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How do you manage your headphone cables?
  • I made my own anchor points with some mason line, a broken DVD case and double sided tape been going on for 4 years now. Think there's adhesive cable clips too that comes with several for cheap so you don't have to go through my dumb idea just prepare the area by cleaning it with alcohol first

  • What's your favorite frugal find this week?
  • Found a cast iron griddle for 4$ at goodwill. I'm stripping it with easyoff and gonna order some lead tests on Monday. No branding whatsoever sadly but very decent shape so not complaining

  • Update to my Mom's new Laptop and questions
  • Besides ublock origin like the other posted stated your biggest scam threats would be coming from social media websites, Facebook or meta whatever its called and email being the biggest. Since I assume you can't monitor her 24/7 and she's an active user, setting up some kind of DNS solution and firewall on your network, you managing her passwords and 2fa via hardware, setting up a non admin local account for windows and maybe some kind of easy reference material like pictures with text in a booklet should be used also. Assuming she's still sound of mind

    Edit: as for the phone portion of the question it really depends on how much media do you want her exposed to? You can make a pretty dumb phone via grapheneos and install the games she plays normally (network access restricted of course) with automatic updates. But if she uses social media, messaging apps and other apps like that maybe an iPhone would be easier and simpler for her. At that point you will have to rely on your network solutions, you managing her account credentials, bank included, and the reference material to protect her from scams

  • Router recommendations? (under 100CAD)
  • Top of my head: like a Linksys MR7340 hydra should have enough ram and storage for openwrt for a few years iirc but only 3 Ethernet port so a switch might be needed. Think its 50 USD rn but I'll have to double check that. Another option would be like a used Linksys AC2200

  • How to lock away sensitive information on Linux with KDE Vaults
  • Ooo haven't read the article yet but I'm hoping its a veracrypt alternative, hopefully they also have options to use keyfiles.

    Edit: the article mentioned some customization but not at the level of veracrypt still not bad at all. It'll probably really take off after an audit but looks pretty neat. Also seems to have been around for a few years now, earliest article is around 2017, so I guess its not very popular but curious if anyone has experience using it?

  • Portable monitor recommendations?
  • Actually was doing some research on this the other day for a friend and here's what I found.

    Used:

    • ASUS ZenScreen (MB16ACE) 15.6” - buy used for around 140$ USD on amazon maybe cheaper on eBay

    • ViewSonic VG1655 15.6 Inch - buy used for around 120-130 USD on amazon maybe cheaper on ebay

    New:

    • ASUS ZenScreen (MB166C) 15.6" - currently limited deal of around 100 USD new. Its the best bang for your buck imo if you want to go with a known brand
  • Hard drive clicking sound
  • If it still mounts and doesn't throw any errors probably still keep it as a redundant cold storage just don't add anything to it anymore. That way if your new backup drive dies because of x reason you still have a chance to recover some data.

    Edit: this is assuming its nothing too sensitive where you one want a certain amount of copies in the world and its not under warranty anymore. If it is sensitive, you can try removing the drive from the enclosure, this is called shucking, tape it up with a few layer of whatever tape you have, then either take a drill or a pickaxe to it to destroy the shiny disc of metal inside, aka the platter make sure you do this outside. If its under warranty, securely erase it and get it sent off to be replaced by WD

  • Whats the purpose for usernames on signal?

    Been using signal for years and love it and got the majority of my contacts on to it. My question is how are usernames useful now? You still need to register with a phone number with signal to limit spam and bots afaik and I'm assuming you should protect your username just like you do your phone number anyways because spam, malicious files/messages, etc... What scenario is this addressing where an average person gives up their username to a stranger? The only one I can think of is online dating or other online interactions like on forums. Just seems this is just more tailored to the people who need to be pseudo-anonymous for whatever reason than an actual privacy feature. Even then for the anonymous people does that mean usernames will be able to be changed?

    Tldr: Questioning what scenario does signal's new usernames address for the average Joe?

