💭 Toby's tinylog
author: @toby@tobykurien.com
avatar: 🤘
licence: CC-BY-NC-SA (Attribution, Non-Commercial, and Share Alike)
2025-11-17
Besty gifted me his #diy #printrbot #3dprinter that he's honed to perfection over the years, and I've been having a lot of fun learning to use it! I've also been brushing up on my #freecad skills so that I can design more portable computers and #cyberdecks in future.
2025-10-21
Design for 3D-Printing - this blog post is an incredible wealth of information for anyone designing or printing 3D printable parts, but it really appeals to the engineer with it's technical details and illustrations. #3DPrinting #CAD
> Rahix' Blog
2025-10-01
I've been working hard on my Bubblewrapped Services (BWS) tool for self-hosting services on Linux. BWS is an alternative to using Docker/Podman. Instead of containers (which contain a whole OS), it uses sandboxes that re-uses the host OS. This makes it much more lightweight, easier to debug, and easier to manage.
What's new:
- FreeBSD support, using jails!
- Safer shutdown of services where needed
- Bug fixes and security improvements
- Better documentation
#bws #linux #freebsd #selfhosting #container #sandbox #docker #podman
> Bubblewrapped services
2025-09-25
YouTube channel recommendation: YouTux is a Linux and tech channel with thought-provoking intellectual critiques and analyses around open source and tech. Uses an AI-generated voice for narration, but it's good one that feels provocative and almost insurgent. #youtube #recommendation #linux #opensource
> YouTux
2025-09-19
I finally found a smartphone that's smaller than 6.7 inches! It's only 3 inches and I love it! They way most people get excited for a new iPhone, I am excited for this puny phone. It's specs are decent (3Gb RAM, dual-sim, 8Mp camera), price is very cheap, and it performs admirably for my modest needs. I could even buy it locally on Takealot (although you'll find it on AliExpress, etc., just search for Soyes 3" phone). The best part is that it came with NO bloatware, just plain Android. My main concern was of course, can I type on this thing? Surprisingly, yes, but a bit slower than usual. Thank you Soyes for being audacious and making this awesome trend-bucking gem! #android #tiny #smartphone #soyes
2025-09-08
Ten years ago I contributed code to the F-Droid app store. I was already using it on all my devices and saw the importance of the project. I am glad that it is still going strong, and it is still the primary app store on all my Android devices. #fdroid #foss #android
> Toby Kurien's commits to F-Droid
2025-08-21
An entertaining essay by one of my favourite authors, Neal Stephenson: In The Beginning Was The Command Line (1999) #book #recommendation
> Internet Archive
2025-08-06
I'm currently testing a #Mobian kernel patch to improve battery life on the #PinephonePro and it's looking promising (about 3 hours of continuous use instead of 1 hour). If you'd like to try it out, download the linked deb file onto your phone, install it, then shutdown your phone and remove battery, wait 10 minutes (to reset the battery meter), then boot into the new kernel. Note that suspend doesn't work in this kernel. Let me know if you try it out.
> Linux 6.16 (experimental)
2025-07-29
#Mobian for #PinephonePro has been steadily improving. I installed a weekly image back in December 2024 and have been updating it, watching the progress. The #phosh UI improvements have been amazing, and the phone runs as slick and smooth as any Android phone I've used. Recently, I noticed #OrganicMaps app is now available on it, and the Camera app, if installed from Flathub, actually works! I can finally take photos with both front and back cameras, and scan QR codes. This is massive for daily driving the phone!
2025-07-11
This isn't mentioned on their website, but Zorin OS now allows you to install to a ZFS-on-root encrypted and compressed drive! It's hidden under advanced settings. I re-installed my laptop to get this feature, and it's working as smooth and polished as the rest of Zorin OS. Kudos to the developers! #zorin #zfs #linux
> Zorin OS
2025-07-08
Whoa, too many vulnerabilities are surfacing in sudo lately! I stopped using sudo (and doas, just to be safe) on my servers and desktops a while back. I usually can't uninstall it, as it is a needed dependency, so I just disable it by removing the SETUID bit: `chmod -s /usr/bin/sudo`, and then use su. #sudo #linux #bsd #security #vulnerability
> Sudo security advisories
2025-06-12
After trying various #Ubuntu #linux flavors on my old laptop with only 4Gb of RAM, I needed to find something lighter that didn't use up more than half my RAM, but I still wanted disk encryption and working hardware keys and trackpad. I tried #Devuan (I pronounce this Dev-one) and it is awesome! Super #lightweight and looks great. I only needed to add a tap-to-click config and install xfce4-screensaver, otherwise happy with the defaults.
> Devuan
2025-06-03
My TV died! Looks like a backlight failure, so time to get out the tools and see if I can repair it. It's quite a mission to disassemble it, especially when handling the fragile LCD panel. #diy #repair #tv #backlight
2025-05-15
> FreeBSD Sandbox
2025-04-27
I've been working on porting #FreeBSD to the #PinePhonePro and happy to report that I am releasing a developer build that you can try out! If you are a FreeBSD developer, the image contains the kernel source and build tools for development on-device.
