Linkin Park is back

Daily dose, ,

7 years since the now legendary Chester Bennington passed away, we all thought that was the last time we’d see Linkin Park together as a band. People of my age still remember how our high school and university days were shaped by their music of empathy and perseverance.

It all changed yesterday when the band officially returned with a new drummer Colin Brittain and vocalist Emily Armstrong to headline a new chapter in its history. This is a prelude to their upcoming album “From Zero” coming out this November.

From their livestream performance, I’m happy to hear that they still got their signature sound, which is both a nostalgic and refreshing break from the K-pop-influenced staple we have nowadays.

As for Emily Armstrong stepping into the role left by Chester Bennington, I think she’d do just fine not as a ‘female voice’ of the beloved former lead vocalist, but as a genuine member of the band, lending her vocals to continue this new chapter in Linkin Park’s journey.

Thirty-nine

Asides, ,

This is the penultimate year before I hit four decades of being on planet Earth. What a journey it has been. Times have been challenging, especially the last twelve months, but somehow I am stillg it through.

There has been no changes in the writing, podcasting and building scale models as it’s still a few months away from the target construction date of ‘the cave’. On the other hand, I’ve been meaning to get back to reading books and listening to my podcast subscriptions by August. The time has come to cut back on two notorious time sinks YouTube and Spotify.

Offline, I’ve spent considerable time reconnecting with my high school friends since April as we gear up to get organized for when we host our high school grand alumni homecoming in 2027. Time is ticking away and we are nowhere near our fundraising target.

For the first time in thirty-nine years, I’m seriously thinking of doing a more serious exercise regimen, even doing some weight training to help address my thyroid problems. A recent trip to the hospital reminded me that this is something that needs urgent attention. Just to be clear, I would not be bulking up nor would I start a TikTok account to post half-naked thirst traps or something ridiculous.

Once more, to all those who sent their greetings, a big thank you to each and one of you!

Problems with Intel’s 13900k and 14900k chips

Are you currently using Intel’s 13900k or 14900k CPU? This report from Gamers Nexus points to a suspected issue with Intel’s 13th and 14th-generation CPUs that have been causing gaming rigs and even game servers to crash. Yikes!

If indeed you have also encountered issues with either of these Intel chips, you may want to drop Gamers Nexus a note as they are actively investigating this issue.

Presidential insensitivity

Opinion, , ,

According to the Social Weather Stations’ recent survey, the nationwide involuntary incidence stood at 14.2% for Q1 of 2024. This is higher than the previous 12.6 hunger rate seen in December 2023. That’s 3.95 million Filipino families that are “being hungry and not having anything to eat.”

True to his “Imeldific” upbringing, President Marcos, Jr’s apparent response is to release a vlog doing his own informal survey, asking whether viewers prefer adobo or sinigang?

Marcos Jr vlogs about Filipino dishes as the more Filipinos experience involuntary hunger

Go figure…

Farewell Google Podcasts, it’s been fun

Daily dose, , ,

It feels like the time when Google Reader was discontinued in 2013. While other podcast apps may have more features, Google Podcasts had everything I needed – a clean UI, it readily shows the recent episodes from my subscriptions – which for me, is the most important one.

Come June 23, 2024, Google Podcasts will cease to function and on July 29, 2024, users would no longer be able to migrate or export their subscriptions. I have already imported my subscriptions into YouTube Music to see how it fares as a podcast app. Somehow, something feels not right or maybe it’s because I’ve never really used YouTube Music before and had been forced to, because it’s going to replace Google Podcasts.

With Google’s promise that it will ‘increase investment in the podcast experience in YouTube Music’, I’ll give it a try. Although, I’m keeping the door open for other podcast apps out there.