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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

In the USA, property taxes are how most towns and cities get the majority of their funding. 200€/year would be crazy low.

In my medium cost of living town (USA), taxes come out to 4, sometimes 5 figures a year. Plus as the area becomes more desirable, property taxes (based on the sale price of a home) go up for recent buyers.

[–] [email protected] 89 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
  1. Wander around as a group
  2. Look at all the different options
  3. Split up
  4. Get what you want
  5. Meet back up
  6. Share if you want

Repeat steps 3-6 as needed

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

You could replace the systemd service with a systemd timer. Not sure how often you reboot, but maybe once a week would be sufficient?

You could then wrap it in a script that checks for packman's db.lock file. It would sleep as long as the lock file is present, which indicates that an update is active.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

As someone who has owned enterprise servers for self-hosting, I agree with the previous comment that you should avoid owning one if you can. They might be cheap, but your longterm ownership costs are going to be higher. That's because as the server breaks down, you'll be competing with other people for a dwindling supply of compatible parts. Unlike consumer PCs, server hardware is incredibly vendor locked. Hell, my last Proliant would keep the fans ramped at 100% because I installed a HDD that the BIOS didn't like. This was after I spent weeks tracking down a disk that would at least be recognized, and the only drives I could find were already heavily used.

My latest server is built with consumer parts fit into a 2U rack case, and I sleep so much easier knowing I can replace any of the parts myself with brand new alternatives.

Plus as others have said, a 1U can be really loud. I don't care about the sound of my gaming computer, but that poweredge was so obnoxious that despite being in the basement, I had to smother it with blankets just so the fans didn't annoy me when I was watching TV upstairs. I still have a 1U Dell Poweredge, but I specifically sought out the generation that still let you hack the fan speeds in IPMI. From all my research, no such hack exists for the Proliant line.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The problem with chromebooks is that the base specs are pretty shit. A lot of them have 4 GiB of RAM and maybe 16GiB of disk if you're lucky.

They were designed to be thin clients to connect students to the internet, and little else. Maybe they could be hacked into something useful, but I don't think it'll ever make a good PC. They were always destined for the landfill.

Meanwhile, the best thinkpads were quality machines back when they came out. IMO, that's why they're still so versatile today. Free software can't fix bad fundamentals.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

is it dishonorable to find loopholes in the rules of the honor culture

Dueling culture in 18th and 19th century Europe was commonly organized around concepts of "gentlemanly honor". Even back then, people recognized the need for loopholes.

Consider the case of two friends who got drunk at a tavern, each one declaring how much they loved the other. Eventually, one friend goes overboard "I love you more than you know!" to which the response is "But that cannot be, for my love of you is infinite!". Soon this becomes an argument over who loves the other more, and eventually they have to settle their friendship like gentlemen: With swords at dawn. If they're smart and sober up in time, their seconds will work out a solution before the fight, but there are cases recorded where the friends kill each other because honor trumps love.

There were also loopholes which worked to favor the person that society already deemed more "honorable" (wealthy, connected, liked, etc). It was generally accepted that a gentleman of certain standing could honorably refuse another's challenge to duel if their social stations were different. Think a "new money" banker's son challenging a minor nobleman over a loan that's due. It simply wouldn't look good to have some commoner slaying an aristocrat, even if said aristocrat was an asshole.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago

In the future, I highly recommend using Kimwipes to clean off your lenses day-to-day. They're little papers designed to wipe off lab equipment without leaving any scratches or residue, and you don't need to spray them with any cleaner either. Just a dry wipe until the lenses are clean. If I'm careful about how I use them, a wipe can be reused 2-3 more times before disposal.

Since I started using them, I've never had problems with the antiglare coating coming off.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

I had to register something called an FRN when I received my amateur radio license from the FCC. I assume that in my situation, FRN stands for FCC Registration Number or something.

Somehow I doubt that's what the sovcit is talking about.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

You call this a weed, O'Neil. Yet your "dealer" did not purge it from his garden.

It's just a name Teal'c. Now puff or pass.

Teal'c takes a hit from the blunt and blows a giant cloud. He turns with a smile to the team, before erupting in a fit of coughs.

As we say on Chulak, this is "K'opor"

O'Neil looks to Daniel with a look of confusion

It means dank, Jack

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I'm talking about all those Intel programs that come preinstalled.

"Intel device smart updates" "Intel audio control center"

That kind of garbage

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I did this in my town. It was a local theater though, not a big chain

  • Went on a Wednesday night and rented access to a screening room for ~5h. We had to pay extra because they normally close earlier on a weeknight
  • Showed up early to meet the projectionist and get a technical rundown
  • Setup was a friend's laptop plugged into HDMI running up to the projector booth
  • Nobody complained when we brought out a disk full of torrented movies
  • The theater already had a license to sell alcohol, so we had that covered
  • We brought a small bit of outside food, and nobody complained

It was absolutely the best time I ever had at a cinema. When the evening wound down, the projectionist invited us into the back area for a tour of the projection equipment.

I think that because we were a private event the rules about screening copyrighted materials to public audiences did not apply.

 

I'm really intrigued by digital modes. Stuff like JS8Call seems really cool, and I want to get into it.

I don't have any HF equipment. SSB isn't very interesting to me, so I was thinking of getting a digital-only transceiver and saving some money. I think it would be cool to take a small QRP box with a laptop or raspi, and do digital mode Pota with it.

