iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 01/03/2026

Can confirm, it's a very rocky place. First 2 pictures around Wulai and the last 2 in Kenting. I had a blast both times. 10/10 highly recommend.

A Taiwanese village. A river can be seen in the centre with houses on the sides. There is a part of a mountain in the background

Crystal clear water with a beach in the distance. There is a green hill in the background.

A view of the sea from a rocky hill. The sea is calm and very clear. We can see some mountains in the distance.

1444 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 06/12/2025

I don't think there's enough flyers, I can still see through the windows.

Windows entirely covered with the December 7th Legco election flyers

030 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 12/11/2025

Batter ready for tomorrow's big batch of canelés.

A steel pot completely filled with canelé batter. It rests on a gas stove.

110 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 19/10/2025

It's always the silliest mistakes, isn't it? I've spent so much time trying to figure out why I wasn't able to receive frames and it turned out I forgot to pull the standby pin low. The weirdest thing was it worked perfectly at 250kbps in listen-only mode.

A close-up picture of a PCB. An MCP2562 CAN bus transceiver can be seen in the middle. Pin 8 in the top left corner has been manually soldered to the ground plane because it was left floating when designing the board.

020 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 09/10/2025

Reading a book for the kids when... No, that's not... Why do you think we need rockets to go to space?

Picture of text on a children's book:
"What is the person in the house doing? Look at the people in the space station. How are they moving about? They can float inside the space station because there is not enough gravity to hold them down. Which would you like to do - walk around or float? Why?"

120 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 05/10/2025

No way this passed the CE safety tests lmao. All 20 lights are connected in series so that would explain the 12V-240V marking. Fastest way to fix it would be to just replace the plug with a fused UK type plug but I'd still like to power this off USB somehow.

The bottom of the white box. It shows "LX-01", the CE mark (lmao) and "12V-240V 50/60Hz"

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 05/10/2025

Looking closer it's an MB10F, a FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER. I guess I'll have to replace the entire circuit with something safer, don't want to set the apartment on fire.

A better view of the chip. It's an MB10F full bridge rectifier.

100 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 05/10/2025

Popped it open and here we are, just a single chip, most likely a rectifier of some sort.

A close-up of what's inside the white box. It's a small PCB with a single chip on it and a bit of glue on top.

100 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 05/10/2025

I ordered this light on Taobao for the kids thinking it would be battery powered or powered from a USB supply. This is what I got. Not only the plug is the wrong type but I doubt there is any kind of protection in that flimsy little white box.

A decorative light with roses. It has a type A power plug (Japan or North America) and a flimsy little white box connecting it to the lights.

100 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 24/09/2025

Morning update: typhoon very strong.

010 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 23/09/2025

I don't think I've ever seen HKO describing seas as "phenomenal". It really shows how exceptionally strong this typhoon will be tomorrow.

Screenshot of the Hong Kong Observatory app about the "Latest TC News":

"Ragasa has an extensive circulation with fierce winds. Its outer rainbands have edged closer to the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary gradually. Locally, the weather is expected to start deteriorating rapidly later today, with winds strengthening quickly. The weather will be persistently adverse tomorrow. Gale to storm force winds will prevail locally, and winds will reach hurricane force offshore and on high ground at first. There will be frequent heavy squally showers and thunderstorms. Seas will be phenomenal with swells. There will be overtopping waves over the shoreline, which will be particularly significant along the eastern and southern coasts. Members of the public should stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

Under the influence of significant storm surge, the rise in water level can reach around 2 metres over the coast of Hong Kong tomorrow. The water level will start to rise after around 6 a.m. in the morning. It will reach the maximum later in the morning to early afternoon, generally around 3.5 to 4 metres above chart datum. The water level at Tolo Harbour may even reach 4 to 5 metres above chart datum. Members of the public should take necessary precautions."

040 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 22/09/2025

I went to buy something for lunch and it looked like everyone else went to the shop to stock up for an entire week.

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 22/09/2025

Ragasa is absolutely massive. Stay safe, everyone!

A picture taken by the Himawari weather satellite showing the typhoon Ragasa. It is so big it engulfs both the Northen Philippines and Taiwan.

121 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 21/09/2025

Every time I look at this map it gets closer. This is going to be a big one.

The predicted path of Super Typhoon Ragasa when closest to Hong Kong on Wednesday 24th at 8am. It shows 195km/h maximum sustained winds near its centre.

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 19/09/2025

$3 trillion market cap and can't even extract a flight itinerary from a forwarded email.

A screenshot of a forwarded email in Gmail. The title is "Fwd: Your HK Express Itinerary - <REDACTED>". Where there should be a card with the extracted flight details automatically added to my calendar, there is nothing and the contents of the email are shown directly below the title instead.

010 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 25/07/2025

It may not look like much but this is the ultimate comfort food.

130 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 14/07/2025

I step away for a minute and this is what I come back to.

A kitten standing at the top of an office chair. A desk and several monitors can be seen behind.

021 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 04/07/2025

My order has not, in fact, shipped.

Mathias Verdon,

Your order has shipped.

Track your shipment.

Label Created
United States

07/03/2025, 8:30 P.M.

100 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 04/07/2025

I see good old Li's Field is still active.

A map showing the predicted path of a typhoon. Its track is initially headed towards Hong Kong but has a sudden 90-degree turn towards Northern China.

