iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 14/12/2025

Noticed another cut bike lock and a two chains yesterday. This was on the ground floor bike rack area, next to the staffed lobby and in plain view of cameras. So three more stolen bikes. Insurance companies must hate our building.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 12/12/2025

Another month, another cut lock in my building's garage, all that's left of a stolen bike. This is in a locked, "secured" building in SOMA, here in SF. I lost several bikes the first few years here and finally learned my lesson: I store them either in my apartment […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 20/09/2025

I got to see a hawk dive‑hunt a flock of pigeons over South Beach Harbor. The hawk missed both times I watched it, but it seemed determined. I’ve spotted hawks a few times along the Embarcadero, though never while they were actively hunting. It was a cool thing to witness.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 28/07/2025

The teaser trailer to the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series featured 32nd century San Francisco quite a bit. Looking forward to see what my neighborhood is going to look like in a millennium.

screenshot of the upcoming series with the Ferry Building in the forefront looking down at Market St.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 15/05/2025

Step one achieved. After 36 years, I've got my Certificate of First Communion from the St. Patrick Parish in Hamilton. They've forwarded a copy to St. John XXIII Parish in Knoxville for canonical annotation of my baptismal records. It feels a bit silly to be doing […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

Top of certificate of first communinion, showing Diocese of Hamilton and my name

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 08/05/2025

I've been running my main fediverse account since November 2022. It had been a bit sluggish, so last night I deleted the Podman images, rebuilt them, and recreated the pod. It's now back to normal. I should probably automate this process, maybe as part of the […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

Dashboard for the instance. Users: 2 (me and Luna, my dog) Posts: 3,460 and Peers: 21,545

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 06/05/2025

New Post: Before our Attention Was a Commodity: Memories of a Pre-Web Internet. How public terminals, old Macs, and a programming teacher in the South during the 1990's shaped a broke Mexican kid's political imagination and tech skills […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A collage of software from the 1990s, with a VT terminal and the title and subtitled of the post in white letters in front.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 17/04/2025

If Google Can Break My Pixel, They Can Break Yours Back in January, Google pushed an update that broke my working Pixel phone. Support failed. I was forced to get a new phone, but it didn't feel like an upgrade. Here's the story […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A screenshot of the message I've been getting since January telling me a battery replacement is recommended. Actually getting the battery replaced has proved impossible, even in Google's backyard.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 07/04/2025

A reflection on what Zapata’s Nahuatl manifestos can teach us today about dignity, struggle, and how we live resistance today. Hint: it’s not ideology, it’s practice. asanfranciscan.substack.com/p/those… #Mexico #politics #resistance #Indigenous

An auto-generated preview of the blog post showing an old black and white photo of the Teotihuacan pyramid.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 15/02/2025

In this recent trip back to Switzerland, a friend gifted me the new Swiss Army Soldier knife. It's good! More ergonomic than previous Swiss multitools. It also has a good tool complement. The blade length does exceed local Bay Area regulations, so it's not […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A photo of the Swiss Army Soldier 08 knife, open, on a desk mat.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 21/01/2025

Cell signal comes and goes, which is fine since I brought my trusty radio, so no lack of music while I read and cook and walk Luna around the empty campsite.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 21/01/2025

I made it out to Mount Diablo to camp a couple of nights. I got to the park about an hour before sunset yesterday, fully expecting the first-come, first-served campground to be full. Surprisingly, it was totally empty. Luna and I have had it to ourselves so far. A […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A view from the campsite, with the Bay and mountains. A small white dog is off to the left.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 13/01/2025

It was a beautiful weekend to camp at China Camp State Park. Got to explore the few dog-friendly areas of the park and had the campground nearly to ourselves. The only frustration was getting rev bombed twice by muscle cars cutting through the park as we were […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A small white dog seeking the sun at a camp site in a meadow. It is green and the sky is blue.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 13/12/2024

Once in a while, I tell myself I ought to move away from C. Then I don't. Probably because there's no actual reason to do so. I don't work in tech anymore, so any programming I do is for myself, and C is almost like family. I taught it to myself in middle school […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A photo of the 1st and 2nd editions of The C Programming Language, old and well-used.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 20/11/2024

Breaking out the pu'er tea for the bomb cyclone. #tea #CAwx

A photo of a bamboo tea tray with a yxing clay pot, decanter and two small tea cups. Dark tea is in the decanter.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 17/11/2024

The SF Chronicle has called the San Francisco District 11 supervisorial race for Chyanne Chen. A longtime union leader, Chyanne leads by 190 votes over Michael Lai, SF Democratic Party Finance Director and founder of failed daycare/school Tinycare. More Tinycare […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

screenshot of the detailed report at https://www.sfelections.org/results/20241105/data/20241116/d11/d11_detail.pdf

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 17/11/2024

The carrot cake at Dandelion is great and the walk to the Ferry Building for a slice is a nice treat as well. Some real adulting. #SF #SanFrancisco

Vegan Chocolate Carrot Cake, from description, Layered with chocolate cream-cheese frosting, sesame shortbread bits, and sesame caramel; finished with Maya Mountain, Belize chocolate glaze.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 14/11/2024

Wake up #fedi, new #Bluesky custom handle just dropped.

