Welcome to DFDN on Gemini
By David Norris - launched Sunday 17th September, 2023
An explanation of the Gemini protocol - and why I like it.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, then for every victory gained you will also
suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
Sun Tzu, Chinese military strategist and philosopher
***BREAKING NEWS***
Greetings from Johannesburg!
Those of us in the Norris family understand well that a warm feeling of achievement comes not from things which are easy, but from things which are hard...
I was once branded (by one of my first online students in 2022) as âa modern 21st century man from a 19th century familyâ.
Yet here in the first days of 2026, it feels as if we are becoming a family of pioneers. Be it my fight to get to university against the odds in 1995 despite not exactly having the background to do so (and taking the family by complete surprise), trying to conceive a baby as an older couple, my own decision to become a Muslim or remarry after years in the wilderness, or my older daughterâs application to university three months after her mother tried to make her homeless, it would appear as though we are finally becoming a family of pioneers. This is all in keeping with my plans to give the family a new sense of direction, which it is in desperate need of.
The phrase âchildren should be seen and not heardâ is so Victorian and is now banned in this family, by my own decree. I am now head of this family, and determined to consign such ideas to the dustbin of history where they belong!
The story of my fight to get to university, 1991 â 2005
Meet my Fulani bride to be, Michelle
My older daughterâs application statement for university
My daughterâs decision to apply to study neuroscience at university is not quite the first surprise of 2026, but I have a warm feeling that it will not be the last.
I recently spent Christmas overseas with my partner for the first time. I flew out from Fuzhou on December 21st, to return (hopefully with my new wife) on March 1st. The start of the new term means that Michelle must be with me here in Fuzhou in order to spend her birthday (March 5th) with me. This is the same date as my late fatherâs birthday.
Our wedding is planned during this time - we are trying to arrange this in the school holiday of February 16th-20th to allow my daughters to attand. Further details will be announced later.
This is family history in the making, and a radical change from previous generations of my family â something I have been promising for some time now. This will have profound impact on the future of the family.
Meet my bride to be! She is with me as I write this!
Next week, I will end my years in the wilderness in spectacular style...
After years in the wilderness, stand by for the big change...
My older daughter has applied to study neuroscience at university. My god be with her!
Read my older daughter's statment here
Meet my new partner, Michelle
Meet my new partner, Michelle. Congratultions to her!
Michelle and I are to marry later this year!
I might describe her as the goldilocks lady'. But what do I truely mean by this?
My book, When the Nightmare Came, is now live on Amazon!
I can confirm the existance of two new projects after arrival in South Africa...
Understanding (and converting) to Islam, explained
Common muslim phrases and what they mean
Alphabetical glossary of Islam
The Quaran in English [Postscript]
The 25 prohets (as mentioned in the Quaran
Islam - guidance on relationships
The Afterlife: Heaven and Hell in Islam
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!
What a difference a year makes. I have a new contract at Fuzhou University of international Studies & Trade in Fujian province. The city is not far from the Taiwan Strait.
Given that my fiancĂŠe does not have a job right now (I rescued her from a man every bit as narcissistic and brutal as my former wife, who controlled her finances among other things) and given the difficulty and time of obtaining a residence permit in South Africa, I needed a new job in China. And I plan to bring her to China once her own papers are up to date; if not in Early September then at the very soonest possible time afterwards!
Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade
My contract runs from September 1st 2025 to July 15th, 2026.
Calendar for the 2025 - 2026 academic year
See gemini:/dfdn.info/michelle or https://dfdnline.org/michelle for details about Michelle who will shortly become my wife. I will be her first (and only!) husband; she is to be my second (and last!) wife.
About my Fulani bride to be, Michelle
So once the nightmare of sorting my own work and residence permit out for the new job at Fuzhou University of International Studies & Trade is sorted out, I will spend the time in Johannesburg. I cannot wait! As I write this I await an appointment to sort this out.
Stay tuned for further updates which will follow later!
David
The story of my fight to get to university, 1991 - 2005
Not everyone has both courage and vision to change their lives - by finding a cheaper life
Currency converter - convert British living costs into your own currency. Have a defibrilator ready!
Latest BBC News (NOT BLOCKED IN CHINA!)
