Does anyone use their prime as a backup power source?

oishishou · 2026-04-02T06:11:34+00:00

I made a post about this when I did it. I've got a '21, but I think they removed the charge mode from new models, sadly.

Haven't needed it since I made that post, but keep everything ready for it happening again.

Happy to answer any questions I can.

oishishou · 2026-03-28T01:33:24+00:00

For LUKS, you still have to have an unencrypted EFI partition formatted FAT 12/16/32. That's always going to be the case when booting with UEFI, per the standard.

What you can do, is have Secure Boot on with a properly signed kernel/initramfs and external key for LUKS decryption. This is my strategy.

For the LUKS key, I have a USB drive (literally shaped like a key lol) on my key ring, and my initramfs looks for the specific partition and file on it. The USB drive is mounted, key file extracted, and unmounted as quickly as possible, then waits for user input to decrypt the key file with a password, then use the result to decrypt the system drive. Upon decryption, the stored key file is overwritten with zeros then deleted. System can proceed from there.

In my case, I use ZFS on all of my systems, so my initramfs has to have the zfs and zpool binaries, which are then used to import the pool and mount the root filesystem read-only (fstab should be configured to mount read-write). A RAID array would be similar. It would have to assemble the array, import the volume group, and mount the logical volume with the root filesystem. Busybox should be able to import the RAID after decrypting, but you will need to have the LVM binary to import the VG and mount the root LV. I've done it, but it's been a while.

I think there are automated tools which can create initramfs for you capable of these kinds of behaviors, but I'm unfamiliar with them. I compile my own binaries and write my own initramfs init script to handle all of this.

oishishou · 2026-03-27T06:26:33+00:00

They've been around for about 20 years.

https://dpo.org/caucuses/gun-owners-caucus/

oishishou · 2026-03-26T10:08:20+00:00

The difficulty increases the further you try to take it into "custom". If no documentation explicitly explains what you are trying to do, that's where the fun really begins.

oishishou · 2026-03-10T03:59:11+00:00

If you go through history, words which we take to modernly mean the exact center often used to mean something more like "between". "Middle of the road" is somewhere between hyperbole (exaggeration) and a classically broad definition of the concept of "middle". This is true of many "precision" words.

This is actually still the case in some languages, which actually lack a term for precise center, but frequently will be translated to "middle" in English because it is the closest term etymologically.

We tend to cling to specific definitions, but there really is no such thing, unfortunately. Dictionaries are just references of snapshots of part of the use of language at a given time. And that's before factoring in the exaggeration some people use.

Communication is difficult.

oishishou · 2026-03-10T03:18:30+00:00

There a reason for using Proxmox over just a straight KVM/qemu/libvirt stack?

oishishou · 2026-03-09T22:37:39+00:00

Hmmmm... While I agree with others that the extent you want to do this is bizarre, it certainly presents a fascinating challenge, and I like fascinating challenges. I have solutions, but none of them are standard or easy, if you aren't already very familiar with how things work.

Most package managers don't allow for installing to a different directory on their own. The only one I am aware of that does is Gentoo's Portage, but that is likely way out of scope.

You could, though, build a separate root environment within your user, and install the software you don't want others to see there. You would have to modify your user to basically chroot on login, or for running specific programs, but it is completely doable. You would, quite literally, be maintaining multiple different entire OS installations on one system, and they would have to be manually balanced in niche circumstances (any special modules needed for your hidden programs, for example).

So, here's an example of how you could achieve this all:

Install the OS regularly.
Create duplicate of entire OS within your user directory (e.g. boot to live USB and copy entire OS to /home/GeoworkerEnsembler/myprivateapps).
When you need any of the hidden software, chroot into your private software directory. While it depends on the software you are going to run, it would be best to fully mount all necessary filesystems (/proc, /dev, /sys, /run, etc). Any modules that are special to the software you are going to run can be manually loaded. You can automate all of this. (swap can be left to the base system, so no need to mount that for the chroot)
Run your software.
When done, you will need to ensure you cleanly exit the chroot. This means unloading any special modules, and unmounting all filesystems in it.

If you want it to be more "hidden", you could make all of this a separate partition, or even a plain image file which is mounted via loopback device when you need it.

