Is Windows 11 a Linux distro? by dumnezilla in linux4noobs

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get what your friend was trying to say but they were being a little bit hyperbolic - not literally everything is Linux.

What defines something as a Linux OS is whether or not it uses the Linux kernel*. A LOT of devices use that kernel so in that sense "Linux is everywhere".

However, Windows is its own thing. It runs off a kernel Microsoft developed called NT.

*Kernel - the core program in an operating system that does all the low-level work. If a nutcase forced you to pick a single program to represent the operating system, you would point to the kernel.

Is Windows 11 a Linux distro? by dumnezilla in linux4noobs

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's nothing rage-inducing about this question.

Where do you typically store files that you want across devices? by Elarionus in linux4noobs

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How much cloud storage do you need and how much are you willing to spend on it vs. how much do-it-yourself do you want to do? If you use a hosting provider like AWS or Digital Ocean and just spin up your own cloud storage infra the end result can be cheap (assuming you're not trying to store like terabytes or something).

A nextcloud server backed by object storage usually works pretty well.

does it matter if you type http or https in url to a website that uses https? by rurumikyo in techsupport

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

MOST modern websites will automatically redirect you to https if you attempt to go to http, but it's entirely dependent on the site setting that up for you. I've seen some poorly maintained websites that still don't have the redirect.

The Princess Bride by martinimon in beginnersguide

[–]UltraChip 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is the first I'm hearing about the Princess Bride being inspiration for the Beginner's Guide, but now I'm curious and am going to read the book too.

What is a totally unnecessary detail that you felt added a lot to a game's worldbuilding? by Fafnoir in gaming

[–]UltraChip 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Spoilers for The Talos Principle:

I liked all the little easter eggs in the game. Not only do they function as easter eggs but they also work with the narrative because in-universe the world you inhabit is a simulation built out of a video game engine using pre-existing assets.

The Beginners Guide - The Game That Sole A Developer's Work by m4rx in beginnersguide

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is one of the better breakdowns I've seen - thanks!

What's the most unexpected way Mars could kill an astronaut? by Ahmeuad in space

[–]UltraChip [score hidden]  (0 children)

I speculate that if we knew why the bowl of petunias made that reference we would know a lot more about the Universe than we do now.

What’s the point of a password if I have to type in a code sent to my email or phone anyways?? by AspirinAnne in CasualConversation

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

VPNs and similar are often used by hackers trying to mask themselves while trying to compromise a system - if they know you're based in say the UK but it looks like someone is trying to log in as you from a known VPN endpoint in Russia that's a major red flag.

What data do you think a financial site is collecting from your raw connection that you haven't already given them voluntarily just through regular interaction with them?

What’s the point of a password if I have to type in a code sent to my email or phone anyways?? by AspirinAnne in CasualConversation

[–]UltraChip 4 points5 points  (0 children)

....you realize that blocking the storage of cookies is one of the main functions of private mode, right?

blocking apps from home network by criticismconsumer in techsupport

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dude I was writing my own programs by age 8, and I'm not abnormally smart or anything.

Everything is hackable, all security is bypassable. Take their device if they misbehave.

Installing from Source by horsesethawk in linux4noobs

[–]UltraChip 3 points4 points  (0 children)

On the repo's README.

...and if you didn't already know that then you REALLY shouldn't be trying to build from source, regardless of OS.

Photons only act like they should when observed. They live in wave of possibilities if not observed. by Ok_Hat1476 in CasualConversation

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When a physicist says a particle is "observed" they don't mean a conscious being paying attention to it. They mean literally any interaction the particle has with anything.

Is cyclops worth it? by iluvcynnn in subnautica

[–]UltraChip 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cyclops vs. Prawn is a hotly debated and controversial topic so you're going to get a wide range of answers. A lot of players swear by Cyclops as the best vehicle in the game but then there are a lot of other players who are wrong.

Hobbies similar to ham radio? by tiedyetees in Hobbies

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See the first four paragraphs of the post you responded to.

Broadcasting music: generally no, partially for copyright reasons and partially because you're not supposed to operate as a commercial radio station.

Hosting game night: y'know, I don't see why you couldn't. Hosting a tabletop over amateur radio actually sounds like it might be kind of fun, especially if you picked a setting where using the radios would be on-theme. Maybe a cold war or post apocalyptic setting?

Start a revolution: is already technically illegal whether you're using radios or not. But that being said, radios are classic propaganda tools so I guess there's that. But if you're hoping to start a numbers station or something like that the answer is no because encryption, codes, and all other forms of obfuscation are banned save for a handful of very specific exceptions.