Countries offering digital nomad visas at time of writing
15 Good reasons to leave the UK
Tip: Wikipedia is blocked in China; but Gopherpedia and Gemipedia are not! These are mirrors of Wipipedia on Gopher and Gemini, respectively.
The End of Windows 10? Time to dump Micro$oft forever!
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Last update: 04/04/2026
The 'Inequality Party of Great Britain' in terminal decline? About bloody time!
And the reason why - Britain is a total dump to live in now.
Which European countries are likely to decline the most this century?
Can the British economic crisis be fixed?
Special! The Great British Doom Loop
Legacy job at Shanxi Normal University
Reference from Jenny Liu, who organised the exchange visits to the Yancheng Institite of Technology
Briefing for those of us due to teach in China this September
Why capitalism creates pointless non-jobs
*** For material related to Engilsh (TEFL) and/or engineering tuition, see /teaching ***
Follow me on Linkedin:
Since I blocked Windows updates, I have had far less disruption to my work. Many 'upgrades' or 'security patches' are actually disguised alterations intended to increase Micro$oft's control over your computer, or force you to spend more money. I am NOT interested in spending money on a computer with a TPM to assist Micro$oft to control what software and/or operating system I am permitted to run on *MY* computer.
My computer is my work tool, paid for with my money, to be used in my work time. It belongs to me. Not to a greedy foreign corporation run by a sociopath. Download the video below for an explanation.
Windows is to operating systems what the UK is to countries. Slow, frustrating, a privacy violator and a complete rip-off...!
Why my next laptop will have Linux pre-installed: it is my property. Not Micro$ofts!
A brief review of Zorin OS. Like Ubuntu and Linux Mint, it is ideal for Windows refugees.
Still running Windows 10 after end of life? The perfect time to switch to Linux! Here's how
The digital exodus: how decentralisation is breaking monopolies
Best social media sites for free speech in 2025
You can finger me at any time and find up what I am up to: finger@dfdn.info
Download finger client for Android
DFDN is also available on Gopher
The rise and fall of the Gopher Protocol
Background and history of Gopher
Introduction to 'Geminispace' - Read to get started here!
Observations on Modern Computing (The Last 10 Years Were a Misstep)
Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year
Contact number in China: +86 15980192051
My WeChat ID wxid_mvi5mecug0q922
Exclusive!
Why the famiy of the future will not be the one my forebears envisioned
How to recognise fault finding behaviour in relationships
Why I have no plans to retire in the UK - and have better plans in the meantime!
Why one cannot explain the difference between 'wanting to' and 'having to' to a woman..
Who pays if you go into care in the uk?
The conditions older people risk living in in the UK (.TAR.GZ)
Romance scams - a warning for those who read the link above
NEW! Contact and policy details for private work
What is means if payment is unsuccessful [decline codes] FAQ
UK default telephone number blocking - what it means for you - VIP! - please read and understand
My new experimental ZeroNet site (requires a ZeroNet client!)
Debt Bondage and the feudal land system: a forgotten scourge, particularly in parts of Asia
My Christmas statements have become something of a tradition. Now here on Gemini for the first time; previous years may be found on Gopher.
Why do I use Gemini to host content, or even Gopher, for that matter? To quote the Gemini FAQ - the experience is like entering a library, not a shopping mall or a casino. "The average Gemini page is at least ten times smaller than the average webpage, and a hundred times smaller than worst ones, so they load almost instantly even on old computers or flaky internet connections."
Great of you are in Africa, SE Asia or parts of Latin America and have a poor connection and/or pay by the MB. And it is free of all the rubbish on the web!!! Reading that starts as soon as the page loads, without you first having to carefully click past a pop-up window which actively tries to mislead you into "consenting" to something nobody actually wants or needs, and which continues right to the end of the page without being interrupted by another pop-up begging you to subscribe to a newsletter.
And for an academic like myself...
"Reading in peace because there's no way for a page to play music or make a sound without you actively inviting it to, so you're free to enjoy your own background music, or maybe to just keep quiet if you're reading somewhere with other people around. It's up to you, like it should be; it's your computer, and they're your ears."
You can quietly browse in an office or without any risk of disturbing anyone, without the fear that 120DB music or autoplaying videos are going to alert the boss to what you are doing or wake up evryone in the house.
