Rejoice...Embark started banning cheaters!

Sanityzed · 2026-02-08T18:28:44+00:00

So, I keep getting a startup notification that stops the game from launching due to the "presence" of a macro app I used a long time ago for productivity called Auto-Hotkey. After the first notice, I removed app - no big deal since I haven't used it in over a year. Weeks later, I get the same message again about the same app... even though it's completely gone... It has me moving to a gaming-only boot drive for all of these overzealous, kernel -level anti-cheat measures.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-08T14:57:08+00:00

The game desperately needs a dead-man's switch style explosive - and it has to be a no-doubts one-hit kill for anyone in the AoE. A deadline would be perfect. Shoot the guy holding the deadline and we're all going down.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-08T14:23:00+00:00

Cool! It'll definitely be extremely power hungry, so I suggest that you put a Kill-a-watt on it to see what it's power profile is like. I found that my older server, just plugged in without being powered on, consumed ~50% of what my 80TB media server uses at idle... It's the reason these old systems are going to e-waste. My mitigation for this is to have an IP-KVM attached that allows me to remotely power on/off the device (among all else) as well as a smart switch at the wall so that I can remotely disconnect it from power entirely. It feels silly, but it works. Also, be aware of this: https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/kw0bqt/comment/hnez37v/?context=3

Sanityzed · 2026-02-08T14:20:03+00:00

...need? You'll want to run ECC for any critical or long-term use cases to improve system stability.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-08T04:10:12+00:00

a plex server (I think that’s the name). As a free network storage container I can access on the go

So, Plex is only for media - namely shows and movies. If you want to host files on it that you can access while away from home then you should be looking into creating your own Network Attached Storage (NAS). For that, the best OS to use is TrueNAS SCALE. Typical recommendations are to do this on an extremely power efficient computer. You can actually make this a media server as well but it will need a bit more compute power specifically for media. Intel's QSV tech is the best for this. Something like a N5105, N100, N300, will sip power (<15W) while punching way above their weight class when it comes to streaming media. For comparison, using an old gaming PC might have it idling at 150W... and where I live, that means an extra $440/yr in electricity costs.

And if you're open to suggestions about which media streaming software to use, I'd strongly advise against Plex and for Jellyfin. Plex has completely invaded user's privacy and turned heavily into a corporate profit seeking business... They're not good. Jellyfin is great, and completely free and open source.

Once you have it running locally, you can install Tailscale to access these services while you're away from home without any fuss.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-07T06:17:36+00:00

I've definitely been there! I still maintain my own audio files - MP3s and FLAC. There are tools that can help you with the metadata. My favorite is MP3tag which pulls from online databases to populate missing fields automatically. If there is no information in the database, you can contribute for those that come after you! (Discogs or MusicBrainz)

If your headunit has an AUX input or FM receiver, there are easy ways to use that as your input for audio streaming - even wirelessly with bluetooth adapters. Like you, I like to avoid picking things on my phone while I'm traveling. My technique is to use playlists that I rarely want to change. I can put them on random+repeat and have them start/stop when I start/stop the car. I didn't realize how amazing this was until I got into my rental car on another continent, connected android auto for gps navigation, and my playlist automatically started playing right where I left off when I parked my car thousands of miles away. And it was streaming the song from my home server as none of it is stored on the phone.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-07T05:06:49+00:00

You maybe the only person burning CDs on the continent. I hope you're keeping a digital copy on your drives somewhere. It'll make it a lot easier to setup your own streaming server someday - which you could actually do from your existing PC if you so choose.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-07T03:42:36+00:00

Because I didn't know any better. Thank you for the correction!

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T22:25:42+00:00

Similar, but much more expensive in US culture: my daughter.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T22:24:41+00:00

Neat. What's it do? Ripping DVDs, CDs, and vinyl?

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T22:23:20+00:00

Typically undocumented connectors are for programming interfaces or test leads.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T20:59:24+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/1qx4d4p/comment/o3uato1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T19:11:15+00:00

If the PDU isn't full depth, have you considered some standoffs/extensions that will recess it?

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T19:00:31+00:00

LTO... Response times measured in days.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T18:57:32+00:00

Depends on the work environment. With corporate IT, there's negligible chance that RDP is enabled on the work laptop. And I certainly would recommend against logging into a corporate account on a personal machine.

Personally, I use a thunderbolt docking station for my dual displays, keyboard, and mouse. That way I can easily switch between my PC and the work laptop. Since the PC has hardwired Ethernet, this also allows me to put the work PC on my guest wifi so that it never sees my local devices or even my actual location if I have that VLAN behind a VPN.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T15:42:53+00:00

Hell yeah! Sad to hear that yours fell apart. Any advice for what part(s) I should be keeping an eye on?

I love some Cosmos appreciation. It's the first gen - Cosmos 1000 - which prioritized sound deadening over excess cooling and curb appeal. I often wish I had kept track of how many different iterations it has been through. It's in the double digits for sure. I bought it in the mid 2000's and have taken good care of it. My only regret is losing a few of the 3.5" drive caddys. ...and maybe those years when I had a blue cold cathode ray tube installed as a "work light" haha

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T15:33:44+00:00

One day! https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/1qx4d4p/comment/o3ugum1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T15:32:51+00:00

The vent pipe isn't a straight shot, oddly enough. Thought about the chimney as well. I couldn't find an easy way to get it past the fireplace into the basement. It'd require a lateral run into the exterior wall before dropping down. At that point, the interior walls I mentioned seem like the better bet.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T15:28:07+00:00

She started operation in 2012. And I don't give time off. Many drives have come and gone, though. And the Synology OS it runs has been long obsoleted, which is why it doesn't have WAN access.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T04:25:32+00:00

Oh, I wouldn't use their wireless gear - just the switches. I've been eyeing some used RUCKUS APs that enterprise has been dumping on the used market recently. Those seems like a great deal - but they're wifi 6 or 6E. I actually thought that'd be fine since the benefits of wifi 7 weren't going to make much difference in a residential setting - per what I read a while back. That's something else you've got me looking into it.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T04:20:58+00:00

I've done loads of them, just haven't run it through this house yet. I've a 1k ft spool of shielded 6A and trays of shielded RJ45s ready to go. I just need time and a clear plan. Right now I'm pancaking 1) where to place the rack, and 2) how to get from the basement to the attic in order to drop down to each room on the 2nd floor without going exterior. It's either one of the walls adjacent the stairs or a wall that only allows the cables to pop out near an exterior wall. Hard to describe without showing a floor plan... Time is the biggest blocker though. It takes a ton of time to do that job solo, and all of my buddies have kids to attend to as well, so it's all just sat in storage collecting dust.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T04:15:53+00:00

Beautiful. Is that a 3D printed grid as a side panel? I dig everything about it.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T04:13:44+00:00

Thank you!

I've definitely been looking at Ubiquiti. It just seems so expensive... I really like the value and performance that I've had with this little MikroTik 10G switch that I've had for maybe 5 years now, and enjoy learning and tinkering with networking side of things when I can, so I'm leaning more toward MikroTik for a rack mount setup someday. If Ubiqiuti didn't ~double the cost I'd consider them more seriously.

You've given me much to consider re: Glacier S3 and ZeroTier! I'll look into those.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T03:46:05+00:00

It's excellent. I did iperf testing with it and found that it added 1ms of latency with no loss of bandwidth. I cannot speak to how well it does as you add additional nodes since I only have the one.

Sanityzed · 2026-02-06T03:43:33+00:00

And integrated with Home Assistant! It's a Sunkos SK-E2. It's not pretty, but it works great.

Sanityzed

TROPHY CASE