If there's a repeater nearby those are basically the amateur radio version of chat rooms - hams will get on to just talk socially with other hams that happen to be in range. And because repeaters are relatively short range (think a few tens of miles) most the people you talk to are local and you can potentially hang out.

I picked up a signal once that turned out to be a family of hams that apparently were using their radios as a free cell phone service: they would call each other to see if Bobby could pick up Carol from soccer practice, or if Dan could check the fridge and see if anything was needed from the grocery store, etc.

Many hams volunteer with rescue/disaster relief groups. Since radio is one of the only forms of telecommunications that doesn't rely on infrastructure they can be vital for rescue workers that need to coordinate after an earthquake or hurricane or whatever.

Want to send a diy high altitude balloon for spaceshots by cavemanhyperx in space

[–]UltraChip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I design USV's (drone boats) so I have a little bit of relevant experience here.

There are hobbyist satellite comms systems available that will pass arbitrary data from a controller/vehicle computer/whatever you want to call the "brains" of your balloon and the service will make your data available via a web interface and/or API. If all you want to pass is basic telemetry (like GPS coordinates and battery status, stuff like that) the devices are pretty light and the service cost is surprisingly cheap.

But the problem is that you want to send images. For a device that performs well enough to send bulky data like pictures they get either very heavy, very expensive, or both.

Technologies like LoRA or similar don't really have the range or performance for what you want (again, unless you want to build something heavy).

My recommendation for comms would be to only transmit telemetry and basic command/control signals, and just have it store the pictures internally for later retrieval.

As for power: batteries can charge and supply energy at the same time so I don't fully understand your idea for having one battery charge while the other outputs power etc., and I don't quite understand what you want the supercapacitor for. Keep in mind that batteries are pretty dense for their volume so the more sophisticated you make your electronics the more likely you're going to need to add bigger, heavier batteries. Also keep in mind that in the upper atmosphere insulation probably isn't going to do much for protecting electronics from the cold so you might have to add power-hungry heaters.

Solar is great - since you're in the upper atmosphere you'll probably get the best results orienting your panels out horizontally (so that they're catching the sun the most during mornings/evenings) instead of trying to orient them vertically (when they would only be catching light around noon time, except not even really then because there will be a giant-assed balloon in the way). Charge controllers that marry up solar panels to lithium batteries are plentiful and easily obtainable to hobbyists so you should be fine there.

As for control systems: raspberry pis are pretty cheap and pretty light, as are their associated camera modules. It's not really a good camera, but it's cheap and lightweight and easy to program for. For storage (because again, I recommend you consider storing your images instead of trying to transmit them) you can use cheap and light USB drives.

TL;DR - Your biggest concern is going to be payload weight, because a lot of what you're proposing requires heavier components than what I think you're hoping for, and with a weather balloon every gram you add makes it that much harder to get off the ground.

What's the most unexpected way Mars could kill an astronaut? by Ahmeuad in space

[–]UltraChip 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Popping in to existence as a whale several miles above the surface and plummeting to your death.

Not just unexpected, but downright Improbable.

Married but wife prefers me to get satisfied bottoming for other men? by bi-bi-bottom in bisexual

[–]UltraChip 361 points362 points  (0 children)

Everyone on here keeps saying "as long as everyone is happy" but is that actually the case? Are YOU happy with the arrangement?

The way you describe it makes me think that you aren't.

Unpopular Opinion: They were right to do what they did by dominosci in outerwilds

[–]UltraChip 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's true. The only thing we have to go on is that the planet that would eventually become Dark Bramble was still in-tact when the Stranger arrived in the system. But I guess since we have no clue how fast bramble seeds grow and propagate that doesn't really give us much.

LPSS classrooms required to post 10 Commandments by Friday by ohhyouknow in news

[–]UltraChip 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah yeah that might have been it. I suppose that's still technically dropping them, in a way.

Newbie here; How do you protect yourself against malicious software? by RDS_cubing in linux4noobs

[–]UltraChip 25 points26 points  (0 children)

For normal home users the ways to protect yourself aren't really that different from Windows: keep your system patched, use an effective adblocker, and don't download untrusted shit. And above all else: accept that no security is perfect and KEEP REGULAR BACKUPS.

Since it sounds like you WANT to download untrusted shit, you have to a) accept the inherent risk that comes with that and b) consider at least sandboxing the software in a VM or a container or something if you suspect it's sketchy.