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    1. How to find out which extension opened an advertising tab?

      Recently I've been coming back to my chrome browsers to find a tab open with the following URL: (link disabled to prevent giving them any more clicks) https...

      Recently I've been coming back to my chrome browsers to find a tab open with the following URL:
      (link disabled to prevent giving them any more clicks)

      https ://theaisecrets.beehiiv.com/p/chatgpt-can-now-work-docs-apps-websites-emails

      This is happening across all my computers, both linux, windows, and linux VM, so I don't think it's OS-specific malware, but I suspect a rogue chrome extension is opening the tab, because I have chrome synced across all affected devices via my google account.

      I've searched for this particular problem and URL to no avail, so I wondered if there's a way to track back which extension opened the tab, other than by doing a binary search disabling half my extensions at a time (which would be annoying as hell - the tabs only seem to get opened once a day or so).

      14 votes
    2. Help fixing an old Sony TV

      Hi Tildestrians! I recently acquired a broken Sony TV from work. Its older, but its 4K, and would be a substantial upgrade over my current TV, so I am hoping to fix it. My usual willingness to...

      Hi Tildestrians! I recently acquired a broken Sony TV from work. Its older, but its 4K, and would be a substantial upgrade over my current TV, so I am hoping to fix it. My usual willingness to tinker and google prowess has failed me. I am hoping one of you can provide some guidance.

      Its a Sony XBR-55X850B. It is showing an error code of 7 flashing red lights. I tracked down the service manual (Sony, you should really have this available to customers and not locked behind an "authorized service center" certification), and it says the motherboard needs to be replaced. I found a replacement motherboard on ebay (it was for the 65 inch version, but that should not make a difference). I installed, and it gave a different error code. I think it was flashing green and orange. Based on my research, that means it needs new firmware to be flashed. Sony's website doesn't still have the firmware file for that TV (should be illegal in my opinion), and tells you to contact support. Support seemingly can't give out the firmware file either. I found a firmware file on Softpedia, but I have no idea if it is legitimate or even still a working file. Threw that on a fat32 drive, and couldn't manage to get it to update. I tried multiple drives and all usb ports over the course of 2 weeks. I ended up pulling the new motherboard and returning it (thankfully I was able to return it for full price). Now I am stuck with a TV panel that works perfectly, except for the motherboard, and I seemingly can't replace the motherboard.

      This got me thinking: I don't need anything fancy. I want a display with an HDMI input that takes 4K signal and puts it on the screen. I truly don't need anything more than that. Even an IR remote for power is optional, because I could plug it into a smart outlet. I don't need the speakers because I have a receiver. I know you can get bypass boards to turn laptop screens into monitors. They take the place of the support circuitry on the laptop motherboard and give you a display input, and nothing more. Is there anything like that I can get for this TV? I don't know where to start on that search.

      Or are there any other routes I should explore before junking this TV? It feels really bad to throw out a perfectly good 4k panel just because the motherboard is broken.

      11 votes
    3. Seeking advice for choosing an inexpensive, plug and play headset with microphone for recording presentations and participating in video chat

      Basically the title. I've been told my voice is too soft on zoom in spite of having tried many options. Before I buy new hardware, I'm asking advice. I have to record a presentation soon, so this...

      Basically the title. I've been told my voice is too soft on zoom in spite of having tried many options. Before I buy new hardware, I'm asking advice. I have to record a presentation soon, so this is important.

      What advice can you give?
      Thank you

      19 votes
    4. Facebook does not let me delete my account

      I did not use facebook for ages, i always thought i need it for my international contacts, but now this new pay or say yes to ads window showed up I realised I did not use it for a long time. So I...