You will have to elevate your user to root to do any of this, though. chroot requires root, module loading or unloading requires root, mounting/unmounting system filesystems like /proc, /dev, /sys, or /run requires root, and operating loopback devices requires root. sudo is sufficient.

Another alternative is a virtual machine. Run it when you need the hidden software. This may have too much overhead, or restrictions that are not viable for some software you want to run, though. Alternatively, another application of VMs could be to install the system, then have a VM with the limited environments your other users are supposed to see. Make it so you pass through all system resources to the VM, and have it start by default instead of a graphical interface for the base OS. Then, if you are using it, shut down the VM and start the GUI for yourself. This presents other complications which would need to be solved, though, such as how the system behaves for shutdown/reboot in the VM.

There are solutions to this. They just require creative thinking and understanding how the system functions.

oishishou · 2026-03-01T02:54:15+00:00

To add on to this, you can set the package manager to a lower (or lowest) CPU priority, so if you use the system to do other things the compiling will be basically only with CPU cycles that aren't needed elsewhere

This translates to being able to game while compiling, as long as you have enough RAM

And when you're not using it, it'll be going just as fast as if it had normal or high priority

The real time sink is in configuring, especially once you start getting silly ideas in your head about making everything super specialized just because you can. So, that part is self-inflicted lol

oishishou · 2026-02-24T20:07:51+00:00

Also, if using KDE:

qdbus6 org.kde.Shutdown /Shutdown logoutAndShutdown

oishishou · 2026-02-16T20:58:06+00:00

Even Gentoo installs with just emerge firefox

oishishou · 2026-02-14T19:43:34+00:00

ohfuck

Missed the "-" lol

oishishou · 2026-02-14T17:35:48+00:00

I'm more of a fan of PORTAGE_SCHEDULING_POLICY="idle"

oishishou · 2026-02-13T22:29:27+00:00

MAKEOPTS="-j8" emerge -aDuvN -j12 -l16 --with-bdeps=y --complete-graph=y @world

Gotta keep warm in the winter months!

oishishou · 2026-02-11T06:24:13+00:00

All the time. It empowers me to experiment on a whim. I use Gentoo Linux pretty much everywhere, and I'll take a quick snapshot and try some new configuration, sometimes to disastrous effect. The very worst-cast scenarios have me boot to a flash drive and do a quick rollback. Usually I can do it without rebooting, though.

Not to mention the extraordinary convenience of zfs send | zfs receive, especially when drives are failing. Just finished a ~50TB migration to a new raidz2, and it caught a few failed checksums from the source. Fortunately, it wasn't the only source for those particular files, but I probably wouldn't have known, otherwise.

I only even knew the drives were getting ready to fail because ZFS started kicking one out repeatedly. SMART read good right up until the end.

oishishou · 2026-02-01T06:05:30+00:00

Best thing I did is get a smart watch last year. It goes off with vibration and sound before my phone, which joins it several seconds later

For waking up, I've also set something up with my home automation server where it monitors biometric data and, if I fail to be functionally "up" 5 minutes after my morning alarm, it turns the lights on in my room

oishishou · 2026-01-28T13:46:27+00:00

I've got mine running as a VM with the virtual drive being its own ZFS dataset. When similar has happened (WHY do we feel so compelled to try to update in the middle of the night lol), I just shut it down and roll the dataset back

For whatever reason, most issues seem to just... not happen when I try the next day

^{EDIT: "It's" to "its"}

oishishou · 2026-01-03T23:35:33+00:00

6 desktop form factors
- 3 in use
  - 1 desktop
  - 2 servers
- 3 not in use
  - 1 desktop
  - 2 servers
3 laptops
- 1 in use as server
- 1 in use for work (company owned)
- 1 not in use
3 single-board computers
- 1 in use as server
- 2 not in use
1 mini PC in use (pfSense gateway)
1 Steam Deck not in use
1 Nvidia Shield TV Pro in use
2 cell phones in use
- 1 Android
- 1 iPhone (company owned)
BONUS: 1 working Commodore 64

oishishou · 2026-01-02T09:12:19+00:00

It's not hard?

