Latest Posts
A "BanG Dream! Our Notes" Rant
January 18, 2026 Rant
It's been around a week since Bushiroad announced a new game in the Bandori franchise called "Our Notes". To say opinions have been mixed would be putting it mildly. So, I've decided to throw my hat into the ring and give my thoughts on Bandori's new direction.
Read more...
I Hate AI, But I Used it Anyway - FSMO Troubleshooting Writeup
January 17, 2026 Blog
I'm not the biggest fan of AI. It's very obvious to me when people use it, and its outputs almost always have major issues that people refuse to take responsibility for. Overall, it just doesn't feel like it's reached the point where it's useful to me on a regular basis.
On this day, however, I was at my wits end, so I booted up Claude to give me a helping hand. Here's a look at what I did and how it responded, because it's a good showcase of the good and bad of LLMs.
Read more...
How To Analyze A Malware Sample
January 15, 2026 Blog
It was just before lunch when a ticket came across my board. SentinelOne had flagged and blocked a threat at one of our clients, and our Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service reached out to us to investigate further. While the threat seemed to be mitigated, we all agreed that it wasn't a bad idea to investigate further and figure out what exactly had kicked things off. So, here's another real-world case study on following the thread and figuring out the techniques attackers use to try to outsmart cybersecurity professionals.
Read more...
Return of the Chase
January 12, 2026 Blog
NASCAR fans were never going to be happy with anything NASCAR announced. There's no chance of ever going back to a full-season points system for reasons I've discussed before, so there was no point in ever even entertaining the possibility. Still, the new format is here, so let's take a look at it and what it means for the future of the sport.
Read more...
Formula E Race Review - 2026 Mexico City E-Prix
January 10, 2026 Rant
Season 12 technically started in 2025, but Mexico City still brings us the first race of 2026. It's also the 150th race that Formula E has run. Mexico City is generally a very lackluster track to me, but with how good last year's finish was combined with a minor change to the track layout, it remains to be seen exactly what kind of race this season will give us.
Read more...
IT Pro Tip - Follow The Thread
January 6, 2026 Rant
Tech support takes a lot of critical thinking. The user usually doesn't know how to properly articulate what the issue is, so you have to read between the lines and fill in the gaps. You'll have plenty of logs and other data to potentially comb through, so you need to be able to quickly pick up on relevant information. And, once you have a starting point, you need to be able to follow the thread all the way to its conclusion. While a lot of these thought processes seem obvious to me, I'm learning that they aren't necessarily obvious to everyone. With that in mind, here's a very basic real-world case study of what goes through my mind when I'm troubleshooting something.
Read more...
I Really Wanted To Love This... - Anbernic RG DS Review
December 23, 2025 Blog
This review contains affiliate links to some of the products mentioned.
I've said it many times before: my Nintendo 2DS XL is still my favorite gaming device that I've ever owned. So, when I saw the Anbernic RG DS, I knew I needed to try it out. Dual-screen handhelds have always been outrageously expensive, so having one in the budget tier was an exciting prospect. However, the initial reviews weren't very favorable. Still, I held on to the hope that it would be a compelling budget option to compete with AYANEO and AYN. Now that I have it in my hands, is it as bad as people make it sound, or is it a worthwhile purchase?
Read more...
Pink Kokoro - A Project Sekai Rant, Feat. BanG Dream!
December 17, 2025 Rant
When I first started Project Sekai, this was my first impression of Emu Otori.
You might think the rest of this post will be about how Emu isn't actually pink Kokoro.
It's not; I stand by what I said.
Rather, Emu is what Kokoro could have been if the Bandori writing staff was competent.
Read more...
Jacen's 2025 In Review
December 14, 2025 Blog
2025 has been fairly chaotic for a lot of people, but I've been fortunate enough to have a pretty good year. I've had a chance to work on a lot of things that I've wanted to do for a while. So, with the year coming to a close, let's take a look at some of the highlights of what I've done over the past 12 months.
Read more...
Formula E Race Recap - 2025 São Paulo E-Prix
December 6, 2025 Rant
Formula E is back with the first race of season 12, the final season of the GEN3 Evo car. Last year's season opener at São Paulo was a chaotic one, so it remains to be seen if this year's race will be calmer or more of the same.
Read more...
