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thayer

@thayer@lemmy.ca

github.com/thayerw

My Lemmy themes at UserStyles.world:

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thayer ,

If it were me and there was no way to have an additional drop installed from the exterior, I would still consider running a single cable through the living space to your desired location, as discreetly as possible.

It's difficult to suggest exactly how to do so without pics or a floorplan, but I would try to match the wall or trim color and keep the cable tucked close to the floor and/or ceiling throughout the run.

Once in place, the cable will quickly disappear into your surroundings and you'll be left with rock solid reliable networking.

Campaigns Can Now See What You Watch on TV. (www.notus.org)

Televisions that can stream platforms like Hulu or Max usually come loaded with technology that collects information on what viewers are watching, and buyers consent to have their viewing tracked when they open their new TV and click through terms of service agreements. Sometimes, data firms can connect those viewing habits to a...

thayer ,

As others have said, just buy a TV that meets your A/V needs and don't connect it to the internet.

I know everyone talks about Jellyfin these days, but Kodi is an excellent option too if you don't need streaming to multiple devices. I use Kodi via LibreElec on an rpi4 and it's been great. All media is stored on my home server and shared over Samba, but you can easily store it locally on the box if you don't have a server.

For music streaming, I run a separate instance of miniDLNA on my server, since I like to browse-by-directory for my music instead of relying solely on metadata. This also allows you to stream to any DLNA-friendly device on the LAN.

I've digitized my disc collection and just keep the physical media as a backup. The local library has a huge selection of media too...and if we don't use it, we'll lose it.

thayer ,

I have a JF instance running on Proxmox as well, but it hasn't won me over yet. Still, I know a lot of folks do prefer it to Kodi and others so there must be something to it.

thayer ,

JF's UI hasn't really done it for me for whatever reason...I have it running in an LXC already and mostly use it at my workstations.

thayer ,

Our Smart TV is offline 99% of the time, so I rarely see the smart features. We'll sometimes have company stay over and they'll connect the Ethernet to use the built-in streaming apps with their own credentials, so it's a nice option to have and it doesn't impact us otherwise.

thayer , (edited )

If a layman may ask, what are folks even using AI/LLMs for mostly? Aside from playing around with some for 10-15 mins out of simple curiosity, I don't have a practical use for platforms like ChatGPT. I'm just wondering what the average tech enthusiast uses these for, outside of academia.

thayer , (edited )

Thanks for sharing! I'm probably too set in my ways to ever utilize AI for things like this. I never use virtual assistants like Alexa or Google either, as I like to vet and interpret the source of information myself. Having the citations would be handy, but ultimately I'd want to read them myself so the IA/VA just becomes an added step.

thayer ,

That sounds like a time saver for sure. I imagine that some of those elements (grammar rules) are widely available everywhere, while others (practice dialogues, activity suggestions focused on the use of language) would require a fairly specific training model.

De-googling and privacy on Sony xperia

I have been considering replacing my nearly 7 year old iPhone (although very reluctant) and I was checking for options. Really the only phone that caught my eye was the Sony xperia 1 V, but I found no information about how to degoogle and lock down the device. I really like the features and the built in camera apps, etc. Is...

thayer ,

Quite a lot of apps cease to provide real-time notifications/messages, if they work at all, when Google Play components are not installed under GOS. At the very least, Google Services Framework is required for many mainstream apps.

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

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    thayer ,

    For what it's worth, GrapheneOS includes neither Google Play nor Android Auto. Like nearly any Android-based OS, it allows you to install apps of your choosing, but it does not include either of those. It is a FOSS project through and through.

    thayer ,

    Not OP but I think they're just saying they're not invested in Android as an ecosystem.

    thayer ,

    Yep, this is how we've kept ours for over 20 years. Even if you don't use the command line, most graphical file browsers will search through text files without issue.

    thayer ,

    One of these days I'll get around to setting up my own email server, but in the meantime I just take advantage of introductory offers on shared hosting plans. I purchase the 3-year plans and end up paying about $3-4/mo (CAD). When the plan is nearing expiry, I take my data and move on to the next web host. Been doing this for about 28 years now.

    thayer ,

    Yep. My only real goal is to reduce the amount of advertising I'm exposed to on a daily basis, and to that end it's working...for now.

    No cable, no streaming services, no broadcast radio, automated downloads of media, ad blockers everywhere, DNS sinkhole, etc. Thankfully, it's all low maintenance once in place.

    thayer ,

    Radicale on the home server, which syncs contacts and calendaring for us. Thunderbird on the desktop. Fossify Calendar on Android, synced to Radicale via DAVx⁵.

