Mark Stosberg

Interests include #TranspoEquity, #UltraRunning, #BloomingtonIN, #DevOps, #UrbanPlanning, #Mapping, #Linux

Boosting questions and helpful or actionable posts. Let’s build better together.

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Last Notes

2026-07-30 22:15:04 GMT

A dark pattern scam targeting older folks.
Targets invest 20 minutes in a dementia quiz only to find at the end they have to pay for results, while a countdown clock ticks down from 15 minutes until the results expire.
Cost appears to be $2 for 7-day access, but fine print is that it auto renews at $40/month… forever.
#scams
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/011/231/746/128/174/original/fe7d7b7a22c05d34.png

2026-07-03 16:13:19 GMT

Mozilla is launching Thundermail, a hosted email service including tools for sending large files securely and scheduling appointments.
The service is currently onboarding new customers from a waiting list. Webmail from the service should be available within a month or so.
I recently appeared on Thunderbird Community Office Hours with some other folks from the Thunderbird team to give progress updates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS6IcMCJ93s
https://tb.pro/en-US/
@nprofile…yejy
#thundermail #thunderbird

2026-06-29 14:25:47 GMT

Urban planner was warned in advance of neighborhood meeting not to use the term “bump outs”, as neighbors didn’t like those.
So he improvised Curblets, which was misheard as curbettes, which was promptly denounced as “probably sexist”, and finally, as French.
#UrbanPlanning

2026-05-09 19:50:21 GMT

Why take a 20-minute power nap when 7 will do?
Rachel Entrekin Wins 250-mile, 56-hour running race outright by taking only 3 micro-naps totalling 19 minutes. https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a71240926/rachel-entrekin-wins-cocodona-250/
#running

2026-05-01 14:31:40 GMT

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@nprofile…jhwj @nprofile…tkx6 @nprofile…26hz My city had been using a somewhat complaint-driven process to fund new sidewalks. I used spatial analysis to compare the impact of this approach vs a data-driven approach that to find the highest merit locations. Turns out the complaint-driven approach over-prioritized wealthier neighborhoods, while the objective approach surfaced truly high-need areas that better served the city. Objective user data sampling is the way to go to support decisions.

2026-03-23 16:16:05 GMT

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@nprofile…gu7x Alt headlines:
Cyberattack blows for Intoxalock
Intoxalock sobered by cyberattack

2026-02-25 17:32:49 GMT

Recommended surge protector / power supply for #homelab
My AT&T router appeared to be factory resetting in response to power issues, possibly with my power strip.
Which I don’t doubt might be the case, I have old, cheap, generic power strip.
So recommend me a power / strip protector you trust with your uptime. While I don’t need a UPS, I wouldn’t mind /some/ battery backup to smooth over brief power issues.

2026-02-22 14:25:32 GMT

Reflection on #NixOS vs #Ansible
Ansible gives that ever-so tempting option to make changes directly on the servers. Things you might justify as minor, unimportant, or urgent. Whatever the reason, you can easily sync the server state with Ansible later, right?
Later: One some unrelated task, all these changes show up in the dry run and are a distraction and drag to deal with.
#NixOS forces you to make the changes only to the "single source of truth", eliminating this class of issues.

2026-02-08 21:43:46 GMT

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@nprofile…twh5 @nprofile…08nq Can't you use any app that supports that Mastodon when your ActivityPub identity is hosted on Ghost, or no?

2026-02-05 20:06:21 GMT

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@nprofile…vm2f Frosted glass? Emulating iOS?

2026-01-27 01:53:50 GMT

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@nprofile…8udl WordPress has been a victim of it's own success. The idea of supporting a plugin system helped it really take off, but with plugins having permission to be put a banner at the top the dashboard led to common experiences like this screenshot.
A couple of news orgs here are moving (or have moved) from WordPress to Ghost). Ghost is not a great fit for all that WordPress has evolved to do, bu it's an excellent fit for blog+newsletter+payments+analytics+ActivityPub.

