blinry

Computer science, art, game design. Values autonomy, creativity and curiosity. Polyamorous. Introverted, organized. Humanist. @recursecenter alumn. Feelings: @nibryl

Curator of the https://glitchgallery.org, working on @teamtype.

Public Key

npub1xh9fh6cs7c5zhhz330pz4s5kdwg44aq7xu33f6ylxtedkjj6g6ysvuazuf

NIP-05 Address

blinry@chaos-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsrtj5mavg0v2ptm3gchs32c2txhy267s0rwgc5az0n9ukmffdydzgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsmlgce9

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1xh9fh6cs7c5zhhz330pz4s5kdwg44aq7xu33f6ylxtedkjj6g6ysvuazuf

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-08-15 09:07:02 UTC

Nice invention: "The area with Ljubljana's own weather"
It's always raining in that circular spot! ☔
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/117/098/730/117/205/299/original/d925bde0303cfc15.png

2026-08-11 09:00:46 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…ggcd It might boost everything from an archive I made in ~April :) But I might update that at some point.

2026-08-11 08:50:44 UTC

I made a bot that boosts one randomly selected toot by myself every day!
👉 @nprofile…6sep 👈
Give it a follow if you dare. I've been here almost 10 years, so the bot might find some strange stuff! :D

2026-08-10 09:09:57 UTC

Can someone recommend a cozy Mastodon instance for hosting bot accounts? Mourning botsin.space today.
Would like to give future #fedifriends bots a better home, and maybe build a nostalgia bot that retoots my old toots randomly...

2026-07-28 20:33:32 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…5mfw @nprofile…0h0a Most Wayland compositors I've tried implement proper per-seat window focus, so if you click a window, your keyboard events will then go to that one! That means that multiple people can work "in parallel", everyone in their own window. Pretty cool! :)

2026-07-28 18:27:21 UTC

- reply

You will have noticed that many pieces in this puzzle are still incomplete or missing, though. Throughout the blog post, I marked "open project ideas" with a 📝 emoji.
By publishing this post, I hope to find people who are interested in exploring and expanding this space together. If that's you, say hi! :)
https://blinry.org/multi-seat-wayland/

2026-07-28 17:35:51 UTC

- reply

Weston (the old reference implementation of a Wayland compositor managed by the @nprofile…0h0a) was the first compositor I realized had real multi-seat support!
You can configure input devices to belong to different "seats" using udev rules (see the blog post for details on how to set that up), and that'll give you multiple mouse cursors with independent window interactions!
If you assign keyboard to the seats, you can also *type* into different windows, which feels very cool!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/998/798/677/384/271/original/247271ebc1aa2eed.mp4

2026-07-28 17:30:52 UTC

- reply

This was the first time I looked deeper into Wayland actually *is*! At its heart, it’s a collection of protocols. I was really happy to find that the core "wayland" protocol (that graphical programs and the Wayland compositor use to talk to each other) has deeply integrated multi-seat support!
Which is an awesome basis! 5/5 stars! :D ★★★★★
But for multi-seat to work, it has to be supported throughout the stack. So how well do Wayland compositors actually use these concepts?

2026-07-28 17:19:27 UTC

Ever wished you could have multiple independent mouse cursors on your Linux machine? No?
Anyway, turns out Wayland supports that pretty well! Let me tell you what I learned:
https://blinry.org/multi-seat-wayland/

2026-07-24 09:32:08 UTC

I like what I see. Just applied for a membership at @nprofile…mvm4 e.V. 🩵

2026-07-21 15:47:50 UTC

- reply

I'm writing a blog post about the things I recently learned about the support for multiple (logical) seats on Wayland.
Does anyone know of applications that are designed to be used with multiple mice/keyboards within the same desktop environment?

2026-07-17 20:30:13 UTC

The @nprofile…lvt9 is turning 15 years old tomorrow!! To celebrate, they produced a brand new video about what attending is like!
It's a lovely place for self-directed learning, and I've grown fond of the wonderful surrounding community and culture! Happy to answer any question about it. 🐙🖥️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJjmnZLXDlM

2026-07-10 06:57:25 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…lqyv Can you maybe point me to an example of where the input-management protocol is implemented/used?
Are you aware of a River implementation that handles multiple seats particularly well?
And is my idea of building this kind of "multi-user desktop" even realistic? I'm aware that few programs have real multiseat support…

2026-07-09 15:38:12 UTC

- reply

I blogged about my circular LCD clock, and how you can build your own one!
https://blinry.org/lcd-clock/

2026-07-07 20:49:11 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…terz Ohh, that must've been the one I did together with @nprofile…jsuv some years ago! In the ZKM Foyer, with a pretty small group?

