So my Nexus 5x decided to start bootlooping on me over the weekend. I tried resetting and reflashing it but I had no luck there. Today I called the Google store and luckily they are extending my warranty and exchanging my device for a refurbished one. I’m currently using my old Nexus 5 that’s over three years old. I used it for two of those years and then my wife used it for one, until I bought her a Pixel this past Christmas. So far with going back to the Nexus 5 all I miss is the better camera, fingerprint sensor unlock and slightly better battery life. On the other hand I like the Nexus 5’s size more as it fits into my pockets better and feels better when using one handed. That all combined makes me a bit jealous of my wifes Pixel as it incorporates all the good points of both those and has an even better camera and battery life. So far the extra cost seems like a good investment for her device.
Office Shed Completed
So as some of you might know I’ve been working on building a shed that I planned to insulate and use as an office. After several weekends of work it’s completed and I’ve moved my office out to it.
Here is my favorite shot which Sarah dubs it a Man-Cave:
The three monitors are great for school work or gaming. The TV is great for me or when Joseph is hanging out with me. In this case he was watching a video of someone playing Twilight Princess while I was working on stuff.
It’s also useful for storage:
Think of that as like a bunk used for storage.
There is also an area that’s going to have a future piece of foam for a couch/emergency guest overflow sleeping area.
Joseph liked hanging out there while I wrote this. I also have all my random computer parts stored nicely.
Here are a few “in progress” pictures for the project:
I used Rock Wool insulation. It’s a bit higher R value than the pink stuff and it’s wonderful to work with in comparison. It’s also fire resistant and offers so sound insulation. It’s pretty tough to hear outside of the shed.
This was after I covered the insulation with 1/4 ply wood and built my shelving. I debated using drywall but I like the wood everywhere. It’s tough to damage and I just like the look.
This was a picture after being built. The only addition being some steps and a small window AC is now connected. I have a standard door with deadbolt to help make it more secure and provide a better seal against the elements. The outside of the building matches the siding and roof of my house, which made it easy to get HOA approval.
Hoax News
So the past few years I have actually seen several “fake news” story’s posted in various places. It’s not as huge of a thing as it’s currently being made out to be but I have seen several people fall for them. It’s just a learning experience of to be critical of news sources from everywhere.
In my experience Google+ only had a few satire/fake stories spread, Facebook several more and Voat (a Reddit alternative I frequented for a while) had a ton of them.
The most common hoax/satire websites I’ve seen posted on Google+ and
Facebook are:
CBSnews.com.co (Hoax notice .co domain)
National Report (Hoax/Satire website)
Tribune Herald (Satire)
The Daily Currant (Satire)
The worst of were the fake CBS news site and National Report which sometimes post hoax news stories that were very well setup to be believable. If readers didn’t look further to more ridiculous content, they could be easily fooled. With the Tribune Herald and the Daily Currant some of their satire is based on recent news that sometimes confuses people.
The craziest hoaxes I saw were posted on Voat and the domains appear to now be dead. I think the sites talked about run by teenagers from the Republic of Macedonia might have used that for a testing area. The English that appeared to have been run through Google translate was always a good indicator to me.
At any rate, this is all just a lesson to be critical of your news sources. Before sharing a link, look at the URL to see if it’s copying another site. If it’s too crazy to be true, it just might not be true. If the spelling is atrocious, it might also be a hoax but it might just be a demonstration of editors missing from modern news rooms.