lhamil64's recent activity
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Comment on What is the most reliable and affordable form of storage medium to use as a backup drive for your computer? in ~tech
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Comment on Want to automate my home with a privacy focus (but I'm a bit slow and need help) in ~life.home_improvement
lhamil64 Link ParentFor a while I had wifi bulbs (Wyze) that required a cloud connection. IIRC one time AWS was having major issues and I realized I couldn't turn off my lights... (at least without manually turning...For a while I had wifi bulbs (Wyze) that required a cloud connection. IIRC one time AWS was having major issues and I realized I couldn't turn off my lights... (at least without manually turning off every fixture). A while back I replaced them with Phillips Hue bulbs (which use ZigBee) and it's so much nicer. I'm not sure I'd recommend Phillips Hue specifically at this point, but there are other ZigBee or Z-Wave options. Also, it's so snappy! You don't realize just how much of a delay there is when you have to send an API call out to the Internet and back until you have fully local control.
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Comment on Using work OSX machine while travelling in ~comp
lhamil64 Link ParentHere's another idea. What kind of phone do you have? Some devices (I believe mainly Samsung) have a desktop-like mode where you can plug it into an external monitor/keyboard and use it for web...Here's another idea. What kind of phone do you have? Some devices (I believe mainly Samsung) have a desktop-like mode where you can plug it into an external monitor/keyboard and use it for web browsing, word processing, etc. You could plug it into the TV in your hotel as a monitor. Or if you're planning on bringing a tablet, you could bring a Bluetooth keyboard and use it almost like a laptop. Both will have limitations obviously, but I'd guess they would work fine for the basics.
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Comment on Microsoft Teams is/was down. What's your fallback? in ~tech
lhamil64 LinkWe don't use Teams but Slack. We don't really have an equivalent fallback. If it went down for any extended period, I think we'd just use email.We don't use Teams but Slack. We don't really have an equivalent fallback. If it went down for any extended period, I think we'd just use email.
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Comment on Microsoft Teams is/was down. What's your fallback? in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentMy company got rid of our automatic workstation cloud backup tool because we also had a Dropbox-like tool. That's not at all the same thing! I think someone saw that we had multiple "unlimited"...My company got rid of our automatic workstation cloud backup tool because we also had a Dropbox-like tool. That's not at all the same thing! I think someone saw that we had multiple "unlimited" places to store data and wanted to save money by consolidating. I guess it makes sense in their world where all you need to backup is PowerPoints and word documents...
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Comment on Piracy is surging again because streaming execs ignored the lessons of the past in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentI find it interesting to contrast movies/TV with music. We can pick from many different music streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc) and in general you can listen to the...I find it interesting to contrast movies/TV with music. We can pick from many different music streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc) and in general you can listen to the same music on any of them (I'm sure there's exceptions). I just want that for movies & TV. I want to be able to just go to "my preferred streaming service" and type in the name of any show and binge it. Better yet if you could just download the files and stick them on a Jellyfin or Plex server instead of relying on a third party service.
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Comment on Just got a Microsoft Surface Pro 9, need help in ~comp
lhamil64 Link ParentSome more handy keyboard stuff: Text Editing Arrow keys move the cursor (probably obvious) Ctrl+Left/Right moves the cursor by word Home/End move the cursor to the beginning/end of the line...Some more handy keyboard stuff:
Text Editing
- Arrow keys move the cursor (probably obvious)
- Ctrl+Left/Right moves the cursor by word
- Home/End move the cursor to the beginning/end of the line
- Ctrl+Home move the cursor to the beginning of the document/text box
- Using shift with any of these will select the text. For example, Shift+End will select from the current cursor position to the end of the line.
Windows shortcuts:
- Alt+Tab lets you quickly change windows. Pressing it once switches to the last window you were using. Holding Alt and pressing Tab cycles through the open windows.
- Win+numbers activates the icons on the taskbar. For example, Win+1 does the equivalent of clicking the first icon on the taskbar. If the window isn't open, it opens it. If it's already open, it switches to it. This is handy if you have commonly used apps as the first few icons because you can directly switch to them without having to cycle through with alt+tab. I have mine setup with my browser as the first icon, Outlook as the second, messaging app as the third, etc
- Just pressing the Windows key brings up the start menu. Then you can just start typing to search for things. For example, to open Firefox you could press the windows key, type "fire" and press enter.
- Win+E brings up a new file explorer window
- Cut/copy/paste are generally Ctrl+X/C/V
- Win+Tab brings up the desktop switcher. You can add multiple desktops and drag windows onto them. It's almost like having multiple monitors. You can then switch between the desktops with Win+Ctrl+Left/Right.
(This feature was added I think in Windows 10 so it's probably completely new to you. It's handy when working on a single display)
I think these are most of the shortcuts I use constantly.
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Comment on AT&T's "You will" commercials (1993) in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentTo play devil's advocate, most (if not all) of these require an Internet connection, so if you have AT&T as your Internet or cell carrier then they are "bringing" it to you.To play devil's advocate, most (if not all) of these require an Internet connection, so if you have AT&T as your Internet or cell carrier then they are "bringing" it to you.
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Comment on Quizzle – Can you guess the word in fewer than twenty questions? in ~games
lhamil64 Link ParentI asked if it was used to clean things and it said no...I asked if it was used to clean things and it said no...
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Comment on What home network equipment do you use? in ~comp
lhamil64 Link ParentI recently got a used Sophos XG105 for like $60 shipped from eBay. There were even cheaper options but most didn't come with a power supply so that would've been a wash. I'm using my old Netgear...I recently got a used Sophos XG105 for like $60 shipped from eBay. There were even cheaper options but most didn't come with a power supply so that would've been a wash. I'm using my old Netgear router as an AP and a cheap TP-link switch. I installed OPNsense and so far it's working at least as well as the Netgear router did, but has a lot more flexibility.