    Edit: Just realized can be very useful for work relationships

    14
    Looking for a shop computer/tablet that probably doesn't exist
  • Yeah didn't read that reply, my apologies. I do still believe the other method I mentioned, Anydesk/teamviewer + phone hotspot + tablet, is the best budget and convenient method imo. Would cost you around 150$ - 200$ for a tablet maybe less if brought used, which is significantly more "shop-proof" than any device at that price point since its fanless and the ports can be covered with a case. Add in ~15$ a month for a subscription to the remote service since you don't want to setup LAN, lastly as for the phone hotspot I'm assuming your phone already has that feature. I don't think installing a client on your phone & computer and setting it up is really labor intensive so you really shouldn't worry about that. Again I do apologize for not reading the other replies I just wanted to help get you other ideas besides underpowered laptops

    Edit just re-read the post: looks like you already settled on a decision so congrats on finding an answer hope you have a good one and yeah probably a new thread since this one might get buried after a few weeks

  • Blocking users on home feed

    Hope this is alright to ask here but was wondering if there was a setting I haven't enabled that would let me block a user without having to visit their "profile" for a lack of better words. I mostly block spammers that i see on my home feed and well I kinda don't like to expose myself to their other content just to block them. Thanks in advance for a point in the right direction

    3
    is there an android packages wiki

    cross-posted from: https://lemmy.today/post/6586506

    > Wiki for android packages > > Another post made me wonder if there is some kind of wiki or website for android packages with descriptions that can/should be removed via adb. Back when I had a bloated phone, about 3 years back, I remember how much of a pain in the ass this was and had to go through XDA developers and reddit posts just to get the info on which to not remove. Has this process changed since?

    3
    Wiki for android packages

    Another post made me wonder if there is some kind of wiki or website for android packages with descriptions that can/should be removed via adb. Back when I had a bloated phone, about 3 years back, I remember how much of a pain in the ass this was and had to go through XDA developers and reddit posts just to get the info on which to not remove. Has this process changed since?

    5
    Is it dumb to connect yourself to a car's grounding point

    To start off: I was explaining to my friend that I don't have a grounding point in my house (plumbing is PVC, outlets are gcfi protected only, not allowed to drive a grounding rod into the ground, etc...) and that I've just been handling sensitive electronics with just luck and preparation (humidity, moisturizer, no synthetic clothing, etc...) all this time. He told me to just wire myself to a good, multimeter tested, grounding point in a car and that will discharge any built-up static electricity. I'm not smart enough to argue with him on this subject but that doesnt seem the safest. Would that work or should I just keep doing my method? My understanding is that chassis grounding is essentially replacing wires with the frame so the outcome would just be connecting myself to the negative terminal of a car battery.

    Tldr: I'm explaining my lack of a grounding point at home for sensitive electronics and is advised by my friend to wire myself to a grounded point in a car to discharge built-up static electricity. However, I'm uncertain about the safety of this suggestion and questions whether my current method of handling electronics with precautions is sufficient.

    Edit: lmao people are really getting hung up on the no grounded outlet part. Umm my best explanation I guess is that its an older house that had 2 prong outlets and was "updated" with gfci protected outlets afterwards think the breakers as well. My understanding is that its up to code but I'm not an electrician. As for the plumbing I'm sure there's still copper somewhere but the majority has been updated to pvc over the years. Again it's not my house I don't want to go biting the hand that feeds me. Thank you though, haha

    Edit #2: thank you all so much for the helpful advice, I really appreciate all of you!

    55
    How do scammers overtake a youtube account with 2fa enabled

    Saw a video of a youtuber that got his account overtaken which has 2fa enabled (not sure which method but I'm thinking sms). He says he didn't get phished, downloaded anything and his session cookies weren't stolen and I believe him. The only clue is that he received a sms otp from google but was invalid when he inputted it which let's me to believe he relied on SMS for 2fa in the first place. My theory is he reused passwords and his number was overtaken but I'm not sure if that's the case since he did receive the google otp so that leaves out the common phone rep social engineering methods of porting out and fowarding. What else could it be? My paranoia is kinda acting up

    Tldr: A YouTuber's account was hacked despite having 2FA. While unsure of the exact method, potential factors include relying on SMS OTP and the possibility of password reuse. No session cookies were stolen, nothing downloaded and no links clicked

    Edit for timestamp: its kinda difficult since he jumps around a lot but he begins to talk about it around the 2min 30sec mark and stops at around the 6min mark

    16
    How long til Blu-rays get phased out

    Basically just the title. With DVDs getting tossed to the wind it made me wonder when will blu-rays go? I'm gonna miss bloopers and extra scenes

    Edit: A bit confused but the general consensus is that in some areas BRs have already began to be phased out while in others they're just trucking along perfectly fine. It'll be that way until they stop being profitable to the studios who make them. Is that correct? I don't think the 8k argument is valid imo since that's really niche currently.