> FreeBSD developer build for PinePhone Pro
2025-04-20
Ok, so check this out. I raved about how magical #FreeBSD #linuxulator is, but it gets even better! In my Ubuntu linux jail, I downloaded the source for the #mobian kernel, installed cross-compiling tools, compiled the kernel and modules, copied to an sdcard, and booted up the kernel on my #pinephonepro 🤯 So, on my amd64 FreeBSD, I used a translation layer to load up Ubuntu Linux, used it to cross-compile a Linux kernel for arm64, and booted that up on a device! How unbelievable is that?!?
2025-04-17
I got #X11 running on the #PinephonePro under #FreeBSD ! Shown here running my favourite #icewm window manager. Super exciting! Now to get the touch screen working 😬
2025-04-09
Oh wow, the #FreeBSD #Linuxulator is just magic! I setup an Ubuntu #LinuxJail as described in the linked wiki and was able to compile and flash #Arduino code to my Uno using #PlatformIO, which is absolutely mind blowing because the tools for compiling are not available for "freebsd_amd64", yet in this Linux environment (not emulated, not a VM, just a translation layer), the Linux binaries were able to compile and then flash to the USB device (using the FreeBSD kernel and drivers). 🤯
> FreeBSD LinuxJails
2025-03-27
Here's one way to deal with #AI #bots and #scrapers hammering our websites: set up a trap. I've hidden a link on my website that humans wouldn't click on, but scrapers would follow. I added the destination to my robots.txt so that well-behaving bots won't follow it. Now I can grep my web logs for hits to that trap and get a list of IP addresses of badly behaving bots. If we #crowdsource such a list of IPs (like with Crowdsec), we can collectively ban them.
2025-03-22
I built this #RaspberryPi based 7-inch #diy #tablet a while back and it's been my daily #linux #mobile #computer since. It's the perfect size for reading websites and e-books and lasts about 7 hours on a 10,000mAh powerbank. It's very responsive to touch and works with a standard install of RPi OS, no setup or modifications needed. The build required making custom cables, a PWM injector for controlling backlight brightness, and the 3d printed case.
2025-03-12
Today I'm releasing my super simple #FreeBSD #Sandbox script. This script creates a sandbox per directory, allowing you to run untrusted code while preventing access to your home directory. No setup or configuration needed, just cd into a directory and run "sandbox.sh". Also perfect for creating dev environments, simply add a "packages.pkg" file with the packages you need for your project, run "sandbox.sh" and voila! A sandbox with the packages you want installed, just inside your sandbox (doesn't pollute your host OS). #freebsd #sandbox #chroot
> FreeBSD Sandbox
2025-03-12
This is a talk has so much of wisdom for people who want to maintain their health and cognitive function as they age (not just programmers). #aging #programmer #health
> The Aging Programmer - Kate Gregory
2025-02-27
Oh dear, #Firefox is adding some scary looking "terms and conditions" and "privacy policy". Not sure about "grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license" for uploaded content, even if it's uses may currently be limited. I can't be arsed to check every time the Ts and Cs are updated to see if it's further enshittified. Instead, I'm switching over to #LibreWolf.
> LibreWolf
2025-02-13
Episode 39 of the #postmarketOS #podcast is one of the best podcasts I have listened to in a long time! It's an interview with magdesign, a geek who sold all his projects and tools and belongings to cycle the world with his wife, and uses a #linux #mobile #phone as his main computing device. Funny, inspiring and full of amazing stories from the trip.
> postmarketOS podcast #39
2025-02-11
If you want to protect your devices and online communication from prying eyes, data brokers, and AI scrapers, check out the security in-a-box site for comprehensive guides. #privacy #security
> security in-a-box
2025-01-24
The Reticulum network is an amazing design for networking that requires encryption, avoids a "source address" for connections ensuring privacy, mediates flow-control by the destination (avoiding DoS attacks), has only a few bytes of packet overhead making it work over low-bandwidth connections like LoRa, eliminates any central control or authority (like DNS, Certificate Authorities, ISPs, etc.) making the network unstoppable, completely self-configuring and is so lightweight it can run on micro-controllers making it hacker/maker friendly. This looks like how the internet should have been designed, and is surely it's future. Also a great way to network your IoT sensors. #reticulum #networking #lora #maker #hacker #iot
> Reticulum
2025-01-16
Clear some time, grab your favorite beverage and immerse yourself in this wonderful interactive experience of what it was like to be in Persia. #persia #persepolis #museum #virtualtour
> Persepolis Reimagined
2025-01-06
Progress!! I managed to get the #PinePhonePro screen working on #FreeBSD 🎉 Long way to go yet, but this is a massive step forward for making FreeBSD usable on the device.
2024-11-08
My latest project has been mentioned on the FreeBSD quarterly update! I am attempting to port #FreeBSD to the #PinePhonePro with support from https://mastodon.social/@honeyguide@mastodon.africa
> Pinephone Pro Support
2024-10-02
After several years of pondering moving to BSD, I finally switched my main desktop from Linux to GhostBSD. I really like how good it looks out of the box, it uses great defaults like fish shell and MATE desktop, and comes with useful tools like Software Station and Station Tweak to make it work the way I want. It's fast, lightweight, and beautiful. It's FreeBSD underpinnings gives a clean base OS separated from user-installed applications, and a well-documented handbook that makes system administration a breeze. I am really enjoying BSD and hope to make contributions going forward.