2026-07-07 08:19:35 UTC

It's my birthday today! :)
If you wanna gift me something, you could describe an impact I've had on your life – big or small!

2026-06-22 20:54:29 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…t99y https://chaos.social/@blinry/109774326813849844 :P

2026-06-20 07:49:04 UTC

You're a male monarch, and your BMI is below 18? I think you're overthinking!

2026-06-15 11:04:48 UTC

- reply

So the next step for me will definitely trying to learn front crawl! Everyone seems to be raving about it! :P
Maybe I'll restart the training program in "proper" face-in-the-water breast stroke technique, and do crawling exercises on the side?

2026-06-15 11:02:15 UTC

- reply

But I'm especially happy about mostly having overcome my fear of putting my face in the water during these weeks!
I've now swam a couple of stretches in the 50-meter pool in a "proper" breast stroke technique. And while I get out of breath faster, and still have to learn how to "manage" the small amount of water flowing into my mouth when breathing, it feels rather normal at this point!
In a small pool, I tried some diving today, and it was so fun!! I now see why people like this! :D

2026-06-15 10:55:56 UTC

- reply

With just a one-day delay, I've finished my 6-week training plan and swap 1500 m straight for the first time! 🏊 Took me around 45 min, using breast stroke.
It's been really fun! I think my form and especially my breathing efficiency has improved somewhat! Interesting how you develop a better "feeling" of how you are moving the water around.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/753/735/266/385/434/original/5b92a3e4f81e9b43.png

2026-06-06 09:57:44 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…ae2w Schau mal hier: https://www.dkms.de/adresse

2026-06-06 09:46:38 UTC

Auf der #gpn24 könnt ihr euch als Stammzellspender*innen registrieren, und so potentiell Menschen mit Blutkrebs das Leben retten!
Ich betreue heute den Stand heute bis 13 Uhr mit. Es würde mich total freuen, wenn ein paar von euch vorbeikommen würden! :)
Heute am Samstag ist der Stand bis 17 Uhr offen, und morgen am Sonntag nochma von 10-12 Uhr.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/702/472/284/372/277/original/741be8ae78d6c810.png

2026-05-28 15:55:36 UTC

- reply

I've been practicing to put my face in the water every day, and it's getting easier.
One thing that really helped was getting swimming goggles! Not having water in my eyes helps me focus on breathing.
For practicing, I slowly graduated from the tiny warm relaxation pool to a pool used to teach swimming, and then to the 25-meter, which is often less busy.
On Monday, I managed to swim the full 25 meters in breast stroke, with my face going in the water for each stroke for the first time! 💚

2026-05-24 09:20:35 UTC

- reply

The circular screen arrived! It's a 7-inch one from Waveshare.
Being able to livecode on my clock makes me very happy right now! :D
Implemented the minute pause of the Swiss railway clocks, thanks to @nprofile…lump for the hint!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/628/811/601/301/606/original/1ffe585a4553b666.mp4

2026-05-16 09:24:56 UTC

- reply

While I wait for a circular screen to arrive, here's a prototype! :D
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/583/530/223/823/851/original/268f0c21c751d5cf.jpg

2026-05-12 16:07:17 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…qkth I like that a lot! :D
jj commit -m "Rickroll clock face" && jj git push

2026-05-12 14:29:40 UTC

- reply

Something that would be really cool is a big, circular, high-contrast LCD/OLED display, and then writing custom clock faces for it! :3
Is someone's #aliexpress game good enough to source one? Largest I've been able to find is 7 inch: https://aliexpress.com/item/1005009248594276.html Was thinking something like 30 cm diameter?

2026-05-12 10:51:00 UTC

In our kitchen, the only device that displays the time is our oven! :D
So… can anyone recommend a wall clock? A really fun/quirky/retro/nerdy one?
It would work best for us if it's (mostly) silent.

