caliper's recent activity

  1. Comment on I am looking for 100% ad-free apps for older adults with dementia. Things like jigsaw puzzles, coloring and the like. Paid is fine. in ~life

  2. Comment on Longevity of tech equipment in ~tech

    caliper
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    Consoles, totally forgot them. They don’t seem to age the same way other computer hardware does. They are in their own time capsules, since they never need to run anything they weren’t designed to...

    Consoles, totally forgot them. They don’t seem to age the same way other computer hardware does. They are in their own time capsules, since they never need to run anything they weren’t designed to run.

    On that topic though, of the old consoles we have laying around, the 3DSes definitely get used the most. The kids frequently choose them over mobile games or the Switch. I’ve also taken a 3DS on my commute, using it on the train is perfect!

  3. Comment on Longevity of tech equipment in ~tech

    caliper
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    Ha, just my kind of topic! I use a 2009 MacPro as my Windows gaming PC. Last weekend I upgraded the video card to a 1080, unbelievable that’s still possible! Nothing fast, but it can still play...

    Ha, just my kind of topic!

    I use a 2009 MacPro as my Windows gaming PC. Last weekend I upgraded the video card to a 1080, unbelievable that’s still possible! Nothing fast, but it can still play the games I’m interested in.

    This year I replaced a 13” 2012 MacBook Pro with a M3 MacBook Air. Although the new laptop is a great upgrade, I severely doubt it will ever reach the 12 year mark. That makes me sad and I think this will be my last MacBook because of this.

    My wife is still on another 2012 MacBook Pro we have in the house. She doesn’t feel like an upgrade is necessary. The battery is definitely done, but otherwise I understand.

    Then there’s a first generation iPad Air that’s mostly used as a remote for a first generation AppleTV, which hosts all music. There’s actually three of those old AppleTVs, they are there as corpses to pick parts from.

    Lastly, there’s an array of Raspberry PIs, ranging from the first one to the 4. One is a remote backup server, 2 are part of a smart home setup and one is NAS/media server/shared calendar/everything else. There are two more, be they currently don’t have a purpose.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on Tips for increasing online privacy (without going insane)? in ~tech

    caliper
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    I’ve been focusing on all smart home stuff lately. I was always very much against connecting appliances to the internet, but I really needed to control the heating remotely. Also got solar...

    I’ve been focusing on all smart home stuff lately. I was always very much against connecting appliances to the internet, but I really needed to control the heating remotely. Also got solar installed recently and I wanted to monitor production. For both I ended up writing Home Assistant connectors, because the available stuff still required the devices to connect to the lan. It took me quite some effort, but it’s running well now.

    For TV I started using Kodi. This was triggered when I received an Android TV device, that thing was a privacy nightmare.

  5. Comment on Cheaper ways to heat a log cabin workshop (UK) in ~life.home_improvement

    caliper
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    Not sure if this is really up your alley, but I’ve been intrigued by a listing I saw on the French leboncoin.fr for large quantities of sheep’s wool. It was insanely cheap. It made me want to come...

    Not sure if this is really up your alley, but I’ve been intrigued by a listing I saw on the French leboncoin.fr for large quantities of sheep’s wool. It was insanely cheap. It made me want to come up with a project to justify buying it. What I came up with was insulating, which is quite a common thing to do with wool. Unfortunately I don’t have a property to insulate, but you might want to look into it. It could be a cheap, and above all fun, project to do. Source the wool locally, figure out a way to get a layer of the stuff on the inside and get it done!

    2 votes

  6. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    caliper
    Link Parent
    Cool reviews! I’ve put Little Kitty, Big City on my wishlist, that looks like a lot of fun.

    Cool reviews! I’ve put Little Kitty, Big City on my wishlist, that looks like a lot of fun.

  7. Comment on The story behind the Oblivion mod Terry Pratchett worked on in ~games

    caliper
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    That’s a heartwarming story, thank you for sharing. The way they worked together sounds awesome.

    That’s a heartwarming story, thank you for sharing. The way they worked together sounds awesome.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Steve Klabnik's Tutorial on Jujutsu (git replacement) in ~comp

    caliper
    Link Parent
    A ranty tangent isn’t so bad in this case. Sure, git has flaws, but they are definitely not bad enough for me to want to switch to anything else. With all the changes we constantly need to deal...

    A ranty tangent isn’t so bad in this case. Sure, git has flaws, but they are definitely not bad enough for me to want to switch to anything else. With all the changes we constantly need to deal with, APIs, languages, frameworks, etc. I don’t mind keeping some things the same.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on Passwords have problems, but passkeys have more in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    Yes! I’ve been helping out my elderly neighbors and they are using that. At first it seemed sketchy, but then I realized it is by far the most secure solution they could’ve picked. They are using...

