2023-10-19:

Fri:
Actually did get some work today. The new hardware does work, the guy trying it just had his machine configured wrong. Go figure.
So I got the other one and worked with it. No real manual, thanks for that. Still, easy enough and it seems to have worked. Edge didn't want to cooperate to make the certs, I had to use IE on the server, export them from there, and move them. It was fine. Thank past me for learning how to do this so the private key stays which is what you need on the card so I didn't have to mess around and figure that out now.
Otherwise did some work on the chapter, didn't finish it.
Helped Christina (I didn't really help) look into her issue with the card reader not working on the device. She forgot a plug in, as this one requires two plug ins. Silly. She's been doing work with the other type of card reader that only needs one plug in. So she forgot. Why does this one require two? *shrugs*
Minor haul, just some salad and some sandwiches. Not like usual.

Went shopping, saw my parents.
Forgot the metal piece, sigh.

Came home, did a kitty walk and checked sites. Then did game. It was good, we were running around a memory and getting rewound when we went off script. We didn't know how "real" it was after all and we didn't know if it was enemy action designed to murder us. One of the better adventures, actually.

Sat:
Did part two of the second pour. Can't do the third, like I said, I don't have the metal piece. I'm going to embed it, I think it'll be more stable. It's fine. Yes I'm taking a chance this one is better looking than the first one, but using the proper red, and hopefully aligning it better will work in my favor and make this one the best one it acn be.
Dad isn't feeling well from the shots they got yesterday. Mom is okay though.
Checked sites.
Did some NMS.
Then went to game. We had to slog through the wolves this time as they could see us for "reasons" and Snarly almost died but it was his turn. My new spell symbol proved its worth in my eyes, though there wasn't much call for my new magical ally. Still, money well spent now that we don't have to worry about Hans' energy for our strongest weapon, and Malachite is far more likely to hit. Lots to write though, plot wise at least for my character.

Sun:
Checked sites. Stories.
Then out to the setup. They had very little to move so it was fine. Only took an hour.
Back for lunch.
Put together a spreadsheet for making the numerous rolls I need to empower the party so I don't have to sit there and do it myself. I just open the spreadsheet and all the values are there. I can just read them off and be done with it.
More NMS, of course it crashed, ugh.
Getting ready for tomorrow.
Then we got some more items in Remnant II. Still plenty to go though I think.

Mon:
Worked on the new hardware thing in the morning. It has a few problems, not logging out properly, for one. Can't sign email, not sure what that's about. But it could work.

Then did a test for Gina, the login method that will not die. Just a new version, nothing too major.

Then lunch.

Worked on the chapter of the emberhaven book. Got it almost all done, still plenty to write. But had to do another meeting with the defense folks. They can log in now but when they register it just doesn't. And here's what I noticed; it doesn't seem to try. I finally got my server working again (it didn't like the name change) and I did what they were doing. Mine worked. Theirs failed, but they don't get the little "registering" wheel it just goes right to failure. Now maybe they're using uber hardware or something but doesn't seem right. So we left it there with more promises to keep looking into it.

Back here, checked sites, ate dinner.

Had a kitty walk, as it wasn't too bad out. It was wet and gray  but not raining.

Made my one call from yesterday. I think they just don't know what they are doing. We'll see, tomorrow. Also talked with a lady who needed her printer IP address changed.

Some NMS, doing some underwater stuff of all things now. Want to get to a green star system but haven't for two sessions. Sheesh.

Went to bed.

Tues:
Spent the morning trying to mess up my server such that it showed the same symptoms as the other guy's. Didn't get anywhere. I set everything opposite what it should be, took away permissions, nothing. I have no clue.

The afternoon I spent writing. Got the previous chapter done and the next chapter. I have a little more content to get down, but not much. I'm skipping the whole "go see the crazy lady" they can just tell me about it when they get back.

