Rick Aster
@rickaster.bsky.social
take chances ☯️ pay attention 🥁🎸🎙️🖋️
My TikTok feed rn shows 9 live streams at once, including 2 originating in other countries. In the end it took TT US only a week to get through its chaotic tech transition and get creators back on board.
February 3, 2026 at 9:27 PM
My TikTok feed rn shows 9 live streams at once, including 2 originating in other countries. In the end it took TT US only a week to get through its chaotic tech transition and get creators back on board.
TikTok U.S. appears to be offline. I assume installations, migrations, and purges are underway, as is typical for a Sunday morning, but connections between servers might also be hindered by the storm currently affecting half of the United States.
January 25, 2026 at 11:29 AM
TikTok U.S. appears to be offline. I assume installations, migrations, and purges are underway, as is typical for a Sunday morning, but connections between servers might also be hindered by the storm currently affecting half of the United States.
Good news on the YouTube front: engineers have worked out how to go to commercial (it sometimes works) when the video temporarily can’t be found in the database. (At least this gets rid of the blank screen!)
January 23, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Good news on the YouTube front: engineers have worked out how to go to commercial (it sometimes works) when the video temporarily can’t be found in the database. (At least this gets rid of the blank screen!)
The TikTok sale apparently closed within the last hour, with new TOS that warns that TikTok U.S. viewers will now see an increased advertising load on unspecified other platforms. That would seem to confirm past reports of a data-sharing deal between TikTok and Meta.
January 23, 2026 at 2:28 AM
The TikTok sale apparently closed within the last hour, with new TOS that warns that TikTok U.S. viewers will now see an increased advertising load on unspecified other platforms. That would seem to confirm past reports of a data-sharing deal between TikTok and Meta.
The current sunny freeze weather pattern across much of North America can create an icicle hazard. These icicles formed just this morning. Imagine how much they might weigh after 3 days.
January 20, 2026 at 3:50 PM
The current sunny freeze weather pattern across much of North America can create an icicle hazard. These icicles formed just this morning. Imagine how much they might weigh after 3 days.
When you try to load YouTube Studio and the database is offline
January 17, 2026 at 2:13 PM
When you try to load YouTube Studio and the database is offline
I’ve been using iOS’s OCR all along, and it is getting more accurate year by year in distinguishing similar glyphs, separating from background, and reading my handwriting.
January 9, 2026 at 7:03 PM
I’ve been using iOS’s OCR all along, and it is getting more accurate year by year in distinguishing similar glyphs, separating from background, and reading my handwriting.
A bug in iOS 26.2 and macOS 26.2 disabled #AirDrop when I updated. The workaround was to turn AirDrop off in Finder and Control Center, then turn it on again.
December 23, 2025 at 12:26 PM
A bug in iOS 26.2 and macOS 26.2 disabled #AirDrop when I updated. The workaround was to turn AirDrop off in Finder and Control Center, then turn it on again.
If you think you’re seeing a new look at YouTube today, it’s not your imagination. YouTube appears to have rolled out a new advertising regime overnight.
December 7, 2025 at 1:47 PM
If you think you’re seeing a new look at YouTube today, it’s not your imagination. YouTube appears to have rolled out a new advertising regime overnight.
A dream reminded me to log in to X so my account doesn’t get deleted for inactivity. So I did. The bottom line: X almost doesn’t exist anymore.
November 22, 2025 at 1:04 PM
A dream reminded me to log in to X so my account doesn’t get deleted for inactivity. So I did. The bottom line: X almost doesn’t exist anymore.
The latest TikTok update promises to have corrected the random browsing crashes that have crippled the For You Page for months, but I am skeptical enough that I am not going to be the one to test it.
November 11, 2025 at 10:04 AM
The latest TikTok update promises to have corrected the random browsing crashes that have crippled the For You Page for months, but I am skeptical enough that I am not going to be the one to test it.
Be the presence that you were searching for online.
September 25, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Be the presence that you were searching for online.
I am told that the TikTok algorithm is currently being rebuilt entirely within the U.S. to comply with the TikTok ban. U.S. users have reason to be suspicious — suddenly Big Brother is watching. I find that I am already limiting my interactions.
