@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

danie10

@danie10@mastodon.social

I blog about #technology #gadgets #opensource #FOSS #greentech #traditionalwetshaving #LCHF #health #alternativeto #hamradio (ZS1OSS) #southafrica - see my blog at https://gadgeteer.co.za/blog and Fediverse full text posts at https://squeet.me/profile/danie10 or follow my Peertube videos at https://video.hardlimit.com/video-channels/gadgeteerza.

#fedi22

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

danie10, to opensource
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Video Overview of the Meshtastic Radio Mobile App Interface and Settings

This video explores what the Android app looks like, how to use the main screens, and what various settings and menu options it has. It gives a good feel of how you’d use Meshtastic radio communications from the app to control the radio settings and ...continues

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/video-overview-of-the-meshtastic-radio-mobile-app-interface-and-settings/

perrytrails, to Travel
@perrytrails@ieji.de avatar

I took this photo on the top of table mountain, looking down at where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.
🌊

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@perrytrails
The Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet at Cape Agulhas, South Africa, which is the southernmost tip of the African continent.

danie10, to random
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Mel Wines' Fentano Sangiovese rose wine is new to the market. Made in Franschhoek South Africa from Northern Italy style grapes and aged 36 months in French oak barrels. Really nice and complex flavours...

Back of wine bottle with label saying Mel Wines: Complex and full of characters Fentano parents a quiet force that needs time to unveil it's many subtle and mysterious layers.

danie10, to linux
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Nano 8.0 Command-Line Text Editor Released – Key Bindings Have Now Joined The 21st Century

That is not the only improvement, but it is pretty significant to be able to now use CTRL-Q to quit, CTRL-C to copy, CTRL-X to cut, CTRL-V to paste, CTRL-F to search forward, CTRL-Z to undo, etc. The old key bindings (being very old) were a bit like ...continues

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/nano-8-0-command-line-text-editor-released-key-bindings-have-now-joined-the-21st-century/

#linux #nano #opensource #technology

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@djinnsour it's not just Windows users as Linux has also long used ctrl-C for copy in its various browsers and other apps, as does LibraOffice and everything else I use. Why would I want each app to use different key bindings for various similar functions. Standardisation goes a long way to making things easier between different apps.

danie10, to opensource
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Koodo Reader is an open-source ebook reader for Linux, Windows, macOS and the Web

This is a great looking ebook reader for ePub, PDF, comic book archive and a few other formats. It allows highlighting, bookmarks and notes per book, and for non-PDFs there is also a reading mode with a side-by-side view (no page flipping animation, ...continues

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/koodo-reader-is-an-open-source-ebook-reader-for-linux-windows-macos-and-the-web/

danie10, to KDE
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

How to Install KDE Plasma in Ubuntu, Debian and Mint: Because you have Choices

KDE Plasma (KDE) is a well-known desktop environment for Unix-like systems designed for users who want to have a nice desktop environment for their machines, it is one of the most used desktop interfaces out there.

Linux distros usually ship with ...continues

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/how-to-install-kde-plasma-in-ubuntu-debian-and-mint-because-you-have-choices/

AntennaPod, to random
@AntennaPod@fosstodon.org avatar

Look at that!

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@AntennaPod it's an excellent app, that's why!

dangillmor, to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

On a multi-person video call this morning, we were asked what podcasts we listen to.

I didn't get a chance to chime in but here's my answer:

None regularly. I don't have the time, even at fast playback, to listen to something linear that I could scan much more quickly if it was text.

Podcasters, please post transcripts.

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor true I can also read quicker, but I have lots of gaps in the day which are filled with podcasts at 1.5x speed e.g. while showering shaving, shopping, driving, etc. Those are times I can't read and filling them with curated news etc really makes podcasts worthwhile for me.

youronlyone, to Philippines
@youronlyone@c.im avatar

Why Telecom Inc. has the worst in history.

  1. They ask verification questions guaranteed to fail.
  2. Their agents are heartless and rude.
  3. They are above the Law of the land.
  4. They don't care about their customers.