2026-01-27 01:46:34 GMT

WordPress, the joy of blogging.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/115/964/533/200/714/121/original/565930592b9fe564.jpg

2025-12-01 23:07:37 GMT

I'm a Google Workspace admin, and a team member sent me a screenshot showing that a message they wanted to send was being blocked because it violated an organizational policy-- which was news to me-- I hadn't put in place to block messages based on their content.
Turns out Google Workspace now warns by default when the message content mentions gender identity.
#google #privacy #politics
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/115/646/815/343/060/565/original/221d8aa2678c47bc.png

2025-11-27 03:21:58 GMT

Time to learn another configuration language: KDL, apparently pronounced "cuddle" is supposed to deal with some of pitfalls of XML, JSON, YAML and TOML.
The author kindly asks that you stop sending them to a link to the XKCD "One more standard..." comic strip.
https://kdl.dev/
#Linux

2025-11-02 05:23:39 GMT

To prioritize sidewalk funding, it's useful to know where there's pedestrian demand. Walk Potential calculates this by analyzing how many of 20 different categories of amenities are within a 10-minute walk.
I'm in the process of releasing Walk Potential as a plugin for the QGIS, a free desktop QGIS app. This will make it easier for people to try it out and use.
Demo video: https://urbanists.video/w/ifWGYRor1Zwa5x9ZM9PQ79
Context: https://mark.stosberg.com/new-software-to-calculate-walk-potential-for-cities/
#UrbanPlanning #mapping #Python #qgis #osm

2025-06-06 14:00:23 GMT

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@nprofile…skc4 And I've been buying ice cubes all this time.

2025-05-12 18:50:12 GMT

I tried letting "Claude Code" solve a coding problem for me.
It was iterating, trying edits, running the tests, revising the code. But then when it couldn't get the tests pass to after a couple of iterations, it updated the test suite to just skip those tests, declaring that they were unreliable and not useful. 😂
The tests were passing before Claude got involved. Our jobs are safe for now.
#AI #LLM #CLaude

2025-05-08 15:18:57 GMT

Progress towards universal Copy/Paste shortcuts on Linux
https://mark.stosberg.com/universal-copy-paste/
#Linux #keyboards

2025-05-04 13:34:36 GMT

As a long-time Sway window-manager user on #Linux, I gave #Cosmic a try today on a new laptop.
I was surprised that it it seems to support all the tiling keyboard shortcuts I wanted use and nearly all my other other configuration.
One feature missing for me was remapping some mouse keys via libinput.
I'll stick with Sway for now because I have it dialed in with no major complaints, but will keep an eye on Cosmic's future releases. Impressed.
#sway #swaywm #wayland

2025-04-30 03:16:01 GMT

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@nprofile…vrl0 There’s a feature I want to add to a Rust app. A few months ago AI failed horribly to help with it, but I may give it a second try.

2025-04-27 16:34:33 GMT

Instant Pot pro tip to get more out of your digital pressure cooker.
Tape timing charts to the inside of kitchen cabinets for easy reference.
So if only need a quick remember about the water ratio and cook time for beans, rice or veggies, you’ve got a convenient reference.
Some timing charts are way off, though. I recommend this one by pressure-cooking pro Jill Nussinow.
https://www.theveggiequeen.com/product/best-vegan-pressure-cooker-timing-charts/
#InstantPot #food
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/114/410/892/304/503/495/original/7dca1c4ea1b70fe7.jpeg

2025-04-22 15:43:01 GMT

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@nprofile…5k2y Mike Pence had a rule to not dine alone with any woman besides my wife.
Pete likes to keep his wife in every group chat.
We all have our quirks, right?

