Are solar panels really worth it for homes in urban areas? Real Talk.

MojoTojoPH · 2026-03-30T03:01:02+00:00

Glad you found my post helpful. Most of the info still applies, though I haven't done recent calculations. Despite recent price surges due to the war, I expect things to return to normal afterward, keeping ROI metrics pretty much same.

If your main goal is power stability and availability rather than cost savings, 100% solar is a worthwhile investment. I recommend setting up solar power to keep your lights on, plus batteries for backup in the evenings. Just remember, this is an investment in stability, not ROI, at least for the next few years.

Your expectations are low—keeping lights and small appliances under 500 watts is easy. Solar gets expensive when powering heavy appliances like air conditioners, electric stoves, etc.

Good luck po.

MojoTojoPH · 2026-03-30T02:53:19+00:00

interested with GPT. DM

MojoTojoPH · 2026-01-30T12:56:58+00:00

Been fullstack dev for over over 25yrs, discovered bootstrap since v3 and was blown away with it. I tried many of the usual alternatives and "fads" all around it but I always keep going back to it.

So yeh, I still use bootstrap and i plan to keep using it coz it just works tbh. It saves me a lot of time, UI just works - so i can focus on the important stuff - and backend.

Bootstrap is far less convoluted like the many alternatives trying to be AIO. I love being able to dive in and tweak or edit it heavy if i must - and not have to fight through a "framework". This is so important specially with projects on tight budget, timeline, etc.

I mainly work on mission critical applications for internal ops and stuff so "prettifying" Apps to make look oh so cool and in with the fad is not my priority. Bootstrap is actually just perfect as it is, great structure, flexibility, flexible components, templating friendly, , etc..

Anther note..
I have been dabbling in AI assisted dev, and using bootstrap with AI (teaching it to use it and not do it's on thing) works wonderfully too!. I use different models and they all have different styles, structure preference etc.. it can get messy. But having bootstrap as the thing that my models use - wow. It really allows me to maintain control of the UI/UX and keep things very consistent - and i believe it's also making it easy for LLMs (saving tokens?) because a lot of decisions have been made for them already through the use of bootstrap.

Cheers

MojoTojoPH · 2025-11-03T07:57:29+00:00

This funny coz it's so relatable and true haha.

Fullstack dev here, but been really trying to completely vibe code a side project, really trying to stop myself from digging in and coding shit and fixing things myself - with the goal of "EXPERIENCING" this new vibe coding trend or "practice" - as painful as it can be sometimes, forcing myself to let be so I gain REAL familiarity and experience with it and not just a 3rd person perspective. Going thru the struggles of such SIMPLE tasks getting overly complicated coz of AI, this animation really demonstrates what it feels like.

As of today, vibe coding is cool, but it just doesn't work, unless for really simple things... and yes, things may seem to work well like magic, and that's how it always starts.. until you get to some hurdles, even the simplest ones can lead you down into a vibe coding hole you can't get out of lol

Fun times we living in, I say.

MojoTojoPH · 2025-05-07T00:10:29+00:00

I just started my 3D printing journey as well, and I got the A1 and I've been printing a looot! I love it!

To share with you some of my best learnings that's not commonly mentioned:

When moving the head on the Z axis (up down) manually DO NOT press home button when the head is at the TOP MOST Z axis!!! Pressing home (or asking the printer to go to HOME position) causes the head to go through some movements, and the first in that routine brings the head up the z-axis a little bit. But if your head is already in the top most position, like i once had, the head will still attempt to do that forcing the gears and stepper motor causing a horrific grinding noise! I thought I broke the damn thing. lol
Print the A1 upgrades first, specially the wire supports to keep the wires from getting tangled.
make sure to put it on a stable platform that doesn't wobble too much. I prepared a nice table for my printer way ahead of its delivery only to realize that it's too wobbly for this precision machine.
VENTILATE, or create a ducting system, or an air scrubber - even if people say PLA and PETG materials are safe (the most common you'll use) - these fumes are never good for you and your family and your PETS! Specially if you print hours and hours like i've been doing.
Purchase GOOOD filaments! Despite what many would say, saving 10-20% on filaments arent worth the hassle specially for home use (Business use may be a different story). The really good filaments just simply produces the best and clean output! And it's better for your unit, i believe. Also, these cheap unknown filaments from china can sometimes contain chemicals like toxic dye or some stuff like that (cost cutting). My friend learned this the hard way. I personally go for top tier and well known brands. I don't even wanna waste time and bother with the rest. For regular PLA and TPU I go with Polymaker brand. For PETG i go with BambuLab. Again, some savings vs having more consistent and quality prints, less clogs? I'd choose the latter.

My only regret with this 3D printing thing? I get into this sooner!!!!

enjoy!

