Yaky
@Yaky@slrpnk.net
- Comment on Spotify changes developer mode API to require premium accounts, limits test users 15 hours ago:
Any FOSS / third party Spotify client I used already requires a premium account (I am fairly certain it’s about playing ads), so I was under assumption developer API was the same.
Anyway, I just stopped using Spotify altogether. I’ll support my local indie radio station instead.
- Comment on Spotify changes developer mode API to require premium accounts, limits test users 15 hours ago:
For me it was the opposite: Every “made for you” mix and playlist is fairly popular songs from artists that I like… But they are always the same few dozen songs, just shuffled in different order.
Video suggestions seem to appear if/after you listen to podcasts or audiobooks. I had them, my partner did not.
- Comment on What's with companies naming things "MyNoun"? 1 day ago:
“I use a messenger”
“Which one?”
“You know, Messenger, the Facebook one”
- Comment on Sending someone LLM output in response to a question they ask is the intellectual equivalent of sending an unsolicited dick pic. 1 day ago:
The question I ask is “How do you justify saving your time at expense of others’ time?”
Haven’t heard a good answer, just mumbling “it can be set to be less verbose…”
- Comment on If you had native-level fluency in a language, and don't talk in that language for a while, can you develop an accent later-on when trying to talk in that language again? 3 days ago:
Not sure about an accent, but it will be noticeable.
From personal experience: I am aware that I often use structures specific to my current English-speaking region while speaking one of my native languages. Also, my slang and cultural references are really outdated. So I do not have an accent exactly, but it would be possible to tell something is off.
- Comment on I just realized there is not really a for "cuddling" in Chinese Languages... probably a reflection of the lack of Public Display of Affection in Chinese Culture... 4 days ago:
I don’t think it’s necessarily reflective of culture, but just the language never formed a word for it. E.g. in Ukrainian and Russian, hugs are generally considered more intimate, so expression describing cuddling would be “laying down hugging”.
On same note, Ukrainian and Russian has a word “тискати”/“тискать”, which (informally) means to squeeze affectionately (usually partners, babies, or pets, similar to “cute aggression” concept in US English). Doesn’t mean that speakers of other languages don’t do the same thing, there is just not a single word for it.
- Comment on Why doesn't my phone put all of my apps to "sleep" by default? 1 week ago:
Some general examples: Any active navigation keeping track of your location if you switch apps. Pebble monitoring notifications to be sent to a smartwatch. Email or chat client periodically checking for messages.
There is a Developer Setting in Android to instantly kill off-screen apps, but that would make multitasking a hassle.
On that note, what I have witnessed is the opposite, phone OS being overly eager to put apps in sleep / idle mode, to the point of ignoring user settings of “do not optimize battery” and “allow background processing”. Many (most “normal”) apps handle notifications through Google, but many FOSS and independent apps need to run in the background to check for messages, updates, etc.
- Comment on Messaging apps - XMPP vs Matrix vs ??? 1 week ago:
Matrix clients aren’t great
IMO the main advantage that Matrix-Element has for normal users is the branding: Element is Element on the web, Android and iOS. (Snikket is trying to do the same for XMPP though)
Matrix is too difficult for “normal” people
Agreed. Simple user+password login to a hosted (non-matrixdotorg) server takes 5-6 pages to click through.
Matrix public rooms have a CP problem
I was spammed with racist copypasta on XMPP once too. But being in large Matrix chats guarantees being invited/messaged.
…Matrix also pisses metadata to any server it federates with, including matrix [.] org
Replication+sync is a strange decision for chats. It sort of makes sense for slower fediverse posts, but creates a lot of strange scenarios and privacy issues with chats. Also, matrixdotorg is used for key backups and vectordotim is used for integrations IIRC.
- Comment on Messaging apps - XMPP vs Matrix vs ??? 1 week ago:
I hosted Matrix for several years. It mostly works fine, apps look consistent, bridges are nice, but is a pain in the ass in some aspects. Onboarding sucks. Data needs constant cleanup (or gigabytes of storage, even for a dozen users). Sometimes notifications are delayed hours. Sometimes images don’t load.
New Element Server Suite is more corporate-oriented, requires Kubernetes (!) to run, includes defacto mandatory services. Element X has no feature parity with Element Classic, especially calls.
I ran Snikket many years ago for a few months. But now they have smooth invites/onboarding, admin panel, and always had reliable notifications. Even bridges through Slidge. I plan to switch back to Snikket soon.
- Comment on What are your technology mispredictions? 3 weeks ago:
When Steam first appeared (and was required to play Half-Life 2 IIRC), I thought that was a ridiculous idea to have a middle man to play a game. Well, what do I know, everyone loves Steam now (yet hates on other launchers).
- Comment on genius 4 weeks ago:
IIRC that entire plane was a DIY plane from a popular kit, not a commercial vehicle.
