I don’t mind internet connected devices (ignoring privacy issues). What I have a problem with is internet dependent devices. All critical devices should have a backup mode for a lost connection, and all devices should fail safe, not run at max temperature.

My smart lights are controlled by Home Assistant, so they still work when my internet connection goes down. I also have physical switches so I can control them like basic lights if Home Assistant breaks.

Always have backup plans.

I swapped my mother’s computer to Linux (Mint). She had no issues using it, because I put the desktop icons in the same place, and copied the browser profile.

Is that like deciding that Tylenol causes Autism, then trying to find evidence after making an announcement?

Steam is almost flawless on Linux, and I’ve rarely seen a game that doesn’t work out of the box (just remember to press “enable proton for all titles” the first time you install steam).

I’ve never had to do any tinkering with Linux Mint, and I’ve heard the same about Bazzite.

Linux has come a long way in the last few years. You might be pleasantly surprised.

I’ve been using Steam on Linux for a few years. Check out Proton DB for game compatibility.

How long until he finishes reading the Library of Babel to us?

If you intend to install both, install Windows first. It has a habit of overwriting other bootloaders.

When you install Linux second, it should install a bootloader that will let you choose which OS to boot each time you turn on the computer.

Always backup data you care about. Installing an OS carries some risk of data loss.

House insulation.

I live in Australia where the minimum insulation required by law is a long way below inadequate, and many cheap contractors go below the minimum because it’s so hard to prosecute them.

I already had solar and a house battery, so the next obvious step was replacing the insulation. With my already very low electricity bills I cant say that it literally paid for itself (although it would have without the solar and battery), but it has made the house so much more comfortable. On some summer days, the AC would be using 7kW and barely keeping the inside temperature down to 30°C/85°F. Now it uses 3-5kW and the whole house stays comfortable.

Also, finding and patching the massive gaps from the previous “landlord special” house extension made a huge difference to the temperature of that room, and explained how lizards had managed to get inside.

I’m using an old thinkpad with Ubuntu Server as the OS. Almost any OS will do, but Ubuntu server has a single button to install docker during the OS install, so it’s easy.

I’m using docker compose instead of docker so that I can look at and update any scripts, and don’t have to remember anything. For the file sharing, I’m currently upgrading from Samba to Copyparty - the best software I have seen in a long time.

I’m also using WireGuard and Syncthing to duplicate the storage to an identical laptop in a family member’s house, rsync for weekly backups, and calendar reminders to do a monthly offline backup (automated with a script except for remembering to connect and disconnect the external drive).

I doubt you need all of this, but an old laptop with docker has so many options that you might start adding more stuff just because you can. I’ve also added HomeAssistant, Immich, and even a Factorio server to the same laptop using docker.

The majority of early EV fires were from a single battery factory accidentally placing battery terminals too close together. This affected only Chevy Bolts, and has been fixed with a recall.

Even including this data, combustion engine cars are over 60 times more likely to catch fire than EVs (1,529.9 fires per 100,000 vehicles for ICE vs 25.1 for EV).

It looks like you’re the one who might need to start carrying around a fire extinguisher, just in case.

My 15 year old EV is still driving like new. I had the battery replaced last month, not because the battery didn’t work, but because newer batteries have much more range and are cheap enough to be worth the upgrade. I’m planning to keep driving it for at least another 20 years.

This 100 year old EV is still driving with minimal maintenance. I don’t think EVs need to be scrapped particularly quickly.

Pride and prejudice

Monkeys - TheFatRat

It could cost a bit if you wanted to keep it up to date.

https://what-if.xkcd.com/59/

I’ve tried to choose my favourite mod for each game. My other mods should be searchable from these links.

FlexFOV - Minecraft. Increases the FOV up to 360 degrees.
It took 3 years to get a basic version working, then several more to make it properly usable (not just a cubemap). YouTube demo

Stormtrooper - PULSAR: Lost Colony. Significantly reduces the player’s accuracy.
All the mods are hosted on the community Discord rather than a mod hosting site.

I originally made Item Swap for Void Crew. The developers thought it was a good idea and decided to add it to the game (with permission).
I decided that I could do even better and made Faster Swap — modding the devs implementation of my own mod.
I have another improvement idea just in case they implement this mod too.

Full Auto Multitool - Jump Space. Hopefully prevents RSI from rapidly clicking.
Jump Space uses IL2CPP, so modding is significantly harder until the devs choose to release mono files.

Honk - Derail Valley. YouTube demo

I did not make all of the mods registered to NihilityShift. You should be able to check the author(s) on GitHub for each mod. All of my mods are open source, though the source may not always be up to date.

I make game mods as a hobby. 90% of the time is taken with deciding what to write, 5% is actually typing, and the other 2500% just seems to vanish without a trace.

Knowing what to type always takes much more time and effort than actually typing. IDE autocomplete has increased this difference further, and AI promises to do this even more (although it seems to increase typing time at the moment).

The person installing the pattern clearly didn’t know Morse code and probably just thought it was a decorative pattern.

It’s upside-down.

m’tersickle.

It’s harder to pronounce, and no-one can understand it.

I once saw a KFC entrance that had the pattern ._._ ._… _._ above it. I didn’t tell them.