    N100 Mini PC w/ 3xNVMe?

    Not sure why this doesn't exist. I don't need 12TB of storage. When I had a Google account I never even crossed 15GB. 1TB should be plenty for myself and my family. I want to use NVMe since it is quieter and smaller. 2230 drives would be ideal. But I want 1 boot drive and 2 x storage drives in RAID. I guess I could potentially...

    thayer ,

    I think you'll be out of luck for 3 slots, but you could always use the native slot for OS and dock the other 2 via USB with RAID capability in something like this.

    thayer ,

    I'm a big fan of the Intel NUC platform, coupled with a fanless case and all-SSD/NVMe drives. They're low-powered, fast enough for most common tasks, and completely silent.

    I have an NVMe drive for the OS (currently Proxmox, soon to be Debian again or Fedora), containers and VMs, and an internal 8TB SSD for data storage (whole disk encrypted). This may not meet your needs if you're intending to be a data hoarder, but I have a sizeable movie and lossless music collection accumulated over 25 years and I'm not even using 4TB yet.

    You can of course still use a similar setup but keep even larger storage on a NAS device, or simply use a USB dock with a couple of 16TB drives. It's really down to whatever your needs are.

    I love that the server, router, modem, and switch use such a small footprint and are able to be powered for up to an hour by an equally small and inexpensive 600VA UPS.

    Finally got a UPS

    Keeping tradition with doing things backwards, I've finally got a UPS for the rack (mounted in the bottom of the stack). Got a PowerWalker VI 2200R. Its a 2U unit which is all the space I've got left in the rack. Decent price and decent I/O with USB, serial and a slot-in for network expansion + 4 IEC outputs. Its powering...

    thayer ,

    Depends on your power needs. My home server is an Intel NUC, so I'm able to keep it, the modem, router, and main switches running through most power outages with an APC 600VA UPS for about $80 USD.

    thayer ,

    First, it's important to realize that Meta is likely tracking you already through its ad-related services even if you don't have an actual FB account. Countless retailers and services are using Meta and Google for ads and analytics and it's virtually impossible to be completely off their radar if you do any online shopping, banking, or service consumption.

    Even with the use of VPNs, uBlock and other tools, Meta likely already has your particulars, including full name, phone number, email, and physical address simply by way of family members and colleagues saving that information to their own address books which are then shared to Meta through FB, WhatsApp, etc. In this way, your name, phone number and/or email address has likely already been associated to otherwise anonymized data through retailer back-ends.

    That said, if Marketplace is important to you I would simply create a FB account and use it solely for that. I would avoid installing any FB/messenger apps, and opt for a browser-only experience in order to minimize additional privacy infringement. Use FF containers, incognito mode, or a separate browser altogether for FB access if you feel it's necessary.

    Meta has taken a hardline approach to fake/obfuscated accounts, so I suggest using legitimate tombstone info but only provide what's necessary for account generation. Anything less and you'll risk a deactivated account, or Marketplace ban.

    Don't overthink it. If you use the platform with basic care (no apps, no persistent cookies), then the most they're going to glean is that you like shopping for retro games and other used goods.

    thayer ,

    I try to keep things simple and just use Markdown files for everything. I have a doc for each physical device, and another doc for each service/container running on the LAN.

    I generally track hardware specs, upgrade paths, and software changelogs/todos as unsorted lists within these docs. It's super portable and easily synced across devices via Syncthing.

    thayer ,

    While Reolink hardware is perfect for Blue Iris and other self-hosted solutions, I try to warn everyone that Reolink's own Android app now captures your device's clipboard whenever accessed. The same may be true for their desktop or iOS apps, I don't know.

    I have several Reolink cameras and I've been happy with their overall image quality and capabilities, but I do not trust their software whatsoever and recommend keeping them isolated from the internet entirely.

    thayer , (edited )

    I write nearly everything in markdown. Like you, I don't want databases, or other barriers that will complicate portability.

    I just use my text editor of choice, usually VSCodium or vim on the desktop, and Syncthing to keep the notes synced across all of our devices.

    On Android, I've been happily using the Markor markdown editor for years. I've tried several others but always return to its simplicity.

    All of the above editors support opening folders in a tree view, so you can easily keep your notes sorted under a traditional folder structure and find what you when you need it.

