Skip Navigation
Small animals dying in the window well of my basement
  • Hmm, I can't grow peppermint in the recess, but maybe around the dome would work?

    Good point about the escape route possibly making things worse. There's plenty of evidence that previous owners have dealt with rodent issues, so I wouldn't want to reintroduce that possibility.

  • Home Improvement @lemmy.world OneCardboardBox @lemmy.sdf.org
    Small animals dying in the window well of my basement

    I work in a basement office. There is a below-grade egress window, with a 3-4ft ladder and a large plexiglass dome that you can push out of the way.

    I noticed a terrible smell when I opened my window the other day, and it was because of a dead mouse that presumably couldn't get out of the recess. On inspection, I found the remains of several more dead rodents there, so this has been a problem in the past too.

    Any ideas on how to prevent this? I both feel bad for the dead animals and am disgusted by the smell when they decay. The plexiglass dome has chicken wire for airflow, so I can't necessarily block those off. Maybe there's some method to repell them, or help them escape?

    4
    Since America is bringing back kings what other kind of stuff is on your medieval wishlist?
  • Oh, judicial duels have always been bad, tending to favor the wealthy who can afford training. The pistol duel was once considered egalitarian because you were just as likely to miss your opponent regardless of how much you trained. For most of the 20th century (until the 90s) Uruguay had legalized dueling. It was mostly used by politicians and the powerful to muder journalists and lawyers who "defamed" them.

    But if we are already living in a period where the rich act with impunity anyway, I want a world where there's a nonzero chance that we get to watch Elon Musk take an estoc to the face because of a twitter argument.

  • Since America is bringing back kings what other kind of stuff is on your medieval wishlist?
  • Grand journeys to far off lands. The kind of journey where someone who is "exotic" and personable can make a life for themselves by being the court foreigner.

    Also: Judicial duels. They are unjust, unethical, and unproductive, but damn if I don't want to see white collar criminals have to fight the selected champion of all the folks they ripped off. Of course, being a billionaire would probably buy you a pretty good champion yourself, so we'd also have to bring back old concepts of honor to compel them to represent themselves.

  • Privacy Implications of using ISP issued Router?
  • If you're always using a VPN, that's not necessarily a privacy threat on your VPN'd device, but any other device on the network that doesn't have a VPN could be exposing itself to the ISP.

    Also, you're at the mercy of whatever firmware updates your ISP issues for the router. Hopefully they remember to support your box when the next CVE is discovered...

    We are forced to keep an ISP router/gateway combo in our home because it has certificates necessary to authenticate our subscription. However, behind that router we have the "real" router with settings and firmware updates that we control. The ISP router is just a hop between our router and the outside world. Everything on our network only connects to the router we control.

  • Have you ever come back to a company after leaving (e.g. a few years later)? How did it go?
  • I left a company after 5 years because (in retrospect) I was starting to feel burned out about product engineering. I left for another product engineering job, thinking that my problem was with the product culture at my old place. Nope! Hated product work at the new place too.

    Eventually a role opened up at the old place, working on a more dev-ops-y side, and I gave it a shot. It worked out well for 2 years, but after a re-organization cut back the scope of my work, I left for somewhere else.

  • Server for a boat
  • BTRFS should be stable in the case of power loss. That is to say, it ought to recover to a valid state. I believe the only unstable modes are RAID 5/6.

    I'd recommend BTRFS in RAID1 mode over mdadm RAID1 + ext4. You get checksumming and scrubs to detect drive failures and data corruptions. You also have snapshotting, in case you're prone to the occasional fat-fingered rm -rf.

  • Server for a boat
  • For backup, maybe a blu-ray drive? I think you would want something that can withstand the salty environment, and maybe resist water. Thing is, even with BDXL discs, you only get a capacity of 100GiB each, so that's a lot of disks.

    What about an offsite backup? Your media library could live ashore (in a server at a friend's house). You issue commands from your boat to download media, and then sync those files to your boat when it's done. If you really need to recover from the backup, have your friend clone a disk and mail it to you.

    Do you even need a backup? Would data redundancy be enough? Sure if your boat catches fire and sinks, your movies are gone, but that's probably the least of your problems. If you just want to make sure that the salt and water doesn't destroy your data, how about:

    1. A multi-disk filesystem which can tolerate at least 1 failure
    2. Regular utilities scanning for failure. BTRFS scrubs, for example.
    3. Backup fresh disks kept in a salt and water resistant container (original sealed packaging), to swap any failing disk, and replicate data from any good drives remaining.
    4. Documentation/practice to perform the aforementioned disk replacement, so you're not googling manpages at sea.

    This would probably be cheapest and have the least complexity.

  • Are Sodastreams "frowned upon"?
  • I recommend that if you go with a home carbonation system, that you look for one you hack your own CO2 refills for.

    Some people buy a CO2 tank and regulator, then hook it straight up to their machine. I have a large CO2 tank in the basement with an adapter to refill the individual proprietary canisters. I got the tank free from a friend, and then paid 30 USD to have it certified (good for 10 years) and 30 USD to have it recharged with beverege-grade CO2. Buying an adapter was 40 USD

    My large tank holds ~5kg of CO2, and it costs about 17 USD to officially refill one of the small canisters with 500g of CO2. Thus, even if I didn't get the tank for free (new ones cost ~120 USD), the large tank would still pay for itself after filling it one time.

  • Lasso Man [Last Place Comics]
  • A better ending than last time, when Fuzzy-Select Girl tried to stop a gang of superdrug-dealers with an improperly calibrated threshold.... Ended up deleting half the neighborhood.

