Danie van der Merwe

I blog about #technology #gadgets #opensource #selfhosting #greentech #traditionalwetshaving #alternativeto #hamradio (ZS1OSS) #southafrica - see my blog at https://gadgeteer.co.za/blog and Fediverse full text posts at Danie (npub190v…zy8c) or follow my YT videos at https://www.youtube.com/@GadgeteerZA.

#fedi22

GitHub: https://github.com/Danie10
RSS: https://gadgeteer.co.za/category/uncategorized/feed/
Website: https://gadgeteer.co.za
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Published at

2026-05-29T12:18:55Z

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Last Notes

2026-04-10 18:01:33 UTC

France’s government is ditching Windows for Linux, calling US tech dependence a strategic risk
“The French government has decided that enough is enough. It has announced that it will shift away from proprietary technologies from outside the European Union and focus more on open-source solutions — and part of that means ditching Windows for Li ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/frances-government-is-ditching-windows-for-linux-calling-us-tech-dependence-a-strategic-risk/
#France #linux #opensource #technology

2026-04-08 21:00:46 UTC

Little Snitch, the macOS network tool, is now available on Linux
“Little Snitch for Linux is written in Rust and uses eBPF for kernel-level traffic interception (this lets sandboxed code run inside the Linux kernel without modifying it). The tool shows processes on your machine making network connections, and giv ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/little-snitch-the-macos-network-tool-is-now-available-on-linux/
#firewalls #linux #security #technology

2026-03-10 21:01:03 UTC

Portracker – an open source self-hosted real-time port monitoring and discovery tool
I’m using this tool to identify which docker container ports are published or exposed (from the container) as well as which internal ports are available on your containers. This tool helps see where there may be port clashes, which ports are exposed ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/portracker-an-open-source-self-hosted-real-time-port-monitoring-and-discovery-tool/
#docker #networking #opensource #selfhosting #technology

2025-12-30 06:00:50 UTC

Alzheimer’s Fully Reversed in Mice, Scientists Say
“A team of American scientists claim they have done something miraculous: they “cured” lab mice suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which has robbed more than seven million Americans, typically 65 years old and up, of their identity and cognitive ab ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/alzheimers-fully-reversed-in-mice-scientists-say/
#alzheimers #health

2025-12-23 17:25:23 UTC

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so they will be noisy, wander aimlessly around a target, and fire off randomly in all directions also hitting friendly ships....

2025-12-11 21:25:28 UTC

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instead of banning kids from social media, the world (inc for adults) would be way better off by banning algorithms except for chronological feeds. That should help eliminate viral rage posts etc. Much of the mess started with Facebook boosting posts for engagement.

2025-12-09 13:01:12 UTC

Hurray! This German State Decides to Save €15 Million Each Year By Kicking Out Microsoft for Open Source
“The €15 million annual savings will compound year after year. That is public money staying in the economy instead of flowing to a user data-hungry tech giant based overseas.”
See https://itsfoss.com/news/german-state-ditch-microsoft/
#germany #opensource #technology

2025-09-29 13:06:48 UTC

Austria’s military has switched from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice
“Austria’s military has completed a major IT overhaul, replacing Microsoft Office with the open-source LibreOffice suite across all its desktop systems. The change, finalised this month, affects approximately 16,000 workstations in the Austrian Arme ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/austrias-military-has-switched-from-microsoft-office-to-libreoffice/
#Austria #digitalsovereignty #opensource #technology

2025-04-21 20:00:55 UTC

The cross-platform open source Kate Text Editor is a powerhouse of features
So many of us just use an editor for basic document or text file editing, but this editor does go way past that, and is also a very user-friendly graphical user interface too.
The editor has numerous plugins available to further extend that funct ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/the-cross-platform-open-source-kate-text-editor-is-a-powerhouse-of-features/
#editors #opensource #technology

