CountVon
@CountVon@sh.itjust.works
- Comment on Are there any good casual/low-stress mobile games that aren't filled with microtransactions? 10 hours ago:
I’m not sure it fits 100% with what you’re looking for, but I’ll take chance and recommend Slice & Dice (Google Play, Apple App Store). Free demo, no ads, single in-app purchase to unlock the full version. This game is easily the best value-for-dollar mobile game I’ve ever purchased.
- Comment on Ironing 5 days ago:
Oh for sure, those are a communal resource.
- Comment on Is there a standard/preferred list order for non-alphanumeric characters? 2 months ago:
There is a Unicode Technical Standard for this, called the Unicode Collation Algorithm. Whether everyone uses it, I can’t say. As it says on the linked page:
Conformance to the Unicode Standard does not imply conformance to any UTS.
So in other words it’s possible to conform to the Unicode Standard without adhering to the Unicode Collation Algorithm.
- Comment on How does this math work? 3 months ago:
Summing a balance column is never correct. Take any example that doesn’t end in a zero balance and it’s easy to see that the results is meaningless: Image
- Comment on Is Antivirus needed in 2024? 4 months ago:
There are some viruses that have targeted Linux, but they’re rare compared to other platforms and their ability to spread is relatively low. One of the main reasons is just down to how software tends to be installed on each platform. Viruses have an easier time spreading on Windows or OSX where users are more accustomed to downloading an executable and running it. Once there’s a malicious running process, it has a comparatively high chance to spread because it can attempt to escalate its privileges either by exploiting a bug or socially engineering the user to click through a privilege escalation prompt. That entire workflow is practically nonexistent on Linux, users just don’t tend to download and execute random binaries. Instead most Linux software gets delivered in one of these ways, each of which has impediments that reduce the chance a virus could spread:
- through an OS repo; it would be difficult for a malicious actor to get a virus through the release process and into a trusted repo
- through a public source like Github; again it would be difficult for a malicious actor to get a virus into public source code without someone noticing
- through a container image from an image library like DockerHub; I believe a malicious container would be sandboxed, making it hard if not impossible for that container to take over the host system
- through an application image like a snap, flatpak or appimage; again, I believe these run in their own sandbox from which they would have difficulty breaking out
There are some exceptions, for example some companies like Hashicorp will distribute their stuff as precompiled binaries. Even in that case you’re probably fine as long as you don’t run the downloaded binary as root. Users in the habit of downloading strange binaries from sketchy places and running them as root just aren’t very common among the Linux userbase. I’m sure there are some (and they should really stop doing that), but there aren’t enough of them to allow a virus to spread unchecked.
- Comment on Is Antivirus needed in 2024? 4 months ago:
I don’t think dedicated antivirus software is really required anymore. I haven’t run third-party AV software on any of my systems in the last decade.
On Windows, the built-in Windows Defender is good enough for most use cases. When it first launched Defender had a pretty bad track record at stopping viruses, but now it routinely ranks at the top.
On Linux, antivirus software has never really been required. One major exception I can think of would be if you’re running a file server or mail server that talks to OSX or Windows systems. Even then the AV software isn’t really there to protect the server, it’s there to make sure you don’t pass malware or viruses to those non-Linux clients.
- Comment on If a question is downvoted on !nostupidquestions, is the question too stupid or was it not stupid enough? 4 months ago:
I didn’t say I’d downvote in those situations. I would guess that Rule 5 needs to exist for a reason. Without it the community could get overrun with ragebait posts. Personally I wouldn’t consider any of your examples questions to be ones that violate Rule 5, but I’m not a mod and I don’t make or enforce the rules. I also wouldn’t downvote such a question myself, but I would consider reporting it if it seemed like the OP was consistently trying to pull the conversation into fractious territory. Anyway, if we want to to discuss the rules and downvoting vs. reporting, that should probably go in a meta post.
- Comment on If a question is downvoted on !nostupidquestions, is the question too stupid or was it not stupid enough? 4 months ago:
I know, I couldn’t resist the urge to make a Lionel Hutz reference.
- Comment on If a question is downvoted on !nostupidquestions, is the question too stupid or was it not stupid enough? 4 months ago:
Serious answer, the question might be one that broke on the community rules like Rule 5 (“No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda”) or Rule 6 (No meme or troll questions, except on Fridays) and voters are expressing their displeasure.
Silly answer, the question wasn’t stupid. The name of the community is actually “No, Stupid Questions.” The missing comma is a typo.
- Comment on The U.S. economy is booming. So why are tech companies laying off workers? 4 months ago:
Elon broke the seal on firing huge swaths of a tech workforce to make your numbers look better.
