dr 🛠️🛰️📡🎧:blobfoxcomputer:🎸🎨

Current mood: I used to have a Heinlein quote here but even when I wrote it I hadn't read or thought about RAH in >20 years and *that* was 5+ years ago.

I am fortunate that someone pays me for 8 out of the 24 hours/day that I am a nerd.

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Last Notes

2026-08-23 19:02:27 GMT

how do I search my own #mastodon history?

2026-07-19 17:41:41 GMT

The #software adage is: fast, good and cheap--pick two
#AI chooses fast twice

2026-06-19 00:32:25 GMT

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@nprofile…qqn5 eyes??

2026-06-18 02:02:16 GMT

I started playing #hades #game a few days ago. I have a few hours on it now.
Child #3 started *an hour ago* and is on their *third run ever* and escaped Tartarus.
wtf

2026-06-16 22:43:46 GMT

I've tried #zoneminder and hated it because it's impossible to understand the settings so you get alerted about real stuff and not sun dapples.
I've tried #frigate and I hated it because it uses a lot of compute (i.e. power, fan noise, etc) to do an amazing job 80% of the time and completely miss things the rest of the time. Also, it took me weeks to get it working then it stopped after a year and I can't be arsed to figure out why.
What other **SELF HOSTED** #security #surveillance #opensource #software is out there?
I have lots of IP #camera that are pretty flexible.

2026-05-14 11:13:43 GMT

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@nprofile…7k5d This is really neat! What's the scale of the x axis?

2026-03-03 21:15:52 GMT

#cooking, I have a #baking question
I'm making a pie. I frankenberried the #recipe from a couple sources. Single crust blueberry/blackberry pie with a streusel topping.
I made it last week and it was good but I want a little more crisp.
I'm going to blind bake the crust. I have weights and parchment. I think I want 375F for 12-15m/light golden. Then let it cool before filling.
HOWEVER
When I bake again "this time with filling" (haha) how do I alter the bake time/temp? Or do I?

2026-03-03 19:40:24 GMT

Between my global printer setup and my application-level printer dialog settings I've found **FOUR** "scaling" settings (and a separate "margins" setting)
They are all set to "None" or 0 and still my W2 is printing with all 4 edges cut off.
My wife's #Mac prints it fine and the driver has no settings at all.
#Linux Year Of The Desktop!

2025-10-18 16:17:28 GMT

Oh cripes, I just noticed I'm *two* #debian releases behind
I hate upgrading, tho. Besides, I'm not sure I actually want a desktop now. I *LOVE* my work laptop.
Granted, that may largely be because it is monstrous.
home: 6 core 1.5GHz, 8GB, driving 32" and 27" 2k displays
work: 32 core 2.4GHz, 128GB, driving 38" and 32" 4k displays (could actually do 3 32", but I like the 38")
The #it intern that bought that laptop for me 2y ago claims to have spent a good chunk of the $10k no-signature limit on it. So I probably am not buying a replica.
Maybe what I want is a
- laptop with specs better than current desktop
- docking station
- monitor upgrade(s)
- extra docking station for the living room TV
What would a, say 16 core, 32GB, dual 4K #laptop cost?
#linux

2025-06-23 16:31:54 GMT

As soon as I had an #adhd diagnosis I told
a. my spouse
b. one of my kids whom I suspect
(c. a coworker who clued me in
d. oh and a couple other coworkers who surprised me into oversharing--oops)
Today I sent an email to the wider family: rest of the kids (all legal adults), in-laws. etc
That was 3.5h ago. Not a single reply.
They hate me and/or think I'm #brainrot

2025-06-15 16:01:29 GMT

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@nprofile…qz4x The fascists are dancing and clapping.

2025-03-22 19:44:24 GMT

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@nprofile…args My store was out of my usual rolled oats and my eye was caught by steel cut...IN A METAL CAN.
The oats seemed very good and hearty, but were SUCH a hassle I didn't buy more. Even with pre-cooking and overnight soaking they were coming out as hard nuggets embedded in sticky goo.

2025-03-18 10:40:05 GMT

They are upgrading the #software running a #radar I work with. One of the tests is obviously how good the data looks. The new software has higher standard deviations than the old software (#statistics)
And that's it. They are trying to debug it based on just the std dev.
I looked at one of the tracks and there was clearly a time dependent trend.
I keep telling them and telling them that just thinking in terms of "standard deviation" is making them assume gaussian #noise sources.
But if you look at the #data as a *time series*, you will start thinking about the processing and what would be happening at different points in a track and how it might go wrong starting at certain points.
It's a purely software #engineer team--they know about radar (more than I do!), but aren't #system engineers.
It's been going on long enough that I want to say something to someone higher up. But I don't want to adopt another project....

