Steam Link as remote desktop interface instead of NoMachine

Even before I start running virtual machines on my own homelab, I have been looking and trying different remote desktop software that allows me to control the desktop of one computer from another. The most common ones are based on VNC and RDP (Microsoft...). While VNC is easy to use and free, I found the responsiveness to be quite laggy. RDP can be used to access Windows desktops from Linux but you need the Professional edition of Windows to allows the Windows desktop to be shared.

I also came upon TeamViewer, which provided a more responsive experience and can even be used when outside the home network. However, you need to create an account with the company that offers TeamViewer. This proved to be a deterrent for me.

With more searching, I eventually came upon NoMachine, which provides a remote desktop experience so good that I can even place games through it. You do not need to register any account, and it even allows you to access your home network from outside if you know the external IP of your home network. Needless to say, NoMachine is now my staple for remote access to the desktops of other computers and virtual machines in my homelab.

But recently, Steam Link has become available as a standalone app on desktop computers too. It allows you to access any computer on your network that has the Steam app running on it. Given that I already have a Steam account for my games, the need for an account was not really a deterrent. The host itself can be anything that has Steam app running (bare metal or VM). The Steam Link app itself can be used as a standalone client. Hardware acceleration is supported as long as it is supported by Steam.

Most importantly, it solves the issue of mouse glitching for me. When I use NoMachine for gaming, sometimes, the mouse reaches a virtual limit and I cannot turn beyond a certain angle. I have tried various ways to solve this, but sometimes it works, sometimes not. Steam Link, however, does not have this problem. The mouse is responsive and no glitches! Passing through the client's microphone to the host is also great. When I used NoMachine, I was told that there is an echo to my voice. But with Steam Link, my voice goes through without any problems.

Still, Steam Link is not perfect. For example, certain keys on my Japanese keyboard (JP106) is not passed through to the remote host. This is not really significant during gaming, since I can map another key. But for day to day use in work, it can be a nuisance (for example, one of the key is underscore, and not being able to use it for work when typing can be... frustrating). This is why I still use NoMachine mainly for my remote desktop interface, switching only to Steam Link when want to game on my VM. For those who use a standard English keyboard though, Steam Link may well be the best remote desktop software.

AI and the allocation of goods

AI is making rapid advances and we will see more and more work being replaced by machines in the future. This is supposed to be a good thing. By using machines to replace humans, humans can move up the value chain to do work that is at a higher level.

Of course, this assumes that the humans who are replaced by machines are capable of working at that higher level. While this may be the case in the past, when machines replaced human in repetitive or laborious work, with the advances made by AI, we are starting to see machines being used in those higher-level work too.

This means that, eventually, we may reach a point when machines are capable of doing everything that humans can do. This is supposed to be a good thing, since it means humans are free from having to work to survive. Instead, we can rely on machines to produce the things we need and live off the work of machines.

There is one problem, though. Our society has been based on work, compensation for work in the form of money (our income), and using that money to allocate the products of work (whether necessities or luxuries). If humans do not work, there is no income, and we will lose this traditional means of goods allocation.

How then will we determine who gets what? There will still be limited resources in the world. The products that machines make on our behalf will still be limited. How do we then allocate these limited products among the billions of people on Earth? How will we decide who gets what necessities, and who gets to enjoy luxuries? What will happen to our meritocratic and capitalist society, if there is no merit to achieve and no capital to earn?

Will we end up with a social structure that is rigid, where the owners of AI sit at the top, enjoying all the luxuries, while those who were replaced early by machines sit at the bottom, being allocated on necessities but with no way to enjoy life nor any means to move up the social ladder?

Will our goal of developing AI so that no one has to work eventually mean a stop to human evolution? And if we stop evolving, if we stop adding value to this world... will we eventually go extinct? After all, resources are limited, and if we bring no value, why should machines continue to provide for us, when they can use those resources for themselves?

Teasing Master Takagi-san: The Movie (劇場版 からかい上手の高木さん)

Teasing Master Takagi-san: The Movie (劇場版 からかい上手の高木さん) opened in theatres in Japan today, and there were handing out a nice manga booklet so I made my trip to the local cinema.

The story itself is very simple, which may explain why this movie is so short. Nishikata and Takagi-san found a kitten, and took care of it while trying to find a home for it. The movie ended with the two of them making a certain (and same) promise to each other. But otherwise, nothing really interesting. Do stay until after the credit roll, since there is one final cut after that.

Frankly, I am not sure if this can be classified as a movie though, since it is only 73 minutes and includes a lot of flashbacks which, to me, looks like the production team trying to find stuff to exceed that 60-minute mark to call this a movie. Some parts of the "movie" felt like a slideshow. It looked more like a marketing gimmick than anything. If they had released this as an OVA instead, with a limited in-theatre airing, reception might have been better. But as it is, on its opening day, I could count the number of people in the theatre with me...

 

There is a saving grace: the booklet.

It includes two manga episodes drawn by the creator of the Takagi-san series, Yamamoto Soichiro: "The Eraser" and "From Tomorrow". The former is one of the episodes from the TV series. The latter is based on a scene from this movie. I guess I will return again if they hand out any more interesting stuff.

By the way, I am not saying this isn't a good movie. I am saying it is not enough, I need more of this good stuff! 😅

Consolidating the Poweredge servers

I have a Dell Powerdge R720 as my main homelab server, while the R430 serves as a server when I need additional computing power. And a R320 just lying around now as spare.

Previously, I had used a pair of Asus RT-AC88U routers that use a "Media Bridge" mode to connect via WiFi. This worked fine, but WiFi connection can be affected by the environment, and so I decided to just hard wire everything together.

