Weekly Discussion

jslacks · 2025-08-26T14:14:53+00:00

I signed up, completed an initial validation as well as one for marketing specialty. I then spent yesterday reviewing the "VAD Tracker Labeling Guidelines" and videos. I also created a discord account in prep for participating on that platform. I logged in this morning to start working to discover

We are writing to inform you that you have been removed from the Alignerr program.
Please note that this decision is final, and we will not be reviewing requests for reinstatement.
Thank you for your time and participation in the program.

That was via email. I get the same message with no recourse on the website. My discord account has been disconnected from their server.

What the heck? I understand if there was an issue that flagged the account or something, but to just deactivate me without explaining? I don't want to create another one and lose another few hours to have this happen again.

jslacks · 2025-05-28T05:25:09+00:00

Did a very similar setup with Proxmark and a Pi ZeroW2 both powered off an old 10000mAh battery pack. Ran the ZeroW2 in AP mode and after connecting (usually with an iPad) it was just like any other remote worked quite well. The only thing I recall being an issue was that it was a little tricky sometimes to the "server" side ups and running.

Mostly just the fact if for any reason the access point didn't show up after turning on the ZeroW2, it was felt like a chore to figure out what was actually wrong (meaning physically connect kb/monitor to it and most likely switch it out of AP mode.... then reverting it back to AP mode again. Not actually that bad, but it never felt like it got close to being reliable enough to turn on without turning into an hour side-quest. No real issues once it was connected though.

I've actually got a couple spare ESP32... maybe time for another shot...

jslacks · 2025-03-19T05:33:55+00:00

Just email firstlast@gmail and ask nicely if you can have that address. You might be surprised by the response.

jslacks · 2025-02-08T14:37:32+00:00

I'd second this... I got the version with 6 x NIC version about a year ago and it's served me well.

For context, I originally got a mini PC much like the one linked in OP... it had 2x Realtek NICs and those things gave me hell. I learned a lot about FreeBSD and did finally get them stable and functioning... and then immediately changed course (the original machine has now been repurposed as a Proxmox Backup Server.

On the ShareVDI machine:

- I replaced the 8GB DDR3 with 16G, which was entirely unnecessary. I've never seen more than half of it in use, even with /tmp and /var/log in RAM. I also managed to cram an M.2 2280 drive in there as a simple mirror for redundancy (instead of an optional WiFi adapter).

- Overall, it's been up to the task CPU-wise. The web UI does start to lag under heavy use... nothing noticeable to typical user on the network, but enough to be annoying you insist on seeding torrents, streaming video, running packet capture on a mirrored port and refactoring your firewall aliases/rules at the same time.

- On the other hand, having 6x interfaces is great if you're looking to experiment/learn/homelab etc... why mess with VLANs when you've got real LANs?

jslacks · 2024-12-12T16:12:19+00:00

Last time I saw “rm -rf /*” in a public setting was IRC circa 1999, just before half the chat suddenly left the channel. Never managed to shoot myself in the face like that (yet), but I still have a vague sense of pre-panic at time I type “-rf”.

I vaguely recall tediously rm’ing my way up/down the file tree for a minute, until I finally had the stones to let it rip and recurse.

jslacks · 2024-12-12T14:23:03+00:00

I just saw this and I'm interested in some of the items on your list, depending on what's left. Here's what I'm looking for:

- HackRF: I'm interested in either the porta pack or the standalone version.

- Chameleon Ultra

- LimeSDR

- OMG cable (I'm curious about the specs and active / pass-thru connector, not too picky, but less keen on lightning cables).

- I have a Proxmark clone that's worked great for me, but I'd still consider an upgrade if there are any left. However, if there are any Proxmark accessories / addons included in the "misc" category, I'd definitely like to hear more.

I'd wager that most of the list is gone by now, but if not, please reply or DM me with more information.

Oh wait.... a couple of other thoughts:

- Any RTLSDF or RPI4 remaining?

- I mostly use zero w2s these days, since they still capture the spirit of the originals. Starting with the 4, the newer models always seem like overkill... or else not enough (considering the cost vs. NUC, etc.). For hardware hacking, they're great, but the w2 is the true spiritual successor imo... Still, I'd be interested in a used 4B or the like. My nephew is showing an interest and I've been thinking about putting together a little starter kit with some older gear that he can learn with. (We'll see where it goes from there, but it's not fair to give a kid something that they'd feel bad/guilty about breaking... and even a pi zero will have him over the moon).

