Goodbye my Universe

Today I finally parted ways with my long-time friend, my Ibanez Universe UV7BK green dots.

As far as I remember, I bought this guitar in 2008 amidst a craze of seven string guitars. I remember seeing an UV777BK on the TV and going nuts over that, even posting online at the old FCC forums. And by that time I joined a Dream Theater cover band, and I played solely this guitar. To this day, I still don’t know how I was able to play all that hard stuff on a seven string. Incredible young me.

The neck profile was truly great. I loved it. Pronounced shoulders, somewhat similar to the Suhr Modern Satin I had.

I remember trying to sell it 10 years ago or so, but I retreated.

After playing in a band where a seven string was demanded, and using a six string with a pitch shifter instead, I finally realized I don’t play sevens anymore. It must go. The original Ibanez wooden hardcase was wasted with mold, so I had to buy another one. Pretty bad fit, but anyway. The UV had grown mold in the neck too, but I cleaned. Maybe it will show up again in the future, who knows.

It was really hard to find someone to buy it. Professional sellers refused saying it’s hard to sell seven strings. In the end, I found someone to buy, and it posted it.

Goodbye, old friend.

Goodbye Go

On this morning, I just completely wiped away the Go compiler from my computer after finishing the Rust rewritten of my very useful ID3v2 editor, then written in Go. Now I have no tools written in Go anymore.

I consider I spent way too much time banging my head against the wall writing Windigo, trying to write a decent API. Go is way too limited, its lack of expressiveness won’t allow you to write any decent API more complex than a simple CRUD. And Win32 is hard. Windigo reached a point where there was nothing else I could do to make the API better – it was so bad it actually pushed me back to C++, where all my uneasiness started.

Another upsetting fact I noticed is that Go programmers tend to be unexperienced people. Beginners with trivial questions. Very demotivating.

I think anyone talking to me at this point would label me a “Go hater”. And as such, I can no more invest my scarce time in it. I remember in the early Windigo days I was completely in love with Go, with its first lines being written in my then girlfriend’s laptop. Yes, I installed the compiler there, and I don’t remember if it’s still there.

I plan to leave Windigo repo, and all its open issues, abandoned for a while. Maybe someone forks it and keeps it going. In the future, I will archive it, and I hope I never have to write Go ever again.

And that’s a shame, because “Windigo” is one of the coolest project names I ever came up with.

About these 10 years

Hello, dear reader.

I started this blog exactly 10 years ago, in a Saturday morning, without having much idea about what I’d write here. I just wanted a safe place to vent.

Now, after 10 years, there’s quite an interesting content written down. In many ways, it’s a window to see my own maturing on various topics. Things that matter – or mattered at the time – to me, and nobody else. Well, actually some posts did generate outsiders’ interest but that’s not the point: this is a personal blog in the most actual sense.

But the thing is that it feels like it was yesterday. 10 years went by.

Fixing the horrible Firefox 89 interface

In searching for a fix to the Firefox 89 Proton layout catastrophe, I found a very neat site which tries to summarize all the fixes that can be made in “userChrome.css” file, which can be found in about:profiles internal URL, and enabled with toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets in about:config.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to restore the menu icons, as of yet, but it’s still a relief from that disaster.

This is my hack for Linux:

/*** Tighten up drop-down/context/popup menu spacing ***/

menupopup > menuitem, menupopup > menu {
	padding-block: 4px !important;
}
:root {
	--arrowpanel-menuitem-padding: 4px 8px !important;
}

/*** Proton Tabs Tweaks ***/

/* Adjust tab corner shape, optionally remove space below tabs */

#tabbrowser-tabs {
	--user-tab-rounding: 0px;
}
@media (-moz-proton) {
	.tab-background {
		border-radius: var(--user-tab-rounding) var(--user-tab-rounding) 0px 0px !important;
		margin-block: 1px 0 !important;
	}
	#scrollbutton-up, #scrollbutton-down { /* 6/10/2021 */
		border-top-width: 1px !important;
		border-bottom-width: 0 !important;
	}
	/* Container color bar visibility */
	.tabbrowser-tab[usercontextid] > .tab-stack > .tab-background > .tab-context-line {
		margin: 0px max(calc(var(--user-tab-rounding) - 3px), 0px) !important;
	}
}

/* Inactive tabs: Separator line style */

@media (-moz-proton) {
	.tabbrowser-tab:not([selected=true]):not([multiselected=true]):not([beforeselected-visible="true"]) .tab-background {
		border-right: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, .20) !important;
	}
	/* For dark backgrounds */
	[brighttext="true"] .tabbrowser-tab:not([selected=true]):not([multiselected=true]):not([beforeselected-visible="true"]) .tab-background {
		border-right: 1px solid var(--lwt-selected-tab-background-color, rgba(255, 255, 255, .20)) !important;
	}
	.tabbrowser-tab:not([selected=true]):not([multiselected=true]) .tab-background {
		border-radius: 0 !important;
	}
	/* Remove padding between tabs */
	.tabbrowser-tab {
		padding-left: 0 !important;
		padding-right: 0 !important;
	}
}

Road Rash 3 guide

One of my favorite childhood games was Sega Genesis’ Road Rash 3. I ended up downloading Fusion emulator during corona virus pandemic, and of course I resurrected Road Rash 3, among others.

