Technology Archives

Cassette Tapes and the Texture of Music in Physical Media

Audio, Music, Opinion | 29 November 2023

Whenever you have disposable cash in this day and age, you’ll likely find yourself browsing online stores on your phone at 2AM out of boredom. You’re looking for something that can momentarily spark your soul and give you something to look forward to in the meantime. When the package arrives, you get excited and unbox the thing; maybe you even record it on video for posterity. Perhaps you end up being disappointed because it didn’t live up to your expectations. But sometimes, your impulsive purchase ends up opening a whole new door in your life. The latter was what happened to me when I bought a cassette tape player on a whim. (more…)

The Failed OpenAI Coup and the Game of Machine Thrones

by: Sonny Go

Artificial Intelligence, News | 28 November 2023

Perhaps writing about this story on this blog doesn’t really do anything, but I wanted to make sense of this incredible series of events for myself. I previously wrote about my opinions on AI, seeing it as a solution to corruption and bureaucracy in government and business. But now, with the conclusion of this failed coup d’etat attempt in OpenAI, it looks like it’s no longer about the advancement of technology and humanity first and foremost. Smartphones are now a ubiquitous commodity and cryptocurrency is becoming more and more synonymous with fraud, so artificial intelligence is now the hottest ticket to billions in the 2020s. (more…)

Avoider Guide to Setting Up a Pi-hole for Network-wide Ad-blocking

by: Sonny Go

Guides, Software | 27 August 2023

Some have the opinion that ad-blocking is piracy as you’re trading the online money-making ability of a company or content creator for saving a few seconds (and one’s sanity). Traditionally, digital piracy is the downloading of digital media or software that’s on sale for free use. While I understand where they’re coming from, I think it’s a dumb opinion because online ads also open you up to security problems with trackers and the potential for malware. That’s why I have no qualms about adding a Pi-hole to my local network. (more…)

Comparing LK-99 Superconductor Hype with Outright Frauds

by: Sonny Go

Features, Science | 10 August 2023

LK-99 Superconductor and Science Frauds Jan Hendrik Schön and Viktor Ninov

Room temperature superconductivity is several notches below cold fusion as the holy grail of technological innovation, but a breakthrough may be close at hand. When LK-99 was revealed to the world by a team in Korea University, it quickly became a hot topic on the Internet. It did end up not being a room temperature superconductor after all, turning out to be less efficient than copper at room temperature. There was quite a fuss and we ended up with a goose egg, but that’s just par for course with science. Meanwhile, there have been plenty of other cases in scientific study where something got hyped up too much, only to end up as fraud. (more…)

What I Do as a Pro Wrestling Commentator

by: Sonny Go

Audio, Guides, Pro Wrestling | 08 July 2023

This is Sonny Go, and analysis is my business. I come before you today as a commentator for Manila Wrestling Federation. This blog post and included video both go into my process for announcing a pro wrestling show. We’ll look into what I do for Manila Wrestling Federation, how I prepare for pro wrestling commentary, and how I help out with production. This took a while to do and I even had second thoughts about putting it out, but I think it’s worth documenting my process as it is right now, both for posterity and to help anyone thinking of doing this. (more…)

Steam Deck Handheld Console Review

by: Sonny Go

Game Consoles, Reviews | 17 May 2023

After having lived with it for two whole months, I can report that the Steam Deck isn’t only a great gaming machine, but it’s also a pretty good portable computer. While it’s not a GPD WIN Max, it provides a great way to spend your breaks in between bursts of productivity during the work day (if your work allows for that). While I was hesitant at first in deciding on purchasing it, along with upgrades and accessories, I certainly don’t regret going ahead with it. (more…)

Getting a Synology and My Past NAS Experience

by: Sonny Go

Impressions, Storage | 21 October 2022

In July 2022, I gave myself a belated birthday present of sorts by pulling the trigger on a longtime wishlist item. I finally acquired network-attached storage, which I’ve been coveting for years. While my wallet is now much lighter, I believe it’s worth the expense to have my own file server with multiple applications. This post chronicles my experience with the Synology DS920+ and what I’ve learned so far with it in the first few months, as well as my past history with data storage. Perhaps you can learn what to expect in case you wish to get your own NAS. (more…)

Maono AU-AM100 Maonocaster Audio Interface Review

by: Sonny Go

Audio, Reviews | 20 October 2022

For the longest time, I’ve coveted famous streamers for their setups, especially their audio gear. I would yearn for a camera with good enough visual fidelity to take advantage of Nvidia Broadcast, as well as a dynamic microphone fit for professional voice work and an audio interface to match. This year, I gained the ability to obtain all the gear I ever wanted, and I did. While it didn’t make me a better content creator, I get to figure out whichever piece of gear is truly great and which is overrated. I also got to try the Maono AU-AM100 Maonocaster — something I had high expectations for, but ended up being disappointed. (more…)

Akko 5075S Barebone Kit Custom Keyboard Review

by: Sonny Go

Peripherals, Reviews | 26 September 2022

After customizing my Keychron K2 V2, I thought I was done with keyboards. Perhaps I should’ve known that it wasn’t yet my endgame and I would soon yearn for more. It took almost half a year for me to feel the itch again, but I did eventually get the urge again to look for something new, especially one with a knob. I also wanted to try using a new switch since I wanted to see if there was something even more tactile than the Akko CS Jelly Blue switches I had on my Keychron. I ended up getting an Akko 5075S, and it turned out pretty amazing. (more…)

Thomas Midgley Wasn’t Just a Well-Meaning Idiot

by: Sonny Go

History, Science | 12 July 2022

This post is meant to rectify an old blog post I wrote about well-meaning idiots, specifically the inventor Dr. Thomas Midgley, Jr. In that post, I put him in the same category as John Chau, the American missionary who willingly got himself killed by traveling to the Sentinel Islands to preach the Gospel to its infamously solitary natives. But now, I know better. It turns out Midgley wasn’t merely just a well-meaning idiot who didn’t intend any harm, but a greedy asshole who set upon the world his products that poisoned the air. (more…)

AI Takeover: We Need Machine Overlords

by: Sonny Go

Artificial Intelligence, Opinion, Politics | 29 May 2022

Recent events, including the pandemic and the presidential election, had me thinking about the insufficiencies of government, people’s unwillingness to cooperate, and all the obstacles in enforcing law during national and global crises. As this trend continues, I’m seeing the rise of our machine overlords. As artificial intelligence improves, the world will likely be predominantly ruled by AI by the 22nd century. I wish for things to speed up so we get to our destination sooner, but these things take time. I’ll regret not being able to live long enough to see that. (more…)

Keychron K2 V2 Keyboard Review

by: Sonny Go

Peripherals, Reviews | 22 April 2022

One day, I bought beef noodles for takeout. I later spilled some of the hot soup over my old keyboard and my hasty attempts at remedying it left me with a useless (but not completely broken) keyboard and a need to replace it. While browsing Shopee, I found what I thought would be a suitable replacement. It was a 75% keyboard that will give me more desk space and a hotswappable board to try out different switches. After some thought, I got myself a Keychron K2 V2. (more…)