2026-05-08 09:11:44 UTC

- reply

I still triggered my "out, now!" reflex a couple of times, especially when trying to go a bit deeper, and staying vertical. Gonna try practicing this every time I go swim!
Also – turns out holding my breath, closing my eyes, pinching my nose with one hand, and then diving is not a problem at all. My fear seems to be specifically about water entering my nose.
How did y'all learn how to do this?! :D
#swimming

2026-05-08 09:08:59 UTC

- reply

But today, I had a good experience: I got in a small, warm pool and started practicing this. Carefully lowering my nose under water, while blowing bubbles from it.
It was very uncomfortable at first, but after a few attempts, I noticed how I could stay in that submerged position a bit longer than before!
So I realized that I probably *will* be able to learn this!! And that makes me super happy! :') It will be so cool once I can dive a bit!

2026-05-08 09:01:50 UTC

- reply

All my life, I've been scared to put my face in the water. Swimming longer distances with my face above the water was not the problem, neither deep pools or lakes.
But not being able the breathe, having water in my face, makes me panic. I have to swallow, and have to get up! I have some bad memories from swimming classes where I felt ashamed that I couldn't "keep up" with everyone else. :/
So learning front crawl or "proper" breast stroke seemed out of the question.
#swimming

2026-05-08 08:53:08 UTC

Do you know the tingly feeling of being on the verge of a new hobby? Realizing that there's a lot to learn about that topic, being excited about entering the rabbit hole? What's the last time that has happened to you?
For me, currently, it's #swimming! 🏊 I decided to start this training program, that builds up a distance of 1.5 km over six weeks: http://ruthkazez.com/swimming/ZeroTo1mile.html
And there's a lot for me to learn indeed! I never learned to front crawl, for example…

2026-05-03 18:37:24 UTC

- reply

I want to add that this topic has caused me some sleepless nights last month, and made me feel quite sad/angry/anxious/disappointed/disillusioned…
I figure many of you might feel similarly?
I'm also doubting myself sometimes. This strange divide creates new, complex dilemmas for collaboration that don't seem to have good solutions. Maybe more on that another time…

2026-05-03 18:30:14 UTC

- reply

If you're looking for inspiration for your own project, @nprofile…3q3q is maintaining a long list of (wildly different) Open Source AI contribution policies here:
https://github.com/melissawm/open-source-ai-contribution-policies
Seeing how different communities react to this technology helped me a lot in finding my own position.

2026-05-03 18:27:45 UTC

- reply

This is all a bit "thought in progress". But it seems that we as an open-source community need to figure this stuff out together, and for that, it's important to talk about it. That's why I wanted to share. Probably not surprising for most of you, though. :P
I'm quite glad that, in our own project, we're in a position where we can steer clear of most of this crap for now. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest.

2026-05-03 18:22:23 UTC

- reply

I want our project to be independent and resilient! Relying on the products of big, for-profit companies and their business model doesn't seem very wise in that regard. @nprofile…r4az also recently pointed out that, by embracing LLM coding, you suddenly divide your community into rich and poor.
And I want to act in accordance to my ethical concerns about energy usage, worker exploitation, and the mass violation of copyright and open-source licenses caused by these companies.

2026-05-03 18:16:55 UTC

- reply

First of all, I want to be proud of the things I create! This happens mostly when I work through hard problems, and then still solve them in the end. That means that the process of working on a project might be more important to me than the actual outcome.
If we started outsourcing the work to LLM tools, the satisfaction of having new features would feel hollow.

2026-05-03 18:15:46 UTC

We updated our contribution policy for @nprofile…gewz last week, which now states the following:
"We do not accept any contributions that contain content generated by LLMs. This also includes all written communication on GitHub. We will close any pull request, issue, or discussion that does not comply to this policy."
In our team, we have different reasons for this, but myself, I have a few of them: 🧵

2026-05-02 12:31:50 UTC

Level 1: Wasserspender in der Stadt ist kaputt. Ich möchte das mit dem Mängelmelder melden.
Level 2: Mängelmelde-Seite ist kaputt. Ich möchte das mit dem "Feedback"-Knopf am Rand melden.
Level 3: Der Knopf wird beim Anklicken etwas kleiner, tut aber sonst nichts.
Kennt jemand einen Mängelmeldermängelmeldermängelmelder? 🤔