You can be sure you will not be redirected without permission, tracked, be presurised to install junk (and potentially malicious software or browser add-ons). It is 100% free of cookies (and nagging to accept them on every page you visit), and free of CPU heating, battery draining and mobile data wasting scripts and calls to third party domains.
Young visitors can browse safely, and their parents can be sure they will not be redirected to inappropriate content.
Focus, the Web and Gemini - Well put...
How to Get Good Deals on Used Computers on EBay
How advertisers manipulate us into making bad computer buying decisions
Only we can create a more human internet
The depressing state of the internet in 2026
Host a IPFS (Interplanetry Filesystem) server on your Raspberry PI
Raspberry Pi 3: A Cheap Desktop Computer for Children Learning to Program in BASIC
Manual for the Lynx browser - text only, but supports many protocols, although not yet Gemini.
A 'Gemtext' tutorial: writing 'Gemtext' is easy!
Font packs for Lagrange (Adds language packs for Languages other than English/European)
Think no content is available in Geminispace? Think again! Known Gemini hosts - 'capsules'
And yes, in alphabetical order. We (dfdn.info) are there!
New Nex protocol - specifications
What security threats does the new government have to face?
Going Dark: Looking for the End of the Internet
IPV4, IPV6... What happened to all the other version numbers?
Gopherpedia is a little known mirror of Wikipedia on Gopher. Works well on mobile devices or slow connections, and for the bandwidth deprived.
Libre Translate - need gemtext in another language? Translate online for free.
Creating Your Own Independent Digital Chiefdom
Seven good reasons to run your own personal webserver, Gemini server or Gopher server
Further reasons why I do not recommend Wordpress
Eleven Steps to Empowering Yourself on Line
SAASS (Service As a Software Substitite): Who Does That Server Really Serve?
Windows 365 Link: The New Device that Imprisons Windows Users in Microsoft's Cloud
See also my earlier post on Gopher...
Taking a stand in the war on general purpose computing
Why we will win the war on general purpose computing
Lockdown: The coming war on general-purpose computing, By Cory Doctorow
What is a General Purpose Computer?
Newer technology is often a complete rip-off. Bring back the VCR of my childhood I say
The Home Computer Generation - On experiences lost in user-friendliness
The likely future of computing - not in the best interest of the user if I am homest
Windows bundling and the Micro$oft Windows Tax
Lessons which 'Clownstrike' outage can teach us about Micro$oft rubbish
Why I dispise UEFI - an attempt to keep Linux off PC's
I want to move to Linux, so where do I start?
Why I now block Windows updates - and try to avoid propriety software whenever I possibly can
Windows update horror stories - and the contempt Micro$oft shows for it's customers
Another Micro$oft Tax campaigner
In 2007, several tried to persuade me to 'upgrade' to Vista. I said, are you joking?
Hostile server blocking â eliminate ads and other nasties, free
Note to authors - please don't use spaces in file names - they are a real kludge causing endless problems...
I am not alone to object to the Microsoft Windows Tax
And do not forget this either please
The fulll history and story behind Linux - a long read - but a source of inspiration!
And keep in mind, that the teaching material I make is created in Openoffice. And PDF is available where required. I do not own the megaexpensive Adobe software before you ask. I am a divorced man without money to burn.
Yes, 5.8GHz WiFi is indeed faster than 2.4GHz WiFi. But not for the reasons people assume...
A rare (for these days!) Victory - for "common sense" - which is not so common nowadays
The word "investment" here is about as accurate the the name "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea"...
In the UK, the government dumps the cost of elderly parents onto their descendants, simply because they are of no further economic value...
The nightmare of selling a house in the UK
The high cost of technological illiteracy to society
How to minimise the cost of a new computer
Some thoughts on recent price increases, expecially of RAM
One man's clever response to being 'let go'
The Gemini FAQ can be read here. It explains the Gemini ethos if you are new to Gemini.
earch engine for Gemini (replaces Geminispace.info as servce discontinued)
Search Engine for Gemini, Nex, Spartan, and Scroll
Gopherpedia.com is Wikipedia on Gopher - great for the bandwidth deprived
Ubergeek News - several links to news sites
An excellent, like minded gemini capsule from like-minded author. Well worth a look!