      I did not use facebook for ages, i always thought i need it for my international contacts, but now this new pay or say yes to ads window showed up I realised I did not use it for a long time. So I was like, tech is like clothes, if you don't use it for a year it's time to let it go.
      So i tried to delete my acc.
      After some research (wtf????) I finally found this page
      https://www.facebook.com/help/delete_account
      where I can click my through a menu, until I can enter my password to delete my account, and it just does not let me.
      ""Sorry, this feature isn't available right now""
      wtf? how is deleting my acc not available????
      fuck this, fuck them. this is one of the "leading" tech enterprises. this is one of the biggest fucking companies in the world.
      I don't know how that is even legal.
      I'm so fucking angry. Fuck this fucking fuckers!
      does somebody know what i can do? can i send them an angry real life letter? do i need a lawyer?
      I'm not really in the EU, but the GDPR still applicates to me. so what do I do now to get rid of this fucking fuckers?

      ps. looking in the internet does not help nothing, it's just 100s of links to facebook help center. fuck the fucking modern web as well.

      42 votes
    5. 4G networks - does SMS and standard voice calls still work if 3G/2G networks are shutting down?

      Hey all, Over here in Australia (imagine in USA and a few other countries), the 3G/2G mobile networks are being shutdown. My carrier Vodafone is gradually shutting its down with Dec 15th 2023...

      Hey all,
      Over here in Australia (imagine in USA and a few other countries), the 3G/2G mobile networks are being shutdown. My carrier Vodafone is gradually shutting its down with Dec 15th 2023 being the final closure date. The 4G network will have VolTE but my device (LG V20) does not appear to support VolTE nor does it look like i can update the firmware easily (if at all) to do so.
      Anyone else have this issue with their phone? (i realise it will be older ones)
      Question about VolTE though - will sms and standard voice calling still work on 4G on my device or similar devices without VolTE ?.
      thanks
      Nig

      24 votes
    6. Do you have or know of fun domain names? Do you think it's worth having them?

      I'm interested in domain names that are remarkable in the sense that they are short or easy-to-remember. This idea for a topic started because I find myself window shopping for domain names. Thing...

      I'm interested in domain names that are remarkable in the sense that they are short or easy-to-remember.

      This idea for a topic started because I find myself window shopping for domain names. Thing is, the only use I have for a domain is for my personal website. That's why I hesitate picking up these fun quirky domains.

      What are some interesting domain names you've encountered?

      Do you think it's worth it (in terms of utility and/or entertainment value) to have a more remarkable domain name for a personal website?

      30 votes
    7. Why do people make inflammatory posts and comments on LinkedIn?

      I go to LinkedIn to find work. My real name is there. My picture is there. My career history is there. There are many places on the Internet where I can anonymously post inflammatory opinions...

      I go to LinkedIn to find work.

      My real name is there. My picture is there. My career history is there.

      There are many places on the Internet where I can anonymously post inflammatory opinions without endangering my job, my career, or my reputation in my field.

      I kind of feel like that is the situation on for everyone else on LinkedIn too.

      So... why do some people post inflammatory opinions about politics and other non-career related subjects on that site?

      All risk and for zero gain.

      30 votes
    8. Audio/video system for a small bar

      I'm helping some friends setting up a bar/little restaurant. they have some tvs and are looking for an audio system. The idea is that they can put on some music videos/sports and it shows up on...

      I'm helping some friends setting up a bar/little restaurant. they have some tvs and are looking for an audio system.
      The idea is that they can put on some music videos/sports and it shows up on all TVs and audio goes to their (to be bought) soundsystem.

      all this has to be as cheap as possible, as we're in a low income country.
      The environment is quite loud. so it needs some power.

      So I think I just gonna buy a cheapish hifi-system with 4 passive speakers, connect it with their "smartest" tv (they are all off-brand) and run audio cables to the different areas and speakers.

      how to synchronize the tvs I still have no idea, but it is not really a priority

      So my questions

      • What is something like this even called? with the keywords I tired i only find nothing or very expensive pro solutions.
      • how would you resolve the video part? 3x 15m HDMI cables seem quite expensive, but might be the only solution. how do i split the signal?
      • might it be better to buy active speakers and use a small mixer?

      If you have experience in this I would be very happy for your advice/opinion.

