ShroudedScribe's recent activity
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Comment on How to practically liquidate lots of little things of moderate value in ~finance
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Comment on A photo essay of 20+ tech museums across the world in ~tech
ShroudedScribe LinkThe author posted a link to this article on mastodon and I wanted to share it with Tildes, since I know there's been other museum threads. I'm envious that the author has had the opportunity to...The author posted a link to this article on mastodon and I wanted to share it with Tildes, since I know there's been other museum threads.
I'm envious that the author has had the opportunity to visit all of these museums, as they all seem wonderful in their own way (well, not including those on the "Anti recommendations" list).
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A photo essay of 20+ tech museums across the world
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI installed z-wave light switches in most of my previous house. It was awesome to schedule them, turn them on/off with voice commands, even control fan speeds and the evaporative cooler I had...I installed z-wave light switches in most of my previous house. It was awesome to schedule them, turn them on/off with voice commands, even control fan speeds and the evaporative cooler I had hooked up to a switch-connected plug with an outside lightbulb socket adapter. (Yes it was jank and I loved it.)
These days I feel like it's more about "correcting" other devices that just have bad interfaces or default behavior. My TV doesn't handle CEC properly so I'm going to do something to figure that one out at some point.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
ShroudedScribe LinkI'm starting to seriously configure things in Home Assistant for the first time in over 5 years. A lot has changed, but a lot has remained the same. I just finished the backup implementation I've...I'm starting to seriously configure things in Home Assistant for the first time in over 5 years. A lot has changed, but a lot has remained the same.
I just finished the backup implementation I've mentioned previously. The only thing remaining is updating Syncthing across devices from the horribly outdated version they're all on, but on my NAS' side of things, everything is configured.
I'm also going to dip my toes into Grafana. I've been setting up Prometheus on applications that support it, as well as some of my backup tasks, and monitoring properly with a dashboard would be nice.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
ShroudedScribe Link ParentThis is really cool. I know how hard it can be to stick to the things you enjoy (wordle, etc) and not veer into those you don't always enjoy (social media) when using a smartphone at times you...This is really cool. I know how hard it can be to stick to the things you enjoy (wordle, etc) and not veer into those you don't always enjoy (social media) when using a smartphone at times you should be relaxing. It sounds like you've found a great way to do that.
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Comment on What's something you're "in too deep" on? in ~talk
ShroudedScribe Link ParentNeat, looks like a more advanced, sleek, and automated version of sidebery in a way. Is it a browser extension, or a browser of its own?Neat, looks like a more advanced, sleek, and automated version of sidebery in a way.
Is it a browser extension, or a browser of its own?
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Comment on What's the coolest thrift store find you've ever scored? in ~talk
ShroudedScribe LinkRecently got a Home Assistant Green for $7.50 (USD). It sells for $100 or so. I have to give my partner kudos for spotting it and asking me what it was. I may not end up using it for Home...Recently got a Home Assistant Green for $7.50 (USD). It sells for $100 or so. I have to give my partner kudos for spotting it and asking me what it was.
I may not end up using it for Home Assistant (which I have running on a server), but a nice little computer in a sleek case has all kinds of potential uses.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
ShroudedScribe Link ParentPerhaps a dumb question, but what does a moodboard look like for you? If it's just throwing words and paragraphs into a single spot with the ability to move them around, would a diagramming...Perhaps a dumb question, but what does a moodboard look like for you?
If it's just throwing words and paragraphs into a single spot with the ability to move them around, would a diagramming software like draw.io or excalidraw fill this need?
Or is it more like a mind map (for which there's a lot of existing software)?
Not trying to burst your bubble, just curious of how you might be trying to differentiate your product if it will one day become paid.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
ShroudedScribe LinkI've been working on my backup solution for my homelab (and other files) and have finally figured it out (for now). Almost all of my containerized apps have an associated database container, so...I've been working on my backup solution for my homelab (and other files) and have finally figured it out (for now).