The benefit of running your own web (or other) site, and self hosting it
What is ZeroNet - and why might I test and evaluate it's usefulness
What you learn about the internet if you run your own server...
Why mesh networks are a great idea
We may Soon have City-Spanning 900 MHz Mesh Networks
Why I use self signed TLS certificates, and embrace gemini's standard use of them
IoT: Rise of the "Internet of things"
Beating Big Tech at the Real Computer (Rip-Off) Game
Christmas statement 2024 on Gemini, for the first time!
New life-saving Malaria vaccine available in South Africa
Vaccination against malaria being rolled out in Africa - about time!
Women's rights in Burkina Faso: any progress?
I am very disappointed about South Africa leaving ECOWAS - an economic union in West Africa
Proceedure for registering a school in Nigeria
How can you take seriously a country which cannot evn house people?
UK Housing crisis (and cost!) One of many reasons I do not wish to start a new faamily in the UK...
Grenfell Tower disaster: Final report, 4th September 2024
Final report, 4th September 2024 [.TAR.GZ]
Increasing numbers of families forced to live in damp homes
Why is long term sickness among working age people (16-64) increasing in the UK?
Rishi Sunak: Where did it all go wrong?
Good reasons to emigrate from the UK...
My mother says I should stay here in the UK. I am taking other advisement. Here is why.
Another advisor explains why leaving the UK before 2030 is a good idea
Is it true that the state pension in the UK is one of the lowest of all developed nations?
Should young people emigrate from the UK? A financial nobrainer perhaps...
The truth about wage stagnation and UK living conditions. The stark truth.
"There is no such thing as society". Margaret Thatcher.
If anyone were to ask me: "What is your most enduring mamory of the 1980s?" I would not be answering the Rubik Cube, Sinclair Spectrum or BMX bikes. Oh no. My most enduring memory has to be? The godawful grating voice of Margaret Thatcher - all through my formative years. Little wonder, then, that when she appears on television now, I change the channel.
Hail the great patron saint of inequality: Margaret Thatcher. And she brought us? Inequality.
The Great British Leasehold (er, sorry, don't you mean fleacehold!!!!) Swindle
I am beginning to experience age descrimination. Illegal? Yes. Easy to prove? Most certainly, not.
What happens to debt in the UK if you move abroad?
One family explain how the increased cost of livng is affecting them
Department for Work & Pensions support payments (DWPCOL on your statement)
Department for Work & Pensions report into payments and their accessibility
The legacy of Margaret Thatcher - impacting young people hardest
Are living conditions why young people are leaving?
If you are poor, you must suffer
I have enough... what I plan to do ASAP.....
Migration risks become widespread as a toxic combination of economic stagnation and surging growth elsewhere lure young people away...
Download ChinaPlus app for Android
Do Hanfu and other suncare solutions really work?
Do expensive private tutors relieve parenting anxiety?
Left behind: How the online revolution is failing our elderly people
Left behind: Intergenerational Unfairness report from the Intergenerational Foundation (PDF)
Left behind: Intergenerational Unfairness report from the Intergenerational Foundation (XPS)
Left behind: Intergenerational Unfairness report from the Intergenerational Foundation (OXPS)
Reasons to leave mentioned (briefly) on LBC
The next "brain drain" - only this time, a withdrawl rather than a deposit...
Will we see a mass exodus of younger people seeking a better quality of life overseas?
The above report - text only, but can be read online.
"For a decent standard of living, we all need security and stability in our lives â secure housing, a reliable income, and support when things get difficult. For too many of us, there is no such security. Millions of people in the UK are struggling to get by, leading insecure and precarious lives, held back from improving their living standards. Itâs time to take action on poverty and put this right." Joseph Rowntree Foundation, January 2020. (Before COVID-19 hit, making matters worse! This was followed by the cost of living crisis.).
"In work poverty" is on the rise. Let us define what it really means
Why most younger British people hate the Conservative Party: They will have nothing to conserve
The dark heart of the British Conservative Party
What is my official personality type?
Unconventional? Maybe. But happy and functional? For sure: An example of a polyamorous family.
When I leave here, I intend to campaign against this injustice...
I should have thought of this in 2006: How to recognise a toxic person (similar to my former wife).
