Posts by 897241021271418289475167044396734464892349863592355648549963125148587659264921474689457046465304467

The ultimate Pi 5 arrives carrying 16GB ... and a price to match

Needing a low power security camera capable of capturing car number plates at night, I may finally have a practical use for a Pi. You see, nearly every security cam prioritises low ISO over graininess, which results in a visually pleasing but useless image when anything is moving at any speed faster than glacial at night. And it's extremely annoying that most security cameras don't provide access to ISO or shutter speed via software UI, or any other way. In case I need to sue a driver to death, I record every one of my ebike rides using a GoPro Hero 7 Black, and at 1/960s and ISO800, there is very little number plate blur. I can record every nearby number plate, even at night. Setting min ISO to 100 and max ISO at 800 means I don't have to change any settings, as day turns to night, and I'm hoping I can get a Pi with Pi Camera to pull the same trick. Here's an example from last week, and this wasn't close or fast. Underexposed, has to be brightened in post:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkVZw-1Ip-0

I mean, have you seen all the blurry faces and screengrabs of blurry cars cops send to the media, hoping the public will recognise the blur or some blurry part thereof? No security camera I've seen is fit for purpose! Not if that purpose is shooting unblurry video at night. Every dashcam I've ever seen also suffers the same issue. I don't mind graininess if there are a lot of frames per second, but I don't want blur because that's utterly useless. This won't need 16 freaking GB of RAM.

Haiku Beta 5 / In tests it's (Fire)foxier / It pleases us well

A fully functioning and well supported browser could extend this project's legs. I'll try it on the VAIO P - didn't install last time I tried, a couple of years ago. If it boots fast and runs Firefox fast, it'll be a keeper as an option with Windows XP, Windows 7 Pro, and antiX.

https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

https://www.grc.com/incontrol.htm

Fancy climbing the peaks of Alpine Linux? 3.20 is out

@Liam Proven - How fast does it run on your Sony VAIO P? Tried a bunch of distros a couple of years ago on mine, and antiX was the fastest, usable and useful. I have to open it up again soon to re-seat the MSATA converter, because the 3M self adhesive pad is a smidge too thick (will have to saw through it using dental floss), and I also need to replace the heat resistant tape which bulks up ribbon cable connecting the converter, because that too is also a smidge too thick (probably using thin sellotape, as before [if I haven't damaged the tiny thin ribbon cable by using too thick a tape, increasing pressure on the thickened cable exerted by the tiny clamp {I reckon it'll be ok, but we'll see}])... so I may take the opportunity to pop the MSATA into a desktop PC, reformat and load a bunch of new stuff to try. So many damned tiny screws, will disassemble while recording with a GoPro trained on it this time, because worryingly there are two screws left over. Aaarrrggghh.

I use this thing every day. Was looking for a newer similar sized replacement, can't find one. They're all too damned big and not even remotely pocketable. Mind you, the VAIO P isn't pocketable either, but it's slim enough for me to have had the inner pockets of two coats and two leather jackets altered to fit.

Google Bard can now tap into your Gmail, Docs, more

It'll be like opting out of "Allow shorts sampling and remixing" when uploading a video to Youtube - disable, upload and publish only to discover later that "disable" hasn't worked at all, and all and sundry uknown have been willy nilly sampling your shorts without your knowledge or consent for weeks. Of course it's a deeply upsettling unwelcome violation. Now, I upload, disable out of forlorn fatuous hope that it works but it never does, then select mutiple videos in Youtube Studio and disable "remixing" all at once, which appears to have the desired effect. But who the hell really knows what Google are seceretly doing with everything it has access to al urs iz urz lolz.

ArcaOS 5.1 gives vintage OS/2 a UEFI facelift for the 21st century

> I bought the optional dongle, but it doesn't work.

My combined ethernet and VGA dongle worked better, after the I gave the proprietary connector a good external clean using 90% isopropyl alcohol. Sometimes their connectors to the VAIO P corrode a tiny bit - they don't look corroded, but gleam after a clean; the residue becomes apparent. The same happens sometimes with my USB cables, SD cards, USB thumb drives, rechargeable AAs etc. Of course, avoid touching the internal pins of the connectors with anything.

