I actually enjoy browsing 4chan quite a bit. Believe it or not—and despite the preconceived notions you may have about it, whether justified or not—I think it’s one of the last “good” sites on the internet.

I am well aware of the site's history and the reasons why it is controversial. I've been using it to a certain degree since at least 2004 or so. The administration and moderation have certainly made missteps in the past, and it’s true the community can be toxic to a degree. However, I believe that the anonymity the site offers—something many people criticize— allows for more honest discussions. Your opinion ends up being more important that your status, follower count, or even personal profile. While the communication can be harsher, it’s also more honest.

For instance, back when I was working with Blender (and though I speak in past tense, I still want to get back to it… damnit), the most useful and genuine feedback I received on my work often came from posting in their 3D modeling board. Yes, they actually have one!

Moreover, it’s one of the few remaining community sites that remains simple and hasn’t been bogged down with bloated code. This means browsing is fast and smooth across all kinds of devices—a technical detail, sure, but one that’s important to me.

I’d recommend giving it a try. They have a ton of boards with different topics, explore the boards that cover topics you’re interested in, and do so with an open mind and don't pay too much attention to the trolling or flame wars you may encounter (tho i think they are funny). If you plan to participate, though, I’d advise lurking for a bit first. Get a feel for the culture so you don’t come across as a tourist.

Emoji: 💣
Listening to: Smooth Vintage 01

If you like, (or not), what i write on this page, you can send an email to hiroyuki@cock.li so we can talk about it.

Note that by sending an email, you authorize it's content to be posted here as a reply (your email address won't be included).

Book Review
Demian - By Hermann Hesse



"Demian" by Hermann Hesse follows the journey of Emil Sinclair, a young boy growing up in Germany during the early 20th century. He struggles with his inner conflicts and the pressures of conformity in society. Through encounters with enigmatic characters like Max Demian, Sinclair embarks on a spiritual and psychological quest for self-discovery and enlightenment.

Basically, it's a coming-of-age book.

I initially picked up this book out of nostalgia. At a second-hand book sale, I stumbled upon the same edition my dad had when I was a kid, the one (among other books) I apparently ended up destroying while playing. Oh well...

Reading a bit on the internet i discovered this book is commonly assigned to high school and college students, given that Emil Sinclair, the protagonist, is around that age throughout most of the story. His internal struggles and his perception of the world resonate with individuals of that demographic. Despite that i can certainly say it resonated with me at some level, because i still have some doubts about my presents that are, in a certain level, present in Emil's own inner struggles.

Emil Sinclair is portrayed as an impressionable teen, riddled with doubts. I could totally relate to his tendency to over-analyze situations and thoughts. However, his inclination to cling to disparate ideas and symbolisms struck me as peculiar, but I suppose it's a part of what being a adolescent is after all...

Without spoiling the plot, the central idea of the book revolves around the concept of embracing both the good and evil within oneself, and accepting the good and "evil" parts of one way of thinking, rather than conforming to societal norms blindly.

The book is chockfull of symbolysms and hidden ideas that are not hard to grasp if you scratch a little and do a bit of your own research. While "Demian" delves sometimes into mysticism, religion, and gnosticism, it serves more as a platform to explore ideas rather than endorse specific beliefs.

It has a lot of flaws and the ending is a bit rushed to my liking but it's still an enjoyable and relatable read.

Today i am wondering if maintaining this microblog the way i am doing it right now, generating static files with all the content of the page every time, is a good idea in the long run.

I personally don't have a problem with it, it's more like a logistical concern, because if i ever want to change things in the layout of the site i would need to re-generate and upload basically the whole site, which for me is not a problem because the system i coded does it automatically, but it seems like a bit clunky to work with maybe?

The other idea is to an iframe for the content, which i think would work in a way but it's pretty old school that sometimes thinking about it it's painful, hah. The other way is to use heavy javascripting to render the frontend, but i am also kind of against sites who NEED javascript to run and display because a lof of legacy devices don't play good with Javascript.

I'll try to maintain the site the way i am doing now for as long as i can, but if in the future the situation calls for it, i may do the javascript solution to provide a less painful way of updating the site.

*cleans his glasses*

I think furry is a lot more weirder than futanari, but that's just me.

