Pistos's recent activity
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Comment on My recent experience with helping someone out of context in ~talk
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Comment on When/Why/How did Cloudflare become such a critical/integral part of the Internet? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentI use VPSes with certbot, and I don't mind it, personally, but it doesn't feel that close to "one-click setup" to me.I use VPSes with certbot, and I don't mind it, personally, but it doesn't feel that close to "one-click setup" to me.
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Comment on Don’t publish your podcast only on Spotify in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentWhat do use or recommend as a Spotify alternative?What do use or recommend as a Spotify alternative?
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Comment on Don’t publish your podcast only on Spotify in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentYep, always a little annoying when your podcaster says things like "and if you look at this", or "as you can see here", or even "let me show you this quick video".Yep, always a little annoying when your podcaster says things like "and if you look at this", or "as you can see here", or even "let me show you this quick video".
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Comment on What do you think about Medium nowadays? in ~tech
Pistos LinkI don't think much of Medium. Perhaps just below "neutral" feeling. Many times, article bodies are account gated. From day one, I never made an account, never got into their interactive or social...I don't think much of Medium. Perhaps just below "neutral" feeling. Many times, article bodies are account gated. From day one, I never made an account, never got into their interactive or social features. Seemed like just a fancier hosted Wordpress.
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Comment on What’s something that’s more complicated than most people realize? in ~talk
Pistos Link ParentI'm actually not sure. A quick websearch tells me a few things: Bluetooth IEMs may suffer from the usual Bluetooth latency (like 150ms, I think), which is not acceptable for musical performance....I'm actually not sure. A quick websearch tells me a few things: Bluetooth IEMs may suffer from the usual Bluetooth latency (like 150ms, I think), which is not acceptable for musical performance. I've tried to play a musical instrument with plain Bluetooth, and the delay was very noticeable, and somewhat disorienting. To reduce latency, you'd go wired for a stationary performer like a keyboardist, which would give near-zero latency; or a non-Bluetooth wireless solution for a mobile performer like a lead singer, which may be a bit more latency, but still acceptable.
I'm not sure about pricing, so your websearch would be as good as mine, but I can share with you that when I briefly looked for possible IEM replacements for the monitor speakers I usually use, it was like 2 or 3 times as expensive for a decent IEM product. For the low-budget org I was working with, it was essentially out of the question when the through-the-air monitors were more or less doing their job still.
I believe the IEMs differ in a couple ways: one is, as you thought, they wouldn't be Bluetooth; and, two, they can be customized to fit very snugly and exactly in the ear of the user, which is important for the sake of blocking out external sound, and for comfort, and probably also helping them stay in the ear.
That all said, I think another configuration is for there to be a wireless pack, and then the performer can plug in wired earphones or headphones of their choice.
Anyway, I haven't used IEMs myself, I just have heard and read about them. The industry is moving to IEMs because they greatly reduce conflicting sounds on stage, which makes things easier for the sound engineers, which generally translates to better-sounding concerts.
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Comment on What’s something that’s more complicated than most people realize? in ~talk
Pistos LinkLive music. This can mean a lot of things, so let's narrow it down (my point will still comes across). Let's talk small-scale live music, like a band at a bar, or a small vocal ensemble. I'm far...- Exemplary
Live music.
This can mean a lot of things, so let's narrow it down (my point will still comes across). Let's talk small-scale live music, like a band at a bar, or a small vocal ensemble. I'm far from an expert, but I've spent maybe 3-ish years doing this, so I think I can say I've advanced beyond beginner level. There is so much that can be said about live sound, so I will
trystruggle to be brief.So your typical small band might have drums, a bass guitar, one or two guitars, one or more vocalists, and possibly a keyboard (or two). Each of them has to, ultimately, be connected to speakers -- somehow -- to be a part of the modern live sound experience.
