sparkle's recent activity
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Comment on ‘I took two bites and had to spit it out’: US candy makers are phasing out real cocoa in chocolate in some products in ~food
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
sparkle LinkI got my ass handed to me at an off-ice exercise class on the weekend with my figure skating club. Lottttt of rhythm training, keeping feet moving to a beat, while doing figure skating postures,...I got my ass handed to me at an off-ice exercise class on the weekend with my figure skating club. Lottttt of rhythm training, keeping feet moving to a beat, while doing figure skating postures, but on dry land. Harder than it sounds. Anyway, I had pretty intense DOMS for three days after, but at least today I was finally able to get back to running. I will definitely be doing a proper warmup/cool down next time. And also add some calf/ankle exercises to my weekly calisthenic routine!
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
sparkle (edited )LinkA few weeks ago, somebody mentioned setting up paperless-ngx for their document organization and it reminded me that I'd been meaning to do the same for the last year or two. So after one...A few weeks ago, somebody mentioned setting up paperless-ngx for their document organization and it reminded me that I'd been meaning to do the same for the last year or two.
So after one afternoon scouring the house looking for a 4-port network switch I could swear is here because I didn't think I'd need dual cat6 ports in that area, I gave up and resolved to use a spare Raspberry Pi 4B to interface with the old Epson flatbed printer/scanner I have lying around. I set up Arch on ARM, installed
saneand built a simple shell script to take command line arguments likescan.sh 300 adf colorto facilitate automation, allowing me to provide resolution, source, and color/grayscale.My next steps currently are adding physical interfaces - I'd like to have physical buttons to choose what kind of scan (I'll likely just have two or three mapped to the basic functions I need, e.g., gray adf or color adf or color flatbed) along with a small OLED screen to output status.
I also still need to actually setup paperless-ngx. For anybody who has done this, what kind of resource usage have you needed to allocate? Would anybody recommend offloading any work to the Pi? I believe it's only a 2GB model - currently it just processes scans into pdf with img2pdf and dumps them into a network folder. I also need to tweak the scan settings to the point I can balance size with legibility. I plan to digitize an entire filing cabinet worth lots of text, so most will be grayscale.
Paperless will live on my main docker server with all the other containers, though I can put it in an LXC or a VM of its own. Does anybody have any suggestions on workflows for scanning? I know paperless has divider sheet support, does anybody have experience with that? Or is it preferable to just scan a batch in, ingest and tag it in paperless, then move on? Are there any small local LLMs that can be used in combination with OCR to categorize things? I don't want any of my documents to leave the house in any way so local model is the only way. I can't imagine a simple OCR LLM would require much processing power - my server is old but not ancient with 64GB RAM and an i7-6700k and a GTX970 that I haven't bothered to set up passthru for yet.
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Comment on What's an obscure book/series that you've read that you would like to recommend? in ~books
sparkle Link ParentIf you care to share, are you on the West Coast? I wonder if that is why I had a hard time finding them after we moved from the PNW to the East CoastIf you care to share, are you on the West Coast? I wonder if that is why I had a hard time finding them after we moved from the PNW to the East Coast
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Comment on Wondery App and Wondery+ Service being shut down by Amazon in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentI liked some of their audio dramas like Blood Ties and The Last City and that one Wolverine one I think? but I was never concerned about listening the minute it dropped so I was fine waiting until...I liked some of their audio dramas like Blood Ties and The Last City and that one Wolverine one I think? but I was never concerned about listening the minute it dropped so I was fine waiting until they were freely available on every other podcasting platform.
Seems like Wondery+ was aimed at the FOMO people or hardcore podcast consumers which apparently must not be a large enough crowd to keep the lights on. At least it seems like everything will move to Audible so nobody's out of a job.
I also was unaware until this moment that Wondery was an Amazon thing, so I'm equally glad I never bought into it
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Comment on Two Amazon Web Services Middle East availability zones down after data centre fires in ~tech
sparkle LinkPossibly unrelated, but I had some New Relic synthetic monitors based in Bahrain failing around 0500 UTC today. Fairly certain NR uses AWS as the host, though the checks were quickly resolved. I...Possibly unrelated, but I had some New Relic synthetic monitors based in Bahrain failing around 0500 UTC today. Fairly certain NR uses AWS as the host, though the checks were quickly resolved. I figured it might be some critical infrastructure losing power and a backup generator taking time to kick in or automatic re-routing taking time to fully spin up.
Sounds like it might be more serious than that. Thankfully we don't have much business in the Middle East but I can't imagine working at a datacentre and having your day interrupted by missile strikes. Must be horrifying - hopefully no casualties now or in the future.