    83
    Why don't rabies infected humans act like rabies infected animals

    This always puzzled me. Why don't humans act much more aggressive or crazed like its often depicted with animals. Afaik there's 2 types of rabies, "dumb" and "furious" so my question is more towards the 2nd type. For example, we never hear of rabies causing a human to accidentally bite another human so why is that?

    49
    What podcasts did you listen to the most this year

    Just curious what are the top 3 podcasts you listened to this year on whatever platform. Antennapod released a feature that summarized your year and well the amount of hours kinda surprised me in a good way, haha.

    Edit: Mine were

    • The let's read podcast
    • Therapy gecko
    • How To Survive
    126
    How to get rid of the creeper

    Kinda bored so here we go: the government officially recognizes the creeper, from jeepers creepers, as a threat. Congratulations you are now task on coming up with a plan on killing or at least semi-permanently incapacitating the monster. You are backed by the government but keep the cost and destruction down. For obvious reasons, also prioritize life so that means no waiting it out

    Creeper Abilities:

    • Flight
    • healing factor through consuming food
    • Regeneration through consuming food
    • high pain tolerance
    • cunning
    • keen smelling
    • ageless
    • super strength unknown limit
    • adaptable
    13
    Alternatives for simplemobiletool gallery and calendar?

    Hi everyone, I'm In the need of an offline calendar and gallery now that simplemobiletools got sold off. I'm wondering what you guys use? My bad if the formatting is weird on this post, I'm trying out a new lemmy client

    Edit what I found so far

    Gallery replacment: gallery

    29
    Collabora alternatives to open/edit ods spreadsheets on android

    Hey, I've been using collabora to edit/open some spreadsheets on android but it's honestly becoming a bit of a pain for me, freezing and blanking some cells being the big ones, and so I'm looking for an alternative. I tried excel without network access and it works but I do have to clear storage everytime to bypass the "signin prompt" that shows up randomly when opening a spreadsheet which disables editing, so I would like to avoid that too if it's possible.

    7
    Signal's new version notification keeps popping up

    Hey just wondering if its a problem on my end but a self update notification indicating a newer version of signal keeps popping up. I already have the latest version of the apk, 6.40.4, installed from their website, but the notification does not go away. I click it and then it states the application has been updated but after a few minutes later it pops up again. Not sure where to ask this but I would assume this place is one of the best places to interact with people that also use signal's non-playstore apk. Is this a bug on my end or are you experiencing it too?

    Edit: forgot to mention I'm on grapheneos if thats a factor

    Edit 2: apparently it was already reported on github and I missed it

    8
    How far back in time can a modern computer be reversed engineered

    Another post regarding time travel got me wondering how far back in time can I hypothetically leave a modern computer where they, the most capable engineers of their time, can then somewhat reverse engineer it or even partially?

    16
    What to do with a bunch of vhs tapes

    Was cleaning out my storage shed and found a bunch of vhs movies (no home movies) in questionable state. Is there anything worth doing or should I dump them (think they can be recycled)? Before it's said, I don't think they're worth digitalizing imo.

    13
    Should I rethink the encryption method of my backup drives?

    I've been using veracrypt for the past 4 years to create container files in everything from thumb drives to external hard drives. After upgrading one of my backup drives, I decided that I will switch to a different filesystem altogether going on, from ntfs to ext4, since I havent really used windows in those 4 years. With the reasoning behind using veracrypt and ntfs in the first place being for compatibility, should I switch to LUKS? Veracrypt is dramatically more feature rich but I dont really take advantage of those. I just encrypt my drives in case of burglars and other unwanted eyes. I do already have a disaster plan in place so I would have to do a total overhaul of things, but I'm not sure if this is a wise decision. My gut says no but what do you think? What would I gain?