2025-04-02 19:00:33 UTC

Open Source KStars is the most feature-rich free astronomy software for Linux, macOS, and Windows
KStars caters to a wide-variety of use cases. Whether you are a student, an educator, an amateur astronomer or an astronomy enthusiast, you will find tools in KStars that are useful to you.
Graphical simulation of the sky with the planets, up to ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/open-source-kstars-is-the-most-feature-rich-free-astronomy-software-for-linux-macos-and-windows/
#astronomy #astrophotograhy #opensource #technology

2025-03-26 14:01:00 UTC

Signal vs WhatsApp: Signal is still the most private by a long way
Users adding an incorrect user by mistake to a group is no reflection at all on the security of any app. This happens across all apps, as the user is the issue, not the app.
I had long ago deleted the WhatsApp app off my phone, mainly because of ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/signal-vs-whatsapp-signal-is-still-the-most-private-by-a-long-way/
#messengers #metadata #privacy #technology

2025-01-19 11:08:43 UTC

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maybe OpenTracks - https://gadgeteer.co.za/opentracks-is-an-open-source-sport-tracking-application-for-android-that-completely-respects-your-privacy-almost-a-strava-alternative. Thing is, Strava's centralised hosting is what costs the money mainly.

2025-01-17 17:02:44 UTC

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well remember there is now also decentralised Loops video at https://loops.video which won't have just a centralised server to block in future. Big centralised platforms are becoming more problematic over time. Wait until Facebook gets banned too.

2025-01-01 12:01:20 UTC

5 reasons you should use Markdown for documentation and notetaking
A good reminder again about the future-proofed nature of Markdown format notes. They are essentially plain text and will be read my many apps well into the future.
Also true that Markdown’s “shortcuts” for headings, lists, are largely universal, ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/5-reasons-you-should-use-markdown-for-documentation-and-notetaking/
#markdown #notes #openstandards #technology

2024-12-28 11:49:42 UTC

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well it's a radio link - not sure it may actually be a 5 GHz WiFi link. Does hit about 700 Mbps.

2024-12-28 11:47:56 UTC

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sounds like a good guy - a bit like my old fixed WiFi provider. I'm actually using a microwave link to a nearby provider, with a fibre link just as a backup.

2024-12-28 10:42:48 UTC

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LOL they have to say WiFi for those who don't know what fibre is.

2024-12-28 09:01:07 UTC

Dolibarr is open source ERP and CRM for businesses
Dolibarr ERP & CRM is a modern software package that helps manage your organisation’s activities (contacts, quotes, invoices, loan management, orders, stocks, agenda, human resources, ECM, manufacturing, point of sale, payment platforms linking, rep ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/dolibarr-is-open-source-erp-and-crm-for-businesses/
#CRM #ERP #opensource #technology

2024-12-27 15:01:15 UTC

How to test if a self-hosted Alby Hub wallet is connected, and to get an alert if not
For those using a self-hosted Alby Hub that hosts their Lightning Network Wallet to send/receive sats on the Nostr network, it is crucial that the connected wallet stays online. If not, the user cannot make or receive any sats.
I’ve noticed twice ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/how-to-test-if-a-self-hosted-alby-hub-wallet-is-connected-and-to-get-an-alert-if-not/
#albyhub #Nostr #technology #uptimekuma

2024-12-27 14:43:49 UTC

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well that explains it! I've seen a few reports in community groups about the "WiFi being off in their street" and I get very baffled answers when I try to help. I used to use fixed WiFi myself many years ago for Internet access but today it is mostly fibre or fixed LTE. Only other WiFi would be in their own homes.

2024-12-26 19:39:52 UTC

Sad thing is the damage is already done, so any fine is a drop in the ocean. I remember when MS used to leverage OEMs to install Windows on all new PCs, under penalty of paying much more if they did not make their PCs exclusively Windows. They wiped out any competition there was then.
https://newsie.social/@ProPublica/113719718968514493

2024-12-26 19:35:54 UTC

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I wonder how the ban will affect the free world. Will it then be better for non-US creators. Will TikTok hosting move out of the US.