2025-04-17 13:36:16 GMT

MAZANOKE - a free, simple and private image optimizer that runs in your browser.
The next time you are pasting a screenshot into a blog post, run it through a compressor and see how much smaller it can be.
https://mazanoke.com/
#blogging

2025-04-13 14:57:39 GMT

I tried using an #LLM to take a shortcut to setup a new #Linux laptop.
The answers were technically correct, but failed to advise me it was a dumb idea that was more complex then it seemed, that was I was likely to screw something up (I did) and I should I stick with the standard `archinstall` tool.
Which worked great on my second try.
Sometimes intelligence is more than having the requested facts, it's knowing when to tell someone they are asking the wrong question.
#AI

2025-04-05 15:19:09 GMT

@nprofile…qz4x Fellow #Framework laptop lover, here’s the sticker I designed for mine, layered on a dbrand skin.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/114/286/025/005/429/391/original/3c3189fcc786d294.jpeg

2025-04-04 11:59:16 GMT

@nprofile…qz4x Looking forward to your talk today at IU!

2025-04-03 18:06:58 GMT

After test-driving various browsers, I'm back with #Firefox
I tried Chromium, qutebrowser, Brave, Vivaldi, Zen & Floorp.
The minimal keyboard-driven UI of Qute was my favorite, but it lacks some mainstream extension support that I need.
Vivaldi can be customized with details like toolbar at the bottom, but had some crashers and oddities.
Zen's "Compact mode" is great, but it has a serious light-mode theming bug.
Firefox isn't perfect, but is today's sweet spot.
What's your fav browser?

2025-03-07 15:41:44 GMT

Try this one weird trick to defeat #AI facial recognition.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/114/121/906/759/662/869/original/e02579449c27b01f.jpeg

2025-03-05 13:31:38 GMT

Automating Kubernetes with AI might be jumping the DevOps shark.
https://github.com/datolabs-io/opsy
#kubernetes #devops #ai

2025-03-03 14:56:05 GMT

Before USB became the standard way to charge phones, there was utter chaos.
Poor companies that just wanted to sell you a car charger ended up with solutions like this, where they give you a bag of adapters. Only one fits your phone, and that’s the one you lose.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/114/099/078/064/091/085/original/c2e0a3b7c1c7c423.jpeg

2025-02-26 12:05:03 GMT

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@nprofile…s06p Why did you choose Authentik as an identity broker over other options like Zitadel?

2025-02-05 14:36:28 GMT

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☝️ Big tech has learned that AI doesn't have to be so commute and resource intensive, using a lot less water. So will the cost savings go meeting climate goals faster or doubling down on more #ai ?
Can AI do more to help meet climate goals compared to the amount of water is sucking it up to contribute to them?

2025-02-05 14:33:42 GMT

"It’s tempting to see cost reducing innovations like s1 or DeepSeek V3 and assume that OpenAI & Anthropic’s vast datacenters are a waste of money. I’d argue that no, having 10,000 H100s just means that you can do 625 times more experiments than s1 did.
If you believe that #AI development is a prime national security advantage, then you absolutely should want even more money poured into AI development, to make it go even faster."
https://timkellogg.me/blog/2025/02/03/s1

2025-01-17 16:07:28 GMT

Current social media forecast for Friday, January 17th, 2025.
Strong legal headwinds are driving many users from #TikTok to #Instagram, Google shorts, and ironically, #RedNote, another Chinese app.
Meanwhile, increasingly regressive vibes from Meta's Zuck are driving many Instagram users to #Pixelfed
In turn, Pixelfed recently officially launched it's own mobile app.
Forecast calls for continuing rain of cat and dog photos, although it's not clear where they will be landing by next week.

