lynxy's recent activity
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Comment on Automation for android, preferably FOSS in ~tech
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Comment on Automation for android, preferably FOSS in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentMy first thought, too, was Tasker- I've not used it myself but it is the standard for automation on Android. I had not realised until now, though, that it is a paid app, and not FOSS. This is a...My first thought, too, was Tasker- I've not used it myself but it is the standard for automation on Android. I had not realised until now, though, that it is a paid app, and not FOSS. This is a big shame- are there any reasonable (if less capable) alternatives that are active? Easer looks somewhat functional, but inactive.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy LinkI've just succeeded, finally, in writing a proof-of-concept shim for the Aqara FP2 presence sensor that translates zone presence and illumination data to the MQTT broker which is the backbone of...I've just succeeded, finally, in writing a proof-of-concept shim for the Aqara FP2 presence sensor that translates zone presence and illumination data to the MQTT broker which is the backbone of my smarthome infrastructure- in a totally offline way!
The problem is that the FP2, unlike the FP1, is a "wifi" smart device- in that it communicates with the Aqara cloud and is accessible in the Aqara Home App. I would refuse to use it, except that it's the only device that I have found that manages to handle zoning of the detection space. I don't know how corporations have managed to normalise externally hosted smarthome functionality. IMHO, cloud-enabled smarthome devices are moronic for multiple reasons:
- Security
Why would I want to send the data that describes my living patterns to an external service which is likely poorly secured, and often sold off to advertising services? - Reliability
Why would I want the functionality of my smarthome to degrade the second I experience internet connectivity issues? - Longevity
Why would I want the lifetime of my smarthome to be at the whim of a third-party who could choose to stop providing the service at any moment?
Fortunately, the device does support at least one other protocol. Unfortunately, it's Apple's HomeKit- which may be documented well but perhaps this device doesn't subscribe to any form of the published standard because no matter how I prod it according to specification, it doesn't respond.
Recently, Aqara announced that the device has been updated to support Samsung's SmartThings protocol- yet another cloud-nonsensery, but after looking through the SmartThings driver for the device, on GitHub, I found that there are a number of entirely undocumented endpoints on the device through which you can actually fetch the device status! And so I have implemented a shim in Python, using aiohttp instead of requests because I need to do an amount of debouncing for global occupancy events, and I'd love to be able to bridge a number of devices at once.
The device listens on port 443, and has the following endpoints:
Endpoints!
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GET /info
Returns the device model, vendor, serial number, etc, in application/json -
GET /authcode
Returns an authentication token which must be used in more complex requests, in application/json -
GET /attr
Requires a token, passed in with the header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
Returns a set of static attributes, such as number of zones, in application/json -
GET /status
Requires a token, passed in with the header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
This is a server-sent event (SSE) stream, as text/event-stream, which streams events
The attributes are all opaque numerical identifiers, with a small amount of determinism, but it's enough to go off of- and I've mapped zone presence events to occupancy booleans, including a debounced global occupancy parameter which performs a consensus of all zone on the device.
It's a little rough around the edges, and the device isn't exactly reliable to start with (lots of false detection events / ghosts), but the consensus online is that it improves over time, or "learns". I'm just glad that it handles a much larger detection zone than the Sonoff SNZB-06P which we use in smaller rooms (all relative- it's not a big apartment). If I can get triggers consistently working, such as brightening lights at a workbench when you sit down at it, I'll be very happy indeed.
- Security
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Comment on Conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot and killed at Utah college event in ~society
lynxy Link ParentBBC news is currently reporting that he's dead- Trump posted "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead" on Truth Social (https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c206zm81z4gt).BBC news is currently reporting that he's dead- Trump posted "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead" on Truth Social (https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c206zm81z4gt).
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Comment on Tim Curry says Rocky Horror was originally a 'failure' in rare interview in ~movies
lynxy LinkI love Tim Curry, and I love Rocky Horror, but this article feels pretty low-quality to me- given the length, failure to add anything new to the conversation, and what appear to be mistakes in...I love Tim Curry, and I love Rocky Horror, but this article feels pretty low-quality to me- given the length, failure to add anything new to the conversation, and what appear to be mistakes in quotes; "stay the stuff they've always wanted to say"?