2024-12-26 17:52:28 UTC

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I can imagine - those guys know no compromising either ;-)

2024-12-26 14:34:15 UTC

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great hike! Don't forget the geocache just outside of the eye

2024-12-26 14:32:51 UTC

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LOL

2024-12-26 14:32:41 UTC

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yes some context and overview goes a long way I think

2024-12-26 14:01:08 UTC

Absolute Essentials You Need to Know to Survive Vi Editor
The most common question most people ask about the vi editor is: How do I exit vi? The joke answer goes: “You don’t. You learn to live with it.” but the serious answer is to press Esc to ensure you’re in command mode first, then type :q! and hit Ent ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/absolute-essentials-you-need-to-know-to-survive-vi-editor/
#editors #linux #opensource #technology

2024-12-26 10:01:24 UTC

LosslessCut is an open source cross-platform FFmpeg GUI for extremely fast and lossless operations on video and audio files
LosslessCut aims to be the ultimate cross-platform FFmpeg GUI for extremely fast and lossless operations on video, audio, subtitle, and other related media files.
The main feature is lossless trimming and cutting of video and audio files, which i ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/losslesscut-is-an-open-source-cross-platform-ffmpeg-gui-for-extremely-fast-and-lossless-operations-on-video-and-audio-files/
#opensource #technology #video

2024-12-25 20:05:47 UTC

8 best free-to-play games on Steam
Gaming doesn’t have to break the bank, especially when you have Steam’s incredible library of free-to-play games. Whether you’re into first-person shooters, strategy games, or fantasy worlds, Steam offers something for everyone.
Here are the top ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/8-best-free-to-play-games-on-steam/
#gaming #technology

2024-12-23 06:01:13 UTC

4 Free eBook Reader Apps for Android to Get You Out of Your Reading Slump
Google Play Books and the Kindle app are perfectly fine. They keep your books in the cloud (perfect if you switch devices often) and provide a decent enough interface to read for long periods. But they’re only compatible with just one or two file fo ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/4-free-ebook-reader-apps-for-android-to-get-you-out-of-your-reading-slump/
#ebooks #reading #technology

2024-12-22 11:21:14 UTC

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I think other countries also have such rules, but they may not view a plain black panel the same way as washing, as this is not washing after all either.

2024-12-22 11:01:06 UTC

Who needs a roof when you can use balcony solar for apartments
Lots of people, especially city dwellers and renters, don’t have rooftops where they can install solar panels to generate some of the electricity they use in their daily lives. Community solar offers a partial solution for some, but it is not availa ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/who-needs-a-roof-when-you-can-use-balcony-solar-for-apartments/
#balconysolar #environment #solarenergy #technology

2024-12-21 14:00:36 UTC

This USB-C cable can rotate 360 degrees for optimal cable management
USB-C was a great step forward, removing the awkward “try to plug in the cable, doesn’t fit, rotate 180 degrees, still doesn’t fit” dance, but cable management is still a pain. If you wish your cables didn’t stick out at awkward angles and could rot ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/this-usb-c-cable-can-rotate-360-degrees-for-optimal-cable-management/
#technology #USB

2024-12-21 13:00:43 UTC

10 Awesome Games You Can Play Right Now In Your Browser Without Installing Anything
Sometimes you have the urge to play some video games, but you don’t have the right hardware with you. Perhaps you’re stuck at work or school, or you have a basic device like a Chromebook. The good news is that there are a lot of games out there wher ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/10-awesome-games-you-can-play-right-now-in-your-browser-without-installing-anything/
#gaming #technology

2024-12-21 09:15:31 UTC

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that and electricity going up by even more. My mom rents her flat out, and we kept getting told we can't raise the rent by more than CPI, yet the levies and other costs go up by more. We just keep losing out every year all around...

2024-12-20 19:10:48 UTC

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I'm pretty sure they are digging through it - consumers who knowingly are buying illegal tokens are also liable for fraud.