    Yes! I’ve been helping out my elderly neighbors and they are using that. At first it seemed sketchy, but then I realized it is by far the most secure solution they could’ve picked. They are using unique passwords AND it’s not on any of their digital devices. That’s pretty good security in an age where the biggest threat is coming from online criminals.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on Passwords have problems, but passkeys have more in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve been on the fence about trying it out to see if it could replace my password manager setup. Reading your comment makes me think that would be a waste of...

    Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve been on the fence about trying it out to see if it could replace my password manager setup. Reading your comment makes me think that would be a waste of time. There are better ways for me to waste my time.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on I'm getting a new Macbook Pro. What's your favorite apps and tips? in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    Hot.app is a great tool to monitor temperatures on macOS. You were probably mentioning it for the Thinkpad, but it is good to monitor on any system.

    Hot.app is a great tool to monitor temperatures on macOS. You were probably mentioning it for the Thinkpad, but it is good to monitor on any system.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Looking for slim wallet recommendations in ~life.style

    caliper
    Link Parent
    Did the exact same thing 2 months ago. Bought one from Amazon for $8 and it does the job. I figured I’d try a small cheap one to see if it works for me, and I’m actually really happy with it.

    Did the exact same thing 2 months ago. Bought one from Amazon for $8 and it does the job. I figured I’d try a small cheap one to see if it works for me, and I’m actually really happy with it.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on Looking for a touchscreen desktop computer solution in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    I think this is a solid choice. Designed for touch and also lowish power usage.

    I think this is a solid choice. Designed for touch and also lowish power usage.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on Looking for a touchscreen desktop computer solution in ~tech

    caliper
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    Someone in my friend circle recently approached me with questions about Raspberry PIs. He is planning to make the thing you’re describing using a Pi. I haven’t looked into it, but I’m 99% sure...

    Someone in my friend circle recently approached me with questions about Raspberry PIs. He is planning to make the thing you’re describing using a Pi. I haven’t looked into it, but I’m 99% sure there will be a community out there that has already built it. My friend said all protocols used by the sensors are pretty standardized and it would be trivial to tie everything together. Again, I haven’t researched it and it seems wild to me anything in that space would be standardized, but who am I to doubt him. With my experience using Pi for all kinds of applications, I definitely think the hardware will be more than capable of running the software and supporting the additional hardware.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on Can solar costs keep shrinking? in ~enviro

    caliper
    Link Parent
    This is what I’m experiencing right now. I’ve been wanting solar and the prices are interesting enough to me to do it now. But installers around me are still asking ridiculous prices. They are...

    This is what I’m experiencing right now. I’ve been wanting solar and the prices are interesting enough to me to do it now. But installers around me are still asking ridiculous prices. They are marking up materials and refusing to specify cost. I’m now pretty sure I’m DIYing this in a couple of weeks time. That will save me a ton of money.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on A tool to determine which US city you should live in in ~life

    caliper
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    Yep, moving to Boulder CO sounds like a great plan. Now I only have to convince my beach loving SO.

    Yep, moving to Boulder CO sounds like a great plan. Now I only have to convince my beach loving SO.

    5 votes

  17. Comment on AI accuses journalist of escaping psych ward, abusing children and widows in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    I know all that. But as a product/service it is buggy as hell.

    I know all that. But as a product/service it is buggy as hell.

    6 votes

  18. Comment on AI accuses journalist of escaping psych ward, abusing children and widows in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    Magic 8 Ball has been getting away with it for way too long! ;-)

    Magic 8 Ball has been getting away with it for way too long! ;-)

    2 votes

  19. Comment on AI accuses journalist of escaping psych ward, abusing children and widows in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    In all cases of “hallucinations”, the LLM is spreading misinformation. So Microsoft is spreading misinformation. Hiding shortcomings of LLMs behind “hallucinations” and not calling the...

    In all cases of “hallucinations”, the LLM is spreading misinformation. So Microsoft is spreading misinformation. Hiding shortcomings of LLMs behind “hallucinations” and not calling the implementation buggy, is looking away and not improving the problem of misinformation being spread by HUGE trustworthy companies.

    7 votes

  20. Comment on AI accuses journalist of escaping psych ward, abusing children and widows in ~tech

    caliper
    Link Parent
    Microsoft, or more specifically their LLM, is creating new content. For me, that’s the reason they are responsible. Calling it “hallucinations” is also a way to hide behind it having some form of...

    Though I suppose Microsoft might argue that the responsibility is on the people who didn't fact check before (hypothetically in this case) taking matters into their own hands... but something about that reasoning feels really off, and I can't put my finger on why.

    Microsoft, or more specifically their LLM, is creating new content. For me, that’s the reason they are responsible.
    Calling it “hallucinations” is also a way to hide behind it having some form of intelligence and mind of its own. While in fact it is just wrong and the implementation is wrong too.

    10 votes