ThrowdoBaggins's recent activity

  1. Comment on LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    I’m sure there are already plenty up-and-running for us to join, but alas they aren’t hanging out on Tildes to spruik it

    Anybody want to start an off-grid commune? :)

    I’m sure there are already plenty up-and-running for us to join, but alas they aren’t hanging out on Tildes to spruik it

  2. Comment on LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    I just had the thought: anyone who would very much like to reserve the right to sue Amazon, is probably already distrustful enough to avoid them more broadly. So by having these shitty T&C’s baked...

    Why should the mouse care if they can’t sue Amazon if they aren’t usually suing Amazon in the first place? 😮‍💨

    I just had the thought: anyone who would very much like to reserve the right to sue Amazon, is probably already distrustful enough to avoid them more broadly. So by having these shitty T&C’s baked in, that makes people self-select into or out of the ecosystem.

    And there are uncomfortable parallels with deliberately obvious scams with typos and clearly-wrong URLs etc, used by scammers to let people self-select for being gullible and an easier mark.

    Gosh, it’s all so gross!

    3 votes

  3. Comment on What are your current pain points with Linux? in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    Having lived in the world of peripherals-with-onboard-memory, my frustration in the same scenario you highlighted here would be less that Logitech software doesn’t work on Linux, and more that I...

    Having lived in the world of peripherals-with-onboard-memory, my frustration in the same scenario you highlighted here would be less that Logitech software doesn’t work on Linux, and more that I can’t just program the functions I want directly into the mouse and then keep using it with the same functionality across devices.

    My workplace uses Windows, but I have the same limitation that I can’t use the extra mouse buttons/functions because our environment is so locked down, and downloading Logitech software is a non-starter. I would be willing to take all the time to set up the buttons and functions from my home computer, but with no onboard memory, that wouldn’t carry across to my work computer.

    1 vote

  4. Comment on Adulting -- what advice or encouragement did you receive / wish you had received when you were just starting out moving out? in ~life

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    In addition to not getting a flashy car, I’ll also add that there’s substantial value in getting an incredibly common boring car: cheap parts! I’m Australian and drive a little Mazda 2 hatchback,...

    In addition to not getting a flashy car, I’ll also add that there’s substantial value in getting an incredibly common boring car: cheap parts!

    I’m Australian and drive a little Mazda 2 hatchback, which is not only fuel efficient and small enough to park anywhere, but also it’s so common that our mechanic has commented on it. He reckons it’s going to be really cheap to keep it going for many more years even as things start to wear out (although it’s already a teenager and hasn’t shown any signs yet) because finding spare parts in a local scrapyard is going to be super easy and dirt cheap.

    By contrast, my previous car wasn’t anything particularly special or expensive, but was such a weird/rare model that finding replacement parts anywhere in Australia would have probably meant months of searching listings. Ultimately the lack of spare parts is what doomed it when it was showing its age, despite incredibly low mileage on a 20+ year old car.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    /u/chum-cha answered for you, but technically I’m using a slightly older version (Logitech MX Master 3S)

    /u/chum-cha answered for you, but technically I’m using a slightly older version (Logitech MX Master 3S)

  6. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    I’ve got a whole extra scroll wheel on my mouse to do that for me, no keyboard needed 😅 And yes, having an additional scroll wheel for sideways scrolling was a huge part of my decision to buy it....

    holding shift when using scroll wheel to scroll horizontally

    I’ve got a whole extra scroll wheel on my mouse to do that for me, no keyboard needed 😅

    And yes, having an additional scroll wheel for sideways scrolling was a huge part of my decision to buy it. Previous job I regularly worked from a spreadsheet which was substantially wider than an ultra wide monitor

    1 vote

  7. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    Windows 11 no longer lets this command have the cuts-through-everything-no-matter-what priority that it used to have, and it just baffles the mind that they would make that change. Literally for...

    Windows 11 no longer lets this command have the cuts-through-everything-no-matter-what priority that it used to have, and it just baffles the mind that they would make that change. Literally for what reason?

    3 votes

  8. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

  9. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    It’s endlessly amusing to me that “redo” is both Ctrl+Shift+Z and also Ctrl+Y, and yet “undo” is only Ctrl+Z but not Ctrl+Shift+Y

    It’s endlessly amusing to me that “redo” is both Ctrl+Shift+Z and also Ctrl+Y, and yet “undo” is only Ctrl+Z but not Ctrl+Shift+Y

    3 votes

  10. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    For some reason, the desktop version of Outlook doesn’t let me Ctrl+Shift+V to paste without formatting when I’m composing an email. I have to Ctrl+V and then select the “paste as” options box...

    For some reason, the desktop version of Outlook doesn’t let me Ctrl+Shift+V to paste without formatting when I’m composing an email. I have to Ctrl+V and then select the “paste as” options box that appears just under whatever I pasted. Infuriating that it’s basically universal in every other program and platform, even other MS Office apps, and yet when writing an email I am suddenly betrayed

    1 vote

  11. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    It’s only been this year that I’ve levelled up to Ctrl+Home to go to the very start of the whole text block, or Ctrl+End to go to the end. But for a few years now I’ve been using Ctrl+Shift+Arrow...

