The Books I Have Read Since 2013

https://spideronfire.com/booksread.php

Python as a Windows Service

From Beta Utopia, but remember that the proper address with escape characters will be "yourUserName//yourDomain".

https://youtu.be/YyrX1UXxrVQ?feature=shared

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

AMD Ryzen 7 2700 Eight-Core Processor(3.20 GHz), 16gb RAM, Nvdia GeForce RTX 2080

Iran Still Taking Hostages

Google Search Results:

"AI Overview

In August 2025, there are reports of at least four U.S. citizens being held hostage in Iran,
with some reports suggesting the number could be higher.
These detentions are occurring amidst heightened tensions following a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel,
with U.S. involvement. The situation is further complicated by Iran's history
of using hostage-taking as a tactic to extract concessions from the United States and other nations. "

Python Code to Automatically Open and Sign on to Zoom

The png files are screenshots of the buttons and cropped in Windows paint.

---

import pyautogui
import schedule
import time
import subprocess
import os
import pandas as pd
import keyboard


# functions

def join_zoom_meeting(meeting_id, meeting_PW):

thisZoom = os.startfile("C:\\Users\\Conference\\AppData\\Roaming\\Zoom\\bin\\Zoom.exe")
time.sleep(3) # Give Zoom time to open
joinbtn=pyautogui.locateOnScreen('joinameeting.png')
pyautogui.moveTo(joinbtn)
pyautogui.click()
time.sleep(2)
keyboard.write(meeting_id)
time.sleep(4)
joinbtn2=pyautogui.locateOnScreen('join.png')
pyautogui.moveTo(joinbtn2)
pyautogui.click()
time.sleep(4)
keyboard.write(meeting_PW)
time.sleep(4)
joinbtn3=pyautogui.locateOnScreen('join2.png')
pyautogui.moveTo(joinbtn3)
pyautogui.click()
time.sleep(4)
joinbtn4=pyautogui.locateOnScreen('join3.png')
pyautogui.moveTo(joinbtn4)
pyautogui.click()
return print("Opened Zoom: "+ meeting_id)


def terminate_zoom():
"""
Terminates the Zoom application on Windows.
"""
try:
os.system('taskkill /IM "Zoom.exe" /F')
print("Zoom application terminated successfully.")
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error terminating Zoom: {e}")



# main program
join_zoom_meeting('meetingd id', 'meeting password')
time.sleep(2)
terminate_zoom()

Denis Johnson - "Seek"

Brilliant: "But if freedom means self-responsibility—what
about the people who can’t take care
themselves? My friend, I’m one of those
people. Every day I don’t bring down something
fatal on my head is another miracle.
And every day I experience such a miracle, I want another one.
Leave me alone. I’m in love with these miracles."

As of July 13 2025 - At Least 35 countries Involved with War but Only One App

W.A.R. app at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.warmixare2

---

Ukraine
49,881 Russo-Ukrainian War

Palestine
22,386 Israel-Palestine War

Myanmar
13,049 Civil War

Sudan
9,201 Civil War

Ethiopia
7,846 Civil War

Nigeria
7,096 Terrorist Insurgency

Burkina Faso
6,241 Terrorist Insurgency

Mexico
6,145 Drug War

Syria
4,244 Civil War

Mali
3,180 Terrorist Insurgency

DR Congo
3,053 Terrorist Insurgency

Russia
2,775 Russo-Ukrainian War

Pakistan
1,871 Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Conflict

Yemen
1,775 Civil War

Cameroon
1,561 Terrorist Insurgency

Niger
1,469 Terrorist Insurgency

Colombia
1,189 Civil War/Drug War

Haiti
1,089 Civil War/Gang War

Afghanistan
888 Civil War/Terrorist Insurgency

South Sudan
858 Ethnic violence

Iraq
737 Terrorist Insurgency/Political Unrest

Central African Republic
536 Civil War

Mozambique
341 Civil War

Chad
210 Terrorist Insurgency

Bangladesh
166 Civil War

Benin
142 Terrorist Insurgency

Libya
111 Terrorist Insurgency

Uganda
82 Terrorist Insurgency

Togo
58 Terrorist Insurgency

Ecuador
54 Civil War

Israel
53 Israel-Palestine War

Ghana
50 Terrorist Insurgency

Algeria
29 Terrorist Insurgency

Morocco
23 Terrorist Insurgency

Tanzania
8 Terrorist Insurgency

Ivory Coast
4 Terrorist Insurgency

Mauritania
3 Terrorist Insurgency

Tunisia
2 Terrorist Insurgency

Source: https://globaltension.com/

Random Notes on Comparing Files (Linux)

