3 june 2026
fixing stuff (and also testing)
earlier today (about two hours ago) we were asked to help run an ethernet cable through a small hole in the ceiling. what should have been a maybe 30-minute task at most ended up becoming one that took over an hour, and only because a 3/4in drill bit somehow wasn't a large enough diameter for the jacketed RJ-45 to make it all the way through. granted, the job was completed at some point and we were able to get packets spewing through this jacketed cable at nigh light speed, but there's a... certain desire to do this everywhere now.
the keilar's desktop is about five feet and a dream away from a breaker box. our body may not be a walking receiver in its entirety yet, but it has the awareness to know that the em leakage from this particular cabinet is enough to interfere with the wifi reaching its computers NIC. oftentimes it'll struggle loading simple static webpages, and even more often it's not able to sustain youtube videos at an acceptable quality (when it actually opens the site). in any case, this is a common theme in its basement bedroom, and for the large part it's ok with this because it has certain spots it can put a device where it can talk to the router without being screamed at by a temperamental and somewhat angry box of levers with no door. the cabinet would have one but it brought the damn thing to school in 7th grade and got it taken away, alongside a train horn, a hand-crank claxon, and three samsung galaxy phones. funny how this is somehow still affecting us to this day.
in any case, there are things it can do to fix this but it's come to the realization that it might just be a better idea to drape an ethernet cable throughout the entire house wired directly into a small switch. originally it was going to buy aluminum tape and turn the entire cabinet into a makeshift microwave oven, but it's decided against this for both aesthetic reasons and fire risk. moreover, its family may be picky about how we use computers, but they can't say no to an impassioned girl with a radio and a job in info tech wanting to make the place a little more livable for everyone else when they decide to browse facebook or whatever. also it'll be able to play minecraft with greater stability and that's always welcome