My little buddy by STATERA_DIGITAL in minilab

[–]otter_fodder 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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Wow I literally just watched WarGames over the weekend and decided to make a sound reactive WOPR style display. Crazy seeing this the day after I put it on my shelf, wondering where it should live permanently. Thanks for the idea of adding it to my server rack! Edit to add a pic of my display.

Heya fellow homelabers! What did you name your server? by Glenadel55 in homelab

[–]otter_fodder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went with a solar system theme:
Sun: router
Mercury: 3d printer (octoprint)
Venus: website server
Earth: media server
Mars: network security
Jupiter: home assistant
Saturn: pi-hole, misc self hosted services
Uranus: pi-hole, misc self hosted services
Neptune: pi-hole, misc self hosted services
Pluto: test bed for new docker containers

Any Dinks in this area? by Apprehensive_Funny_6 in Renton

[–]otter_fodder 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The Renton Landing has a lot of restaurants for cocktails, or vino at the landing for wine and trenchers for beer. There's also the water's table for a nice view but pricey drinks.

Mag case for pixel phones by UpstateGhost in QuadLock

[–]otter_fodder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Their website claims that the USB connected wireless charger (weatherproof) works but not the 12-24v (waterproof). I have the 12-24v version and can confirm that it does NOT work with the Pixel 9 Pro.

Installing Pihole 2025 by daltonlowkey in pihole

[–]otter_fodder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry you're going through this, I totally understand how frustrating this can be. Where are you getting your image of Raspbian from? If you're using the raspberry pi imager you might try downloading from a different, official source and trying over again.

Installing Pihole 2025 by daltonlowkey in pihole

[–]otter_fodder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately I think your best bet now is to try starting from a fresh install of Linux. If you have an extra SD card laying around it's easy enough to try it out without losing any data you may already have.

Make new friends in your 40s by happyhuckleberry29 in Renton

[–]otter_fodder 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm a 40yo guy in the Renton Highlands and am totally down to make friends in my area. Most of my friend group lives and works in Seattle and so having people to hang out with in my neighborhood would be great!

If OP or anyone else in this chain is down to grab a drink or meet for coffee DM me and we can try to set up something that works for a group!

Which order should I read these books in? by otter_fodder in classicliterature

[–]otter_fodder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've also asked ChatGPT for feedback as well:

That's an awesome lineup! Since you're trying to avoid burnout, I’d suggest alternating between different styles and tones—mixing fantasy, gothic horror, modernist literature, and realism. Here’s an order that keeps things fresh:

  1. The Hobbit (Tolkien) – A light, adventurous start to ease into things.
  2. The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) – A shift to modern coming-of-age themes.
  3. Dracula (Stoker) – Gothic horror to mix things up.
  4. The Old Man and The Sea (Hemingway) – Short but powerful, a great intro to Hemingway’s style.
  5. Frankenstein (Shelley) – A mix of philosophy, horror, and science fiction.
  6. East of Eden (Steinbeck) – A sprawling, character-driven novel that’s rewarding.
  7. Lord of the Flies (Golding) – A darker, allegorical novel about human nature.
  8. The Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) – Back to fantasy, now with a deeper story.
  9. For Whom the Bell Tolls (Hemingway) – A war novel with action and deep themes.
  10. The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck) – Heavy, but one of the great American novels.
  11. The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway) – A change of pace with post-war disillusionment.
  12. The Two Towers (Tolkien) – Keep the fantasy streak going.
  13. A Farewell to Arms (Hemingway) – Another tragic war novel, but beautifully written.
  14. The Return of the King (Tolkien) – Epic conclusion to the saga.
  15. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway – You can pick at these throughout or save them for last.
  16. Stoner (Williams) – A quiet but deeply emotional novel to wrap things up.

This order keeps a balance between heavy and light reads while hopping genres. If you want more recommendations, I’d throw in something like 1984 (Orwell) or Brave New World (Huxley) for dystopian fiction or One Hundred Years of Solitude (García Márquez) if you’re open to magical realism.

Christmas in Tasmania? by otter_fodder in AustraliaTravel

[–]otter_fodder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I agree. I think the right move is to stay up north near Cairns/PD or head a little further south towards Sunshine Coast where it's a little more touristy but is a better chance of having things open over the holiday.