Screenshot of new Bluesky handle (baysky.social)

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 08/11/2024

Headline: _"1514% Surge in Americans Looking to Move Abroad After Trump’s Victory"_ Meanwhile: Hmm...

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/08/12/most-americans-have-traveled-abroad-although-differences-among-demographic-groups-are-large/ft_2021-08-12_internationaltravel_03-png/

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 05/11/2024

The turnout rate for VBM ballots is super low in SF and all across the Bay. You have to go back to 2016 to see comparable numbers. We're just a bit higher than during the primary!

Early vote counts from PDI at https://politicaldata.com/early-vote-counts?districtId=11743&districtName=City%20Of%20San%20Francisco

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 04/11/2024

If you want to go over your Twitter archive, check out observablehq.com/@enjalot/twitter-a… I became an active Twitter user at the end of 2014 and had essentially stopped using by 2019, a few months after rejoining the #fediverse in May 2018 […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A chart of my most active years on Twitter, processed using the above website. Becomes consistent in 2015, sees heavy usage in 2016, 2017 and parts of 2018. A couple of spikes in 2019 and 2020.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 30/10/2024

Added offsite backup to my #snac update shell script. The script now stops the snac systemd service, archives the snac-data folder, fetches the latest source, compiles and installs it, restarts the service, and finally uses rclone to back up to #Proton Drive […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

Screenshot of my syslog grepping systemd showing 24 second downtime.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 29/10/2024

Just witnessed some dude get arrested by CHP on Harrison St, by the Fremont offramp. Looks like he got pulled over driving a white SUV and he had a semiautomatic handgun on him. Very happy it didn't lead some crazy, deadly car chase. #sf #RinconHill

Three CHP officers searching a suspect. The one in the middle was examining the handgun.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 26/10/2024

I've been invited to cover the upcoming celebration of the first anniversary of the Savoyard State’s Declaration of Independence. The organizers want help in amplifying their message of unity, resilience and (presumably) self-declared independence from France. My […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

Screenshot of the invitation letter in French. Summary above in English.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 25/10/2024

10PM pancake dinner has been made and consumed. Even got to watch a good chunk of the season premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks.

A photo of a medium stack of vegan pancakes with sliced strawberries and maple syrup. You wouldn't know it, but they are, of course, vegan.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 25/10/2024

Current early vote counts for San Francisco: Total Ballots: 517,859 Returned: 73,634 Not Returned: 444,225 14% Return Percentage Data from PDI, available at politicaldata.com/early-vote-counts… #sfpol #SanFrancisco

Screenshot of early vote counts from PDI page: https://politicaldata.com/early-vote-counts?districtId=11743&districtName=City%20Of%20San%20Francisco

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 24/10/2024

San Francisco courts have been shut down. Great energy on a sunny afternoon out here at the Hall of (In)Justice. #SanFrancisco #sfpol #labor #strike #union

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 24/10/2024

Picket signs are ready! San Francisco Superior Court workers will have picket lines at the 400 McAllister courthouse from 7AM tomorrow, and there will a noon rally at 850 Bryant. Come on out to support SF workers! #SanFrancisco #sfpol #labor #strike #union

A bunch of picket signs in a garbage can. Some say "unfair labor practice, on strike".