    Edit: Forgot to mention that Markor does have a dedicated to-do feature too, which also uses markdown.

    thayer , (edited )

    You're very welcome. For Markor, I wasn't a fan of the default viewer theme, which is how I view most notes when on mobile, so I made some tweaks to improve its appearance...below is a screenshot:

    https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/767b08b9-a534-45ef-8636-d61d52cbb0ce.png

    If you want something similar, add the following under Settings > View mode:

    • Open existing files in view mode: on (this may be default)
    • Link color:

    And replace the <style>...</style> block under the inject -> head pop-up with the following CSS:

    <style> 
html, body { 
  font-family: sans-serif-condensed;
  font-size: 110%;
  background: #0d1117; 
  color: #c9d1d9;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0.5em;
}

a {
  color: 58a6ff;
  text-decoration: none;
}

h1, h2, h3, h4 {
  padding-bottom: 0.25em;
  border-bottom: 2px solid #222934;
}

hr {
  border: 2px solid #222934;
}

pre, code {
  color: #b5a5ee;
}
</style>
    thayer ,

    We use markdown notes extensively. Everything is synced to our desktops and mobile devices with Syncthing. Markor editor for Android, and VSCodium/vim on the desktop. Works great for tech notes, medical info, shopping lists, recipes, etc.

    thayer ,

    Honestly, any enterprise OEM will be similar, such as Dell or Lenovo. Yes, their mainboards are proprietary, but you can easily source them from legitimate parts vendors. That's why there are so many refurbished Optiplexes and ThinkCentres on Amazon. They're trivial to repair and most don't even require tools.

    You cannot easily upgrade to a dedicated GPU unless replacing an existing unit, which is standard for laptops as well.

    thayer ,

    Perhaps more importantly, websites can determine which fonts are installed on your system (regardless of which you're enforcing), making fingerprinting much easier.

    XPipe status update: New scripting system, advanced SSH support, performance improvements, and many bug fixes (sh.itjust.works)

    I'm proud to share a status update of XPipe, a shell connection hub and remote file manager that allows you to access your entire server infrastructure from your local machine. It works on top of your installed command-line programs and does not require any setup on your remote systems. So if you normally use CLI tools like ssh,...

    thayer ,

    The deal breaker for me is that it seems the low-level component that would interface with the shells (presumably managing credentials in some way) is closed source and off-repo. That's a big red flag for me, no matter how benign the intention.

    thayer ,

    A better alternative would be to separate the core open source app from any premium, proprietary add-on features, as the developer hinted at here.

    As someone else pointed out, it's difficult to agree that this app follows an open source model when the open source portion of it is essentially non-functional and requires the closed source components to be of any practical use. Until that separation occurs, this isn't really open source; you're trusting a stranger on the internet with your (or your client's) network credentials.

    Barring any similar apps, I'll stick to my password manager and terminal.

    thayer ,

    I hear Anna's Archives is great for ebooks. I don't do audiobooks, and can't stand podcasts, but it sounds like a lot of good suggestions were made for those already.

    thayer ,

    Relevant topics also missing from the survey:

    • Choice of desktop operating system
    • Choice of mobile platform and OS
    • Use of email encryption
    • Use of cloud storage
    • Use and method of disk encryption

    what are your recommendations for a good privacy friendly sms app?

    Hello, currently I use qksms but its very problematic and lacks basic fetures. One of those issues being you cant send videos, and sending and recieving media is pixalated or blurry because of a commpresion issue. I've already tried adjusting the compresion options in settings to find out it doesn't work....

    thayer , (edited )

    Simple SMS, obtained from F-Droid, is probably the best universal option until the Fossify project adds the fork to their suite (assuming they do).

    If you have the ability to toggle network access for your apps (GrapheneOS, etc.), Google Messages is a very solid SMS app that receives regular updates. I would normally only recommend FOSS apps, but many of those options are limited and/or dangerously outdated for SMS.

    thayer ,

    Radicale, and I only sync when at home on the LAN. Super simple to setup, requires minimal maintenance and very few resources.

    Thunderbird on our workstations syncs directly to Radicale, and it's an overall good experience.

    I use DAVx⁵ to sync on Android/GrapheneOS, but not overly thrilled with the calendaring options there...Etar works "okay".

    thayer ,

    Thanks for the info. Davx5 has worked well for me, but it's still nice to have alternatives.

    My challenge has been finding a decent open source calendar app for Android, which unfortunately excludes Calengoo. I'm just not interested in using closed source network-capable apps to manage my personal information.

    thayer ,

    I haven't had time to check out the forks from Tibor's apps, but I recall there were issues with the original Simple Calendar Pro which is why I had settled on Etar at the time. I'll definitely keep an eye on Naveen's repos though.

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