2025-03-11 12:21:41 GMT

I have a #bird feeder almost right in my face while I'm #wfh. I keep being given bird identification guides/apps but studying those doesn't seem to #hyperfocus me. What I really want is a tech solution...
I have parts arriving to set up #frigate #security #cameras. Grabbing a still and identifying it a) as a bird and b) as a particular species still seems somewhat daunting (ObXKCD)
Except I now remember that frigate runs a (100% local!) #ai identification thing that sounds like it works pretty well. It can almost certainly tell me I have a bird. It can very likely run a script. That script can...uh....do whatever it is that #merlin does. Hm.

2025-03-01 22:04:26 GMT

I've been getting more into #openstreetmap recently thanks to running #osmand on my phone (instead of using the service formerly known as "Don't Be Evil")
#StreetComplete is pretty good for walking around and filling in missing info.
But what if you want something more or bigger?
Today I found #MapRoulette
https://maproulette.org/
There are challenges to update things, fix problems, solve mysteries, etc. And! They give very clear instructions on what to do.
Today I "merged a node and an area" for the first time to make my local ponds be true bodies of water instead of dimensionless points on a #map.

2025-02-27 10:16:29 GMT

"I'm not a #GIS or #map expert, how could I possibly contribute to #OpenStreetMap?"
Listen. The *interstate highway* I've been driving on for 25 years was marked as "unknown paving".
If you can tell asphalt from a whole lotta ground, you can contribute.

2025-02-10 11:17:32 GMT

Just used #AI to help compose a work email to ask for a copy of something
Looking at the result vs my own attempt...ugh, do I always sound like this? Why does anyone ever respond to me?
That's on top of the dirty feeling using the AI gave me.
But I still sent the email.

2025-01-26 00:29:58 GMT

There's long been predictions that we'd be destroyed by #AI but have any of those predictions specifically mentioned that it would be via inundating us with marketing spam?
#Google. #Gemini. I. Am. Not. Interested.

2025-01-15 22:27:55 GMT

@nprofile…4ez9 are you using #ai or "outsourced" #exploitedlabor to design these illiterate mailings?
(Dear Reply Guys: I know about the existence of puns.)

2025-01-12 09:15:02 GMT

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@nprofile…jqvx I work with a live radar sensor. When the antenna moves, you can hear it. The azimuth and elevation motors sound slightly different and you can also hear how fast they are moving. When your subconscious hears that change or if it doesn't make sense ("I'm tracking in GEO, why are the motors screaming?") you know immediately.
Except if you are operating remotely you can't hear it, so they installed mics in the motor room to pipe the sound to the operators bc it's so useful.
Even better, when we run in sim it also simulates the motor sounds.

2025-01-10 21:21:56 GMT

soooo.....wtf is this #google #android #pixel #battery story?
If the update breaks the battery, maybe fix the update before pushing it? Rather than make me mail my phone to wherever-the-fuck?
Or more accurately, my college kids' phone. Google also waited until the weekend every college kid changes address to kick this off. Couldn't do it mid-December when we'd have time to do something about it.
And of course 0 information about what "impacted" means. Unusable? 10% loss?

2024-12-02 18:36:51 GMT

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@nprofile…6lxc #Oculus is 10000% off the table, regardless of all other variables.
That said, I never use my real name or put much if any data into these things. I'd be OK using a smaller company's rig, assuming it doesn't require a #Facebook account

2024-12-02 18:28:17 GMT

Every 6 months
1. Imma just do it. Imma splurge on a #VR #gaming headset. I miss playing Beat Saber.
2. Oooh, this looks neat and simple.
3. Do I need a.....huh? What do the reviews....wow. OK, but can I play....?
4. Forget it. This is too complicated to figure out.

2024-08-25 22:52:34 GMT

The "hot sauce" my local #ChineseFood place gives out turns out to be "Chinese mustard" (I was failing to find variations on "wasabi" [which I do realize is a mainly Japanese #food thing, but this place also serves #PadThai, so...](
Chinese mustard turns out to literally just be ground mustard powder, available in any local supermarket, and water, available in most of the USA
That's it. That's the #recipe
I am now an unstoppable spicy saucening machine.

2024-08-14 09:43:10 GMT

#ai is going to get people killed. in this case, via #food poisoning
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/959/718/160/329/671/original/589ff8fb059944a0.png

2024-07-21 18:11:51 GMT

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@npub1nzh…clcv I don't know if it's good or bad. But when I saw the debate, I was sure we'd already lost. It. Was. Awful.