2024-08-30
Recently, I learned that the Macbook Air laptops do not have glued-in batteries! I just assumed it did, but it turns out it is the work of a few minutes to replace the battery, and I was able to purchase a replacement for my ancient model off Takealot for a reasonable sum. It even came with the necessary tools to unscrew the parts, and iFixit has a great guide on how to do it. #apple #macbook #diy #repair #battery
> iFixIt
2024-08-11
The secret to getting great performance out of a Raspberry Pi, even an older one like the model 3B+, is to use the lowest screen resolution possible (in addition to the obvious things like enabling hardware GPU acceleration). Using 720p or less leads to really smooth performance and low memory usage even in the heavy Chromium browser. #raspberrypi #diy #hacking #making
2024-08-11
In which I demo the #raspberrypi #handheld #portable #computer I built last year, espousing it's virtues. #video
2024-07-29
> Every device gets a cert. Every device gets an IP address and a DNS name and end-to-end encryption and an identity, and safely bypasses firewalls. Every device can be a peer.
#internet #decentralization #tailscale
> The New Internet
2024-04-30
Bought a new Android phone and want to remove the bloat, spyware and tracking? Check out Universal Android Debloater Next Generation desktop app that makes this process easy with it's built-in debloat lists for various manufacturers. #android #privacy #bloatware
> Github
2024-04-27
Photos from a recent trip to Hartebeespoort Dam #photo
2024-03-05
Podcast recommendation: Darknet Diaries. Amazing story telling about tech scams and hacks you should know about. #podcast
> Darknet Diaries
2024-01-09
How to Build a Small Solar Power System: an in-depth article that goes into all the details and nuances of running devices and small appliances off solar panels. Well worth the read if you want to DIY your own solar solutions. #solar #maker #diy
> LOW←TECH MAGAZINE
2024-01-08
New birds spotted around my house: two Spotted thick-knee that laid eggs, and a Greater striped swallow. #birding #photo
2024-01-06
I enjoyed reading this, a lot! Actually the whole issue is an awesome read, check it out! #ai #chatbot #humour #future #dating
> Emotional Intelligence Amplification
2023-12-22
Podcast recommendation: Late Night Linux. If you are into Linux and open source, this family of podcast shows has awesome content, humour, and hosts. #podcast #recommendation
> Late Night Linux
2023-12-01
Today I'm launching my new business called Nextcloud Hosting. It is for those looking to move their private data away from Big Tech and onto their own server, as well as those who have sensitive customer data or PII that needs to be kept within country borders for POPI-compliance. It's a great open source alternative to Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, etc. at an affordable price. Perfect for families (shared grocery lists, calendars, photos), companies (HR data, employee webmail/chat/file sharing, customer data) and other organizations like schools or NGOs.
> Nextcloud Hosting
2023-11-12
This is not a photo of an old CRT screen, it's cool-retro-term! It's such a convincing emulation of a CRT display, after a few days of using it, I'm amazed at how good modern LCDs are! I also enjoy how the retro look takes me back to the 90s and makes me enjoy text-based programs a whole lot more. #nostalgia #retro #terminal
2023-10-20
Neal.fun - a bunch of absolutely delightful interactive apps. Be sure to check out Space Elevator!
> Neal.fun
2023-10-20
Mechanical Watch - an incredible interactive blog post detailing the mechanisms and workings of a mechanical pocket watch. Simply mind-blowing.
> Bartosz Ciechanowski
2023-10-15
Podcast recommendation: The Art of Manliness. Interesting topics, awesome guests, and great production. #podcast #recommendation
> AoM Podcast
2023-10-15
Photos from a recent trip to Kerala, India. #photo
2023-10-15
More photos from a recent trip to Kerala, India. #photo
2023-09-06
Here is something I am working on: a solar powered UPS for routers (for my friends). Uses original router power adapter as 'pass-thru' while falling back to LiFePO4 battery during loadshedding. #solar #diy #ups
2023-08-15
I wanted to find out what the minimum hardware for running a reasonably good Large Language Model at home would be, so I bought a refurbished ThinkCentre M715q with AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 2400GE CPU. It's a 2018-era machine costing only around $200. With no upgrades, I was able to run llama.cpp in CPU-only mode on the smallest Llama 2 7b model (q2_K) generating 5.2 tokens/sec! Very impressive! I can also run Vicuna 13b (q4_1) at over 2 tokens/sec after upgrading the RAM to 16Gb. All this while consuming around 40W of power. One trick I had to employ is to use "LLAMA_AVX2=1 make" to compile, as it doesn't detect AVX2 by default. Anwyay, I love this ThinkCentre machine, it is amazing bang-for-buck and will be my main dev machine for the forseeable future. #llm #thinkcenter #llamacpp
2023-05-23
An inspiring talk by Kartik, like a TED talk for programmers.