diff <(sort File1.csv) <(sort File2.csv) | grep '^>' | cut -c3-
comm -13 <(sort file1.txt) <(sort file2.txt)
comm -23 <(sort file1.csv) <(sort file2.csv) > file3.csv
grep -v -f file2.csv file1.csv > file3.csv
For whole lines that are present in file1.csv but not in file2.csv you probably want
grep -xvFf file2.csv file1.csv
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/How-to-find-difference-between-2-files-in-Python
FIRST FILE IS MORE RECENT WITH ADDITIONS

---

python AI
def get_difference(file1_path, file2_path):
"""
Calculates the difference between two files containing numbers.
Args:
file1_path (str): The path to the first file.
file2_path (str): The path to the second file.
Returns:
tuple: A tuple containing two lists:
- Numbers present only in the first file.
- Numbers present only in the second file.
"""
try:
with open(file1_path, 'r') as file1, open(file2_path, 'r') as file2:
numbers1 = set(int(line.strip()) for line in file1)
numbers2 = set(int(line.strip()) for line in file2)
only_in_file1 = list(numbers1 - numbers2)
only_in_file2 = list(numbers2 - numbers1)
return only_in_file1, only_in_file2
except FileNotFoundError:
return "Error: One or both files not found.", "Error: One or both files not found."
except ValueError:
return "Error: Files must contain only numbers.", "Error: Files must contain only numbers."
# Example usage:
file1_path = 'file1.txt'
file2_path = 'file2.txt'
# Create sample files (optional - for testing)
with open(file1_path, 'w') as f:
f.write("1\n2\n3\n")
with open(file2_path, 'w') as f:
f.write("2\n3\n4\n")
diff1, diff2 = get_difference(file1_path, file2_path)
if "Error" not in diff1 and "Error" not in diff2:
print("Numbers only in", file1_path, ":", diff1)
print("Numbers only in", file2_path, ":", diff2)
else:
print(diff1)

---

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/compare-two-files-line-by-line-in-python/

XAMPP on Linux

Commands from Terminal Window:

---

sudo /opt/lampp/lampp panel
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
Chrome: http://localhost/dashboard/
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp restart
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp startmysql
sudo /opt/lampp/uninstall

Thinking about asking ChatGPT to write a story about this...

He finds himself chasing a grasshopper across the lawn not knowing that it's the shadow of the bird in the tree above him, jumping from branch to branch.

Willow Quantum Project Shutdown?

I suspect that after the December announcement. somebody on Google's Board of Directors said "So what..?" And thus Willow goes the way of most IT projects and is discontinued in its current state. Embarrassingly simple.

---

Or it could be due to scary stuff, but highly unlikely.

---

Right to Privacy

See Constitutional Law

Hacker Search Engines from Saurabh Kumar Pandey on X

antiX Linux on Old Dell Laptop

Got an old Dell Latitude D520 laptop lying around and installing antiX linux for the heck of it.


Download AntiX iso.

Download Rufus.

Turn on laptop and hold F12 to boot from USB.

Follow instructions.

My Journey to Possess Vine Coin

Naturally, I already possessed a way to buy crypto through Coinbase or Phantom Wallet on Android; however, none of these offered a way to buy Vine Coin directly. Therefore, I needed to buy Solana first and then buy Vine with Solana. This is commonly known as a swap.

1. Phantom on Android - Buy Solana with Venmo - Moonpay

a. Don't need the Moonpay app. Moonpay is integrated with Phantom.
b. There were many, many, many transaction failures before Phantom-Venmo-MoonPay completed successfully.
c. Of course, I could have bought Solana on Coinbase and sent it to
the address my Phantom wallet holds, but this would have required a 5 day wait time and multiple transaction fees

2. Once Venmo-Moonpay went through Phantom on Android - Swap Solana for Vine on Mint address:

6AJcP7wuLwmRYLBNbi825wgguaPsWzPBEHcHndpRpump

3. Phantom on Android screenshot five days after performing a swap of $200 Sol for $200 Vine.

4. Do I throw good money after bad?

iTunes sync music greyed out options

I don't want to sync from a new Windows installation and erase my aged iPod. So I had to figure out how to manually add music (mp3) files while not disturbing what is already there. See series of screen shots that eventually led to the file being successfully added without a full on sync.