2024-07-21 14:49:44 GMT

Parmesan chicken came out tough last week. I want to #sousvide it next time, but I also want crispy breading.
Google has many suggestions about sous viding and then frying. That can't be right, right? Unless the dry is extremely hot and therefore brief? (One recipe suggested 3m/side. That's *after sous vide* Is #AI now generating #food #misinformation ?)
Has any actual human tried #cooking this?

2024-07-17 16:58:58 GMT

#Software people I am
****** B E G G I N G ******
you, please stop "helping" me.
Technology itself is extremely simple. What's complicated is layers of different assumptions put in at every step to try to "help" me.
"Oh, he's writing an email, he must want a variable width font!" "Oh, I received an email in a fixed width font--I should probably reformat that." "This printer would be simpler if we changed the access point all the time"
No please FUCKING GOD NO!
Just...leave it alone.

2024-07-14 10:30:46 GMT

Nothing says I'm an adult and I don't have play by society's rules like peanut butter on rye
#food #rebellion

2024-07-14 00:58:41 GMT

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@npub1mjj…h2pr tkinter was my go-to, but I've really gotten into #pyqt in the last year. So much more flexible and featureful.

2024-06-26 14:13:50 GMT

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@npub1tjg…gye3 That is extremely annoying and definitely the root cause.
Nevertheless, Debian manages to support "apt-get install ffmpeg"

2024-06-26 13:06:21 GMT

Is there some sane reason why #ffmpeg is not Just In The Repos for #rhel
I know there's a lot of instructions out there for getting it installed. Why isn't it just there already? Extremely common #linux utility just....missing.
(And why did my workplace pick THE WORST distro?)

2024-06-16 11:06:21 GMT

Last year's project to electro-strip and re-season #castiron was a failure. Stripping went OK--got a bunch of crusty gunk off. Seasoning was a complete failure and made them worse. #Food was sticking like crazy.
I'm trying again a little more carefully and methodically this weekend, bc the weather allows open windows.
(Suggestions on "the best way" to season cast iron *that don't link directly to a peer-reviewed paper* will be blocked and I am not kidding)

2024-06-04 11:31:01 GMT

Carefully thawed, cut, bagged and #sousvide 'd 9 meals worth of chicken breasts
When it beeped, carefully removed and dried the bags and set out to allow to cool before freezing
Woke up to lukewarm overnight counter chicken.
#adhd #food

2024-05-26 01:14:29 GMT

grilled cheese sandwich dipped in tomato soup is just nachos
#food #philosophy

2024-05-09 11:28:55 GMT

Any company that uses #Microsoft #Windows for #it #infrastructure is fundamentally unserious.

2024-04-10 21:34:20 GMT

I have only just discovered that "shaved" is apparently a term of art at the deli counter.
I usually ask for "very thinly sliced" ham and never get quite what I want. I accidentally said "shaved" last week and the guy was like "Shaved? OK." and gave me exactly what I've been wanting.
The lady there today gave me ham shavings that were closer to crumbles.
I think I need to ask what setting they have the cutter at so I can get the perfect shave.
#food

2024-03-13 00:28:24 GMT

omg omg omg omg
18yo started learning #guitar a couple weeks ago *and doesn't object to being guitar buddies*! I've never played with anyone!
Also 16yo is in chorus and was willing to sing the gospel song the class has been practicing!
So we just had a 3 member family #music #band
We sound awful! But we had fun! And I think maybe intrigued the 23yo...
#parenting

2024-01-19 13:54:59 GMT

#wip #art
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/111/782/950/606/297/968/original/4c2db600069f8ab5.jpg

2023-11-23 00:32:25 GMT

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@npub1mjj…h2pr @npub188p…n7mm I only skimmed, but the lines with "norm" in them around lines 111-116 look like clamping, not normalization.

2023-10-22 12:28:46 GMT

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@npub1zdp…vqv8 Bees seem pretty successful. Other than them and ants, who else in the insect world has an A-list Hollywood movie devoted to them?

2023-08-18 01:08:30 GMT

Wife threatened to buy a new printer (because she's having problems to a networked Brother from her desktop only) so I started fixing.
Fixed so hard that I somehow broke the sound output....on **MY** desktop.
#it #genius

2023-08-08 13:22:34 GMT

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@npub1upk…tcwy I've had so little luck with "please, I am B E G G I N G you not to just google this for me" warnings.

2023-08-01 18:05:17 GMT

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@npub1cus…6789 The magic is not the particular job or hobby. The magic is understanding that you have to be interested to function....and that's OK.
Why would you need a hobby that you never grow tired of? I actively enjoy the process of starting a new one and understanding the field.