Went to second job. Of course he called and said he would be late. Did I get this message? No, because I was at work. But his wife was still home so
I showed her things, and hooked up the printer their daughter brought. She hadn't gotten it on wireless or plugged it in with USB and still seemed to think that it should work? Huh? How?

Finally back here, checked sites. Took a kitty for a walk.

Got ready for tomorrow as we'll probably do xbox, but no word yet.

We did, but only after Sean watched the SMB movie with his mother. I should have played No Man's Sky, I didn't realize he was going to be that long.

Wed:
A breakthrough?

Poked a bit at the issue of the install, didn't get very far.

Finished up the content for the chapter, continued the read and changed some terminology to be more consistent in the story.

Then, a successful insight check? I came to the conclusion that maybe it's not our software at all. It was something the guy said "oh if there's a default we change it." You change it, you say? What if they've locked down their machines past the point of usefulness? I thought. To myself. So I started turning services on the device off. Sure enough, if you disable some stuff you (and by that I mean I) can recreate the problem. No status of trying and simply failing right away with no explanation why. Turning various things on and off gives me different error messages. This could be it. We'll see tomorrow when we meet at 10:00 but I'm hoping this is it.

And if it is, a question arises. If you're so terrified of a printer on the network that you've locked it down past the point of being able to do anything, why not just buy a bunch of desk printers that plug in with USB and that's it? How many small printers can you buy for the cost of one AltaLink? Hint, it's a lot. Wouldn't that be the better way to go, if you're so paranoid about it? Sure, you can't scan directly to onedrive but then, right now, you can't do that anyway. Just buy scanners for the people that need to scan things. Who is going to walk up to a printer and scan something to onedrive anyway? You do that at your desk. It's so weird.

Stopped at my parents for giving them stuff, and came home.

No calls. Checked sites, did a kitty walk. Ate dinner.

No Man's Sky of course. I went to the bubble planet and got some bubbles. And some green metal, and made a base on the green metal planet. I scooped up lots of green metal, probably wouldn't have to go back but you never know.

Thurs:
No good news. Not for the reason you might think though. The guy that controls the puppet was a no-show. Some kind of other meeting with more important folks no doubt. So we don't know, and won't know, if my super duper brainstorm of an idea will solve the issue. Sigh.

I did finish the next chapter. They're about to face off against 4 drones, and the creature again of course. Only two of the four party members will be targeted. Will one almost die? We'll have to see.

Had the usual meeting. The food was restocked but the stuff for the 20th is still in there. Huh. Wonder if she'll come back tomorrow or wait until monday or what? Odd, to not just wait until late tomorrow to restock and not have to come back.

Came back here, checked sites. Went for a kitty walk. Ate dinner.

I'll get ready for tomorrow, Sean may want to do xbox tonight.

One call, we'll see how that goes. She says her facebook account was "hacked" and she also can't get email? Who knows. Going there Saturday we'll see what the situation is.

So we're not sure about game tomorrow but if we're doing xbox it'll probably happen. Shopping, seeing my parents. No bank yet, I don't think.

I'll do the final pour for Neil's gift. Not much else planned, still too early to put up christmas lights, but not by much. Oh, maybe writing the next combat, again I don't know if I'll do a combat at work, it's just so much to keep track of. We'll see. Maybe I'll skip writing the fight and the vampire fight though that's only against the vamp himself and so much easier, and write what comes after? I want to have a dramatic scene where the ship starts to sink and... well you'll just have to read it won't you. I do have another thing to write up- the in game explanation of mana cores and cultivation that wizards use to learn spells. They can't talk about "xp cost" or whatever, which incidentally is why the entire XP concept is stupid and why I offer rules for XPless play, but they can talk about the size of their mana core, and how cultivation can increase it or change it to "erase" spells to learn new ones. (Which is in the main rules) I might do that too.

That would seem to be it. Going to be rainy the next three days. It was nice today though.

Posting this now. See you all next week.