2024-12-20 19:04:45 UTC

After market office chair wheels can be a worthy and cheap upgrade
For some reason, even the most expensive office chairs come with pretty plain plastic wheels. They don’t roll so well, often need a floor protector, and worse they make a bit of noise, especially on harder surfaces.
Most chairs though will take g ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/aafter-market-office-chair-wheels-can-be-a-worthy-and-cheap-upgrade/
#officechair #technology #wheels

2024-12-20 18:17:32 UTC

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now they also have that shortfall over the pre-paid electricity system. None of it the consumers' fault, yet the tariffs increase to cover Eskom's own ongoing failures and negligence...

2024-12-20 18:03:30 UTC

Where to Watch New Year’s Eve Celebrations From Around the World
Links to live streams for various cities around the world. Why celebrate once when you can celebrate on the hour all day long!
Not all are pointing directly at the celebrations though, e.g. Cape Town’s cam is pointing towards the mountain, and no ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/where-to-watch-new-years-eve-celebrations-from-around-the-world/
#newyear #technology #webcam

2024-12-20 18:03:23 UTC

Home Assistant’s new hardware voice assistant answers to ‘Hey Jarvis’ and can work offline
There’s a new voice assistant in town, and this one can work locally in your home without phoning home to its corporate overloads. This week, the popular hobbyist smart home platform Home Assistant officially launched its first voice assistant hardw ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/home-assistants-new-hardware-voice-assistant-answers-to-hey-jarvis-and-can-work-offline/
#homeassistant #privacy #technology

2024-12-20 10:01:24 UTC

Oasis Security Research Team Discovers Microsoft Azure MFA Bypass: We Expect More From An Enterprise Provider Though
Oasis Security’s research team uncovered a critical vulnerability in Microsoft’s Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) implementation, allowing attackers to bypass it and gain unauthorized access to the user’s account, including Outlook emails, OneDrive ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/oasis-security-research-team-discovers-microsoft-azure-mfa-bypass-we-expect-more-from-an-enterprise-provider-though/
#2fa #security #technology

2024-12-19 19:15:33 UTC

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that would cost money, wouldn't it?

2024-12-19 19:03:20 UTC

Thanks to Whiskey, You Will Be Gaming on Your Mac More Than Ever
Whiskey is a free app that you can download right now, and use to play Windows games on your Mac. It brings together the WINE compatibility layer as well as Apple’s own Game Porting Kit, while removing all the nerdy setup and hassle involved with bo ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/thanks-to-whiskey-you-will-be-gaming-on-your-mac-more-than-ever/
#gaming #macos #technology

2024-12-19 15:51:21 UTC

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yes I know, I did not mean EFF is going that way, but the way the new surveillance powers are going, as per report.

2024-12-19 15:01:34 UTC

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going the way of China supposedly - the irony is just too much

2024-12-19 06:03:52 UTC

GRC’s DNS Benchmark software is getting a new version after 15 years
Seems that v1, which is now 15 years old and nearly 10 million downloads, still gets downloaded over 1,000 times daily. But it has needed a fresh for a while now. IPv6 is here as well as encrypted DoH, DoT, DoQ, etc.
There is a roadmap published ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/grcs-dns-benchmark-software-is-getting-a-new-version-after-15-years/
#DNS #technology

2024-12-18 16:09:34 UTC

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and there I'm remembering all the Cisco backdoors that were found...

2024-12-18 16:08:56 UTC

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archery is really a great sport - silent, license-free, environmentally friendly!

2024-12-17 22:29:16 UTC

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I've been using AntennaPod. Apart from syncing I like that I can play a series in reverse order starting at first episode to catch up on a whole series.