Here are the verification questions I was given:
> 1. Can you provide the exact date when your SIM was activated? Ex. March 2023.
>
> 2. What’s the last promo that you purchased before your phone was lost? When did you register it?
>
> 3. What was your remaining load balance before your phone was lost?

All three verification questions are guaranteed to fail.

#1: Can you honestly remember the exact date when your SIM was activated, especially if it has been with you for at least a decade?

#2: Can you honestly remember the last promo you purchased when you did not purchase any promo for the last 5 years?

For the third question, I provided the CORRECT answer, and I even submitted a screenshot taken on April 12th, very recent.

And yet, Globe Telecom Inc.'s agent replied with the following:

> We have to follow the process before we proceed with the deactivation.

> Unfortunately the details you have provided, do not match our record.

> Yes, the details you have provided do not match our records.

> We can only block the number if you were able to provide the correct details we need.

After this, their agent copy-pasted their spiel in a rush to close the chat conversation.

I've worked in the customer service field for 20 years, and I can tell you this is the worst agent and the worst process I've seen and experienced.

  1. Verification questions guaranteed to fail.
  2. Not exploring other avenues of verifications, that actually are logical to ask.
  3. Totally heartless and rude.
  4. A company process. In other words, this is how they were trained.
  5. End the chat conversation as fast as you can.

To the agent, “I deeply apologise for disturbing your sleep and giving you some work to do.”

To Globe Telecom Inc., “Shame on you for having such a process, and yet you continue to claim awards for having the best service.”

@pilipinas @philippines @pinoy

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@youronlyone I get a similar question from my medical insurance - one question is what day is your debit order on. I have no clue as there are lots of different debits orders across a few days. How would I recall their one specifically...

jwildeboer, (edited ) to mastodon
@jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net avatar

FTR, the US501(c)(3) for #Mastodon was already planned for quite some time, the non-profit status in Germany being revoked doesn't seem to be directly related to that.

"Set up a US non-profit branch (501(c)(3)) with a board of governors to become eligible for larger grants from US-based donors and allow US donors to make their contributions tax-deductible."

From the 2022 annual report, page 12, created 29. Sep 2023, available at https://joinmastodon.org/reports/Mastodon%20Annual%20Report%202022.pdf

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@jwildeboer last thing we need is more and more social networks coming under US control. But regardless of what is behind it, it may be very good reasons, Mastodon is not the Fediverse. We have plenty of ActivityPub based clients. I like the idea of #GoToSocial which has no central server instance, so you are encouraged to host it for family and friends, and it can even run off a Pi.

The big central instances do cost a lot to host, and there is no easy way around that. Donations or paid access

danie10, to random
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Pretty disappointing as I only got 3 years off this battery. Original battery lasted over 10 years. I keep it on charge whenever I park the bike and bad vibrations in last years riding... Going to try a Yausa brand now.

Toplite YTX14-BS battery resting on newspaper.

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Got a new Yuasa battery now which I'm assured should be a notch up on the Toplite. Have it on charge for 24 hours before I test it, and then put into the bike.

tallship, to foss

This comes as no surprise to anyone who's actually been paying attention over the past couple of years:

https://privacy.thenexus.today/mastodon-hard-fork/

All I can really say is, "OH Happy Day!"

Let the games begin, I'll bring the popcorn :p

@thenexusofprivacy

⛵

.

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@tallship @thenexusofprivacy thing is though there are also many existing alternatives to Mastodon already on the Fediverse, so why fork it? GoToSocial looks interesting and they don't have a central instance, you host your own even on a Pi.

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@jupiter_rowland @tallship @mikedev yes and yet so many understand GMail is not the only e-mail client, and they all work together.

Mastodon was very much an alternative to Twitter as a micr0-blogging client. I don't see it in the same class as Hubzilla or Friendica. I think it was very much it's flashier looks that caught many people's attention.

danie10, to fediverse
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

GoToSocial is a new ActivityPub social network server for the Fediverse

This service is still in Alpha release but is already deployable and usable, and federates with other Fediverse servers.