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Comment on What's an obscure book/series that you've read that you would like to recommend? in ~books
sparkle (edited )LinkThese are probably only obscure due to age, but the Mushroom Planet series by Eleanor Cameron is especially dear to me. My dad introduced these books to me as he read them as a kid and passed them...These are probably only obscure due to age, but the Mushroom Planet series by Eleanor Cameron is especially dear to me. My dad introduced these books to me as he read them as a kid and passed them on to me. I credit them with being my introduction to STEM and driving so much of my curiosity throughout my childhood and adolescence.
I've yet to meet anybody (besides my dad) who has even heard of them. I remember trying to track down some physical copies a few years ago as I was uncertain where our originals were and the number of libraries carrying them was few and far between.
They were fantastic stories of whimsy and wonder with a bit of an environmental twist - I vaguely recall the mushroom planet aliens being afflicted with something caused by their proximity to earth. I also remember that in comparison to the formulaic drivel of Tom Swift books, these were much more inventive, though maybe a bit less sciencey.
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Comment on What's an obscure book/series that you've read that you would like to recommend? in ~books
sparkle (edited )Link ParentHi there :) I think you replied to my post a few weeks ago about Greg Egan and Diaspora. How does this Greg compare in terms of hard sci-fi? This series sounds really interesting and I might look...Hi there :) I think you replied to my post a few weeks ago about Greg Egan and Diaspora. How does this Greg compare in terms of hard sci-fi? This series sounds really interesting and I might look into it after I finish Egan's books
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Comment on Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water in ~enviro
sparkle Link ParentIn fact, isn't over utilizing underground water sources part of what got Iran into their water crisis? Sounds like this is just the beginning of the end unless something significant is done (like...In fact, isn't over utilizing underground water sources part of what got Iran into their water crisis? Sounds like this is just the beginning of the end unless something significant is done (like desalinization as you've said).
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Comment on Where do you go for "easy"/meme content? in ~tech
sparkle LinkI enjoy Star Trek memes and Risa is pretty good at delivering Also the last time a similar question was asked, somebody else posted a low-effort meme site that I believe was on the fediverse as...I enjoy Star Trek memes and Risa is pretty good at delivering
Also the last time a similar question was asked, somebody else posted a low-effort meme site that I believe was on the fediverse as well or maybe discuit? I found the content there pretty enjoyable, low effort, relatively apolitical, and new content (to me) but I completely forget what the URL was. If anybody posted that like six months ago, I would be moderately indebted to know it again!
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Comment on Discord: Getting global age assurance right: what we got wrong and what's changing in ~tech
sparkle Link ParentIn the US a parent/guardian can add a minor to an account and they can have a credit card issued in the minor's name (since it's technically illegal to use a card not in your name). I imagine...In the US a parent/guardian can add a minor to an account and they can have a credit card issued in the minor's name (since it's technically illegal to use a card not in your name). I imagine there are also provisions for emancipated minors. To a vendor, the minor appears as a valid credit card holder. A vendor would be unaware who is the primary account holder.
You can also open a bank account in most (all?) states at 16 with parental/guardian approval and be issued a debit card. Debit cards do appear as debit and not credit to a vendor, but they wouldn't be able to determine the age.
Things might have changed in the 20+ years since I was that age with a credit card and debit card though.
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Comment on I switched my gaming PC to Linux, and this time I think it's for good in ~comp
sparkle Link ParentHah, input-leap is a Wayland compatible fork of barrier which in itself is a fork of the original synergy core. Though looking at the synergy site, it seems even input-leap is falling off too....Hah, input-leap is a Wayland compatible fork of barrier which in itself is a fork of the original synergy core.
Though looking at the synergy site, it seems even input-leap is falling off too. Though I don't really appreciate the tone in this blog post - the author comes across to me as "open source sucks, use our paid software instead". I might still check out Deskflow though and see if native clipboard sharing is supported there.
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Comment on I switched my gaming PC to Linux, and this time I think it's for good in ~comp
sparkle Link ParentOh yeah, Wayland has also come a long way in recent years. I'm kind of required to use it because I have different refresh rates on all my displays, something X can't do. My only nitpick is that I...Oh yeah, Wayland has also come a long way in recent years. I'm kind of required to use it because I have different refresh rates on all my displays, something X can't do. My only nitpick is that I use input-leap as a software KVM to control my work PC and in the more secure architecture of Wayland, I can't use the clipboard share between machines. But I have other options, so not a deal breaker.
Plasma 6 is really pretty! And if you want a dock, there are plenty of options. I like that in vanilla Plasma, there's very little I feel like I have to modify to fit my liking. Whereas Gnome and XFCE have always required a lot of fiddling. Though at the end of the day, I would take both of those over the original Ubuntu Unity DE...
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Comment on I switched my gaming PC to Linux, and this time I think it's for good in ~comp
sparkle Link ParentGood news then - KDE is really well polished recently and Gnome is well... still Gnome. I find the opposite to be true these days and KDE being much easier to do most things in than Gnome You...Good news then - KDE is really well polished recently and Gnome is well... still Gnome. I find the opposite to be true these days and KDE being much easier to do most things in than Gnome
You might also be interested in EndeavourOS if you're more of a terminal power user as terminal usage is the main focus. KDE Plasma is the default DE there and also on CachyOS, I believe.
