Author Topic: A random thread for small computing things that don't really warrant a thread of their own  (Read 296397 times)

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
So Russia is shutting down their internet for global access. https://www.zdnet.com/article/russia-to-disconnect-from-the-internet-as-part-of-a-planned-test/

James Patrick have talked about this before, that in the case of Brexit no-deal, there would be a DDoS or the other attack in the days right after and 1st of Apr is a good day for it. Because if everything comes to a halt, like no extra electrons from the main land and the UK starts suffering from brown-outs. And other services food, medicine etc is getting hit. People will start to hit the internet and phones to call and complain that X service is down or is having issues. So if websites etc are getting hammered by DDoS attacks it will really disturb the UK infrastructure and that is what Russia want as their end goal.

Here's one of the threads - https://twitter.com/J_amesp/status/1095259553904689152

I wonder if I need to start to make tinfoil hats and pringles wifi extenders ... 
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
So Russia is shutting down their internet for global access. https://www.zdnet.com/article/russia-to-disconnect-from-the-internet-as-part-of-a-planned-test/

It's an interesting technical challenge.  The notable absence of a root nameserver in Russia, for a start...


Quote
James Patrick have talked about this before, that in the case of Brexit no-deal, there would be a DDoS or the other attack in the days right after and 1st of Apr is a good day for it.

Seems likely.  If not Russians, then 4channers doing it for the lols.  Or leavers trying to cultivate that blitz spirit.  Or whatever.  I'd expect a non-trivial DOS effect simply from everyone wanting to watch the chaos.


Quote
I wonder if I need to start to make tinfoil hats and pringles wifi extenders ...

Not relying on cloud services for things that should be done locally would be a good start, but that boat sailed years ago.  Even if your own stuff is resilient, that of the people you rely on won't be.

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
I got back up of all my files, just using cloud as a backup of my backup :)

But since I work from home over the internet, I need a heck of a big Pringles box to be able to tether of my friend in France.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Cloud for remote backups is sensible.  Cloud for communications is sensible.  Cloud for getting the data from your camera to your PC or from your thermostat to your boiler is not...

Reading James Patrick can make you very paranoid & quite frightened.

Am I being overly cautious by taking screendumps & printouts of my bank  accounts, BT pension scheme & share accounts ?   Just in case....

On a separate matter I dug a vintage 2008 Asus EEE netbook out of a box & fired it up.  It still works on mains though the battery is unusable after 10 years without being charged.

It's loaded with the original Asus desktop package, though attempts to automatically update any of the apps fail.     I'd only ever use  the browser & email client anyway , and they work.   Is there an ultra small flavour of Linux that will work in 512K of RAM ?   I've used Ubuntu in the past but that was 10 years ago on a decently specced machine.
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Puppy Linux and Tiny core Linux?
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Cloud for getting the data from your camera to your PC or from your thermostat to your boiler is not...

Cloud for getting data from thermostat to boiler is an actual thing?  :o
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
I would have thought that the other way would be useful, sending pictures of glaciers, snow capped mountains and penguins when you want it to know it is running a bit low :)
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Cloud for getting the data from your camera to your PC or from your thermostat to your boiler is not...

Cloud for getting data from thermostat to boiler is an actual thing?  :o

Although many systems have the thermostat able to talk to the boiler directly, many of the apps that control things talk to the cloud, and the boiler/thermostat receive updates/instructions from the cloud.

Some systems are just broken by design and the thermostat and the boiler won't talk to each other directly but both talk to the cloud.

It wasn't long ago that Philips Hue users were unable to turn on/off their lights because some of the login servers that reside within the cloud were down.

Not being able to turn on or off the lights because the Internet is down. That's "progress" apparently.

Reminds me, only a few months ago I was looking round nearby property for sale where the instructions for turning on the lights (for the estate agent to do the viewing) involved logging on to the wifi and downloading an app.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

To paraphrase the classic Ian Malcolm quote from Jurassic Park, the people behind the Internet of Things were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
To paraphrase the classic Ian Malcolm quote from Jurassic Park, the people behind the Internet of Things were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.

Partly that, partly because collecting data about users is more lucrative as a business model than selling good products.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Reminds me, only a few months ago I was looking round nearby property for sale where the instructions for turning on the lights (for the estate agent to do the viewing) involved logging on to the wifi and downloading an app.

This sort of thing happens when people do things on the cheap:  Usually because they don't want to have to mess with the wiring that's in the wall to provide a neutral for a internet-of-shit lightswitch, or are allergic to screwdrivers or similar.

Smart lighting systems with sensible user interfaces that actually work are a solved problem, but tend to involve a bit more work and expense than buying consumer-grade shiny toys from Ikea.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Although many systems have the thermostat able to talk to the boiler directly, many of the apps that control things talk to the cloud, and the boiler/thermostat receive updates/instructions from the cloud.

That makes a kind of sense. My Mac updates its software online so I don't see why my boiler shouldn't do the same - as long as there is a genuine benefit in being able to do so.

The boiler and thermostats communicate wirelessly using short-range RF, no need for any external connection. I can see that an app to control the heating remotely might be useful in some circumstances but normally it's sufficient for me to be able to interact with the thermostat manually. I can also override the thermostat by operating the boiler directly.