> Using computers more freely and safely
2023-05-10
This DIY handheld computer build blows me away with how well it's done. I think this is my dream portable computer. Pity they don't sell anything like this, so I'm gonna try DIY'ing my own. #handheld #portable #computer
2023-05-10
I hacked together a prototype of the previously-mentioned handheld portable computer, using a Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 inch LCD touchscreen. So far it is really nice to use! I like how I can use a full desktop OS while walking around. The keyboard and trackpad allow me to use a regular OS without having to worry about touch affordances, mouse-overs, and right-clicking. There is scope to make this much more compact if using a 3d-printed enclosure. #diy #raspberrypi #handheld #portable #computer
2023-04-30
My DIY battery-powered wireless driveway visitor detector, take 3! A much harder problem than I anticipated. Attempt 1 was using a cheap and low power PIR sensor. Too many false alerts. Attempt 2 was a radar presence detector. Doesn't work outdoors, way too many false alerts. This one uses a commercial outdoor PIR sensor, which seems to work quite well so far. On the down side, it uses quite a bit of power (20mA continuous), so I've had to add a lithium battery with solar charger. Nice thing about a LiFePO4 battery is that I don't need a fancy solar charge controller, I just use a buck converter set to about 14V. The grey box houses a microcontroller with a LoRa transmitter, mounted on an aluminium bracket that I can hang on my driveway pre-cast wall, so that the PIR sensor looks across the driveway. I put the battery and charger into an ice cream container and placed a roof tile over it to protect against rain and sun. The receiver side is an ESP32 connected to a LoRa receiver and buzzer that plays a ding-dong chime and also sends an MQTT message for futher automation. #diy #lora #pir #motion #sensor
2023-04-16
Some photos from a recent camping trip to the bushveld. #photo #camping
2023-04-08
The hill in the background is shaped just like an Elephant's silhouette, hence the name Olifantsnek. #photo
> Olifantsnek
2023-04-07
Recently spotted: Meerkat, Cape Glossy Starling sunbathing, African Hoopoe #birding #photo
2023-04-01
Book recommendation: The power of fun by Catherine Price. A serious and well-researched look at having True Fun (a state when playfulness, connection and flow happen). #book #recommendation
> Catherine Price
2023-01-08
Since about 2015, smartphones have been getting increasingly user-hostile and locked down. It started with Google Play Services, a permanently running auto-installed, auto-updated service that has full access and control of your device. One a new Samsung Galaxy phone, I found 262 packages pre-installed, which were mainly from Google, Samsung, Facebook, Microsoft, and the cell provider. I tried disabling some of them, and at some point the phone locked with the message: "Your phone is locked because the Device Service was uninstalled without authorisation". Ok, so I enabled all the apps again, but that didn't unlock it. Tried a full factory reset and reboot, and now the phone says: "Phone Locked. This phone can't be used without authorisation." Just, wow! We are no longer allowed to uninstall the surveillance and bloatware on our phones. #smartphones #bloatware #surveillance
2022-12-26
My house got struck by lightning *again*, taking out the alarm system *again*. This time I decided to #diy my own alarm system with an #arduino. It's a bit of a rat's nest right now (prototype), but it works! Controllable via Telegram and standard remote. Gotta solder it up on a board next and add some lightning isolation/protection. There's surprisingly little info on the internet about replacing a commercial home alarm system with custom Arduino one. The biggest challenge is that the long wires to sensors can pick up noise/EMF so I had to do some filtering in software to avoid false triggers.
2022-12-11
Shout-out to Podgrab, an excellent self-hosted podcast manager/downloader written in Go. #selfhost #podcast
> Podgrab
2022-12-11
Bought this ESP32-based Esplay Micro V2, and it is sweet! Not only is it a great form-factor and fairly priced, but it comes fully assembled with an SD Card loaded with some music and cool retro games. It's a #DIY #maker dream as I can turn this into almost any device I can think of! #esplay #esp32 #retrogaming #diy
> ESPlay
2022-11-20
Today's project: #diy battery for my 2015 phone. Original battery down to 6% of it's original capacity. Replacement battery costs only R90 and is readily available at hobby shops. Had to make an adapter plate using my favourite material: masonite board. Sealed it with a polyurethane coating. I've avoided buying new electronics and am still sticking with my 2015 phone and 2015 tablet as my main mobile devices because they are hackable in this way, and the software (after disabling all the bloat) is still running sweetly.
2022-11-19
If you're part of the #TwitterMigration #TwitterExodus to #Mastodon then you can follow me there on @tobykurien@mastodon.social - I've been there since April 2017. Heck, you can even just stick the URL https://mastodon.social/@tobykurien.rss into an RSS feed reader. #MastodonMigration
2022-10-03
Grey go-away-birds (AKA grey loerie) having a party in my bird bath! #birding
2022-09-13
I bought this comically tiny phone in June and it's been my daily driver since. It has some amazing features in it's diminutive package: dual sim, microSD card slot, bluetooth (for calls and music, or to act as headset/dialler for your smartphone), camera for photos and video, voice changer (making it a great burner phone), 4+ days of battery life. Call quality is as good as on any smartphone, and it cost less than R400.