Or you might have the wrong dongle, or the dongle, the dongle's connector, or the connector of the VAIO P could be damaged? I'd inspect the pins through a big magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe. Some phones have good macro lenses, and can be effective when given enough illumination. It's all so tiny and densely packed chance of damage is high, especially given it's age.

@Liam Proven - Install it on your Sony VAIO P! Perhaps you'll need to remove the tiny hard dive and start the installation on a desktop PC or laptop utilising a ZIF to SATA converter, then complete after shoehorning it back into the VAIO P? Bear in mind ZIP retaining clip plastics that old can easily break...

antiX 23: Anarchic for sure, but 'design by committee' isn't always the best for Linux

"Atom-based Sony Vaio P, and it makes that geriatric sub-netbook feel sprightly."

It'll be much faster when you upgrade to an SSD! I chose MS Linux for my Sony VAIO P, because Firefox was able to play Youtube videos without stuttery audio (albeit at very low frame rate) ), antiX couldn't. I might try the new version...

@Liam Proven: BTW I'm replacing the quite thick (3mm) 3M heat-resistant self-adhesive pad, which is holding the mSATA converter in place, with a thinner version, because it sometimes causes issues: the keyboard is pushed up a smidge, and occasionally the drive isn't recognised at boot. I believe the thicker sticky pad is disrupting that miniscule connecting cable's positioning, which was a bodge: It had to be thickened on one side of the miniscule connector using heat resistant Kapton, else it simply fell out - the miniscule cable wouldn't be retained by the miniscule cable clip. Pushing the keyboard down a little compresses the 3mm foam of the sticky pad, after which the drive is detected. Removing that 3M sticky pad isn't going to be easy - they stick like stink! Therefore to avoid damaging the mSATA converter board, I'm going to carefully saw through it using dental floss, then clean off residue using 90% isopropyl alcohol (or whatever works... might need a tiny careful drop of oil first, to dissolve any remaining slightly baked adhesive, and then dissolve the resulting gunge using isopropyl). I've been putting this task off because it's all so damned miniscule in there, but feel ready now that I've bought a huge magnifying glass with integral LED lights from fleabay. I hope there aren't any miniscule screws left over after reassembly...

Western Digital sued over claims of data-trashing SanDisk, My Passport SSDs

New WB Black HDs only lasted about a year, instead of the usual approx 8. I may try swapping boards over from some of a similar age, to recover data, but I doubt this is likely to work.

Judge denies HP's plea to throw out all-in-one printer lockdown lawsuit

Re: I ditched HP printers

The DJI Osmo 3 action camera requires online activation via an app, or it won't do a goddamn thing! So I bought GoPro instead, which has a smaller less sensitive sensor, and smaller lens... but at least it functions as a video and stills camera right out of the box, without first having to be activated online (which doesn't always work to activate DJI Osmo 3 cameras anyway).

Playing instruments, musical talent? Psh, this is the 2020s – Meta has models for that now

Code is cheaper than people.

People, instruments and music are just bunches of numbers!

Tried requesting Chopin in the style of electro pop, got a different very low fidelity result each time. I think this contraption needs a lot more work, but eventually musicans will become obsolete.

Logitech reports broad declines as pre-pandemic buying cycles return

Logitech's going to have to use even shorter lived switches than they do now, get punters buying more often than they're forced to already - I replaced three of my Logitech Marble Trackman's Omimoron switches with Cherry DG13-B1AA, which are rated for over a million clicks. Should last till lunchtime then. Can't buy those meeces new anymore, a great pity. Next up, the bloody awful Omimoron switches in two M570 meeces, my second and third favourites. They're my pets you know.

Want to live dangerously? Try running Windows XP in 2023

Re: nostalgic start

Are you trying it out on the VAIO P?

MX Linux doesn't progressively get slower like Mint does.

