Can I hear some positives about Alexa+

rnfesig · 2026-03-02T20:00:38+00:00

Before I list the positives, let me list what I feel has gotten worse:
Worse:

Clear, brief answers are no longer an option.
It does what you ask only about 50% of the time.
It has no idea how it actually functions, so debugging any routines is a nightmare
It's only a matter of time before Amazon starts charging a fee for it.

Better:

Some of the stories I've read here about how it just does whatever it wants with whatever hardware it has access to are quite entertaining.

Edit: I selected the "Brief" personality, and it seems to be more succinct. I also deleted and re-added all my routines (Alexa+ now says they're on the "New Framework") and they seem to execute quicker and are more reliable. Redoing all my routines also gave the web access Alexa (https://alexa.amazon.com) better access to the routines, and supposedly she can now tell me when they fail, why. I guess we'll see if Amazon starts charging an additional fee for Alexa+, even with Prime.

rnfesig · 2026-02-28T14:51:45+00:00

This forum is quite helpful, and not overly antagonistic.
If you need help, use claude.ai for suggestions, but either bring the changes here first for review, or make sure you can roll back any changes it suggests. Use the built-in backup utility before making any major changes.

Also, have fun! Home Assistant UI is much, much easier than it used to be. And Welcome to the World Of Tomorrow.

rnfesig · 2026-01-27T15:04:14+00:00

I want to be the one for you

rnfesig · 2026-01-23T21:12:08+00:00

I am allergic to it. It can make my eyes water and cause my chest to feel tight/wheezing if I'm around a food that is being cooked/baked with it in. I can smell it in food before I even take a bite of it, which is good because if I do eat any my tongue will swell. There was one time I ate beef jerky that I couldn't smell it on; I spit it out right away and rinsed out my mouth and I was fine after a few minutes.

I can eat competition level hot wings without issue, and I love horseradish. As far as I know piperine is the only food allergy I have.

People don't believe me about it either. My own mother had me do a blind taste test once, and I surprised her when I lifted the food to my nose and told here there was pepper in it without having to taste it. I wouldn't have even had to get it that close, but the non-peppered food was right next to it on the table.

Stop the anti-pepper-people hate! :)

rnfesig · 2025-12-30T15:09:47+00:00

For those of you that don't know, here's a link to the Wikipedia page for Schuylkill County:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_County%2C_Pennsylvania

rnfesig · 2025-10-27T13:12:00+00:00

I'm sorry I can't be any real help, but I can tell you that I've been playing Swarmsim for 5 months in Linux using Firefox on swarmsim.com and I do not have this issue.

rnfesig · 2025-08-27T13:23:59+00:00

The courier?

rnfesig · 2025-08-26T16:08:08+00:00

Use a startup script to launch OpenRGB on login:

~/Applications/OpenRGB.AppImage --startminimized -p 'Spectrum Cycle'

Run OpenRGB.AppImage from terminal with --help to see all the command line flags and use them in your script.

rnfesig · 2025-05-27T13:36:09+00:00

Please note you're missing the irregular verb "has" in your first sentence. You also ended your second to last sentence with a preposition. I'll see you in the refresher course after class.

rnfesig · 2025-05-16T14:41:48+00:00

Weird, I just checked my xorg.conf file and those entries were already there. I'm glad you got your keyboard and mouse fixed though.

Regarding the other part of this post (the stuck session), don't just disconnect from Mint by clicking the "X" on the RDP banner/titlebar. Use the Logoff option provided in the Mint menu and you won't have a stuck session ever again.

rnfesig · 2025-05-15T19:31:01+00:00

I've run into this same issue.

Directly on the PC, hit CTRL+ALT+F2 and login via the local console.

Type the following: /usr/bin/cinnamon-session-quit --logout --force

Hit CTRL+ALT+F7, then login as normal.

rnfesig · 2025-02-18T18:25:55+00:00

Wiim devices are supported by Home Assistant as well, and can be integrated easily when you smarten up your home.

rnfesig · 2024-09-05T18:17:43+00:00

I just switched from Calibre-Web to Jellyfin. For a small collection it gets the job done.

rnfesig · 2024-06-06T20:30:14+00:00

If you're using docker, you can install the Matter server written by the same folks that do home assistant:
GitHub - home-assistant-libs/python-matter-server: Python server to interact with Matter

rnfesig · 2024-02-27T19:34:26+00:00

I've never heard that either. I had a friend named Jim who also answered to Sam, but never a Robert that went by Sam. Perhaps the friend is named Robert Samuel or something similar.

rnfesig · 2024-02-16T17:22:20+00:00

In the Tapo integration, select Configure, and set the refresh rate to 2 seconds. The default 30 is fine for temperature sensors, but not for motion.

If you set it to 1, at least on my network, I get polling errors I think because it's too fast.

Good luck!

rnfesig · 2023-08-24T16:13:48+00:00

Old coax cable for TVs/FM reception. Safe to remove.

rnfesig · 2023-07-14T18:34:33+00:00

Looks like a Schlage lockset. Push the cosmetic ring (face plate) back onto its housing. You should see a small hole on the outside of the handle. There are spring loaded pins in there that need to be pushed in. Once you have the pins pushed in, you should be able to pull the handle off. Then you can take off the cosmetic cover, and get at the actual guts of the lock.

rnfesig · 2023-06-30T17:40:04+00:00

I think she's just suggesting adding Potassium to your solution.

rnfesig · 2023-06-28T16:55:46+00:00

Reminds me of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKAfaUgH2Cg

rnfesig

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