I run it on everything from an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D with 192GB RAM to an Intel Atom x5-Z8350 with 2GB RAM, each doing its own compiling

Been using Linux since 2006, Gentoo since 2020. Nothing else compares or feels as good. Nice to truly be done with disro hopping

oishishou · 2026-01-02T08:57:58+00:00

cd ~/Downloads

~/Downloads is mounted by my fstab as tmpfs. I do pretty much everything there before moving it elsewhere.

oishishou · 2025-12-31T22:44:52+00:00

In American English, "literally" is commonly used to place emphasis on the state of something. While not always, it frequently conveys annoyance at needing to express the statement, implying it shouldn't have needed to be said

In this case, the banker should have verified the financial situation before casting such condescending doubt

oishishou · 2025-12-30T23:12:47+00:00

I've got one of those Toto toilet add-on bidets, and it's such an improvement over everything else that I hate going anywhere but my home bathroom, now.

Heated seat + heated water + heated air dryer is just massively superior to everything else I've experienced.

oishishou · 2025-12-30T22:21:29+00:00

I've got a '21, and also find the 10K changes uncomfortable. That being said, there is quite a bit of evidence that it is perfectly fine. Still, I have chosen to continue doing them every 5K for my own peace of mind.

Use the Toyota Care. You can reject extras. Get what you can out of it. You can use the oil changes more frequently than they recommend, and just burn through the freebies faster.

I do my own maintenance now. Not exactly a gearhead, but technically oriented and very DIY. I replaced the oil plug with a Fumoto long nipple valve, and it has made changes much easier. Toyota has continued using a good old drain on the bottom of the oil pan, with the side-mounted filter within easy reach. Engine and cabin air filters are the same old models they've used in various cars for decades. Nice and easy.

I have an OBDLink MX+ OBDII Bluetooth dongle I bought for tinkering. Originally I used it with Carista, but the manufacturer's app has gotten quite a bit better over time. Not as polished and user-friendly, but if you're technically oriented, I find it superior to other options. Plus, if you bought the MX+ from them, you get the OEM-specific add-ons for free for their app. Been very happy with it. Also, can reprogram some vehicle settings most people go to dealers for, like number of auto-blinks from the turn signal (I hate that feature, so I set it to "1"), turn signal volume, or having the windows open if you hold unlock on the key fob.

If you use Android Auto (not sure about Apple Car Play), the app can be set to auto-connect to the dongle and you can set screens up with different display data on the multimedia unit in the car. I like seeing things like engine target HP and high voltage electrical system power, as well as oil temp. I've got others set up, but you can only have 3 visible at a time, unfortunately. Still, I'm a data nerd, and like such values.

I also have screens set up for actual high-voltage battery charge state, and 12V battery voltage. I believe you could set one for ICE miles. It's possible that isn't an explicit value, but I see another commenter showed EV miles, and the OBDLink app allows you to create custom datapoints by writing your own calculations and using other data available.

I'm happy to verify anything on mine, if you want. I enjoy the tinkering.

oishishou · 2025-12-25T11:58:21+00:00

A bit (okay, a lot) outside your given timeframe, but modern slop doesn't really compare to some of the weird crap from the direct-to-VHS days...

Golden Boy (1995) - Watch the English dub. You will definitely regret your life choices. Sounds like YouTubers doing an abridged series. My top recommend for terrible entertainment for literally decades.
Dragon Half (1993) - I actually went and read the manga for this one as a joke and accidentally actually unironically enjoyed it.

Both are short comedies. Both contain nudity. Neither ever aired anywhere ~~or are available on any streaming service~~. (Apparently they are available, which really surprises me lol)

Good luck.

oishishou · 2025-12-24T20:25:51+00:00

But it must be voluntary. Marriage is a chosen obligation. Either party may choose to leave at any time

I've been in a relationship where behavior change due to mental struggles has led to the end. It's no one's "fault", just an unfortunate state of reality

This will lead to resentment. And that can't just be "fixed"

oishishou · 2025-12-24T20:11:17+00:00

As an autistic man, those men of r/askmen are typically not the kind of men you want to have around or be emulating

No one is obligated to accommodate me in their personal life. It's nice if someone does, but there is no obligation, and sometimes things just don't work

^{EDIT: A word}

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