You could connect any one of them directly to a loudspeaker, but that's almost never done except in the ultra simplest of cases (like one person talking into one mic), because all the sound sources need to be mixed together to produce the overall sonic experience. So, the sources need to be routed to a mixing device. There are several different cable types that facilitate this, and you need to know which one works for the given case. The basics are: TS, TRS, and XLR. You could judge based on whether the cable connector fits the jack/socket, but TS and TRS will physically go into the same socket type, but behave differently, and serve slightly different purposes. What goes through a given cable (the signal) can vary in a number of ways: balanced vs. unbalanced; stereo vs mono; line level vs mic level; which direction. Speakers are also connected to things, and the connectors of those cables also look similar to the cables for mics and musical instruments, so you need to use the right type for the job, or, in some cases, you can literally cause heat, damage, and possibly fire. You can also cause problems by overloading things by connecting stuff on one end that is too "strong" for the other end to handle.
There are lots and lots of different microphones in the world: different price points, different types (dynamic vs condensor vs ribbon), different polar patterns (the angles it picks up or rejects sound), different frequency response, different ideal purposes (vocal vs instrument; which kind of instrument). In a band situation, microphones need to be selected, positioned, and used right to get the best overall sound. The thing is, every live mic on stage will be in the vicinity of other sound sources -- but each mic is intended only to pick up one sound source. So, things have to be done to optimize the pickup of the intended sound source, but reject or avoid every other sound source. "Ah I just see one singer, so that means just one mic, so, there should be no sound pollution, right?" Well, no, because the drums are also miced, unless they're electronic drums, which usually not the case. "Okay, so just two mics, then, right?" No, because in most professional events, more than one mic is used. Way more than one. A basic drum kit (Wikipedia) will have (at least) a kick, a snare, a couple toms, a couple cymbals, and a hi-hat. In a professional concert, it'll be way more pieces. If budget allows (which, in professional situations, will almost always be the case), every individual piece of the drum kit will have its own mic. This is for mixing purposes, but more on that later. On top of all these drum mics, there may be mics on the amplifiers of the guitars, and the bass.
Mixing devices (known as mixing consoles, boards, or desks) usually have a myriad of inputs, and a legion of controls. On old analog desks (only seen on old boards, which tend to be used in low-budget situations), those controls would be in the form of knobs, sliders, and buttons. On modern digital desks, it's a electronic/computer interface of some kind, usually a hybrid of the classic controls with screens. You've got to know where and how to connect the cables from your various sound sources, and also how to connect your sound producers (loudspeakers, "monitors" (no, not the viewing kind), and auxiliary outputs, such as for broadcast or streaming).
Once you've plugged everything in in the right places, with the right cables, you now need to operate the mixing console, and do the live sound mixing. Except in the most amateur cases, this is not a "set and forget" thing. To have good sound throughout an event, someone(s) has to be actively operating the console pretty much at all times. Good sound doesn't just magically happen after you've plugged things in and turn things on. First is proper setup and preparation, and second is doing changes and tweaks from moment to moment as the live event takes place, and different things happen on stage. For a small-to-mid-sized concert, bringing equipment in and doing setup can take a few hours. Sometimes the venue has it in-house already, which can save some time, but, in either case, there is still sound check. That's where the various acts (main act, plus front acts, plus any speakers like emcees, comedians) come on stage in turn, and do a portion of whatever they'll do (make music, speak), and the audio crew makes sure what should be set up has been set up, and to "dial in" various settings and parameters, so that the acts don't just make sound, but make good sound. Depending on how many acts there are, that can take a few hours, also.
