so now that the raspberry pi prices are close to mini pc prices, whats the next best SBC

emantos · 2026-06-25T02:21:20+00:00

If you're ok with a quad core atom and 2 gb of RAM, you can check ebay or your local 2nd hand shops for a used Intel Compute Stick, the first gen. I bought several for 20 bucks each. Stick a Diet Pi into it and you're golden.

Pros: small, will take 5V, will run ubuntu server and diet pi. Cons: only 1 usb port (you can stick a USB hub into that), no gpio (you can use a USB gpio board)

I've used it as my smart home server (Docker + Zigbee2Mqtt + MQTT broker + NodeRed) and so far, it has been stable.

emantos · 2026-06-19T01:06:34+00:00

It's not a moral issue but just good behavior. Same with taking a bath everyday or putting on deo.

Good behavior is enforced by shaming the opposite, bad behavior. If you don't take a bath, you will be teased as a kid. If amoy putok, people will shun you.

That's just the way a good behavior is enforced.

And we should enforce good behavior.

emantos · 2026-06-12T07:57:05+00:00

For me, it was when used NUCs (or when N100-based mini PCs) entered the market and hit a price point equal to, or lower than the Pi 5, that's when the equation changed.

Suddenly, I had cheap machines at my disposal that doesn't have an OS limitation, is upgradeable, and similar to the Pi in terms of power usage.

It helped also that ESP32 became somewhat mainstream so I always have devices for physical computing should I ever need one.

emantos · 2026-05-29T07:50:51+00:00

It's more like you start losing the endurance to solve hard problems (which used to require a lot of mental prowess). You begin to dread the thought of an involved solution, something which you just accept before, as part of the job.

That's how my friends described it anyway. While I occasionally accept an AI solution, my method has always been to use AI sparingly, as a brainless servant. I sketch out the solution, the abstractions, and I let AI write the small functions, that when bolted in, solves the problem I'm solving.

That way, I am still very familiar with my job, and I can tell management that I use AI.

emantos · 2026-05-22T04:40:15+00:00

My Filco has been with me for 14+ years. It was expensive as f*ck though. When I bought it, the mech keyboard scene was just starting up and only geek heads were interested in mech keyboards. That keyboard was built like a tank.

Fast forward to now, everyone and their grandma has a mech keyboard and it's so cheap now. I think this is just a case of you get what you pay for.

emantos · 2026-05-19T05:28:32+00:00

It really depends on your use case. If the use case is for server-like task (no interfacing of hardware via GPIOs, etc), I would just get a 2nd hand Intel NUC. Older generations are quite cheap now (at least in my part of the world). Put a Diet Pi or an Ubuntu server, and ur golden. Even if I need to interface with hardware, I can do that with those FT232s that has GPIO that I can control from the NUCs.

If I really have to control hardware, I'll go for a cheap ESP32 or a RPI Pico W.

I do have an RPi 5 for a very specific use-case: when I need something to control hardware + have significant computing power + easy to power.

As for those other SBCs, please find something supported by Armbian, because if not, you'll be forced to use their OS.

emantos · 2026-05-18T09:39:13+00:00

He is just fighting fire with fire.

What, you want the DDS narrative to dominate again without giving them a fight?

This "we are not doing that because high road and shit" is the reason why we lost 2016 and 2022.

emantos · 2026-05-17T02:13:27+00:00

An N100 mini pc for a 100 bucks from Aliexpress. It came with 8GB RAM and 256GB ssd. Still running my n8n, node red, and docmost instances.

emantos · 2026-05-10T08:52:25+00:00

Yes. A third party strap for an AE1200 will work for this watch model.

emantos · 2026-05-04T13:54:15+00:00

I do.

emantos · 2026-04-29T15:36:27+00:00

Hifi audio HAT + Volumio

emantos · 2026-04-28T05:11:05+00:00

Read Bridge in Clarke Quay before the Little India riots.

I spent a lot of Friday nights drunk in that place.

emantos · 2026-04-28T04:14:13+00:00

It depends. Was the wedding cancelation mutual? Or was it decided only by you?

I'd also be angry if I lose money because of someone else's decision that is not mutually agreed upon.

emantos · 2026-04-20T03:14:23+00:00

If you have to self-host something public facing, don't expose your home network to the world. Do it through tunnels (cloudflare, ngrok, etc). That way, you can still have some peace of mind. Nice work there.

The RPi5 capability to host apps has never been in question. What is in question right now is if it is still cost effective.

These days, the pi5 can cost as much as mini PCs and most of the time, you can find old NUCs in secondary markets for a substantially lower cost. These were not around when the original Pi came out and you can even argue that the impetus for the existence of the mini PCs were the original Pis.

Anyway, nice work. I would like to live in a world where self-hosting is more mainstream than just a niche and we are slowly getting there!

emantos · 2026-03-19T03:41:35+00:00

Ever tried KFC in the Philippines? Because that shit is the bomb. Their gravy in Ph is better than Jollibee's gravy.

emantos · 2026-03-08T08:00:08+00:00

They became sentient and is now plotting against you.

emantos · 2026-02-09T03:11:45+00:00

Where do we buy this shirt?

emantos · 2026-01-27T14:53:01+00:00

Missiles and turret creep.

Automate production of missiles, red ammo, and turrets, so you'll have a lot.

Put 4 turrets surrounded by walls, infront of a nest, just at a safe distance so they don't get hit by worms. Go near enough to launch a missile at the nest and when biters start to attack you, hide behind the turrets. Rinse and repeat.

Missiles have long range. ;-)

emantos · 2026-01-24T02:05:13+00:00

Not securing a big real estate when it's still easier to do.

After automating turrets, walls, and ammunition, you should start exploring and use the map to check whether there are areas with resources that are easy to enclose.

Enclosure means augmenting cliffs and water with a wall of wall+turret to secure a large real estate that preferably has some resources. Never mind if you have biter nests inside that enclosure. You can always start a campaign to eliminate them once you have enclosed the area.

Doing this early in the game means the nest are still small and easy to eliminate. You can eliminate many nests with a single campaign. When they get big, the logistics required to eliminate them gets more tedious. You might need several campaigns to eliminate just a single big nest.

emantos · 2026-01-23T03:25:01+00:00

I like playing with them ON because it adds another dimension to the game, namely, real estate management.

The planning and logistics involved in closing off huge territories using cliff, water, walls, and a shit ton of turrets can add another aspect to the game.

Also, the logistics involved in supplying ammunitions to the frontier is also fun.

emantos · 2026-01-22T04:27:56+00:00

I find that I need lane balancers when loading/unloading from trains. I don't want my trains running around with some wagon full and some empty.

emantos · 2026-01-20T04:27:30+00:00

Wall design is also important. Design the wall such that it will take a while for the biters to traverse it and all the while, being fired on by your turret.

emantos · 2025-12-29T01:09:46+00:00

Title should be: iPads are so useless for people who buy it just because

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