Oxalis's recent activity
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Comment on The deadliest of all dead ends in the 3D printing industry in ~tech
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Comment on The deadliest of all dead ends in the 3D printing industry in ~tech
Oxalis Link ParentThe problem with 3D printing as a tool is that it's wholly contingent on the user having CAD experience and a willingness to go through an iterative design process. Just in my bedroom alone, I...The problem with 3D printing as a tool is that it's wholly contingent on the user having CAD experience and a willingness to go through an iterative design process.
Just in my bedroom alone, I have
- lamp clamp mounts to attach IKEA Tertial lamps to the edges of oddly shaped bookcases
- a sliding power-button on my PC (to cat proof it)
- an iPhone charging mount for standby mode clock use. It makes use of a free wireless charge pad I got from my wireless carrier. The base weighs are spent alkaline batteries, which is always neat to do.
- slim headphone holder to store my ath-m50x's flat on the wall when not in use (my first ever custom print in flaming bright orange)
- a custom behringer xm1800s microphone shockmount that uses a cheap IKEA Tertial lamp base for positioning with cheap silicone bands. The other shockmounts I tried were either too weak for the blunt weapon-weighted mic or were too stiff and transmitted keyboard sounds right into the audio mix.
- a swing latch for the weird doorknob on my closet (once again, cat proofing)
- sleek speaker mount platforms that clip onto the top edges of my weird every-surface-must-be-curved TCL TV
- just outside my window are 6 flexi clamps that hold sun-screen material nice and taut so I can reduce solar radiation heating my room up in the morning
- so many baseboard cable concealers that (thanks to a 3d printed profile gauge) fit snuggly to the weirdly ornate baseboards that circle the room
All of these designs were made in more than one iteration (industrial design is hard!), they are all made for a market of one, and with judicious application of texture embossing, fillets, and chamfers, they look reasonably professional to where no one notices them. That's a massive victory for a weird home plastic fab device!
Lurking through the massive 3D printing subreddit, I get the feeling that the tool's real usage will come when kids that cut their teeth on tinkercad as part of school STEM programs grow up. CAD is a weird beast for the uninitiated and a tall hurdle to clear just to make some one-off bracket but if you already know how to use it, then 3D printers become something much more powerful than a Yoda figurine generator. Especially considering that CAD used to only unlock the ability to put in an order to make some fab shop make things for you to great expense. Now you can own the entire process.
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Comment on Radxa X4 low-cost, credit card-sized Intel N100 SBC goes for $60 and up in ~tech
Oxalis LinkGiven that there's an unpopulated footprint for eMMC system memory that will be used in a future hardware revision, I wonder if you could boot the OS from eMMC and use an adapter like this to...Given that there's an unpopulated footprint for eMMC system memory that will be used in a future hardware revision, I wonder if you could boot the OS from eMMC and use an adapter like this to convert the M.2 port into something more interesting.
Turning a memstick port into a proper PCI-E slot could open the door for popping a used HBA SAS controller card to turn the little SBC into a storage powerhouse on a board.
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Comment on Finnish lawmakers narrowly approved controversial bill that will allow border guards to turn away third-country migrants attempting to enter from neighboring Russia in ~misc
Oxalis LinkI don't normally interact with political tagged articles but I saw this one before I logged in. What Finland is referencing here is not a theory, it's an established and modern war-tested tactic...I don't normally interact with political tagged articles but I saw this one before I logged in.
What Finland is referencing here is not a theory, it's an established and modern war-tested tactic that Russia has already put into effect with great success.
Back when Russia overtook Crimea as part of their campaign to "free" the "more Russian than Ukrainian" population, they undertook numerous years-long campaigns to increase Russians presence and power within the territory. Some of the programs consisted of $30K payments for Russians to move to Crimea and the creation of mortgage programs and law changes that allowed the Russian elite to buy up large swaths of Crimean land to slowly force out ethnic native population.
Now thanks to the 2021 decree that makes it illegal for all non-russians to own land within the Russian territory of Crimea, they've sealed away any hope for Ukraine to take the place back. Either you become legally Russian and keep your house, or you have to leave.