2024-12-17 20:00:46 UTC

HamClock provides real time space weather, radio propagation models, and other info useful to radio amateurs
This is a highly customisable application that draws in all sorts of technical information that can help radio amateurs. Each pane can be changed to show relevant information.
What I really like is the frequency / band projections to any specific ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/hamclock-provides-real-time-space-weather-radio-propagation-models-and-other-info-useful-to-radio-amateurs/
#amateurradio #hamradio #technology

2024-12-17 14:01:15 UTC

Here’s how you can replace Google Photos with a self-hosted Immich server
Immich is really very good — I did a video about myself a few months ago, which shows what you can expect from it and what it looks like to use.
As the article mentions, it looks very much like Google Photos (the closest look alike I’ve seen), an ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/heres-how-you-can-replace-google-photos-with-a-self-hosted-immich-server/
#opensource #photos #selfhosting #technology

2024-12-17 14:01:05 UTC

How to Install Arch Linux: A Beginner’s Practical Guide
Installing Arch Linux has always been a little more daunting for newer users. This is partly because it offers a little less wizard guidance, and also partly because you want to be super careful, especially around what partitions to use or format, o ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/how-to-install-arch-linux-a-beginners-practical-guide/
#linux #opensource #technology

2024-12-17 13:43:57 UTC

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I've still got the Harmony remote that I use with one TV where its remote was lost. But its best way to work was to learn from an existing remote.

2024-12-17 13:01:14 UTC

You Can Now Search the Internet With ChatGPT
ChatGPT search has been out now for about a month and a half, following a Halloween announcement from OpenAI. With this new feature, the company finally rolled out an official competitor to AI search engines like Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews, a ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/you-can-now-search-the-internet-with-chatgpt/
#AI #search #technology

2024-12-16 15:11:38 UTC

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it's their claim ;-)

2024-12-16 14:01:17 UTC

Europe’s Starlink competitor is a go
290 IRIS² satellites by 2030 to provide secure connectivity to governmental users as well as private companies and European citizens. IRIS² is an acronym for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite.
The bonuses ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/europes-starlink-competitor-is-go/
#satellites #technology

2024-12-16 14:01:09 UTC

Some Tips on How to Check if a Screenshot Has Been Photoshopped
Well, maybe they should not have given away how to easily fake a screenshot yourself, but still some useful tips to keep in mind. It helps to know what to zoom in on to look at.
I did not know about the Forensically app, which is a web based app ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/some-tips-on-how-to-check-if-a-screenshot-has-been-photoshopped/
#forensics #scams #technology

2024-12-16 12:30:03 UTC

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yes this is more cloud hosting and syncing from there, also allowing a browser to edit docs or share them publicly. You could use Syncthing for the basics but Syncthing is not so hot on say 10,000 small docs syncing per minute, nor public sharing, etc. I've got a self-hosted Syncthing that I do use to sync photos from my phone to desktop but with multiple devices like for Obsidian notes it has picked up conflicts quite a bit.

2024-12-16 10:27:37 UTC

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different use case as it syncs between devices and is not intended for syncing multiple devices to a server repository for browser based sharing and editing. I think also Syncthing was frowned upon for doing actual backups, even though it had version control.

2024-12-16 10:25:44 UTC

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most of the bigger providers like Apple Cloud, Google Drive, etc are really only client-server encryption. They say: The file encryption/decryption is performed on client-side when using the desktop client for file synchronization. The password of an encrypted library is not stored on the server. From https://manual.seafile.com/latest/security/security_features/

2024-12-16 10:01:24 UTC

Star Flash is a universal remote control standard because we have too many proprietary remote controls
Too often you have a TV or device where the remote has been lost or broken and there is no easy replacement, or you end up having 5 or 6 different remote controls on the sitting room table. Why, when we have been standardising on USB chargers for ma ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/star-flash-is-a-universal-remote-control-standard-because-we-have-too-many-proprietary-remote-controls/
#openstandards #remotecontrol #technology

2024-12-15 21:00:45 UTC

Seafile is an enterprise-ready free and open source alternative to DropBox or NextCloud for file syncing and sharing
Seafile provides very fast file syncing. Tens of thousands of small files can be synced in a minute. It does what it does very well, without including an entire kitchen sync of extras. Seafile’s built-in collaborative document, SeaDoc, make it easy ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/seafile-is-an-enterprise-ready-free-and-open-source-alternative-to-dropbox-or-nextcloud-for-file-syncing-and-sharing/
#filesync #opensource #selfhosting #technology