    Edit: shouldve added that these drives are for warm storage for my weekly manual backups of files.

    Edit 2: the general opinion is to use a tool that supports encryption but I dont really feel comfortable with that but do appreciate it. It's just I've been manually updating my backup drives for a while now and like how simple my routine is. Think my decision is to just stick with veracrypt but format every future drive (including a new one I ordered) as ext4. My current drives wont be reformatted in order to reduce unnecessary wear on them. Thank you all for your help

    11
    What would cause a hard drive's, in an enclosure, filesystem to not mount in PopOs?

    Originally posted in the linux community but wanted to expand my results a bit. Hopefully this isnt considered tech support since the problem is already solved and I just want information. (Copy & pasted) Still new to linux hope its ok to ask here. I decided to replace one of my backup drives for the first time in 5ish years with a new 2.5" HDD meant for internal use but in an enclosure (the enclosure works fine). I formatted it in ntfs via gparted and everything went as expected, I even created a large veracrypt container file. I safely removed the drive and after a few hours I re-connected it and it made the notification noise that indicates the drive was detected but it's filesystem wasn't mounted. It showed up in gparted, disks and lsblk (as sdb1). Searched online and learned to manually mount it in the /mnt/ directory but I didnt want to manually do that everytime. I ended up reformatting it and for good measure, connected to another port and boom it mounted once connected. Decided not to create the file container or even incorporate the drive into my backup strategy yet until I get input whether or not this is a hardware issue or software. So what do you guys think happened? Not sure what info to provide.

    Edit: the filesystem and encryption software I chose is for compatibility between my devices and both machines have the proper software to support that filesystem

    Edit 2: new errors relating to my hardware started showing up when further proceeding with my plan so I'm just going to return it and try again

    3
    What would cause a hard drive's, in an enclosure, filesystem to not mount in PopOs?

    Still new to linux hope its ok to ask here. I decided to replace one of my backup drives for the first time in 5ish years with a new 2.5" HDD meant for internal use but in an enclosure (the enclosure works fine). I formatted it in ntfs via gparted and everything went as expected, I even created a large veracrypt container file. I safely removed the drive and after a few hours I re-connected it and it made the notification noise that indicates the drive was detected but it's filesystem wasn't mounted. It showed up in gparted, disks and lsblk (as sdb1). Searched online and learned to manually mount it in the /mnt/ directory but I didnt want to manually do that everytime. I ended up reformatting it and for good measure, connected to another port and boom it mounted once connected. Decided not to create the file container or even incorporate the drive into my backup strategy yet until I get input whether or not this is a hardware issue or software. So what do you guys think happened? Not sure what info to provide

    Edit: the filesysten and encryption software I chose is for compatibility between my devices

    Edit 2: new errors relating to my hardware started showing up when further proceeding with my plan so I'm just going to return it and try again

    8
    What to do with an original switch dock

    Hi again, I went thrifting and found a working, original switch dock for 3$ including the charging cable and assuming I could just plug in my other devices via the usb c input, I brought it. Turns out it doesnt work with other usb c devices for reasons and I dont own a switch personally so I'm kinda stuck with this cool paper weight. Do you guys have any ideas? Alternatively, I could take it apart for spare parts and keep the housing for a project or just donate it again. I usually do research before buying electronics but for the price I took a gamble.

    Edit: I'll just donate it appreciate all the feedback thank you

    11
    Whats the best budget friendly way to transfer vhs tapes

    Hiya, pretty much the title. I have a dozen tapes I want to backup before age takes its toll. My basic idea after watching some videos online is to buy a hardware based upscaler that can interface with my vcr then throw that signal to a video capture card and record on my computer. I'll go with name brands to avoid problems but is that really the best method? I want to avoid sending them to a service since it will cost more than just buying the hardware in the first place and I got time to kill.

    27
    InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)EX
    Extras @lemmy.today

    Backup your stuff

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