@Liam Proven: Sony VAIO P SSD upgrade

Thank you for writing about how to get sound working for Windows XP on the VAIO P, using it's integral sound hardware - it's a very annoying issue. I had a go, but sadly was unable to remove or rollback another driver, one of many, which I had tried installing before... therefore the update failed. I deleted all HD Audio .inf files, didn't work, tried to find *.pnf files to delete those too, for that non-functioning device with no details to no avail. It appears to be there till the end of time itself, and beyond.

On my SSD upgraded VAIO P, XP is pretty much an instant on mode, and faster booting than the old Corel Linux "instant" OS it shipped with (on HDD - I didn't install that on the mSATA, as it could have complicated or confounded my tri-boot masterplan). XP is very handy for playing music via an external Novation NIO 2/4 sound card - I use it as a HiFi, outputs to my huge floorstanders. The quality of the NIO is great, noise free too because it's located several feet away from the VAIO P and other electrical devices. The other way to get the VAIO's sound hardware working in XP, is to get it working on Windows Vista, then downgrade to XP. However, installing Vista drivers on XP doesn't work... therefore there must (?) exist XP drivers somewhere in the Vista downgrader installation files, but I haven't found them.

I'm sure you're sick of my saying this yet again, but you really must replace your Sony VAIO P's HD with a mATA SSD! (Or maybe you shouldn't - keep reading) Not an old SSD intended for the your VAIO P either, because you probably want fast and robust. Mine flies now, even when running Windows 7 Professional. MX Linux is less snappy, but works at an acceptable speed. I regret not trying Tiny 10. The only post-upgrade problem is due to that tiny, proprietary and delicate SATA ribbon cable - it's too thin to be held by the MSATA to SATA converter. This necessitated the use of heat-resistant Kapton tape to thicken the mSATA directed business end of that ribbon a bit, and it worked. Unfortunately it's new thickness isn't quite the perfect size, and occasionally the only screen you'll see when switching the VAIO on, is the BIOS - this is because the ribbon contacts are not connecting and the "Hard disk" isn't detected. If this happens (it does every so often) I simply press on the area of the keyboard above where the mSATA SSD is located, restart, and the VAIO P boots presenting three choices of operating system: Windows XP Professional, Windows 7 professional or MX Linux. Finding a brand new replacement for that ribbon cable is of course impossible. I used the right converter, but I suspect the mSATA converter's clasp has been updated to fit modern ZIF cables. I could try to source an old one. I may yet replace the Integral mSATA with a Samsung, if the Samsung has a thinner profile, to see if this intermittent issue goes away. With a mSATA installed in your Sony VAIO P, all of the operating systems you try could be much more enjoyable to use, or facilitate speedier misery (depending).

p.s. My daily driver runs XP Pro lol. Really.

Clingy Virgin Media won't let us leave, customers complain

To avoid that sort of malarkey is why I pay by bill, and have resisted ever paying by Direct Debit for years. I'm supposed to be disconnected in a couple of days... I'm considering not paying the final two bills (30 day notice required). Non-payment should result in disconnection, and the end of whatever contract Vermin imagine exists between me and them.

It's infuriating and outrageous that one has to risk a clean credit record to escape! Potentially impeding signup to another provider. Anything less than a CCJ should be ok? I have Smarty boradband via SIM router, it's faster than I expected - no credit checks anwyay, and a lot more reliable than Vermin Virgin FscksU Media. Yesterday, it took 5m 50s to upload a 440mb file to Youtube using Smarty = 1.26 megabytes per second. That'll do.

Re: Telephone

The trick is not selecting any options whatsoever... this eventually gets you into a ver ver ver long call queue noisy with scratchy horrible music, after which your call eventually gets answered by a human being, who puts you into a ver ver ver long noisy scracthy queue of dubious musicality to someone else.

Re: Beware the freebies.

