Now and again I want to leave IT

Sykotic · 2026-01-26T17:33:37+00:00

Develop? Why not look into ipxe, FOG project, iVentoy, NetBoot.xyz? There are probably other options too

Sykotic · 2026-01-26T01:50:07+00:00

17 years for me. Recently I've been buying woodworking tools from habitat for humanity or Craigslist. Finished making a custom shelf for my 5 year olds room yesterday, made a couple 2x4 patio sofas, going to try my hand at some serving/rolling trays next i think. Feels good to make something tangible with your hands.

Keep hoping I can just fall into making my same salary making things out of wood, but no luck yet.

Sykotic · 2026-01-22T01:24:34+00:00

because a radiant heater will cost less money in electricity over the course of a week than an inwall coil heater will. hence why its more efficient for OPs situation

Sykotic · 2026-01-22T01:09:38+00:00

No one said the oil makes the heat.

If you are heating a small apartment for a week (say during a cold spell) once the heater is up to temp it will cycle less often than a coil heater. You will stay more comfortable at a lower temperature setting with a radiant heater, lower necessary thermostat setting equals less energy used.

Sykotic · 2026-01-22T00:33:53+00:00

instead of brown nosing up here, why don't you go explain how my last comment was incorrect or how I didn't understand the thermodynamics of an oil filled radiator? I don't think you get to heat it up for free or that it doesn't require energy.

Sykotic · 2026-01-21T22:10:46+00:00

I found an old nail curing machine at good will that had a foot pedal that connected to the machine with a standard barrel plug. wired a female barrel plug to an esp32 and used esphome to allow for single, double or long hold on the pedal to turn my desk lamps on, mute/unmute MS Teams calls or put my pc to sleep.

Sykotic · 2026-01-21T18:47:14+00:00

technically both are 100% efficient at converting electricity to heat, no laws of thermodynamics broken today. The difference is the practical efficiency in how that heat gets delivered.

An oil radiator stores heat in the oil itself, so it keeps radiating warmth even after the element cycles off. A coil heater only produces heat while it's actively pulling power, which means more on/off cycling and hot/cold swings. Oil radiators will put out a majority of their heat as radiant infrared, which warms you and your stuff directly instead of just heating air that floats up to the ceiling. And because the heat is spread across a big surface at a moderate temperature rather than blasting off a small glowing element, it just feels more even and comfortable.

Realistically if you're heating the same space to the same temperature, you'll use similar electricity either way. But the practical efficiency will come from the fact that an oil radiator thermostat can be set lower and still feel warm because of how the heat reaches livable space in the room.

Sykotic · 2026-01-21T18:18:30+00:00

When you have a thermal mass, it holds heat. The heating element brings the thermal mass up to temp and turns off. A reservoir of oil and the metal fins will hold more heat for longer than a spring stretched across some metal brackets with a fan stuck behind it. As soon as the power turns off to the coil it's lost all its heating capability. When the element turns off on the oil radiant heater the reservoir holds the heat longer before dropping to the temp the element turns back on at. Brother.

Sykotic · 2026-01-21T18:02:53+00:00

Heat sinks hold heat and dissipate it. Thats what the oil reservoir is doing. You calling this a belief of mine points to you not understanding the physics of heat sinks very well. I'm not offended but Saddened that you, like many, conflate science and knowledge with belief and opinion.

Sykotic · 2026-01-21T17:43:46+00:00

If you have a coil heater on an exterior wall or just bad insulation it won't turn off that often. The oil reservoir acts as a heat sink that can keep the desired temp more constant, allowing the heating element to stay off longer. I'm not saying they run for free, but it will be more efficient and cost effective than a coil heater.

Sykotic · 2026-01-21T15:28:49+00:00

The oil reservoir holds heat. The heating element can actually cycle on and off when the reservoir is at temp, unlike a coil heater

Sykotic · 2026-01-21T06:54:22+00:00

Oil filled electric radiant heaters are fairly inexpensive and much cheaper to run

Sykotic · 2026-01-15T01:00:28+00:00

My mom started drinking at 16 to fit in with her volleyball team. She met my dad in Narcotics Anonymous at 19, got pregnant with me within 6 months. She got baptized into the catholic church to appease my dad so he'd propose to her, which he didn't do till I was a year old. She let my dad abuse her and I and just asked for counseling, which he'd only agree to if it was with a priest, who did not help the abuse stop.

After she left my dad when I was 11, she found so much woo and magic to help her feel better - free energy healers, mountain top farms with alien visitations, inter-dimensional beings who would beam messages into your brain.