I've seen the QDX which looks exactly like what I want and seems to get good reviews. Any others that I should be aware of?

 
 

I like coffee. I like Star Trek.

I've had a mild interest in the raktajino, a Klingon coffee drink commonly consumed in DS9. I've looked up a few fan theories and fan recipes. I haven't seen any references to a canonical recipe, so I get that there's a bit of fun and personal preference involved.

The only thing I don't understand is why raktajino is commonly claimed to be made with liquor. On the one hand, I understand why Klingons might want a stiff additive to their caffeine. However, the context in which characters on DS9 drink it does not suggest the presence of intoxicants. I recall at least a few occasions in which bridge officers, while on duty, drink a raktajino. Surely even synthol is not OK when you're on shift for Starfleet.

 

We're 3 game sessions deep into a Vampire the Masquerade chronicle. I've just heard from one of my players that they feel like they've put a bit too much of themselves into their character, and they're starting to get uncomfortable with it. As such, they'd like to roll up a new char sheet and bring their current character out of the game. We've talked a little bit about whether they want their character to die, or to permanently leave the party, and that's still up in the air.

This is my first time as GM, and I'd like a few pointers on how to work with this. From an "off the table" perspective, I've already had a conversation with this player about what their needs are. I'm confident that the overall game is still fun for them, and that this isn't about any player-player dynamics.

From a narrative perspective, I'd love to hear how others have dealt with this before. In the past 3 sessions, I haven't had the chance to bring out the kind of enemies who could kill a PC outright (bloodthirsty elders, second inquisition deathsquads, conniving underlings). I don't want the player to have to go through several more sessions with a character they dislike just because it would have more punch further down the line.

 

I'm just getting into ham (my technician exam is tomorrow night), and I'm looking for ideas on starter kit.

For now, my interest is in making contact with a friend who lives ~10 miles away, as well as other amateurs in the county (there's a repeater ~2 miles away). This friend needs to reapply for his license, but he has a mobile 2m/70cm transceiver from his old call sign. Eventually, we'd like to get into digital communication between our houses.

Even further down the line, I think long distance HF sounds cool, but that looks like a money pit I'm not quite ready to dig just yet.

I don't want to set up any crazy antennas just yet, as partner and I are house hunting. This also means we could end up more like 15 miles from my friend, depending on what we find.

I was wondering if anyone here could suggest beginner's equipment for my goals. I'm ok to spend a bit more on systems that are still useful if my interest in ham expands beyond these initial requirements.

 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/7524114

I won't say I can't draw (anyone can put a pencil on paper), but I will say I have no practiced skills.

I've never done character art before, but I want to for this game. What alternative ways do you have to represent your character visually?

I've considered AI generators, but I don't want to spend money and time tuning the prompt to match what I want vs what the AI thinks I want.

I've also thought about a collage to represent different aspects of my character, then mashing some elements together with GIMP.

 

I don't mean on the holodeck, shore leave, or when transported to the past and needing to fit in.

Seems like if you're on an away mission to, say, a desert planet, sunglasses might be useful. I don't recall anything wearing them.

 

I think I'm reading this blogpost correctly: Mobian devs working on maintaining Linux kernel support for Pinephone painted themselves into a corner with tech debt, and may not be able to continue porting new kernel updates. Pinephone Pro runs a different chipset with wider community support, so it's not affected.

I didn't see any communities or articles talking about this, so either it's not a big deal, or nobody is talking about it.

 

Out of curiosity, is it the same for anyone else?

 

In TNG, Picard says that the Federation has evolved past a need for money. Indeed, we never see any.

In DS9 though, Quark talks a lot about bar tabs and costs. Surely O'Brien and Bashir don't get free drinks, so how do they pay? I'd assume that any Ferengi worth his lobes won't accept anything that can be replicated, so do Federation officers get a stipend of tradeable "value" when interacting with cultures that still expect payment?

I think there's also a reference to Quark paying rent to Sisko for running the bar. Presumably that's denominated in latinum. I wonder where it goes? Maybe the secret "Garak black ops" fund.

 

Let's assume that Janeway never separated Tuvix and kept him as a crew member. Would the crew have still gotten home?

Assumptions:

  • The subsequent story arc (and episode plots) are generally the same
  • Any episode where the threat is caused by (or related to) the individual personalities of Neelix or Tuvok never happens
  • Any episode where the day is saved by the individual personalities of Neelix or Tuvok is more dangerous
  • We can assume that the strengths/weaknesses of Tuvix remain throughout the series

Do they still make it home? If not, what episodes are likely to end in disaster?

 

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/7458945

Many mushroom identification and foraging books being sold on Amazon are likely generated by AI with no human authorship. These books could provide dangerous misinformation and potentially lead to deaths if people eat poisonous mushrooms based on the AI's inaccurate descriptions. Two New York mushroom societies have warned about the risks of AI-generated foraging guides. Experts note that safely identifying wild mushrooms requires careful research and experience that an AI system does not have. Amazon has since removed some books flagged as AI-generated, but more may exist. Detecting AI-generated books and authors can be difficult as the systems can fabricate author bios and images. Relying on multiple credible sources, as well as guidance from local foraging groups, is advised for safely pursuing mushroom foraging.

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