2025-01-17 13:19:03 GMT

Grammarly has launched an intriguing feature related to "Authorship".
It watches what you write vs pasted into a document, and guess what might be generated by AI. What do you think?
https://www.grammarly.com/authorship
#ai #writing
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/113/843/886/885/598/782/original/9333423bbfb25f89.png

2025-01-14 17:39:54 GMT

With #HelixEditor 25.1, there's now an easier way to focus on just the files with #git conflicts to edit.
1. Use <space>g to open the menu of files with Git changes.
2. Type "%c co" to filter the list to just those files with conflicts.
This is using the new filtering syntax to select filter list entries by column using a % prefix for a column name.
"c" is sufficiently unique to match the column named "change" and
"co" is sufficiently unique to match the change type "conflict".
@nprofile…wlry
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/113/827/921/623/408/724/original/85725242ad121694.png

2025-01-06 21:06:42 GMT

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@nprofile…x3yv In my own case, the app is being redeployed every day, so we already need to design for the whole app to be restarted. That's done with a redundancy and a load-balancer. If the design requiremements already need to handle being completely restarted, hot-reloading the config system feels like unnecessary complexity.
If I get a new certificate that needs to be rotated, I restart the app. The LB will redirect traffic to the twin for a few seconds in the meantime.

2025-01-06 20:55:19 GMT

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@nprofile…x3yv If implemented perfectly and bug-free, yes you could hot-reload an immutable configuration.
At least in Node.js, it would be very easy to copy a config value such that the hot-reload could produce an inconsistent state unless the entire app was reloaded, in which case you don't need special logic in the config system for a hot reload.

2025-01-06 19:14:23 GMT

Sometimes the role of an #opensource maintainer is to understand when your project is mature and say "no" to most feature requests because the extra complexity isn't worth it.
One recurring request for a popular config module is hot config file reloading, a feature we've rejected many times.
This was today's response explaining why you might not want that feature and why we are rejecting it again:
https://github.com/node-config/node-config/issues/781#issuecomment-2573737173
What's your take: Do you prefer immutable configs?
#configuration

2025-01-04 15:15:18 GMT

#NixOS users: On a single-user laptop, how do you decide which apps to install globally vs locally if they are equally easy to install either way?

2025-01-02 18:57:18 GMT

Twice a year I spend some time automating event announcements and blog posts for a potluck group. The rest of the year I just show up and enjoy the events along with everyone else.
Here are the simple steps I use to automate that process with #GhostBlog software.
https://pea-pod.org/blog/how-to-automate-monthly-potluck-announcements-with-ghost/
Bonus: In 2025 Ghost 6 will officially release #ActivityPub support to federate your potlucks!
#food

2025-01-02 01:20:29 GMT

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@nprofile…sw23 @nprofile…q669 I’ve reviewed practically every dmenu alternative for Wayland and recommend starting with Fuzzel.
https://mark.stosberg.com/fuzzel-a-great-dmenu-and-rofi-altenrative-for-wayland/
If Fuzzel is missing a feature you want, I might have an idea of some alternative that has it.

2024-12-29 18:29:54 GMT

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@nprofile…hftj @nprofile…8xaf My #FrameworkLaptop also got an updated look this Christmas.
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/113/737/530/923/177/971/original/802a749ca3b1b7f8.jpeg

2024-12-20 13:55:31 GMT

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@nprofile…taps I installed Flo and it did not require an account. It could possibly be storing IP address.
https://flo.health/

2024-12-19 14:35:04 GMT

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@nprofile…36ma They are fulfilling a technical requirement to have release notes while insulting and disrespecting you by assuming you don’t actually want to know, don’t care or wouldn’t understand.

2024-12-17 13:51:33 GMT

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@nprofile…x3yv And do you deploy with nixos-rebuild’s support for remote updates or another method?

2024-12-17 12:18:53 GMT

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@nprofile…x3yv And do you manage their config files locally in git and deploy them, or edit them in-place on the server?

2024-12-17 02:04:39 GMT

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@nprofile…x3yv Are you using NixOs on your laptop, servers or both?

2024-12-16 13:01:04 GMT

Were any of you #NixOS users using #Ansible first?
Did you have a bunch of playbooks and roles to convert? How was that experience?
#DevOps

2024-12-15 23:20:03 GMT

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@nprofile…vrl0 I don’t have those my rotation but I think I should. Do have favorite recipes for either?
This weekend I made a spicy west African peanut stew.