The end result? A pair of 8-port network hubs connected to my main router (still a Asus RT-AC88U) via LAN cables. The R720, R430, and R320 are connected to these hubs. All of them located together in a separate room.

The next step is to find a metal rack/shelf to put these servers on. Lying them flat will make it easier to work on them. Right now, if I need to open one of them up, it is a really tedious process of removing all the cables, then removing the 3D-printed feet so that I can place the server flat to remove its top cover. If I place them on a rack, it will just be a matter of removing the top cover.

Update June 10, 2022: I order a metal rack, 150 x 91 x 46 cm (H x W x D) with four shelves (five, including the top). The bottom will be for the R320 (unused), then the R720 (heavy, to weigh down the shelf), then the R430. Above that will be a shelf for a VGA monitor or keyboard and such when I need local access to the servers.

Notes from watching Top Gun: Maverick

I caught Top Gun: Maverick when it opened in Japan on May 28, 2022, but I did not want to put in any spoilers in that post. So here are some things that caught my attention in the movie, which may be spoilers so I consolidated them in this post after watching the movie a second time.

Scenes in Top Gun: Maverick which were references to Top Gun:

- The entire opening, with the music, the text introducing Fighter Weapons School, and even the appearance of the names of the cast.

- Maverick pushing the envelop, going beyond the test requirement of Mach 10 in the Darkstar, just like how he pushed the limits to fly inverted over the MiG-28 in Top Gun.

- Maverick riding alongside the runway in his Kawasaki motorcycle.

- Rooster playing "Great Balls of Fire" in the bar, which led to the flashback of Goose playing that same song.

- The name Penny (Maverick's love interest in Top Gun:Maverick) is the same as that of the admiral's daughter in Top Gun.

- Maverick tried to hit on Charlie, then got a surprise when she walked into class the next day as the civilian instructor; Hangman and friends threw Pops out of the bar, then got a surprise when Maverick walked into class the next day as their instructor.

- Beach football scene, which was a beach volleyball scene in Top Gun.

- "Talk to me, Goose." "Talk to me, Dad."

- Flying the F-14 for that final escape, with Maverick as the pilot, and Goose's son Rooster as the RIO. 

- Handshake between Hangman and Rooster after returning onboard the carrier at the end of the mission, just like how Maverick and Ice shared a handshake after their mission (a photo of this scene was also shown as part of the movie, when Maverick made his return to Fighter Weapons School).

Ice, played by Val Kilmer, was Maverick's rival in Top Gun. In Top Gun: Maverick, Ice has made it up the ranks and is now Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and is also a good friend of Maverick. There is actually a real-life case of such a career. When Top Gun was filmed, one of those who participated in the filming was then-LCDR Robert "Rat" Willard (see his name in the credit roll). Years later, he became Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and ended his naval career as Commander, U.S. Pacific Command with the rank of ADM.

 

There is the issue of time, though. Top Gun: Maverick takes place 36 years after Top Gun. If our characters in Top Gun were holding the rank of LT in 1986, they would have been in service for at least a few years. Which means they would have served in the navy for more than 40 years by 2022. In real life, they would have retired by now... but I guess this is a small detail that can be sidelined for plot. 😅

 

I am also not very sure how tolerant the navy is about letting admirals with throat cancer, so severe that they can hardly talk, continue serving, and in extremely high profile positions too.

I do like the small detail that went into painting Maverick's plane with the number 00, which is the number (or rather, the last two digits of the three-digit number) usually painted on the CAG's plane(s) on an aircraft carrier.

Another detail was the radar picture. After the flight took off from the carrier and descended to less than 100ft above sea level, the radar operator mentioned that they have disappeared from radar and therefore switching to E-2 picture for their positions. This is because of the radar horizon; the aircraft carrier's radar is at a lower height and thus will eventually be blocked by the Earth's curvature. The E-2 is flying high above and can thus detect low-flying aircraft at much longer ranges. The phrase "switching to E-2 picture" was a simple and minor phrase but added realism to the movie.

If I manage to catch the movie again (or a few more times) and notice more stuff, I will keep adding to this post. Until then!

Top Gun: Maverick (Dolby Cinema vs IMAX)

After catching Top Gun: Maverick on its opening day in Japan at a IMAX theatre, I finally managed to find time to go catch it again, this time at a Dolby Cinema.

The Dolby Cinema version is what you would expect: consistent quality in both sound and colours. Especially during scenes which cut to black before the next one. The authentic black that can be achieved via Dolby really helps to bring home the point that one scene has ended and the next one is coming up.

The fidelity of Dolby Atmos sound also means that you have an audio experience that gives realistic spatial depth and direction. In an action movie, this can be a nice touch, but with all that loud noise from jet engines, it may not really matter since the sound is already overwhelming in the first place.

After catching both the IMAX and Dolby Cinema versions, my conclusion is this: I like the IMAX version better. This is the exact opposite of my experience watching Dune Part One at IMAX and Dolby Cinema. For Dune, it seemed like the IMAX thing was an afterthought. Top Gun: Maverick, however, made you feel that the film was planned for IMAX right from the beginning. While there are still parts of the movie shot in traditional movie aspect instead of the more squarish IMAX aspect ratio, the action scenes (the aerial flying and combat scenes) were mostly shot in IMAX. The extra space at the top and bottom of the screen was fully exploited to give a more immersive experience. Unlike Dune, where that extra bit of footage at the top and bottom had little to no impact, having that extra footage in Top Gun: Maverick allowed you to see more of the action taking place.

Conclusion: Watch Top Gun: Maverick in IMAX. It is actually worth that extra bit.