A "BanG Dream! Our Notes" Rant
January 18, 2026 Rant
It's been around a week since Bushiroad announced a new game in the Bandori franchise called "Our Notes". To say opinions have been mixed would be putting it mildly. So, I've decided to throw my hat into the ring and give my thoughts on Bandori's new direction.
Read more...
I Hate AI, But I Used it Anyway - FSMO Troubleshooting Writeup
January 17, 2026 Blog
I'm not the biggest fan of AI. It's very obvious to me when people use it, and its outputs almost always have major issues that people refuse to take responsibility for. Overall, it just doesn't feel like it's reached the point where it's useful to me on a regular basis.
On this day, however, I was at my wits end, so I booted up Claude to give me a helping hand. Here's a look at what I did and how it responded, because it's a good showcase of the good and bad of LLMs.
Read more...
How To Analyze A Malware Sample
January 15, 2026 Blog
It was just before lunch when a ticket came across my board. SentinelOne had flagged and blocked a threat at one of our clients, and our Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service reached out to us to investigate further. While the threat seemed to be mitigated, we all agreed that it wasn't a bad idea to investigate further and figure out what exactly had kicked things off. So, here's another real-world case study on following the thread and figuring out the techniques attackers use to try to outsmart cybersecurity professionals.
Read more...
Return of the Chase
January 12, 2026 Blog
NASCAR fans were never going to be happy with anything NASCAR announced. There's no chance of ever going back to a full-season points system for reasons I've discussed before, so there was no point in ever even entertaining the possibility. Still, the new format is here, so let's take a look at it and what it means for the future of the sport.
Read more...
Formula E Race Review - 2026 Mexico City E-Prix
January 10, 2026 Rant
Season 12 technically started in 2025, but Mexico City still brings us the first race of 2026. It's also the 150th race that Formula E has run. Mexico City is generally a very lackluster track to me, but with how good last year's finish was combined with a minor change to the track layout, it remains to be seen exactly what kind of race this season will give us.
Read more...
IT Pro Tip - Follow The Thread
January 6, 2026 Rant
Tech support takes a lot of critical thinking. The user usually doesn't know how to properly articulate what the issue is, so you have to read between the lines and fill in the gaps. You'll have plenty of logs and other data to potentially comb through, so you need to be able to quickly pick up on relevant information. And, once you have a starting point, you need to be able to follow the thread all the way to its conclusion. While a lot of these thought processes seem obvious to me, I'm learning that they aren't necessarily obvious to everyone. With that in mind, here's a very basic real-world case study of what goes through my mind when I'm troubleshooting something.
Read more...
I Really Wanted To Love This... - Anbernic RG DS Review
December 23, 2025 Blog
This review contains affiliate links to some of the products mentioned.
I've said it many times before: my Nintendo 2DS XL is still my favorite gaming device that I've ever owned. So, when I saw the Anbernic RG DS, I knew I needed to try it out. Dual-screen handhelds have always been outrageously expensive, so having one in the budget tier was an exciting prospect. However, the initial reviews weren't very favorable. Still, I held on to the hope that it would be a compelling budget option to compete with AYANEO and AYN. Now that I have it in my hands, is it as bad as people make it sound, or is it a worthwhile purchase?
Read more...
Pink Kokoro - A Project Sekai Rant, Feat. BanG Dream!
December 17, 2025 Rant
When I first started Project Sekai, this was my first impression of Emu Otori.
You might think the rest of this post will be about how Emu isn't actually pink Kokoro.
It's not; I stand by what I said.
Rather, Emu is what Kokoro could have been if the Bandori writing staff was competent.
Read more...
Jacen's 2025 In Review
December 14, 2025 Blog
2025 has been fairly chaotic for a lot of people, but I've been fortunate enough to have a pretty good year. I've had a chance to work on a lot of things that I've wanted to do for a while. So, with the year coming to a close, let's take a look at some of the highlights of what I've done over the past 12 months.
Read more...
Formula E Race Recap - 2025 São Paulo E-Prix
December 6, 2025 Rant
Formula E is back with the first race of season 12, the final season of the GEN3 Evo car. Last year's season opener at São Paulo was a chaotic one, so it remains to be seen if this year's race will be calmer or more of the same.
Read more...
Jacen Sekai
IT wizard, wannabe coder, dub connoisseur.