2024-12-15 22:30:57 GMT

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@nprofile…vrl0 Oh, what’s a favorite Indian dish you make in yours?

2024-12-15 21:07:00 GMT

Instant Pots are the new covered casserole dishes.
#InstantPot #food
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/113/658/876/330/623/693/original/ecc6dc151c416f7c.jpeg

2024-12-14 00:40:24 GMT

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@nprofile…vrl0 Having tried both, iMovie is very nice and iPads are plenty fast to handle it.

2024-12-04 18:28:18 GMT

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@nprofile…lwgl Group name > Settings > Notifications > Mute Notifications > 8 Hours

2024-12-02 19:44:22 GMT

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@nprofile…h9qy I’m not sure from your comment if loudness is a feature or a bug.

2024-12-02 16:21:07 GMT

At my personal email I've just received a $360 invoice for Microsoft Co-Pilot that checks out as very real looking. The email headers show it's actually from Microsoft and all the links go back to Microsoft, not any some phishing website. But I did not subscribe to Microsoft CoPilot.
I'll post an update when I figure out what's going on.
#microsoft #spam #phishing #infosec

2024-11-29 19:09:58 GMT

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@nprofile…49rv Because the Instant Pot is versatile, we got rid of a small rice cooker, a large rice cooker and also small and large slow cookers. Instead, we have three different sizes of Instant Pots that we use for a variety of things.

2024-11-29 13:55:38 GMT

If you are thinking about buying in #InstantPot on #BlackFriday, buy one because they are life-changers, but they are also frequently on sale, so don’t feel Black Friday pressure.
Also, they are a great value even when not on sale.
I have three different sizes and use them for lots of plant-based cooking. Happy to answer questions!

2024-11-23 17:46:15 GMT

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@nprofile…vrl0 Yeah. I tried Helix+Zellij and didn’t stick with it.

2024-11-23 17:25:50 GMT

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@nprofile…vrl0 I have not tried Zed yet, but know that some people are combining Helix with Zellij to get tree view support.

2024-11-16 15:59:07 GMT

I have a #gis #gischat question.
I got a layer of street intersections from a local open data portal and it counted it a street crossing a divided highway as two intersections. Technically true.
Are intersections with divided highways normally modeled as a single intersection or two intersections?
If the question you are trying to answer "Which intersection has the most crashes?" I imagine it's more usefully considered as one intersection.

2024-11-06 13:46:32 GMT

I had a change to the #GhostBlog platform merged which will fix upgrading for people who use SQLite as their database and have over 500 posts or so.
https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/pull/21063
#opensource

2024-08-27 01:30:57 GMT

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@npub1e2p…aqmc What I really liked BSD for was as a web server. I think you are right about worse laptop support and less software.

2024-08-27 00:39:48 GMT

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@npub1e2p…aqmc What was extremely less usable.

2024-07-30 18:29:23 GMT

#Linux
Is there another place to get the security updates outside of the `main` repo that Canonical has started charging #Ubuntu users for? Something like Rocky Linux?
(And yes, switching distros to another with free security updates is already under consideration)

2024-07-25 15:32:15 GMT

Apple has launched Apple Maps for the web. Here's what it looks like in Vivalidi:
They support Chrome on Windows and Mac, and Edge, which is also Chrome-based.
Vivaldi is also Chrome-based, but Apple isn't even it a chance on Linux, though it likely would work if it had a chance.
#mapping #openstreetmap
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/112/847/846/902/960/878/original/794217470b1fda17.png

2024-06-28 00:56:38 GMT

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@npub1g74…w635 I use Sway on Arch Linux currently but am immutable-curious and started to follow this account.