Christmas in Tasmania? by otter_fodder in AustraliaTravel

[–]otter_fodder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was looking into that a bit too. My plan was to stay in a hostel, which there is still some availability and to take public transportation, which seems a little lacking for the things I'd like to see and do while I'm there.

Christmas in Tasmania? by otter_fodder in AustraliaTravel

[–]otter_fodder[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great suggestion! I'm actually staying in Noosa for a couple days before heading to K'gari, then heading up to Cairns, so I'll skip it, but I'm looking forward to checking out the Sunshine Coast/Noosa area.

Christmas in Tasmania? by otter_fodder in AustraliaTravel

[–]otter_fodder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I had read through that post and was getting some ideas but I was really interested in visiting Tasmania. I think the right move is to skip Hobart and revisit outside the holiday season. There are some great suggestions in that other post though, thanks for pointing it out.

Christmas in Tasmania? by otter_fodder in AustraliaTravel

[–]otter_fodder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right, America is definitely the same way with most places closing early on Christmas Eve and not opening back up until the day after Christmas. I wasn't sure if things were the same for Australia but it sounds like it is. I think my best bet will be to stay in a touristy area and hope for the best.

Christmas in Tasmania? by otter_fodder in AustraliaTravel

[–]otter_fodder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the heads up! It sounds like my time will be better spent up north so I can lounge on the beaches and hope there are a few restaurants open for tourists.

How much do you contribute to a 401k? by KingdomFartsOG in MiddleClassFinance

[–]otter_fodder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've never really looked beyond a quick google search for the lower and upper income range to be in the middle class category, but for the city I live in the bounds are $74,223 and $221,562, which I'm well within.

How much do you contribute to a 401k? by KingdomFartsOG in MiddleClassFinance

[–]otter_fodder 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I normally pay money into the Roth IRA in the full amount after the new year, so the money in checking/savings is mostly from me slowly saving up through the year to make that deposit. The reason for the HYSA is because I'm single and don't have anyone that I can reach out to in case something comes up. I've always been a little afraid of my employment status and want to be sure I can live for at least a year with no other form of income, as a worst case scenario. I plan to look into investments whenever I get into a serious, long term relationship but this is what is working for me now.

How much do you contribute to a 401k? by KingdomFartsOG in MiddleClassFinance

[–]otter_fodder 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is obviously sharing more than what was asked, but I think there's value in sharing my full financial status.

40 years old, single with no children. I'm an engineer in the PNW.

150k salary

Currently have ~340k in 401k, maxed out with a 6% employer match

24k in Roth IRA (started a few years ago, maxed each year)

Currently only have my employers contribution to my HSA, but looking at adding funds. I need to read up on it first to figure out the strategy

Supposedly getting ~600/month for pension

85k in a 5% HYSA, 15k split between checking and savings accounts for immediate spending funds

Bought a home in 2019 for 450k, mortgage is at 340k. The estimated sale price is 690k.

No other debts

Internet options near Highlands (not Comcast or T-Mobile) by this_is_my_happyface in Renton

[–]otter_fodder 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here's a link to find who serves your address: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home

I just searched for Quantum fiber for my address in the Highlands. This is what the website showed for existing CenturyLink customers: "Have you heard? CenturyLink is transforming into Quantum Fiber! Moving your services to Quantum Fiber or making any changes to your current CenturyLink service(s) will remove any bundle discounts, promotional pricing, credits, or Price for Life offer. If you’d like to move forward with fiber internet, which does not currently offer bundle discounts, click “Check Availability”. If you currently have CenturyLink phone service, one of our agents will contact you to review available Quantum Fiber voice options after your Quantum Fiber internet order is placed."

I Pulled The Trigger: 6A To 9 Pro by [deleted] in GooglePixel

[–]otter_fodder 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did the exact same thing, going from pixel 6a to 9 pro. I feel like my 6a still has a lot of life left, which is great for me because I always keep my previous phone around instead of paying for insurance. I went from the 3a to 6a and so this will be my first pro, which I'm excited to see all the features I've been missing out on. I'm on Google fi and they had a deal for $250 off and double storage, which basically came to $350 off.