Common tactics used by perpetrators of abuse
A comparison of major operating ststems
Micro$oft crapware is also malware
...And why I am not a fan of Apple either. Megaexpensive, captive market, consumables? No way!!!
Why do I use Openoffice, and how does it matter to students? An explanation of the 'why'.
Newer does not always mean better - other than often, a better waste of money
What happens to 'recycled' computers? You are going to be shocked!
Some networking books are good, others are a waste of money!
The rare and interesting: TCPMUX, the forgotten protocol
RFC5335 - Port numbers and services, from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
Future of photovoltaic (solar) power
Countries most vulnerable to climate change
UPDATE!
Well, I have just returned from my second visit to China on a cultural exchange.
In theory I will be eligible each as an opportunity at a Chinese university if
I complete a third such exchange - so I am told by the organiser of the exchanges.
In the meantime, I will consider my options for English teaching.
If I can manage to get a position doing so, then I can work in a place
where living costs are low.
In the meantime, students who are among my regular core of long term students,
who have been unable to take lessons while I was in China should take advantage
of the opportunity to catch up, and I will have Christmas and new year available.
In the Christmas/New Year period in what should (I hope!) be my last in the UK.
For younger students, you have school holidays so what are you waiting for?
Older students have time off work in the majority of cases also. And when I
have reason to celebrate Christmas again, I will want time off myself. But not
this year. Strike while the iron is hot, as the saying goes! There is a story
behind this..
I have carried out an analysis of which countries pay English or engineering
teachers well? I came down to...
⢠South Korea;
⢠Japan;
⢠China;
⢠United Arab emirates.
And my conclusions?
After a long and in-depth analysis of which countries paid well, I conducted
extensive analysis of their living costs and demographics.
United Arab Emirates has high living costs, so I will struggle to save.
Japan and South Korea also have fairly high living costs, and initial interviews
in the summer of 2023 revealed a lot of competition;
China stands out as it combines low living costs with good pay for teaching
staff. And - it has the added attraction in that I have now taught (at a
Chinese University!) in person on two separate occasions now; - online on
two occasions back in the days when COVID-19 made it difficult or impossible
to visit in person.
After any 'teething problems' I expect to settle in well.
I vitally need to be in a position to relocate and save for the business I plan
to launch in West Africa. See:
http://dfdn.info/africa for details!
So... I am likely to teach for one term in 2024, visit South Africa in the
summer break, and complete a year in 2024/2025 to save. I think this will
suffice. I will review this in 2025. Those who know me well know my motto..
"If a vital job needs to be done, do not procrastinate. Give me the
opportunity and the resources, and I will get the job done. No excuses!"
Any questions anyone? David, December 2023
For my pictures from the visit, publiched for the first time on on Gemini:
Enjoy! David, December 18, 2023
[Can Gemini (or Gopher) display images? Yes, of course! But not inline. It saves bandwidth for those paying by the MB, a large part of why I use them! Click on the link to display.]
The 16 most common image file types and when to use them
Interesting: Gemini seen by a HTTP client developer
One thing I like about Gemini is that is simple and there is no need to render the file to another format, because it is just plain text and is easy to work with. I also like Gopher
for this reason - ***MUCH*** quicker and less error prone than writing HTML! Oh, and those not in the know can only dream about an online experience free of all the obnoxious
crap we are ***only too used to*** in the world of HTTP(S) - cookies (and being continually nagged to either accept them or change settings for every single site we visit!!!), pop-ups
getting in the way of work, incessant user tracking and invasions of our privacy, and being bombarded with autoplaying audio and video which draw the attention of colleagues (and
the boss!) or wake up everyone in the house late at night... the list goes on and on.
Why am I interested in using Gemini (and indeed Gopher) as part of my operations? Because I want to offer content which is free of cookie questions on every page, and which does not rely on megabytes of resource devouring, browser crashing javascript, request tens of megabytes of bandwith and money costing advertising, and invade the privacy of my visitors in true Orwellian style, to load. That is why. Nothing more to it than that!