2022-09-06
Made a distraction-free audiobook player using a Raspberry Pi 3A. Doesn't even distract me with a progress bar :) #diy
2022-08-27
Book recommendation: THIS IS HOW THEY TELL ME THE WORLD ENDS, Nicole Perlroth. The fascinating story behind the biggest cybersecurity threats like Stuxnet, NotPetya, election interference, etc. Reads like fiction, but sadly it is not. #book
> Nicole Perlroth
2022-07-26
Here's a pic of my fridge-top Smol Data Centre, which I previously blogged about on gemini at gemini://tobykurien.com/articles/2022-05-17-smol-data-centre.gmi #photo #diy
2022-06-16
Everything you need to know about #happiness, distilled in one insightful #podcast episode
> Evidence-Based Strategies for Being Happy | Laurie Santos | Knowledge Project
2022-05-21
Made an extended battery pack for my aging MacBook that also acts as a comfortable base. The 55Wh battery pack consists of cheap and easily replaceable 21700 cells. Plenty of space to add more batteries, USB hub, hard drive, or other accessories. #diy
2022-04-19
Everything that becomes popular turns to crap. So now I have to ditch DuckDuckGo and find an alternative. No, I'm not telling you what I'm moving to, lest they get enough users to dictate their terms to us. #rant
2022-04-19
Computers were "good enough" 5 years ago, and we're still using them for the exact same purposes. So why do we have gigs of software updates every week, and why do our computers get slow and "out-of-date" every 2 years? Where's the extra value from all this added complexity, compared to 5 years ago? Is it purely aesthetic? I'd argue that we're regressing, not progressing. #computing #philosophy
2022-04-18
Photos from a recent trip to Hartebeespoort #photo #holiday
2022-04-18
Birds photographed on a recent trip: Half-collared Kingfisher, Black Swan (in captivity), Giant Kingfisher . #birding
2022-04-17
After decades of Ubuntu use, I've replaced my desktop OS with antiX. It's a minimal Debian system without systemd. Boots to desktop in about 5 seconds and uses only 150Mb of RAM. It's a simple system that I can get my head around easily and administer without unlearning and relearning things all the time like I had to with Ubuntu. It feels fast and efficient, and looks good too. For similar reasons, on the server side, I'm moving from Ubuntu to OpenBSD where I can.
> antiX Linux
2022-04-08
"Nearly all of modern computer engineers are working above so many layers that there’s no human way to understand what they are doing."
gemini://rawtext.club/~ploum/2022-04-05-firefox-ubuntu.gmi #computing #philosophy #ubuntu #snaps
> The Theological Problem Behind Firefox in Ubuntu 22.04
2022-02-21
Back in 2015, I predicted that once ad-blocking became common, we would be faced with server-side tracking:
> You know what will happen once most of us install ad-blockers? Server-side ad SDK's, that's what. Unblockable ads, unstoppable tracking.
https://twitter.com/TobyKurien/status/628227819076775936
Well, it's here in the form of Server-side tagging in Google Tag Manager, and it's easier than the SDK I predicted. #adblock #privacy
> Server-side tagging
2022-02-16
Another one takes the red pill and wakes up from the Matrix - "I think the internet is broken - Chris Hawkes"
> Chris Hawkes
2022-02-13
These 3D printed computer terminals are simply gorgeous! #3dprint #retro #terminal
> Modern Retro Computer Terminals
2022-01-15
The #Smashwords website is nothing like a modern website, and I love it! I mean, you can download this #ebook I am currently really enjoying (Casual Computing) for free, DRM free, without creating an account, without popups in your face, right now, just by following the link. No user hostility, you can read the ebooks on any device you want, and you get to support independent authors.
> Casual Computing: Light Reading for Users of Open Source, About Open Source
2022-01-09
Did you know you can download all of Wikipedia onto your hard drive and use it offline? It's only 87Gb and will fit on a microSD card. Useful for distraction-free productivity for home-schooling, work-from-home, etc. Also useful for those with little or no connectivity or during internet take-downs. With the Kiwix software, it's searchable and you can also host it onto a local network with one click. Other useful downloads: Gutenberg books, Khan Academy, TED videos, StackExchange, Arch Linux wiki, WikiHow, and tons more. Might as well put your uncapped (or night-time) internet to good use. #offline #kiwix
> Kiwix content
2022-01-09
"Digital Vegan" is a deep dive into the problems with our current technology (Big Tech and social media). It's "a call to disengagement and more careful, slower, deliberate and thoughtful relations with technology". #book #recommendation
> Andy Farnell
2022-01-05
A free e-book on advice from a philosopher billionaire: "Almanack of Naval Ravikant". I don't agree with all of it, but there's a lot here to contemplate and dig into. #book #recommendation #philosophy #happiness #wealth
> Eric Jorgenson
2022-01-03
Nostr is: "The simplest open protocol that is able to create a censorship-resistant global "social" network once and for all." and "a truly censorship-resistant alternative to Twitter that has a chance of working" #nostr #twitter #decentralized
> Nostr
2021-12-19
The latest incarnation of my #raspberrypi DIY audio player. Still a bit clunky, but it's now pocketable, and can run 15+ hours on a full charge. The software is now perfect 👌 #diy
2021-12-18
A critique of Web3. It's a long read, but gives a good explanation of what the Web3 (NFT, DAO) fuss is all about, and then promptly rips it apart with some considered arguments. #longread #web3 #nft #dao
> The Third Web
2021-12-14
As is the trend these days, @ForGoodZA have updated their site to be far more user-hostile: cookie popup, 7+Mb of javascript, and tons of 3rd party requests without which the site won't work. All just so I can pick a cause and donate some money. *Sigh*
2021-12-12
@deerbard thank you for the heads-up about the date format! I was confused about why my posts weren't showing up. I still need to track down where the issue is. I've gone full "digital minimalism" (see posts on my capsule) so I've completely dropped all social media (including Mastodon), and only browse Station, tinylogs, and Antenna mostly, since the volume of posts is low enough. If there's a website I want to read frequently, I write a scraper to bring it to gemini or add a feed to my comitium.
