CedarMadness's recent activity
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Comment on Recommended tablet/2in1 for ~$1200? in ~tech
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Comment on These subreddits are going dark or read-only on June 12th and after. Some already are. in ~tech
CedarMadness Link ParentI missed the thread that said they were shutting down, so I'm not sure where everyone migrated. Is it just discord? The woodworking communities on Lemmy are pretty deadI missed the thread that said they were shutting down, so I'm not sure where everyone migrated. Is it just discord? The woodworking communities on Lemmy are pretty dead
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Comment on Is there an open-source version of the Garmin Connect app for Android? in ~tech
CedarMadness Link ParentI don't know about all of the models, but the Fenix and Forerunner series do allow you to copy files over USB. You can disable the phone connection in the watch settings, which presumably will...I don't know about all of the models, but the Fenix and Forerunner series do allow you to copy files over USB. You can disable the phone connection in the watch settings, which presumably will save a little battery life. I've never disabled mine, so not sure how much of an effect it has.
One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that you will need to use the Connect app at least once to set the watch up.
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Comment on Is there an open-source version of the Garmin Connect app for Android? in ~tech
CedarMadness LinkYou can get the .fit files off of your watch over usb MTP, however I've never connected it with my phone over usb. You'd need a USB C Garmin cable, or a USB C to USB A adapter. The files are in...You can get the .fit files off of your watch over usb MTP, however I've never connected it with my phone over usb. You'd need a USB C Garmin cable, or a USB C to USB A adapter. The files are in the ACTIVITY directory on the watch, the names aren't useful but you can find the one you want by timestamp. If you need gpx instead of fit you'll need to convert them, but most training analysis tools know what to do with fit files.
It's probably worth mentioning that you'd lose out on a lot of the watch's functionality by not having the Connect app. It may be better to go with a cheaper brand that only records position and sensor data.
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Comment on What do you like and dislike about your chosen music service(s)? in ~music
CedarMadness Link ParentI found Apple Music's Android app to be pretty good. I switched when Google Music shut down because Apple Music was the only other service that would let you upload your own songs and put them in...I found Apple Music's Android app to be pretty good. I switched when Google Music shut down because Apple Music was the only other service that would let you upload your own songs and put them in the same playlist with other streamed songs. The biggest complaint is that to actually upload those songs from Windows you have to use iTunes, which is still a horrible piece of garbage. Oh well, at least I don't have to do it very often.
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Comment on What unified login to use? in ~comp
CedarMadness Link ParentPutting everything behind a reverse proxy and using client side certificates or hardware tokens is the most secure way, however this would not work if someone wants to use anything other than a...Putting everything behind a reverse proxy and using client side certificates or hardware tokens is the most secure way, however this would not work if someone wants to use anything other than a web browser e.g. use a Roku to log in to your plex server.
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Comment on Tesla buys $1.5 billion in bitcoin, plans to accept it as payment in ~finance
CedarMadness Link ParentEthereum 2.0 has proof of stake. It's already live on one shard, but themmain network is still proof of work. I think they're expecting to fully move away from proof of work in 2022. There's some...Ethereum 2.0 has proof of stake. It's already live on one shard, but themmain network is still proof of work. I think they're expecting to fully move away from proof of work in 2022.
There's some info on https://ethereum.org/en/eth2/
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
CedarMadness Link ParentIt looks like that's a future feature, there's a draft spec available here https://w3c.github.io/screen-wake-lock/#the-wakelock-interface And it seems like Chrome and Android Webview have some...It looks like that's a future feature, there's a draft spec available here
https://w3c.github.io/screen-wake-lock/#the-wakelock-interface
And it seems like Chrome and Android Webview have some supportIf you want a more compatible solution, there's also NoSleep.js, which uses a hidden video player to keep the screen from sleeping.
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Comment on What's something you don't understand the appeal of? in ~talk
CedarMadness Link ParentI love Asheville's brew scene. Their leading brewery, Highland, goes out of their way to make their bottles easy to de-label so that homebrewers can re-use them. When I was getting started it was...I love Asheville's brew scene. Their leading brewery, Highland, goes out of their way to make their bottles easy to de-label so that homebrewers can re-use them. When I was getting started it was a huge help. Sadly it looks like Highland has fallen into the trap of making mostly IPA these days. IPAs seems to dominate the craft brew scene these days, and I find it incredibly boring. Great, it's super bitter, now what else can you give me?