(not clicking on a Google shortlink)
- Comment on The most bizarre tech announced so far at CES 2026 4 weeks ago:
TBF, specifically for games, enemy behavior has been called “AI” for decades.
- Comment on I'm there! 5 weeks ago:
More of a self-directed way, but check out eBird for submitting bird observations and iNaturalist for almost everything else. The cool part about iNaturalist is that your observations also get identified by other people, so you know the submissions haave been reviewed. And you could help identify others’ observations too.
- Comment on Apple announces more ads are coming to App Store search results 1 month ago:
Absolutely. Somehow, Apple and Google convinced people (even more tech savvy ones) to want constant app and security updates as if the world would end otherwise. I’ve seen complaints about gemini (the protocol not Google’s AI) browser not being updated (protocol has not been updated since 2022), and someone asking if it’s safe to boot up an old Android 7 phone.
And Apple dev license consting money does not help the situation.
- Comment on Apple announces more ads are coming to App Store search results 1 month ago:
Now up the challenge: In App Store, find a simple app that is not a “solution”, “ecosystem” nor a “lifestyle”, does not have ads, and does not require a subscription for basic functionality.
(Years ago, I tried about 10 RSS readers, News Reader was what I finally found, way down the list)
- Comment on Is there a word or (concise) phrase to describe the paradox of sharing something (like a website) that you don't like, but because you're sharing it you're tacitly helping it? 1 month ago:
That sounds like a Streisand effect, or a variation of it.
- Comment on WhatsApp status and channels now showing ads: Here's how to hide and manage them 1 month ago:
Snikket is an all-in-one XMPP server-client that supports calls.
But yes, in its current state, Matrix calls are pretty broken as there is no feature parity between Element Classic and Element X apps.
- Submitted 1 month ago to fixing@slrpnk.net | 0 comments
- Comment on Does anyone know of a plug-in or extension that will make your web browser convert all websites into what they would look like in 1999? 1 month ago:
There’s FrogFind, search engine + converter/proxy for old machines. Runs via non-secure HTTP of course, which was standard in 1999.
Some sites have simple variants, such as
- Comment on Self-hosting a Matrix server for 5 years 2 months ago:
For me, it was not monthly, but rather “when it bites you in the ass”.
- Delete all empty rooms and federated rooms without local users.
- Clean up state_groups_state table.
- Delete old media.
All of this is made worse by having more active users and made better by having a large hard drive (my VPS had 20GB, which I almost filled up with the db and media after a few years, with only few users)
- Submitted 2 months ago to selfhosting@slrpnk.net | 7 comments
- Comment on Why do some people have so many tabs open on their browser? 2 months ago:
The only instances of this I have seen (on mobile) were not very tech-savvy people who click links in messages and apps, rarely open the browser, and/or don’t understand how to use the browser to begin with.
- Comment on how to repurpose your old phone into a web server 2 months ago:
Fake it! Make the phone think it has a charged battery: yaky.dev/2022-09-06-smartphone-without-battery/
- Comment on Your old android phone is begging to be a cheap home server! 2 months ago:
Hey, just stumbled upon this too, Android4Lumia, and 520 is one of the supported devices: android4lumia.github.io/downloads.html
- Comment on Your old android phone is begging to be a cheap home server! 2 months ago:
Looks like it is partially supported: wiki.postmarketos.org/…/Nokia_Lumia_520_(nokia-fa…
I have a Lumia 635 and got tmpfs to start, but then I am lost at “locate your ramdisk” wiki.postmarketos.org/…/Nokia_Lumia_630_(nokia-mo…
- Comment on Your old android phone is begging to be a cheap home server! 2 months ago:
IMO you would need a large capacitor between power (after diode) and ground, to provide enough current when device’s power consumption spikes (otherwise, it will shut down)
Here is my version without touching BMS or original battery: yaky.dev/2022-09-06-smartphone-without-battery/
- Comment on I never understood what it was people did on Twitter. I understand it even less now that it is X. 2 months ago:
It always seemed like shouting in a room full of people. Any coherent thought instantly became an unreadable mess due to the post character limit. Never understood live-tweeting. You could DM some company’s support person… but why?
And I blame link shorteners’ existence on twitter, too.
- Comment on Starlink rival ‘Project Kuiper’ rebrands to Amazon Leo 2 months ago:
So did “Amazon”… :/
- Comment on Needy Programs 2 months ago:
The most obnoxious case of needy apps I witnessed was when I disabled Google Play Services on a OnePlus phone. Every default app (including Phone and SMS!) would spam notifications saying something like “Google Play not found, functionality is limited” every minute or two, while the real impact was minimal.
- Comment on Why Does So Much New Technology Feel Inspired by Dystopian Sci-Fi Movies? 2 months ago:
IMO not as good as The Circle. Although it follows one character, they move between so many departments, it reads more like a collection of short stories.