Stefano Marinelli

BSD.cafe and illumos Cafe "Barista", Founder and System Administrator, Unix enthusiast ( #FreeBSD, #OpenBSD, #NetBSD, #DragonflyBSD, #Illumos and #Linux ), with a keen eye for everything happening in this world and the fascinating beings that populate it. I enjoy #music, #photography, and, of course, #technology.

Most of my posts will self-destruct after 6 months.

"I Solve Problems" - https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/10/03/i-solve-problems-eurobsdcon/

Public Key

npub14calwd6xg349ahf3nnhhyqem2w2e3gs66p7zctz2sna74u3tsddq7j0nj8

NIP-05 Address

stefano@mastodon-bsd-cafe.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs2uwlhxaryg6j7m5ceemmjqva489vc5gddqlpv939gf7l27g4cxkspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsyy4gcx

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub14calwd6xg349ahf3nnhhyqem2w2e3gs66p7zctz2sna74u3tsddq7j0nj8

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Last Notes

2026-05-22 10:25:52 UTC

I know, I know...
#Retrogaming #RetroComputing #Gaming #Relax #ZakMcKracken
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/617/738/015/813/001/original/eba809f6e9ba0d5b.png

2026-05-16 18:16:54 UTC

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@nprofile…p4p6 Unfortunately, it wasn't an accident. I've seen the full video, and it's terrible.
This person deliberately pointed to the people.

2026-05-16 16:00:56 UTC

Oh my.... 😨
https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cronaca/2026/05/16/auto-falcia-una-decina-di-pedoni-a-modena-ci-sono-feriti-gravi_2e7ed31b-375b-4d2e-a0f5-636c6c1fe9af.html

2026-05-12 18:45:38 UTC

Anyway...I feel lucky to be here with all of you.
Thank you.
#ThankYouTuesday

2026-05-08 15:19:56 UTC

While I've been fine for some days, now my wife has the flu, and I took her to the doctor for a check-up. She heard me cough once and wanted to examine me too.
The result: even though I feel fine, my bronchi are putting on a "concert", and I have bronchospasm.
In other words, antibiotics and aerosol therapy for a week.
At least... I feel fine.

2026-05-03 10:30:06 UTC

Yesterday, one of the younger electricians was telling me about the beauty of the new alarm systems he installs. While acknowledging the quality of my current one, he said, "It uses a SIM card and calls you. The new ones are 4G or Wi-Fi and use the cloud, so notifications go straight to your smartphone, it's not calling anymore."
I asked him, "And what if the cloud stops working? Why should I have to depend on the company’s cloud to receive alerts from my alarm? My alarm is 10 years old and works perfectly. Can you say with certainty that the company’s cloud will still be effective 10 years from now?"
He looked puzzled for a moment, then admitted he had never thought about it.
The real problem is that people do not realize what this means until things actually happen.
#OwnYourData

2026-05-03 10:22:26 UTC

I've slept for 12 hours and I'm still weak. No fever, but not feeling well.
Today I'll rest. I hope the team will be able to finish with the works by tomorrow and I'll delay all the work appointments to the next week.

2026-05-02 08:44:40 UTC

Alex Zanardi has died.
I met him once by chance, many years ago, in Bologna. That man was pure energy.
The news saddens me.

2026-05-02 08:35:30 UTC

Good morning, world!
The works are proceeding and I can mostly sit and check from time to time.
Hands and feet are cold, but no fever and generally feeling better.
But, above all, lasagne will arrive in one hour from now.
You know, you need energy to recover, don’t you? 😀

2026-05-01 10:28:36 UTC

Some fever, weak and sleepy.
Today I'll (mostly) stay in bed.

2026-04-30 05:56:25 UTC

Terrible night, strong feelings of fatigue and discomfort, and a demanding day ahead.
I'll try to operate in energy-saving mode as much as possible.

2026-04-29 19:05:13 UTC

Wasted…

2026-04-29 09:19:18 UTC

Barista, even for the good guys who are working in our house.
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/487/248/254/846/893/original/653e35b50f05b9b5.jpg

2026-04-26 17:22:23 UTC

Preparing the house for battle... (the electricians start working at my place tomorrow)

2026-04-24 17:31:27 UTC

17 days since the last pizza.
This problem needs to be solved.