2026-05-01 16:22:17 UTC

- reply

FlightGear doesn't try to be a "fun" game, but a simulator that's as realistic as possible.
Almost all buttons in the cockpit do something, and referring to real books, manuals, and charts worked really well!
Here's FlightGear's cockpit of a smaller plane, a Cessna 172P.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/500/231/197/916/289/original/a389a02fc134f491.png

2026-05-01 16:09:13 UTC

- reply

I was pretty impressed by #FlightGear, the GPL-licensed flight simulator! If you crank the graphics settings up, and don't look too closely, it looks pretty okay!
Here's a flight over Hamburg! I think flightgear pulls data from OSM. Can you find the CCH? The people in the stadium in the front are in for a surprise in their next game, though! :P
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/500/179/177/057/427/original/4799c5961621a20d.png

2026-05-01 15:59:58 UTC

I learned the basics of how to fly a (simulated) Airbus A320 this week!
Going from being completely overwhelmed to knowing what some of these buttons do, was a very satisfying experience.
Taking off is easier than landing, though! 😅
#flightgear
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/500/074/822/642/839/original/3e549949430b73aa.png
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/500/117/494/827/375/original/fdd0e9bb33eb23ea.png

2026-04-23 17:07:16 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…mxfy I'm curious (and would like some less GitHub dependence in the long run, as well): Where did you move your issue tracking? Do you find it works well?

2026-04-21 10:02:43 UTC

@nprofile…ugcy Hey :) I noticed that @nprofile…d8nt makes the #math hashtag quite hard to follow. Would you consider removing that hashtag from the bot's posts? An alternative could be to make the bot advertise the game under #math every once in a while. Thanks for your consideration!

2026-04-21 07:16:26 UTC

Which email provider would you currently recommend to a family member (if you don't want to host the emails yourself)? Low volume, couple of GB of storage. Paid options okay.

2026-04-19 21:06:20 UTC

- reply

We improved the graphics and built a little level sequence today!
Tomorrow is the last day of the game jam: Audio, playtesting, and lots of polish.
@nprofile…e3er #ldjam
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/433/394/827/119/506/original/0c4f091d6efa048f.png

2026-04-18 21:02:16 UTC

- reply

But we settled on something else: You place/control lighthouses, and want to guide ships to the correct ports!
Yellow light means: "Come here!"
Red light means: "Go away!"
We made a prototype in #Godot today, and it's already somewhat playable! :D
@nprofile…e3er #ldjam
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/427/721/904/912/153/original/afe581f630ba8a4c.png

2026-04-18 20:58:49 UTC

Together with @nprofile…e3er, I'm participating in Ludum Dare 59! #ldjam
The theme is "Signal". Our brainstorming ideas included "weird bat signals", "control your dog or it eats all children", various Morse code/semaphore learning games, and some "use the train horn to signal stuff" ideas!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/427/705/031/145/021/original/0ef3783f57fe2015.png

2026-04-12 10:43:13 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…cs4n Sounds about right :P

2026-04-12 10:30:35 UTC

- reply

100 km!! Made it!!!!
Okay, I hate walking now!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/391/269/860/392/256/original/e3bae5e7920fcd8f.jpg

2026-04-12 09:14:09 UTC

- reply

This morning, I got a Mandelhörnchen from a bakery – it's C-shaped and tastes like marzipan and almond! 🥰
I made the deal with myself that I could eat it at the 95 km mark!
Just made it there! \o/
I will finish! :') Can't believe it!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/390/969/307/208/630/original/afc311c4e7d8f843.jpg

2026-04-12 06:55:58 UTC

- reply

Really glad that I brought an umbrella! At night, someone remarked that I looked like a glowing mushroom with the headlamp! :D
We got into a nice and long conversation, which distracted me very effectively. Thanks, Marty!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/390/425/957/260/431/original/f7ce86a9abbcf46d.jpg

2026-04-12 06:51:22 UTC

- reply

The hardest part for me was getting going again at the station at ~60 km, when it was dark and raining, and my entire body was hurting. But I had a look at my feet there, and they were'nt as bad as I thought!

