laptop update

I can't tell you how much I hate all of these new 2-step and 3-step ID-verification systems—the need for eyeballs, fingerprints, your scrotum wrinkles, etc. You shouldn't have to have resources outside of your computer (e.g., a cell phone or a second computer) to be able to get into your own computer, and when you register for these ID-verification systems, if you must use a cell phone, you should be able to use your Korean cell-phone number and not an American one. Hell, I can't even use my Talkatone number; it's not considered "acceptable" for verification. And don't get me started about how intrusive and uppity the Surfshark VPN application became when I installed it on the laptop.

Anyway, I spent much of Thursday night wrestling with my laptop's various security systems and login procedures. I think I've got almost everything where I want it, now, but I imagine something will bite me in the ass while I'm in the States—some forgotten thing. It also doesn't help that I'm now overwhelmed with at least two different password-management systems (Google and Apple), plus Apple's meta-security in the form of a "passkey" (oh, there's also a "keychain"). This shit is for the birds. I should be able to access my own computer without any measures whatsoever, not by checking my desktop's email for a security code to be able to access parts of my laptop. The basic—and unjustified—assumption seems to be that every user owns multiple pieces of tech, and that this tech is somehow all compatible.

I'm sure it'll all make sense in the end, but it's a lot to get used to. I don't recall my previous laptop requiring this much work.

I've migrated most of my desktop's data onto the laptop thanks to a useful app called Migration Assistant; I've tested whether the laptop can handle good-quality YouTube videos as long as there's decent Wi-Fi; I fixed the odd and awkward touchpad-scrolling by setting the touchpad to "natural scrolling," and I figured out how to do the fingerprint thingie for ID verification (the fingerprint scanner doubles as the laptop's power button; idiot that I am, I'd originally thought the laptop had a touch screen, which I kept uselessly pressing whenever the fingerprint icon appeared). I also ported over my preferred wallpaper (a shot from one of my cross-country walks), and tweaked things like my screensaver and power-saving settings. One thing I definitely had to fix was the constant reappearance of my goddamn lock screen, which drove me crazy by constantly making me reenter my password just to be able to see my fucking desktop. Now, the lock screen will only appear (1) when I'm starting the laptop up for the day, and (2) in those cases where I close the laptop and open it again. I also set the screensaver not to turn on for a long time. Downloading Google Chrome as my default browser (I've seen recommendations for Vivaldi for people trying to avoid the wokeness of Google) was easy enough, and now that I've signed in to my Google account on my laptop, my laptop's new browser now has all the tabs and functions of my desktop's browser.

Google's AI assistant actually proved helpful in getting me unstuck from several frustrating situations. In a very limited way, the AI is useful. Just don't rely on it for anything complex. And it's going to take a lot to convince me ever to turn on Siri, which I expressly kept (and keep) switched off.

I think I ought to be okay by the time I leave for the States. Since the laptop is another Apple product, it's fairly easy to get used to once you get past all of the bullshit I described above. I had thought about getting a Windows laptop as a way to remain Windows-savvy, but I guess inertia got the best of me. In the office, I have no choice but to be a Windows guy, but at home, I've always been a Mac-head. This might change, but not quite yet.