Maybe I'm used to an interview consisting of a dialogue of reasonable length, but this is just a couple of repeating quotes with an embedded prompt to follow the people newsletter.
Addendum: I have just realised that this article is really just quoting excerpts from a CBS interview by Tracy Smith- it's probably worth just watching the original interview.
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Comment on Linux noob question regarding full / partition in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentIt's an understandable philosophy, but it's not that much easier than just backing up your home directory in any other way and reinstating it after a re-install. Personally, most everything in my...It's an understandable philosophy, but it's not that much easier than just backing up your home directory in any other way and reinstating it after a re-install. Personally, most everything in my home directory bar the downloads is synced between all of my devices using Syncthing, and I've never bothered with splitting home out into a new partition.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentThank you! The professor basically asked a number of questions- what is the topological ordering of this graph and why, perform a mergesort and describe the runtime in terms of Big-O- that sort of...Thank you! The professor basically asked a number of questions- what is the topological ordering of this graph and why, perform a mergesort and describe the runtime in terms of Big-O- that sort of thing. With each question there was chance for dialogue, so with certain areas in which I wasn't so certain he walked me through it, allowing me to connect the dots. It was actually quite a nice experience- I just wish I had known the scope of the subject material that I would actually be asked about, because in the end I ended up covering more material than I needed, but in not-quite enough depth (I was so ready to discuss reduction using gadgets and other stuff like that, but he laughed and said that was a bit specific for the examination). I think it was less of a comprehensive interrogation of the subject and more of a test to ensure I had actually put effort into learning the material, and not just turned in what an LLM spat out! More of a vibe check, which might be necessary in the times of AI.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentThank you! I'd be a little less terrified if my current Visa didn't hang on the outcome of these exams!Thank you! I'd be a little less terrified if my current Visa didn't hang on the outcome of these exams!
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentIn all honesty, currently no auth! We have ~400 meters of thermal paper and messages are length limited, so I'm not all that worried! The most security it has is through obscurity, and the worst...In all honesty, currently no auth! We have ~400 meters of thermal paper and messages are length limited, so I'm not all that worried! The most security it has is through obscurity, and the worst anyone can do is print words or rude images.
In reality it has been a surprisingly good way to encourage some of my non-techy friends to dabble with APIs! Maybe I'll stick up a front-end at some point, when I find the energy to mess with CSS.
As for the exam, I'm really not sure either! It's what has me so anxious about it. As you say, interesting in theory! If I'm asked for mathematical proof I'll wither away on the spot ^^;
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy LinkWhile procrastinating revision, I drafted up a quick REST interface for the thermal printer that my partner grabbed second hand last week, and I've been letting online friends hit the endpoints...While procrastinating revision, I drafted up a quick REST interface for the thermal printer that my partner grabbed second hand last week, and I've been letting online friends hit the endpoints and print whatever (and we only had one short period of mostly smut).
I'll get back to revising now, but I'm really struggling to force myself to cover the material on Greedy optimality proof by Induction & Contradiction, and Divide&Conquer isn't any more interesting to me. Maybe I'll skip ahead to Network Flow & NP-Completeness for now. Given the exam is a 45 minute oral examination, and considering the amount of material to cover, I'm guessing it won't be too proof-heavy and more general theory..
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Comment on Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentThat's true- there are definitely factions within the EU who would love this. I was thinking about the actors behind the current spat with Apple, who are pushing for a less walled-garden approach,...That's true- there are definitely factions within the EU who would love this. I was thinking about the actors behind the current spat with Apple, who are pushing for a less walled-garden approach, but you're correct in that these people are a small group in a very large one.
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Comment on Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store in ~tech
lynxy (edited )Link ParentOf course security is a legitimate issue- but in nearly every instance of heavy-handed responses which are justified by the boogeyman that is malware, security isn't the actual target. As with...Of course security is a legitimate issue- but in nearly every instance of heavy-handed responses which are justified by the boogeyman that is malware, security isn't the actual target.