2026-04-12 06:46:39 UTC

- reply

Fourth and final food station! Time to grab some breakfast. Not taking a long break here, I think I won't get up again otherwise.
Walking another 15 km seems possible! Just very, very hard.
And I will be slow. But it's a good mantra to remind me that I can take the next step!
By now I put bandaids on three blisters, and two more preventively.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/390/388/963/428/948/original/69c0d9930b4181ce.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/390/389/315/272/077/original/79fa0442e1eb6f85.jpg

2026-04-12 04:00:53 UTC

- reply

Rain has stopped! Getting brighter again. I'm still walking!
#almostahaiku
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/389/737/457/143/328/original/b6aedaefb45262b3.png

2026-04-12 00:17:15 UTC

- reply

Food station #3, at 60 km! It's the only *outdoor* food station, which is unfortunate, as it has started to rain! 🙃
So I'm sitting under my um-ba-rella, and rest my feet a bit. Just had two very nice calls, which kept me distracted.
I could report about various things that hurt, but I'd rather focus on other things: I just have to walk another 25 km, and then around 15, and then I'm there!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/388/858/051/169/122/original/bb00065e8a5276e6.jpg

2026-04-11 21:01:36 UTC

- reply

I passed the 45 km sign! My toes definitely hurt now, but in a way that I hopefully can stand for a while.
Most of you in Europe will probably go to sleep soon – sleep well, you can catch up with how my hike continued tomorrow!
This will be my view for quite a while:
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/388/088/803/091/773/original/e3ba7ed873d1fa10.jpg

2026-04-11 18:56:31 UTC

- reply

Food station #2, at 37 km. They had cake!
It's getting dark. Got my warm hat and my gloves out.
Onwards!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/387/596/875/088/739/original/188ee6f5e5518fed.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/387/596/954/369/312/original/8ab57aaeea3391c7.jpg

2026-04-11 17:21:18 UTC

- reply

After chomping down a lot of food at the last food station, I suddenly had to visit the toilet very urgently. 😳
I found a nearby gas station, and asked whether I could use their toilet. The person behind the counter handed me a paper bin, and smirked: "Here, but empty it afterwards!" Ha ha. (He then handed me the proper toilet keys!)
Feeling better now! 😅 That's the advantage of hiking around a city: You're never far from infrastructure.

2026-04-11 17:18:50 UTC

- reply

30 km! We crossed the South Elbe river, and are now following a couple of dikes.
At this point, I've seen several people sitting down and patching up their feet. :/ I feel okay. I mostly feel some pressure on my toes, probably because there is. :P
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/387/212/655/809/184/original/a2dc9bf1abc4f5e9.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/387/212/740/021/607/original/42e0a48c29250cf0.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/387/212/843/780/194/original/26e3ba46e790d684.jpg

2026-04-11 14:21:00 UTC

- reply

Other than at a running event, there's no crowd here cheering us on... but occasionally, cars drive by and honk at us! :D
It's interesting how, after 15 km, the participants have now sorted themselves pretty well by speed! There are at least two people who've pretty much accompanied me forany kilometers now.
But now I've reached the first food & water station! 😋
Oh, and important morale boost: I've passed the places where I started feeling my blisters last time – so far, without any pain! 🤞
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/386/513/407/925/252/original/dcc333a3ad281f59.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/386/513/466/142/807/original/dbbd847688aee651.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/386/513/553/700/057/original/c266a64046704ea0.jpg

2026-04-11 12:47:29 UTC

- reply

First 10 km: Done! It's a really nice day for a hike! 🌸
There's someone in a Harry Potter costume. 😳
And a couple walking behind me was in a big meta-argument about how to argue! Curious how their relationship will change over the course of the 100 km...
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/386/145/402/329/363/original/841d903721654456.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/386/145/544/083/235/original/56416f44d04b1508.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/386/145/738/833/764/original/ad1f5c1822f4f34f.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/386/145/846/748/051/original/8f7d4d132df05d0a.jpg

2026-04-11 11:16:17 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…my3l Walking! Should be ~20 hours or so. 😁

2026-04-11 11:14:51 UTC

- reply

So, why did I get blisters that day? I think it might've been a combination:
It was the first warmer day of spring, and I was nervous, so I might've sweated more than usual.
And I walked *fast* in the beginning, often overtaking people in front of me, on rough terrain, which likely caused unusual forces on my feet.
So I'm not doing that today. I'll walk a leisurely pace, and adapt to the speed of the crowd!
It's a... long-distance hike, not a sprint :P

2026-04-11 11:10:01 UTC

- reply

At the next food station, I asked the medics what I could do. They offered to tape my feet, but that the wounds would likely get even deeper and bleed for the rest of the hike.
So I decided to abort. Which still seems like the right decision!