2024-12-15 20:00:42 UTC

Does your phone yet have a Silicon-Carbon Battery?
The biggest change lies in the anode—the part of the battery that stores and releases electrons during charging. Traditional lithium-ion batteries use graphite here, but silicon-carbon batteries replace it with a silicon-infused anode. Why? Because ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/does-your-phone-yet-have-a-silicon-carbon-battery/
#batteries #technology

2024-12-15 15:44:08 UTC

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sorry not sure about Cavendish yet. With these apps they scan your plate regardless of whether you use the app, so not much difference really. You'd need to check app T&C's tho for app itself. Seems one by one they are expanding to different malls - probably one app per mall.

2024-12-15 11:01:03 UTC

Admyt parking app is working well for me in Cape Town, even where free parking is applicable
I’ve been testing this app out for the last 3 weeks (some lessons learnt) but one of the key reasons why I was initially hesitant to install it, was I get free 90 minutes of parking at Canal Walk shopping centre when doing my weekly grocery shopping ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/admyt-parking-app-is-working-well-for-me-in-cape-town-even-where-free-parking-is-applicable/
#admyt #capetown #parking #southafrica #technology

2024-12-15 10:41:24 UTC

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just to note though that it is not free access to any copyright works, but to be allowed to convert copyright protected works into accessible formats without having to obtain permission. Seems many copyrights don't allow any conversion or changes of format, or even backups otherwise.

2024-12-14 21:08:02 UTC

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hopefully finally some teeth coming to make some difference

2024-12-14 21:06:22 UTC

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yes well what I meant was that readings books helps to understand how and why something becomes an answer. Too many people today just want the answer, but that does not teach one how to solve or understand something. So the reading/journey part is quite important.

2024-12-14 17:05:33 UTC

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yes tends to make you miss a page or two - I suppose one also wants to be sure one's ereader is waterproof ;-)

2024-12-14 16:59:40 UTC

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yes that, and not having the pages blow in the wind. But larger fonts are a blessing for many.

2024-12-14 16:58:14 UTC

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yes it's a pity as books are all about the journey, and the way a book unfolds

2024-12-14 15:00:43 UTC

Your brain can grow from reading and learning – e-books offer the same benefit as paper books
The number of people who read for fun appears to be steadily dropping. Fifty percent of UK adults say they don’t read regularly (up from 42 percent in 2015) and almost one in four young people aged 16 to 24 say they’ve never been readers, according ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/your-brain-can-grow-from-reading-and-learning-e-books-offer-the-same-benefit-as-paper-books/
#ebooks #health #reading #technology

2024-12-14 11:01:07 UTC

5 self-hosted apps that could improve your life
Useful self-hosted solutions can make great weekend projects (just saying).
This collection covers:
Recipe management
Gamifying productivity and habit management
Expenditure management
Workout manager
Password manager
Often th ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/5-self-hosted-apps-that-could-improve-your-life/
#opensource #selfhosting #technology

2024-12-13 21:00:46 UTC

6 reasons why OnlyOffice is a great Microsoft Office alternative
OnlyOffice is a suite that is available as a paid enterprise version for broad deployments, but also works completely for free on desktop and mobile operating systems. It is fully cross-platform, including Linux.
While it’s not exactly the same, ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/6-reasons-why-onlyoffice-is-a-great-microsoft-office-alternative/
#alternativeto #crossplatform #officesuite #technology

2024-12-12 21:02:19 UTC

Why a Chest Strap Is the Best Way to Track Your Heart Rate During Exercise
I knew that a chest strap was going to be more accurate than any watch based tracker, but I was not aware that a Coospo H808S chest strap heart rate monitor (quite a bit cheaper than the Polar H10 chest strap I’m using) can also connect to various t ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/why-a-chest-strap-is-the-best-way-to-track-your-heart-rate-during-exercise/
#health #heartrate #technology

2024-12-12 14:01:00 UTC

RIP Safely Home Reporter — Western Cape Government has discontinued the service
I encounter quite a few reckless drivers on the road, of which more than half are red traffic light jumpers. Some of these end up being close encounters with other drivers. I used to nearly blow a gasket when I saw these things happening. Then I bou ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/rip-safely-home-reporter-western-cape-government-has-discontinued-the-service/
#safelyhomereporter #southafrica #technology #WCG #weterncape

2024-12-11 21:37:51 UTC

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we don't but it would be a last resort - either that or well point water then. A city the size of Cape Town, if out of water, is no place to go looking for water safely.