I didn't vet this source but it seems to just be recounting the multi-prong tactics the Kremlin uses to overthrow from outside and within: https://jamestown.org/program/demographic-transformation-of-crimea-forced-migration-as-part-of-russias-hybrid-strategy/
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Comment on YouTube is testing "Premium Jump Ahead" (built-in sponsorblock) in ~tech
Oxalis Link ParentIt happens randomly, is poorly communicated[1], and can harm negotiations with external brands and with youtube itself. That said, it only shaves off 1-2% of subscribers from the mega-channels...It happens randomly, is poorly communicated[1], and can harm negotiations with external brands and with youtube itself.
That said, it only shaves off 1-2% of subscribers from the mega-channels like Mr. Beast but for smaller content creators on the verge of a "shiny plaque from alphabet" milestone, it can be a real setback that does seemingly nothing to actually stop the harmful spamming and scamming that takes place in comment sections.
- YouTube has a weird habit of blaming things that harm content creators on bugs and glitches that are the focus of anti-spam or anti-adblock pushes. A notable example was back in 2016.
YouTube told creators in a post that many channels saw subscriber losses because of a bug that prevented the correct counts from displaying publicly. Once the glitch was fixed, subscriber counts on channels reflected YouTube‘s recent elimination of inactive or bogus followers.
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Comment on YouTube is testing "Premium Jump Ahead" (built-in sponsorblock) in ~tech
Oxalis LinkGiven that content creators make sponsorship deals with independent advertisers/brands or make merch to supplement the ever-decreasing revenue they're getting from Alphabet, this is a pretty...Given that content creators make sponsorship deals with independent advertisers/brands or make merch to supplement the ever-decreasing revenue they're getting from Alphabet, this is a pretty brutal move.
First you steadily decrease CPM rates, "fix" the bot issue with an account cull that causes massive subscriber count drops, then you force users away from using the sub page so they can be addicted to your BS algorithm on the main page, ratchet up the ads and anti-adblock while selling your own cure in the form of a subscription that you keep raising the price on, and now you're ruining any means of mentioning external forms of income.
I guess this is what happens when you make the ad-tech dude that cleaned up doubleclick inc for purchase by google the youtube CEO.
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Comment on Making the black mead of medieval France - Bochet in ~food
Oxalis LinkIt looks so interesting and I bet the caramelized/burnt honey flavors are really nice. If only the recipe wasn't so scary! That step of adding water to the boiling honey is some spooky stuff. They...It looks so interesting and I bet the caramelized/burnt honey flavors are really nice. If only the recipe wasn't so scary! That step of adding water to the boiling honey is some spooky stuff. They really did things differently back in the day.
It's worth noting that brewers in the comments are mentioning adding in a cooling step to make things safer.
To anybody who wants to try this recipe, please NEVER add water to boiling honey. The water will instantly turn to steam and cause a "steam explosion", splattering boiling hot honey everywhere. The correct technique is to let the honey cool to just under 100 C (say to about 90 C) and only then add the water. Once the water has been added then bring the temperature back up to boiling to reduce as per normal. This will have no effect on the taste of the final product but will be a heck of a lot safer. (From a homebrewer who has made his share of meads). - marcusmoonstein242
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Comment on What should I cook with my grill's smoker box? in ~food
Oxalis Link ParentA quick run-down on pork ribs can be found from the ever-informative Meathead Goldwyn on his site AmazingRibs.com (Despite the name, the site is a goldmine of science-based and tested info on all...A quick run-down on pork ribs can be found from the ever-informative Meathead Goldwyn on his site AmazingRibs.com (Despite the name, the site is a goldmine of science-based and tested info on all things BBQ. He's saved my hickory smoked bacon numerous times over the years thanks to his book "Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling".)
There's a lot more information about rib doneness, timing, and temps on the page so do give it a read through: https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/pork-ribs-recipes/are-my-ribs-ready-yet/
Relevant excerpt:
For ribs there is not much use in trying to read the temp of the meat. It is too thin and varies in thickness from end to end and side to side. In addition the meat next to the bone can be warmer than in the middle of the bones. [...] When they I think they are ready, I use the bend test.
The bend test
This is the method I like best. I pick up the slab with a pair of tongs near the center and bounce them slightly. If they are ready, the slab will bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface. A small crack means you need a little more time. It should be close to breaking when you lift the slab. You’ll get the feel for this with practice.
Of course you will call me out on his mentioning of a oven thermometer on that page. It's true. Though in my defense, your grill and mine have thermometers on the lid.
