castaway

ross, 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago) to random

I did it. I made a notes app. In a few hours in the weekend.

"I can't use any of my favourite note-taking apps at work. But I can use a web browser and I can write JavaScript. The logical conclusion is, of course, that I should build my own!”

Write up: https://rosswintle.uk/2024/01/weekend-project-simple-notes-app/

Try it (at your own risk - not mobile friendly): https://notes.veryuseful.app/

ross, 5 months ago to random

Help! AV advice needed.

I have an office with low-level background noise.

I’ve tried a condenser mic and they pick up EVERYTHING!!!

I’ve tried a dynamic mic and I need to really have it in my face to eliminate the noise and it’s looks stupid (but sounds awesome).

I’m currently trying a cheap(er) wired lavalier mic and this seems like a good compromise.

Should I:
a) Now I’ve proven it’s good invest in a wireless lav mic?
b) Do something else? Shotgun/directional mic? Hide under a duvet?

ross, 5 months ago to random

I found this in my house. I eventually worked out what it was for. But without context it’s a very random collection of words.

What do YOU think this is a label for?

ross, 5 months ago to random

✏️ Remember Wordle? I LOVE puzzles, and we've accumulated quite a few fun things to do each day as a family. We generally do some of these over the breakfast table. It's AMAZING that all this stuff exists and is so accessible. Here's our favourites.

https://rosswintle.uk/2024/01/puzzles/

ross, 5 months ago to random

Follow up on my community/social stuff for today...

I went and signed in to a bunch of Slack workspaces I had signed out of and found one is fairly active and has some good people and good discussions going on.

I'm finding out more about the setup (can I invite people? can I create new channels?). But this may be where I land. Let's see.

castaway, 5 months ago to wordle

Wordle 922 1/6

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

... do I change my srart word now? #Wordle

ross, 5 months ago to random

I also (in addition to dev mid-life crisis podcast) really want, like, some chat or telegram or Discord group that's polite, friendly, supportive, no-shitposting, dad- (and mom-) jokes allowed/encouraged, creative, fun, geeky-but-tech-agnostic, worldly-wise.

Curmudgeonly-grumping allowed. But where even I get told off if it gets personal or unwelcoming.

I kinda have this, but it never quite works out as I'd hoped. I think my standards are too high.

ross, 6 months ago to random

Every now and then I re-visit this bit of computing/finance/social history that I was a part of.

In 1995 - before contactless, before chip and PIN - my home town of Swindon in the UK trialed “Mondex”! Electronic cash on a card!

Unlike normal debit cards, which just prove who you are so that you bank can take action for you, Mondex was MONEY!

You actually transferred money to the card and the value was on the chip itself.

gcluley, 7 months ago to random

I'm thinking of blocking access to content on my site to anyone not running an ad blocker.

Thoughts?

gcluley, 7 months ago to random

Let me know if, like me, you’ve received scam emails claiming to be related to genuine hotel bookings VIA the Booking(dot)com app/website

https://grahamcluley.com/fraudsters-target-booking-com-customers-claiming-hotel-stay-could-be-cancelled/

jon, 7 months ago to random

German administration never makes things easy…

I need to collect a document from a Bürgeramt in Berlin

This is the page inc. the opening hours
https://service.berlin.de/standort/122231/

But to collect a document I do NOT need an appointment (kein Termin erforderlich) - but I still presume the opening times are the same even if I don't need an appointment? Or not?

ross, 7 months ago to random

🤔 There was an interesting thing recently where, in a group of developers, the younger/less experienced ones were the ones that liked using Git on the command line. And the older, more-experienced ones shunned the command line for GUIs.

A small data set, for sure. But is there something to learn there?

ross, 7 months ago to random

🙌 This resonates so much with me. It’s nice to see a really clear justification for using boring, well-understood and slow-moving technology.

https://boringtechnology.club/

ross, 8 months ago to random

Just added me a “/now" page. Might be of interest. Or might not. Complete vanity.

https://rw.omg.lol/now

jon, 8 months ago to random

I'd really welcome technical and NOT political/ethical answers to this question

I am still trying to get my head around Bluesky

Is the AT Protocol - in what it can do already, or in the short term will be able to do - better than ActivityPub that is behind Mastodon?

I can find nothing decent that explains this in layperson's terms…

jon, 8 months ago to random

Question ONLY for followers of mine using Android, Windows and Linux

What apps are you using to access Mastodon? Are they free? And would you recommend them to others?

And on Windows and Linux are the apps significantly better than the Mastodon advanced web interface for you?

(I know the Mac / iOS app environment well already)

jonty, 8 months ago to random

I have discovered you can bulk buy used VHS tapes on ebay and it may take me some time to recover from this listing

jon, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

Tomorrow is a big day

How should I celebrate?

jonty, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

Them: What are you thinking about?

Me: Nothing! Nothing at all.

Inside my head:

ross, 8 months ago to random

Well. In an unexpected turn of events, after this week I would place “work for large corporate” way above “contribute to well-known open source project” in terms of things that seem positive for my life.

Never thought I’d be here.