It's very simple to learn! How to create 'Gemtext' pages
Beyond the web: the rise of the 'small internet' explained
Big Tech May have Already Fielded a New Weapon Against the Small Internet: AI
How the "Small Internet" is making a comeback - great news for the bandwidth deprived
Ten Commandments of the Small Internet
Eight of the Best Tools and Techniques for Blocking Internet Advertisements
An Initial Exploration and Review of Secure Scuttlebutt
How to protect (or restore) your internet freedom. And what the term "internet freedom" really means
Introducing the Concept of Radical User Friendliness in Web Design
Why the internet of the future may not be the internet we want
Alternative networks to the Web - boldly leave the realm of corporate controlled cyberspace
First impressions of the Yggdrazil network
Web design: Advice to Business Managers
So-called modern web developers are the culprits
Speed, Security, Compatibility, Reliability - which VPN protocol is best?
Think George Orwell was wrong about 1984? He was. But how about 2084?
In fear of the 'Orwellian Future Reality'? Fear not; it's already on the way.
In my teens, I was at boarding school - making bullying a 24/7 ordeal. But it was before survailance technology was really at a point where it had become mainstream. It left me in trauma. But imagine how it might have been if survailance had been part of the ordeal. See 'proctoring software' in this particular regard. Some or all of the nightmares in this article could all-too-easily become a reality. And we have already taken the first steps in this diretion into the Orwellian future.
Known Gemini 'capsules' (hosts) - yes, dfdn.info is there!
The "old web" still exists! It's just drowned in a sea of sites bloated for the purpose of tracking and advertising. What would be nice is a no-bloat search engine, which would only
index sites that don't require 25MB of JS and 425 requests to third-party domains to load.
This is what a typical website does today...
1) Get minimal html containing links to javascript package and styling.
2) Make request to get big javascript package.
3) Make request to get relatively small css styling.
4) Load and execute javascript package.
5) Javascript makes api calls to get page content.
6) Get content and populate page.
7) Page content contains links to images and tracking/advertisement scripts.
8) Make requests to get images and tracking/ad scripts.
9) Ad scripts make more requests to get images / gifs / movies, etc.
The majority of the slowness comes from steps 2,4,5,6,8,9. Blocking ads helps steps 8, 9. The fact that people are actually using a dedicated Raspberry PI computer for
the sole sake of ad blocking on their network bears testimony to how bad the nightmare has become. However, steps 2, 4, 5 and 6 are just in-fashion bad development practices.
Looking at the above, it is very clear that the whole process is a prodidgal waste of resources - bandwidth, CPU power, memory, and the battery of the device on which the content
is displayed! An application such as Pi-hole uses DNS filtering to selectively block ads and malicious domains across your entire home network. Cool! The advantages of this
approach are clear: you donât have to install ad-blocking software on each and every device in your household. Moreover, it only needs to be set up once. The only drawback? Of
course, it only protects you within your own network, not when on mobile data, at work/school/university, hotels etc...
Both Gopher and Gemini both are MUCH more bandwidth efficient than the web for the above reasons. Great for clients in places or on limited contracts or where one pays by
the megabyte, as well as for those for whom privacy is important. Trouble is, the less well informed nowadays have a web browser and little else. There is PLENTY more to the
internet than just the mess which they call the web - for the er, less educated, the web is synonymous with the internet. It isn't! See port numbers and services below...
Why is bloatware (including web browsers!) becoming an increasing problem?
The Gemini service was launched in September 2023. It has proven a success.. It is here to stay in 2024.
For more good reasons to use Gemini, and the motivation of its developers, see here.
Gemini Questions and Answers - MP4 Video
Gemini Questions and Answers - MP3 audio only.
Users requiring NFS, AFP or (Only over VPN) Netbios access working with us in future must contact me.
Think "The Internet" is just the corporate web? Think again!
Philosophy behind the Gemini Protocol
The podcast referred to in the document above
Best Gemini Practices for content providers
Freqiently asked questions about the Gemini protocol
Complete RFC listing - updated via rsync - on Gopher
What is that kludge known as network address translation?
Why is net neutrality important - and why some countries hate it!
Good practice when naming files
Avoid the devestating question: "er, you did make backups, er, didn't you?!"
Interesting review - Preply versus Italki - the truth revealed
Preply's preditory pricing plan revealed - why I tried - but sadly failed - to get onto iTalki
Indeed I tried unsucessfully to get onto Italki. I was declined. Age descrimination is everywhere I look. You should gather by now that I am a firm
proponent of human rights - and fully behond those standing up for their human rights...
