l_one's recent activity
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Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk
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Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk
l_one LinkDarn near total personal freedom and control of my time. Never again do I have to wake up at 5:30AM KNOWING as always that I didn't get enough sleep. Never again am I stuck in the field for 16...Darn near total personal freedom and control of my time.
Never again do I have to wake up at 5:30AM KNOWING as always that I didn't get enough sleep. Never again am I stuck in the field for 16 hours a day, cripplingly unhappy with the utter lack of work-life balance. Goodbye to that years ago.
I work as much or little as I want, when I want for my main income stream (buying at auctions / selling on eBay/FB-Marketplace/Craigslist) and for my secondary income of contract low-voltage work the majority of my jobs are servicing outdoor security tech that require zero customer interaction and have week-long 'do-it-sometime-this-week' time frames.
If I feel like sleeping in past noon? No problem. I feel like starting a contract repair job at 4PM? Not an issue.
On the buying/selling income stream: looking for new inventory to sell is fun, bidding at auctions is fun, and when it comes to testing / repairing electronics - well, that's my hobby and I am managing to make money off it, which is cool. It also sometimes provides something interesting to make a video about for my YouTube channel which is primarily focused on electronics repair.
I get to work from home the majority of the time. I have to go out for auction pickups, but for a lot of the stuff I ship out I can schedule USPS to pick everything up from my front door for free, which is great of them.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
l_one LinkThis past week / weekend has been a bit more active for me than average. Middle of the week earlier, I had a significant sale go through with a local RF engineering company which both left me with...This past week / weekend has been a bit more active for me than average.
Middle of the week earlier, I had a significant sale go through with a local RF engineering company which both left me with an infusion of ready cash, and a lab tour which was not long after I had decided to expand my electronics knowledge into RF.
I took those funds and rolled them into some eBay purchases for equipment to proceed with the mentioned branch-out into RF. Some GHz-range signal generators (with the intent to keep the best one and test/clean/sell the rest), a very nice 6.5GHz Anritsu Spectrum Analyzer, and also my first 7.5 digit multimeter: a Keithley 2001. Also some miscellaneous RF adapters and more general lab supplies.
Last night I produced a review video for the first piece of gear I've ever been sent for my YouTube channel - a rather nice, lower price-point digital microscope. Yay! I'm a corporate shill now like the cool kids! Made sure to start the video with things like 'CORPORATE SHILL ALERT!'
Tested and took apart my new Keithley 2001 - she has damage captain! On the negative side, this was listed as working properly. On the positive side, I might end up with a broken K2001 for free, and then get to fix it. We'll see. Made another video out of it already showing the teardown so I can share the symptoms and discovered damage with the electronics community, and add to the overall repair database for this meter.
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Comment on The extraordinary home inside a giant greenhouse in Norway – 38ft-tall glass shed features integrated ventilation and cooling systems in ~design
l_one LinkI've seen this house! (on YouTube, not in person). Kirsten Dirksen visited there and produced a half-hour walkthrough of the property. It really is amazing, the concept is very solid for that...I've seen this house! (on YouTube, not in person).
Kirsten Dirksen visited there and produced a half-hour walkthrough of the property. It really is amazing, the concept is very solid for that region and they get to produce their own food and share with their neighbors when it otherwise wouldn't be permissible during the year.
Credit where due: Kirsten is a YouTube content creator that seeks out tons of unique / sustainable / environmentally cooperative/friendly housing setups and produces videos about them. I've watched tons of her stuff, she's great at finding unique housing stories and letting the owners tell them.
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Comment on The changing war in Ukraine - the US aid freeze, momentum and how the war has changed in 2025 in ~society
l_one LinkDescription copied from Perun's page on YouTube. Links do not copy properly, if you wish to click through to sourcing please use links on the YouTube description page. Most of the time, major...Description copied from Perun's page on YouTube. Links do not copy properly, if you wish to click through to sourcing please use links on the YouTube description page.
Most of the time, major international developments and policy changes are slow and incremental. Sometimes, they are dramatic and sudden.
Over the course of the last few months US foreign policy has shifted significantly - and with it, the balance in Ukraine.
This episode I look at the evolution of the war since our last quarterly update to set a baseline for what to expect as negotiations and policy decisions play out - and start to introduce some of the major changes we've already seen, from the US aid freeze to escalating European commitments.
Patreon:
/ perunauReading and Sourcing:
Territorial control maps per https://deepstatemap.live/en#12/48.12...
Territorial change to end Jan per @war_mapper - https://x.com/War_Mapper?ref_src=twsr...
France on intel sharing - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/...
Additional European aid pledges - https://kyivindependent.com/eu-member...
CSIS - Calculating the cost effectiveness of Russia's strikes
https://www.csis.org/analysis/calcula...RUSI - Russian and allied capabilities in modern strike campaign
https://static.rusi.org/russian-and-a...Glide bomb jamming claims (ref to Russian source within)
https://united24media.com/latest-news...https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe...
Trump on Ukraine being more difficult to deal with than Russia
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk...Gerbera drones
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk...Hegseth remarks on the need for European and non-European troops in Ukraine
https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches...Russia "Rules out any options for European peacekeepers in Ukraine"
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/...https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...
