This is just a simple little happy post 🙂 I know the situation isn't super special or unusual.

I just ran an Endeavour OS + AUR update (eos-update --aur) and it had a net size of -7.38 MB. i.e., out of 138 packages, enough of them reduced their footprint to make the net change negative.

So I got a bit of SSD space back! It's not the first time either. I don't think I saw that once in 25ish years of running Windows or macOS. Maybe a video driver package would shrink on occasion, but never a major system update.

So yeah, just a lil' shoutout to all the maintainers out there optimizing your apps and services. You're great 👍

Not my video, just a great performance someone was cool though to record.

Fubarberry already posted a SteamDeckHQ article about this but I wanted to highlight the direct sources.

Per Valve in their Steam Machine FAQ:

If I don't get a Steam Machine right away, is there anything else I can do?

Thanks to the openness of the PC platform, there are lots of options for devices that will allow you to run games natively or streamed to your TV. There are many PC sites and communities out there that can help you with that. For our part, we are continuing to work toward enabling SteamOS to be used on more hardware than just ours. In fact, with the newly-released SteamOS 3.8, you can run the same code and operating system as Steam Machine on your own living-room PC using whatever PC parts you want: learn more here. Right now, only AMD GPUs are supported, but we're working on expanding support for the future.

As a lot of reviewers are saying, it feels very close to the Steam Deck controls. The trackpads are slightly different texture and a bit more refined (in a good way). The D-pad and face buttons feel good to me as a longtime gamer.

I'm used to the Xbox Elite 2 these days and this is quite a bit lighter in weight and feels more like plastic, but still solid enough (again, like the Deck). I do maybe prefer the 8-edged D-pad and I'll probably miss the trigger stops, but gyro and trackpads and grip sense should more than make up for it.

Someone linked the albums on YouTube but they're also free to listen on Bandcamp. Plus you can support the band right there 🙂

There's a decent discount if you buy all their material at once -- currently that's Vol. 1 + Vol. 2 + the Sherpa single. And it's DRM-free (i.e. yours to keep and backup forever) in FLAC format (best digital quality).

This is the video that kicked off much of their popularity in early 2026 🙂

[Not my video, just an interesting look at Albany and Munich]

It's winter so I find myself eating more soups and stews. They can be so good on a cold day.

But IMO celery tastes horrible and only subtracts from the flavor of soup by covering up other flavors. Why is it such a common ingredient? Do people actually like enjoy or is it serving some other purpose?

(Yes I avoid it in other foods too. Not to go off topic but water chestnuts are a fantastic substitute if you like the crunch. Try them instead of celery next time you make stuffing.)