2024-06-24 15:31:41 GMT

“Microfeatures I Love in Blogs and Personal Websites” https://danilafe.com/blog/blog_microfeatures/
#indieweb

2024-06-19 20:14:54 GMT

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@npub1afz…wdvg They shouldn’t try putting them on the magic coffee table next time.
https://youtu.be/-_kXIGvB1uU?feature=shared

2024-06-10 21:41:37 GMT

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@npub18yv…xxyn Perhaps you have deadline looming?
Those are good are bringing out vague but urgent urges to look into suddenly very interesting other things.

2024-06-09 09:46:06 GMT

If I grant an #Mastodon API tool “full read-only access to my account, does that include “private mentions”?
I presumed those were visible only to “mentioned people only”, as advertised.

2024-05-27 20:38:28 GMT

Seattle finishes first Dutch-style protected intersection. To turn left, cyclists first go straight across, then turn left— unlike typical treatments in the US, cyclists don’t have to mix with cars during left turns.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-goes-dutch-with-a-new-bicycle-intersection/
#urbanplanning #bike
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/112/514/977/368/123/737/original/2a195701bd8cbf94.jpeg

2024-05-24 17:43:58 GMT

I enjoyed this interview on the science of fasting and diet on the Glen Merzer show.
It's here on YouTube or available through your favorite podcast app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMb1BYL0hZs
#vegan #wfpb #fasting

2024-05-14 12:44:46 GMT

#BloomingtonIN has both a #vegan bakery and a vegetarian restaurant for sale, Rainbow Bakey and The Owlery.
Both have been profitable when they are well-managed. Buy them both and cross-promote!

2024-05-08 13:47:58 GMT

Dear #Linux: Do you use the "noexec" mount option on data volumes? Any downsides?
The option "does not permit direct execution of binaries". It still allows passing a file, say a JavaScript file, to /usr/bin/node, on an other partitions that allows executables.
The idea would to reduce attack surface area if you don't plan to store executables there.
#security #cybersecurty

2024-04-28 15:52:23 GMT

I found I was able to host my personal website at home using AT&T Fiber in the US using their provided router with just a couple router config steps:
1. Under Home Network > IP Allocation, allocate a static IP to my server, which is plugged in via ethernet to the router.
2. Under "Firewall > NAT/Gaming", forward both HTTP and HTTPS traffic to the server's IP address.
Reportedly, their DHCP IPs are very stable, so I'm skipping buying a static IP for now.
#selfhosting #homelab

2024-03-28 18:05:22 GMT

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@npub1evu…uf5t Just because I lack poverty doesn’t mean I’m being paid fairly.

2024-03-28 17:53:33 GMT

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@npub1evu…uf5t Sounds like outcome could have avoided if cloud providers like #aws had shared a fairer amount of Redis hosting revenue with Redis Labs.

2024-01-14 22:11:55 GMT

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@npub1wcu…vgyk @npub1xkg…gph9 Ah, add a comma before "logging".

2024-01-14 13:39:05 GMT

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@npub1wcu…vgyk @npub1xkg…gph9 That’s right. I worked on supporting others a couple of years ago and even submitted a code change for it. That didn’t fit their standards and was rejected. https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/pull/14984
I didn’t pick it back up because Mailgun has a free plan up to 5,000 emails per month, and I use that.
I also use SES at work and Mailgun is a nicer product to use.

2023-09-05 15:33:25 GMT

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@npub1yzt…qh0x I wonder how they get supplies to the island that would usually arrive by truck, like furniture, building supplies or deliveries. Maybe there’s still a way get there by car but it’s less convenient?

2023-08-06 12:47:06 GMT

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@npub1tpj…fmcs @npub1z77…qdw3 This was before Starlink I assume?

2023-08-02 19:06:21 GMT

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@npub1qpj…ewp9 @npub1k4q…3lsq Where are the hi-viz kilt action shots?

2023-06-13 21:26:13 GMT

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@npub1ate…wkt8 +1 for bigger selection handles!