*walks out the room*

Also, believe it or not, the posting system that i wrote to update this blog is a hella lot incomplete, i really should get to upgrading it because as it is now it's pretty basic. There are stuff missing like basic formatting and even pagination still left to do.

I'm preparing a quite lenghty post about a spicy topic, and i'm taking my time to write it because it's a controversial topic, i don't want to get facts wrong or write opinions that may be misinterpreted. Hopefully i will post it next week.

Retro Game Review:
Blaster Master - Blasting Again
Year: 2000
Playstation 1



"Blaster Master - Blasting Again" is essentially a sequel or "reimagining" of the original Blaster Master series, which first appeared on the NES and a few other consoles of that era. Like its predecessors, this game maintains a heavy focus on exploration, and it doesn’t disappoint in that regard.

If you've ever played Metroid Prime for the GameCube, the core concept will feel familiar, aside from a few core gameplay differences (like perspective and such). The general idea is the same: you traverse vast maps, exploring every nook and cranny, trying to figure out how to proceed. You'll be unlocking doors, activating elevators, and checking unmarked areas of the map to figure out your next move.

For fans of games that emphasize exploration and puzzle-solving in dungeon-like environments, this is an excellent experience. It doesn’t hold your hand, and the sense of satisfaction you get from figuring things out on your own is rewarding.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the shooting mechanics. While exploration shines, the combat falls flat. Despite the various weapon upgrades you acquire, enemies remain just as tough, and many of the upgrades feel underwhelming against the more relentless monsters. On top of that, the guns sound weak, like you're firing a pebble gun, so the combat never quite feels satisfying.

The controls are another weak point. They feel a bit stiff for a game that emphasizes free roaming, and the camera angles can be frustrating at times, requiring constant adjustment. However, despite these shortcomings, you do get used to them fairly quickly.

On a brighter note, the music is a highlight. The tracks are energetic and fit the atmosphere well, though some songs can get repetitive after being looped in the same dungeon for long stretches. Still, the quality of the music helps you overlook this most of the time.

As for the graphics, they're pretty much what you'd expect from a PS1 game. They're not mind-blowing, but they’re not bad either, decent for the time period.

The story did nothing for me. I guess if you know about the previous games you can have a bit more context on why things happen but it's not a necesity to know since nothing crazy happens. The voice acting of the cutscenes falls into the "so bad it's good" department so there's that.

Overall, I found Blaster Master - Blasting Again enjoyable, especially due to its focus on exploration, which is something I personally love. If you're like me and can overlook its flaws, you'll likely have a good time. My suggestion? Try it on an emulator to smooth over some of the rougher edges, but even with its quirks, it's still a solid recommendation.

Rating: 80/100

Curious thing happened, I was trying to print some images for the homework of a kid, and the color printer refused to print this picture several times:



It just printed like about 1/4 of it and then showed an url for a page: https://rulesforuse.org/

I knew some printers had algorithms to prevent printing notes for counterfeinting and such, but come on, the notes aren't even being shown complete.

I had to add some noise to the image so i could print it, but who's gonna return me the ink wasted? :V I tried to print it on the b/w laser printer and that one didn't complained.

By the way also, you may be interested in moving to Linux soon... unless you are somehow okay with Microsoft's attempt to pushg that surveillance software shit "Recall" on future versions of Windows. I know that they say that "you can turn it off", but not being able to uninstall or even having a say what you want or not YOUR computer to have ticks me the wrong way...

By the way, also just to mention it, i am devising some system to add a commenting system to this blog. I realize that maybe noone is gonna be interested in commenting here but it's nice to have it nonetheless (and i love to take on these kind of challenges, since i am planning on coding it myself).

This week marks a year since I moved to Linux, for what I think is “for good”, so I am not expecting to go back to windows at least here.