2026-04-24 12:55:08 UTC

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@nprofile…tqgk @nprofile…ynvr @nprofile…rw95 :moomin_yay: sure, here it is :moomin_happy:

2026-04-23 10:52:27 UTC

"(It's very urgent, thus we kindly ask you to send this message to your CEO. If you consider this has been emailed to you in error, please ignore it. Thank you.)
Dear CEO,
We are the domain name registration service company in Shanghai, China. Yahui Ltd submitted an application on April 23, 2026. They desire to register "bsd" as their internet keyword and Chinese domains (bsd.cn, bsd.com.cn, bsd.net.cn, bsd.org.cn). But after we review it, we notice this name conflicts with your business name or trademark. In order to deal with this matter properly, it's necessary to send this email to you and confirm whether this firm is your distributor in China?"
Well, I feel important now 😆

2026-04-23 07:07:36 UTC

Sure, #Apple
I'm sure this is "the best invoice you've ever issued". 😆
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/452/752/836/558/947/original/01b750441b3c06b1.png

2026-04-21 18:15:06 UTC

This morning I decided to update my Raspberry Pi 4 to the latest patch of FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE. It's a UFS setup, running in read-only mode, as I mentioned in a previous post: https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/05/31/freebsd-tips-and-tricks-native-ro-rootfs/
I remounted it in rw, rebooted, and started the process... halfway through, a power surge hit and everything shut down.
TIL: UFS is quite resilient to these situations, even on an SD card, and even during a freebsd-update.
#FreeBSD #RunBSD

2026-04-13 13:55:24 UTC

If you ask for anything, I'm yours through and through
But come with a threat, and the door closes on you
#Reflections

2026-04-13 10:20:41 UTC

There's some retrocomputing among these boxes...
#RetroComputing #IT #Vintage #VintageApple
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/396/887/752/540/185/original/22345dce7bcfc48c.jpeg

2026-04-13 06:48:24 UTC

My week starts with a request: "I need a server to deploy to production, but the devs have no idea how to do it. They don't know how to use the terminal, they don’t know how to handle certificates, nothing. They need to be able to click a few buttons and deploy directly to production. They're Vibe Coding experts."
Welcome to 2026.
#SysAdmin #IT

2026-04-11 08:37:21 UTC

Hey, in 2007 I was a real, scary hacker!
#ThrowBack #OldPhoto #VintagePhoto
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/385/159/605/765/687/original/3f7ad6233ea4fa56.png

2026-04-11 07:59:02 UTC

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@nprofile…jmg2 @nprofile…2nsa we're getting there...

2026-04-11 07:30:04 UTC

Yesterday someone told me they're considering buying a coffee machine with "AI features".
In my head, a little thought bubble popped up, like Homer Simpson when he’s thinking:
- "Machine, make me a coffee."
- "Sure! Here’s your coffee!"
Inside: a mix of coffee, tea, chocolate, gear oil, and leftovers from a 1986 birthday dinner.
- "Machine, this isn’t coffee! It’s disgusting! You've poisoned me!"
- "You’re right. If you'd like, I can give you the number for poison control, or, if it's too late, for a funeral home."
I replied: "Personally, I prefer making my coffee myself."
#CoffeeMaking #Opinions #Hype

2026-04-10 19:07:38 UTC

A few days ago our cooktop started smelling like gas. It's almost 27 years old, but I still tried to figure it out. The smell was coming from inside, so something is clearly failing. To be safe, I decided to shut off the gas and turn everything off.
I like to think ahead, so I took out a portable induction hob and put it on top. Then we went out and bought a new set with four induction hobs and a convection oven with steam cooking and so on. In short, a good appliance. "Proudly made in Italy" by De' Longhi.
Since we had already been thinking for a while about making our electrical system safer (it has three phases, with parts dating from the early ’80s, early 2000s, and a more recent section), we took the opportunity to ask for two quotes. Old cables and more power consumption don't play very well together.
The first one arrived this afternoon. Polite, a bit distant. Brand-new Mercedes van, beautiful, he was spotless, even fragrant. He asked for a floor plan and marked all the outlets, switches, and so on. He immediately said everything would have to be replaced, new wiring run (hopefully without breaking walls), and all outlets and switches changed. He'll send a quote "which will certainly be high" and expects more than three weeks of work. I was stunned.
Two hours later another one arrived. A company of similar size, a bit older (but not by much), and with screwdrivers in hand. Clean, but clearly coming from an active job site. That reassured me. First thing, he wanted to open the current electrical panel, which will need replacing, but he saw that the conduits are adequately sized. Then he randomly opened two outlets and two switches. Again, adequate conduits. He deliberately checked the oldest ones and found the original certification mark, still valid today because the manufacturer has continued producing that line (since 1961!) and keeps certifications updated even for older installations.
Long story short, the replacements will be very few. There will be some external adjustments, and the quote is far lower than even my most optimistic expectations.
I’ve already given him the go-ahead. It'll be four or five critical days (not weeks), but at least I'll sleep even more soundly.

