Mitchell Report

A personal blog for Michael Mitchell

This weekend was quite productive for me! I managed to put together the Pironman5 Max and install a 16GB Raspberry Pi 5, and I also moved my 1TB NVMe drive from my old 8GB Pironman5, which served my homelab and home server for a year. I've owned the Pironman5 Max since June, but my ongoing health issues had left me too drained to assemble it until now. Thankfully, my new medication, Camzyos, has really helped me regain some energy.

A black, vertical standing computer case with a glossy finish and the word "PIRONMAN" embossed on the front, placed on a textured gray surface. The case features visible ports and a power button on the front panel.

Compact and mysterious, this sleek black box hints at high-tech secrets within, standing ready for its next mission.

I'm planning to repurpose the old 8GB Pironman5 for testing various operating systems. While I enjoy the Pironman5 series from Sunfounder, I'm not thrilled with their LCD and the software that comes with it.

I've also been busy loading more Blu-rays and DVDs onto my home Plex server, a task that is quite labor-intensive.

#hardware #tech-gadgets #technology

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⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS

Promotional poster for "The Morning Show" featuring two women in black outfits standing back-to-back with a cityscape background and the show's title in bold yellow letters at the bottom.

Power and resilience shine through in the dynamic duo leading 'The Morning Show,' ready to face the bustling challenges of media life.

My Rating: ⭐ (1/5 stars)

Episodes: 1-10 | Aired: September 17, 2025 through November 19, 2025

I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1, found Season 2 to be decent, and thought Season 3 was lackluster but bearable. However, Season 4 was a disappointment, and I struggled to finish it. I didn't find it engaging and thought the plot was forced and unrealistic. I'm hesitant about watching Season 5, if it happens. Also, my free month of AppleTV has just expired.

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In recent months, I've been building a social media aggregation platform using the Windsurf AI IDE. The platform displays a multimedia timeline that pulls content from Mastodon, Bluesky, Sharkey, Nostr, and Micro.blog. The goal was to centralize my social media interactions in one location instead of checking multiple sites.

Developed in Python using AI coding assistants (Claude and ChatGPT 5.2 High Reasoning) to accelerate development, I designed the platform structure and verified the implementation through testing. The screenshot shows the current interface. Some posts appear duplicated because I follow the same people across multiple platforms.

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⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS

Promotional poster for a Superman movie featuring the superhero in a vibrant blue and red suit, confidently standing with his arms crossed, against a brightly lit, colorful background. The logo of DC Studios and the title "SUPERMAN" are prominently displayed.

Superman returns with unwavering resolve, his eyes set on a brighter tomorrow.

My Rating: ⭐½ (1.5/5 stars)

Let's start with the positives. I appreciated the fresh faces portraying Superman, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and Jimmy Olsen, particularly in the later scenes and action sequences. The special effects were impressive, and the soundtrack was a highlight. However, that's where the praise ends.

Unfortunately, this film might be the weakest Superman installment to date. Despite a promising cast, the storyline fell short. The inclusion of the Justice League characters like Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl felt forced and detracted from the narrative. It was supposed to be a Superman movie, not a mixed ensemble. Although I'm a bigger fan of Green Lantern than Superman, his role in this film felt misplaced. Nathan Fillion, a fantastic actor known for his sci-fi roles and being a real-life nerd, was miscast. Overall, this movie did not make it to my list of favorite Superman films.

A more compelling story line and perhaps sticking with Henry Cavill as Superman could have improved the film. While the new actor wasn't terrible, and might have been acceptable had Cavill not already owned the role, he couldn't save the film.

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A vibrant sunrise sky in fiery shades of orange and red, with silhouettes of bare, twisted tree branches overhanging a dark roof.

Morning blaze: Silhouetted branches against a fiery sunrise sky, painting a dramatic beginning to the day.