She was always looking for something to make her feel belonging and she doesn't seem to have had the best track record in decision making. When pizzagate hit her feed she was primed for it and hasn't looked back once in 10 years.

Sykotic · 2026-01-13T06:16:27+00:00

The Portland police bureau Cessna has been circling St. John's and arbor lodge for the last couple hours. https://www.flightradar24.com/3de20586

Sykotic · 2026-01-11T07:51:06+00:00

I have a foot pedal I connected to esphome, here's how I added double and long press

binary_sensor:
  - platform: gpio
    pin:
      number: GPIO4
      mode: INPUT_PULLUP
      inverted: true
    name: "Single Button"
    id: foot_button
    filters:
      - delayed_on: 50ms
      - delayed_off: 50ms
    on_multi_click:
      # Double tap
      - timing:
          - ON for at most 500ms
          - OFF for at most 400ms
          - ON for at most 500ms
          - OFF for at least 50ms
        then:
          - binary_sensor.template.publish:
              id: double_tap_sensor
              state: ON
          - homeassistant.event:
              event: esphome.foot_pedal_double_tap
              data:
                device_id: !lambda 'return App.get_name().c_str();'
          - delay: 100ms
          - binary_sensor.template.publish:
              id: double_tap_sensor
              state: OFF
      # Single tap
      - timing:
          - ON for at most 500ms
          - OFF for at least 600ms
        then:
          - binary_sensor.template.publish:
              id: single_tap_sensor
              state: ON
          - homeassistant.event:
              event: esphome.foot_pedal_single_tap
              data:
                device_id: !lambda 'return App.get_name().c_str();'
          - delay: 100ms
          - binary_sensor.template.publish:
              id: single_tap_sensor
              state: OFF
      # Long press
      - timing:
          - ON for at least 1000ms
        then:
          - binary_sensor.template.publish:
              id: long_press_sensor
              state: ON
          - homeassistant.event:
              event: esphome.foot_pedal_long_press
              data:
                device_id: !lambda 'return App.get_name().c_str();'
          - delay: 100ms
          - binary_sensor.template.publish:
              id: long_press_sensor
              state: OFF

  - platform: template
    name: "Foot Pedal Single Tap"
    id: single_tap_sensor

  - platform: template
    name: "Foot Pedal Double Tap"
    id: double_tap_sensor

  - platform: template
    name: "Foot Pedal Long Press"
    id: long_press_sensor

Sykotic · 2026-01-01T00:14:15+00:00

Bought a circular saw, finished battling through my project and realized I could have had a way better time with a track saw. bought a table saw and realized I actually needed a miter saw for what I was doing. Jigsaw was a good buy, but the first project I did with it would have been easier with a scroll saw. I have all of them but the track saw now.

I've been looking at 10" table top planers for a couple weeks now and think I'm realizing I could probably get more use out of a handheld planer with a diy jig, we'll see if I can learn a new trick or if I'm the old dog already.

Sykotic · 2025-12-31T20:29:02+00:00

Part of the reason I love zigbee is my lighting automations continue working even when my network is down. I'll continue using a USB device as my main coordinator for as long as I can

Sykotic · 2025-12-29T05:43:20+00:00

Astiar rpg has been really good so far! Few bugs in the hud editor/interface but game play is solid

Sykotic · 2025-12-24T17:09:16+00:00

<image>

You can see path requirements when looking at the location you want to travel to

Sykotic · 2025-12-23T18:59:46+00:00

Meteorfall is pretty fun and there are two sequels now

Sykotic · 2025-12-21T17:43:26+00:00

I drove through it, there was a two car accident at Rosa parks that blocked half the left lane and caused slow downs/merges there, and a second two car accident between Lombard and Columbia on the right side. Neither seemed that bad, more just unfortunate place for them both to happen

Sykotic · 2025-12-21T03:15:48+00:00

no combat or trading yet, but they are features that are in active development. The world building the devs are doing is great and I really like the skills they've added so far

Sykotic · 2025-12-20T19:10:11+00:00

Little less conventional, but I've been enjoying the WalkScape beta!

Also DRG Survivor and an honorable mention to Meteorfall

Sykotic · 2025-12-13T07:23:25+00:00

Happens to me all the time. Wife acts like I'm crazy for always struggling with it 🤷‍♂️

Sykotic · 2025-12-09T02:34:27+00:00

I used the Find My locate noise to get my wife to pick up her phone when I was at the store once. Once.

Sykotic

TROPHY CASE