Apple M1 MacBook - XCode update panic issues

I ordered a first-edition Apple MacBook Pro (with M1 chip) following the product announcement in August 2020. There were some challenges getting my favorite tools on-board but I ultimately got them all resolved and the system has been working great!

This past couple of days, however, the system has started taking spontaneous panics occasionally 😟 I can't be sure, but it seems like it may be related to the recently distributed XCode 12.5.1 update. First, the update never completes - it seems to just hang towards the end. And ever since it went partially on, the panics have started.

I hope Apple will resolve the issue soon, as the user experience is currently like driving down a road with random landmines! 😨🤞

Ruckus ZoneDirector migration - AP "upgrading firmware" loop issue

Wow, what a Ruckus!😄 It became time to do a technology upgrade of a ZoneDirector 1100 controller with r700 access points (APs) to a ZoneDirector 1200 controller - simple enough, right? Ha ha, not to be!

Ruckus Tech Support was helpful, they told me to delete each AP from the ZD1100 and then "Approve" them for addition on the ZD1200. Unfortunately, they didn't compatibility check the firmware revisions between the ZD1100 and 1200 - and it turned out they were sufficiently distant as to cause the r700 access points to enter an "Upgrading Firmware" endless loop, prohibiting them from coming online into the desired "Connected" status😞

I spent a lot of time trying to resolve the issue and eventually found this helpful post by Ryan Yoder on the Yoder Network site. But even better, I was fortunate to secure two-hours of assistance from a Ruckus tech support engineer. He recommended downgrading the firmware on the new ZD to a compatible version for the old ZD - then moving the access points and config over to the new ZD and upgrading the firmware there! This has the added benefit of preserving all your wireless network configurations while upgrading all the APs at once, too. There are some rubs, however. If there's enough difference between the old ZD rev and the new ZD's latest rev, it may be necessary to do several incremental upgrades to avoid issues.

I am frankly amazed that Ruckus hasn't made the migration process more comprehensive and easier to perform! But once it's done, it's done - and with a big sigh of relief, too!😊✌

Update Raspbian OS on the Raspberry Pi

I have an early Raspberry Pi model running the Raspbian OS "jessie" release (which lacks Python 3.6 and its useful "f-string" format syntax.) So, I wanted to upgrade to the contemporary "buster" release to resolve that issue. Here's what worked:

1. Follow these excellent instructions (Use the section "Update Raspbian to the Latest Version") to manually update OS releases sequentially. So, in my case, I upgraded from "jessie" to "stretch" and then from "stretch" to "buster."
2. You'll likely want to upgrade the Docker packages, too. To do it, refer to the following steps:
   
• Remove the existing Docker installation (See "Uninstall old versions.")
  
• Download and run the "Convenience Script" (See "Install using the convenience script") to do the upgrade installation.

Now, "You're Good to Go" with the latest release ("buster" in this example!) Enjoy 😀👍

Simple and useful VPN solution

Historically, VPNs have been difficult to set up, required client and service side configuration, tricky to start and fickle when in service. Now, Mozilla has partnered with Mullvad to offer a low-cost, simple to use VPN solution for up to five devices via a single $4.95 USD / month subscription. I've been using it while traveling the past week and have found it easy to use, network performance is hardly affected, and reassuring to know that I have an encrypted tunnel through an open hotel or coffee bistro network. Check it out 😀👍

Mech Wars - Not where we want to go!

This excellent article by Frank Pasquale, published in The Guardian, highlights the rise of militarized AI and the various scenarios of how it may play out and possibly be "managed." Essential reading for today's rapidly evolving global perspective.

Open Source: The Naive "Good Ol' Days" are Gone

It used to be that open source was generally trusted because it was assumed peer-review would catch stuff like this. Welcome to the World of Today; not any more!  

Keeping your household conversations private!

Mozilla has published instructions on how you can turn off human reviews of household audio captured from voice assistant devices. Check it out!

That's scary

From MIT Technology Review; this is just scary! Humans aren't the most stable geniuses, huh? And consequently, making an AI to think like them is sure to be fraught with contradictions and anomalies 😮 Not to mention that the Corp that gifted us with Windows Update is at the helm 😲

The future audience of the Internet

Interesting. Pay attention to market share, folks! Per this article from Fortune.

Organic Composite looks promising

Cool! This organic composite described in Phys.org looks promising for providing a light-stimulated electric current producing media 😀