What in the name of the lord is wrong with the UK housing market?
Poverty could push the UK back to the Victorian era of sociual divides
I love listening to James O'Brien. He is on LBC on 97.3 FM in London. Elsewhere, you can listen online. You can stream from their website, or try apps you have already. And here are some programs. Let us see how streaming on Gemini works. Try these examples (Lagrange for example supports MP3 streaming. See the two following links.
Worst UK government policies of all time - two hours isn't enough!
As if I did not have enough reasons NOT to begin a new family in the UK...
A tale of two nations: there are the 'haves' and the 'have nots'.
Would I sacrifice my own life for my country in 2023? My position revealed.
The nature of inequality in the UK
If only Margaret Thatcher could die twice....
The people trafficing gangs tell you the UK is the promised land; just hand us your life savings, and we will give you an unseaworthy boat to reach it.... The streets of London are paved with gold (as in Dick Whittington). The 'government' talk of a strong economy. And my conservative party supporting (and niave, tragicommic mother, who has not worked since I was born) says this is the best country in the world. Oh, and by the way, Happy Christmas.
When the Nightmare Came - My book to be published after I leave the UK
The Sequence of events which changed my life forever...
The strange and unusual things people put in their wills
The 'Partygate' scandel exposes the social misfits "representing" us
Is Russia (at least in its present form) a dying nation?
Complete list of transport layer protocols which run over IP
List of OSI protocols by layer
Five biggest pitfalls of international money transfer (PDF)
Note that unlike Gemini, Goper and HTTP are not encrypted - these pages are public access however.
An example of a "student from hell" - no prizes for guessing, I won't be teaching her...
Cambridge Advanced Dictionary of the English Language
Files related to amateur radio, scanning and shortwave listening.
Review of the AOR AR-DV1 Scanning Receiver (from 2015; the world's first, published 24/12/2015!).
A trip down memory lane: UK Scanning Directory as it was in 2009.
Guide to UK radio spectrum - complete, but allocations may change from time to time.
Pirate Radio Survival Guide - from the 1990s
How to be a radio pirate (old, but still interesting; from the days of BBSing.
Parliament debate: pirate radio in the United Kingdom, 2006.
History of Amateur Radio - I have been licenced since 1995.
Chatter heard on Scanner leads to criminal charges
UK parlienment debate on CB radio, 1979
Installing a RTL-SDR software defined radio USB reeiver on Linux (I used Linux Mint)
If only we could bring back the VCR - no subscriptions required!
A compilation of articles from an expert. Well worth a read!
Evolution of the universe from the big bang to its eventual heat death
My pictures from my second visit to Yancheng in December 2023. And how the visit went!
Amateur Radio related pages:
AOR - My viewpoint before the latest digital receivers came in 2015!
Teaching the Icom IC-R3 new tricks
Review of the Misumi WCS99xii Video Scanner
Preamps - the best thing since sliced bread? Not necessarily!
The story of Britain's fight for legal CB
DMR, D-Star or Fusion - which is right for you?
My own comparison of "the big three" from 2016. After my review of the Amazing AR-DV1.
What is RF (radio frequency) propagation?
The last two links testify to how I am able to succeed in the face of adversity - and you ain't seen nothing yet! David, G7VDI
What others think of a post Brexit Europe
A little bit old (!) - 1987 - but it has stood the test of time
Beginners guide to Unix - old, but good.
So, you need to keep your Unix system secure, do you?
General guidance on how to make your computer more secure than most
Why you should only use old computers!
An early guide to the internet. Oh, how I long for those bygone days.
An early hitchhikers' guide to the internet
A history of the internet: how it all began
The unexpected value of IPV4 (Internet Protocol version 4) address space
Computer Archive history of Unix
Hacking for Dummies - I wrote this in 2002 [EPUB]
Hacking for Dummies - I wrote this in 2002 [PDF]
How to find an economically priced laptop?
My thoughts on the recent huge computer parts price increases
Automatic updates (expecially Micro$oft) - blessing or a curse???
Another history of the Unix operating system
The life of Alan Turing - Huge achievements, great injustice
Electricity supplies around the world - important for our business, PDF
Electricity supplies around the world - Postscript
What if your neighbour is using your electricity?