2026-04-11 11:06:38 UTC

- reply

When I understood what the problem was, it was already too late to react.
@nprofile…qkth kindly brought me some blister bandaids, but at that point, the blisters were already about as big as the bandaids...
I then adapted my foot posture for pain relief, which probably caused more friction and more blisters.
And then, the larger blisters popped, and it was all very horrible. I'm not very good at dealing with pain. :/

2026-04-11 10:59:49 UTC

- reply

So, about last year's blister problem.
I was very much not prepared for them, because I never got blisters during my training hikes, during my marathons, or pretty much anytime in my life!
But it was probably naive to think I could never get them...
Last year, I started feeling a slight itching under my soles after the first 10 km or so. At first, I thought I'd gotten some little stones in my shoes! But I didn't find any.

2026-04-11 10:34:28 UTC

- reply

Here we go!! :) 100 km. Feeling good!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/385/622/762/641/426/original/cf536102b283d08f.jpg

2026-04-11 09:35:09 UTC

- reply

There are a lot of people with backpacks, drinking bottles and hiking shoes on this ferry! :D
At Landungsbrücken, there was a performer in a panda costume making cute gestures, and someone passing by said: "Look, we could've hugged this panda all day! But no, we decided to walk for 100 km! 🙃"
Oh, there's someone who has collected around 8 wristband from past Megamarsch events! 😳

2026-04-11 09:21:43 UTC

- reply

The weather is a bit tricky to pack for: There will be full sun for a few hours, and then a cold night. Also, one arm of *this* weather phenomenon will likely hit me tomorrow night...
So I packed sunscreen and warm clothes and rain gear, and hope that everything will work out.
On a whim, I borrowed @nprofile…4q4j's small backpack to take everything with me. Switching gear on the day of the event is obviously a very bad idea, and you should never do it! 😬
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/385/336/576/883/086/original/b6034f99ed8fc525.png
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/385/336/699/305/778/original/411e8d69d03c3923.png

2026-04-11 09:09:45 UTC

Today, I'm doing another attempt at hiking 100 km around Hamburg in 24 hours!
Last year, I had to abort after 30 km, due to unexpected blisters on my feet. 😖
But this time, I've brought double-layered socks, blister bandaids, new (but already worn-in) shoes, and a determination to not walk too fast early on! :) Let's see how this goes.
But first, I'm taking a ferry to the starting point! ⛴️
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/385/289/696/279/772/original/977ba8b13656142b.jpg

2026-04-10 18:16:52 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…v9c9 Ohhh :'D That makes sense! Take care!

2026-04-10 17:57:26 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…v9c9 Oh, why?

2026-04-10 16:05:06 UTC

- reply

Today's post is about DIY soft drinks! It's from when I started making my own cola and orange soda, and invented an "almond soda" that tastes like marzipan! :)
Still thinking about what ingredients would go in a DIY Mountain Dew, or a DIY Fassbrause…
https://blinry.org/diy-soft-drinks/

2026-04-10 16:02:28 UTC

- reply

I've been hacking on it a lot this week, with my silly human hands, and it's been a lot of fun!
Right now, it can only read threads from Mastodon, and only output Markdown, but both directions could be extended.
To try it out, I've been using it to publish one blog post each day this week – you might have noticed! :D

2026-04-10 15:56:36 UTC

Say hello to `threadcat`! 🧶🐱
It's a little Rust tool which takes the URL to a Mastodon thread, and converts it to a Markdown file. It also downloads all attached media files (and their alt texts)!
That way, it's really easy to get a "first draft" for a blog post from a thread you wrote!
Installation: `cargo install threadcat`
➡️ https://codeberg.org/blinry/threadcat ⬅️
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/381/217/593/640/657/original/e91391be047c92a3.png

2026-04-05 12:37:49 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…69xk Die Bildbeschreibung macht es doppelt so lustig! :D

2026-03-24 12:03:17 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…khrh Let's see:
- If you visit Tainan, be prepared to take Taxis/Uber everywhere. There are mostly no sidewalks, and very infrequent busses.
- The "Junk" shelves in Hard Off stores are really fun. Several in Tainan, bit out of the way in other cities
- There are plenty of vegetarian buffets where you pay by weight; great for sampling things!
- The basement of Guanghua Electronic Plaza has the best electronics stores I've seen!
- Free tea samples at the Taipei Tea Promotion Center!