Mixing is more than just turning volume up and down for each channel (input). There are all kinds of effects that can be applied to a signal or group of signals. There's equalization (EQ) which adjusts relative loudness of frequencies (bass, mids, highs, etc.); frequency filters (like high pass, low pass); compression (controls spikes in volume, among other things); gating (cut out low-volume sound, like background noise); reverb; delay (echo) -- and that's just the basics, scratching the surface of audio signal processing. The one doing the mixing also needs to react and adjust to (compensate for?) whatever each of the performers are doing on stage, like poor mic technique, bursts of volume from sound changes (guitar pedal boards, keyboard patch changes), or pushing up a channel for a solo and pulling it down again after, or even just adjusting for differences from song to song. Mixing also involves balancing the sources relative to each other in the frequency space, like making the rhythm guitar not "invade" the space where the keys or the bass are, or making the bass guitar and the kick drum really work well together (and not against each other). Volumes (heh) have been written about the topic of mixing, and I won't dive into details. The point is: mixing can literally make or break a great show (as a performer, it's happened to me both ways!). A good sound engineer plays a crucial role in what, as a concert-goer, you hear as a good concert.
There's also the topic of monitoring, which is giving the performers some sound to hear, also. In times past, or if budget is low, that means speakers on the stage, pointing at the musicians instead of the audience. The point of these is to help the musicians perform better, for example, by helping them play in time and in tune. Past a certain budget level, monitoring means in-ear monitors instead of speakers -- kind of like ear buds (and attendant connections and equipment), but purpose-built for live music performance. Larger shows will have a separate sound engineer to control monitors, because the mix that comes out of those speakers is very different than what goes out of the main loudspeakers (because it's for a different purpose). Usually, each musician will want or need a different monitor mix, and the front-of-house (main) sound engineer has enough to deal with. Oh, and if the monitors are speakers, they contribute to the "this mic should only pick up this sound source" problem, multiplied by however many mics.
All of the above is mostly analog, but modern audio (except, again, in low-budget cases) has largely moved to digital, where the classic cables from sound sources are connected to an analog-digital interface nearby (e.g. on stage with the performers), and then digital cabling (Ethernet or fiber) runs from there to the mixing console, and whatever else needs it. Once you enter the digital world, you need to start considering all the usual fun IT networking things like IP addresses, DHCP, TCP vs UDP, protocols, etc.
I haven't even talked about the other big part of live performances, which is lighting and other visuals, like screens, fog, haze, lasers, and pyrotechnics. In larger events, there may even be mechanical things like moving platforms, acrobatic rigs, stuff like that. Not to mention stage manager, stage crew, all other semi- or non-technical personnel...
Even a modest, small-scale concert with an audience of about 1200 would have a technical team of probably some 10 to 20 people, at least a third of which are actively doing something as the live event happens. I didn't mean to write this much, and it isn't very organized, but, just know that a live event involves way more than just the performers you see on the stage.
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Comment on Paying for AI: Have you found it to be worth it? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentYes, those are two particular use cases that I've found AI is good at at work. Documentation search (though, Confluence search is a really low bar to exceed, frankly); and summarizing stuff,...Yes, those are two particular use cases that I've found AI is good at at work. Documentation search (though, Confluence search is a really low bar to exceed, frankly); and summarizing stuff, especially meeting transcripts. Great for catching up on key points of meetings you were absent from.
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Comment on Working on a ~2008 dream gaming computer running Vista (in an old server) in ~comp
Pistos LinkRe: guarding where it connects in the Internet: You could control the networking with either (or both) a hosts file, or a custom DNS server under your control, where you use a "Deny all, allow...Re: guarding where it connects in the Internet: You could control the networking with either (or both) a
hostsfile, or a custom DNS server under your control, where you use a "Deny all, allow these..." approach. The idea is you would bit by bit manually allow connections as you see that they're needed. Admittedly, this might turn out too troublesome due to a high number of possible connections to judge, but it might be worth a try. -
Comment on Paying for AI: Have you found it to be worth it? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentI see your point, but I myself never use AI for autocomplete or autopaste. I mainly use it to help debug by pasting error messages, etc., and working with it to hunt down a bug or config problem,...I see your point, but I myself never use AI for autocomplete or autopaste. I mainly use it to help debug by pasting error messages, etc., and working with it to hunt down a bug or config problem, etc. I always work with the conversation UI, and not an auto-filling IDE integration. I'll admit its track record is not perfect, but, on the other hand, I also have to admit that it has helped me -- probably at least half the time. I find that corporate AI accounts help by allowing, say, Copilot to have the whole closed-source codebase(s) of the company available for searching and analysis. When working across timezones, and colleagues are no longer around to get help from, AI can be a good second-best option.