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 23/10/2024

As if LinkedIn wasn't already the saddest social media network, they're now letting Uber executives promote their sad bullshit takes on Proposition L. No political disclaimers needed there I guess. A very convenient way to dump a few hundred thousand dollars […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

Screenshot of a promoted post by Seth Smith, Uber staff with government relations. Not going to repeat his BS. Go to https://fundthebus.com/ to learn why this is necessary.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 13/10/2024

$2.4 million, 163 square meters condo in the Mission. 😂

A condo for sale at nearly $2.4 million.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 11/10/2024

Actual question: Who likes Fleet Week? Are there hundreds of thousands of San Franciscans who just love to see the Blue Angels fly overhead for a few days each year? Is it the federal, state or local politicians that push it on us? Is it just a relic of an earlier […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

Two war planes flying over the Harrison bridge.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 10/10/2024

Tonight's #aurora forecast looks promising. Might take a trip up to Marin tonight. #SpaceWx www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-v…

tonight's static viewline forecast for aurora from the link above. might include part of northern california.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 09/10/2024

It really boggles the mind how the wealthy have captured U.S. politics. Even in SF, the $500 direct contribution limit to local candidates is effectively meaningless when third-party political committees making independent expenditures have no limit. These […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

Screenshot of tonight's Campaign Finance Daily Digest Dashboards – November 5, 2024 Election for the Mayor of SF race.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 06/10/2024

I got a couple of multitools to gift and Leatherman sent me a free mug. Don't really need it, but appreciate the gesture. I have no need for any more tools myself, but considerations like these persuade me that they make good gifts for others.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 27/09/2024

luna@sanfranciscan.org looking all fancy last Friday at the Jobs with Justice San Francisco Gala here. Trying her best to ignore the vegan mole tamale on the table. Photo taken by Brooke Anderson.

A small white dog on my lap with a fancy coat on my lap. Photo taken by Brooke Anderson.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 18/09/2024

The Great Ice Age Lakes of what is now the western United States were quite something. Lake Bonneville was about the size of Lake Michigan! Lake Manly occasionally reforms in Death Valley, but it is a minuscule fraction of what it once was. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bonneville>

Ice Age pluvial lakes in the western United States by By Fallschirmjäger - W3C-validity not checked., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25056130

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 10/09/2024

KQED is union busting and NABET Local 51 is requesting the public reach out Michael Isip, KQED's President and CEO. #OrganizedLabor #Union #KQED #SanFrancisco

SAVE OUR JOBS! DONT HUB US! DEMAND KQED STOP UNION BUSTING! What is Happening? • KQED is planning to outsource Union Television Engineering jobs to an out-of-state non-Union company in violation of our contract. • "Hubbing" means that KQED's broadcast operations center will have all work moved to a central location that handles many other television stations besides KQED. • For more than 70 years, NABET represented Engineers have helped to build KQED into the number one radio station in the Bay Area and one of the most watched television stations in the nation. Why it Matters? We know Union-Busting is not a Bay Area value. Taking away local jobs hurts San Francisco. The money that is donated to KQED by KQED Members, Viewers and Donors should not be used to pay out-of-state, non-Union workers who will do our jobs! How to Support Us? Please support our fight for keeping these jobs in San Francisco. Please reach out to Michael Isip, KQED's President and CEO and tell him to STOP his plan to outsource these jobs out of California! Contact him at 415-553-3341 or Misip@kqed.org Printed by Union represented members at NABET Local-51

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 29/08/2024

Finally, my car is fully repaired. Just shy of 10 weeks since the hit-and-run. I think some people might think it silly to spend thousands of dollars to fix a 22-year-old car, but it drives well and repairing it keeps it out of the junkyard, so I am happy I did it […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

My 2002 Toyota Prius after getting repaired.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 04/08/2024

After spending a few days in a medieval Swiss town, gleaming high-rises reflecting a lilac sky at home were a nice change. San Francisco might not have buildings from the Middle Ages, but we've got a nice variety of aesthetics.

A couple of gleaming high-rises with a lilac purple sky in the background.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 01/08/2024

Least restful vacation in a while. There's never a "good" time to take time off during an election year for me, but the timing for this one seemed particularly unfortunate. But it is what it is and I am not going to complain too much about having some downtime […] [Original post on ctrvx.net]

A photo of my compact sit stand desk. It is black, metal and bamboo. You can see the screen on a arm and a task light clamped to it and a keyboard and mouse on a brown desk pad.

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 09/06/2024

We hiked up Mt Tamalpais yesterday from Bootjack campground to West Point Inn. On warm spring Saturdays, late afternoon hikes are really ideal. We did not cross paths with anyone coming down. #Marin #MtTam #SanFrancisco #DogsOfSF

A small white dog standing looking off into the foreground with the Bay in the background and a blue sky with wisps of fog

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Chema Hernández Gil @chema.ctrvx.net · 02/06/2024

Here at the San Francisco consulate, the lines to vote in today's Mexican elections loop around the corner. Hundreds of people at noon. If you weren't "registered" to vote, there's no guarantee they'll let you cast a ballot since only 1,500 unregistered people can vote. Mind you, one in ten…

Long line on Folsom Street of people waiting to vote in the Mexican election.

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