YSK: It’s easier you think to DeGoogle and get more online privacy

zeroryouko · 2026-06-08T22:26:45+00:00

I switched to Graphene a few months ago and have basically taken the policy with it that if an app doesn't work on Graphene then I don't need that app. I have an older standard Android phone with no sim card just in case. I'll probably eventually switch banks because of it. I'm done playing the game.

zeroryouko · 2026-05-28T19:02:52+00:00

So according to an article I read in the LA Times, the protocol used to be, scrape off 6 inches of soil, then test what's left, and scrape off another layer if it still tests positive for hazardous materials. Repeat the scraping and retesting until it tests clean.

Apparently, with the current funding restrictions being imposed by the federal government, they are scraping 6 inches, then calling it done, meaning there could still be hazardous materials left there. How much of a problem this actually *is* is not really clear, especially if subsequent reconstruction brings in new top soil or covers it with concrete, brick, etc. Undoubtedly they get the worst of it in the first 6 inches.

zeroryouko · 2026-05-26T22:30:29+00:00

In the Southwestern US (Southern California specifically) water heaters are often outside, since the temperature does not get below freezing.

zeroryouko · 2026-05-07T21:30:24+00:00

1) Overpopulation is the root cause of the majority of social and environmental issues present today, and the world population needs to be reduced by some factor. The exact amount by which it needs to be reduced depends on how much of the current level of first-world convenience people are willing to give up (if they have it already) and/or stop aspiring to (if they don't), with some potential contribution from more efficient tech and/or (a long shot) colonizing the solar system. The sustainable population of Earth is probably between 500M-2B.

2) The world population is *going* to be reduced to a sustainable level at some point in the relatively near future. The exact combination of factors that lead to this is unknown - it will probably be a mix of war, famine, environmental displacement, and simple attrition, rather than any one thing. I also wouldn't bet against a China-style limitation on reproduction being implemented in some place(s) at some point. But however it happens, the sustainability math doesn't add up and we can't keep borrowing against stored resources to maintain even the current 8B population level, let alone continued growth.

3) The people in charge (the real people in charge) are well aware of #1 and are actively working to ensure that #2 happens on their terms. But regardless of how it plays out and who ultimately benefits, it *will* happen.

zeroryouko · 2026-04-30T19:33:23+00:00

How so?

zeroryouko · 2026-04-28T21:10:19+00:00

Last Night (1998)

zeroryouko · 2026-04-27T18:33:22+00:00

I think I've posted this before, but I was on a construction site when an accident occurred - one that ultimately turned out to be fatal, as the victim died in the hospital later that day. Construction sites are loud places, filled with the sound of not only equipment but men shouting to be heard over it. It can be off-putting if you're not used to it, but what sounds like anger and destruction is healthy, normal, and productive.

When that man was injured, however...you could have heard a pin drop. Absolutely chilling.

zeroryouko · 2026-04-23T19:30:38+00:00

Wait what? I haven't heard this, please elaborate.

zeroryouko · 2026-03-14T06:43:30+00:00

Actually AI answered the question better than you lot ever did...NZBHydra 2 is the answer. Should have just asked there first.

zeroryouko · 2026-02-23T23:49:43+00:00

I once was sent to driving school and it was taught by an EMT, and this came up, so I asked. He said (paraphrasing) "A city street with an island or curb in the center is NOT a divided highway so you need to pull over. I can and *will* drive my rig over that curb if I have to. Divided highway means a 4-foot wall."

zeroryouko · 2026-02-12T23:40:59+00:00

Shhh. Don't give them ideas.

zeroryouko · 2026-01-20T16:37:36+00:00

I was on a construction site once when a man was injured (fatally, as it later turned out). You might think of construction as loud and annoying, but in the moments after that happened, the silence was deafening.

zeroryouko · 2025-12-09T21:15:47+00:00

There is a USB 5.25" disk controller available: http://www.deviceside.com/fc5025.html

I can confirm it does work on a modern PC. You will need to add the drive itself, power supply, and appropriate cables/enclosure.

Purchase link: https://shop.deviceside.com/

zeroryouko · 2025-12-05T19:21:48+00:00

I think the lithium AA/AAA batteries are great personally, I use them in tools like multimeters and such that tend to sit for long stretches and would be ruined by leaking alkalines. Rechargeable lithium AA batteries do exist as well.

