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Thought for the day
What are your thoughts on open source?
Open source software, science, repair manuals / right to repair movement etc..
I am firmly on the pro-open source side of the argument. Other than at work, I use Linux on everything (Android is still kiinda Linux). I will generally choose the open alternative, though if there is no compelling open alternative I will buy the closed source version. See CAD software / industrial software.
pro open source, though I use a complete mix of all the various flavours of that & closed source software both personally & in work. In work i'm constantly advocating that we contribute financially to open source projects, not always successfully unfortunately. For all the touted efficiencies of business, they're just as likely to throw a mil at a closed source commercial product than deploy their own build of an open source one.
This is the way.
I've been a stoic OSS user professionally and personally for almost my entire career.
Of every tool I've encountered the OSS one has been superior or I've been able to contribute to make it so.
Familiarity with one or the other clouds this. I initially hated StarOffice because it wasn't exactly like Office97 (or which ever version was contemporaneous)... Now LibreOffice is just fine TYVM.
Of every tool I’ve encountered the OSS one has been superior or I’ve been able to contribute to make it so.
LibreOffice is fine but I don't think you could argue it's superior. I much prefer working with tables and pivot tables in excel.
GIMP is great and I prefer it over photoshop but I still think arguments could be made that photoshop is still way ahead of GIMP.
But for sure there are many FOSS tools that are the leaders in their areas.
I much prefer working with tables and pivot tables in excel
That's was I was meaning by "familiarity". The unfamiliar tool is subjectivity worse.
I shudder to think how much money Adobe pours into Photoshop; but yes, that investment makes for a powerful product, that a free one is almost as good for many users is amazing.
That’s was I was meaning by “familiarity”. The unfamiliar tool is subjectivity worse.
For sure. I should try harder to give it a go, but would probably need to rebuild my stuff from scratch as opening even slightly complex excel files in Calc feels very clunky.
I shudder to think how much money Adobe pours into Photoshop; but yes, that investment makes for a powerful product, that a free one is almost as good for many users is amazing.
It is amazing. GIMP is really a posterchild for open source. But I do have trouble with things that are simple in photoshop. I remember trying to cut something out of a picture and have it fill in the background (say, if the rest of the image has trees in the background it should seemlessly continue this into the removed area). It's possible, but I think I had to find some extension listed in a forum post from 10 years earlier. Photoshops technology has andvanced a lot in 10 years, it would be nice to see more adhancement like this in GIMP.
There's also free AI tools you can use online to automatically cut out people or objects from backgrounds. Saves heaps of time
Yeah, but depending on the photo I don't like uploading my files to online services I've never heard of. There's only a very small number I'd trust, and I'd much prefer offline software.
Yes, I support open source and open science (which have some overlap). I'm pragmatic where necessary, but use OSS whenever I can. I have to use Windows for work reasons, but Linux for everything else.
Yes. Love Louis Rossmann, and Linux.
Just replaced my Note 5 phone battery, though I have to buy a new back cover, because it cracked while I was heating up the glue with my hair dryer. Only $7 from China, anyway - and I get to choose a new color.
Open source is the only hope for a technological future that doesn't fuck us in the ass constantly.
What are your thoughts on open source?
Open source software,
I do my best to use open source where practical. In particular I like where companies find a model that allows them to generate revenue with open source software, as it tends to generate better supported software. But there are some awesome sponsored projects like all the ones KDE does.
I run linux on my personal laptop as a daily driver and it works great for me. I use Android on my phone, and am on the lookout for a cheap secondhand Pixel 7 as I'm keen to give GrapheneOS a go.
science,
Having science publically funded but then you have to pay a journal to read the paper that the researchers had to pay to be published in... is crazy. Luckily these days it's pretty easy to find the original papers online if you know where to look. I'd be pretty happy to have requirements for free access to research done with public money.
repair manuals / right to repair movement etc…
I'm a big fan of right to repair. We make so much ewaste. Someone (consumer NZ?) tested out a bunch of returns processes using GPS trackers, deliberately causing really easy to repair faults (from memory they used blenders and just detatched an internal wire). Places like Kmart made no repair attempt. Their policy is basically to send all warranty returns to landfill and replace with a new one.
It's insane and something needs to change.
Has anyone tried a HEPA Air Filter unit in their homes to help with Hay Fever?
Wondering if people have seen a benefit? Partners struggling with Hay Fever again this year, and was wondering if they really do help?
I use a Dyson purifier and... it's been okay I guess. It helped a little bit, but whether it's worth it or not is debatable.
A couple of cons:
- You need to run it all the time, because otherwise it can take ages to filter out pollutants, by which time your allergies can get triggered.
- It works best if your doors and windows are always closed. Naturally, that won't make for a very healthy or pleasant home, so you might want to restrict the purifier to a specific room which has its windows and doors closed all the time. But then if you consider air draughts, the pollen's gonna make it's way in anyways, so a strategic placement of the purifier is crucial.
