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By David Norris - Sunday 17th September, 2023
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, then for every victory gained you will also
suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
Sun Tzu, Chinese military strategist and philosopher
Follow me on Linkedin:
NEW! Contact and policy details for private work
What is my official personality type?
UPDATE!
Well, I have just returned from my second visit to China on a cultural exchange.
In theory I will be eligible each as an opportunity at a Chinese university if
I complete a third such exchange - so I am told by the organiser of the exchanges.
In the meantime, I will consider my options for English teaching.
If I can manage to get a position doing so, then I can work in a place
where living costs are low.
In the meantime, students who are among my regular core of long term students,
who have been unable to take lessons while I was in China should take advantage
of the opportunity to catch up, and I will have Christmas and new year available.
In the Christmas/New Year period in what should (I hope!) be my last in the UK.
For younger students, you have school holidays so what are you waiting for?
Older students have time off work in the majority of cases also. And when I
have reason to celebrate Christmas again, I will want time off myself. But not
this year. Strike while the iron is hot, as the saying goes! There is a story
behind this..
I have carried out an analysis of which countries pay English or engineering
teachers well? I came down to...
• South Korea;
• Japan;
• China;
• United Arab emirates.
And my conclusions?
After a long and in-depth analysis of which countries paid well, I conducted
extensive analysis of their living costs and demographics.
United Arab Emirates has high living costs, so I will struggle to save.
Japan and South Korea also have fairly high living costs, and initial interviews
in the summer of 2023 revealed a lot of competition;
China stands out as it combines low living costs with good pay for teaching
staff. And - it has the added attraction in that I have now taught (at a
Chinese University!) in person on two separate occasions now; - online on
two occasions back in the days when COVID-19 made it difficult or impossible
to visit in person.
I vitally need to be in a position to relocate and save for the business I plan
to launch in West Africa. See:
http://dfdn.info/africa for details!
So... I am likely to teach for one term in 2024, visit Burkina Faso in the
summer break, and complete a year in 2024/2025 to save. I think this will
suffice. I will review this in 2025. Those who know me well know my motto..
"If a vital job needs to be done, do not procrastinate. Give me the
opportunity and the resources, and I will get the job done. No excuses!"
Any questions anyone? David, December 2023
For my pictures from the visit, publiched for the first time on on Gemini:
Enjoy! David, December 18, 2023
[Can Gemini (or Gopher) display images? Yes, of course! But not inline. It saves bandwidth for those paying by the MB, a large part of why I use them! Click on the link to display.]
One thing I like about Gemini is that is simple and there is no need to render the file to another format, because it is just plain text and is easy to work with. I also like Gopher
for this reason - ***MUCH*** quicker and less error prone than writing HTML! Oh, and those not in the know can only dream about an online experience free of all the obnoxious
crap we are ***only too used to*** in the world of HTTP(S) - cookies (and being continually nagged to either accept them or change settings for every single site we visit!!!), pop-ups
getting in the way of work, incessant user tracking and invasions of our privacy, and being bombarded with autoplaying audio and video which draw the attention of colleagues (and
the boss!) or wake up everyone in the house late at night... the list goes on and on.
Why am I interested in using Gemini (and indeed Gopher) as part of my operations?
The "old web" still exists! It's just drowned in a sea of sites bloated for the purpose of tracking and advertising. What would be nice is a no-bloat search engine, which would only
index sites that don't require 25MB of JS and 425 requests to third-party domains to load.
This is what a typical website does today...
1) Get minimal html containing links to javascript package and styling.
2) Make request to get big javascript package.
3) Make request to get relatively small css styling.
4) Load and execute javascript package.
5) Javascript makes api calls to get page content.
6) Get content and populate page.
7) Page content contains links to images and tracking/advertisement scripts.
8) Make requests to get images and tracking/ad scripts.
9) Ad scripts make more requests to get images / gifs / movies, etc.
The majority of the slowness comes from steps 2,4,5,6,8,9. Blocking ads helps steps 8, 9. The fact that people are actually using a dedicated Raspberry PI computer for
the sole sake of ad blocking on their network bears testimony to how bad the nightmare has become. However, steps 2, 4, 5 and 6 are just in-fashion bad development practices.
