trashcat ∙ a blog

What Have I Been Playing (2)

Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I haven’t written one of these in a while. Technically this would be the 3rd What Have I Been Playing posts, but the second one was hidden in my Switching Back To Linux post. The crazy thing is that not a whole lot has changed. So here’s what I’ve been playing over the past ~~few~~ many months.

WARDOGS

This has been my recent obsession and I kind of got bait-and-switched. During the play tests the game’s anti-cheat worked fine under Proton but at launch this was no longer the case, which REALLY sucks. I really really want to cut Windows out as much as possible. Luckily I only ever boot it to play a few games. But enough about that… WARDOGS. This game has been a real breath of fresh air for me lately. It’s kind of like a mix of Arma with Battlefield. Or I guess more accurately it’s Arma Light. Boiled down, there are 3 factions that are fighting for control of a single territory. It’s King of the Hill. 100 players. 3 teams. Buncha fun shit. Heli’s. Tanks. Urals to transport supplies between your home base and various player built “Forward Operating Bases” or “FOBs”.

I'm Trying To Start Reading Again

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Trying to use dedicated devices to get rid of distractions.

Switching Back to Linux Fulltime

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I'm so sick of Windows, man.

What Have I Been Playing

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 06:01:05 +0000

I like video games. Especially the cozy ones.

I'm F$*%ing Done

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:26:33 -0400

I’m done. I’m fucking done with this hobby. I’m taking a step back from the keyboard hobby and it’s (mostly but not entirely) because of this keyboard. This is the LuminKey LX60 Copper Edition. It’s a beautiful keyboard and I’ve really enjoyed using it but the whole experience was a nightmare.

The Luminkey LX60 went into group buy in October of 2024. My “local” vendor, Loobed, also happened to be the main vendor of the project. “Cool”, I thought, having purchased from Loobed in the past with mixed results¹. I decided to make a purchase of the Black PC Copper Edition of the LX60. This isn’t the most expensive keyboard I’ve purchased but it wasn’t cheap either. Whatever, I wanted it and it seemed like a nice 60% to round off my collection. Fast-forward to the beginning of 2025. Luminkey posts an announcement in their Discord regarding the LX60. Here’s the post:

Spacebar Function and Arrow Keys

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 05:50:57 -0400

60% Keyboards were my gateway drug into custom keyboards. I loved the small form-factor. I loved the simplicity. I loved how easy it was to throw in into a bag and take it with me. The main problem I had when first switching to a 60% keyboard was getting used to using function layers. My first 60% keyboard was the POK3R by Vortex. This was around 2013 or 2014 so that was pretty much the only option at the time.

Motor City Mech Meetup 2023

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 22:15:45 -0400

I have so many draft blog posts. Seriously, my ADHD is so bad that I’ll start a post with great intentions and plans for the whole thing. But then my brain will just shut off. I’m starting this post off like this because the last real blog post I wrote was a year ago about last years meetup. Anyway, today was the second Motor City Mech Meetup. This time in a new location, actually in Detroit! It seemed like there were less people in attendance this year and I’m sure that had to do with the max capacity of the venue.

Thoughts: New Cherry Nixie

Tue, 09 May 2023 06:03:14 -0400

The “Nixie” Switch

So one of the most popular “retro” switches I remember hearing about in the past was the Nixdorf, or “Nixie” switch. These switches were only produced for a short time in the 1980s and they used to sell for waaaaayyy too much on the second hand market. Apparently they were a really nice sounding, smooth feeling switch. I wonder if the smoothness came from years of use before the keyboard community got their hands on them. But they were selling for like, $7 a switch. So I added it to the list of switches I’d never get to try. But recently Cherry decided to remake the switch using the equipment and techniques they have developed over the years, and thus the Cherry MX Black Clear-Top was born. Admittedly it’s not as catchy a name as the original but will it live up to the hype?