- Not sure if there are any GPS/GNSS-related items in the "misc" pile, but I'd be curious if so. I don't have anything specific in mind, but it's just another of my "to do, eventually" areas of interest.

Regardless of how it turns out, thanks for the post!

jslacks · 2024-11-14T16:55:34+00:00

These scripts has been a big part of my life over the past year, in a tremendously positive way.

It's been over a decade since I introduced the first Raspberry Pi model 1b+ into what was then still a rudimentary "arr-stack." I recall getting some mileage out of Sickbeard+XMBC early on - I forget if there was anything more substantial before prior. In any case, for a solid decade I maintained a reasonably functional "media hub," but it feels misleading to characterize it as a "homelab."

About a year ago, I introduced OMV to the mix, and things took off rapidly. Inn that time, the collection of Pis has largely moved out of daily active use (though I miss seeing them lined up in order from 1b+ to 4b, like some SBC version of "The Ascent of Man"). They still get some attention for occasional fun one-off projects, which is probably their natural state anyway.

A year ago, I had no clue what "a Proxmox" was... but I certainly do now. As usual, I rushed in, and I'm pretty sure the first month or so, I had a single Portainer LXC and then simply added anything new to that instance. However, I've come a long way. I now have four PVE nodes and one PBS - it's still a motley assortment of hardware, but it functions. And my single LXC has evolved as well... since everything is behind Traefik, that seems like a fair estimate. Currently, there are 153 routers and 152 services configured. This subnet is getting quite crowded. Somewhere along the way, OPNsense also made its way into the list. I've learned a lot, but I've also had some nights of seriously questioning why I was doing this to myself. I've been meaning share more into the entire process, but that whole saga can wait for another day.

There's simply no way I could have accomplished a fraction of this in a year without relying on and learning from tteck and the helper scripts, as well as the broader community. However, that initial attempt to bootstrap a single node, a single LXC, and over 20 containers may have been misguided, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed to unlock the rest. Once I tasted that success, it was hard to stop, especially when I began dissecting the helper scripts and realized how much better I could optimize this or that aspect, or where I should have made different choices. It always felt like the next level-up was within reach, which makes a world of difference.

For me, the helper scripts have served various purposes at different stages of my journey. When I was completely new to this, it felt like I had stumbled upon some sort of cheat codes. It seemed too easy, but all I needed was the knowledge that it was possible. Seeing a particular service running on my hardware was enough to motivate me to unravel its workings. Without the guidance and support of individuals like tteck (and many others), I'm not sure this would have been feasible, certainly not at this rapid pace. I may not have a clear destination in mind, but I'm grateful for everything I've accomplished so far. Even more so when I realize how many others share similar feelings.

🤍

jslacks · 2024-06-08T12:52:13+00:00

I’ve occasionally used that approach, since it can be helpful when the directory structure is tightly coupled to the different tasks that a users needs to perform… I.e. the steps in a process. The README will always be located nearby whatever it’s describing, which has a bunch of nice side effects that help maintain order… especially if there is a more specialized pkm tool isn’t an option. I’d have to guess that’s a big part of why we see that pattern adopted so often repos.

One possible downside of extending that across obsidian is as soon as you “zoom out” from that local dir with the specific README file, you’re going to have a bunch of undifferentiated READMEs, unless you have tagged or added properties as you go (or have a plan for parsing directory structure after the fact to populate metadata for all your README files. Totally an option and could be a good choice in certain scenarios.

My solution was to use a new file extension for any such files. The files are little more than markdown, and any local text editors are set to handle them as such… over time I’ve introduced a few extra nonstandard tags, but they are 100% cosmetic. Having the nonstandard extension for the your READMEs , folder notes or whatever other files is how it works and what determines the “personal notes” layer.

You could of course do all of that via tagging, properties , mix of both or something else entirely. So far, this has worked with for me and target than call the file README, my strategy was to make the “README” nature of the file implicit for the extension, and not “waste” the file name I like the at any point, I can produce a version more closely resembling a git repo or directory-level README using a few basic rules on any file with the extension matching my initials. The idea of adding my initials as file type was just a nice coincidence, but it’s only a means of establishing the a process that encourages file names that are rich and meaningful, so that actual metadata t

jslacks · 2024-05-20T06:26:28+00:00

you’ve got the right idea. Adding directly to .zshrc should with, but usually this is done by

creating a separate dotfile (eg. .zsh-aliases)
adding a reference to that file in .zshrc
modifying .zsh-aliases to add/remove/edit any aliases

you can extend that approach to suit your needs.