2021-12-11
Why, oh WHY, do those #?@! nutheads use vi? (2007)
> learning vi/vim is an activity that will take a long time (weeks to months), and that the first experience is not pleasant
> viemu.com
2021-12-04
I discovered the #Gemini protocol about a year ago, and it's still a thing! I spend way more time reading posts here than on Web. Check out this quickstart page if you're curious.
> Gemini quickstart!
2021-11-19
Beginner's Health and Fitness Guide
"I don't want to become some huge bodybuilder freak, I just want to get in better shape and look better. Should I read this?
That's what this guide is for. It's a basic guide to diet and fitness for beginners who want to get in better shape. "
> Liam Rosen
2021-11-14
This is a thought-provoking and insightful podcast filled with deep thinking about #crypto #NFT #DAO and the future of #Web3
> The Tim Ferriss Show
2021-11-10
Long-tailed widowbird and red-collared widowbird #birding #photo
2021-10-19
This is an amazingly well produced, must-watch video about the influence of technology in our lives. #socialmedia #echochambers #isolation #chaos #surveillance
> Mrwhosetheboss
2021-10-15
"You're Not Addicted to Your Phone. You're Just Distracted."
2021-10-05
To get my digital vaccine certificate for covid-19, I have to use a government website protected by Google Recaptcha 🤦 This hits me particularly hard since I evade Google tracking, so I get forced into doing free labour to help Google train their self-driving cars. It's infuriating. Why don't they just implement a simple rate-limit if they are worried about bots?
2021-09-30
"The Single Most Productive Thing You Can Do" #sleep #productivity
> Grace B
2021-09-28
This season of Formula 1 is the best I've ever watched. If you're not watching, you're missing out. The next Netflix "Drive to survive" is going to be epic!
2021-09-28
So true: There's still no beating "git push heroku" for deployment. #devops
> Changelog
2021-09-19
Book recommendation: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. #novel #fiction #scifi #space
> Project Hail Mary
2021-08-01
"A practical philosophy of health, wealth and happiness"
> Happiness
2021-07-28
Surely, the mother of all unboxing videos: unboxing a quantum computer!
> IBM Quantum System One assembled in Japan
2021-07-24
I recently discovered the Coc plugin for vim, which brings VSCode-like smarts to vim. I can finally use #vim full-time instead of #VSCode, which has become bloated and slow over time. Coc has a marketplace with a large breadth of language support. In a like-for-like comparison, vim uses 500Mb less RAM (including language server) than VSCode for Python or Java editing (with intellisense), and is much faster. I also managed to set up vim for editing and uploading #Arduino and #esp32 code by integrating with PlatformIO.
> Conqueror of Completion
2021-07-20
A fairly compelling argument for publishing documents as PDF files rather than as HTML pages. #goodread
> lab6 Issue 0 (PDF)
2021-07-13
I blogged about how I create audiobooks from epubs and the like, using text-to-speech.
> Creating audiobooks
2021-07-08
Really cool online browser multi-player games to play with colleagues during lunch break:
https://shellshock.io
https://blocktanks.io
https://smashkarts.io
https://sidearms.io
https://krunker.io
2021-07-04
The "Physiological Sigh" provides instant reduction of anxiety and stress and is easy to do, although you shouldn't undo it by resurfacing the anxiety to test if it worked! #neuroscience
2021-07-02
Sampler is an amazing text visualization tool for the terminal. I was able to make a smart-mirror type of dashboard really easily with it. #text #console #dashboard #diy
> Sampler
2021-06-26
Some photos from a recent trip to a mountain resort. #photo #trip
2021-06-02
TIL: there's Android ransomware that works not by encrypting your files, but rather by showing a system modal window that cannot be dismissed by the user until the ransom is paid. Latest variants use machine learning: "TinyML model is useful for making sure [the ransom note] would appear less contrived and more believable" #android #malware #ransomware
> Mobile randsomware
2021-06-02
"Over a month ago, I came to the realization that my smartphone was having several negative impacts on my mental health... In a desperate attempt to regain some control, I ditched the smartphone."
gemini://tobykurien.com/articles/2021-05-23-digital-declutter.gmi
> Digital de-clutter
2021-05-23
A great talk arguing that software is in fact getting worse, because of more complexity. (via alex.flounder.online)
> Jonathan Blow - Preventing the Collapse of Civilization
2021-05-22
Photos from a recent trip down to Port Edward, KZN South Coast. A really beautiful and relaxing place for a holiday. #photo #kzn
2021-05-18
Instead of installing and configuring a heavy GUI app for my calendar and todos, I've discovered the command-line based pimutils. Once vdirsyncer is configured, I can use khal and todoman. Very simple, powerful, portable, and lightweight. #opensource #commandline
> pimutils
2021-05-18
And here's a gorgeous screenshot of khal in action, if you're still on the fence about #cli PIM tools. #commandline #pimutils #khal
2021-04-28
Book recommendation: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Talk about discovering the right book at the right time! After ditching my smartphone, I needed answers: why was it bad? what do I do with my time? This book answers that and more.
> Digital Minimalism
2021-04-23
> By a truly unbelievable coincidence [...] I saw a small package fall off a truck ahead of me.
😂
Turns out the software used to extract data from your phone when seized, has security vulnerabilities 😁 #signal #cellebrite
> Exploiting vulnerabilities in Cellebrite...