The vermin don't want my Superhub 3 returned... so I may reuse it as a wifi extender, as someone has detailed in the link below:

https://drew1440.com/2021/06/01/reusing-a-virgin-media-superhub-3-as-a-wifi-extender/

After requesting cancellation, vexatious Virgin Media is still texting me offers, despite my telling them repeatedly not to by text and phone. Their latest was "Broadband for £16 a month, or £100" credit. The first option new customers can get anyway (craftily, they've rigged their website so that offers to new customers are no longer visible to existing customers, even if you delete cache and cookies of your browsers, thereby making it harder for existing customers to haggle a better deal for themselves, using the threat of abandonment as leverage), and on a six month contract not 18 - this is how their "Loyalty Team" reward a pre-Blueyonder buyout era customer. It's all rather hurtful. Can't wait for disconnection on the 22nd, as this may indicate cancellation has been actioned. I pay by bill, not DD, so if there's any funny business (they say my bill next month will be £7, because a 30 day notice period is required for cancellation) I will have to consider whether to cease paying their bills to leave, because getting myself disconnected that way will affect my credit rating... which presumably might make signing up to some other provider more difficult than it would have been, if Virgin Media weren't so clingy.

Quite honestly, I haven't been inconvenienced using the Three network via Smarty via TP-Link MR200 SIM router, which was a nice surprise: no dropouts, speeds adequate for my needs, no traffic shaping, no blocks, no contract, cheap, all my devices including SIP phones are continuously and reliably connected. Cancelling Smarty is as easy as disabling auto-renew on their website, cancelling that pre-approved payment in Paypal, and throwing away the SIM so they can't call me... which is pretty easy if you ask me.

One person's trash is another's 'trashware' – the art of refurbing old computers

Kobo have killed my Arc 7 HD! Did a hard reset and now it refuses to start without trying to update, which Kobo won't allow, so it's stuck. The Arc is still, or was, a useful device with a gorgeous high resolution IPS screen. I can't even replace the OS - there's no way to get into debugging mode. It's just a big but low capacity flash drive now... or if I tear out the LCD panel, a short-lived photography light.

Kobo has pulled a Sonos! It's forced obsolescence and Kobo should not be able to get away with this! :ANGRY:

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER KOBO!!!

Re: What about

32-bit MX Linux runs ok on my Atom powered Sony VAIO P, but I shudder to imagine how glacial it would have been without the recent SSD upgrade - suddenly the slovenly old thing is full of beans.

Brit broadband subscribers caught between crappy connections and price hikes

I finally cancelled VM almost a month ago, stopped using it's crappy disconnecto service, using Smarty Unlimited for £20 a month on a rolling monthly contract instead via a SIM router and quite honestly, I haven't missed VM's crappy broadband, even though I'm still paying for it till disconnection in a few days. I'm long out of contract, so there should be no penatly fees, and if there are I will sue their arses.

Virgin Media email customers enter third day of inbox infuriation

Re: VM are Totally Clueless

Ethernet works today, but Windows XP cannot detect anything at all, can't see cable is plugged in. Win 7, Android and Linux connect fine via ethernet and Wifi. Some mobile number kept ringing me all day, despite my texting "STOP" to marketing messages, rejected the calls several times... then it eventually texted an offer for a "Speed boost" to 250mb of this crap broadband for £18.50 a month, 18 months contract with no in-contract price rises. Vermin Media can go to hell. Free SIM router arrives in a couple of days.

Re: VM are Totally Clueless

It's gone t*tsup again! Ethernet is dead but WiFi works. Hard reset of superhub, just in case, no joy. Called support, was fobbed off by automated message saying it's a complicated issue and they're sorry I'm still having problems with my broadband.... somehow found a way through their labyrinthine number options system to a long wait in a long queue being forced to listen to scratchy very very horrible music.... Then had a long chat with their tech support who said their network had gone titsup AGAIN. Took the opportunity to confirm my exit details and got them to explain the final bill for my OnePlus phone to record in case I need to see them in Small Claims.

Re: VM are Totally Clueless

Funnily enough, a friend of mine also had his Virginmedia router electrocuted by a lightning strike. Somehow his computer escaped damage, despite being connected via ethernet. It took Virginmedia weeks to accept that his router was dead.