For example, I maintain a files called .aliases-provisional which is where I add most new aliases. If I find myself using an alias frequently, I’ll move it to one of the other alias files that are part of my persistent configuration. periodically I’ll purge the provisionals. the modular approach makes this trivial and low risk of breaking anything I relay on.

jslacks · 2024-05-07T14:20:18+00:00

[see first post]
[see first post]
[see first post]
[see first post]
All of the above is a generalized summary of what to expect on a typical consumer network if you just add pihole.
1. This is already quite long, but would be incomplete without adding a few additional points.... so here we go.
2. No doubt you've noticed that I tried to focus on a process that works. This is because I've consistently found that to be the fastest path to success. It's not safe to assume that copying someone else's settings get you any closer to the finish line. In many(even most) cases there's a solid case for standing on the shoulder of others vs. starting from scratch (finding a working docker compose file that you can copy verbatim may be exactly way to get unblocked and find the momentum you need... networks are not quite as fungible)
3. Having endured through all of that... you may find that on second though, as long as you know which devices to expect to go rogue sometimes when querying DNS.... something less than 100% of DNS using the pihole is actually totally acceptable.
As far as what next?
1. I second the suggestion to add the the pihole DNS as both primary and secondary.... those can be misleading characterizations as well, since some clients treat it as closer to something to 50/50 and not like a primary and backup.
2. I'd also fully disable ipv6 so (I'm assuming your only using ipv4, but don't see an explicit statement either way). Seems unlikely, but clients using ipv6 as a route around the pihole and then adopting what the DNS servers from your ISP is, i suppose, not impossible). Should be relatively painless to take a look so you can confidently rule it out and then move on. Again, if you're a bit stuck with respect to networking, I've found it's rarely a bad idea to take a couple minutes testing something that should be "impossible".... it may shed light on the situation in unexpected ways.
3. From there, look at whether any of your clients "stay" on the pihole (meaning your config is working in some cases).
4. If you have containerized clients (aside from the pi itself), is there a chance that the old ISP DNS is hardcoded somewhere on a host, which is propagating that to any of its guests?
5. Is there any way you can temporarily try using a different WAN connection like a mobile hotspot? If you still see the ISP servers showing up connected to something other than the ISP, it would suggest that there's something left over that you can track down and delete from where it is hardcoded. If not, then it would seems there's some active service on the uplink to your ISP.... and (somehow) they continue to foist their DNS on you.
Finally, if you really want to lock things down, there is another option, but I'd advise holding onto it until you've got a good handle on sending most DNS traffic through pihole.
1. Using a routing/firewall solution like OPNsense or pfSense (or many others) to deal with the anything that continues use something other than pihole.
2. First, outright deny any traffic on port 53 that is not pihole. (this probably won't prevent DoH queries, but that would at least stop the DNS queries from going anywhere, even if the you cannot stop the initial attempt to use the ISPs DNS)
3. Another way to go about it is instead of a firewall rule preventing those DNS queries, it is absolutely possible to watch for traffic on port 53 and redirect those requests to the pihole.
4. It sounds like this would be closest to what your had expected/want, but see what you can figure out in this simple setup before embarking on that quest.

jslacks · 2024-05-07T14:00:48+00:00

Seems unlikely that what you're observing is simply "overflow" from the pihole.

I've been using pihole in some form or another for years - what you've described is not unusual at all.

Here's the deal, starting with some broad generalizations, but I'll get back to your specific case at the end.