Russian MFA comments on potential ceasefire
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/0...Kellogg on intel sharing and hitting a donkey with a 2x4
https://apnews.com/article/trump-zele...Polish minister on Starlink in Ukraine
https://kyivindependent.com/polish-of...https://www.euractiv.com/section/tech...
Reporting on intel sharing freeze
https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-ru...Reporting on Senator Lankford & potential cuts at US munitions plant
https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-legisl...https://mil.in.ua/en/news/doge-to-cut...
Glide bomb reporting
https://kyivindependent.com/russias-p...Caveats & Comments:
All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.
Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.
Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.
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The changing war in Ukraine - the US aid freeze, momentum and how the war has changed in 2025
17 votes -
Comment on Banned from eBay for life with no explanation in ~tech
l_one Link ParentDon't worry about it, I have those moments too. "It was how long ago?" One of the most memorable memory malfunctions was some (many) years back thinking one of the Jurassic Park movies had been...Don't worry about it, I have those moments too.
"It was how long ago?"
One of the most memorable memory malfunctions was some (many) years back thinking one of the Jurassic Park movies had been recent, and then seeing the gas station with gas prices in one scene, with a gallon being around a dollar.
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Comment on Banned from eBay for life with no explanation in ~tech
l_one Link ParentLink please? I found the record of the 2014 hack that exposed 145 million accounts, but not seeing one from 2024.eBay was hacked last year, with logins and passwords being leaked.
Link please? I found the record of the 2014 hack that exposed 145 million accounts, but not seeing one from 2024.
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Comment on Is anyone else frustrated with the eBay buying experience? in ~tech
l_one LinkI both buy and sell on eBay (it is one of my primary income sources now). Somewhat frustrated. EBay has been going down the enshittification road, but it isn't... too far down it I think, at least...- Exemplary
I both buy and sell on eBay (it is one of my primary income sources now).
Somewhat frustrated. EBay has been going down the enshittification road, but it isn't... too far down it I think, at least not yet. I buy on the platform a lot, and have OK-ish sales.
Some issues are malice, some are neglect, and some are eBay being cheap to try to squeeze more profit.
Malice: search crappiness and manipulation.
M.1: Search results are manipulated and sometimes excluded to engage in visibility-manipulation, allowing you to see 'promoted listings' while at times completely preventing you from finding those that haven't paid extra for 'promotion / advertising campaigns'. I've seen one buyer catch this real-time with screen recording, searching for an item which appeared for a fraction of a second, then disappeared. He was able to get to that listing in other ways and confirm it was what he was trying to search for, but was not being allowed to find.
M.2: Search functions that used to be there have been removed (like being able to see all items in broad categories). This could be a server load-reduction effort (cost reducing) or to serve search manipulation, or both. Uncertain.
Neglect: slipshod policies that are not well managed.
N.1: There are certain things you can't do / say / list on eBay. You can't lead people off the platform (I get why, then you could sell to them and not have eBay take their cut), but most of this is managed by AI and the result is VERY crappy and inconsistent fuckery (I apologize for the language, it genuinely seems like the right term here). Random messages will be blocked, but YOU WILL NEVER KNOW the other person didn't get the message! THEY WON'T TELL YOU. This BADLY screws over sellers and customers alike at random times. As for listing: there are things like medical device restrictions, ITAR restrictions and such, that result in eBay removing listings wholesale sometimes but not other times without actually checking if those listings genuinely violated policy. They go for actions that are minimum effort, maximum CYA.
N.2: Server-side issues. Sometimes technical issues come up that even eBay's higher-up technical staff just scratch their heads over. Listings getting flagged, videos getting rejected for no reason at all, etc. I've spoken with support about such things personally and the impression I got is that there is such a tangled nest of older and newer flag-this / block-that / deny-that-other-thing automated algorithms (which interact with each other) that sometimes weird crap happens that they just can't figure out.
Cost cutting / profit squeezing:
C.1: REACHING SUPPORT. This is rather mixed. For me, as a seller that has sold over X dollars / Y listings, I have an easier time of it. But if you're just A.Rando Customer with an oddball technical problem? Good luck there, 50-50 shot you're stuck with an AI that won't pass you on to a human unless you have certain conditions active on your account or know the arcane demon-speak to convince the AI this week on how to get a human to call you. OH! But sometimes for B.Rando Customer it's super easy to reach a human, which just sows more confusion.
C.2: EBay constantly looking for ways to squeeze more money from you. There's stuff like 'promoted listings' and 'advertising campaigns' which are manipulation heavy. If you use them, you WILL see a strong uptick in sales.... FOR A WHILE. BUT! After a while, things taper down slowly, so as to not let you realize what is happening, and then drift back to near what they were before. It's like a substance-user getting tolerance and chasing a high - you keep needing more - and eBay is the only dealer. You want to cut off the extra (now useless) money you're spending on ads and placement? Goodbye sales, you're tanked. All manipulation fuckery. I've discussed this issue with various eBay seller groups. Opinions are mixed (because it DOES work at first).