September 25, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I am told that the TikTok algorithm is currently being rebuilt entirely within the U.S. to comply with the TikTok ban. U.S. users have reason to be suspicious — suddenly Big Brother is watching. I find that I am already limiting my interactions.
Live streaming on TikTok is broken at the moment. The app plays repeating audio segments from hours ago but can’t find video and can’t open new live streams. Coming on a Sunday on the heels of other rumors about TikTok’s future, could this be the first stage of the shutdown?
September 21, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Live streaming on TikTok is broken at the moment. The app plays repeating audio segments from hours ago but can’t find video and can’t open new live streams. Coming on a Sunday on the heels of other rumors about TikTok’s future, could this be the first stage of the shutdown?
Problems with content retrieval at YouTube are getting worse. The worst database problems are with day-of-release videos and ones more than a month old. Errors can prevent start of playback or return from midroll ad break.
September 13, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Problems with content retrieval at YouTube are getting worse. The worst database problems are with day-of-release videos and ones more than a month old. Errors can prevent start of playback or return from midroll ad break.
With budget cuts, hurricane prediction will feel wildly inaccurate compared to recent years. One meteorologist said hurricane forecasting in 2025 will be on a level with 1980.
July 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
With budget cuts, hurricane prediction will feel wildly inaccurate compared to recent years. One meteorologist said hurricane forecasting in 2025 will be on a level with 1980.
Problems at YouTube are getting worse, with the platform now streaming black when it can’t retrieve a video. I am assuming they would do this so they can count the attempted view for advertising purposes.
July 11, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Problems at YouTube are getting worse, with the platform now streaming black when it can’t retrieve a video. I am assuming they would do this so they can count the attempted view for advertising purposes.
I broke the habit of swiping on the For You Page on TikTok. It took only 6 days of random unrecoverable app freezes on video loads to get me to think twice before swiping.
July 7, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I broke the habit of swiping on the For You Page on TikTok. It took only 6 days of random unrecoverable app freezes on video loads to get me to think twice before swiping.
Both YouTube and TikTok are showing severe operational failures this holiday weekend. TikTok’s For You Page has an unrecoverable freeze on random videos. YouTube has data outages that, among other things, can prevent random videos from showing and loading.
July 6, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Both YouTube and TikTok are showing severe operational failures this holiday weekend. TikTok’s For You Page has an unrecoverable freeze on random videos. YouTube has data outages that, among other things, can prevent random videos from showing and loading.
I registered with ChatGPT and started to ask questions. So far, I am focused on building skills like novel writing, drumming, and language.
April 15, 2025 at 12:38 PM
I registered with ChatGPT and started to ask questions. So far, I am focused on building skills like novel writing, drumming, and language.
For those in the United States receiving the news of a prolonged economic downturn, take care of yourself and the people at home first. If you have the luxury of asking what you can do on a larger scale, the answers you find will be unique to you.
April 3, 2025 at 11:59 AM
For those in the United States receiving the news of a prolonged economic downturn, take care of yourself and the people at home first. If you have the luxury of asking what you can do on a larger scale, the answers you find will be unique to you.
Early reaction to new U.S. tariffs shows a high level of confusion and risk, not the kind of clarity that would allow for planning and investment. Show buyers high prices and confusion, and they will simply cancel many of their purchases.
April 3, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Early reaction to new U.S. tariffs shows a high level of confusion and risk, not the kind of clarity that would allow for planning and investment. Show buyers high prices and confusion, and they will simply cancel many of their purchases.
I joined Skylight Social just now. Before too long, when my schedule allows, I hope to be posting videos.
April 2, 2025 at 11:09 PM
I joined Skylight Social just now. Before too long, when my schedule allows, I hope to be posting videos.
The United States has never seen so much inflation in a single announcement. Consumers are forced to consider which purchases can be postponed until 2029 and simultaneously, what supplies to hoard to guard against shortages.
April 2, 2025 at 10:27 PM
The United States has never seen so much inflation in a single announcement. Consumers are forced to consider which purchases can be postponed until 2029 and simultaneously, what supplies to hoard to guard against shortages.