December 30, 2018

Where Do We Go Now: Why Delete Facebook

I think it's mostly a given that not too many people care about what I have done on Facebook. Facebook (as known to the majority of the world at large) is merely the big thing where your family members or relatives or your boss is posting photos or text. A supervisor posing with their spouse, with the kids cased with glee.
I honestly hope to god that some of the people reading this have heard of the absolutely scummy and deceptive actions the Facebook corporation has enacted. A/B testing users to deliberately invoking suicide in users, hiding real actions to replace with sponsored content, collecting information about your personal identity without even registering your own Facebook account, lying under the dozens of faces and names in court. And it's more than just Mark Zuckerberg alone. Their Lead Attorney had also lied under oath when answering questions from Congress.

Facebook has confirmed to have worked with the military state by providing personal information of over billions of human lives. Recently leaked email exchanges from early as 2012 confirm employees of attempting to take down competing services and platforms. In fact, one of the descriptions for a certain kind of platform

The number one threat to Facebook is not another scale social network, it is the fracturing of information / death by a thousand vertical apps which are loosely integrated together - FB exec Sam Lessin to Mark Zuckerberg, 2012

I opened a Facebook account in late 2016 after years of pressure and arguably the presence of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) from the immense Networking Effect that having over 2 Billion products Users. I believed that needing access to all of these people was such an absolute necessity just to grow my own personal brand. Every quarter of the year I was proven wrong. Those not on Facebook were more proactive, reaching out to actual blogs and websites. People that understood the game of Internet Virality more than anything I could perform.

I have had enough of Facebook. I have had enough of yet another wasteful online account. Another chance for Silicon Valley to mine information from the most sensitive of subjects and topics and thoughts. At this point, I would much rather put my (Web of) Trust in collectives of hobbyists and non-profits, instead of a "Social News Aggregate" that does nothing but bend towards the wishes of federal intelligence, shareholders, and the military state, with little to no regard of making a proper website. Instead Facebook cares more


So, where will I be now? WhatsApp and Instagram are owned by Facebook, with the latter already having some recent controversial changes. WhatsApp also had broken compatibility with other programs using the same Communication Protocol (OWS), which a program like Signal has successfully implemented for years at this point with no hitches.

I've still my website at http://harney-barrow.pw/. It also works dual-purpose as a cleaned up portfolio of my current work, with links to other websites where I keep my art and more.

But for the time being, I am still own a Twitter account with the handle @Harney_Barrow . Keep in mind that the mentality for this account is far more different, and less inhibited when it comes to discussing topics. Plus I already have got a handful of bones to pick with Twitter (though nowhere near as much as YouTube).

I have an account of the platform pleroma.site with the account name "@HarneyBA@pleroma.site". Pleroma is just strung along with hundreds of thousands of other fellow servers, bringing back the pre-Social Media Trust in users. In terms of network design, it's like how cells attach and clump together, or counting the individual corners and segments of a spider web one-by-one. I'm not a PROFESSIONAL WEBMASTER, so my information is corroborated from multiple people and conjecture from my experience with programming.



Thank you for reading.

June 8, 2018

State of The Enterprise H1 2018


State of the Enterprise (H1 2018)

A new year, another age of aspiration! A time for the things being made in the processes of the woodworks get marched out, to be known publicly to the public. Let's get on with this business.

The Website

First things first, I must bring to attention that the Harney-Barrow website, after taking over what feels like 10 months of trials. Trials with the properties of a war of attrition, patience, and general agony. But as of June 5th, 2018, this pained crash course in the back ends of websites. While there's still some extra kinks and bends to tidy up, it should no longer swallow giant swathes of my life again. Anyways, all you need is head onto http://harney-barrow.pw for the actual website.

It's a website.

I will tell you the basic information about this website, as the extent that I am fully aware of.