However, there is no “main” instance you go to join. The intention really is that you host your own instance for yourself and ...continues

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/gotosocial-is-a-new-activitypub-social-network-server-for-the-fediverse/

danie10, to books
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Kobo’s new repairability push could heat up competition

“The competition” is probably primarily Amazon Kindle (without a colour model, nor any repairability announced yet). Certainly, consumers score with repairability, and on the face of it, you’d think suppliers lose out. But actually, I may be incline ...continues

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/kobos-new-reparability-push-could-heat-up-competition/

danie10, to android
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

Android Tasker routine to warn if home WiFi is not functioning correctly

Been experiencing a bit of an issue the last month with everything seemingly on and connected, but my Chromecast device would not connect across Wi-Fi today, and sometimes my wife says her phone is not connecting, and I’d have to reboot the home rou ...continues

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/android-tasker-routine-to-warn-if-home-wifi-is-not-functioning-correctly/

RyanParsley, to random
@RyanParsley@mastodon.social avatar

I'm pleased with how this turned out. That's a lot of tech for about $20.

Feels like an odd design decision to overlay a paused indicator blocking a dormant e-ink display. I wonder what the intention behind that was.

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@RyanParsley it's because eInk does not update quickly and when the screen is paused, the user would really not know it. That overlay just informs the user they should press a button to refresh and wake it.

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@RyanParsley good ideas. I think you can log those as suggestions on their Github project, or better discuss under firmware on the Discord channel.

dansup, to random
@dansup@mastodon.social avatar

Loops is open source, and as such, I think it's a bit naive to spread rumors about data privacy when I haven't even pushed all the code yet.

I'm not some start up, I don't give a heck about your data, I just like building cool things for cool people

That being said, I know I don't always make the right decisions, and look forward to community feedback so we can find the right solutions, together!

I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom 😎

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@dansup data and code are two very different things. I don't think any open source project posts their user data with their source code. Data is normally stored on a server or end user device, and the source code merely powers the interface.

jwildeboer, (edited ) to Podcast
@jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net avatar

Which podcasts do you regularly listen to? I'll go first:

Whenever a new episode comes out:

  • The Daily - New York Times (news)
  • Post Reports - Washington Post (news)
  • 99% Invisible (genius stuff)
  • Betrouwbare Bronnen (dutch, news/history)
  • Sicherheitshalber (german, security/military)

When I feel like it and have some time to fill:

  • Radiolab (fun, supercool)
  • This American Life (interesting stories)
  • Hidden Brain (science)
  • 404 Media Podcast (tech)
  • Tech Won't Save Us

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@jwildeboer mine are:

  1. Security Now with Steve Gibson
  2. This Week in Tech
  3. Darknet Diaries
  4. History of South Africa with Des Latham
dansup, to random
@dansup@mastodon.social avatar

✨ Iconic Onboarding

With Loops, you will be able to take advantage of your Mastodon (or Pixelfed) account to find friends based on accounts you're already following!

Discovery is crucial, and we're making it even easier ⚡️

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@dansup that's pretty unique, even in the Fediverse! Which gives your contacts outside of Loops the choice to follow this type of content from you or not.

george, to random
@george@social.crouchingpanda.co.za avatar

Well done MyBroadband. Now if only you had a mastodon presence..

MyBroadband achieves record first quarter
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/533275-mybroadband-achieves-record-first-quarter.html

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@george @mybroadband yes I've "tried" to work with a few marketing and PR people. They are a good 3 to 5 years behind with technology and platforms. They focus exclusively on what their peers call "mainstream". So you get all sorts of innovation by the journalists and authors, but the PR people will still talk about Twitter instead of X. It is good to see some social media auto-posting services are already including Mastodon, but they still need to include Lemmy, Pixelfed, Peertube, etc.

EU_Commission, to random
@EU_Commission@social.network.europa.eu avatar

Our commitment to the fediverse is here to stay.

We are working on a solution to ensure our continued presence on your feeds, taking full advantage of Mastodon's identity portability.

And we are even growing the team behind our Mastodon presence, increasing efforts to engage with your comments on our posts.

We are fully committed to being a real part of the conversation in the fediverse.

Interested in our next steps? Follow us as we take on this new chapter.

danie10,
@danie10@mastodon.social avatar

@EU_Commission I hope so as it's the only place I can follow you...

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