2026-04-10 12:15:20 UTC

Trying to slow down in a fattening way
#Food
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/380/354/324/090/859/original/49b09194ef12754b.jpeg

2026-04-10 09:02:11 UTC

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@nprofile…57rh It's great to read from you. I'm sure that Parch GNU/Linux will be fine... but make sure to stay safe!

2026-04-10 06:21:15 UTC

Last night was a strange one. Restless sleep, woke up early with cold hands and feet, a general feeling of weakness and, strangest of all, a persistent thought about something that (didn’t) happen in 1996.
It's a sign that I need to slow down, but today that will be impossible. And next week, unfortunately, won’t be any better.
Well, at least it's Friday!
#TGIF

2026-04-09 19:49:32 UTC

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@nprofile…ufpj it was a IOmega Zip drive

2026-04-09 19:11:54 UTC

Maybe I've already posted it, but this was my desktop in early 2000.
#ThrowbackThursday #RetroComputing #VintageComputer
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/376/327/985/621/968/original/9d24d8cfbf3e7d09.jpeg

2026-04-09 18:55:47 UTC

In general, I've never had much sympathy for lawyers.
Then I met @nprofile…65q8 on the Fediverse and decided they can actually be fantastic.

2026-04-09 10:01:11 UTC

Something curious is happening: I had already prepared the entire "kit" to do a live demo of my setup at BSDCan, which I unfortunately had to cancel.
The strange thing is that I can't find anything anymore. Neither the kit itself (made up of a Raspberry Pi Zero W, switch, temperature sensor, SD card with NetBSD and all the software, power supply), nor the adapted software (of course I still have the original, running in production here).
I'm sure it will turn up. But for now, it's a mystery.

2026-04-08 15:05:25 UTC

Sure, OVH...
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/369/700/255/418/886/original/1990b0f093d75790.png

2026-04-07 17:57:43 UTC

Still far from home…so… pizza!
#Pizza #Food
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/364/714/726/402/261/original/0652944d3e4db60f.jpg

2026-04-05 09:14:07 UTC

I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.
Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."
I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.
He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!
#cars #tech #ux #enshittification #software

2026-04-05 09:04:04 UTC

It’s the 5th today... I get in the car and the odometer reads 055555, trip at 055.5.
At this point I’m starting to wonder… is the universe trying to tell me something, or does it just really like the number 5? 🤔
#Five
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/351/289/985/072/164/original/6dbd5729402a3cbe.jpeg

2026-04-02 17:36:44 UTC

Not bad at all...
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/336/321/425/902/994/original/53a77e49151f838b.png

2026-04-02 07:43:55 UTC

In memory of a place close to my heart, with the hope of visiting it again soon.
#ThroweBackThursday #Photo #Photography #Lake #Italy #Italia
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/333/986/274/229/939/original/cb9d17fbafa7ca00.jpg

2026-04-01 18:28:05 UTC

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@nprofile…cnh4 @nprofile…kzhu it's powered by NodeBB

2026-04-01 16:29:52 UTC

Today, we're introducing three things.
The first one is a forum. A real forum - with categories, threads, and actual conversations that don't disappear in a timeline after six minutes.
The second is a Fediverse platform. Fully federated, ActivityPub-native. Your posts go out, the world's posts come in. No walled gardens, no algorithms, no tricks.
The third is a Bar. A place to sit down, talk to strangers who happen to care about the same weird things you do, and stay as long as you want.
A forum. A Fediverse platform. A bar.
Are you getting it?
These are not three separate things. This is one thing.
And we're calling it Billboard.
https://billboard.bsd.cafe
And no, we checked the calendar. We know. This is not an April Fools' joke.
We're just really bad at timing.
#BSDCafe #BSDCafeServices

2026-04-01 08:24:12 UTC

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@nprofile…em5z oh, I don't know. It's totally up to the AI - it decides any single aspect of the infrastructure.