- Obviously it won't help if you go outside.
So you could get one if you really want to, but don't get it specifically for combating hayfever. The one I've got also purifies VOCs (ie volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde, which can released by paint, carpets, furniture etc), and it also doubles up as a space heater, air cooler (fan) and temperature/humidity monitor. I've also noticed a significant reduction of dust in my room, which means a lot less dusting/cleaning needed for all the surfaces and electronics etc in your room. I can also control the purifier from my phone and Home Assistant. So it's nice to have when you consider all of those.
I have friends across the ditch who swear by Haytox - a medication which is administered nasally, it takes only a few minutes and you're allergy free for a whole year. Maybe get your partner to talk to their GP and see if it's available here? I haven't seen any mentions of it in NZ but maybe they've got something similar.
Thanks for the detailed write up and the intro to Haytox - will look into that one.
In general, how have you felt about having an air purifier at home? overall happy/meh/not that happy?
Overall I'm happy I guess, at the very least, it has visibly reduced the dust levels, and when I imagine all that dust that might've gone into my lungs instead, I think I'd rather be in a home with an air purifier than without.
Just another question if you don't mind, but do you run a few around the house / move it around from area to area / have one just focused on a main section of the house etc.
I move it around sometimes. Typically it's in my room most of the time but sometimes I may use it in the kitchen for odor removal in case I'm making a curry or something (after cooking though, so as to not interfere with the extractor fan's airflow). But if I'm planning to spend a long time in say, the lounge for watching a movie, then I'd move it there. The model I've got is fairly lightweight at 5kgs, so it's not a big deal to move it.
Regardless of performance, man does Dyson make some beautiful products :) Really makes you want them haha
They can be helpful if you don't have a ton of outside air coming in
Hmm couple of mentions of needing to close windows etc.
Wonder how it works in conjunction with regular airing. Relatively quick "filtering" of the fresh air thats come in from outside once you've finished airing out?
I got 2/3 of the lawn mowed and 2/3 of the house clean so it was a pretty productive day yesterday.
I also moved my Raspberry Pi server setup onto an old laptop, with the intention of doing more with photos or media in general. It's a pretty old laptop but seems to out perform the Pi.
I'm thinking I might go full home assistant OS on the Pi. I'm pretty keen to try out voice stuff since my last hope Mycroft went bankrupt and so isn't gonna give me a non-spying voice assistant.
I finally got my mower fixed after a few weeks, so my lawns are looking pretty scruffy after being allowed to grow for so long. It'll take a few weeks to get them back to where they should be.
Some places near me just mow with a weedwacker once the lawn is past knee height 😄
I just pulled the mulch plug out of the mower so it's spitting grass out the side and went to town.
If you do use the Pi for Home Assistant, save a lot of future headaches and use a proper SSD and not a SD card - there are always soooo many people having issues with SD cards after a while.
If you are thinking you're going to be investing a good bit of time in the future with Home Assistant (you will as it's a hell of a rabbit hole) apparently Pi's are quite slow to work with.
A used PC (small form factor for about $200 with a 5 or 6 gen i5 CPU that ends with T and 4 gig of ram) is a suuuper snappy, future proof and reliable system to run HA on. Mine only uses ~10watt and is automating my whole house.
I've used the Pi for running many services and already had an SSD for it, I don't trust SD cards at all.
I've just moved all my services to an old laptop, my Home Assistant only has a small number of integrations at the moment but if it grows I'll be sure to get a more appropriatly powered PC, thanks for the tip 🙂
Won a whole $15 on lotto. Anyone know where I can buy a monocle and top hat?
Aliexpress!
😂
First time drinking Kava this week. Ordered a whole kg of Vanuatu Kava from TradeMe - it's good stuff.
Out of all the 'sedatives' I've tried, such as alcohol and cannabis - Kava produces the best sleep, by far. Without a hangover the next day. Even seems to have anti-depressant qualities. Liver damage can be a concern for heavy users - but that's usually because they mix it with alcohol.
Been to Hamilton today with my mum. Ordered some sushi, and passionfruit bubble tea. Had an episode of existential dread while sucking on the little bubbles at the bottom of my cup..
Now that I realize it - the best years of my life were the times that I spent playing video games, and nerding around on Discord servers, in my 20s. It's only now that I decided to cut down on my social media usage, that I'm having an identity crisis, and sort of wondering what to do with my life. I've seen the rise and fall of people like Boogie2988, Nikko Avocado, Andrew Tate, Logan Paul, etc. and it sort of spooked me just how anti-social people can become when they spend too much time online, immersed in internet culture.
It's a catch 22, but oh well? I'm only 30. I can still salvage what little youth I have left.....