I’ve got a computer at home that’s so old, most of you would probably consider it ancient history. It’s the kind of relic you’d toss out, sell for five bucks at a garage sale, or maybe just forget in a dusty corner. But honestly, I don’t need much from a computer at home. All I do is browse the web, play some retro games, and mess around with a few other things. I used to do a bit of Blender work on it, but that’s become a challenge. Sure, I could use an upgrade, but every time I think about getting a new one, I find myself hesitating with the thought, “But this one still works…”

Anyway, I’ve been using Windows 7 from the start, but lately, it’s been getting harder to keep up with the times. More and more software has been dropping support for it, and when I tried to install the latest versions of Brave and Steam, they just wouldn’t budge. That’s when I started thinking maybe it was time to bite the bullet and finally install Windows 10.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea. I’d heard a lot of not-so-great things about Windows 10, so I’d been putting it off until I had no other choice. But eventually, I had to face the reality.

The installation went smoothly enough, despite a few hiccups (probably because my computer is, well, old). After some minor tweaks, Windows 10 seemed okay, and I was good to go.

But then the updates started. Windows kept nagging me to update, and I kept pushing it off with a “nah, I’ve got stuff to do.” This went on for a while until Windows decided it was time for a forced update. It wouldn’t even let me turn on the computer until it was done. I was like, “WTF? When did I agree to this?”

The update process was a nightmare. It took forever to hit 100%, and even when it did, it seemed to freeze. After waiting way too long, I finally gave up and turned the computer off manually. Big mistake. When I turned it back on, Windows refused to start. It kept trying to repair itself and then attempted the update again. It was a frustrating loop of doom.

That wasn’t the only issue. Windows 10 kept trying to force me to use Edge and wouldn’t let me change my browser easily. I was beyond pissed. I felt like I’d lost control of my own computer, and it was all downhill from there. The performance was terrible too. Sure, the computer’s old, but it worked way better with Windows 7. I suspect all the bloatware in Windows 10 slowed it down even more, on top of the higher hardware demands.

That’s when I started seriously considering Linux. I wasn’t new to it—I’d tried it on this computer years ago. It worked well enough, but there were some rough edges that made it hard to stick with. But after the disaster with Windows 10, I needed a fresh start and a system that could keep my old machine running smoothly.

Choosing a Linux distro felt a bit like shopping for a new shirt. I needed something lightweight that wouldn’t demand too much from my ancient hardware, even if it wasn’t the prettiest option.

First up was “Linux Lite,” a distro that promised to be, well, lite. But it took forever to boot up—sometimes as long as three minutes! I checked their forums, and others had the same complaint. Their response? “Not our fault.” Not exactly helpful.

I wanted to try some lesser-known distros before moving on to the big names. Big distros are usually “one size fits all” systems, while smaller distros are often tailored for specific purposes, like running on low-end machines, which was exactly what I needed.

Next, I gave “Bodhi Linux” a shot. I’d tried it years ago, but it was a tough nut to crack back then. The software choices were a bit odd, and I never really got used to their desktop environment, “Moksha.” It’s a modern fork of “Enlightenment,” with an old-school look and a different way of doing things that took some getting used to.

Despite my past experience, I decided to try Bodhi again since they’d recently released an updated version, and they promised (like that time), that it was light enough to even run on an old P4 computer. This time, it was easier to use, and they’d swapped out some of the weird software for more familiar options. Best of all, my computer’s performance was back to what I remembered—much better than with Windows 10.

That was a year ago, and I’m still using Bodhi Linux. I did switch out Moksha for XFCE, though. Moksha’s old-fashioned look wasn’t my thing, and some of its themes were so retro they were practically ugly. XFCE is just as lightweight but way more customizable and easy on the eyes.

In the end, switching to Bodhi Linux was the best decision I could have made for my old computer. It’s been running smoothly, and I’m satisfied with how well it handles everything I need at home. Of course, I still have to use Windows at work because some software just isn’t available for Linux, but that’s a different story.

If you’re tired of feeling like you’ve lost control of your computer with all the forced updates and bloated software, I’d definitely recommend giving Linux a try. It’s a great way to break free from the constraints of Windows and regain control over your machine. That said, I get that it’s not for everyone. There’s a learning curve, and some things are done differently on Linux. Plus, not all software is compatible, which might be a deal-breaker for some.

But if you’re up for the challenge and want a system that’s more streamlined and respectful of your choices, Linux could be what you are looking for.. It’s worth exploring, especially if you’re looking to breathe new life into an old computer like mine.

Hit me up on Twitter if you want some help with Linux, Tough i'm not an expert by any means, i will be glad to help.

So, how much did the PS2 sold compared to it's contemporaries?