Motor City Mech Meetup

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 22:15:45 -0400

So over the weekend was the Motor City Mech Meetup, a keyboard meetup graciously hosted by The Key Company. It was a pretty small meetup and (possibly) the first one to be hosted in Michigan but boy was it a blast. It was hosted in the TKC warehouse in Troy, Michigan which is only about 30 minutes from where I live so it was a no brainer to go. We were lucky enough to get a few “celebrities” of the keyboard world to come out for the meetup. Dutch, Captain Sterling, and Mochi Crafts were all in attendance which was a huge treat for me personally because Marie of Mochi Crafts has been a friend of mine for a decade or so from an even more niche community, the now defunct MacThemes.

Ciel Review

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 22:01:41 -0500

It took me way longer than I care to admit to discover these Gummy O-Ring mounted keyboards. I’m not proud of it, but it is what it is. When I finally discovered them I thought they were an interesting mounting style and I wanted to try it out.

It’s pretty easy to get a Bakeneko60 from Cannon Keys, but I’m not a huge fan of the painted finish and lack of a weight. I mean, obviously I’d love to get my hands on a UNIKORN, but the group buy ended before I knew about it and the aftermarket prices are outrageous! Enter the Ciel, by ChickenMan. The Ciel is a premium 60% Cnc Bakeneko with an internal brass weight. That caught my attention. So I joined the group buy (Sadge) and waited. 5 months later, it’s here!!

Baka60 (But Different) Review

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 22:01:41 -0500

When I started my keyboard journey I bought a Razer Blackwidow Chroma Tournament Edition. This keyboard was marketed towards gamers and had all the bells and whistles of a “gaming” keyboard. Poorly designed software. Loud, clicky keys. And of course, The RGBs! I soon found that I didn’t like it much as I had originally expected (even though I’ve owned Razer products in the past and was never really happy with them). I wasn’t a fan of how the board felt. The keycaps felt cheap. The matte finish on the case felt weird. The non-standard bottom row was hard to find after market keycaps for, something I had just then found out existed. It just wasn’t for me. I had also recently started browsing r/mk and was seeing all of the cool keyboards people were posting. I kept seeing Pok3rs all over the place and I thought that the (even) smaller layout was really interesting. I had no idea that 60% keyboards were even a thing. I mean, I had just found out that some keyboards didn’t have number pads! Well, it didn’t take me long to purchase a Pok3r for myself. I fell in love with it, even if it did have Cherry MX Blue switches. Fast forward maybe 6 or 7 months and I’m really interested in 60% keyboards. I started getting deeper and deeper into the hobby and the scene surrounding it. I made a few friends in the hobby. I discovered geekhack and group buys. I spent too much money on keycaps in a profile I thought I liked but turned out to hate. But I hadn’t built my own keyboard and I decided that it was time. I was so proud of the final build. I still have some photos of it on Instagram. This was probably six or so years ago and a lot has changed. I no longer have that fist build, and to be honest, I’m no sure I would even want it. I really had no idea what I was doing. I’ve built a lot of keyboards since then, and I mean, a lot. Many different sizes and styles. Different switches and stabilizers. I started to actually take the time to lube each switch instead of just trusting the factory lube. I decided I wanted to take all of this knowledge and build myself another 60% keyboard.

ModeSixtyFive with Lavender's Review

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 22:45:57 -0500

The ModeSixtyFive is a keyboard that I was really excited for. I liked the clean look. I liked the customization. There were so many different options for colors, case materials, plates, mounting styles, etc. I really wanted to try this thing out. So I ordered one. Waited the three or so months for the first group buy to ship. I received while in the hospital and decided the build it the day I got home.

Daily Driving a 40% Keyboard (or a MechWild Mercutio Review)

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 17:02:16 -0400

Recently I built a Mercutio keyboard. It’s a little through hole 40% keyboard. It’s pretty cute and I really like the way it looks. This isn’t my first 40% that I’ve built. The first one was a Planck but I could never get used to the “ortholinear” layout so it has mostly collected dust on my shelf. I’ve wanted to try a staggered 40% for a while now but I couldn’t justify the price for a lot of the kits. Then one day I got a Discord notification that the Mercutio was in stock. I think the group buy had extras or something, I don’t remember. I thought to myself, “eh, lets check it out.” and found out that the kit started at only $55. “Well, that’s reasonable!” I though so I purchased one. I also decided to order some 7305 MillMax Sockets to make it hot-swappable. Once it arrived, I got to building.