When picking hosts, I did not care for speed, but merely stability and price. Surfing online on websites like the messageboard archives such as the community behind LowEndBox (+ LowEndTalk). I searched for a hosting for "dirt cheap shared hosting", because I still don't plan on going full-bore into server hosting for what is essentially are destitute artist portfolio. After a couple weeks of websurfing, I settled upon buy from the lowest tier from Buyshared, operated by Frantech, apparently most known for also selling VPS space via BuyVPS. I didn't need the extra freedom of a VPS, but only the bare basics, which Buyshared does completely well, plus at a cheaper tier too, at about 5$ USD per year

Next up was to purchase a domain name. Again, I wanted this process to be as less painful & wasteful of time, and effort. Website people near-universally mentions to spring forward with buying domains from Gandi. It's a tad more expensive than other domain resellers out there, but an overwhelming number of folks online claiming Gandi to be "The Least of All Evils". Well if that's the case, then I may as well pay more to avoid the horror stories of a registrar like GoDaddy or 1&1. My website, harney-barrow.pw, was sold for [number] per year, which is relatively fine enough in the long run.

Now for a bulletin-point digression into the next part of this website.
  • Buyshared enablers the use of cPanel/'Control Panel', which makes it more visual over reading much more further in learning the details in a less visual client.
  • The website is marked at compliant with the HTML 4.01 Strict standard, which will optimistically make the site compatible with software such as the Mothra browser, as pioneered by Plan 9 from Bell Labs
  • I admittedly do not have enough details and information when it comes to the writing of words, text, and speech.
  • A good friend on Mastodon has given me a nice tip about mobile usage of my site, and I plan on implementing a Spanish language version of the website.

The YouTube

I'm aware that my YouTube channel has mostly been what could be the technological equivalent of a neglected shovel in the toolshed. I haven't touched a video editor in a while. But there's no need to clear the cache and forget what I do.
With the website in working order, I can get a run with the channel more functionally. I am now more comfortable with creating the long-awaited channel trailer for newer channel diggers and searchers. Would still wish to get the Spanish language version put up, but that can wait for now.

The Music

Most that know me may wish to know of the music I am recently making. As of now, I'm currently in the phase of exploring further more productions. The current flavor of despair is regretting the purchases of my hardware.

I bought a Samson Graphite 49 last year. Never have I experienced such extreme buyer's remorse than with this MIDI Controller. The cheap rubber pads of the keyboard frequently double-trigger. The 'other 4 pads' requires pushing an extra button to get to a 'B Section' of pads. Instant regret. The key sensitivity is fine enough for what it is, but one needs to literally slam onto the rubber pads to get anywhere to an audible sample or trigger. I'll likely sell this thing off and buy something smaller/more compact. Might go for an AKAI MPK Mini, was never a big person with pitch&mod wheels.

Beyond hardware, I'm still mostly trying to find the perfect DAW for the job. Studio One by Presonus/Novation is pretty good, but it's proprietary software and doesn't natively work with Linux (no, using WINE is not a good substitute). It also hurts when Windows has less audio troubles than the Linux Audio Jungle. Ah well.

The Reality

I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money.I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. 

I still can't find work. It's been over a year since I couldn't find any job. I missed the state's transport interview so obviously I'll never get the job. The local temp service is an absentee nothing. I haven't gotten a single call from the manager to me, so I have nothing to do. I need money. I can't pay for anything when I have nothing. But McDonalds hasn't responded to my job applications. Rite Aid hasn't responded to my job applications. Grocery Outlet hasn't responded to my job applications. Best Western hasn't responded to my job applications. Subway hasn't responded to my job applications. The local ISP hasn't responded to my job applications.  Shell hasn't responded to my job applications. Kroger's hasn't responded to my job applications. UPS hasn't responded to my job applications. Nobody responds to any of the inquiries I make. Employers of these businesses say that they're "bleeding workers nonstop" yet they don't do a single lick of help when I ask if there's work. If they do anything, they most likely trash my application and resume. This shit is as bad as trying to put up the website, but more life-threateningly crucial. But none of these fucking managers does a single thing, when some guy, with literally nothing but "BORN AND RAISED LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE. GENUINELY LOVES THE REGION HE IS FROM, BUT HE NEEDS MONEY ASAP HIRE HIM ALREADY", they toss them into the downhill slope of rural poverty. I can do nothing. I need to find a way of merchandise to the non-existent base of people that like my art. I need money and nobody's responding. Ever since the internet has cursed me with the taint of self-awareness every day in life has gotten worse with no end in sight. I should've brought the 870 and blew it off at graduation. But that would be missing the original misery vein, along with cementing my name with a district of public schools that I maintain a strong antipathy towards.

I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. I need money. 

Conclusion

There's work to be done. Feels good to be typing at this blog here, in the least.

Thank you for reading.