2024-12-11 19:12:40 UTC

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yes the 27 million is odd as determined by dynamically changing IP addresses?

2024-12-11 19:11:39 UTC

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would be interesting, yes. I'd imagine from their website stats showing OS, browser type, etc. My Matomo stats show for last month:
Windows 10 = 552
Android 14 = 432
Windows 11 = 338
Mac 10.15 = 278
iOS 18.1 = 248
GNU/Linux = 162
iOS 17.6 = 124
iOS 18.0 = 114
Android 13.0 = 111
GNU/Linux 6.11 = 83
Sadly, Chrome is the most used browser at 962, and mobile Chrome 634. Then Safari mobile 475, Safari 246, Edge 224, and Brave 181.

2024-12-11 19:01:14 UTC

EFF Launches Digital Rights Bytes to Answer Tech Questions that Bug Us All
Yes, politicians and Big Corporates do twist narratives to suite their own agendas. EFF is aiming to try to give more objective and honest answers to technology questions, especially those which affect users’ privacy and security.
EFF is the lead ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/eff-launches-digital-rights-bytes-to-answer-tech-questions-that-bug-us-all/
#EFF #privacy #security #technology

2024-12-11 19:01:06 UTC

PeerTube, the Open-Source YouTube in the Fediverse, Now Has Official Mobile Apps
PeerTube is an open-source and decentralized video network, with videos hosted across thousands of interconnected servers, from large YouTube-like public servers to smaller ones set up by individual creators.
You can browse and watch videos from ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/peertube-the-open-source-youtube-in-the-fediverse-now-has-official-mobile-apps/
#opensource #Peertube #technology #videos

2024-12-11 14:25:01 UTC

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it seems though this is how the US government ends up accessing private citizen data. It circumvents all the legal restrictions that were put in place to protect privacy. Any company providing private user data to a 3rd party should be prosecuted - in my country we have a Protection of Private Information Act, and those companies would have been prosecuted already.

2024-12-11 14:22:26 UTC

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yet US companies can provide personal data to data brokers who sell that to the US government. It should be illegal for any social network to provide/sell personal data to a 3rd party (unless it is a court order). In this regard, the EU is way ahead of the US in protecting privacy and personal freedoms. Meta should have been sanctioned for the same reasons (and yet they are US owned).

2024-12-11 14:18:38 UTC

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thing is the US anyway has that PATRIOT and CLOUD Acts that allow access to information without disclosure. And with Meta selling metadata to data brokers, who provide it to the government, I can't understand why Facebook is not in the same boat as TikTok. I'd rather see TikTok though sold off to a non-US company, as too much of the world's social media is already under US control.

2024-12-11 14:15:31 UTC

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I must say one benefit from our last drought is, I still have the two 5,000L tanks that collect rainwater just from the roof. That has helped with the fish pond and general watering stuff. We never went as far as drinking it, but I do have a LifeStraw in case.

2024-12-11 14:11:37 UTC

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that really seems extreme, and I'm not even sure that men face equal treatment...

2024-12-11 06:01:03 UTC

Location data firm helps US police find out when suspects visited their doctor
A location-tracking company that sells its services to police departments is apparently using addresses and coordinates of doctors’ and lawyers’ offices and other types of locations to help cops compile lists of places visited by suspects, according ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/location-data-firm-helps-us-police-find-out-when-suspects-visited-their-doctor/
#privacy #technology #tracking

2024-12-10 13:27:01 UTC

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so much happening at religious institutions (over decades) and God watches silently without intervening...