Don’t give him too much credit, it’s hardly the first time the tech sector has gone through this cycle. Elon had to do it because he massively overpaid for Twitter. The fact that his layoffs came at the front of this wave is probably just coincidence.
- Comment on When people talk about returning the cart after shopping, does that include putting it in a corral, or do you have to take it all the way to the front of the store to be a good person? 4 months ago:
Stay mad, savage.
- Comment on When people talk about returning the cart after shopping, does that include putting it in a corral, or do you have to take it all the way to the front of the store to be a good person? 4 months ago:
You’ve failed the test.
- Comment on Ideas for setting up a media server compatible with xbox viewing? 4 months ago:
People here seem partial to Jellyfin
I recently switched to Jellyfin and I’ve been pretty impressed with it. Previously I was using some DLNA server software (not Plex) with my TV’s built-in DLNA client. That worked well for several years but I started having problems with new media items not appearing on the TV, so I decided to try some alternatives. Jellyfin was the first one I tried, and it’s working so well that I haven’t felt compelled to search any further.
the internet seems to feel it doesn’t work smoothly with xbox (buggy app/integration).
Why not try it and see how it works for you? Jellyfin is free and open source, so all it would cost you is a little time.
I have a TCL tv with (with google smart TV software)
Can you install apps from Google Play on this TV? If so, there’s a Jellyfin app for Google TVs. I can’t say how well the Google TV Jellyfin app works as I have an LG TV myself, so currently I’m using the Jellyfin LG TV app.
If you can’t install apps on that TV, does it have a DLNA client built in? Many TVs do, and that’s how I streamed media to my TV for years. On my LG TV the DLNA server shows up as another source when I press the button to bring up the list of inputs. The custom app is definitely a lot more feature-rich, but a DLNA client can be quite functional and Jellyfin can be configured to work as a DLNA server.
- Comment on Wack job 4 months ago:
- Comment on Can you survive on pickles alone, for a while? 5 months ago:
Apparently the technical term is protein poisoning. Digesting protein creates urea, and the body needs at least some fat in order to convert to ammonia that can be excreted. It’s also called “mal be caribou” in French (caribou sickness, I think), which I find fascinating.
- Comment on File size preference for Radarr? 5 months ago:
You can do this with custom formats. You’d want to create a custom format that gives a score if the file is below a certain size threshold (say 1.5GB per hour), then add minimum custom scores to the release profiles you use (e.g. Bluray 1080p). You can also add custom filters for release groups that prioritise file size. YTS for example keeps their releases as small as possible.
- Comment on he's self smarted 6 months ago:
Worst case Ontario
- Comment on Poor doggo 7 months ago:
That’s a badger.
- Comment on Bored ape NFT event attendees get their faces burned by event lighting 7 months ago:
When I took welding shop class in high school, our shop teacher literally called it “sand eye” when he explained why wearing a welding mask was not optional in his shop or in general while welding. Sure enough, there was that one kid who thought he could get by with his squints while teach wasn’t looking… He was out for days with sand eye and had quite the cautionary tale to share when he returned. Everyone got downright religious about the welding masks after that.
- Comment on Hold my beer - Bungie 7 months ago:
It’s a dick move for sure, but the clawback of unvested shares is vicious. Not possible to know the total worth without being privy to the employment contracts of those let go, but for a single senior employee of long tenure it might constitute a 6- or 7-figure rip-off. Depending on the number of staff let go, the amount of options each held and what their strike prices were, this layoff could potentially constitute a clawback of options that would have been worth tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars of Sony shares.
- Comment on Europe Reluctantly Chooses SpaceX to Launch Its GPS Satellites 8 months ago:
They aren’t, they’re launching satellites for the Galileo satnav system.
- Comment on What android phones do you recommend and why? 8 months ago:
You could install LineageOS on your existing phone instead of upgrading. The OnePlus 7 Pro is supported. The install process can be daunting depending on your technical skills, but it’s a one-time process since the phone gets updates over-the-air after the OS is installed.
I did this with my OnePlus 6 a few months ago and the experience has been good. Switching to LineageOS bumped Android to version 13, whereas it was stuck on Android 11 on stock OnePlus firmware. I’m getting regular updates again, including open-source Android security patches. Not everything gets patched though, some of the core firmware is proprietary to OnePlus and that cannot be patched by anyone but them. It’s letting me extend the life of a phone still works well and has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
- Comment on CEO Bobby Kotick will leave Activision Blizzard on January 1, 2024 | Schreier: Kotick will depart after 33 years, employees are "very excited." 8 months ago:
ATVI’s stock performance only looks impressive if you don’t compare it to anything. Here’s a graph comparing ATVI to ONEQ, which is an ETF that tracks the NASDAQ composite index. If anything, ATVI has been slightly underperforming the market average for most of Kotick’s tenure as CEO.