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A breathtaking coastal landscape featuring turquoise waters, layered sedimentary rock formations, and lush greenery. The scene includes a series of small, unique rock islets close to the shore and a prominent cliff topped with dense vegetation overlooking the sea. A solitary sailboat drifts near the horizon under a partly cloudy sky.

Corfu, The Beauty of Cape Drastis” by Maria Rosaria Sannino, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Envisioning retirement as serene as this secluded coastal paradise, where every day feels like a vacation.

I was reading my RSS reader BazQux the other day and came across a post by rscottjones about retirement planning. With approximately 8 years until my own retirement, I've started planning too. I found his approach very interesting.

I like reading what other people are thinking and comparing ideas. Since he shared his and his wife's general plans, I thought I'd share mine to help organize my own thinking.

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Illustration of a person standing in a stylized landscape with mountains, roads, and various technology icons connected by lines, symbolizing a network. The scene includes elements like clouds, sun, and small houses, depicting a blend of nature and digital technology.

A visionary stands at the crossroads of innovation, contemplating the expansive network that may redefine the future of technology.

I have been a loyal Microsoft Windows customer since I've owned a PC and MS-DOS was a thing. I went to the events they had for major OS releases with my Dad. We both went to see the exciting things that happened when they used to stream them at movie theaters. I was there for the launch of Windows 95.

But it is my opinion that Microsoft has totally lost its way with regards to the consumer and Windows.

Yes, this is a rant, and I believe it may be too late for Microsoft and Windows with consumers. I know I am not a very techie person, but I believe that Windows is getting too messy in a lot of areas like advertisements everywhere, sloppy code, updates that seem like beta versions, telemetry, privacy concerns, and just all around not caring.

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⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MILD SPOILERS

Promotional poster for the TV series "Slow Horses" featuring stylized illustrations of two male characters, one with long hair and glasses, and the other with short hair, set against a textured teal background. The title "SLOW HORSES" is displayed at the bottom in bold, distressed white letters.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5 stars)

Episodes: 6 | Aired: September 2025 – October 2025


Season Overview

I've just finished watching Season 5 of Slow Horses on Apple TV, with Gary Oldman delivering another stellar performance. The season was fairly average, not particularly memorable but not disappointing either. It would be intriguing to see a season focused on a younger Lamb and his fall to Slough House, providing a fresh narrative arc. My typical concerns with streaming series persist here: the six-episode format felt too brief, resembling a mini-series more than a traditional season. Moreover, the wait for the next installment could be lengthy, based on previous patterns.

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Promotional poster for the TV series "Foundation" featuring a central female character reaching out towards the viewer, with two male characters in the background. The poster includes geometric shapes and a shattered glass effect, with the title "FOUNDATION" at the bottom.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars)

Season: 3 | Aired: July 11, 2025 – September 12, 2025 Episodes: 1–10 Service/Network: Apple TV+

Season Overview

This season took the top spot, closely followed by the first. The second season didn't quite hit the mark. The plot twists this season were captivating, and I'm looking forward to what comes next. The characters this season displayed more complexity and depth. It was also fascinating to see the series weave in a secular version of a trinity concept to portray the governance of an empire, a bold move considering the author's reputed atheism.

Best Episodes

The best episode was undoubtedly the season finale, though the preceding three or four episodes were also quite strong.

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#review #tv #streaming

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Promotional poster for the series "Silo" featuring a large silhouette of a woman's profile filled with various scenes and characters. The silhouette is set against a vibrant yellow and blue background, with the prominent title "SILO" at the bottom. The scenes inside the silhouette depict a group of people in various dramatic poses, suggesting intense narrative elements.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5 stars)

Episodes: 10


Quick Take

After snagging a free month of Apple TV, I managed to binge-watch the second season of Silo. It was excellent. I'm really looking forward to Season 3 and hope they explore more of the backstory.

Best Episodes

The season finale stood out as the best episode. The whole season was truly remarkable. – Episode 10: Into the Fire


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