130 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 07/04/2025

Ordered them last week, they arrived this morning.

Two circuit boards, one showing the top side, one showing the bottom. The top has a single chip in the middle and a small capacitor next to it. There are holes on the left and right sides of the board with text next to each of them indicating which pin on the chip is connected to them.

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 15/03/2025

Stay safe! We're getting one too in Hong Kong in about half an hour and it's a big one.

Radar image of an incoming thunderstorm. The map is centered on Hong Kong.

010 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 06/03/2025

I see he's doing the Mark Wahlberg's 40-day challenge

A screenshot of a TV programme with a banner at the bottom saying "Mark Wahlberg's 40-day challenge". He has an ash cross drawn on his forehead

020 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 05/03/2025

I don't remember asking for it but JLCPCB sent me an X-Ray report with a scan of all the boards they made for me. I can't stop looking at it, it looks so cool!

An X-Ray picture of a PCB. Multiple copper layers can be seen and the inner metal parts of some of the components are clearly visible.

030 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 03/03/2025

This is for all of you, coriander aficionados.

A package of coriander instant noodles. There are big characters on two lines:
超香香香香香 (super-fragrant, emphasis on fragrant)
香菜拌面 (coriander noodles)

010 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 18/02/2025

"Meta has spent over $100 billion on VR"

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 26/01/2025

Totally normal behaviour, definitely no censorship there.

0113 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 24/01/2025

If you want a reminder to add alt text before you post, there's an option for that. Go to Settings -> Accessibility then tick the checkbox next to "Require alt text before posting".

Screenshot of the Accessibility settings. The checkbox next to "Require alt text before posting" is ticked.

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 24/01/2025

Everyone, please add alt text to your images. It makes Bluesky more accessible. dame.is/ratingalttext

Bluesky Alt Text Rating
How consistently do you use alt text?

113 posts analyzed
30 contain images
18 are replies
30 posts have alt text

Score: 100.00% ☺️

120 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 20/01/2025

In case anyone else (everyone?) wants to disable this terrible feature, asking for a human seems to be quick and effective. The option to turn it off magically appears in the "Gemini for Google Workspace section" after asking for it.

Chat window with a real person:

Google Workspace Support, Don Dee Alexis:
Hello, Mathias. Thank you for letting me know about your concern. No worries! We'll take a closer look at your issue and see what is the best recommendation for this.
Yes, there's an option to turn it off. But let's fix it together. I will be fixing it quickly in our end. Allow me 3-5 minutes and I will let me know once done.
Once I already done, you can be able to turn off the Gemini in your end.
Hold on.

Me:
Sure, thanks

Google Workspace Support, Don Dee Alexis:
Thanks for patiently waiting, Matthias. I already finished fixing it on my end. You can try to turn it off right now in your Admin console.

Me:
All good now. Thanks for your help!

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 20/01/2025

Their support is just a chatbot now? It also tells me that the only option to completely turn Gemini off is to cancel my subscription.

Chat window with Google Workspace support. The chatbot answered this:

Hi there! I understand you're trying to completely disable Gemini for your organization. Based on the documentation, turning off all the options in the Admin console should indeed disable Gemini. However, it seems like it's still active.

To completely stop using Gemini for Google Workspace, you'll need to cancel your subscription. This will terminate all Gemini licenses for your organization. You can cancel Gemini while keeping your other Google Workspace subscriptions active.

To cancel your subscription, sign in to the Google Admin console with a super administrator account. Then, go to Menu > Billing > Subscriptions, click on Gemini for Google Workspace, and click Cancel Subscription. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the cancellation process.

Keep in mind that if you're on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan and cancel before the contract ends, you'll still be responsible for the full value of the commitment.

100 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 13/01/2025

we all have an emotional support dead famous guy and who he is says a lot about you

A picture of Sir Terry Pratchett smiling. There is a bookcase behind him on the right and a bronze eagle on the left.

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 08/01/2025

There's "unusually warm winter" and then there's "winter so unusually warm that snakes come out". This is a red-necked keelback, both venomous *and* poisonous.

A snake that appears to be a red-necked keelback. It can be easily identified by its red spot on the back near its head. The rest of its body is greenish. It is moving on a grey concrete floor next to a dirty white wall.

041 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 07/01/2025

A slice of the galette for you fellow frangipane enjoyers. This is the correct amount of filling.

A slice of the galette frangipane on a grey plate. There is an obscene amount of frangipane in it, just like it should be.

000 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 07/01/2025

Yesterday was Épiphanie. Instead of buying an overpriced galette frangipane, I just made one.

A galette frangipane in a mold ready to be put into the oven. It is sitting on a white counter.

The same galette after spending 30 minutes in the oven. It is now a golden brown colour and has swelled significantly. It is still in the same mold and on the same white counter.

110 0

Mathias Verdon 韋馬斯 @mathiasverdon.com · 30/12/2024

Last one before leaving tomorrow. Definitely a Saint-Estèphe with a less "subtle" bouquet. I prefer the Margaux obviously.

A bottle of red wine covered in dust. The label reads:
CHÂTEAU
ANDRON BLANQUET
SAINT-ESTÈPHE
2010
The bottle sits on a wooden counter next to a coffee maker.

000 0