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    1. E-ink tablet recommendations for note taking

      Does anyone here use a tablet for note taking? I've always used pen and paper for note taking when working or in/around the house. At one point when phones got bigger I did try moving to notes...

      Does anyone here use a tablet for note taking?

      I've always used pen and paper for note taking when working or in/around the house. At one point when phones got bigger I did try moving to notes apps but they never clicked. Something about the glossy screen and the levels of fuss to take a note just didn't work.

      I recently found out that there's e-ink tablets which try to emulate real note taking, like the Supernote which runs a custom firmware to make note taking as easy as possible. Or the Boox which is Android based, so it has way more apps, but it's got amazing reviews.

      There's quite a lot, I'm curious if anyone here has actually used anything like this and what their thoughts are?
      Looking at reviews, I'm drawn to the Supernote. But I'd love to hear some real use cases!

      27 votes
    2. IT helpdesk request?

      I'm frankly all out of ideas on how to solve an issue, so I'm hoping that the Tildes community might have a suggestion for solving this issue. I have an 8tb HDD that spins up and is recognized by...

      I'm frankly all out of ideas on how to solve an issue, so I'm hoping that the Tildes community might have a suggestion for solving this issue.

      I have an 8tb HDD that spins up and is recognized by windows when plugged into a USB HDD dock, but in another machine (also running windows 10) the drive can't be seen (**this is using data connections directly to the motherboard).

      There is:

      • Nothing mechanically wrong with the drive as it reads/writes on the HDD dock.
      • I've tested the drive as an NTFS formatted drive and as unallocated.
      • Neither Disk Manager nor the bios sees the drive.
      • Multiple SATA cables and Power jacks tested on working drives and the non working drive.

      Open to thoughts, prayers or possible solutions.

      Thank you!

      21 votes
    3. Need a replacement for my old macbook pro, should I just get another one?

      I'm up for both a new phone and a new laptop, I have an Iphone 8 and a Macbook pro (2020) that was a freebie from an old job. I wanted a new Iphone, but if I did that, only a Macbook can put music...

      I'm up for both a new phone and a new laptop, I have an Iphone 8 and a Macbook pro (2020) that was a freebie from an old job.

      I wanted a new Iphone, but if I did that, only a Macbook can put music on it and that's half what I use my phone for. I don't really need a new laptop, but all of my other devices are Linux and can't put music on an Iphone. So seems like it's either all or nothing here. Either I switch to Android, or I go buy two expensive Apple products soon.

      Iphones have always been great to me, the only reason I need a new phone right now is because Apple refuses to support mine any more. The Macbook though, I had that for only a year before the logic board gave out and bricked it. Is that just something that happens with Macbooks? Are all Apple products actually trash and I've just gotten lucky with both Iphone 4s and Iphone 8 being built for war?

      Am I dumb for avoiding Android like the plague? Every Android phone I've ever met is loaded with tons of bloatware and insecure as hell, seems like the Windows of the phone world.

      34 votes
    4. Non-Logitech replacement for G502 mouse?

      My G502s are starting to exhibit the dreaded double-click problem. Now they're old -- I think one is around 10yrs old, the other 6-7yrs old -- so I've gotten solid use out of both. And G502s are...

      My G502s are starting to exhibit the dreaded double-click problem. Now they're old -- I think one is around 10yrs old, the other 6-7yrs old -- so I've gotten solid use out of both. And G502s are cheap enough these days (like US$35 on Amazon) that it'd be inexpensive to replace them with new G502s.

      But I'm still annoyed that this is happening. Plus, this isn't my first time having problems with Logitech gaming peripherals. I've had issues with my G305 wireless mouse (dongle stopped working), and I will never buy Logitech gaming keyboards again since replacement keycaps can't be purchased; gotta buy a whole new keyboard. So yeah, trying to avoid Logitech if possible.

      Anyway, I like the G502 because it has multiple buttons, particularly the main thumb button (G6), which I use for PTT on Discord/Teamspeak. I then use the other two thumb buttons (G4/G5) as forward/back in browsers or game bindings (along with G7/G8).

      Any good alternatives? Let's say ≤US$80. Preference is wired, but non-BT wireless is fine, too. If wireless, ideally it'd AA/AAA batteries so I can quickly swap rechargeable batteries. Lastly, I'm right-handed.

      TIA!

      23 votes
    5. Looking for a particular kind of computer speaker

      so I need computer speakers that are less than 6 inch high either the left or right speaker has controls that allow me to increase or decrease the volume have 3.5 mm headphone port [optional]...

      so I need computer speakers that

      • are less than 6 inch high
      • either the left or right speaker has controls that allow me to
        • increase or decrease the volume
        • have 3.5 mm headphone port [optional]
        • button to power on/off [optional]
      • wired, either via 3.5 mm headphone jack or USB-C cable

      I've tried looking for it but I am having a damn hard time trying to find something that fits all these.

      16 votes
    6. Passing question about LLMs and the Tech Singularity

      I am currently reading my way thru Ted Chiang's guest column in the New Yorker, about why the predicted AI/Tech Singularity will probably never happen...

      I am currently reading my way thru Ted Chiang's guest column in the New Yorker, about why the predicted AI/Tech Singularity will probably never happen (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/why-computers-wont-make-themselves-smarter). ETA: I just noticed that article is almost 5 years old; the piece is still relevant, but worth noting.

      Good read. Still reading, but so far, I find I disagree with his explicit arguments, but at the same time, he is also brushing up very closely to my own reasoning for why "it" might never happen. Regardless, it is thought-provoking.

      But, I had a passing thought during the reading.

      People who actually use LLMs like Claude Code to help write software, and/or, who pay close attention to LLMs' coding capabilities ... has anyone actually started experimenting with asking Claude Code or other LLMs that are designed for programming, to look at their own source code and help to improve it?

      In other words, are we (the humans) already starting to use LLMs to improve their code faster than we humans alone could do?

      Wouldn't this be the actual start of the predicted "intelligence explosion"?


      Edit to add: To clarify, I am not (necessarily) suggesting that LLMs -- this particular round of AI -- will actually advance to become some kind of true supra-human AGI ... I am only suggesting that they may be the first real tool we've built (beyond Moore's Law itself) that might legitimately speed up the rate at which we approach the Singularity (whatever that ends up meaning).

      19 votes