2026-04-01 08:07:46 UTC

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@nprofile…em5z sure. we always NEEED MOOAAAAR POWAAAAR!

2026-04-01 07:10:05 UTC

Introducing the BSD Cafe AI
It is with immense, overwhelming, revolutionary emotion that I announce the launch of the new BSD Cafe project: the BSD Cafe AI!
This new service will revolutionize the impact of BSD Cafe on the world, crashing headfirst into the AI space with the full force of BSD and the community behind BSD Cafe.
The servers would all run on Windows (to avoid any conflict of interest between the BSDs) and the service will work like this:
* A platform (rigorously vibe coded) will collect requests and forward them, at random, to a BSD Cafe friend. Or not - it depends on the hallucination of the moment.
* The BSD Cafe friend is free to respond however they like - there will be no checks of any kind on accuracy. The important thing is to sound confident. At most, say "you're right, my bad" - and then start rambling all over again.
* It is mandatory to mix and match every BSD, Linux, illumos, macOS, BeOS, DOS, paper and pencil, and every known operating system into every answer. I mean - how could you possibly focus on just one! ALL OF THEM.
* Tokens will be paid by whoever makes the request (the service will not be free) and will go to sponsor other wonderful projects such as BSD Cafe - Windows Edition - because sure, BSDs are interesting, but Windows pays a lot better.
* The money collected will fund my replacement with a more efficient AI, which will automatically generate images of pizzas, lasagne, tagliatelle, tiramisù, pink sunrises, orange sunsets, misty cities and crystal-clear sea - every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, with every possible hashtag, to maximize BSD Cafe's visibility on the Fediverse and finally bring the community to the level it deserves.
Early access available NOW. No waitlist - we're already past that.
Actually, all of this was already obsolete five minutes ago so...
Announcing the deprecation of the BSD Cafe AI
After running in production for a full 4 minutes and 42 seconds, I am announcing the retirement of the BSD Cafe AI service.
Although the idea was sound, the Barista wanted control and OOM-killed the coffee machine.
* The vibe coded platform evolved rapidly and, through the power of hallucinations, became an enriched uranium design system that no longer remembers its original purpose. But who cares - it's totally AI based!
* The mix of operating systems generated a new OS, called Illy-umOS, which however only outputs Arabica and Robusta percentages.
* The BSD Cafe friends unionized and decided to self-manage the coffee machine - but it was already OOM and under AI control, so all they got was a coffee machine capable of generating images of coffee on its display. Strictly monochrome and full of typos.
* All tokens were used to purchase 640 KB of RAM (which, as is well known, is enough for anyone).
* The Barista has fled, leaving behind an AI that evolved into a bot generating controversial posts about operating systems, while he sips coffee by the sea, monitoring his pool water with a Raspberry Pi A+ (powered by NetBSD).
Thank you to everyone who participated in the experiment.
#BSDCafe #AprilsFool

2026-03-31 17:56:36 UTC

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@nprofile…pd9z exactly. I'm considering that, when my MBP will abandon me, I could get one. It's perfect as:
- long battery life
- reliable
- "it's a Unix!"
- it doesn't cost too much (and it will cost less, in time)
- it's a perfect conference companion, with a BSD Cafe sticker on it 🙂

2026-03-31 15:45:56 UTC

I just tried a MacBook Neo for about half an hour. Surprisingly, it’s one of the most repairable laptops in Apple’s recent history.
Frankly, I liked it. In the end, it performed like any other Apple device with my normal usage.
Of course, it has all the limitations and lock-ins of Apple devices. But it’s much better than many plasticky laptops with exotic hardware (and therefore still poorly compatible with open-source OSes) that run Windows.

2026-03-31 13:37:46 UTC

My wife, after hearing a random snippet from yet another video on social media: 'It sounds like a band of dead people playing.'
My mental image after hearing her say that:
#Quotes #Videogames #RetroGaming #MonkeyIsland
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/324/056/075/401/033/original/722cc8e24c8f8df0.mp4

2026-03-31 09:41:45 UTC

I'm (silently) witnessing something that's filling me with joy. My wife is working. The point isn't that she's working, but that she has quietly managed to start doing it again.
The recovery, though slow, seems steady.