Almost all of my containerized apps have an associated database container, so I'm including a db-backup container in each app's pod (using podman, not docker). This scheduled backup places a db backup in a directory on the local server, then runs rsync in a post-script to copy the application's app files to the same backup directory. (Apps without a db will have a similar rsync script run, still finalizing logistics for that one.) I can use an excludes file to ensure the rsync backup doesn't include SQLite database files and other temp objects that don't need backup.
Now that everything will be in a single backup directory, I will be using rdiff-backup to copy from the local server to my NAS, in a synchronized way that leverages snapshots.
On my NAS, I will be running an instance of Plakar to periodically snapshot this backup. Then, once every so often (perhaps every 3 days?) I will sync to a plakar instance that uses Cloudflare R2 as storage, so I have an encrypted cloud backup that I can selectively restore files from, if needed.
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
ShroudedScribe Link ParentSure, so I'll give a quick overview and feel free to ask more. For the container, I'm running Neko which is just a browser bundled with a browser-accessible VNC server. For the browser in the...Sure, so I'll give a quick overview and feel free to ask more.
For the container, I'm running Neko which is just a browser bundled with a browser-accessible VNC server.
For the browser in the container, I'm running Firefox with the tampermonkey extension. I am using a user script in tampermonkey I found online that just simulates activity- mine is teams "specific" but might be generic enough to work for slack too.
For the custom notifications, I'm using a custom user script that makes REST calls that push Gotify messages to my phone. You can ignore this part if your slack mobile notifications are reliable.
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Comment on Indie Game Awards rescinds Clair Obscur's GOTY wins over use of generative AI [for now-removed background assets] in ~games
ShroudedScribe LinkI saw someone claim that they only used the AI assets as placeholders, and some slipped into the game on release unintentionally. Regardless of the truthiness of this, I think AI gen assets as...I saw someone claim that they only used the AI assets as placeholders, and some slipped into the game on release unintentionally.
Regardless of the truthiness of this, I think AI gen assets as placeholders is a bananas idea. If it's something you genuinely intend to replace, why not make it a big purple blob so you won't miss it? Why not prefix the asset title with "placeholder" and use that when scanning and refactoring the code prior to release?
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
ShroudedScribe Link ParentAdam Savage is a proponent of this purchasing strategy, so you're in good company.Adam Savage is a proponent of this purchasing strategy, so you're in good company.
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
ShroudedScribe Link ParentProgrammatic reminders are indeed quite valuable. I have a shortcut set up on my phone that asks me if I want to disable the "send unknown callers to voicemail" setting when I open a rideshare...Programmatic reminders are indeed quite valuable.
I have a shortcut set up on my phone that asks me if I want to disable the "send unknown callers to voicemail" setting when I open a rideshare app. Just in case they call me when I'm waiting for them to arrive.
Even non-programmatically: I use the standard reminders app for recurring tasks I need to do daily, every few days, etc. Being able to snooze them for an hour is nice as well.
And even doing "manual programming" of your brain: whenever I remove oven mitts, I immediately check if I need to turn off the oven and do so.
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI could certainly benefit from learning knife techniques. It's one of those things I find hard to invest time into to because I don't enjoy cooking. But it would probably make me hate cooking less...I could certainly benefit from learning knife techniques. It's one of those things I find hard to invest time into to because I don't enjoy cooking. But it would probably make me hate cooking less if I learned a bit.
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Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk
ShroudedScribe LinkPerhaps the most unconventional example I have is automating Microsoft Teams activity and notifications for work. My current job activity has more slow periods than busy ones, and for some reason...Perhaps the most unconventional example I have is automating Microsoft Teams activity and notifications for work. My current job activity has more slow periods than busy ones, and for some reason the MS Teams app on my phone does not notify me when a new chat message comes in. So I over-engineered a solution, and am self-hosting a container that spins up Firefox, opens Teams web, and runs two separate user scripts. One keeps me appearing as active (simulates mouse movement). The other that I built out myself will monitor areas of the web page that change when a message comes in, and send my phone a notification via Gotify, another service I'm running. This has been a game changer since I work from home. I no longer feel glued to my computer (with the exception of meetings and busy/crunch times). Having some extra time to do laundry or other tasks is very beneficial in a lot of ways, including for my mental health, as I'm not stressing over always watching for messages.