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Comment on Paying for AI: Have you found it to be worth it? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentSo you haven't tried doing things with AI beyond informational search? My use cases (software dev, language learning) seem well-suited to having back-and-forth with an AI to solve a problem, or...So you haven't tried doing things with AI beyond informational search? My use cases (software dev, language learning) seem well-suited to having back-and-forth with an AI to solve a problem, or refine details and nuances.
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Comment on Paying for AI: Have you found it to be worth it? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentWell, in my case, I rarely ask AI to do high-level or large-scale software design. I just turn to it for stuff like getting unstuck with things, or to give syntax help, or how to use common...Well, in my case, I rarely ask AI to do high-level or large-scale software design. I just turn to it for stuff like getting unstuck with things, or to give syntax help, or how to use common libraries or packages.
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Comment on Paying for AI: Have you found it to be worth it? in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentI'm currently focusing on Korean, but it's possible I might also start (or continue) learning other languages, too, like French and Japanese. I'm generally happy to help do software testing,...I'm currently focusing on Korean, but it's possible I might also start (or continue) learning other languages, too, like French and Japanese. I'm generally happy to help do software testing, especially for small startups and open source projects -- however, if by "app", you mean something closed-source that needs to be installed (whether mobile or desktop), I'm afraid I'll have to pass (though I appreciate the offer). If your service is accessible purely through a web interface, sure, feel free to throw me a DM.
Oh, and thank you for sharing your experience and opinion on paid AI.
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Paying for AI: Have you found it to be worth it?
I'm starting to use AI increasingly, and am getting some value out of it. I'm curious if paying for paid tiers of the big players (in particular, ChatGPT and Claude) provides significantly better...
I'm starting to use AI increasingly, and am getting some value out of it. I'm curious if paying for paid tiers of the big players (in particular, ChatGPT and Claude) provides significantly better responses.
I'm aware that the paid tiers offer more features and benefits than just higher response quality. For me, those are just nice-to-haves, and not my primary concern.
My main uses of AI are software development and foreign language learning. So far, I've used the free versions of ChatGPT and Claude, as well as "proxies," including Github Copilot and Duck.ai. For both my use cases, I've found the responses usually good and helpful. I just maintain a healthy skepticism about the correctness of the answers, and challenge, test, and double check where needed (especially testing suggested code when developing software).
Have you found response quality to be noticeably and significantly better with paid tiers? I was just randomly thinking, and it occurred to me that the cost of an AI subscription is in the same ballpark as a subscription to a language learning service like Duolingo. So, if I can get value from AI that approaches what I'd get from a dedicated language learning service (even if it doesn't quite match or exceed it), then also getting the value of general AI in the same subscription should make things quite valuable and worth it. Not to mention possibly getting better software development assistance in the same package.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Pistos LinkHalf negative, half positive rant/praise: I've been working my way through the Mass Effect trilogy on Insanity (max) difficulty. Currently on ME3, and I'm trying to do a specific achievement in...Half negative, half positive rant/praise: I've been working my way through the Mass Effect trilogy on Insanity (max) difficulty. Currently on ME3, and I'm trying to do a specific achievement in the game, namely Unusual Scores, the final fight. I like to try to do games without searching for tips on the Internet, but with this one, I cracked. Tried it maybe 20+ times myself, without success. Honestly, I went searching because I seriously had suspicions that there was no actual number of rounds (like, it went on forever), and the achievement was unattainable. However, from what I've read, there really is an end to it, and I've already made it to the last round. Unfortunately, this last round is really hard. I've can complete the rounds ahead of the last one pretty comfortably now (because I've had so much practice failing :P), but that last one is just crazy.
they're super-elite level Collectors. The next wave is super-elite level geth, then Cerberus, Reapers, and finally, a combination of all high-level boss enemies: Banshees, Praetorians, Geth Primes, and Atlases all in a single wave.