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Comment on I switched my gaming PC to Linux, and this time I think it's for good in ~comp
sparkle Link ParentThere's plenty of Arch-based distros that take a lot of the "nitty-gritty" out of the equation - CachyOS is one I've seen recommended lately, though I personally haven't used it. But it's supposed...There's plenty of Arch-based distros that take a lot of the "nitty-gritty" out of the equation - CachyOS is one I've seen recommended lately, though I personally haven't used it. But it's supposed to be gaming oriented and seems to be well received.
SteamOS came out in 2021 and that has greatly benefited Arch. Entirely possible you last tried Arch just before the Steam Deck released. But it's definitely come a long way thanks to contributions from Valve.
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Comment on I switched my gaming PC to Linux, and this time I think it's for good in ~comp
sparkle (edited )Link ParentNot picking on your choice of distro, more of a statement for awareness - but OpenRGB runs flawlessly on Arch for me (and I assume other Arch-based distros). I don't have RGB RAM, but it works...Really my biggest issue was finding a version of Linux that worked well with OpenRGB because I didn't at the time (and still don't) know of any other way to customize (disable, really) the RGB on my computer and RAM.
Not picking on your choice of distro, more of a statement for awareness - but OpenRGB runs flawlessly on Arch for me (and I assume other Arch-based distros). I don't have RGB RAM, but it works fine for mobo fans, GPU, and peripherals - same as it did under Windows for me.
I also know I was able to disable the temperature sensor on my RAM because it was causing my PC to fail to sleep. I don't recall the exact commands though, but perhaps it is possible to also disable just the RGB by preventing it from being accessed or something. If I can find the article I read on how to disable the sensor, I'll be sure to share it
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
sparkle Link ParentTo be fair, Wes Chatham as Amos was not at all how I pictured book Amos. But he really sold me on Amos and now when I re-read, I still see and hear Wes lolTo be fair, Wes Chatham as Amos was not at all how I pictured book Amos. But he really sold me on Amos and now when I re-read, I still see and hear Wes lol
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Comment on Why Vegas doesn't care if you visit anymore in ~finance
sparkle Link ParentMy company is foreign but under an American private equity firm. Despite posting a good revenue and profits, it wasn't enough to meet their forecasts so nobody got raises this year. I've heard...My company is foreign but under an American private equity firm. Despite posting a good revenue and profits, it wasn't enough to meet their forecasts so nobody got raises this year. I've heard there's been a 12% resignation rate already - myself hopefully soon to join them. But I can't shake the feeling that it's just frying pan -> fire and even if I join a smaller company, it'll get gobbled up before long.
And I just can't wrap my head around purposefully making products shit, losing millions in sales because customers say "your product is shit now", then blaming it on the employees. Where is the gain in any of this except the very short term? I'm just not rich enough to know these answers I guess /s
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E1: "The Gathering" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
sparkle Link ParentI know Plex has had it for free for a few years now, so maybe a similar deal exists for Roku channel (standard def, some ads, closed captions maybe)? I know the Plex one at least works in both the...I know Plex has had it for free for a few years now, so maybe a similar deal exists for Roku channel (standard def, some ads, closed captions maybe)? I know the Plex one at least works in both the US and Canada
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Comment on IT helpdesk request? in ~tech
sparkle LinkDoes the non-working machine's BIOS have USB peripherals enabled? Some don't enable this by default. Do other USB drives/sticks show up? Does the USB dock work with ANY drive on the second machine...Does the non-working machine's BIOS have USB peripherals enabled? Some don't enable this by default. Do other USB drives/sticks show up?
Does the USB dock work with ANY drive on the second machine that won't recognize the 8TB? Or is the issue limited to just this particular drive?
If other drives work, that rules out the USB dock being the primary issue and shifts focus to some incompatibility between the drive itself and Windows. If it's not recognized at all though, I would guess an issue with that machine's USB controller - hardware failure or driver issue or misconfiguration, difficult to know.
Out of curiosity, is it a USB-C dock? Is it possible that it's actually Thunderbolt and one computer supports it while the other doesn't, despite both connectors and receptacles being identical? Or any of the other stupid USB-C intricacies/incompatibilities?
Is that the chocolate company from San Francisco? My wife visited a number of years ago and brought back probably 250$ worth of chocolate bars from there that we slowly consumed over a few years. Definitely the best chocolate I've ever had, couldn't believe how complex the flavours could be and it was ethically sourced. I likened it to high end wine or coffee tastings where subtle process differences make a huge impact on the final product in unexpected ways (if you're not a master brewer/roaster/chocolatier, that is).