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Comment on Plex to incorporate free live streaming TV in ~tv
CedarMadness Link ParentEmby stopped being open source a little while ago, and seems to be going for the same business model as Plex. There is an open source fork of the Emby code called Jellyfin that doesn't have any...Emby stopped being open source a little while ago, and seems to be going for the same business model as Plex. There is an open source fork of the Emby code called Jellyfin that doesn't have any cloud features, although some of their clients aren't in very good shape.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
CedarMadness Link ParentUse an email provider that doesn't load images without you explicitly allowing it. I think even GMail has this setting.Use an email provider that doesn't load images without you explicitly allowing it. I think even GMail has this setting.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~comp
CedarMadness Link ParentI don't think you need an IDE to teach Java, I definitely was taught using a text editor for my first few courses, although that was 14 years ago. Most universities were teaching C++, and ours was...I don't think you need an IDE to teach Java, I definitely was taught using a text editor for my first few courses, although that was 14 years ago. Most universities were teaching C++, and ours was one of the first to switch their beginner curriculum to Java.
Our professor had us use Notepad++, which didn't have any fancy linting or static analysis to tell us if there was a missing semicolon somewhere or a typo in a variable name. We definitely spent some time during the course talking about why packages need to be in the correct directory, what does
public static void maineven mean, and how add a library .jar to your project. None of our assignments had more than ~15 files in them, so it was pretty easy to manage without and IDE.We would type up some section of the code, then attempt to build it, then fix the ~100 compiler errors (the compiler was also a lot dumber back then, and would generate a ton of errors for something like an unclosed parenthesis or a missing bracket), then run that section of the code and check for correctness. At some point in the second semester we were taught how to use JUnit to check our classes without having to write test code in the Main method, but again this was all a manual process.
Moving on from the Java courses, I remember a few highlights. We had a C++ Linux course where the professor taught us all vim, an assembly course where no IDE would have been able to help, and a statistics course where we all learned R mostly by using it as a shell. I don't think we ever used an IDE in any class until senior year when the projects started to get huge.
Nowadays there are much better editors and tools available without having to go full Eclipse or IntelliJ. I would think VSCode would be plenty for beginner courses.
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Comment on Work From Home (WFH) Thread - March 16th, 2020 in ~life
CedarMadness Link ParentBiking is 100% my plan, unfortunately the weather here hasn't really been cooperative the past few weekends. Too cold and rainy for me to want to go outside and do much. I've been getting into...Biking is 100% my plan, unfortunately the weather here hasn't really been cooperative the past few weekends. Too cold and rainy for me to want to go outside and do much. I've been getting into Zwift this winter, though, so I'll likely be on there at least an hour every day, otherwise I'll go completely insane from sitting inside doing nothing.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~music
CedarMadness Link ParentI always liked how Iron Savior had sort of a concept discography, in that all of their albums continued the same story, but the last few albums have been a huge letdown. Their old sound seems to...I always liked how Iron Savior had sort of a concept discography, in that all of their albums continued the same story, but the last few albums have been a huge letdown. Their old sound seems to be gone and the songs don't really relate to the story at all.
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Comment on How IoT betrays us: Today, Sonos speakers. Tomorrow, Alexa and electric cars? in ~tech
CedarMadness Link ParentYour 30 year old dimmer (leading edge dimmer) won't work well with LEDs. The new ones (trailing edge dimmers) have more advanced circuitry, but will do a better job of dimming modern bulbs. No...Your 30 year old dimmer (leading edge dimmer) won't work well with LEDs. The new ones (trailing edge dimmers) have more advanced circuitry, but will do a better job of dimming modern bulbs. No clue about that 10 year figure in the article, but it says easily, so it's probably a conservative estimate.
The reason things don't seem to last as long as they used to is two-fold: First, we don't think about all of the unreliable junk that was made 30 years ago, it's all failed several years ago, so we only get the stories about reliable products that stood the test of time. Second, with the prevalence of computers, internet connections, and cloud services backing these devices, they can be shut off by the manufacturer whenever it's no longer advantageous to keep them running.
The problem with Sonos (and a lot of other devices) is that they're taking a dumb thing that should last a long time (amp + speaker) and putting some cloud connected component into it. So long after the device was sold, the company is stuck paying for a cloud backend that has to keep running, and an old CPU that will almost certainly be too slow to run the latest software. Sonos is in a bad spot in that their hardware is still in good shape even 10+ years later, but the processors are simply too old to support the latest software. This is why I don't buy this type of smart device, long term support will cost the company money and they may decide at some point that it's not worth it.
I have some "smart speakers" around my house, but they're made by plugging a chromecast audio into a nice pair of powered speakers. If Chromecast stops working, I'm not out the entire set of speakers, just a $30 component.
Similarly with the TVs, they all have Rokus plugged into them. Roku just had a similar issue where their oldest hardware won't be able to support some Netflix updates, but when that time comes I'll replace those $50 boxes instead of the whole $500 TV.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
CedarMadness Link ParentWow that would be a killer feature for me, who tends to spend 1 week a month traveling and using whatever random equipment the hotel gym has. Too bad it's iOS only...The key feature is that it builds a workout for you based on available gym equipment and previous workouts.