2021-04-20
I made a music player using the awesome Pimoroni Pirate Audio HAT for #RaspberryPi. It plays any format including OGG and even videos, remembers where it left off, buttons work exactly how I like it because I wrote the code, and it has outstanding audio quality (24-bit DAC + headphone amp). The UI needs work tho! #maker #diy #audio
2021-04-20
Birds on a wire. They congregrate at this exact spot every morning just before sunrise, and disperse as soon as the sun rises. #birding
2021-04-18
I let out some of my frustrations in a ranty response to a Github feature request for my app. I love that a user was invested enough in my app to write a long and frustrated feature request.
Quote:
> I sense your frustration in that the app is close to what you want and how you use it, but not quite there. Unfortunately the bad news is that I will probably stop supporting this app this year, despite this app being a labour of love and one I'm proud of. The above-mentioned sandbox leaks, combined with browser fingerprinting, supercookies, FLoC, and other hostile abuses of Web technology, have made me come to the conclusion that the Web is a lost cause for private browsing. Yes, WebApps offers only limited protection, and that protection will probably decrease every year. Something like Gemini (https://gemini.circumlunar.space/docs/faq.gmi) is probably the way forward for privacy minded geeks, and I for one am moving as much of my content creation/consumption there as possible.
> Another factor is that Android is also increasingly hostile to the developer (you need at least 16Gb RAM to compile a 3Mb APK, every year devs are forced onto new APIs, Gradle builds break often, Google now wants your developer signing key, the tooling I had used is now deprecated, etc, etc, etc). Couple that with the spyware preloaded onto phones and the increasing difficulty of getting control over your device (e.g. my phone kills VLC after 30 mins and there's nothing I can do about it), and I'm ready to ditch Android and go back to good 'ol desktop computing (https://tobykurien.com/post-1618319359/).
> WebApps Feature Request: Tabs
2021-04-13
Giving up the smartphone (currently in airplane mode in the drawer) for a dumb phone. I want my attention span back. I want control over my computer. I want to eschew mobile computing for good old fashioned desktop computing.
>
2021-04-09
TIL: trackers/spyware can bypass even third-party blocking and same-origin-policy by using CNAME cloaking. There's almost no hope of having privacy on the web, other than to resort to other protocols like Gemini.
> Characterizing CNAME cloaking-based tracking
2021-04-06
Not really about 5G, the article mentions ways that SAPS could get hold of your data. FYI My phone was confiscated and searched at OR Tambo without any warrant. #surveillance #privacy
> 5G opens the gates for surveillance on steroids
2021-04-05
Great video with a LOT of information for privacy-aware smartphone users. Sadly, even us hackers have lost control of our tech. #privacy #smartphone
> Spyware-Free Phones in 2021: We're being Squeezed!
2021-04-04
Photos from a recent #hike near Hartebeespoort dam
2021-04-04
I was recently treated to a visit from an African Grey Hornbill. Right on my doorstep!
#birding
2021-03-11
A #loadshedding solution I've been playing with: Blue Nova 280Wh LFP battery + 300W inverter. Runs my laptop for over 6 hours, charges with standard car battery charger, over 10 years of cycle life, weighs less than 3kg, costs under R3000. #diy
2021-03-09
WebApps is my #OpenSource #Android app I am most proud of. Many years in the making, it allows you to save websites as apps, with privacy-enhancing features similar to uMatrix.
> WebApps sandboxed browser
2021-03-06
Analysis of how Google's FLoC can hurt users.
"FLoC is meant to be a new way to make your browser do the profiling that third-party trackers used to do themselves"
> Google’s FLoC Is a Terrible Idea
2021-03-04
Not super proud of this, but when it's a choice between tossing out an old tablet because of a broken USB charging port, or an ugly fix to save it, I'll do the ugly fix.
#MakersGonnaFix #diy
2021-03-02
This article explains why a few kilobytes of macOS updates ends up as gigabytes of downloads and 45 minutes of updating.
> Users are losing out against Big Sur’s sealed System
2021-02-28
'People often ask: “What’s the next Covid?” An attack on our digital infrastructure is a leading candidate.' and other interesting insights in this great read.
> Yuval Noah Harari: Lessons from a year of Covid
2021-02-16
I have added a section to my #gemini capsule
gemini://tobykurien.com
for aggregating what people are saying about Gemini, e.g. tweets, toots, and now also the Gemini mailing list, where most of the announcements and spec discussions take place. You can now browse this on Gemini itself!
> Gemini mailing list archive on Gemini
2021-02-14
"Culture I/O is a website about utopia as seen through the haze of the dystopian present. You’re laughing, but we’re serious. There’s a manifesto. That’s how serious we are."
> Culture I/O — The Road to Utopia
2021-02-11
New blog post! In which I attempt to cure my #doomscrolling
> My war on doomscrolling
2021-02-10
FreeHacker is an ezine "created to help the spread of DIY culture in cyberspace". A good, if somewhat short read.
> FreeHacker: Issue 2
2021-02-05
This Sojourner #pwa is a beautiful way to browse and bookmark talks from the #fosdem '21 schedule.
> Sojourner
2021-02-04
Few years ago I moved my personal projects from #Git to #Fossil, and can recommend it. It is easy to host (single binary file), feature full (bug tracking, wiki, forum, etc), and all the repo data is stored in a single sqlite db (easy to backup). You can also allow anonymous access so that people can collaborate without creating accounts. That's 2 files you copy into a machine and you have your entire source control and repo up!