Just know that the temp on the lid is usually hotter than down by the meat. For instance, my weber genesis 2 is about 75 degrees too warm compared to a thermoprobe placed next to the meat so I just mentally subtract that value from whatever I see on the lid to get to my desired temperature. But since nearly all good BBQ is done using an indirect "two-zone" method, it suffers temperature tomfoolery pretty well.
Last thing, here's a (cheekily stolen) copy of Meathead's crowd-pleasing "Last Meal Ribs" recipe with pretty much all of the supporting technique info combined into one page: https://cookingdeluna.recipes/2010/06/17/craig-meathead-goldwyn-last-meal-ribs-how-to-make-the-best-barbecue-ribs-youve-ever-tasted/
Good luck!
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Comment on What should I cook with my grill's smoker box? in ~food
Oxalis LinkPork ribs! They're delicious, take smoke well, don't require a thermometer for checking doneness, and can be flavored in hundreds of ways. I have an aftermarket smokerbox that I rest against the...Pork ribs! They're delicious, take smoke well, don't require a thermometer for checking doneness, and can be flavored in hundreds of ways.
I have an aftermarket smokerbox that I rest against the "flavor bars" over the burners of my weber. My only tips are to go for something strong like hickory wood and go for chunks of wood instead of small chips or pellets. Larger pieces smolder slower and don't get set on fire as much. Though you should always have a spray bottle filled with water nearby in case a little blaze starts!
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Comment on What would it take for a soup to be exciting? in ~food
Oxalis Link ParentI didn't mention it because I've always wanted one and can't afford it, haha! A proper rotor-stator homogenizer would be awesome to have too. I've seen demos where they make a no-additive emulsion...I didn't mention it because I've always wanted one and can't afford it, haha!
A proper rotor-stator homogenizer would be awesome to have too. I've seen demos where they make a no-additive emulsion of oil and water that stays stable for tens of hours.
I see some used units pop up on eBay in the < $300 price range but I just know they've had a long life making mouse mousse and Henrietta Lacks lattes in bio labs.
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Comment on Simple ways to find exposed sensitive information in ~comp
Oxalis LinkI love how using standard search features is now 1337 hacker protips complete with databases of new search terms targeting different sensitive resources. Back in the 2000s-2010s, filetype:,...I love how using standard search features is now 1337 hacker protips complete with databases of new search terms targeting different sensitive resources.
Back in the 2000s-2010s,
filetype:,intext:andintitle:were commonly used to find public indexes, server directories that with poorly configured permissions that allowed for public access.It was a fun way to find new music from all over the world. Kinda like a mixture of global radio combined with a treasure hunt. I can't even imagine how many artists I discovered from those days nor how many of their albums I have in my record cabinet all these years later.
Of course many of the terms used in those days are now cleansed from google results. This, along with
robots.txtlead to the invention of search services like SHODAN. -
Comment on What gaming genre could use a renaming? in ~games
Oxalis LinkAll of the various RPG genres, as mentioned by nearly every other post, are the big stand outs. I personally would love to see the death of "walking simulator". It started as a sarcastic way to...All of the various RPG genres, as mentioned by nearly every other post, are the big stand outs.
I personally would love to see the death of "walking simulator". It started as a sarcastic way to besmirch indie, narrative-focused titles that didn't rely on action like Gone Home, Firewatch, or Dear Esther. It's found commonplace usage in nearly every gaming community and is often used by the press. (A recent example of this is in reviews for the recently released Still Wakes the Deep or even for Death Stranding.)
Nearly all of these titles have much more on offer than just pushing w and wiggling the mouse; Puzzle elements, decision trees, deduction based on environmental clues, etc. It's a disservice to let gamergate-era snark become common parlance and make developers feel like they can't express ideas the way they want to lest the crowd spam the walking simulator tag on their steam product page and risk getting blacklisted due to its negative connotations.
Another sub-genre that could use re-tooling is immersive sim. From what I can tell it only means "has game play elements that are lifted from system shock" instead of anything regarding general immersion or simulation.
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Comment on What would it take for a soup to be exciting? in ~food
Oxalis LinkI just want to start by showing off the result of flipping to the soup section of celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni's debut 2023 cookbook "Knife Drop": https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc3d36j4.png...I just want to start by showing off the result of flipping to the soup section of celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni's debut 2023 cookbook "Knife Drop": https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/84jdc3d36j4.png
On the following page it continues to the next section on sandwiches.