Wow that would be a killer feature for me, who tends to spend 1 week a month traveling and using whatever random equipment the hotel gym has. Too bad it's iOS only...
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Comment on Our Tesla Model 3 suffered a catastrophic failure while parked in ~transport
CedarMadness Link ParentFrom the report It sounds like what has happened to a few other people on the Tesla forums (usually while driving though). The rear motor developed a short of some sort for some reason, which blew...From the report
there are issues with the rear drive unit, the pyrotechnic battery disconnect, and the 12-volt battery
It sounds like what has happened to a few other people on the Tesla forums (usually while driving though). The rear motor developed a short of some sort for some reason, which blew the main fuse (pyrotechnic battery disconnect), meaning the 400v battery was completely disconnected. The 12v battery kept the computer, modem, screen, etc. running long enough to send that notification that the car broke. Something similar happened to this person, although they were driving at the time. They waited 2 weeks for a replacement motor after a terrible roadside assistance experience.
A similar failure mode exists in most cars, it's called the fusible link. It's usually located on the positive battery cable and it blows if there's a short in your wiring harness somewhere that the other fuses didn't protect. In my case it blew because a squirrel decided to turn the wiring harness into his home, however I didn't get any notification on my phone that the car was dead, I was just unable to leave the next morning.
They should definitely improve the service experience. All they have to do here is swap the rear drive unit, replace the fuse, and replace/recharge the 12v battery. None of these should be that time consuming, and these are common parts that the service centers should stock. When my old car died, I was able to call the parts department of a dealership in town to get a new fusible link and part of a wiring harness the same day. I'm pretty interested in this story, since their car is going to the same service center mine would go to if it had a problem. I'm hoping they have a better experience than the person above, who waited 2 weeks just for the parts.
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Comment on Coolest Cooler, which raised $13M on Kickstarter in 2014, announces they are shutting down with about 20,000 (1/3) of their backers not having their $200 pledge fulfilled in ~tech
CedarMadness Link ParentThey only did about 2 million or so from Kickstarter, the rest came from their own site.They only did about 2 million or so from Kickstarter, the rest came from their own site.
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Comment on Home brewing in ~hobbies
CedarMadness Link ParentHow did you do a cold brew on that scale? I made a coffee stout once and I ended up making a huge mess of my kitchen when doing the cold brew portion. I used 4 2-liter tea pitchers, and enough...How did you do a cold brew on that scale? I made a coffee stout once and I ended up making a huge mess of my kitchen when doing the cold brew portion. I used 4 2-liter tea pitchers, and enough coffee escaped that I had to filter the grounds again as I poured it. I would love to know how you did it and if you found a better way than me.
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Comment on I haven't owned a car in twelve years. What should I buy? in ~hobbies
CedarMadness Link ParentI have a model 3 and if you can't charge at home, it's not worth it. If you have to go to the supermarket every time you want to charge and use the supercharger, you'll end up wasting a lot of...I have a model 3 and if you can't charge at home, it's not worth it. If you have to go to the supermarket every time you want to charge and use the supercharger, you'll end up wasting a lot of time and not saving much money over a similar gas car. Public chargers tend to cost 3x or more what your home energy rates would be, plus there are sometimes idle fees if you leave the car plugged in after it's done charging, and in some of the busier areas you sometimes have to wait for a slot to open up.
I'd avoid the regular Surface Pro, the kickstand is nice but the keyboard is awful and you really have trouble using it in your lap, on the couch, etc. The same goes for the Samsung tab and any other kickstand designs.
The Surface Laptop Studio has a better design and is actually usable as a laptop, plus its hinge hides the keyboard so you don't have the awkward buttons on the back when in tablet mode. On the other hand I would worry some about durability with that design if you tend to be rough on devices. I don't have much hands on experience this one, my co-worker has one and he loves it.
My wife has the XPS, it's a nice machine and she has few complaints about build quality, battery life, or speed. It does overheat and throttle if you play demanding games, but I think anything in the ultra thin class will do that.
I'd skip the Android tablets if this is going to be your only computer. The Tab S series is very good, but it's always going to be less capable than a full computer. You may find that your certification courses don't always provide an Android app. Plus Android app developers tend to consider tablets as an afterthought, so often tablet apps just have huge versions of the phone app UI.
If you're planning to draw, I think the Surface line and the Samsung Tab S (but not Tab A) have the best pens for drawing. The pens have good integration with popular drawing programs, supporting pressure sensitivity, erasers, and some other extra functions.
Personally I'd go with the XPS unless drawing is important.