Quote
Some systems are just broken by design and the thermostat and the boiler won't talk to each other directly but both talk to the cloud.

That's just stupid.

Quote
Reminds me, only a few months ago I was looking round nearby property for sale where the instructions for turning on the lights (for the estate agent to do the viewing) involved logging on to the wifi and downloading an app.

This is also stupid.

Our bath has electronically operated valves with button operation for the filler. Fortunately, in over 12 years use it has never broken down - it does mean we can't have a bath when we have a power cut, but in those circumstances we don't have hot water anyway (combi boiler) so it makes no odds. But at least the bath is not yet connected to the internet.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Maybe I'm just a technophobic luddite but I can't see any point in having taps which are in any way electronic, except perhaps for certain disabilities.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Maybe I'm just a technophobic luddite but I can't see any point in having taps which are in any way electronic, except perhaps for certain disabilities.

The obvious one is that they can turn themselves off when the bath is at the desired level, rather than wasting water or risking floods.

On a basin used for hand-washing there's the advantage that they can be activated by a non-contact sensor, so you don't cover the tap in whatever you're about to wash off your hands.  More of a public toilet thing, admittedly.

Like a lot of this tech, I'm in favour of it simply because it means it exists as an affordable mainstream product for the disabled people who benefit from it.  (Particularly in the case of taps, because poor memory and hand strength are common in the elderly, who may resist 'disability adaptions'.)

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Dunno if we have a space one thread but since this is a computer on wheel I put it here.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's Opportunity, the Mars rover that was built to operate just three months but kept going and going, was pronounced dead Wednesday, 15 years after it landed on the red planet.

sad news
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Here's a question, I'm having a go at recording old video onto mp4, from a Hi8 S-VHS source. I've got hold of a cheap vid2USB thing (about £5 off eBay) which does normal and SVHS input. Only trouble appears to be that I'm getting audio dropout. So, I've got Audacity recording the audio at the same time as the video.

Just musing, anyone ever found a way to click on two programs to start them at the same time? (and the workaround is easy - just edit the audio)

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Just musing, anyone ever found a way to click on two programs to start them at the same time? (and the workaround is easy - just edit the audio)

This would be a job for the sort of high-level scripting languages that went out of fashion in the mid 1990s.  Think Arexx or Applescript.

Gattopardo

  • Lord of the sith
  • Overseaing the building of the death star
Anyone else having problems downloading the latest ccleaner from filehippo?


ian

I honestly had to check that this wasn't a parody because it really seemed, well, it just might be.

These are, without doubt, the most exciting thing since internet-enabled, app-controlled coffee mugs.

I think, tbh, we're several years into an increasingly successful project to ensure the future becomes parody-proof.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
I have both cycling and running shoes with BOA laces. It’s a fairly small leap of the imagination to fit a wirelessly controlled motor to the dials but having to use your phone to operate them seems a bit clunky - a kick/stamp-activated switch in the shoe would be neater.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Maybe I'm just a technophobic luddite but I can't see any point in having taps which are in any way electronic, except perhaps for certain disabilities.

The obvious one is that they can turn themselves off when the bath is at the desired level, rather than wasting water or risking floods.

On a basin used for hand-washing there's the advantage that they can be activated by a non-contact sensor, so you don't cover the tap in whatever you're about to wash off your hands.  More of a public toilet thing, admittedly.

Like a lot of this tech, I'm in favour of it simply because it means it exists as an affordable mainstream product for the disabled people who benefit from it.  (Particularly in the case of taps, because poor memory and hand strength are common in the elderly, who may resist 'disability adaptions'.)
Okay, I can see that, but for most people in most circumstances it is overkill. And none of it needs to be connected to the internet.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Maybe I'm just a technophobic luddite but I can't see any point in having taps which are in any way electronic, except perhaps for certain disabilities.

The obvious one is that they can turn themselves off when the bath is at the desired level, rather than wasting water or risking floods.

On a basin used for hand-washing there's the advantage that they can be activated by a non-contact sensor, so you don't cover the tap in whatever you're about to wash off your hands.  More of a public toilet thing, admittedly.

Like a lot of this tech, I'm in favour of it simply because it means it exists as an affordable mainstream product for the disabled people who benefit from it.  (Particularly in the case of taps, because poor memory and hand strength are common in the elderly, who may resist 'disability adaptions'.)
Okay, I can see that, but for most people in most circumstances it is overkill. And none of it needs to be connected to the internet.

There is a point in avoiding hand contact with taps, from many infection control viewpoints. I would not call this overkill.
Internet involvement is absurd. A photodetector would suffice.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
The only obvious reason I can think of for connecting taps to the internet it to log their use patterns.  Which might have niche applications if you're in the business of optimising building design, or determining whether or not $vulnerable_person has had their monthly bath.  But on the gripping hand, water meters with data outputs are readily available.

Perhaps some startup will be able to persuade the vulture capitalists that collecting data on people's bathroom habits is a somehow lucrative proposition, to the point where they effectively subsidise the costs of the taps.  At this point, nothing would surprise me apart from effective security.