Virginmedia offered me "125MB broadband for £22 per month!" by text yesterday, because I'd blocked all their predatory phone numbers - I had mentioned while cancelling that I could get Unlimited 4G from Smarty and others for £20 a month each = £40, with no long term contracts, connect using SIM routers, thus giving myself system redundancy for less than the £54 I was paying per month for their godawful connection. Virginmedia's 18 or 24 month contract to supply crap can go to hell. I think it's a huge mistake engaging in dialogue with Virginmedia's goons via phone post-cancellation.

I haven't received their final bill yet - while cancelling, I was told by phone it'd be for £51 (I've had broadband only, for many years with no changes), with no penalty charges, no need to return their faulty router, and I'd get a refund a month later for £44. So why the hell isn't my final bill for £7? If I receive any paper communications saying anything other than stated by phone (I recorded the call and told the VM rep I was doing so [my phone automatically records every call - thanks OnePlus]), I'll take them to Small Claims Court demanding a refund for the months after their nationwide disaster, when my broadband wasn't working properly, plus a huge sum for the loss of income caused.

Assailed by six calls from different Virginmedia numbers today, having cancelled yesterday - all calls rejected and numbers blocked. Hope this harassment doesn't continue.

I cancelled Virginmedia broadband today. I'd been with Telewest/Blueyonder/Virginmedia/Liberty Global since 2007, but their broadband of late sucks balls. Drops out randomly, like my balls. The engineer who turned up to declare my router faulty, replaced it with an identical one, which also sucked balls. He said he didn't know what the fsckup was, but it bricked a massive number of routers, and he had to replace many, but didn't know what caused this mass bricking either. For months, I've been receiving messages saying it's a "complex issue" and they're working to fix it. This latest bout of intense disconnectivity started a couple of days before their huge nationwide fsckup, and it has continued intermittently ever since. I told their retention team I wouldn't want their crappy broadband, even if it was free. Switching to a SIM ethernet router... then maybe Zen... (internet).

Time running out for crew of missing Titanic tourist submarine

Selfies and Tiktoks? The craft's lithium ion batteries bursting into flames, could have resulted in it's carbon fiber hull being compromised and implosion. I wonder what cell format was being used? Mind you, carbon fiber is notoriously hard to make of uniform quality - I wouldn't get into a submersible with a carbon fiber hull.

My theory is the bluetooth Playstation controller lost connection very quickly as a passenger's iPhone locked the pilot out - iPhones do have a habit of locking out bluetooth connections for some devices, even when they have been provided with no pairing codes.

Another redesign on the cards for iPhone as EU rules call for removable batteries

> That rule, by the way, covers all appliances and will mean that if you own the gadget, you should be able to remove and replace its battery yourself.

Will this rule apply to Bosch ebike batteries, the BMSs of which commit harakiri the moment you try to repair the damned things?

Raspberry Pi production rate rising to a million a month

They're all over the shop on certain auction sites...

Why you might want an email client in the era of webmail

Will there ever be an Android version of Thunderbird? I use K9 mail on my phone sometimes, which is a poor substitute... hence continued use of my ever getting older 8" Sony VAIO P, when at large.

Outlook.com + Thunderbird, OneDrive and quotas

A note about account limits when using Thunderbird with Outlook.com - Two weeks ago I discovered I was twice over my storage limit at (free) Outlook.com (quota of OneDrive is lumped into the same small storage limit now too, as of recently) because every POP message handled by Thunderbird was replicated in two separate in/sent folders, in addition to the inbox. It wasn't obvious where my quota was used by which folders (ultimately, this probably helps Macrohard sell Outlook.com users more space), and I was unable to send or receive until I had deleted thousands of messages in those POP folders at Outlook.com, and emptied the recycle bin...

I hope MozBackup works between old and the newer version reported! And not just for Win10 and +

Never 10!

https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

Tiny10 looked interesting to me, for a few seconds... until I realised it can't update automatically.

'I Don't Care About Cookies' extension sold to Avast

I disable JS when I see a cookie consent whatsit, and if that doesn't workI disable CSS too... then I delete all cookies when I leave a site. Simples.