I kinda agree, things are pretty boring for the vast majority of soups found at chain restaurants, in cans, and as sides for larger meals. There's a value to that sometimes.
When I feel ill for instance, I don't want to be socked in the face with multi-leveled smorgasbords of texture and flavor; I just need simple nourishment and hydration along with some thermal heat to clear sinuses.
For those wanting more though, here are a few things I've picked up from higher level restaurants and home cooks over the years.
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For thin, broth based soups make sure to include some form of gelatin or emulsifing/thickening agent. This is what gives certain soups a luxurious rich texture and can help bridge the gap between oil/fat and water which makes for a unctuous mouthfeel similar to pho or certain kinds of ramen. You can pull this off by making your own stock complete with bones and other animal bits (chicken feet are rich with collagen!) to render out natural gelatin or just use the method J. Kenji Lopez-alt talks about here. He also digs deep into the why along with the how, so give it a read.
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Be careful with dairy when making soup with sharp flavors. For soups and stews with acidic, sour, or spicy flavors be careful with how much dairy you add if listed in a recipe. The biggest example for me was "White Chicken Chili" which is more of a green color due to the amount of chiles but you wouldn't really know due to all the jack cheese. Texas' heat-forward chili is another victim, with its customary dollop of sour cream.
Just taste things as you go and see if you might enjoy the pre-dairy result better. If you absolutely need that dash of white for plating appeal, try pureed white onions instead of cream. -
Don't just simmer, blend. In nearly every soup I or my family makes, the immersion blender makes an appearance. Just ladle out some of the soup with a good amount of the solids and blend it finely before reintroducing it back to the pot. It's an easy way to get creamy textures for soups containing starches like potatoes, beans, legumes, or lentils and just generally drives flavors past what you can achieve by simmering alone.
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Try and increase the number of textures. More new sensory experiences on the spoon helps stave off boredom. Asian fish-balls bring spingy textures, fried tofu can be fluffy, fried strips of wontons, fried onions, or tortillas can bring crunch. Adding blanched veggies later in the cooking process can preserve their snap. Think about how a soup's ingredients get used outside of soup and see if there are any textures or preparations you can hijack. You can get really crazy with this; I remember seeing someone make polenta/grits out of popped popcorn instead of the usual coarsely ground cornmeal.
There are a bunch more little things I could say but this is already approaching TED talk length.
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Comment on How bad are Nvidia GPUs for Linux really? in ~comp
Oxalis Link ParentJust out of curiosity, since my experiences with windows nuking/editing/removing GRUB were from years ago, I did a search for "windows 11 kills grub bootloader" and I'm still seeing numerous...Just out of curiosity, since my experiences with windows nuking/editing/removing GRUB were from years ago, I did a search for "windows 11 kills grub bootloader" and I'm still seeing numerous stackoverflow questions, reddit threads, manjaro discourse threads, and lastly on the microsoft support forum as just a small taste of the issues people are having in 2023-24.
Nearly all of these have to do with windows updates or upgrades messing around with the MBR or generally augmenting things that invalidate GRUB. Most can be fixed for sure with a cup of coffee, a rescue stick, and some wiki diving but I'd rather never have two systems at risk again if I can help it.
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Comment on How bad are Nvidia GPUs for Linux really? in ~comp
Oxalis LinkMost videocards aside from the really bleeding edge stuff are reasonably stable in linux. At least from my experiences with Fedora/Ubuntu over the last 6 years. Things can get complex for laptop...Most videocards aside from the really bleeding edge stuff are reasonably stable in linux. At least from my experiences with Fedora/Ubuntu over the last 6 years. Things can get complex for laptop hardware that has weird high-power/low-power hardware switching and other idiosyncratic setups that don't get much support.
Regarding dual-booting. Just install your OSes on separate physical drives and switch between them at boot time by launching your bios. Most bios have an option to select a hardware device to boot from that runs before any bootloader is read, so check with your motherboard book to see how to access it.
Just make sure to install the bootloader partition for each OS onto their drive as if that drive was the only one in the system.
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Comment on OpenAI adds former US NSA chief Paul Nakasone to the board in ~tech
Oxalis LinkI guess this is the beginning of "supersecurity" as Aschenbrenner described. AI will go from unicorn startup to top national defense interest.I guess this is the beginning of "supersecurity" as Aschenbrenner described. AI will go from unicorn startup to top national defense interest.