Another thing that I use multiple times a week is a digital recipe book (we use Mealie). Having a central place to decide what to cook for the week and generate a grocery list is a huge help for getting our family through a task we admittedly do not like very much. Associated with this is grocery pickup, which we utilize for free with Walmart. Not having to traverse the store aisles, fight for parking, or face constant temptation from end cap items has changed our life for the better. Both of these have made us healthier through easily enabling more cooking at home.
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What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly?
These could be active skills or techniques you've found helpful, things you've built or bought that have changed an area of your life, or just something that brings you more joy than you had...
These could be active skills or techniques you've found helpful, things you've built or bought that have changed an area of your life, or just something that brings you more joy than you had before.
A few subject areas that could spark ideas (but please share things outside of these if you have them!):
- Work / Professional Life / Networking
- Cooking / Baking / Food Prep
- Cleaning
- DIY
- Crafts / Hobbies
- Home Automation / Security
- Beauty / Grooming / Personal Hygiene
- Travel
- Planning / Scheduling / Memory Aids
- Fitness
- Relaxation
- Mental Health
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Comment on Steam Winter Sale 2025: Hidden gems in ~games
ShroudedScribe Link ParentInteresting that Yogscast Games published both Aces and Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers. Have you or @aphoenix played that, and if so, how do they compare?Interesting that Yogscast Games published both Aces and Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers. Have you or @aphoenix played that, and if so, how do they compare?
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Comment on The drug that taught me how much I should suffer in ~health
ShroudedScribe Link ParentI would argue your statement needs an amendment to reflect the article's message: Know your Why, and How much you are willing to willing to give for it becomes more clear, and perhaps more...Know your Why, and the How becomes more clear and bearable.
I would argue your statement needs an amendment to reflect the article's message: Know your Why, and How much you are willing to willing to give for it becomes more clear, and perhaps more bearable if it can be endured through a lens of optimism.
I really appreciate when people, like this author, are honest enough to say that life sucks at many points. To fight against the "grindset" that plagues a lot of conversation, especially in professional/career oriented spaces. But at the same time, some level of "grind" may be worth it if you will be at least somewhat happy with the end result.
The challenge is we often don't know the end result. We can speculate, and reach conclusions more easily for some topics than others. It is the great unknown that poses a significant challenge for me, and a lack of feeling in control of it that drove me to a dark place in my past that was incredibly difficult to get out of.
And to be truthful, I am not completely out of it and likely never will be - there will always be things out of my control, and some will bother me more than others, but I have learned that I can retain control (to some degree) over my reaction to these things.
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Comment on Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options. in ~tech
ShroudedScribe Link ParentYeah, I was going to spend some time assessing if I can do some trickery with SmartThings on our Frame TV to make input switching better. This is the only TV I've used that seems to struggle with...Yeah, I was going to spend some time assessing if I can do some trickery with SmartThings on our Frame TV to make input switching better. This is the only TV I've used that seems to struggle with properly handling CEC, and even just resolving inputs (when manually selected) is significantly delayed.
I'm not glued to any particular smart tv platform, but holy crap is Samsung's bad. Bought a Google tv box and was able to customize the launcher to be the complete opposite- incredibly minimal and no ads.
Also, if anyone here wants to block smart tv manufacturer specific ads, there are blocklists for that which you can implement in network-wide DNS solutions.
If you're in the US and itemize taxes, you could donate the items to goodwill or another org and use the value as a deduction. It's not the same as cash but at least you can claim the full value, which could be worth it depending on your tax situation.