To my joy, I found a comprehensive guide for Road Rash 3, with amazing detail, which was finished in 2009, 11 years ago, by some good people. So far I’m having a lot of fun exploring it.

Goodbye Eclipse

I received my ESP Eclipse II Silver Sparkle in February 14 of this year, as part of my Les Paul craze. Today, almost 5 months later, I posted it on the mail after selling it out.

It’s a bit sad, because it was a great guitar. Way more comfortable than my previous Gibson Les Paul Studio, which I had back in 2014. The neck felt very comfortable, but it helped me understanding how I prefer flatter neck radiuses. The ESP has a 12” fretboard, which felt a world of difference from my Suhr, which is close at 14”. The ebony fretboard was very smooth, but I missed the stainless steel frets. All that not mentioning the incredible looks of this guitar, shiny all around – one of the main reasons that made me buy it.

This ESP had an EMG 81 in the bridge, and an EMG 85 in the neck. I swapped them, and the guitar sounded much more balanced. The cleans were beautiful, but somewhat overcompressed, it was hard to tweak a proper clean tone for rhythm parts.

This ESP had the D string slot very low, the open D was buzzing. I played my sole gig with this guitar having the nut like that, improvising paper shims inside the nut slots. I replaced this nut with a new bone nut soon after.

In the sole gig I played with it, in March 23, it felt very heavy on my shoulder. Also, it made me do a lot of mistakes, probably because of the different position the Les Paul shape puts you in, and the rounder fretboard radius. Since then, I played no other gig. And I realized I’m not playing it anymore. Saddened, I decided to sell it. And it was gone today. And I must say, despite everything, I miss it.

Now, I hope my Les Paul craze go away.

Chrome 72 annoying F6 key behavior

On all browsers, since immemorial times, I’ve been using the F6 key to go to the URL bar and select the whole URL. My current browser is Google Chrome, which in its version 72 changed the behavior of this F6 key, which now puts the focus on the tabs or somewhere else. You have to hit the F6 key twice in order to focus the URL bar.

And I’m not the only one who noticed this:

• Super User
• Reddit
• Chrome Help Forum

Fortunately, there’s a bug to the issue:

• https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=927004

I wonder who in the hell decides changes like this. I’m seriously pissed about this change, and already considering go to Firefox, which I already use at work. I really hope they revert this stupid nonsensical change. Stop fixing what isn’t broken.

Follow up: I just installed Chrome 74.0.3729.108, and the F6 key is working properly again. Such a relief.

SRTEd 1.3.1, minor release

This week I released a new SRTEd version 1.3.1, with has minor, but many usability improvements. Also, it’s built with latest version of WinLamb, my very own personal raw Win32 library, which I use for everything.

I was planning a bigger release for SRTEd, with more advanced features, but since my time is pretty short these days, I just released a version where it is now, with the UI improvements. It’s already more than a year since the last version, time flies. One notable difference is the absence of a 32-bit executable, which was not included because it was firing false positives for malware, something completely absurd. To avoid the hassle, I opted to keep only the 64-bit version.

SRTEd can be downloaded from CNET.

Avast antivirus sucks

Last month, after having had enough of Avira antivirus intrusive ads popping on my screen all day, I removed it and installed Avast. Then I started seeing my whole trusty Windows 7 x64 going slow, mainly when switching between processes, but until then I blamed the almost 8 years old computer.

That was until yesterday, while debugging C++ in Visual Studio, when I noticed an Avast DLL being loaded in the console. What the hell? It seems that Avast was somewhat injecting its DLL everywhere, making everything go slow. I immediately uninstalled Avast, and instantly my computer became fast as before.

So far I’m running no antivirus program, and I’m in doubt if I really need one. It feels a bit insecure, but at the same time so... fresh.

After 4 years, SRTEd 1.3.0

So finally I released a new version of SRTEd, my own subtitles editor. Honestly, in these four years I didn’t see a better subtitle editor, I still think it’s the most user-friendly editor out there.

The interface didn’t improve much, but there are many bugfixes and minor UI adjusts. It took so long because I entirely rewrote it using my new Win32 library, which I expect to release as open source soon, together with an article explaining what it is and how to take the best out of it.