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Comment on New 'Regular Show,' 'Fosters,' 'Adventure Time,' Scooby Doo shows unveiled at Annecy in ~tv
Oxalis LinkEmphasis is mine. Western animation was pretty much decimated over the course of the pandemic, so seeing anything get approved is a plus for animation workers and new SCAD grads. Though it seems...Emphasis is mine.
McCracken’s original “Foster’s” targeted 6-11s, while the new “Foster’s Home” is [targeting] preschool; the unveiled “Adventure Time” titles include a preschool show, “Heyo BMO,” and a family feature “Adventure Time Movie.”
McCracken [of Foster's fame] has promised the same fast pace but a fun, simpler structure and less cynical humor.
Western animation was pretty much decimated over the course of the pandemic, so seeing anything get approved is a plus for animation workers and new SCAD grads. Though it seems beancounters are seemingly viewing the rabid success of Elsa-gate brainrot for toddlers on youtube kids as the only market worth investing in.
At least the Regular Show project will probably be more of the same but with different characters. J.G. Quintel's style of dialog can work for just about anything, so there's hope.
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Comment on Raspberry Pi is now a public company in ~tech
Oxalis Link ParentI wouldn't, sadly. Texas instruments is a mess thanks to COVID and lack of vision, official OS builds ended sometime in 2023 due to the sole dev going dark, and the software stack for beaglebones...I wouldn't, sadly.
Texas instruments is a mess thanks to COVID and lack of vision, official OS builds ended sometime in 2023 due to the sole dev going dark, and the software stack for beaglebones is very opinionated and difficult to work with. I won 4 beaglebone greens in a contest a while back and trying to use them for various things like docker, pihole adblocking, or 3D printer webUIs each posed different complications or performance issues that I ended up abandoning the project.
Luckily there are many single board computers out there and a great website for searching them all https://hackerboards.com/
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Comment on The new YouTube layout is just too horrible, is there a way to revert back? in ~tech
Oxalis LinkI don't know about mobile but for desktop, I just switched to https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube and it's been a much better experience. Read about its features and see if it meets your...I don't know about mobile but for desktop, I just switched to https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube and it's been a much better experience. Read about its features and see if it meets your needs.
Other than that, there's a landscape of userstyles and browser addons, each with their issues, breakages, and risks as they play cat and mouse with the YouTube UI team.
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Comment on EU expected to impose import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in ~transport
Oxalis Link ParentAs always with things in life, it's complicated. There's no one, massive majority, reason for panel failure that drives that 20-30 year warranty period. Page 28 of this report from the...As always with things in life, it's complicated. There's no one, massive majority, reason for panel failure that drives that 20-30 year warranty period.
Page 28 of this report from the "International Renewable Energy Agency" has a pretty good breakdown in pie chart and list form: End-of-life management: Solar Photovoltaic Panels (PDF Link)
Here's the chart itself if you don't want to slog through the source.
To answer your question, I think they're all talking about mechanical, chemical, or structural failures that dramatically lower output or totally thrash the entire panel. Dealing with the expense of poisonous e-waste processing and re-installation is not something a solar farm wants to deal with to fix a 10% loss in efficiency as part of non-traumatic aging.
Yeah, the CAD suite landscape is dire. When the grand enshittification started post-2020, the cheap/free options for non-profit hobby-use vanished or were spirited away behind expensive paywalls with monthly-payment locks.
Right now if you just want to mess around, OnShape (cross-platform, browser based) is the main option. It's pretty new to me but there are things about it that I really like. It's treatment of parameterization is much more integrated than Fusion. Like the little sun clips I mentioned, since the fit had to be so particular, I made every active dimension a variable so I could print-test-update-print till I got it nice and tight.
Fusion can do the same thing but it just feels like the parameter feature was tacked on. It's just this laggy pop up spreadsheet menu that's a pain to edit, drops mouse clicks, and lags the entire interface as it regenerates the model when you change something.
I guess I should also mention FreeCAD. It's about the only cross-platform FOSS option out there but it's pure rage fuel. A lone vigilante developer has created a fork to overhaul the entire UI and fix some big issues but getting his work pulled into the main repo has been met with some aggression from upstream. Who knows if it will ever get merged.