2026-03-24 09:49:41 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…n736 @nprofile…tpq5 There certainly was food.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/524/563/286/784/original/b5923f858772c49c.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/524/750/091/580/original/00877211d509e332.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/524/956/880/323/original/aae37e64e781d2c4.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/525/098/180/102/original/cd8c41fc2c758776.jpg

2026-03-24 08:33:54 UTC

- reply

Did I mention the food? :D
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/226/659/043/064/original/a198cce7010a1c84.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/226/869/738/052/original/8f75f16ba95f04fe.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/227/015/127/828/original/c88c2c3d6b1f881d.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/227/133/141/626/original/904baabc0f728294.jpg

2026-03-24 08:31:26 UTC

Loved the week we spent in Taiwan.
It's a really fun place. Good street food everywhere! The people are as lovely as we'd heard. Cool mix of Chinese and Japanese influences. A high speed train across the country!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/216/852/331/312/original/b68a659224359967.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/217/027/284/394/original/a70b8dd81c010286.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/217/264/822/268/original/dfaba89fb10128e7.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/283/217/456/492/679/original/3ad2829c2fc0af46.jpg

2026-03-10 15:41:15 UTC

- reply

It's hard to bring across the atmosphere in the buildings of the electronics markets across in a few pictures.
It's a bit like an electronics trade fair, but messier and permanent? The multi-level buildings contain uncountable small booths, offering anything from electronic components and computer hardware to LED lights, screens, tools, gadgets, cameras, smartphone cases, cables, ...
Everything smells of cigarette smoke.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/205/634/327/690/343/original/23473e7aa7f6b95a.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/205/634/649/078/706/original/4658fa3c217391fd.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/205/634/938/307/274/original/4fc72d3c30286c38.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/205/635/140/944/614/original/5cc849ce7186073e.jpg

2026-03-10 15:24:10 UTC

- reply

I booked our apartment in Shenzhen based on @nprofile…9750's area recommendation. What I didn't realize is that we now live very close to Shenzhen's main electronic market that you might've heard about! :D
To get a basic orientation, the maps in @nprofile…lcse's "Essential Guide" were very helpful! https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/2019/essential-guide-to-shenzhen-web-edition/ Even though it's 10 years old, I found most things to still be correct.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/205/568/017/955/268/original/ea341cc5d17ad056.png

2026-03-09 15:05:02 UTC

- reply

And walking around feels stressful because of the e-scooters...
But many things are super interesting! Obviously the high-tech malls! Cheap, fun food. There's rental infrastructure for power banks? A pretty mixture of sky scrapers and parks.
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/199/829/107/065/728/original/18dadc3b68af76c9.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/199/829/767/779/321/original/4fd1d1d1c6a2ca6f.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/199/830/125/224/909/original/4a5df215ec48ede6.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/199/830/470/281/583/original/a5a9991e06b38f39.jpg

2026-03-09 14:54:24 UTC

- reply

Arriving in mainland China, I'm feeling quite some culture shock, more than in Hong Kong:
English doesn't get you very far here, most signage is just in Chinese, and communicating with people involves translation apps (or gesturing).
Payment is done neither by cash nor by credit card – instead, you need special apps like AliPay. Some services seem to require a WeChat account, which I didn't manage to install on my phone yet, despite trying a lot. :/

2026-03-09 14:32:51 UTC

We made it to Shenzhen! What I didn't expect at all: The amount of electric scooters! 🛵🛵🛵
People are using them to take their kids somewhere, to lug around packages, to deliver food, just to get from A to B quickly ...
They also drive on the sidewalk, and honk a lot, meep meep!
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/199/703/461/925/302/original/20866f4ae0b88c2c.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/199/703/668/684/655/original/cd94c081c126eee9.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/199/703/869/461/796/original/df02e53354c4ddda.jpg

2026-03-08 07:40:39 UTC

If people had to make a statue of you in a couple hundred years – what would be the typical objects or postures to depict you with?
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/192/420/306/824/254/original/f1f1655597d5d44e.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/192/420/468/920/432/original/4c6d5ec995b038e1.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/192/420/607/114/780/original/88f66ee15eccbe9f.jpg
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/192/420/737/308/651/original/02d4407a76262eb6.jpg

2026-03-01 13:47:27 UTC

Today, I'm embarking on a trip to Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Taiwan with @nprofile…9750 and @nprofile…zjjh! 🇭🇰🇨🇳🇹🇼
Do I have any followers there who might want to meet up? Or any recommendations on what to do/see/eat?

