocate I would love my main working environment to be Linux, and I absolutely hate macOS #Tahoe (I downgraded back to Sequoia after trying it for a week), so I've been watching the #AsahiLinux project closely. Sadly the lack of progress on #Thunderbolt ("work in progress" for 2 years!) means #Asahi is still not an option, because I can't work without the big screen or the dock.

But recently I realised my Thinkpad has Thunderbolt support, and although it's old it's fast enough for software development (it's an X1 Carbon with a 6th gen i5 CPU).

So... (lightbulb moment) why don't I just swap the 2 machines - use the Thinkpad as my main dev machine, and the #MacBook as my model railway controller? Quite an exciting thought. I then spent ages plotting out how this might work, checking which apps I could still use, etc etc.

Unfortunately I came up against 3 barriers:

1. My particular Thunderbolt dock model does not have a Linux driver.

2. Creative do not offer a Linux app to control their Sound Blaster Katana models, and without an app most of the functionality is unavailable.

3. My model railway layout planning app (RailModeller Pro) is a Mac-only app, and using it on a small screen (because the Linux laptop would be using the big screen) would be impractical. The only Linux app that does the same job (XtrkCad) is a monster with a near-vertiginous learning curve and terrible UI. There are Windows apps but I refuse to go down the Wine route.

Whichever way my thoughts take me, I can't get past these three issues. I simply don't have the budget to replace the soundbar with anything decent (I love my music), and although the Thinkpad has more ports than the Air, I'd still be juggling cables to a frustrating degree. And yes I could unplug the big screen and put it into the Mac when using RailModeller Pro, but when I consider all these issues together, it's just too much friction to consider swapping the two machines' roles. I'm too old to deliberately choose to make my life harder for any reason.

So now, after months of thinking Asahi Linux was going to transform my life, I'm coming to terms with the fact that I should just keep things as they are, and in particular accept these two compromises:

1. Live with Apple-level surveillance on the basis that it's still way better than Microsoft-level surveillance.

2. Stay with macOS Sequoia for as long as possible, and hopefully by the time Apple forces me to upgrade to a new OS version, they will have moved on from the appalling liquid glass UI in Tahoe.

So that's it. I don't like compromising; I never have. The #autistic side of me always wants to take a purist, absolutist approach (privacy at all costs!), but in the end I have to be realistic. Not to mention the #ADHD side of me getting way too excited about CHANGING SOMETHING! YAY! DOPAMINE! But now that I've lived with my #AuDHD diagnosis for a while I'm getting better at forcing myself to accept necessary compromises.

Gang, help. How do you have energy to DO stuff? Like-

I have a solid 3 or 4, could be more, "projects" I'd like to devote regular time to. On top of work, I can do about one "extra" thing a day. And even on weekends I'm RECOVERING to my energy to available time ratio is technically even lower.

Just… maybe I wouldn't hate my stupid miserable life so much if I could ACCOMPLISH some of these GOALS and DREAMS. Like music - I could be recording and releasing but - physical energy, emotional energy, SUSTAINED AND SUSTAINABLE energy, I have none.

And some of the goals need to be worked on almost daily or I won't make any progress, so… that's it. That's my one a day, maybe 5 or 6 days out of the week.

If you are #ADHD or #AuDHD with a pet...
A cat water fountain not only makes the water more enticing, you can get one that blinks or changes light color when it's out of water. I'm forgetful AF, and this has really improved my cat's consistant access to water.
Also, the little pump is sensitive to grime and will stop fountaining. It may seem like an annoyance to most people, but it's an easy visual reminder to clean it long before it's visibly gross.

@autistics
Announcement: #Voxelibre multiplayer casual game today (Sat) for 4 hours in the late afternoon to evening (North America). That's in about 8 hours from now.

Voxelibre is a free and #OpenSource #Minecraft clone. More details here: https://docs.autis.toque.im/

Damage has been turned off. People with #Autism, #ADHD or #AuDHD are invited. There's talk of this week of building more minecart tracks.

#luanti #game #gaming #games

another #ADHD #sketching / #drawing

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Black ink circles form a grid-like pattern, overlapping and leaving some white gaps on a white background. The circles are unevenly filled with black.

I’m so sick and tired of feeling behind in everything all day every da.

#AuDHD #ADHD #ActuallyAutistic

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@paco/116887268970242050

Okay, sorry, but this is still apparently not widely known: this is standard #ADHD quasi-teleportation. ADHDers are incompletely evolved teleports. Seeking an item generates an energy field that pushes the item out of this time-space dimension into the next one over. It remains there until the seeker stops looking, at which point the item will finally pop back into this dimension.

The More You Know 🌈 ⭐

toot.io relay service boosted

I Value the Goose [He/Him] » 🌐 2026-07-09
@paco@infosec.exchange

I just found my car keys that had been missing for ten days.

In my bag.

Where I usually keep them.

That I checked 3 times

and my wife checked twice.

And I still don’t know why I walked into the kitchen.

Someone hand me my metamucil.

@cavyherd

Its a lie.

#ADHD folks skip timelines, unfortunately our range is very limited, maximum of two or three Turtledoves width...

... So a successful skip usually manifesta itself in a "misplaced" objects.

The upside down one had me #adhd

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An image shows three mannequins in a store display arranged in unconventional poses with white text overlaid at the top. On the left, one mannequin is positioned upside down with its legs pointing upward, wearing dark pants and a light-colored shirt with a striped tie. In the background, background, another mannequin wears a patterned yellow top and a white skirt, while a third mannequin on the right is in a dynamic pose wearing a white button-down shirt and dark trousers. White text at the top of the image reads, "Neurodivergent mannequins".

Over the long weekend, I wrote up some of my thoughts on AI, as a developer and product manager.

tl;dr: they're mixed, but maybe not for the reasons you might expect.

https://mwop.net/blog/2026-07-06-musings-on-gen-ai.html

#ai #genai, #adhd #autism

#ADHD #sketching / #drawing

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A monochromatic abstract #sketching / #drawing featuring geometric shapes and intricate cross-hatching, creating a sense of depth and three-dimensionality. The composition includes overlapping block-like forms, with varying textures and shading.

@GandalfDG @stimpunks
This looks great for both neurodiverse kids and everyone in general. I certainly hope this project goes well and wish that there was more I could do for it that just boost.
@autistics #ADHD #ActuallyAutistic

Updated #introduction

Hey, I'm Jess!

I'm #queer, #lesbian, #nerd, #adhd, and #trans

I do cybersecurity stuff for large corporations for money to pay for food and rent.

I do things to try and make the world a little bit less shitty for people because I want to.

For some words of wisdom:

In a cruel and fucked up world, choosing to be kind to other people is the most subversive thing you can do.

this is pretty much it

#adhd

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A screenshot of a tumblr post from user shubbabang containing a comic in four panels: the first is the character holding a metaphorical work-in-progress file dated to 2018. In the second, they are visibly put out reading it. In the third, they glance with suspicion at a new featureless character with ADHD written on their chest. In the final panel, they give a 'what the hell?!' questioning shrug and enraged expression.