    It’s only been this year that I’ve levelled up to Ctrl+Home to go to the very start of the whole text block, or Ctrl+End to go to the end. But for a few years now I’ve been using Ctrl+Shift+Arrow keys to select whole words or paragraphs at a time. I’m finding myself selecting text with the keys to be much faster using than the mouse, even though I’m also quite adept with the mouse and regularly play shooter games with mouse and keyboard.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on What's your line? in ~life

  13. Comment on Free Domino pizza from Domino's Pizza in ~food

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link
    The OP link just redirects to... uh, “find your local dominos page from this list of global divisions” or something? The link shared by u/moocow1452 hit a 403 page earlier, and then a cloudflare...

    The OP link just redirects to... uh, “find your local dominos page from this list of global divisions” or something?

    The link shared by u/moocow1452 hit a 403 page earlier, and then a cloudflare “blocked” page later on.

    I think I found Dominos press release about this one but I don’t know if it’s also going to crash under the weight of curiosity:

    https://ir.dominos.com/news-releases/news-release-details/after-more-65-years-dominosr-launch-first-pizza-worthy-its-name

    1 vote

  14. Comment on Ahead of an all-digital future for PlayStation, Sony needs to prove in courts that players know they don't own digitally purchased games in ~games

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    I should probably caveat that both Steam and PSN have (true as at today at least) added arse-covering clauses so that they’re not explicitly breaking the law: Steam Valve will, upon request via...

    I should probably caveat that both Steam and PSN have (true as at today at least) added arse-covering clauses so that they’re not explicitly breaking the law:

    Steam

    Valve will, upon request via help.steampowered.com, issue a refund for any reason, if the request is made within the required return period, and, in the case of games, if the title has been played for less than two hours.

    There are more details below, but even if you fall outside of the refund rules we’ve described, you can ask for a refund anyway and we’ll take a look. Consumers in some jurisdictions may have additional rights to a refund in circumstances where the game is faulty.

    PlayStation

    Depending on the type of product, you may be able to request a refund if you’ve changed your mind about a PlayStation Store purchase.

    In addition to the below, you may have additional rights under applicable local law, such as if your content is faulty. Nothing in the below limits or replaces any such rights under local law.

    (added emphasis to arse-covering)

    However, I’ve had a game fail to meet my (I would like to claim “reasonable”) expectations and be denied a refund because it didn’t fall under Steam’s general policy. I don’t have the time or money to take the issue to court, but perhaps if it happens enough in similar situations, someday I might see a class action. Probably unlikely to actually happen.

    It’s pretty clever (if also insidious) to have a refund policy that’s technically more generous in most situations as a way to placate 90% of your user base, so that the people genuinely ripped off are dispersed enough that you don’t have to deal with them. If they tried the same refund policy trick in a bricks-and-mortar store I think the outcome would be different.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Ahead of an all-digital future for PlayStation, Sony needs to prove in courts that players know they don't own digitally purchased games in ~games

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    Only because in 2014 ACCC took them to court in Australia and Valve lost the case. Worth noting that Valve’s current refund policy still technically doesn’t comply with Australian consumer law but...

    generous, no questions asked refund windows.

    Only because in 2014 ACCC took them to court in Australia and Valve lost the case. Worth noting that Valve’s current refund policy still technically doesn’t comply with Australian consumer law but it bandaid-covers the majority of cases.

    5 votes

  16. Comment on Ahead of an all-digital future for PlayStation, Sony needs to prove in courts that players know they don't own digitally purchased games in ~games

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    They’re definitely using digital-not-physical, but I think you’re reading this as digital-not-analogue

    All video games are digital...do people think BluRays have a range of values that can be "zeroish" or "almost one?"

    They’re definitely using digital-not-physical, but I think you’re reading this as digital-not-analogue

    5 votes

  17. Comment on According to user voting, these are the world’s shittiest birds in ~enviro

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    I’m happy to pay the Magpie Mafia, because they also share around information on their most (and least) trusted humans to the next generation! So with enough patience and persistence, you can...

    I’m happy to pay the Magpie Mafia, because they also share around information on their most (and least) trusted humans to the next generation! So with enough patience and persistence, you can summon your own feathered army as required!

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Compact phone in the works for the fans of small phones in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    I was one of the earlier users to question this, and you’re right that my usage is definitely low for most people, but for me the issue brought up about how it won’t last all day (based on usage)...

    I was one of the earlier users to question this, and you’re right that my usage is definitely low for most people, but for me the issue brought up about how it won’t last all day (based on usage) feels like an unusual point if the same is true for all other phones on the market. This new proposed phone doesn’t exist in a vacuum — how many other flagship phones on the market today are >4Ah and at what price point?

    2 votes

  19. Comment on Compact phone in the works for the fans of small phones in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    That’s on par with an iPhone 16 and 16 Pro (the pro max has a bit more at ~4,600 mAh) so is the software difference really that substantial between iPhone and Android? Which existing Android...

    That’s on par with an iPhone 16 and 16 Pro (the pro max has a bit more at ~4,600 mAh) so is the software difference really that substantial between iPhone and Android?

    Which existing Android models do you have in mind when you compare to this compact phone?

    3 votes

  20. Comment on Meta agrees to heavy restrictions on teen users in major lawsuit settlement in ~tech

    ThrowdoBaggins
    Link Parent
    I agree if you’re already in the mindset of thinking critically about these companies, but I think a lot of people take them at face value, because the vibe they’re expressing is something they...

    I agree if you’re already in the mindset of thinking critically about these companies, but I think a lot of people take them at face value, because the vibe they’re expressing is something they already agree with. There’s a reason PR continues to exist as an industry, and I won’t pretend I’m immune.

    4 votes