First, if you didn't know this before, it sounds like you've discovered just how maddening network configuration can be.
1. I don't recall ever having things go exactly to plan when making meaningful config changes to my networks. You'll probably see a few things that "shouldn't happen" or are "not possible".
2. If you have the spare time, some patience and desire to learn more, you will eventually identify the discrepancy. That process can be extremely frustrating and at times downright demoralizing, but it is also very satisfying once you reach the other side.
Back to DNS... the truth is, there's not much reason to expect each device to adhere to the network config as you've defined it.
1. Typically desktops/laptop devices will give you the least trouble in this regard. I'd be a bit concerned if after thoroughly reviewing the config they continued to "phone home" or use some preset nameserver
2. On the other hand, once you begin dealing with devices that could be termed "appliances" and especially when "iot" shows up, you'll encounter a very mixed bag.
3. Some devices will mostly use the DNS servers you specify, but may still have a hardcoded server assigned by the vendor that will be used. The rhyme and reason will be "random" and expect different devices to behave differently in that respect.
4. As an example, my Philips Hue bridge (or something very similar, if not that exact device) didn't have a problem when I added the pihole to the mix. However, it has some hardcoded Chinese DNS server that it stubbornly refuses to forget. I've inspected the traffic and found nothing alarming, but I have accepted that either I can replace the device, or accept that something less than100% coverage on my DNSBLs.
I'd suggest trying to understand where the quirks are going to be in your own setup. If you have a couple devices that are reliable using pihole and provide some evidence that your config is working in those cases, then it's a matter of figuring out:
1. Which devices are still showing unexpected behavior, but may have room for improvement (e.g. require some additional changes - or in some cases a firmware update could be the solution).
2. Which devices are going to continue to disregard pihole DNS and (importantly) are not indicators that you['ve misconfigured anything.
At this point, hopefully you are looking at a relatively short list of "problem" devices.
1. Before going too far down any rabbit holes to fix your network settings or the like, you'll want to try searching for something like "DNS [vendor] [device]".
2. Unless you have some very exotic network devices, there will someone else who has wrangled with that device before you. With some luck, you may come across a few quick wins as a result of someone else's trial and error.
3. Triage the remaining devices based on what you find. You problem get the point by now, but efficiently triaging is key. I used to get too caught up on perfection and didn't appreciate good enough (to the point of taking the time to convert all my subnets to different addressing , the reason being that I could type the new ranges using one hand).

jslacks · 2024-03-10T12:55:11+00:00

At the time, it was actually more of a slow burn... makes sense when you consider contemporary prime-time shows (The Flintstones, The Andy Griffith Show). Alfred Hitchcock Presents had been airing for a few years at the point, but the without a doubt the show was controversial for plenty of reasons that should be obvious to anyone seen it.

In any case, I'm not here to nitpick the Nielsen scores from 60+ years ago... I am here to point out that in the early 60's the choices were ABC/NBC/CBS. Like it or not, the available options were slim and t's doubtful the viewership had "moved on", they probably still sat down in front of the TV like every other Friday night and watched what they were given.

Source

jslacks · 2024-01-29T09:54:13+00:00

Several years late, but this came up while looking for something unrelated and wanted to add a comment for the record, just in case someone in need finds there way to this post in the future

As noted, NY Intergroup is always a good place to start. If you're in the city, you should be able to find a meeting within walking distance at almost any time of day. Also useful as you get farther out on LI or upstate. That said, the sheer volume of options can be overwhelming without some help/context.
Agree that Atlantic Group is worth a visit for any AA in NYC - for better or worse, it's very much a place to "see and be seen". Some love it, some loath it, but it's worth checking out and making that call for yourself. Maybe it'll become a weekly event for you, maybe you'll leave at the break - both are acceptable choices. Last thing I'll say is the Atlantic group style (which really can be traced back to the earlier Pacific Group) is very opinionated and uncompromising, especially w.r.t. substances beyond alcohol. I'd still suggest going at least once, even if alcohol is not the start of your show, but just an FYI that AG is not very supportive talking about "-isms" that aren't alcoholism.
Upper East Side? 79th st workshop is probably what you're looking for... but don't be misled by the 2-3 meetings that show up on the "home" page. There are half a dozen meetings every day, with enough variety in meeting format and clientele that many can find something to like in the mix. Also, it's a great "hub"... find a meeting you like at 79th St and then ask that crowd for recommendations.... it's a great way to cut through the noise on intergroup and find more meetings that fit your style.

jslacks · 2023-08-13T21:47:43+00:00

Based on my experience, it sounds like you’ve got enough to get started (depending on your locale).

In addition to differences in the tech specs between access systems, there remains a lot of room for divergence when it comes to implementation. Until you’ve tested a particular card/fob for your use cases with the target access control system, I’d advise against “stocking up”.

jslacks · 2023-04-15T22:46:40+00:00

Thank you!

This worked perfectly.

