lhamil64's recent activity
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Comment on How self-driving cars will destroy cities in ~transport
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Comment on You're running for office on a somewhat petty, yet univerally-understood single issue. What is it? in ~talk
lhamil64 Link ParentWhile we're at it, make the bills have different color/texture for the different denominations! I'm legally blind, and it's such a pain to use cash because I have to look closely at the numbers to...While we're at it, make the bills have different color/texture for the different denominations! I'm legally blind, and it's such a pain to use cash because I have to look closely at the numbers to see them. If the bills were different colors, it would be much easier.
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Comment on Human drivers keep rear-ending Waymos in ~transport
lhamil64 Link ParentAnother advantage is personal safety & privacy. With Uber/Lyft, the driver is basically just some random person. How do I know that they aren't a terrible driver? What if they're drunk or high?...Another advantage is personal safety & privacy. With Uber/Lyft, the driver is basically just some random person. How do I know that they aren't a terrible driver? What if they're drunk or high? What's stopping them from cancelling the ride, locking the doors, and driving us out into the middle of nowhere? I think most people wouldn't do these things, but I bet it has happened somewhere.
Although I guess from a privacy perspective, Waymos could actually be worse because IIRC there's cameras and microphones in the car for rider support, so it wouldn't surprise me if they're recording every ride.
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Comment on What advantages does Linux have over other operating systems? in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentAnother point is that you can install more modern Linux distros on older hardware, extending its useful life. If you use Windows, the only real option is just installing an older version. But...Another point is that you can install more modern Linux distros on older hardware, extending its useful life. If you use Windows, the only real option is just installing an older version. But those older versions no longer receive security updates, meaning any vulnerabilities found will never get fixed and your machine will always be vulnerable. Of course you need to have realistic expectations for the hardware (like you probably won't be streaming 4k video on 20yo hardware) but Linux at least makes it possible to use it for something while remaining decently secure.
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Comment on Google Pixel 9 launch event live coverage: all the news in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentI'm curious what kind of software issues you had with the s22? I have a Pixel 6a that's had some issues crop up, like I've always gotten this weird echo on the phone (like people tell me they hear...I'm curious what kind of software issues you had with the s22? I have a Pixel 6a that's had some issues crop up, like I've always gotten this weird echo on the phone (like people tell me they hear themselves) unless I'm on speaker, but only for actual phone calls and not apps like Discord. And another issue where my vibration will stop working until a reboot, but only when not connected to wifi. Although that one hasn't happened in a few weeks so maybe they finally fixed it.
I've been considering changing to a different brand for my next phone, possibly Samsung. Maybe I'd just be trading one set of problems for another though...
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Comment on Help! I need a new fridge (and microwave). in ~life.home_improvement
lhamil64 LinkJust want to ask a possibly dumb question, but you said you live in an apartment. Do you own the appliances? In most apartments I've seen, fixing/replacing the appliances would be the...Just want to ask a possibly dumb question, but you said you live in an apartment. Do you own the appliances? In most apartments I've seen, fixing/replacing the appliances would be the responsibility of the landlord.
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Comment on Windows 11 now shows a full-screen pop-up to use OneDrive and protect your PC in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentAlso, an area where Linux really struggles is accessibility. I'm legally blind so I use a screen magnifier pretty heavily. I currently use Linux Mint with the Cinnamon DE as it seemed like it had...Also, an area where Linux really struggles is accessibility. I'm legally blind so I use a screen magnifier pretty heavily. I currently use Linux Mint with the Cinnamon DE as it seemed like it had the least-bad magnifier. But it's pretty rough. For example, there's a setting that lets you hold a modifier key and scroll the mouse to zoom in & out, but in many apps (including default apps like Settings) the underlying content scrolls too. You can also map regular hotkeys to zoom, but that doesn't work if certain menus are open for example. It also works terribly with multiple monitors. It treats them as one big desktop, so if you have two monitors the "center" is between them (which causes weirdness depending on what settings you have). I tried KDE and it seemed to have similar issues, and the settings were a fragmented mess to boot.
I've been tempted to just deep dive into the code for the various DEs and try to improve the magnifiers but it seems like such a time sink and hard to get a development environment set up.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir in ~books
lhamil64 Link ParentI had a similar thought when I reread the book recently. It surprised me how they had no mechanism for going into atmosphere. Even something like a drone or rover to collect some data. Seems like...I had a similar thought when I reread the book recently. It surprised me how they had no mechanism for going into atmosphere. Even something like a drone or rover to collect some data. Seems like a huge oversight when they planned for other unknowns like providing a huge library of software and lab equipment.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir in ~books
lhamil64 Link ParentRe: the Eridian number system - humans have 4 limbs with 5 digits each, so by that logic we would use base 5 or base 4 or base 20. Maybe they consider two limbs more like arms and the others more...Re: the Eridian number system - humans have 4 limbs with 5 digits each, so by that logic we would use base 5 or base 4 or base 20. Maybe they consider two limbs more like arms and the others more like legs?
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Comment on Using a desktop monitor outside in ~tech
lhamil64 Link ParentI'm legally blind so I'm curious if these would work for me. Mind answering a few questions? Does the virtual screen focus at a distance? I.e, if you're nearsighted will it be blurry without...I'm legally blind so I'm curious if these would work for me. Mind answering a few questions?
- Does the virtual screen focus at a distance? I.e, if you're nearsighted will it be blurry without prescription lenses? I'm assuming it does, similar to VR headsets?
- From the video it seems like you can pull the screen closer to you. How close can you get? With a real monitor I need to be within a couple inches to see if clearly. And it looks like the prescription lens option doesn't go high enough for my prescription, so I'd probably have to do without which means I'd have to get even closer.
- Can you adjust the size of the screen? If I were able to pull it in really close, I obviously wouldn't want it to still be 300" or whatever, I'd want it more like 24-27" like a standard monitor. More than that and the edges would be difficult to see i think.
- Can you move the screen around, or is it locked to the center of your vision?
There are devices intended for the visually impaired that do similar things as these, but they tend to be more like bulky VR headsets, and tend to be thousands of dollars. I doubt that these would actually work for me but figured I'd ask just in case.
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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
lhamil64 Link ParentI'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)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)
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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.
I've wanted self driving cards since I was a kid, because I'm legally blind and will never be able to drive.
That being said, the video makes some good points and I could likely get around just fine independently if we had actually good public transportation and walkable areas.
The one thing I don't think it really touches on though is rural areas. If I have a friend who lives in a rural area outside the city, what is the incentive for the county/city to create public transit routes to that area for the handful of people that would use it?