Looking at the above, it is very clear that the whole process is a prodidgal waste of resources - bandwidth, CPU power, memory, and the battery of the device on which the content
is displayed! An application such as Pi-hole uses DNS filtering to selectively block ads and malicious domains across your entire home network. Cool! The advantages of this
approach are clear: you don’t have to install ad-blocking software on each and every device in your household. Moreover, it only needs to be set up once. The only drawback? Of
course, it only protects you within your own network, not when on mobile data, at work/school/university, hotels etc...
Both Gopher and Gemini both are MUCH more bandwidth efficient than the web for the above reasons. Great for clients in places or on limited contracts or where one pays by
the megabyte, as well as for those for whom privacy is important. Trouble is, the less well informed nowadays have a web browser and little else. There is PLENTY more to the
internet than just the mess which they call the web - for the er, less educated, the web is synonymous with the internet. It isn't! See port numbers and services below...
Gemini uses a markup language. I will experiment using the nano editor in the first instance. This service is under test, please be aware! I welcome any bug or error reports.
Users requiring NFS, AFP or (Only over VPN) Netbios access working with us in future must contact me.
Philosophy behind the Gemini Protocol
The podcast referred to in the document above
Best Gemini Practices for content providers
Freqiently asked questions about the Gemini protocol
Complete RFC listing - updated via rsync - on Gopher
What is that kludge known as network address translation?
Why is net neutrality important - and why some countries hate it!
Avoid the devestating question: "er, you did make backups, er, didn't you?!"
Interesting review - Preply versus Italki - the truth revealed
Preply's preditory pricing plan revealed - why I tried - but sadly failed - to get onto iTalki
Indeed I tried unsucessfully to get onto Italki. I was declined. Age descrimination is everywhere I look. You should gather by now that I am a firm
proponent of human rights - and fully behond those standing up for their human rights...
What in the name of the lord is wrong with the UK housing market?
Would I sacrifice my own life for my country in 2023? My position revealed.
The people trafficing gangs tell you the UK is the promised land; just hand us your life savings, and we will give you an unseaworthy boat to reach it.... The streets of London are paved with gold (as in Dick Whittington). The 'government' talk of a strong economy. And my conservative party supporting (and niave, tragicommic mother, who has not worked since I was born) says this is the best country in the world. Oh, and by the way, Happy Christmas.
When the Nightmare Came - My book to be published after I leave the UK
The Sequence of events which changed my life forever...
The strange and unusual things people put in their wills
The 'Partygate' scandel exposes the social misfits "representing" us
Complete list of transport layer protocols which run over IP
List of OSI protocols by layer
Note that unlike Gemini, Goper and HTTP are not encrypted - these pages are public access however.
Files related to amateur radio, scanning and shortwave listening.
A trip down memory lane: UK Scanning Directory as it was in 2009.
Guide to UK radio spectrum - complete, but allocations may change from time to time.
Pirate Radio Survival Guide - from the 1990s
How to be a radio pirate (old, but still interesting; from the days of BBSing.
History of Amateur Radio - I have been licenced since 1995.
Chatter heard on Scanner leads to criminal charges
UK parlienment debate on CB radio, 1979
Evolution of the universe from the big bang to its eventual heat death
My pictures from my second visit to Yancheng in December 2023. And how the visit went!
Amateur Radio related pages:
AOR - My viewpoint before the latest digital receivers came in 2015!
Teaching the Icom IC-R3 new tricks
Review of the Misumi WCS99xii Video Scanner
Preamps - the best thing since sliced bread? Not necessarily!
The story of Britain's fight for legal CB
DMR, D-Star or Fusion - which is right for you?
My own comparison of "the big three" from 2016. After my review of the Amazing AR-DV1.
What is RF (radio frequency) propagation?
The last two links testify to how I am able to succeed in the face of adversity - and you ain't seen nothing yet! David, G7VDI
A little bit old (!) - 1987 - but it has stood the test of time
Beginners guide to Unix - old, but good.
So, you need to keep your Unix system secure, do you?
An early guide to the internet. Oh, how I long for those bygone days.
An early hitchhikers' guide to the internet
A history of the internet: how it all began
The unexpected value of IPV4 (Internet Protocol version 4) address space
Computer Archive history of Unix
Another history of the Unix operating system
The life of Alan Turing - Huge achievements, great injustice
Electricity supplies around the world - important for our business, PDF
Electricity supplies around the world - Postscript
What if your neighbour is using your electricity?