As with this whole authoritarian Online Safety Act in the UK, building more barriers which allow for tracking of users and developers is not a solution, but these policies are motivated by the need for control (over citizens, over an ecosystem). The main legitimate solution (for improving user security, for 'protecting kids') is to educate. Consumer technology provides ways to lock down devices for kids and other potentially irresponsible users- parental controls.
Why do we expect the general public to learn about the safe usage of other potentially dangerous daily tools, but forget about computing devices? Why do we treat the sentiment that 'everybody who uses computers should have a minimal understanding of how they work' as some form of gatekeeping?
Edit: modified punctuation in the third paragraph for clarity.
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Comment on Denmark has proposed scrapping its tax on chocolate, cake and other sweets, as well as coffee, to help consumers cope with high food prices in ~food
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Comment on Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store in ~tech
lynxy LinkFor "security"- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher. I hope the EU jumps on them. I'm absolutely fed up with this nonsense.For "security"- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher. I hope the EU jumps on them. I'm absolutely fed up with this nonsense.
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Comment on At what point does the obvious invasion of the commons become too much for people? Have we already passed the threshold with smartphones? in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentI agree up until the suggestion that the mere act of wearing smart glasses is rude at the point where you cannot tell if the wearer is using them. Additionally, I can see many interactions one...I agree up until the suggestion that the mere act of wearing smart glasses is rude at the point where you cannot tell if the wearer is using them.
Additionally, I can see many interactions one might have with a smart display that might otherwise be integrated into a conversation- checking the time, the weather, one's schedule- in ways that when done not through the lens of a pair of smart glasses would be seen at totally normal given the right context.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy LinkI'm currently experimenting with using a locally hosted LLM (llama.cpp + gpt-oss) to translate and reformat some course material slides that weren't provided in English, and if I manage to get a...I'm currently experimenting with using a locally hosted LLM (llama.cpp + gpt-oss) to translate and reformat some course material slides that weren't provided in English, and if I manage to get a RAG pipeline set-up, I hope to get it producing formatted markdown which contains the slide contents cross-referenced with the book that the course is based on. Yes, I'm doing this instead of revising said material because I physically cannot force myself to concentrate for long enough to read said book, which is almost nine hundred pages of dry academic text on Algorithm and Datastructure theory.
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Comment on Light-field displays offer true, focusable depth perception in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentThe initial use-case for opticians is pretty cool- it might end up being a lot more efficient than the old glasses-with-interchangeable-lenses approach, though I do wonder if it's possible to...The initial use-case for opticians is pretty cool- it might end up being a lot more efficient than the old glasses-with-interchangeable-lenses approach, though I do wonder if it's possible to approach diagnosing issues such as astigmatism? Either way, it's a neat sell that might fund further development, and hopefully one day this sort of tech will be available in wearables (perhaps some that even look normal?).
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentI've had a look at writing a Wayland based compositor a couple of times and it's a bit of a pain- though perhaps the ecosystem has matured somewhat since then. In the end I've switched from...I've had a look at writing a Wayland based compositor a couple of times and it's a bit of a pain- though perhaps the ecosystem has matured somewhat since then. In the end I've switched from OpenBox, which is wonderfully minimalist but still X11, to LabWC which is largely inspired by OpenBox and has a compatible configuration format.
I'd love to see your progress if you do give writing your own a go!
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentUnfortunately, a combination of small apartment and many humidity creating devices, haha. Cooking can bump the humidity up pretty high, as can the dishwasher. Given the temperature in summer, we...Unfortunately, a combination of small apartment and many humidity creating devices, haha. Cooking can bump the humidity up pretty high, as can the dishwasher. Given the temperature in summer, we also have a lot of the windows open most of the time!
That's fair enough, and it looks a reasonable price- but unless there's some way to buy it outside of the Play Store, I cannot :]
I refuse to have a Google account.
Edit: It looks like it is possible to purchase Tasker licenses outside of the Play Store if you subscribe to the developer's Patreon- for every month you're subscribed, you get a license key.