Category: Ramblings
Operating Systems
So, with Windows being slowly moved towards the fully subscription based model, I’ve happily been fully Linux at home for 15 years now. The only app I use Windows at home for (in a VM – see below) is Office, and more specifically, Excel. Up until recently I was an OpenSUSE user, but have just switched over to Fedora – everything was backed up over the past week, and the actual change was done in maybe half an hour Saturday morning with no loss of settings whatsoever. I prefer the KDE Plasma GUI, but have always got a terminal window […]
Read MoreMicrosoft rolls out Windows 11 Start Menu updates
The Register produced this article which shows the level of contempt Microshite has for the users nowadays – can’t just embed the article so will post it in full: The latest changes to Microsoft’s Start Menu are being rolled out to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. However, users in the European Economic Area have a little longer to wait for the promised Android and IOS device integration. Microsoft previewed these tweaks to the Start Menu in May, and is now rolling them out to Windows Insiders as part of Windows 11 build 26200.5641. “We’re making it easier for you […]
Read MoreIHD3-PPMID
OK, so I was sold on the idea of a smart meter by my energy company. Truth be told, I was fed up with having to constantly submit meter readings and my inner geek liked the idea of n in home display (IHD) showing current and historical usage. So, the installer was booked, turned up, and installed the gas and electric meters while maintaining social distancing, showed me the IHD and apologised there wasn’t a manual (manual? ha! I SPIT at manuals…), and left. About 3 hours later I noticed the display wasn’t showing the electricity reading So I did […]
Read MorePwned?
The other week we had an ‘Information Security Awareness’ week at work – the Polish Cyber-security team were over and spent the week doing workshops and hosting sessions for the whole site – all very interesting stuff, and the live hacking demos were quote frightening with how easy it is to breach the security of a global corporation in minutes (literally). Then, the other day I got an email from a friend (hey Bu’er! 🙂 ) which in turn made me think “I’ve not blogged in a while…”, so imagine my surprise when I found my blog database had been […]
Read MoreA pox on the gambling revolution
Friday afternoon at work, 3 of us decided (I talked the others into it) to have a bet on the football: Hull to beat Arsenal Spurs to beat Liverpool Burnley to beat Chelsea We all put in £2 each, and with the treble, stood to get £1500 back if all results came in…sadly, none of them did. We laughed and put it down to experience – £2 each was no big deal, we could afford to take the loss. A key point here though, was I had to go into the bookies to place the bet – I refuse to […]
Read MoreHome media system
I previously mentioned how the household now relies on content streamed from the office (aka: Paul’s Pit) to WDTV Live SMP players around the house. Nowadays, we have a number of Android TV boxes running the Kodi media centre. This gives us more options when watching TV/Movies – we can stream from the NAS drives, or stream over the internet. The one thing I’ve so far failed to accomplish with Kodi is to have a centrally accessible library whereby I can start watching a show on one box, and continue from the point I left off on another – this bothers […]
Read MoreThe UK’s draconian internet law
As we approach the end of 2016, there are mixed views – so many celebrity deaths this year, but more importantly, the passing of the ‘Investigatory Powers Act 2016’ here in the UK means the death of freedom on the internet: Broadband ISPs and mobile operators will tonight offer a collective sigh after the Investigatory Powers Bill effectively achieved Royal Asset to become an Act. The new law will force providers into logging a big slice of your Internet activity, irrespective of whether or not you’re even suspected of a crime. At present ISPs need to see a warrant before […]
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