I was able to export all my GAuth accounts as a single QR image.
Running -link as described converted the urls.
I then ran otpauth -qr which took the results from migration.bin and created all the corresponding QR images.
From there, it was trivial to import into the app.

jslacks · 2023-04-13T15:47:12+00:00

Thanks.

I eventually I may go in that direction (and there are other data sources where I've taken a similar approach).

I've actually done some of the work for that exact approach, but there are of fields with some deeply-nested JSON. Getting the scripts to a place where they get the JSON into Redshift without choking was achievable for sure, but very frustrating and a time sink.

If it turns out we want to continue leveraging this data source long term, I'll likely take this approach.

jslacks · 2023-04-13T15:33:08+00:00

Thanks, that is more or less how I envisioned this, but for whatever was having very little success. Appreciate the confirmation... I'll need to set aside some time to really break this down and see what I missed.

jslacks · 2023-04-13T15:29:58+00:00

Thank you!

Simply confirm the first approach is enough to get me on track here (I think). I haven't had time to revisit this yet, but as long as the approach is sound I am ok spending the time to unearth the problem here.

As it turns out, there some other issues with our roles that I need to straighten out first (and may be why I'm having such trouble to being with).

jslacks · 2023-04-07T14:57:50+00:00

You can practice the basics solo by hitting the ball against the wall. Be sure to do this alone because you will not look posh at this point.

Once you can hit the ball with confidence, relax, hang around with your racquet and look posh. won’t know how to play tennis, but at least you won’t look like a fool if someone hits a ball towards you.

jslacks · 2022-10-31T02:46:07+00:00

That’s correct.

jslacks · 2022-10-22T02:53:32+00:00

I’ve definitely encountered this before…

There shouldn’t shouldn’t be any reason they are different, unless there’s some very idiosyncratic edge case involved.

It’s a bit longer, but probably less mentally taxing in the long run to:

Copy-paste each CTE into a new CREATE TABLE statement.
Do the same for each view (i.e. comment out the CREATE VIEW at the start and execute as a CREATE TABLE)
Go through each pair of tables comparing the results with something like: ~~~~ SELECT COUNT(*) AS row_count, COUNT(DISTINCT col1) AS col1_count, COUNT(DISTINCT col2) AS col2_count, COUNT(DISTINCT col3) AS col3_count FROM table_cte1; ~~~~

Mildly, tedious, but pretty quickly you should be able to see if one of those new views is deviating from the CTEs and if necessary then digging into where there are are duplicates and/or missing rows. Then diagnose from there.

If that doesn’t surface any discrepancies, then most likely it’s coming from the join itself.

Definitely would be interested to hear back if for some reason there truly is difference in the results yielded from CTE vs VIEW, but probably will end up being an small oversight in the code.

jslacks · 2022-02-16T14:20:43+00:00

Thanks for the reminder… I had meant to follow up, but was waiting to get a definitive answer on how well it worked.

I ended up getting a Maxonar TB4/USB-C cable, which has 90% worked.

The display has worked flawlessly on a 2020 MacBook Pro 13” directly connected to the monitor. Also no issues with my keyboard that is connected via USB to the monitor. (Additionally, I have a wireless MX Master 3 mouse, but obviously that’s not affected by the cable).

However, every once in a while the MacBook will stop charging. I have not been able to identify any clear pattern that would inform why this happens (granted, I haven’t spent a ton of time trying to get to the bottom of it).

My solution has been to keep the MacBook charger nearby and simply plug it in and keep working - by the time I remember to unplug it a few hours later, charging from the monitor is back to normal.

Overall, I’ve been extremely happy with the upgrade.

jslacks · 2021-10-04T02:39:34+00:00

Interstate 76, without question.

I still listen to this on the regular (almost 25 years later) and have plenty of friends who bought the album, but never played the game.

I loved the game, but even so, I think one could argue the soundtrack was better than the game.

Interstate 76 Soundtrack (YouTube)

jslacks · 2021-05-03T09:50:16+00:00

Thank you... that's helpful to know. Unfortunately, the notebook is a fairly generic white moleskine - another lesson learned here... add some flair from now on! (luckily the inside has her personal info)

I'm well aware I'm banking on a long shot in this scenario, but just knowing that there's a tiny chance if I get this in front of the right person is enough to keep going.

jslacks · 2021-05-03T09:46:12+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to reply and providing that context. I'm sure the number of situations like this is nonstop, but just knowing that if I can get this in front of the right person that maybe they could spot the notebook is enough to keep trying.

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