It can be downloaded from CNET or Softpedia.

Remembering Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads last day was March 19, 1982, 35 years ago today. After influencing so many guitarists, I just want to leave this humble tribute here. I’ve played “Crazy Train” in bands in the past, and it was always a lot of fun.



After publishing the video, I realized the guitar track was a bit too loud in the mix. Well, too late, but not too bad.

I used my Suhr Modern Satin, with Suhr SSV/SSH+ (neck/bridge) pickups, and the POD HD500X connected via USB. After using Billy Gibbons’ .007 signature gauge set exclusively for about one year and a half, I tried the D’Addario EXL130 set again, however with a .012 for the G, as I found on my graphic string tension calculator. It feels very balanced now. I don’t know if I’ll use this custom .008 set on all guitars, but I’m keeping it on the Suhr, at least.

Clean tones of Ibanez JPM100 P2

I recorded an improvisation of my 1997 Ibanez JPM100 P2, which has DiMarzio Crunch Lab + LiquiFire instead of the stock DiMarzio Steve’s Special + Air Norton. The previous owner did the replacement, and I kept it because it sounds crazy good. In fact, these new pickups sound very similar to the original ones, but with more gain.

I used my POD HD500X straight into the computer and a set of .007 Dunlop Rev. Willy's Lottery strings.

Clean tones of PRS Custom 24

This is the most beautiful sounding guitar I’ve ever owned or played, possibly. Being a hardcore superstrat player, I’m having a hard time adapting to the radiused fretboard and the unbalanced body shape – not unbalanced as a Les Paul, but definitely butt-heavy.

So I recorded this improvisation using the POD HD500X looper. I see myself selling this guitar soon: that’s how I want to remember it.



The video was recorded with the great Samsung Galaxy S6, in 1080p and 60 fps.

Evernote abandons C# in favor of C++

It’s with a feeling of “I knew it already” that I read this note, from 2010, where Evernote team abandons C# and rewrite the whole thing from scratch in C++. It’s not that C++ is a good language – it’s awful – but the point is that this whole managed code hype destroys any hopes of performance one may have. I’ve seen benchmarks comparing raw loops and things that doesn’t matter, when in fact the problem is the huge runtime needed for these programs to run, which slows everything down and eats a lot memory. The point is that managed programs, specially WPF stuff that Evernote used, just can’t beat native ones.

Technically, C# is a beautifully designed language, but in real world its programs are slow and sluggish. C++ is a horrible language, but being compiled directly to native code, generates optimized programs. Evernote guys just realized that.

The new Google Maps sucks

A couple months ago, Google began introducing a beta version of the new Maps, which at the time, I promptly refused to use, given the sluggishness and missing features it had. The feature I missed most was the screen split between Street View at the bottom half and the map itself at the top half, where I could drag the Pegman on the map, while the Street View is automatically updated. Oh and the old version is faster. So much faster.

Some time after, this horrible interface became the default, but we still could choose to use the old one. But now Google – possibly because the avalanche of bad feedbacks – rolled out a Lite version of the new Maps, which is basically the same terrible interface, but with even less features. Great solution, eh?

Fortunately, it’s still possible to go back to the old version of Maps via maps.google.com/lochp, at least until Google disables it too. Seriously, what would they swap such a great solution with a crappy one?

Sony Vegas 13 sucks

I’m a long time Sony Vegas fan. My history with Sony goodies dates back to Acid Pro 3, when was still developed by Sonic Foundry, which had created a very intuitive interface and workflow. Sony bought Sonic Foundry and started migrating all the programs to .Net Framework crap, and quality began to suffer.

Sony Vegas was still usable up to version 12. Not exactly fast, but pretty usable. Testing out this version 13 – build 373 is the lastest at the moment I write this post –, I’m deeply disgusted to what they have done. Without any noticeable improvement, the interface has got a bit uglier, and everything, absolutely everything is slower. I dislike laptops, I have a desktop computer with quite powerful hardware components, and even though, the timeline elements became sluggish when reacting to the mouse, the video preview rendering is blurred and skipping frames, and any cross-fading is simply not viewable due to slowness. Among other oddities.

After some hours of headache, I simply removed this version and reinstalled the version 12 back. What a relief. No more Vegas 13 over here. I hope Vegas 14 can have more luck – although I doubt it.

A balanced .008 gauge string set for guitar

Last month I restrung my 2004 Music Man JP6 with a .008 gauge string set, D’Addario EXL130. I started to feel very uncomfortable with the G string, because it has so much more tension than all the others. I even considered trading the JP6 for an Ibanez Jem, which I travelled about 150 km just to test for a couple minutes, and it felt good on my fingers, possibly due to my 8 years playing exclusively a 1996 UV7BK.