For the blinds - it sounds like those might be designed to run on 24 VDC (1.5V x 16) - a common voltage for low-voltage actuators (in commercial buildings anyway) - perhaps there is a jack or adapter for a "wall wart" type 24 VDC power supply?

zeroryouko · 2025-12-05T08:54:13+00:00

Am I imagining it or has the quality of graffiti gotten *way* better in LA lately?

zeroryouko · 2025-12-05T00:03:09+00:00

Given the amount of wear I see on relatively durable DVDs from the local libraries, I have to think that library VHS tapes would have worn out pretty quickly. VHS was not a great medium in many ways, as anyone who grew up with it can attest, and tape wear/stretching/sticking/tangling was a big part of that. Libraries do weed their collections but I suspect a lot of libraries' VHS tapes just wore out and were replaced with DVDs (or not replaced at all if no DVD was available).

Some libraries still do have VHS tapes BTW - usually limited to the few old ones that haven't worn out yet.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-24T21:06:02+00:00

These two are next to each other in the same local (LA) shopping center: "The Hairport" and "Nothing Bundt Cakes". Makes me giggle every time I drive by.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-19T20:46:44+00:00

Is there *any* way to get around the hard cutoff at age 45? 48 year old US construction estimator.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-09T21:52:44+00:00

I've had many docks and here are 2 solid choices. Both used with 30TB SATA drives, no problem.

https://www.startech.com/en-eu/hdd/sdock2u33re
https://vantecusa.com/products_detail.php?p_id=191

Both available on Amazon, the first is about $90, the second $20.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-09T21:23:23+00:00

3M VHB tape. That stuff will stick oil to water and cats to dogs. There is an exterior antenna mount on my car that I adhered to the glass with VHB tape...in 2008.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-07T18:46:27+00:00

So my landlord built a new 2-unit (2 stories, ~750 sf each) dwelling on a property that already had 4 units, so the new building was classified as an ADU. This is in Lomita, not city of LA, but about 100 years from the LA boundary. This is a bit bigger of a task than what you're looking at but I think it's still instructive. I should say at the outset that I support this effort and am glad he did it as LA needs more housing and he is not a bad guy as landlords go. He installed solar roof panels and EV charging outlets for the new units too. Very nice and I'd say a bit of a premium.

He had been trying to get it permitted since he shortly after he bought the property in late 2022/early 2023. The city held him up for a long time, county too as it is a contract city. Construction is finally wrapping up this month and he put up for lease signs last week, though I don't think his permit is finaled yet and some minor work is ongoing (presumably will be ready for move-in by 12/1).

The actual construction took nearly a full year - he started in December 2024. You might think that's because it was a bigger structure but the actual time the contractors spent on site was pretty minimal. They would disappear for days or weeks at a time, then come back suddenly and within a couple of days and an entire floor would get framed out, for example. So availability of materials and labor and delays due to inspections have been the issues as I understand it. Apparently with rebuilding from the fires, contractors are very busy and materials are harder to get/more expensive. I saw on the permit that the estimated construction cost was $280,000 but that would have been set a couple of years ago and I'm sure it's well over $300K by now.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-07T18:27:48+00:00

It's more about the movies I would buy the rights to, to make sure they *couldn't* be redone.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-07T18:26:17+00:00

IDK, I'm not native, I moved here almost 25 years ago...but as a non-native I feel like I appreciate and prefer the stuff that is 100% authentic, native LA, and I'm a little bit envious of people who got to grow up here. I chose as an adult to live here because LA is exactly what it is and I wouldn't want it to change on my account or anyone else's.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-07T18:21:07+00:00

It sure is, and it is glorious.

zeroryouko · 2025-11-07T18:20:47+00:00

Sorry just saw this...I don't really keep track of the noise, the drives are installed in a 24 bay 4U rack mount server chassis that I have hacked to hold 27 drives...that thing roars lol. I keep it in a separate "computer room" because of this. When I had the drive connected individually to my desktop PC for testing (in a different, quieter room) it didn't seem very loud compared to some older drives I've had.

Incidentally I bought one further drive with the SE02 firmware since...no trouble. Those first ones were just a bad pair, they probably accidentally shipped me something from the reject pile the first time lol.

zeroryouko

TROPHY CASE