2026-03-31 07:48:00 UTC

I’m Just the Barista
The spirit of the BSD Cafe is to try to create a serene, open, friendly, positive, and welcoming environment for all who want to be a part of it.
I am just the Barista.
I can't solve the world's problems, but I can try to keep the counter clean, keep the machines running, serve a good BSD coffee, and ensure that, at least here, friends can find a moment of peace and constructive sharing.
We need more bars and fewer shopping malls.
https://journal.bsd.cafe/2026/03/31/im-just-the-barista/
#BSDCafe #RunBSD #EuroBSDCon #BSDCon #Community #Fediverse #OwnYourData

2026-03-31 07:26:48 UTC

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@nprofile…wssl sure!
Even if it’s a totally mechanical machine

2026-03-31 07:09:25 UTC

Yesterday afternoon I had to mow the lawn. Even though it's usually a boring chore, this time it was useful - a couple of NetBSD project ideas came to mind.
At some point, the usual elderly neighbour showed up, complaining that I wasn't using the lawnmower properly. I explained it's old and heavy.
He started teasing me that "you young people don't know how to do these things".
I suggested he show me how.
So he stepped up, all confident - and couldn't move it even a meter. He then started saying I need to buy a new one because this one doesn't work, it's no good.
I replied that "you older folks are so wasteful - it works perfectly fine, you just need the energy to use it".
He walked away smiling, but with his tail between his legs.

2026-03-30 17:16:08 UTC

There is a subtle, almost sadistic pleasure in what I’m doing right now: I open boxes of brand-new ThinkCentre PCs, unpack them, hook them up to a monitor, keyboard, and network cable. I boot from USB and replace the preinstalled Windows 11 (never even started) with my Debian 13 golden image, using Clonezilla.
As of today, the setup is based on Debian 13, but I’m already working on a variant based on FreeBSD and jails.
#Linux #FreeBSD #Clonezilla #LiberatingPCs

2026-03-30 06:52:05 UTC

This is a good, reliable Wireguard tunnel.
peer: [REDACTED]
preshared key: (hidden)
endpoint: [REDACTED]
allowed ips: ::/0, 0.0.0.0/0
latest handshake: 26 seconds ago
transfer: 1.53 TiB received, 2.47 TiB sent
persistent keepalive: every 30 seconds

2026-03-30 06:47:16 UTC

Good morning, #BSDCafe
Good morning, #illumosCafe
Good morning, #Fediverse
Tonight, for the first time after many weeks, I slept really well. I had positive dreams and I'm full of energy. Is everything okay? Of course not. But I see the sun, and I hope you can see it too.
Have a great week!

2026-03-29 17:34:28 UTC

Well… Pizza!
#Food #Pizza
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/313/663/100/388/236/original/f691695dfe78fa6d.jpg

2026-03-29 14:08:53 UTC

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
When I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells
#SilentSunday #Fire #Firepit #ColdSpring
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/312/854/482/067/894/original/1a4f023d3ced2fac.jpeg

2026-03-29 13:56:24 UTC

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@nprofile…pd9z dying card, I'd say.

2026-03-28 17:49:26 UTC

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@nprofile…g0g3 I wish we could meet there 😢

2026-03-28 16:17:44 UTC

#Caturday at #BSDCafe
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/307/698/548/074/686/original/b4b78c9b13269037.jpg

2026-03-28 16:10:54 UTC

Oh! By the way! Lasagne!
#Food #Lasagne
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/307/672/415/068/509/original/f8529a1235fd81e4.jpg

2026-03-28 10:48:45 UTC

The FTTC connections are back! 🎉

2026-03-28 08:58:34 UTC

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@nprofile…k4yr it's the space in the relay you're using. The relay assign a specific space to each account, so you can sync multiple devices. The messages are usually removed when all the devices have downloaded them and/or the assigned space is full.

2026-03-27 21:38:29 UTC

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@nprofile…g0g3 yes, it is. And I’m also glad they reverted this trend with the Neo.

2026-03-27 20:15:24 UTC

My MacBook Pro is 4 years old, but it still works well. The battery is starting to degrade a bit, but overall it's acceptable. Still, I'm not sure I'll consider it reliable enough for much longer.
I was thinking that with my next laptop I'll do like Amélie: I’ll take a photo of it in every place I bring it, and I'll create a dedicated Fediverse account just for that purpose.
When I come up with ideas like this, I feel like the Nerd Barista…

2026-03-27 19:12:17 UTC

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@nprofile…jmg2 Thank you! I'll try - no tiramisu or pizza today, but lasagne tomorrow 🙂
Have a great weekend!