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Comment on US President Donald Trump prepares order dismantling the Education Department in ~society
l_one LinkThe educated citizen is the enemy of the authoritarian state, and so the authoritarian state cannot tolerate the educated, and seeks to remove them from this generation, and the next.The educated citizen is the enemy of the authoritarian state, and so the authoritarian state cannot tolerate the educated, and seeks to remove them from this generation, and the next.
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Comment on Could Europe defend itself without the US? - The US split, rearmament and defence independence in ~society
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Comment on Could Europe defend itself without the US? - The US split, rearmament and defence independence in ~society
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Comment on Could Europe defend itself without the US? - The US split, rearmament and defence independence in ~society
l_one Link ParentI just copy the title directly from the video. Previously I would title "Perun: Video Title From YouTube" but for some reason a mod kept editing it to be exactly the video title so I stopped...I just copy the title directly from the video. Previously I would title "Perun: Video Title From YouTube" but for some reason a mod kept editing it to be exactly the video title so I stopped trying to show it was Perun in the title.
...I feel like I typed the word 'title' so many times it is losing meaning.
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Comment on Could Europe defend itself without the US? - The US split, rearmament and defence independence in ~society
l_one LinkDescription copied from Perun's page on YouTube. Links do not copy properly, if you wish to click through to sourcing please use links on the YouTube description page. For three quarters of a...Description copied from Perun's page on YouTube. Links do not copy properly, if you wish to click through to sourcing please use links on the YouTube description page.
For three quarters of a century, the NATO alliance has been a fixture of European and North American security. Now however, the allies are embroiled in a very public split and the call by some European leaders has been for more defence independence from the USA.
Today, we look at some of the military capabilities the rest of NATO have, what independence might mean, and some of the economic, technical, and political barriers to achieving it.
Patreon:
/ perunauReading and Sourcing (Incomplete - to be updated):
NATO expenditure and active personnel figures:
https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl20...https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/ne...
Platform estimates pulled from sources including Military Balance 2024
Italy calls for US-Europe summit
https://www.reuters.com/world/italy-c...Reporting on aftermath of Whitehouse meeting
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9...Merz statements & reporting
https://www.dw.com/en/german-chancell...https://www.dw.com/en/friedrich-merz-...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...
https://www.politico.eu/article/fried...
https://www.trtworld.com/europe/europ...
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/...
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/germanys-m...
Abrams sale to Romania
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2023...Stock prices per google as at time of recording.
Caveats & Comments:
All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.
Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.
Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered
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Could Europe defend itself without the US? - The US split, rearmament and defence independence
18 votes -
Comment on US President Donald Trump cuts short talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Oval Office blow up in ~society
l_one Link ParentYeah, the comments section on YouTube is not exactly a reliable space to find good-faith discourse.Yeah, the comments section on YouTube is not exactly a reliable space to find good-faith discourse.
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Comment on What is a book that every 13-year-old boy should read? in ~books
l_one LinkGödel, Escher, Bach, if I was feeling like being the most asshole teacher ever in assigning reading-level inappropriate lit to my students. Ten thousand word essay on the book due next week. Good...Gödel, Escher, Bach, if I was feeling like being the most asshole teacher ever in assigning reading-level inappropriate lit to my students.
Ten thousand word essay on the book due next week. Good luck.
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Comment on Jeff Bezos' revamp of 'Washington Post' opinions leads editor to quit in ~society
l_one Link ParentThe systematic murder of our free press institutions is, likewise, not a coincidence. Authoritarian regimes always have a need to eliminate education and the free press.The systematic murder of our free press institutions is, likewise, not a coincidence.
Authoritarian regimes always have a need to eliminate education and the free press.
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Comment on Jeff Bezos' revamp of 'Washington Post' opinions leads editor to quit in ~society
l_one Link ParentPotentially seconding Ground News - and yes I've also heard of them through YouTube. If they live up to their claims, then it sounds like a good service. I will add that many of the people I've...Potentially seconding Ground News - and yes I've also heard of them through YouTube. If they live up to their claims, then it sounds like a good service.
I will add that many of the people I've watched who take their sponsorship and advertise for them are voices I've come to trust, like Perun.
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Comment on US Democrats want to repeal Section 230? in ~society
l_one Link ParentHere's a horrific counterpoint hypothetical: "The trump administration, in a shocking move, threatened Canada with increased Tariffs and possibly Sanctions if the sovereign country did not comply...Here's a horrific counterpoint hypothetical:
"The trump administration, in a shocking move, threatened Canada with increased Tariffs and possibly Sanctions if the sovereign country did not comply with the court rulings of the United States."
"In unrelated news, the CEOs of Meta, X, and Reddit have announced they will each donate $50 million USD to trumps 3rd term election campaign."
In any remotely sane world, the above statements would be absurd. Increasingly, we have left world sanity behind us.
In a pragmatic view: would this expenditure of money be likely for the purpose of crushing just Tildes? No. But then I think about trump simply... throwing a tantrum that Canada won't bow down and obey.
I'm neverendingstudent on YouTube. Thanks for checking out my channel!