The Technology Vent and Rant Thread - Page 242

nana77 · 06-27-2026, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

The magic smoke escaped my PSU (yes, I have a surge protector). Luckily it didn't take any other parts with it.

I did changed 2, years ago, always to fall back to the one that sold me a colleague, which was from years before; I then sold it within the rest of the pc, and the person whose I'd sold it repleaced, either, the ones he had within that one LOL: a Tagan Galaxy 850 iirc.
There is one thing -imho- about having real, thick relays instead of switches that "think" to do the same job.

j.p.s · 07-18-2026, 07:21 PM

github has been around for over 15 years, but its pull request approval button with three choices doesn't have one that properly handles a PR with a single fast-forwardable commit.

ratinox · 07-19-2026, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.p.s

github has been around for over 15 years, but its pull request approval button with three choices doesn't have one that properly handles a PR with a single fast-forwardable commit.

Microsoft are "always working on new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements." Their mobile app updates say so! That doesn't sound like a bug fix so I guess it's either a new feature or a performance improvement.

j.p.s · 07-19-2026, 01:33 PM

They are well aware that it is one of the most (strongly) requested "new" features ever. It is trivial from the command line, but since PRs are initiated via gui that complicates things.

Solitaire1 · 07-21-2026, 12:13 AM

I've recently been looking into typewriters, and one issue I've had is that it seems like there are few places to get a typewriter serviced and repaired. At an example, I have a Brother WP-1500D dedicated word processor and I'd like to take it in to get it cleaned and checked because I'd hate to toss it because it is better than the current crop of new typewriters. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anywhere in my area that provides that type of service, although I'm going to keep searching on the Internet.

Even worse is that there are many older typewriters that are designed to last a lifetime with regular servicing (including many that predate WWII) but, like I mentioned above, there are few places to get them serviced. Meanwhile, more recent typewriters are mostly plastic, while older typewriters were mostly metal (and thus very heavy).

I understand that computers with word processing programs now dominate when it comes to writing, but many people are returning to manual typewriters because they prefer writing on a device that is distraction free. That's one of the reasons I wanted to get my Brother Word Processor restored, it provides distraction-free writing since it is only a word processor, and it can also take the place of a manual typewriter and an electronic typewriter.

However, when I saw that typewriters were fading away, since I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get my Brother word processor working again, I decided to buy typewriter and I purchased a Royal Scriptor II electronic typewriter, the last typewriter they had in stock. It's a fairly good typewriter (backed up by reviews on YouTube), and once I sat down and started typing on it it felt good to use an actual typewriter once again.

JSWolf · 07-21-2026, 08:09 AM

Where do you live? If we knew that, we could have a look for a place to get your Brother WP-1500D serviced.

Bother won't service it.

Cactus Chef · 07-21-2026, 11:57 AM

Well in a strange reversal, I have two updates from previous rants in the very thread.

1) I managed to get Cloudflare's page protection working with uMatrix again. And
2) AI helped me figure it out.

Turns out it was one of my other extensions that was interfering (one called "Blend-In").

JSWolf · 07-21-2026, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

Well in a strange reversal, I have two updates from previous rants in the very thread.

1) I managed to get Cloudflare's page protection working with uMatrix again. And
2) AI helped me figure it out.

Turns out it was one of my other extensions that was interfering (one called "Blend-In").

Would you mind taking a look at the Kobo Metadata plugin and seeing if you can get it to bypass Cloudflare? It does sometimes, but not always.

Solitaire1 · 07-21-2026, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Where do you live? If we knew that, we could have a look for a place to get your Brother WP-1500D serviced.

Bother won't service it.

I live in San Antonio, Texas. When I checked for places that can service typewriters, I didn't find any local shops that offer the service, although there was one that looked like it was a few hours away. Still, it is possible that I wasn't entering the right search criteria.

The following is a documentary, California Typewriters, about typewriters:

Cactus Chef · 07-24-2026, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Would you mind taking a look at the Kobo Metadata plugin and seeing if you can get it to bypass Cloudflare? It does sometimes, but not always.

Spent a few minutes with Gemini last night, per your request. It didn't have any suggestions that the end-user could do. From a plugin code perspective, it suggested that the maintainer could try migrating from cloudscraper to a different library (I don't recall the name) that seems better at presenting its user agent in a way that CloudFlare deems legitimate. But even the AI didn't seem terribly confident ("Some users have had success by switching from cloudscraper to ____"), and I'm not gonna tell NotSimone how to do their job using spurious AI advice. I'm not a seasoned developer.

Cactus Chef · 08-17-2026, 10:34 AM

Well I can officially cross "AI deleted my company's repo" off my bucket list.

One of my teammates at work was trying to add a vibe-coded tool into our team's git repo. The AI kept running into permission errors (probably my teammate hadn't properly synced the repo to his local before checking in the new stuff), so the AI "helpfully" decided it would resolve the error by running `git push --force` to the origin branch, which did exactly as you would suspect: it overwrote the entire existing repo with the engineer's new project and blew everything else away, INCLUDING the git history.

So that was fun. There was no way from the repo itself to roll it back, but I had a local copy of the repo on my side from before the push, and was able to restore it that way. It certainly helps that I am on a small team and it only temporarily blew away some of our automation tooling, as opposed to the company's product offerings.

badgoodDeb · 08-18-2026, 08:36 PM

Oh my goodness. That does NOT sound like as much fun as you report it to be!