2024-12-10 13:20:18 UTC

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ah, I do recall having used built-in apps on my own LG which had such bad lag, I reverted to rather using a mini-PC connected to the TV via HDMI instead. No idea why but the TV apps were really laggy, even though there was an Ethernet connection to the TV. Wondering if Android TV is plagued by the same issues.

2024-12-10 13:09:07 UTC

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Gigabit LAN should not be so bad, I play quite a few online games and those are over a much slower Internet link across a continent. I would expect a bit better on a LAN but suppose it can also depend on hardware.

2024-12-10 13:01:09 UTC

Before Replacing Your Phone Battery Watch This — Scams Abound
Bottom line is, you really cannot trust ad hoc online or flea market sellers (and neither Facebook Marketplace sellers). As shown in this video, even 500+ “positive” reviews really mean nothing at all. That online “bargain” may not just cost you a f ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/before-replacing-your-phone-battery-watch-this-scams-abound/
#batteries #scams #technology

2024-12-09 19:01:00 UTC

The Raspberry Pi 500 with an integrated keyboard is the perfect starter mini-PC
The Raspberry Pi 500 is a mini-PC that’s tucked away within a keyboard, which makes it super portable and easy to plug in wherever you want. It’s the next step up from the Pi 400, utilizing the Pi 5’s hardware to make an even better companion.
I’ ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/the-raspberry-pi-500-with-an-integrated-keyboard-is-the-perfect-starter-mini-pc/
#raspberrypi #technology

2024-12-09 18:01:09 UTC

You can ‘play’ AAA games on a Pi (or anything else) using open source Sunshine and Moonlight
Moonlight allows you to play your PC games on almost any device, whether you’re in another room or miles away from your gaming rig.
Moonlight (formerly Limelight) is an open source implementation of NVIDIA’s GameStream protocol. They implemented ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/you-can-play-aaa-games-on-a-pi-or-anything-else-using-open-source-sunshine-and-moonlight/
#gaming #opensource #remoteaccess #technology

2024-12-09 14:00:56 UTC

The OTIO standard can allow importing of a video editor’s timeline into a different video editor
This means a timeline that contains various media with multiple tracks and clips with cuts, can be exported, for example, from Kdenlive and imported into DaVinci Resolve. This is useful where often one editor can do things that another editor cannot ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/the-otio-standard-can-allow-importing-of-a-video-editors-timeline-into-a-different-video-editor/
#interoperability #openstandards #technology #video

2024-12-09 09:01:53 UTC

RaspController is an Android app for remotely managing a Raspberry Pi
RaspController is an application designed to monitor, access, and control your Raspberry Pi over a network. Once you pair the app with your lean, mean, green board, you can access the files, monitor the resource consumption, and check the outputs of ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/raspcontroller-is-an-android-app-for-remotely-managing-a-raspberry-pi/
#raspberrypi #technology

2024-12-08 20:37:46 UTC

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actually Apartheid was a blend of both censorship and propaganda - selectively holding some information back, whilst also selectively pushing other information. It is still found today in other governments and industries, in a more subtle guise, to also shape opinions and thoughts.

2024-12-08 20:34:27 UTC

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blocking used to be called censorship in days gone past...

2024-12-07 22:29:36 UTC

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Yes the link also goes to a different site. It's not well done though as the Euro currency is also wrong.

2024-12-07 21:22:48 UTC

SARS phishing attempts - everyone knows nothing happens at SARS in 2 days, so clearly this was a fake
#SouthAfrica
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/613/618/960/821/003/original/70a27bd276dbf068.jpg

2024-12-06 15:01:14 UTC

If your webcam didn’t come with customization software, you can use OBS to reframe it
OBS is free and open source software that will provide various filters and effects you can apply to an input such as a webcam. It will generate an output stream which any app will think is a webcam.
In this way you can apply custom masks, overlay ...continues
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/if-your-webcam-didnt-come-with-customization-software-you-can-use-obs-to-reframe-it/
#opensource #technology #webcam