I'm taking a break from the game for today, aiming to try with different teammates. Next one I will try is an assault-rifle-focused Garrus that I've read about, plus James, both with Typhoon rifles.
I feel like I have a pretty effective strategy in running on the map to where the enemies aren't, and shooting from mid-range while constantly collecting ammo whenever there's an opportunity. The tank teammates keep the enemies distracted well enough, and I usually have enough medkits to revive them at any time. However, the last round seems especially hard to do the "run to low-pressure areas" strat. Just a few seconds out in the open melts you in like 2 or 3 hits, and most of the enemies have high-damage ranged attacks.
This will be quite an achievement if I get this. I haven't looked it up, but I hope it's a Steam achievement, or something.
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Comment on You MUST listen to RFC 2119 in ~comp
Pistos LinkMade my day. Thanks for sharing. (Almost makes me want to try my hand at an RFC reading myself.)Made my day. Thanks for sharing.
(Almost makes me want to try my hand at an RFC reading myself.)
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Comment on Question about REST APIS and encryption in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentWell, I understand the desire to learn and to challenge oneself, but, personally, I think it is not worth the risk in this case (considering the sensitivity of the data you plan to store). Being...Well, I understand the desire to learn and to challenge oneself, but, personally, I think it is not worth the risk in this case (considering the sensitivity of the data you plan to store). Being "secure enough" is a reasonable challenge, but being so secure that only the very top malicious actors in the world can break it is a much higher standard to meet, one which the average software developer is not equipped to meet. I think you could learn and exercise some skills well enough by keeping it local.
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Comment on Question about REST APIS and encryption in ~tech
Pistos LinkDoes it have to be a publicly-accessible web app? Wondering why you don't keep everything local, such as by serving a website from your own computer on your local LAN.Does it have to be a publicly-accessible web app? Wondering why you don't keep everything local, such as by serving a website from your own computer on your local LAN.
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Comment on Possible site bug: Cannot send PM with moose emoji as the subject in ~tildes
Pistos LinkDid a little drilling part way into this. So, I'm supposing it's Tildes' use of the marshmallow Python library. Testing that library's Length function in isolation, it doesn't look like it has any...Did a little drilling part way into this. So, I'm supposing it's Tildes' use of the marshmallow Python library. Testing that library's Length function in isolation, it doesn't look like it has any problem detecting the length of the moose emoji (length of 1), as seen here:
>>> from marshmallow.validate import Length >>> length_validator = Length(min=1, max=200) >>> length_validator('hi') 'hi' >>> length_validator('') Traceback (most recent call last): File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module> File "/home/dev/git/ultimatevocalremovergui/venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/marshmallow/validate.py", line 425, in __call__ raise ValidationError(self._format_error(value, message)) marshmallow.exceptions.ValidationError: Length must be between 1 and 200. >>> length_validator('🫎') '\U0001face'If it considered it to have length 0, it would have raised a ValidationError, but it didn't.
So, my hypothesis at this point is that something is stripping the moose emoji out before it gets to the validator. When I test some Tildes-specific code, I don't get the validation error for a string with the moose emoji:
schema = TopicSchema() result = schema.load({"title": "hello"}) result = schema.load({"title": "🦥"}) result = schema.load({"title": "🫎"})Stopping my debugging here, but I think something's processing the title before it gets to the length check code.
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Comment on CareerBuilder + Monster, which once dominated online job boards, file for bankruptcy in ~finance
Pistos LinkNot that I use Monster, but, other than LinkedIn, what other sites should job seekers turn to?Not that I use Monster, but, other than LinkedIn, what other sites should job seekers turn to?
When I give to people on the street, I know that they could be liars, tricksters, or part of a syndicate. I give anyway, because I don't want to let those possibilities stop me from possibly helping someone who isn't lying, and who really needs it. If everyone stopped giving because they're afraid of being tricked, then the people who really need help would never get it.