I will say though, it really seems like OPNsense (and presumably pfsense but I've never used it) expect you to know what you're doing. For example, I set up a Wireguard VPN and it took hours. Most of that time was spent googling and debugging to figure out why stuff wasn't working (it turned out to be a field that was poorly named, and me not reading the guide clearly enough). It involved setting firewall rules and messing with interface settings. At one point I entered something silly as an IP and it killed traffic for my whole network. Basically, it doesn't seem to really hold your hand, so make sure to read carefully before screwing with stuff.
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Comment on For those who have tried YubiKey for personal use, is it worth it? in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentI got a couple Yubikeys and started setting them up with my TOTP codes but then realized there's a limit of 32 codes. I currently have 36 in my TOTP app. I could probably switch some of those over...I got a couple Yubikeys and started setting them up with my TOTP codes but then realized there's a limit of 32 codes. I currently have 36 in my TOTP app. I could probably switch some of those over to FIDO2 to get under the limit but that doesn't leave a ton of room for expansion if/when I sign up for new services (which might not support FIDO2)
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Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk
lhamil64 Link ParentI'm in a weird situation where I've mostly done testing in my career so far. I seem to be decent at it, and there is admittedly a decent amount of coding (to automate the testing) but I just don't...I'm in a weird situation where I've mostly done testing in my career so far. I seem to be decent at it, and there is admittedly a decent amount of coding (to automate the testing) but I just don't feel interested in it. Most of the programming aspects are one-off scripts that are fairly simple and I don't feel like I'm really doing anything innovative... It's better than management I guess.
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Comment on Philips Hue will force users to upload their data to Hue cloud in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentI semi-recently replaced my smart lights with Phillips Hue bulbs, but for a hub I use a Sonoff ZigBee dongle connected to my home server running Home Assistant. My only concern is that...I semi-recently replaced my smart lights with Phillips Hue bulbs, but for a hub I use a Sonoff ZigBee dongle connected to my home server running Home Assistant. My only concern is that theoretically they could put out a firmware update for the bulbs so that they refuse to connect to a non-Hue hub. So I guess I have to be careful before updating the firmware on them now.
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Comment on "We are not sustainable" say Framework: a company's initiative to achieve sustainability in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentI have a Surface Pro 4 that still works fine, but the battery is starting to age. I just checked how hard it would be to replace and it looks awful:...I have a Surface Pro 4 that still works fine, but the battery is starting to age. I just checked how hard it would be to replace and it looks awful: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+4+Battery+Replacement/60358
So I guess I'm not doing that...
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Comment on A "low-risk" AMA thread for everyone in ~talk
lhamil64 Link ParentI just don't get why we "need" coding interviews. Why isn't the fact that I have a degree and have worked at a tech company for many years good enough proof that I can code? It feels so different...I just don't get why we "need" coding interviews. Why isn't the fact that I have a degree and have worked at a tech company for many years good enough proof that I can code? It feels so different from other industries.
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Comment on Three Cheers for Tildes (Android version) is open for alpha testing on the Google Play Store in ~tildes
lhamil64 Link ParentThis is an early alpha build. These features will come in time.This is an early alpha build. These features will come in time.
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Comment on Three Cheers for Tildes (Android version) is open for alpha testing on the Google Play Store in ~tildes
lhamil64 LinkAfter using RiF for over a decade, this app already feels familiar. I think it's going to make me actually use Tildes now. One thing I'd really like to see (heh) is a font size option. I'm...After using RiF for over a decade, this app already feels familiar. I think it's going to make me actually use Tildes now.
One thing I'd really like to see (heh) is a font size option. I'm visually impaired, so making the text bigger would be awesome. I'm not a big screen reader user, but I tried it briefly with TalkBack and while it generally seemed to work, I did notice that the controls are in a weird order. Like when scrolling through posts, it'll jump to the comments link, thumbnail, etc before getting to the post title. I realize accessibility features probably aren't high on your to-do list, but figured I'd put a bug in your ear.
Overall for an alpha this feels really polished already. I can tell it's going to be a great app once it gets to the first release, and I'll definitely get the premium version!
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Comment on Any Tildes android app? in ~tildes
lhamil64 Link ParentFor me personally, I'm not a huge fan of mobile websites because they just feel clunky. A native app generally feels more responsive IMO.For me personally, I'm not a huge fan of mobile websites because they just feel clunky. A native app generally feels more responsive IMO.
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Comment on I, like many of you came from Reddit. But what brought you to Reddit? in ~tech
lhamil64 LinkI was mostly into RSS feeds from tech sites at the time. One of them posted a link to the infamous secrets thread that, IIRC brought us the cum-box. I think I had vaguely heard of reddit before...I was mostly into RSS feeds from tech sites at the time. One of them posted a link to the infamous secrets thread that, IIRC brought us the cum-box. I think I had vaguely heard of reddit before that but this time I started poking around more and got hooked. I downloaded RIF to my tablet and have checked it daily since.
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Comment on How you use YouTube in desktop and mobile devices. YouTube to limit usage of ad blockers soon. in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentI personally pay for premium, but I'm grandfathered in at $10/mo from the Google Play Music days. IMO it's worth it because you also get YouTube Music so I don't need to pay for Spotify. And every...I personally pay for premium, but I'm grandfathered in at $10/mo from the Google Play Music days. IMO it's worth it because you also get YouTube Music so I don't need to pay for Spotify. And every time I watch YouTube without it, the ads are almost unbearable.
I've never used any of these cloud storage services, but isn't Backblaze even cheaper? Their site says Backblaze B2 is $6/TB/month (https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storage)