  • (CW: misogyny, mention of murder) I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the culture of this hobby
  • My area is pretty good, but I went to a hamfest a few towns over and heard some awful stuff being spoken like the most casual thing in the world.

    On mastodon, I see people organizing a few leftist nets out there. Might be worth checking for d-star or fusion nets that would let you dial in over internet.

  • Let’s make games open source, so future generations can enjoy them
  • You've laid out one potential development cycle: FOSS from the get-go, and open collaboration welcome.

    However, that's not the only way that a FOSS game might be developed. The code could be freely licensed, but the upstream developers refuse to accept outside patches. In that case, there's one "original" and then if you don't like it, build your fork.

    Alternatively, a game could be developed entirely in-house under proprietary licenses, and then only made FOSS upon commercial release. Contributor patches could improve the project, but conception of the game would be entirely the domain of its original developers.

  • Can I remove a git repo without resorting to `rm -rf` ?
  • How about writing a script to automate the deletion, thus minimizing the chance of human error being a factor? It could include checks like "Is this a folder with .git contents? Am I being invoked from /home/username/my_dev_workspace?"

    In a real aviation design scenario, they want to minimize the bullshit tasks that take up cognitive load on a pilot so they can focus on actually flying. Your ejector seat example would probably be replaced with an automatic ejection system that's managed by the flight computer.

  • OpenMW Lua: Music playlist support merged
    gitlab.com Dehardcode music (!3438) · Merge requests · OpenMW / openmw · GitLab

    Moves playlist logic from C++ to Lua. Basically, it uses an approach from Skyrim - when you can have several active playlists in the same time...

    Dehardcode music (!3438) · Merge requests · OpenMW / openmw · GitLab

    The latest dev builds of OpenMW now support music playlists run from Lua. Mods could now create custom music playlists based on location, weather, combat status, or anything else that can be measured with Lua. The pull request includes a sample mod to play certain music when fighting muscrabs.

    I look forward to all the new ambience mods that this will make possible!

    0
    Morrowind as my rock

    Sounds a bit trite, but Morrowind represents a kind of comfy stability for me. I can always go to Vvardenfel any time, and it's always the same place.

    Yesterday, I moved houses. The neighborhood is different, there are boxes everywhere, I can't find anything, and there's no internet. On top of that, I get very stressed out whenever even a small thing in my life changes. I try to focus on one task at a time, and that's all I can do.

    However, all I need for Morrowind is to unpack my PC, monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Tonight, when the takeout food is gone, but I'm not ready to sleep (in a new room that smells weird), there will be Morrowind.

    0
    Lua mod showcase: AttendMe
    www.nexusmods.com Attend Me

    Follower HUD and teleportation

    Attend Me

    Figured I'd share some of my favorite OpenMW mods. Today is AttendMe, a cool UI for monitoring your companions. It tracks health, stamina, magicka, as well as whatever spells/weapons they have equipped. I find it very useful for all the slave rescue quests, so I know who to heal.

    0
    Not just for Morrowind: RWC is the first standalone game (demo) written for OpenMW that uses none of Bethesda's proprietary assets

    Robo Wind Construct (RWC) is a standalone game demo for OpenMW that doesn't use any proprietary assets. It truly shows what can be possible with the OpenMW engine aside from reimplementing Gamebryo games.

    https://modding-openmw.com/mods/rwc-robowind/

    Following the RWC project in OpenMW discord has been interesting. There's symbiosis between development, where RWC might need a feature that ends up ported to OpenMW and becomes available to everyone! I hope they're able to eventually complete the game.

    0
    Digital-only QRP transceivers

    cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/9321551

    > 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?

    0
    Digital-only QRP transceivers

    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?

    8
    Raktajino... has liquor in it?

    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.

    14
    New GM: Player wants a new character early in the game

    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.

    10
    Equipment to suit my needs

    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.

    0
    Creating character art when you're not practiced at drawing?

    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.

    6
    Does anyone in Starfleet wear sunglasses?

    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.

    7
    The Paperweight Dilemma: Original Pinephone might lose future kernel updates if devs can't pay down tech debt

    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.

    22
    DS9: Currency and the Federation

    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.

    41
    Could Voyager have made it home if Tuvix never got killed?

    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?

    2
    ‘Life or Death:’ AI-Generated Mushroom Foraging Books Are All Over Amazon
    www.404media.co ‘Life or Death:’ AI-Generated Mushroom Foraging Books Are All Over Amazon

    Experts are worried that books produced by ChatGPT for sale on Amazon, which target beginner foragers, could end up killing someone.

    ‘Life or Death:’ AI-Generated Mushroom Foraging Books Are All Over Amazon

    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.

    15
    Holding companies for foreign domain names?

    I have a .ch domain name, but I am not a resident, citizen, or business of Switzerland. For now, this is not a problem, but it's always possible that the rules change and I am ineligible to renew it down the line.

    Is there such thing as a domain holding company? I'm thinking of someone in Switzerland who will be the registered owner while I have a legal contract defining my rights to use the domain?

    This is all very hypothetical, and I'm happy to just wing it for now (it's mostly hobby/personal stuff). More just curious.

    Just for fun, I looked into what it would take to register a business in Switzerland. I'd need a Swiss work permit to file for a sole proprietorship, and then I'd still have to pay ~60 CHF a month for a virtual business address.

    2
    InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)ON
    OneCardboardBox @lemmy.sdf.org
    Posts 27
    Comments 218
    Moderates