I have to admit that i have barely played any game from that generation, but i think it was a very exciting moment to experience regarding the evolution of videogame consoles. The leap in graphics was very large and the studios were keen to tell new stories.

I don't want to sound like an old coot with this, but honestly i think the golden age of gaming is way way a thing of the past. It's one of the reasons i'm a declared "retro gamer", barely interested in new releases.

Anyways, don't think that the posts are gonna be this serious every time. The themes and tones will vary and i will try to post several times a day just to keep things fresh.

Just to extend a bit more on the topic of personal webpages, there's another reason why I decided to revive this personal blog.

I don’t usually like talking about politics, and I’m not going to do it today either, but yesterday, the general internet community was buzzing about some drama involving the Brazilian government and Twitter/X. Without diving too deep into the details, the Brazilian government decided to block access to Twitter/X across the entire country. Naturally, this decision left many people, both Brazilians and others, absolutely flabbergasted.

As I mentioned, I’m not going to debate who’s at fault here, or whether the decision was politically motivated (though personally, I think it was, but that’s beside the point). The real issue is that it’s NOT a great idea to have our channels of communication and discussion monopolized by just two or three big sites. These things can —and WILL— happen, especially as the situation deteriorates further.

As political entities become more interested in tightly controlling online conversations, and as various fringe groups push to have "unfit" opinions removed from public view, it’s crucial for people to realize that having so few platforms controlling the discourse is far from ideal. The larger these platforms grow, the more susceptible they become to manipulation, whether by political forces or other interests.

I understand that this is challenging because most people aren’t interested or technically savvy enough in setting up their own shit, especially if it means reducing their probable audiecne and reac. However, I believe it’s VERY IMPORTANT not to keep all our eggs in one basket.

So, my invitation to everyone is this: explore ways to host your content on alternate or multiple channels simultaneously. The internet is vast, and it’s ridiculous to let communication mediums be monopolized by big platforms that are more interested in driving revenue through ads and suppressing dissenting or “wrong” opinions to avoid political and legal conflicts.

By the way, I’m planning to add an RSS feed in the next few days so that anyone using RSS can follow the site if they wish. If you’re not familiar with RSS and RSS readers, I encourage you to look into them.

So what is "A Ton of Cows"?

First of all i want to thank The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine for still having an archived copy of this page. The design and colors are not exactly the same but i had created this layout years ago and didn't wanted to create a new one!

"A Ton of Cows" is actually a personal project that stems WAY BACK to 2016, but it was tied to another fediverse project and it actually didn't lasted too much.

BASICALLY is an attempt to fuse the concept of the old blogs, and the concept of the modern microblog a-la Twitter. So, the idea is an space to make posts with more substance than a tweet, but in a faster than it would be with a normal blog (with not too much info).

>Why don't you just use twitter/X?
The idea, like i said, is to make posts that could be longer and with more substance than a common tweet would allow because of the character limit.

>Why don't you then use Facebook?
I HATE Facebook and what it represents, i closed my Facebook acount more than ten years ago in fact.

>Why don't you then use...
Alright STOP, i get what you mean, i could use several options that exist on social media sites and get more exposure. The issues that i have with modern social media is that no place ends up "feeling like home". No place is customizable to my liking, all the places have tight and ridiculous moderation that barely let you talk about anything without casting you into oblivion or making you feel like you are treading on eggshells.

On here, i feel like have more freedom, first to personalize it to my liking, to make it MINE, and to talk longer about topics that maybe i don't talk on other places due to any kind of constraints.

>Probably noone is gonna end up reading this.
Probably not, i'm okay with that and actually it's better to not have too much of an audience to prevent having to cater to them, but that depends.

>Can i reply to a post?
Right now there isn't a established system to send replies, but if you write an email to hiroyuki @ cock.li specifying what post are you replying to i will include it as reply.

The whole page is gonna be worked more on the following days so keep an eye if you want.

>What are the themes of the page?
Just about ANYTHING, my interests orbit around the themes of technology in general, linux, coding, anime and gaming too, but i will try to keep the themes diverse enough to not be encased in a single corner, always from a personal perspective.

>But why "A Ton of Cows"?
A ton of cows is equal to 1.5 cows.