BetterRed · 08-25-2026, 08:24 AM

Had a ride in one of these today ==>> https://www.interacoustics.com/balan...ment/trv-chair

Now I know what my clothes have to go through when they get tumble washed and spin dried. The one I was in was motorised, bit like the similar contraptions used in pilot and astronaut training, the neurologist operated it via a console.

It bought back a memory that I had a ride in an F111 simulator once. I was doing a 'love' job for a RAAF Wing Commander and he snuck me in under the radar… they were made by Link-Singer. Link was a piano and organ manufacturer, Singer made sewing machines. Can't recall what the 'love' job was, might have been something to do with skiff racing or equestrian competition.

Renate · 08-25-2026, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Had a ride in one of these today ==>> https://www.interacoustics.com/balan...ment/trv-chair

Just nope.
It would be a matter of milliseconds before they had to hit the emergency stop and get somebody to clean the walls.

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07-18-2026, 07:21 PM	#3617
j.p.s Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,097 Karma: 107275353 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: pb360	github has been around for over 15 years, but its pull request approval button with three choices doesn't have one that properly handles a PR with a single fast-forwardable commit.

07-19-2026, 01:33 PM	#3619
j.p.s Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,097 Karma: 107275353 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: pb360	They are well aware that it is one of the most (strongly) requested "new" features ever. It is trivial from the command line, but since PRs are initiated via gui that complicates things.

07-21-2026, 12:13 AM	#3620
Solitaire1 Observant Owl Posts: 15,374 Karma: 70503014 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: NookColor, Nook Glowlight 4	I've recently been looking into typewriters, and one issue I've had is that it seems like there are few places to get a typewriter serviced and repaired. At an example, I have a Brother WP-1500D dedicated word processor and I'd like to take it in to get it cleaned and checked because I'd hate to toss it because it is better than the current crop of new typewriters. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anywhere in my area that provides that type of service, although I'm going to keep searching on the Internet. Even worse is that there are many older typewriters that are designed to last a lifetime with regular servicing (including many that predate WWII) but, like I mentioned above, there are few places to get them serviced. Meanwhile, more recent typewriters are mostly plastic, while older typewriters were mostly metal (and thus very heavy). I understand that computers with word processing programs now dominate when it comes to writing, but many people are returning to manual typewriters because they prefer writing on a device that is distraction free. That's one of the reasons I wanted to get my Brother Word Processor restored, it provides distraction-free writing since it is only a word processor, and it can also take the place of a manual typewriter and an electronic typewriter. However, when I saw that typewriters were fading away, since I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get my Brother word processor working again, I decided to buy typewriter and I purchased a Royal Scriptor II electronic typewriter, the last typewriter they had in stock. It's a fairly good typewriter (backed up by reviews on YouTube), and once I sat down and started typing on it it felt good to use an actual typewriter once again.

07-21-2026, 08:09 AM	#3621
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 84,665 Karma: 153788055 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Where do you live? If we knew that, we could have a look for a place to get your Brother WP-1500D serviced. Bother won't service it.

07-21-2026, 11:57 AM	#3622
Cactus Chef Guru Posts: 935 Karma: 12345678 Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: East Coast, United States Device: Kobo Sage, Kobo Clara HD, Galaxy Tab S5e, Kindle 4th Gen	Well in a strange reversal, I have two updates from previous rants in the very thread. 1) I managed to get Cloudflare's page protection working with uMatrix again. And 2) AI helped me figure it out. Turns out it was one of my other extensions that was interfering (one called "Blend-In").

08-17-2026, 10:34 AM	#3626
Cactus Chef Guru Posts: 935 Karma: 12345678 Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: East Coast, United States Device: Kobo Sage, Kobo Clara HD, Galaxy Tab S5e, Kindle 4th Gen	Well I can officially cross "AI deleted my company's repo" off my bucket list. One of my teammates at work was trying to add a vibe-coded tool into our team's git repo. The AI kept running into permission errors (probably my teammate hadn't properly synced the repo to his local before checking in the new stuff), so the AI "helpfully" decided it would resolve the error by running `git push --force` to the origin branch, which did exactly as you would suspect: it overwrote the entire existing repo with the engineer's new project and blew everything else away, INCLUDING the git history. So that was fun. There was no way from the repo itself to roll it back, but I had a local copy of the repo on my side from before the push, and was able to restore it that way. It certainly helps that I am on a small team and it only temporarily blew away some of our automation tooling, as opposed to the company's product offerings.

08-18-2026, 08:36 PM	#3627
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,617 Karma: 64615205 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	Oh my goodness. That does NOT sound like as much fun as you report it to be!

08-25-2026, 08:24 AM	#3628
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 22,803 Karma: 34252730 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	Had a ride in one of these today ==>> https://www.interacoustics.com/balan...ment/trv-chair Now I know what my clothes have to go through when they get tumble washed and spin dried. The one I was in was motorised, bit like the similar contraptions used in pilot and astronaut training, the neurologist operated it via a console. It bought back a memory that I had a ride in an F111 simulator once. I was doing a 'love' job for a RAAF Wing Commander and he snuck me in under the radar… they were made by Link-Singer. Link was a piano and organ manufacturer, Singer made sewing machines. Can't recall what the 'love' job was, might have been something to do with skiff racing or equestrian competition.