> Fossil: Fossil Versus Git
2021-02-02
My #Gemini capsule is up! It includes my #gemlog which is generated from my website microblog, which is also syndicated as tweets/toots via #IndieWeb. Very cool that all these technologies can play well with each other and are easy to script to my liking.
> Toby's Gemlog
2021-01-30
A well written blog post (from a Google dev advocate) about using machine learning for baking, resulting in inventing a new dessert. Much 'maker' spirit, such wow. #ai #machinelearning
> Baking with Machine Learning
2021-01-22
"This means in two to five years we may be able to surf the internet or talk on our 900 MHz phones while walking down the sidewalk in nearly any city whose occupants own Amazon or other competing devices."
> We may Soon have City-Spanning 900 HMz Mesh Networks
2021-01-20
Some thoughts on the #Gemini protocol:
1. Gemini is to the web what reading a book is to watching TV. The former is focussed, simple, requires some effort, and may be more rewarding. The latter may be more compelling but also full of distractions and advertisements.
2. Gemini is just text and links, which HTML can easily do, but by removing features (like CSS, JavaScript, and inline media), Gemini guarantees that your experience will be simple, fast, and user-respecting. No complicated issues like browser fingerprinting, popups, tracking, XSS, etc.
3. Gemini might be a good fit for disseminating information in low-bandwidth long-range mesh networks like Meshtastic, which might become part of our apolcalyptic/dystopian future.
4. Gemini is a good format for scraping web content or generating content for displaying on devices like DIY smart mirrors, Raspberry Pi tablet screens, Smart watches, etc.
Curious? Try this link below which uses a web proxy to display some random feeds from Gemini sites.
> Capcom Gemini Aggregator
2021-01-20
"These all use some form of local radio signal. Some, such as Briar, may use short-range Bluetooth and Wifi, while others use radios such as LoRa that can reach several miles with low power. ... Every item on this list uses full end-to-end encryption" #offline #messenger #lora #meshnetwork
> Roundup of Secure Messengers with Off-The-Grid Capabilities
2021-01-17
Awesome talk about the ideas and possibilities behind the Beaker Browser, a peer-to-peer browser. #beakerbrowser #decentralizedweb #dweb
> Imagine This: A Web Without Servers (2018)
2021-01-13
"On the Internet, your rate of learning is limited not by access to information, but by your ability to ignore distractions"
> The Paradox of Abundance - David Perell
2021-01-08
Bumper harvest of cherry tomatoes from my #aquaponics #diy
2021-01-07
You may be in a quandry about deleting WhatsApp, because EVERYONE is on it. How quickly we forget that this was true of Mixit and BBM. We've moved before, we can move again, the businesses will follow. #deletewhatsapp #deletefacebook
2021-01-07
Facebook really wants your data! The long term solution is decentalized/federated, like Matrix.
> WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using the app
2021-01-05
My fav gadget of 2020: the LCD writing tablet. Costs under R200. 2 year battery life. Doesn't sync with anything. Can only erase whole screen. Helps me focus distraction-free on today's tasks and jot down notes.
2021-01-05
Contact tracing is so dangerous, it gives governments an irresistible tool for tracking, surveillance and control. The abuse of the tech has already begun.
> Govt confirms that police can use TraceTogether data for criminal investigations
2020-12-30
Using some simple scripts, I have automated the process of publishing microblogs to my static-generated website (which uses #Pelican). It makes use of the #IndieWeb standard #micropub format, so I can even share links and upload photos to my blog via the Indigenous app. Now you can too!
> IndieWeb scripts for publishing using micropub to a static-site generator like Pelican.
2020-12-28
Now watching 0xcon talks from last month. #infosec #southafrica
> 0xcon 2020 - YouTube
2020-12-26
Interesting new protocol: "Gemini is a new internet protocol which: Is heavier than gopher; Is lighter than the web; Will not replace either; Strives for maximum power to weight ratio; Takes user privacy very seriously"
> Project Gemini FAQ
2020-12-24
Tiny World is an amazing documentary with incredibly beautiful photography. Well worth watching. #tv #documentary
> Tiny World — Official Trailer l Apple TV+ - YouTube
2020-12-24
Pavel Durov, the creator of Telegram blogged this:
> Consume Less. Create More. It’s More Fun.
2020-12-24
Another epic Joburg sunset, taken yesterday afternoon. 😍
2020-12-22
To be or not to be :-)
2020-12-22
Raspberry Pi portable PC #diy
2020-12-22
Flowers in the yard
2020-12-22
Beautiful Joburg sunset
2020-12-21
The #gpcoronavirus #covid19 dashboard has been updated with a powerful hotspot analysis provided by @WitsUniversity which will hopefully assist @GautengProvince with the second surge.
> Re: tweet
> Details:
> Dashboard:
2020-12-20
My #aquaponics runneth over! That's cherry tomatoes hanging off the side, bearing plenty of fruit. #diy
2020-12-20
Holiday reading for the geeky: NODE zine contains articles about interesting open source, decentralized, censorship-resistant and cutting-edge technologies.
> NODE zine
2020-12-19
Right, clearly that first post revealed some kinks that needed working out. Here are some kittens. #IndieWeb
2020-12-19
First micro-blog post on my own site, which will hopefully be syndicated to social media via #IndieWeb tech!
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