Nightmare products which seem destined to last forever!!!
How to backup your entire system using Rsync - a must read!
Exceptionally well written - but a true complaint letter!
NOORo3 Solar power thermal power plant, near Ouarzazate, Morocco.
I just designed a PWM inverter. What is digital pulse modulation anyhow?
See here for an explnation of PWM in power electronics.
Chemical Elements Infographics (RSC, PDF, ZIP archives)
As I am interested in Photovoltaic (solar) and other forms of renewable energy, I would certainly like to visit Quarzazare, Indeed,
I am intending to base a business in this in West Africa in years to come.
See my portfolio for details. Currently available in English and French.
External links (I am not responsible for the content of external sites).
Those who have visited http://dfdn.info/radio will know I am a licenced radio amateur since 1995.
Directory of "Geminispace" - I hope to be there soon!
Shared capsules - want to add mine there.
List organised by topic. Useful!
Gemini Related software (clients, servers editors, etc)
International ISO 4217 currency codes (PDF)
Gemini search engines currently available:
A Gemini search engine. Like google on HTTP, Archie on FTP, Veronica on Gopher...
Another Gemini space search engine
Search engine acclaimed to use minimal computing resources.
The following are here for reading practice and for general interest. For confident English students only!
Rules made by the I.T Syndicate
Use and misuse of computing facilities
Update Lagrange (my recommended client for Gemini and Gopher).
Note: all available except IOS (Sorry, Apple policy not mine, Lagrange available on testflight only):
To test beta versions of apps and App Clips using TestFlight, you’ll need to accept an email or public link invitation from the developer and have a device that you can use to test. You’ll be able to access the builds that the developer makes available to you.
If you’re a member of the developer’s team, the developer can give you access to all builds or certain builds.
Required platforms:
iOS or iPadOS apps: iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 or later. App Clips require iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, or later.
macOS apps: Mac running macOS 12 or later.
tvOS apps: Apple TV running tvOS 13 or later.
visionOS apps: Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 1 or later.
watchOS apps: Apple Watch running watchOS 6 or later.
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Gemini clients include:
Name Platform License Written in
Amfora Terminal (TUI) GPL 3.0 Go
AmiGemini GUI (Intuition) MIT C, Intuition
asuka Terminal (TUI) MIT Rust, ncurses
AV-98 Terminal (CLI) 2 Clause BSD Python
Bollux Terminal MIT Bash
Bombadillo Terminal GPL 3.0 Go
Buran App (Android) GPL 3.0 Kotlin
Castor GUI (GTK) MIT Rust, GTK
Castor9 GUI (Plan 9) C
Deedum App (Android and iOS) GPL 3.0 Flutter, Dart
Diohsc Terminal (CLI) GPL 3.0 Haskell
dillo-gemini Plugin (Dillo) FSFAP Shell
Elaho (gemini-ios) App (iOS) MPL 2.0 Swift
Elpher GUI (Emacs) GPL 3.0 Emacs Lisp
Eva GUI (GTK) MIT Rust, GTK
Fafi GUI MIT Racket
GemiNaut GUI (Windows) GPL 3.0 C# for Microsoft Windows
gemini.filter.dpi Plugin (Dillo) MIT Go
Geopard GUI (GTK) GPL 3.0 Rust, GTK
gmni Terminal (CLI) GPL 3.0 C
gplaces Terminal (CLI) GPL 3.0 or later C
Jimmy App (macOS) MIT Swift
Kristall GUI (Qt) GPL 2.0 C++, Qt
Lagrange GUI (Windows, macOS, Linux) 2 Clause BSD C, SDL
wMoonlander GUI (GTK) MIT Rust, GTK
Offpunk Terminal (CLI) 2 Clause BSD Python
Rocketeer App (iOS, macOS) Swift
Seren App (Android) Kotlin
Starfish GUI (elementary OS/Linux) GPL 3.0 Vala, GTK
Telescope Terminal (TUI) ISC C
Twin Peaks GUI (Windows) GPL 3.0 C#
VIRGIL99 Terminal (TI-99) Assembly language
© David Norris, DFDN.org
