Category Archives: computers

silence is… weird?

27 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by in casa azahar, computers, home, retail therapy, sevilla

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For the last week or so my mouse has been sluggish and unresponsive and basically driving me nuts. I thought I could just get a new one but as I got it (ten years ago!) as part of a wireless package deal I was told today that I’d have to get a whole new package. So I saw this Logitech Silent Touch Wireless Combo on sale at El Corte Inglés and half an hour later it was home. I didn’t really pay much attention to the “silent” bit but now that I have it up and running… it really IS silent. No clicky sounds when I type or even when I “click” on the mouse. It just… works. And while that seemed a bit weird at first I gotta admit it feels very smooth, nice keyboard action. So an unexpected new work toy. And I suppose ten years was a good run for the old one, especially with the daily workout it gets.

I have a very old IKEA desk built for an old-style desktop PC so that the screen would be on top of the actual desk, the keyboard on a pull-out shelf underneath and the tower on a lower shelf. And I’ve kept this old thing even after changing to laptops because I CANNOT abide those little chiclet keys. So now I have my laptop sitting up on a decorative box (so it’s at eye level) and the keyboard and mouse on the lower sliding shelf, the perfect height for typing. And the lower tower shelf is a great place to rest my feet. Also saves on neck and wrist fatigue, plus my laptop keyboard never wears out.

sound recycling

06 Thursday Nov 2025

Posted by in computers, gadgets, music, technology

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So anyhow… back in January 2023 I somehow ended up with a “free” LG soundbar and woofer (Movistar client gift thing) and dutifully set it all up when it arrived (omg it made IKEA beds seem like a walk in the park in comparison) and once everything was connected I turned on the TV and, well yes, everything was much louder than before, and also way more boomier. In theory it was supposed to enhance my listening pleasure while watching television. But after a couple of months I ended up disconnecting it and went back to the TV speakers (which are just fine). I dunno, it just felt like TOO MUCH SOUND for just watching TV, you know?

And then today I was on (in?) a zoom meeting with my Gastro Guías and suddenly I couldn’t hear anything. Later the sound came back but it was all crackly. I thought it was the connection with the chat but later on when I put on some music it was still crackly. Well fuck. My lovely Galga is just over a year old and so, in theory, still on warranty. But the thought of having to deal with all that – taking her in, being computerless for god knows how long, etc – made me think of my poor rejected and neglected soundbar. 

I did actually try listening to my music connected to the soundbar and woofer when I first set everything up, but the TV setup is at the other end of the long space that is both living room and office and so it felt like the sound was filling up the whole house, not just my workspace. But today I thought… well what if I move the soundbar over to my desk? Duh. 

Can I tell you? I am so happy right now. Turns out the soundbar is the exact length of my desk, so it fits perfectly behind my laptop box (which elevates the screen to eye-level) like it was always supposed to be there. Takes up no extra space at all. And the sound! So much richer, deeper, fuller… but also easy to keep to myself in my little personal corner of the house. 

shadowfax

27 Friday Dec 2024

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shadowfax (1)

This afternoon Peter was on his regular family zoom chat when his laptop conked out. And when he tried to reboot he got the same scary blue screen HEY YOUR BATTERY IS FUCKED message I was getting on Boquerón last summer, which prompted me to purchase Galga before I lost everything. Frankly Peter’s Silver was getting on, over six years old, and had been acting up for some time. And so what the hell, we went shopping.

Say hello to Shadowfax… a sleek Lenovo model that has everything and more to suit Peter’s requirements. And it was on sale! Bonus. When I saw it I thought of this name immediately but just said to Peter he should name it before we set it up at home later. Then over a post-purchase celebratory glass of cava he said… how about Shadowfax? Guess it was meant to be.

Anyhow, Shadowfax is now all set up and ready for Peter to fire up in the morning. Long may he run.

shadowfax (2)

hola galga!

19 Thursday Sep 2024

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laptop 2024

Not the best time for my laptop to need replacing, but hey, is it ever? It’s been six years since I bought Boquerón and my two previous ones before that only lasted three years apiece, so I guess maybe I lucked out this time (??). A quick google tells me the average life expectancy for a laptop is 3-5 years, which seems like not much time, but what do I know? Anyhow, I think I also got lucky finding this model at El Corte Inglés, as there seem to be very few 17 inch models available these days. Plus it was 80 euros off (a “back to school” special offer).

And now begins the looong process of setting it all up. I was able to copy most of the important files, photos etc onto an external HD between crashes over the past couple of days but there’s still a lot to sort out. It’s a bit like housecleaning in a way. I’m realising how much STUFF was on the old computer that I can actually do without.

Of course I had to name her… galga is Spanish for greyhound as she is sleek and silver-grey. And she weighs just slightly less than Morcilla.

The specs…

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coolest thing ever or creepy conspiracy thing?

08 Saturday Feb 2020

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So when I was with Josephine at Puratasca on Friday we talked about all kinds of things, at one point discussing online privacy and the general snoopiness of practically every company out there, mining all our personal data. Both of us agreed that we would never have an Alexa, and I mentioned that Facetime glitch awhile back where, if one of the people on the call didn’t hang up afterwards, they could continue to listen in on the other person/people after the app appeared to be turned off. Apparently that’s been fixed, but I immediately removed that app from everywhere, even though I don’t use it. Can’t be too cautious. Likewise I have a piece of black tape over my laptop webcam, which means the lens is now probably all gacky from the glue, but I never use it so anyhow it doesn’t matter.

Then it was time to leave and we stopped by the kitchen to thank chef Raúl and he gave us some SWAG on the way out, including a ceramic fridge magnet celebrating their 10th anniversary and that little tchotchke on the right. Ever seen one of those before? Well, I hadn’t. What you do is stick it over your laptop webcam (with the circle over the cam), and then the top part slides open and shut. Genius! Except, hang on… we had just been talking about this. Was there a microphone in the bread basket, a listening device under the table, was the fork really JUST A FORK?? I mean, what are the odds that we would be randomly discussing covering up our webcams (Josephine does it too) and then get presented with a solution. Eh… eh??  😉