2026-02-27 13:38:52 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…n736 Just getting into it, but some people seem happy with using https://waydro.id for backwards-compatibility!

2026-02-27 13:16:50 UTC

Ohh, what's this? A real #Linux for smartphones?
Running a recent mainline kernel, even though the hardware is almost 10 years old?
An alternative to #Android that's gaining a lot of traction?
Developed in the open by an international community? Sounds too good to be true!
@nprofile…pgqq
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/142/781/936/064/275/original/91ecaf1ae17db701.jpg

2026-02-23 11:23:35 UTC

I'd like to design my first free-form stickers (for @nprofile…gewz) – has someone ever managed to produce proper print files for that using open-source software like Inkscape or Scribus?
Specifically, it seems the print shops want a "100% purple" line in a "named spot color" on its own "PDF layer".
(I'm not really interested in how you would do this in proprietary software.)

2026-02-20 19:02:59 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…n736 Cool!! And is there a "view source" button?

2026-02-20 09:49:49 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…fdea I discovered niri one year ago or so: https://github.com/niri-wm/niri It's a new paradigm: A "scrollable-tiling" window manager! I love it so much, it fits very well with how I use computers :)

2026-02-20 06:58:01 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…n736 Ohhh! Functional, with Sugar on them? :O

2026-02-19 14:13:29 UTC

- reply

For myself, ideally, the script would set up a #Nix flake with all dependencies in it, and activate it using direnv. Which would probably mean transforming the nixpkgs package into a flake?
The script could also give you some aliases to run the nixpkgs phases like configure, patch, or build, from your current shell – I like using the fish shell, but the stdenv assumes bash. I haven't found a reasonable way to invoke the phases "in a subshell"… Getting errors like this: https://github.com/NixOS/nix/issues/15282

2026-02-19 14:07:05 UTC

- reply

It's been fun, it feels like a new superpower to "quickly fix something and send a PR". It's also a super dangerous rabbit hole generator, because now that it's easy to fix stuff, it's very tempting to do so… 🐇
My prototype has some rough edges:
It clones the latest commit, which doesn't always compile using the #nixpkgs setup (but it seems reasonable to check whether the bug is still there).
And invoking the phases of the nixpkgs stdenv manually can be tricky. https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-building-stdenv-package-in-nix-shell

2026-02-19 14:03:58 UTC

- reply

So if you've been wondering why I'm into obscure bugs this week like:
- Figuring out why I'm missing icons in pavucontrol https://chaos.social/@blinry/116081436255395069
- Improving the man page of a Nix CLI helper https://github.com/nix-community/nh/pull/568
- Reporting broken shortcuts in the Firefox DevTools https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2017113
… it was testcases for tying out this "View Source Button". :P

2026-02-19 13:59:18 UTC

- reply

You'd roughly need to:
- Figure out which program is currently focused
- Figure out the Git repo of this software
- Clone it into a temporary directory
- Set up the required tools to start hacking on it and compile it
As a quick prototype, I wrote a li'l Bash script that does some of these things. It makes heavy use of #nix and #nixpkgs:
https://codeberg.org/blinry/view-source-button
I enters a "dev shell" with the required tools already in the PATH, and even sets up a Git remote to start contributing. :D

2026-02-19 13:54:02 UTC

Remember the "One Laptop Per Child" project, that developed a low-cost computer for children in developing countries? I was always amazed by a certain feature: The "View Source" button.
When you pressed it, the source code for the currently running application would open. This was supposed to encourage tinkering with the software on your device! <3
I've been pondering what it would take to build that button on modern machines. Has anyone seen something like that?
(Prototype in next toot.)
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/097/552/443/030/539/original/367f680a3169501a.png
https://assets.chaos.social/media_attachments/files/116/097/559/513/057/673/original/9852431515f0b567.png