Porting the Frosty Flake to Via

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 23:15:55 -0400

Porting the Frosty Flake to VIA

So I want to preface this by saying that I am not a programmer. Not by any means. I am also not an electrical engeneer. I’m just a dude that really likes keyboards. Like, a lot. Okay, with that being said, let’s continue.

For those that don’t know, the Frosty Flake is a custom PCB to control the CoolerMaster Quick Fire Rapid. I got mine from 1upkeyboards but as far as I know, they are no longer being produced. The Frosty Flake was designed to use the TMK Keyboard Firmware but was later ported to QMK. I’m not going to get into QMK in this post but it’s definitely worth looking into in your own time.

Using ubports As My Daily Driver

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 23:45:31 -0400

Using ubports on my Nexus 6P as a daily driver.

So I love tech. I love tech and the Open Source community. But I’m no developer so I have to do other things to help out and contribute. So one of the ways I’ve decided to do that is by testing software and in this case I’m testing ubports for my old Nexus 6P.

I’ve been using different versions of Android for the past 9 or so years and over all I’ve been really happy but I’ve always liked the idea of different operating systems. As far as phones are concerned there are really only two main mobile operating systems, Apple’s iOS (or whatever they are calling it now) and Android. Now a lot of OEM’s customize their version of Android with features but it all remains the same AOSP (Android Open Source Project) base.

Why I Believe Everyone Should Use 2FA

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

I never really figured out what I wanted to do with this blog, but I have decided that it’s going to be a place for me to write about whatever I feel is important to me at the moment. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really value privacy and security. I believe that it is a basic human right and everyone should take it seriously. I’ve already written a post about the password manager that I use so I figured I’d kind of build on to that subject with which 2FA app I used and why. I’ll also explain what 2FA is and why it’s important.

Keeping Track of Tasks with Todo.txt

Sun, 08 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

I am not a very organized person. I forget things all the time – just ask my wife. But I’m trying to get better at it. So I decided I was going to start keeping track of tasks. Now, I’m not one to carry around a pad of paper and a pen to write everything down so I don’t forget it. For God’s sake, it’s 2020, who carries around a pad of paper anymore? No, we all have smart phones these days and smart phones are great for taking notes and things like that. In the past I have used apps like Wunderlist, Any.do, and TickTick. These services are really good at what they do, with the exception of Wunderlist that was bought and killed my Micro$oft. They are awesome for syncing todo/grocery lists with other people, but they all have one thing that I’m not a huge fan of. They all require you to create an account to use. This used to not bother me in the past. But I’m become more and more aware of how much data companies like Microsoft, or Google, or whoever, are collecting on me. It’s honestly frightening but that’s not what this entry is about. Basically, I wanted to be in control of my data. I know that I might be “overreacting” when it comes to some random company knowing what I need to do around the house, or what I need to buy at the store, but it’s important to me. It’s my “private” life and I want to keep it as private as I can and that brings us to Todo.txt.

My Custom Keyboard Layout - Tada68

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 16:02:55 -0500

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Anyway, I’m a keyboard nerd. Everyone who knows me already knows this. I mean, I have an r/MechanicalKeyboards sticker on my car! I’ve built around 8 or 9 keyboards on my own. It’s a hobby I never really saw myself getting into, but when I did, I got into it hard. I currently have 12 keyboards and countless key cap sets.

One of the things that really drew me to building custom keyboards was the ability to program custom layouts using the QMK Frimware. I liked the thought of having full control over what each and every key did when I pressed it or held it or double tapped it or whatever. Over the past few years I’ve messed around with a few different layouts until I finally settled on one that I liked¹ So I’ll share that one with you now!

My Password Manager - gopass Pt. II

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 22:30:57 -0500

Okay. So in my last post I completely neglected to talk about the features of gopass and what really made me choose it. I can’t believe I just forgot to talk about what the post was supposed to be about. Derp. So I’m going to make that up with this post.