To see what “outperforming the market” looks like, compare ATVI to NVDA. NVDA’s stock has increased 16,000% in the 15 years that Kotick has been CEO of ATVI.
Or to see some video game company stocks that have outperformed the market, compare ATVI to TTWO (Take Two) or CCOEY (Capcom).
From a purely financial perspective, Kotick was middling at best. He deserves no plaudits. There were plenty of other NASDAQ companies that outperformed the market during the time he was CEO of ActiBlizz, including other video game companies.
- Comment on Is there any way to open a pop can stealthily? 9 months ago:
Yes. Raise the tab just enough to equalise the pressure, then use your thumb to slowly open the can hole. This video gives a tutorial using a beer, but it’ll work for any aluminum drink can.
- Comment on Unity issue an apology on Twitter for "confusion and angst" over the runtime fee policy. 9 months ago:
The Unity execs thought they were being smooth criminals, instead they came in too rough and got busted.
- Comment on Oxford study proves heat pumps triumph over fossil fuels in the cold 9 months ago:
The total install was $12k. I also did another 1k in retrofits under the Greener Homes program, but I did the Greener Homes loan as well. I had to outlay the $13k up front, but then I got all of that back in a 10-year, 0% interest loan, plus $5600 in rebates on top ($5k for the heat pump, $600 for the furnace). The loan processing company debits my account $110 a month, which is low enough that it doesn’t really sting.
I debated doing solar as well, since the Greener Homes loan goes up to $40k. Solar would gave easily soaked up the remaining $25k available in the loan. My roof isn’t ideal for solar though, and I didn’t want to triple the loan’s monthly payments for a solar install that wouldn’t have paid for itself over time.
- Comment on Oxford study proves heat pumps triumph over fossil fuels in the cold 9 months ago:
Was there any specifig brand/seer rating restriction with the GHGrant?
It’s more complicated than that. The major components of the system all have to be qualified for the rebate, down to the component model numbers. There’s a lookup tool to see which model numbers qualify. For a hybrid setup like mine, there are three parts:
- Outside model number: this is the actual heat pump component that gets installed outside
- Inside model number: this is the condenser coil that gets installed on top of the furnace
- Furnace model number: this is the model number of the furnace itself
A ductless system would only have two part numbers involved, the outside heat pump unit and the inside wall unit. No furnace for a ductless system of course.
Every HVAC company I talked to was pretty knowledgeable about the GH program, so if you tell them you’re an applicant for the program then they should put together a quote that qualifies. Multiple HVAC reps advised me to make sure that all rebate-covered part numbers were listed clearly on the invoice. Apparently if that info is missing it can derail the rebate until the invoice is updated with full info.
- Comment on Oxford study proves heat pumps triumph over fossil fuels in the cold 9 months ago:
a journalist saying that a COP above 1 means the heat pump “creates energy” In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!
But what’s great is that this COP of 2, while bad, is not catastrophic. That’s still in territory where gas boilers are more cost efficient that a heat pump, but unless you are living in a place that is consistently under -10C for several months, then a heat pump has overall lower running costs than a gas boiler. And you are starting to hit pretty northern territories with this.
I actually have a hybrid furnace/heat pump system, and I live in southern Ontario, Canada. The furnace is the auxiliary heat source and it only kicks in when the outdoor temp is below -6C. I’ve only had this system through one winter so far, but I think I could count the number of days the furnace ran without running out of fingers. My electricity bill went up some of course, but my winter gas bill went down a lot.
- Comment on Markdown everywhere 9 months ago:
Atlassian doesn’t even have consistency within single products! I’m using Jira Cloud at work, and while most fields support markdown (e.g. three backticks to start a code block) there are a few that only support Jira’s own notation (e.g.
{code}
to start a code block). It’s always infuriating when I type some markdown in one of the fields that doesn’t support it for some inexplicable reason. - Comment on Vodafone Finds Brits Keep Mobile Phones for 4 Years Instead of 2 10 months ago:
I haven’t had an iOS device in ages, but Apple does seem to offer pretty decent support timespans for their phone hardware. Looks like it’s 6-7 years of support after the release date, which is respectable compared to the rest of the industry.
On the Android side, my phone stopped getting updates after 4 years, which feels too short to me. Not having access to Android 12+ wasn’t causing me any problems but I didn’t want to wait for some future bug, limitation or security flaw to emerge. I switched to LineageOS (just last night actually) to keep it going for another few years.