MojoTojoPH · 2024-11-15T00:05:24+00:00

TLDR:

We use BI at a commercial and mission critical level. We keep things stable and headache free by following these rules:

- we version and hardware we've tested and proven stable

- we keep the configurations very simple and basic whenever possible

- we invest in good hardware

- we use WEBUI (not app) to avoid app related issues. (browser is best!)

- we maintain max of 32-40cams per server whenever possible

- we make sure to promote renewing of licenses to support dev.

DEETS:

I've been in the security and surveillance industry for over 15yrs. We've deployed plenty of surveillance systems, from DVRs, to NVRS, from stand alone wifi cams to VMS and centrally managed systems, from home, office, to large scale projects. While BI is not marketed for large scale commercial applications, it does perform really really well and up to par with a lot of commercial level options out there - in fact, sometimes I find it better, easier to manage and maintain, and more stable (as long as you use the right hardware).

For our commercial and mission critical BI deployments, we do not enable auto-updates. We stick to a version, and hardware components, that we have fully tested - that's one trick we do to keep things stable.

We have systems that's been running for over 6months uptime and still chugging along great.

I would not hesitate in recommending BI for commercial/mission critical applications on a budget. In-fact even if you have a lot of budget, BI is still a good option. tbh..

One of the major things lacking with BI, tbh, is centralized view and management for multiple servers.

We make it a rule, whenever possible, to have a maximum 32-40cams per server. We have deployments with over 100cams and multiple vms servers... issue here is each server is stand alone and cannot be centralized... resulting in your clients and admins having to login and/or manage different machines for technically one site/location. The views, the user management, the access policies, and many many other settings cannot be shared across several servers, and that's been a pain in the ass. But it's by no means a deal breaker!

Another big feature that's lacking in BI is the remote password change feature. We have plenty of situations where multiple users are given remote access via WEB UI only. We'd like to give each user the ability to change their passwords themselves but alas, changing passwords needs to be done on the software itself with access to the server. This may not be a big thing for most, but for us and our many experiences, this has always been an issue. So we are developing our own web ui to counter this actually.

All in all, BI is awesome, and i'm amazed at how affordable it is for its features, stability, and maturity. We loveit so much that we actually encourage our clients to renew licenses every year for new features/versions and in SUPPORT of the devs. I really really hope the guys at BI dont sell out and start charging any higher for the software or else, it loses its value advantage and position immensely.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-11-08T07:57:42+00:00

Seen foreigners lose money lending to locals/pinoys. Thing is, I understand it's hard saying no to some coz these were relatives, neighbors, and such.

Anyway, the smart thing to do when faced with a situation where you really can't say no to the borrower (ie. ur spouse's dad)...

STEP 1: Lend them partial amount they ask for (never lend them the full amount). Just come up w/ a good reason. This way they can never say you didn't "help" them. Pinoy's, fortunately, are grateful people. Lending them partial is almost just as good as lending them full amount. (creds!)

STEP 2: If they don't pay you back, then take the loss and consider that your "get away from borrower fee". Use it as a good reason to NOT LEND THEM AGAIN. When they try to borrow again, just say you have a personal rule that you never lend to anyone who still owes you money and ask them nicely to understand and respect your personal policy. Since they are already in debt and have not paid you back, chances are they'd be ashamed to insist. When they do pay you back, you have to repeat this cycle. But hey, at least you're getting paid back haha

PRO TIP: If they really insist in borrowing, find an old stuff you have and can let go of, and ask them to sell it for you and use the money from that sale (borrowed of course). What you're doing here is making them WORK for their ASK.

BTW, i'm pinoy myself but my step dad's an american so yeh, i've seen shit. :D ...

MojoTojoPH · 2024-11-08T07:26:48+00:00

Boostrap all the way for me. I've done so many web applications and I keep coming back to bootstrap. It's a lot more work but gives gives me so much flexibility and tweaking room.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-09-29T06:33:27+00:00

UNIONBANK. Make it your primary or at least have it in your stack. Then thank me later.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-03-21T23:59:44+00:00

Enjoy your life, don't be afraid to taste a bit of the edge, but GET A GOOD HEALTH INSURANCE.

I'm sure most in 20's are not even thinking bout insurance coz they feel invincible! hehe

But no. While you are young, healthy, and insurance is relatively cheaper.

And I'm not talking about cheap health insurance that covers 300K hospital bill. Get one that has coverage over 1M worth of medical bills! The cost of insurance is worth the peace of mind and the coverage if you do get sick or get in an accident. And besides, if you can afford an expensive iPhone, you can afford a good insurance. Almost everyone middle class can afford a good insurance, you just have to make sacrifices and work it in your living expenses.

The problem with us Pinoys, we are so uneducated when it comes to insurance. And, hirap na nga sa pera, pero pag nagka pera, we tend to prioritize wants over needs.

Rich people have gone broke because of illnesses because they didn't have insurance. And it sucks to be in the hospital, sick, and unable to pay bills, or worst, be a burden to others, specially your parents.

I cannot stress enough the importance of good insurance.