      9 votes
    9. Has anyone used a e-ink smartphone as their main device

      Looking up the Boox Palma device right now, it seems to be very handy actually. The only point where I may not be able to use it for everyday use would be that it seems to struggle with playing...

      Looking up the Boox Palma device right now, it seems to be very handy actually. The only point where I may not be able to use it for everyday use would be that it seems to struggle with playing Spotify music. But I wouldn't mind picking up one of those 4G dumbphone devices that Nokia puts out for that usecase.

      24 votes
    10. Advice on GPU upgrade wanted

      So I'm in the market at the moment for a GPU upgrade. I haven't spent a dumb amount of money on something stupid in a while now and I'm thinking this Christmas season is the time. My only problem...

      So I'm in the market at the moment for a GPU upgrade. I haven't spent a dumb amount of money on something stupid in a while now and I'm thinking this Christmas season is the time. My only problem is, I've been really out of the loop since the Great Shortage. I've heard AMDs cards these days are actually more than complete jokes, and NVIDIA has been getting too big-headed and making some poor consumer choices. So a switch to AMD sounds like it might be viable for me.

      At the moment, I've got an RTX 2070 8GB. I've read that lately, games have been utilizing VRAM like crazy so I want to bolster my numbers on that front. Was looking at 12GB cards since the 24GB ones are all ludicrously priced. At the moment, I'd say my budget is around 500/600 USD. Is AMD worth switching to at the moment? Or should I go for something like a 4060?

      21 votes
    11. Wordpress hosting

      My girlfriend has started a small business and is looking into a blogging platform. What she has tried so far hasn't been great. She has decided to go the WordPress route and this is where I am...

      My girlfriend has started a small business and is looking into a blogging platform. What she has tried so far hasn't been great. She has decided to go the WordPress route and this is where I am involved.

      Any suggestions for hosting providers? What features should I be considering or anything else I should be aware of when it comes to picking a provider?
      Right now I am looking at Bluehost vs Hostinger. Bluehost just seem to be the most advertised. Hostinger seemed to offer more for the same cost.

      12 votes
    12. Looking at getting a new phone - help with my odd requirements?

      Well, maybe they're not that odd, but I've not really been paying attention to what phone manufacturers are up to these days, so I need some help with what will work for me. I've previously had a...

      Well, maybe they're not that odd, but I've not really been paying attention to what phone manufacturers are up to these days, so I need some help with what will work for me. I've previously had a huawei p10 lite (which I only sold after the news of them selling data to the Chinese government), Pixel 3a (i used that until it dying breath and then sold it for parts), and now I have a RealMe 8 5g, but I'm having charging issues with it. I might look at getting it fixed, but depending on the cost I might sell it on and buy something else.

      MUST HAVES:

      • Headphone jack. I'll die on this hill and I will get a phone with a headphone jack as long as they are available to me.
      • good battery. It's the main reason I went for the RealMe 8, the battery has just been fantastic so far.
      • No bloatware. I'm ruling out Samsung, and anything similar that is full of extra junk I can't get rid of. As close to pure android as possible is best.

      IDEAL

      • good for games. the heaviest duty game I play on my phone is TFT, and then I move around between various puzzle and idle games for when I'm travelling or on my lunch break, but I don't need it to be super powerful.
      • wireless charging. Nearly put this as a must have, but I could definitely live without it.
      • Not chinese made/owned. Also nearly put this as must have, but I don't want to limit myself massively.
      • under £250 I very rarely spend even that much on a phone, but I'm open to treating myself a bit.

      I don't care about the camera really. I'm a photography hobbyist and so if I want to take good photos for memories I'll just take a camera with me. If it's good then thats a bonus but its near the bottom of my list of things I think about.

      What would there be out there for me? I've always liked the look of Sony phones but they're typically a lot of money, how do they fit in with my requirements? I've also been looking into the Fairphone but it really is out of my budget, and i don't know how it runs.

      Thanks in advance for any help :)

      26 votes