Then yesterday I took a different direction and it came to my mind the idea of assembling a balanced string set, thus fixing the problem with the heavy G string. I know that there are commercial balanced sets, but they just alleviate the problem, not fixing it. I found this excellent post on Jemsite, where the guy made a comprehensive chart with all D’Addario sets and tension of each string. The .008 data confirmed what my fingers already knew: the G string is much heavier than it should. Also, the A string is slightly heavier, but I really didn’t felt it that much.

What I can’t really understand is why all the string sets are so unbalanced, and why so few people complain about it.

In order to find the right gauge to balance my .008 set, I found a handy online calculator for string tension, not very intuitive, but accurate. With it, I found the gauge of .013 for the G string, instead of the .015, to balance my .008 set. The B string of an ordinary .010 set – D’Addario EXL110 – is exactly .013, so if I buy such a set I could pick the B string and use it. Also, the D string is a .026 gauge, which could replace my current A of .030, making my set more even.

After replacing these two strings, and loosening the spring claw and the truss rod a bit, my JP6 felt a lot better. Instant gratification. The heaviness of the G is finally gone, the bends are easier, and the slightly loosened A added a very smooth feel to the wound strings. And I love loose strings. Here is the tension chart comparison:

Ordinary (unbalanced) .008 set:

E: .008" [PL] = 10.38 pounds
B: .010" [PL] = 09.10 pounds
G: .015" [PL] = 12.90 pounds
D: .021" [NW] = 12.05 pounds
A: .030" [NW] = 14.05 pounds
E: .040" [NW] = 12.11 pounds

Total tension = 70.59 pounds

My balanced .008 set:

E: .008" [PL] = 10.38 pounds
B: .010" [PL] = 09.10 pounds
G: .013" [PL] = 09.68 pounds
D: .021" [NW] = 12.05 pounds
A: .026" [NW] = 11.23 pounds
E: .040" [NW] = 12.11 pounds

Total tension = 64.55 pounds

And I’m not thinking about the Jem anymore. By now.

Sound Forge 11: no FX chain apply?

I’m a long time Sound Forge user, since the golden pre-Sony Sonic Foundry days, when the horrendous .NET Framework, a toy for script kiddies, was not needed. I’ve been following the version upgrades until today, when I gladly installed version 11. One of my most used options – applying the FX chain right away – simply disappeared. I’ve been searching around, and I found that I’m not the only one who complains about this.

There’s an alternative way to apply the FX chain through the FX Favorites menu, but it’s cumbersome and you cannot work upon the waveform while it’s open. Ironically, the new FX chain window is one of the “new” things Sony is marketing about. Well, congratulations for messing it out, Sony. I’ll pass.

I rolled back to Sound Forge 10, and I’m keeping it. Let’s see if a future Sound Forge 12 will bring that facility back.

Firefox 23 is slower than Firefox 22

In last June, I’ve been amazed with the Firefox 22 launching. It featured a new JavaScript engine called OdinMonkey, and particularly on Linux, the browser became really fast and smooth. The upgrade was instantly noticeable with Firebug, which became a lot more responsive.

Yesterday, however, Mozilla rolled out Firefox 23 – with a horrible new logo, without contrast and which looks blurry at small size. But mainly, to my dismay, right after upgrade, everything became slower. It felt like last year’s versions, with a sluggish performance, and essentially a pain to use. On Firebug, this is felt very strongly.

I forgot to backup my profile, but luckily the profile structure was not modified, and I was able to downgrade, download Firefox 22 again and removing this horrible Firefox 23, in the hope that they can fix it on the next version.

Update, Sep. 19:
I’ve just tested Firefox 24, and it seems to be even slower than 23. So, I’m still keeping Firefox 22.

Update, Nov. 7:
Apparently the slowness is fixed on Firefox 25, which I’m testing right now. Finally.

jQuery facepunches old IE versions

The jQuery team announced that they dropped support for Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 on the v2.0.0 of the library. That’s one huge and important move. First, because jQuery is widely used worldwide, and even endorsed by some big companies like Microsoft and Google. Second, because these versions of Internet Explorer still have a considerable percentage of the market share as of today. The jQuery guys announced that v1.9.x will still support these old IE versions, but who knows for how long.

This made me think the primary reason that jQuery was conceived for: a thin layer of cross-browser compatibility. If the library is not so widely compatible anymore, isn’t it losing its main reason to exist? Or maybe it’s heading towards becoming a framework like many others, just providing some useful and funny tricks.

I’m not against this decision, but given the wide adoption of jQuery in the wild, maybe it’s too early to force the migration to the latest IE version. Although when I think of the real pain that is to develop to those terrible browsers, I just raise my hands and scream hallelujah, they finally did it!