Nightmare products which seem destined to last forever!!!
Where the sidewalk ends: the death of the internet
How to backup your entire system using Rsync - a must read!
Exceptionally well written - but a true complaint letter!
NOORo3 Solar power thermal power plant, near Ouarzazate, Morocco.
I just designed a PWM inverter. What is digital pulse modulation anyhow?
See here for an explnation of PWM in power electronics.
Chemical Elements Infographics (RSC, PDF, ZIP archives)
As I am interested in Photovoltaic (solar) and other forms of renewable energy, I would certainly like to visit Quarzazare, Indeed,
I am intending to base a business in this in West Africa in years to come.
See my portfolio for details. Currently available in English and French.
External links (I am not responsible for the content of external sites).
Those who have visited http://dfdn.info/radio will know I am a licenced radio amateur since 1995.
Directory of "Geminispace" - I hope to be there soon!
Shared capsules - want to add mine there.
List organised by topic. Useful!
Gemini Related software (clients, servers editors, etc)
International ISO 4217 currency codes (PDF)
Gemini search engines currently available:
A Gemini search engine. Like google on HTTP, Archie on FTP, Veronica on Gopher...
Another Gemini space search engine
Search engine acclaimed to use minimal computing resources.
The following are here for reading practice and for general interest. For confident English students only!
Rules made by the I.T Syndicate
Use and misuse of computing facilities
Network security probing - an explanation of the 'why'
The web is dead. Long live the internet
Is the school environment toxic?
Update Lagrange (my recommended client for Gemini and Gopher).
Note: all available except IOS (Sorry, Apple policy not mine, Lagrange available on testflight only):
To test beta versions of apps and App Clips using TestFlight, youâll need to accept an email or public link invitation from the developer and have a device that you can use to test. Youâll be able to access the builds that the developer makes available to you.
If youâre a member of the developerâs team, the developer can give you access to all builds or certain builds.
Required platforms:
iOS or iPadOS apps: iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 or later. App Clips require iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, or later.
macOS apps: Mac running macOS 12 or later.
tvOS apps: Apple TV running tvOS 13 or later.
visionOS apps: Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 1 or later.
watchOS apps: Apple Watch running watchOS 6 or later.
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Gemini clients include:
Name Platform License Written in
Amfora Terminal (TUI) GPL 3.0 Go
AmiGemini GUI (Intuition) MIT C, Intuition
asuka Terminal (TUI) MIT Rust, ncurses
AV-98 Terminal (CLI) 2 Clause BSD Python
Bollux Terminal MIT Bash
Bombadillo Terminal GPL 3.0 Go
Buran App (Android) GPL 3.0 Kotlin
Castor GUI (GTK) MIT Rust, GTK
Castor9 GUI (Plan 9) C
Deedum App (Android and iOS) GPL 3.0 Flutter, Dart
Diohsc Terminal (CLI) GPL 3.0 Haskell
dillo-gemini Plugin (Dillo) FSFAP Shell
Elaho (gemini-ios) App (iOS) MPL 2.0 Swift
Elpher GUI (Emacs) GPL 3.0 Emacs Lisp
Eva GUI (GTK) MIT Rust, GTK
Fafi GUI MIT Racket
GemiNaut GUI (Windows) GPL 3.0 C# for Microsoft Windows
gemini.filter.dpi Plugin (Dillo) MIT Go
Geopard GUI (GTK) GPL 3.0 Rust, GTK
gmni Terminal (CLI) GPL 3.0 C
gplaces Terminal (CLI) GPL 3.0 or later C
Jimmy App (macOS) MIT Swift
Kristall GUI (Qt) GPL 2.0 C++, Qt
Lagrange GUI (Windows, macOS, Linux) 2 Clause BSD C, SDL
wMoonlander GUI (GTK) MIT Rust, GTK
Offpunk Terminal (CLI) 2 Clause BSD Python
Rocketeer App (iOS, macOS) Swift
Seren App (Android) Kotlin
Starfish GUI (elementary OS/Linux) GPL 3.0 Vala, GTK
Telescope Terminal (TUI) ISC C
Twin Peaks GUI (Windows) GPL 3.0 C#
VIRGIL99 Terminal (TI-99) Assembly language
Š David Norris, DFDN.org