Why I use gopass

In the last post I really only talked about the fact that I didn’t like some company potentially having access to my data. While that is the main reason I decided to switch from Bitwarden, it’s not the only reason. I like the simplicity of being able to quickly find and copy my passwords from the command line. Now, I don’t do that too often because I use the browser extensions, it’s still quick and handy when I need it.

My Password Manager - gopass

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In our digital lives we create a lot of accounts – and with these accounts come a lot of passwords. If you are like me, then you want to keep these accounts safe. I used to be the kind of person that used one password for every single account. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t know how terrible of a place the internet could be.

When I was younger I didn’t really have anything on the internet that was of value to anyone else. But then I started making my own money. And with my own money came my own debit card. And with my own debit card came making purchases online.

Taking a Break

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 22:21:04 -0500

The Holidays Are Coming

And with that, my free time is leaving. Which sucks. I’m working more, and when I’m not working I’m ether sleeping, or spending time with my family. Now, I’m not saying that spending time with family sucks. I love my family. I love spending time with them, but I’ll have less time to myself until the end of the year. And that means I’ll have less time to stream on Twitch. I like streaming on Twitch and I know I’ve been slacking lately. I want to get back into it and make it a more regular thing. I know that I say that a lot and then I just end up going back to not streaming.

A Welcome Back

Sun, 17 Nov 2019 23:20:15 -0500

So it’s been quite a while since my last post. In the beginning I had no idea what this blog was going to be, and to be honest, I still have no idea. It was originally going to be a “tech” focused blog. Just random writings about random tech stuff I found myself doing/learning about. But then I never got around to doing that. But now I think it’s just going to be about my life. Just posts about things going on with me. Maybe someone will find them interesting or useful depending on the context of the post. But for now I’m just going to post an update.

My Laptop: The ThinkPad W520

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 16:06:49 -0500

I spent the better part of 4 years using MacBooks as my daily laptop. Starting in 2009 with a white MacBook that I was given by my parents as a graduation gift. I thought I was the coolest kid in the world. I loved that thing. I customized the heck out of it, and I used it all the time. I was a photographer and photographers used MacBooks. Fast forward a few years to 2012 and I upgraded to a late 2011 MacBook Pro. Again, I loved it. I loved the “power” it had – or rather I thought it had – I loved the look of it. It was sleek and sexy. The touch pad clicked in. It was awesome and I thought I needed a MacBook Pro because I was a photographer.

Keyboard - Tada68

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:59:01 +0000

So I’ve tried many mechanical keyboards in my few short years in the hobby. I’ve tried fullsized, tenkeyless, 65%, 60%, and even 40% and I must say, 65% – for me at least – is the sweet spot. It saves a ton of space on my desk, while also having many of the keys I use the most right on the main layer.

Size:	65%
Case:	High Profile Aluminum, KBDfans
Switches:	65g Zealios, ZealPC
Keycaps:	Massdrop x MiTo GMK Laser, GMK

About

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Hi there

I go by many names online, but my real name is Chance. I’m just a nerdy guy who likes tech, mechanical keyboards, and other nerdy things. I’m not really sure where this blog is going to go but it’ll probably have a lot of keyboard related posts. As well as my attempts to learn Python – as well as other languages – and other tech related things.

I can be reached using the following methods:

Mastadon:	trashcatt@fosstodon
XMPP:	trashcat@snikket.linuxkompis.se
Email:	chance.monn@pm.me
Twitch:	trashcatt

Dvorak

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:59:01 +0000

So probably about 4 years ago now I started to really get into mechanical keyboards. And I don’t mean that I bought one and that was that. Like, within a year I’m pretty sure I already owned at least 2 keyboards and a handful of keycaps. That led me to look into other keyboard related things like alternate layouts.

Now I had heard of Dvorak from a friend back in high school. He used to talk about how he wanted to make the switch because it was supposed to be more efficient and better for your hands and wrists. I thought it was interesting at the time but never really gave it a real thought. That was until way after high school, about mid 2015.

Hello World

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 00:59:01 +0000

Hey there! So this is my new blog. I’m not really sure what I’m going to be using this for yet, but hopefully it’s something cool. Probably a lot of keyboard and tech related posts.

I guess we will see where this thing goes.