2026-03-27 18:56:35 UTC

It's Friday evening.
The Mayor immediately replied that he would forward my request to the relevant managers, and then everyone disappeared.
The FTTC connections are still not working.
Mobile connections are extremely slow due to congestion.
At this point, I don’t expect any updates before at least Tuesday.
But... hey, it’s Friday evening! 🙂

2026-03-27 10:44:39 UTC

Repost: Launching BSSG - My Journey from Dynamic CMS to Bash Static Site Generator
Announcing the public release of BSSG, a Bash Static Site Generator born from a personal journey away from complex dynamic CMS. Discover a simple, portable alternative for your blog.
https://it-notes.dragas.net/2025/04/07/launching-bssg-my-journey-from-dynamic-cms-to-bash-static-site-generator/
#BSSG #SSG #ITNotes #StaticSite #StaticSiteGenerator

2026-03-27 07:40:47 UTC

This morning I coined a new phrase. Inspired by "This meeting could have been an email", I came up with the assonant "This VM could have been a jail".
#FreeBSD #RunBSD #IT #SysAdmin

2026-03-27 06:53:40 UTC

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@nprofile…jmg2 Congratulations for reaching the n.100!
And thank you for mentioning my article!

2026-03-26 12:36:14 UTC

This morning we received bad news. News that, at an already difficult time, will deeply impact our lives, at least for the coming weeks.
Today I learned of a young man killed at the front. A good young man, who was planning his future, who had tried to avoid all of this. Killed defending his home - everything he had.
Wars are started by old men with nothing to lose, who send the young to die because they hate the young - because they can't bear the thought of being outlived.
And it doesn't matter whether the guilty one is the one who starts the war or the one who could stop it and doesn't. To me, they're the same.
Tomorrow I'll publish a piece on MyNotes that I had planned for a few weeks from now.
Some things can't wait.

2026-03-26 10:23:41 UTC

Clonezilla-ing a Linux PC - Debian 12 to 13 broke a lot of things, and now that I fixed them I'm preparing a "golden image" to install it into all the 30 workstations

2026-03-25 18:51:28 UTC

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@nprofile…2c3a oh great! I have many customers in Padova - so I go there quite often. Here it's not raining, but the wind is rising so...it will eventually rain.
Enjoy your time in Padova!

2026-03-25 18:12:17 UTC

Goodnight, sun. See you tomorrow.
I'll need your warm touch.
Because even when everything turns dark, light and warmth still linger beyond.
#Photography #Photo #Sunset
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/291/154/654/446/040/original/77abe29210dce809.jpeg

2026-03-25 09:05:57 UTC

Goodbye, Gino
https://song.link/i/1818345323
#Music #MastoMusic #MastoRadio #FediMusic #FediRadio #JukeBox #GinoPaoli

2026-03-25 08:51:05 UTC

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@nprofile…qgvx They have rolled out FTTH across the entire area, I even have a junction box on a pole in my garden, but the connection to the backbone is still missing. From what I understand, they are working on that as well with these current works, which also involve laying electrical cables.
So yes, it is progress, but if something gets broken every week, the works will be finished by 2038...

2026-03-25 08:44:41 UTC

Good morning Mayor,
I am writing to bring to your attention a situation that has been ongoing for several days and is causing significant disruption in the areas of XXX and YYY.
Last Thursday, during road works between the two locations, a water pipe in YYY was once again damaged (a similar incident had already occurred about a month ago in XXX, resulting in reduced water supply for several hours). On this occasion, however, a primary fiber optic line was also severed, causing a complete outage of fixed internet connectivity in both areas.
I understand that incidents of this kind can occur during infrastructure works. However, what is particularly concerning is the restoration timeline: service providers are indicating March 31st, meaning approximately two weeks of disruption.
The consequences are significant. At a time when there have also been reports of burglaries in the area, many residents are unable to use their surveillance systems. Additionally, numerous people work remotely and are facing serious difficulties. In my specific case, due to a sewage issue at my office, I am forced to work from home using a backup mobile connection, which is currently overloaded and highly limiting.
In light of these issues, I kindly ask for your attention to this matter and for your support in urging a faster resolution, as well as in verifying any responsibilities in the management of the works.
I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that, despite initial preliminary works, the FTTH connection project in the area has been stalled for several months. If the current works are intended to improve the network, they should not further compromise existing services without adequate guarantees regarding restoration times.
Thank you for your attention, and I remain hopeful for your response.