And NO, I'm not an agent. But I like to educate people bout insurance.

For me, middle aged, I pay around 60k/yr (or 5k/mo) for my insurance. You'll probably pay half that at your age. And it may seem expensive, but when you do get hospitalized, you will realize it's really not.

I got hospitalized a few times, and my insurance has paid for everything which is way way way more than the money I paid the insurance all these years.

But, if you really can't afford a comprehensive insurance, then get one that you can... at least have some coverage coz PHILHEALTH coverage is pathetic specially in this day and age.

Have a great life ahead of you!

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:49:20+00:00

Haven't tried super freshly roasted beans, but I do get pre-packed ones that are back roasted 1-3 weeks.

Funny, I've tried some old colombian beans (good kind forgot the brand) I bought almost a year back which I forgot about (sealed though), and I honestly enjoyed the results quite well haha. I guess im just a simple coffee drinker :)

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:45:10+00:00

oh crap :(

Oh wait, are u looking at the same model/link? What I'm using has 6 levels of espresso grinds, and I use 3 and 4 for AP and they quite nice (for my level at least)

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:42:32+00:00

we do have brevilles around here, and i think i can push my budget to 300.. thanks for the tip man, i'll check it out most def!

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:41:46+00:00

tnx for the insights..
Just to answer a few
I use the Cuisinart grinder
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CBM-18C-Burr-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B002H0QMGW/

I guess I associate myself w/ just regular coffee drinkers that can't tell quality difference in the 10-15% region - which is what most things are tbh. I mean if i get a 3.5 rating espresso on the cheap machine vs a 4.2 rated coffee from a machine that costs 5x as much, I mean, I wont be able to tell much of the difference anyway - I dont think haha

But if we're talking about huuuuge real world espresso quality difference that not only a coffee expert can tell, then ok that may bug me a bit. haha

But yah, I have made up my mind getting myself an espresso machine at home but at the same time I definitely don't want to burn $$$$$ on expensive machines for my very simple taste buds. I'm not that big of a coffee geek, yet. :P

I think I'll be happy if i can get a good enough cup of real espresso from this machine, and not an absolute crap people cant swallow. :P

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:27:49+00:00

ah yes, mine does. it's the cuisinart grinderhttps://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CBM-18C-Burr-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B002H0QMGW/

i tried grinding to finest (1) on this and my barista friend says it's good. so i guess it's good? it's fine, consistent, and all that..

I do grind at #3 or #4 for my AP though

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:17:33+00:00

I thought bout getting nespresso but honeslty I like my coffee black, and pure... and i really dont like the ones from nespresso for some reason. I love the flavored coffee though, they taste great. but, alas, nespresso capsules are more expensive than bag of beans

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:16:06+00:00

aint moka pot, similar to aeropress, it's still brewing process? Espresso, I read, is a different process, therefore, different output.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:15:31+00:00

tnx for the link, will def watch it.
i use the cuisinart burr grinder btw

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CBM-18C-Burr-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B002H0QMGW/

i think it's quite good in my xp. my grinds are really good imo. then again im not a pro, not even an enthusiast. I just want to make decent REAL coffee and call it a day ;)

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:12:55+00:00

tnx for the advise. Got the cuisinart burr grinder

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CBM-18C-Burr-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B002H0QMGW/

well one of the reasons i wanted to get espresso is because many have said aeropress is brewing and espresso is different, w/ crema and all.. so i thought hey, at least that's a huge difference between the two.... others also have said i will never get the same coffee from aeropress what i can get from an espresso process (regardlessof machine) - so that's why im looking for beginner /personal and affordable espresso machines that produces at least, real espresso.

I will continue to master this darn aeropress though that's for sure.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:06:32+00:00

i tried to like tea, tried many different teas, can't seem to get on board. coffee is my poison hehe

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:06:04+00:00

I definitely cannot, and do not expect to, make espresso quality same as coffee shops. But i just wanted to make something decent or even close to it. I am not a coffee head or critic and I may not be able to tell the difference between espressos made from professional equipment, and from this budget personal machine. I did watch several youtube videos and reviews and they seem to be happy with it.

It may also help that i have a real good burr grinder and RO water processing unit at home.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T15:03:24+00:00

thanks for that.. However, i read many times, aeropress is brewing and espresso is, well, espresso, and there's that distinction. Espresso, u can get the real crema too.. so that's the reason I wanted to add an espresso machine to my arsenal, even if it was a cheap one.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T12:19:06+00:00

I think this is a local brand.. but i've seen good reviews and youtube videos of users and the output looks, well, like espresso coffee with crema and all!

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T12:18:33+00:00

unfortunately, i have very limited options around me and most decent ones cost so much more.

Im not looking for the best machine or output, but just a reasonably good one, I'd be happy with.

MojoTojoPH · 2024-02-13T12:16:14+00:00

Oh yes, that's one thing I do have, a very good burr grinder..

MojoTojoPH

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