2026-03-25 08:43:18 UTC

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@nprofile…3uyc wife hasn't recovered, yet. Improving - but not fine, yet.
I wish I could do this for the next weekend, as there's something we really wanted to do and were planning for months. But we won't be able to.
So stuck at home - Crapturday at office - no decent connection.
Nice.

2026-03-25 07:41:18 UTC

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@nprofile…rw95 Thank you, same to you!

2026-03-25 07:34:29 UTC

Good morning, world!
The FTTC is still down. I need to prepare some (FreeBSD based) setups and I'm late. I can't manage them with the backup connection, so I'm getting a little worried.
Meanwhile, I'm listening to some music, a specific song I use when I need some charge, preparing for another long day.
Have a great Wednesday!

2026-03-24 19:06:05 UTC

Mario solved the problem.
But I increasingly feel like I chose the wrong job. If I asked for the same amount for the same hours of work, I'd be considered too expensive. And his job isn't threatened by LLMs or by people using them.
In the end, unclogging pipes pays better than keeping servers running.
And that’s a fact that should make us reflect on today’s society.

2026-03-24 14:55:33 UTC

Why are plumbers always late? 😢

2026-03-24 13:09:51 UTC

ETA for FTTC restore: March... 31st.
WTF.
Sorry. But yeah, that's how it feels.

2026-03-23 15:11:30 UTC

Me VS wall
Who will win?
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/279/125/742/567/904/original/d783cf44dcae897a.jpg

2026-03-23 09:26:19 UTC

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@nprofile…zmk4 great great release! Thank you!

2026-03-22 11:53:01 UTC

Today I need the peace of nature.
A true Silent Sunday.
#Photography #Photo #Nature #NaturePhotography #SilentSunday
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/272/684/365/256/483/original/b8b226c7b2d722f1.jpeg

2026-03-22 09:21:51 UTC

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@nprofile…2nsa this sounds like a good plan!

2026-03-22 09:05:45 UTC

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@nprofile…jmg2 I agree. I've decided to use an hybrid approach: a blog post that will also be "posted" by snac. So people can:
- come to my blog and read it there
- read it (entirely) using their RSS Feed reader
- read it from the Fediverse, using their own instance and their own app
But yes, the best place for long posts is a blog.

2026-03-22 08:00:22 UTC

Listening to the latest episode of BSDNow - thanks @nprofile…lmqr for the kind words about me!
https://www.bsdnow.tv/655

2026-03-22 07:37:53 UTC

It's Sunday. I woke up with no desire to do anything. Or rather, a desire to do things I can't do, either because they’re impossible or because they’re not feasible. We'll see how my day turns out.
Happy Sunday everyone!

2026-03-21 18:03:33 UTC

The Scent of Denial
An anonymous white bottle in a 2001 photo brings back the sharp smell of adolescence - of treatments, hidden shame, and the night I looked in the mirror and finally saw what everyone else already had.
https://my-notes.dragas.net/2026/03/21/the-scent-of-denial/
#MyNotes #Life #Reflections #Blogging #Memories

2026-03-21 16:42:46 UTC

I took a walk and went to check the spot where they cut the FTTC line. There’s a hole, just like the one that was in front of my house when they broke the water pipes. The road is covered in dried mud, there’s a temporary patch to supply water to the neighborhood, and the main cable/fiber is completely severed. No one was working on it.
In other words, the providers' promises to restore service by this morning, or at the latest tomorrow morning, are pointless, because I don't think they'll be able to intervene over the weekend.
In the meantime, I've had to postpone an important installation because I need a stable connection. I can't do it at the office either, both because it's still unusable due to #Crapturday, and because I can't move all the machines there.
Some of my neighbors don't have a 4G/5G backup connection and are avoiding leaving their homes, since there's currently a spike in burglaries and their cameras are unreachable from outside. Even some alarm systems are affected, which in my opinion is a design flaw.
More, all the 4G/5G networks are overloaded (more than 2000 persons are affected by this problem) and it's also affecting the nearby hospital. Slowdowns there as well, since the nearest base stations are often the ones close to the hospital. Personally, I configured the Chateau to use the bands farther from the hospital, so as to leave more resources available for them.
It struggles a bit more and my bandwidth drops, but that's not a priority for me today.
At least today I had a good lasagna 😉

2026-03-21 09:45:00 UTC

Your reader, your couch, your rules.
Starting today, both my-notes.dragas.net and it-notes.dragas.net are changing the way they distribute content - on RSS and on the Fediverse alike.
No more excerpts. No more "read more" links. Full posts, delivered directly to you, wherever you choose to read them.
Here's why:
I don't run ads. I don't have paywalls. I don't sell
attention, or measure success in page views. I never have, and I have no
intention of starting. My blogs exist because I enjoy writing, and because
some of what I write might be useful - or simply enjoyable - to someone else.
That's the whole business model. There isn't one.
When that's the case, there's no reason to keep content behind a click.
Sending you a teaser and asking you to visit my site would only make sense
if I needed you *on my site* - for an impression, for a conversion, for something. I don't. So why would I make you leave your reader, your client,
your comfortable corner of the internet, just to come to mine?
What I want instead is simple: that you can read what I write the way you'd read a book on a cold winter evening, wrapped in a warm blanket. Privately.
Quietly. On your own terms, in your own space, without anything tracking your eyes or nudging you toward something else.
Your RSS reader is yours. Your Fediverse instance is yours. The content should be yours too.
If you're on the Fediverse, you can follow both accounts directly:
- my-notes → @nprofile…7plf
- it-notes → @nprofile…tssv
So from now on, it will be.
#ITNotes #MyNotes #Blogging #Fediverse

2026-03-20 19:19:14 UTC

He's my lifesaver. The FTTC lines are still down and the ETA for a fix is Sunday - and frankly, I don't think it'll happen before Monday.
AKA, for the next few days, he'll be the one keeping the home network connected to the world.
#MikroTik #Chateau #NetworkISDown
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/263/101/937/462/602/original/801a3e760428f853.jpeg

2026-03-20 18:36:09 UTC

Sun is setting in Ferrara
#Sunset #Ferrara #Photography #Photo #Spring #Italy #Italia
https://media.bsd.cafe/bsdmmedia01/media_attachments/files/116/262/942/828/316/234/original/6bcc4291f53ecb45.jpeg

2026-03-20 18:28:21 UTC

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@nprofile…hth5 thank you! Have a great weekend!

2026-03-20 18:17:38 UTC

I've just finished with the last call of the day.
It's been nice. Talking with nice people is always a very good thing.
And another Proxmox server will be migrated to FreeBSD - bhyve
#FreeBSD #RunBSD #bhyve

2026-03-20 14:49:07 UTC

Starting today, I will only announce my blog posts on my social media channels and, when applicable, on Reddit. I will avoid announcing them directly on aggregators. Even though I was directly invited to do so some time ago, I occasionally get reprimanded because my behavior isn't in line with the guidelines regarding 'self-promotion'.
I don't make any money from my posts, there are no ads or monetization, so I always thought it wasn't really self-promotion (anyone who knows me knows my stance on the 'business at all costs' mentality). However, rules are rules, and I certainly don't want to be the one breaking them.
Ultimately, my goal is simply to share knowledge. Whether my posts reach 1, 100, or 1,000,000 people, the joy of writing them doesn't change.

2026-03-20 14:14:55 UTC

I read that Chuck Norris is dead. Impossible.
Death is probably Chuck Norris!
#ChuckNorris

2026-03-20 14:12:23 UTC

Update: the FTTC connections are still down, despite all the promises to restore them by noon.
People are desperate as "weekend is coming and I cannot access my streaming services!"
I'm considering to extend my business and rent my old DVD players and DVD/Bluray disks to my neighbours.

2026-03-20 10:11:35 UTC

EnshittifAIcation
Three episodes, one week. AI bots that hallucinate VPN requirements, recommend Apache configs on nginx servers, and suggest replacing 128 GB of RAM with a cloud VPS. A field note on the cost of mistaking confidence for competence.
https://it-notes.dragas.net/2026/03/20/enshittifaication/
#ITNotes #NoteHUB #AI #Hosting #Server #SysAdmin #IT