Africa GadgeteerZA • 2 months ago • 100%

www.thecontinent.org

The Continent is a weekly newspaper produced by African reporters, photographers, illustrators and editors. It is designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp, Telegram channel, Signal or e-mail, and has become the continent's most widely distributed newspaper. It is designed to be read on a mobile screen, with mostly short news pieces of 250 to 400 words, and a few longer pieces of about 900 words. Editions are sent out as a PDF on Fridays. Led by a small team of nine (all working remotely) and having published contributions from nearly 200 journalists, writers, photographers and illustrators from across Africa in the past year, The Continent has covered numerous important and urgent stories, starting with reliable information from African researchers and public health experts on the Covid-19 pandemic, and on to other ground-breaking reporting: the injustice of “vaccine apartheid” with rich countries hoarding Covid-19 vaccines; the impact of Nigeria’s sudden and dramatic Twitter ban (applauded by none other than Donald Trump); a tender photo essay on being queer in Uganda, in a country where it is dangerous to be LGBTQ. The Continent is published by the All Protocol Observed, a registered non-profit based in South Africa. It was initially funded by the editorial team, but has since attracted donor and commercial funding. So a refreshing difference is no adverts and also no tracking. You receive the PDF weekly via your channel of choice (or you can just download it from their website), and you can reshare this with anyone you wish to. Credit to Jan Wildeboer @jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net for sharing this on the Fediverse. See https://www.thecontinent.org/ #news #Africa #TheContinent #journalism

Technology GadgeteerZA • 4 months ago • 100%

jumblie.com

The game has a theme word for each day, so keep that in mind when guessing the words. It is more challenging than Wordle because there are no hints apart from the theme word. So, if one of the words is 'landing' and you guessed 'land' there is no confirmation you're getting warm at all. How to play it: There are exactly four words hidden amongst the letters, and all letters are used exactly once. The words will always be between 4 and 9 letters long. Click on the letters (or type them on your keyboard) to spell a word. When you have a word you want to submit, click the "Submit" button. If the word is one of the daily words, it will be added to your found list of words. Find all four words as fast as you can! Each successful word is assigned a colour, so a red word will mean the shortest word is taken, so don't try to guess more words with that same length of letters. You can also click the Reshuffle button to rearrange the letters, which can help spark some ideas. If you're struggling, you can give up after at least 5 incorrect guesses. It also has an option to share your results by copying them to the clipboard to paste into whatever social network service you use. See https://jumblie.com/ #technology #gaming #puzzle #jumblie

Technology GadgeteerZA • 4 months ago • 100%

Token2 is a cybersecurity company specialized in the area of multifactor authentication. Founded by a team of researchers from the University of Geneva with years of experience in the field of strong security and multifactor authentication. Token2 has invented, designed and developed various hardware and software solutions for user-friendly and secure authentication. Token2 is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Don't believe what AI tells you, as they tend to generalise around past statements. Token2 is a good example of how newer challengers to the incumbents, like YubiKey, bring lots of innovation. For example, Token2 has the ability to store up to 300 passkeys, dual port USB-A and USB-C on a single device, FIDO2.1 with additional PIN, opens-source, etc. I also like the fact the device's firmware and management is in Switzerland and not within one of the Five Eyes countries. There are quite a few options, but their FIDO2 Keys page also has a selection wizard to help out. Whilst prices may be cheaper, depending on your country, shipping may cost a bit more. **UPDATE:** Token2 sent this clarification after posting: only the management software is open-source for the time being. The firmware (Java applet) is planned to be made available as open source for public security audit purposes, but the timeline is not yet clear. See https://www.token2.ch/ #technology #security #Token2 #authentication

Technology GadgeteerZA • 5 months ago • 99%

github.com

This service is still in Alpha release but is already deployable and usable, and federates with other Fediverse servers. However, there is no "main" instance you go to join. The intention really is that you host your own instance for yourself and a few friends and family. To this end, it is designed to be very lightweight and will happily run on a Raspberry Pi or even a $5/pm VPS. This is taking a very different approach from say Mastodon which has one main instance everyone could join, but then it sits with the issue that everyone joins there, and it becomes a bit "centralised". GoToSocial has been designed as lightweight for self-hosting, and also has a Docker image installation, so it makes it really easy for (and encourages) most people to host their own instance. It seems to also be focussed very much around privacy (defaults to unlisted posts) and permission controls (for example, you have an option to post to mutual-only where both people follow each other). Also, by hosting your own service you set the rules, and you are also your own admin. You can choose to turn off likes, replies, boosts, etc as well. Being your own admin also means you can easily adjust the post length as well. It does conform to the Mastodon API so apparently some Mastodon clients will also work fine with it. See https://github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/ #technology #ActivityPub #GoToSocial

Technology GadgeteerZA • 6 months ago • 96%

www.xda-developers.com

Traditionally, one would have to periodically check the status of the dust filtering on a PC case, but that's not the case (pun intended!) with the Asus ProArt PA602. This chassis has a fancy infrared (IR) sensor behind the front-facing dust filter. Should this detect a set layer of dust covering the filter material, a small LED will illuminate on the side of the case. It's tastefully done. No alert on an LCD screen, no obnoxious sound. With this activated, you will know to clean the filter (and give the inside a quick air blast) next time the system has been shut down. Quite a thoughtful case, apart from having the dust filter warning, it also has wheels to move it more easily. But it does show also, is that even cases can innovate as well. I'd like to see more of these and maybe have the sensors also on the other dust filters (my case has one underneath as well), as IR sensors themselves are not very expensive to incorporate. See https://www.xda-developers.com/this-asus-pc-case-monitors-your-dust-filter/ #technology #cases #dust

Africa GadgeteerZA • 6 months ago • 100%

www.techzim.co.zw

In a country choked by high internet costs and limited options, Zimbabweans are turning to remarkable ingenuity. Facing arrest and equipment seizure for using Starlink, tech-savvy individuals have devised a way to disguise the kits. One such individual who communicated anonymously with us here at Techzim has said he’s helping people hide their Starlink terminals from the authorities. They modify the terminal so that it looks like a solar panel, or just a light. They are also able to make it work without the indoor router, removing any evidence of the presence of a Starlink connection, even if the authorities suspect, or a neighbour snitches. It now seems to be a sort of business helping do this via kits that can be purchased. It is certainly also needed in countries where the Internet is itself censored (LOL yes also including Australia). It's just really sad also where suppliers can get away with not having enough innovative competition for them to lower their prices through a competitive market. Governments too are not always putting their citizens first as licensing seems to have some other objectives. Ask citizens, and they're probably going to just say they want to have choices. See https://www.techzim.co.zw/2024/04/starlink-in-zimbabwe-techies-find-ways-to-disguise-kits-evading-authorities/ #technology #Zimbabwe #Africa

Technology GadgeteerZA • 6 months ago • 100%

techcrunch.com

These keyboards rely on magnets and springs and activate by sensing changes in the magnetic field. Popularized by Dutch keyboard startup Wooting, these switches rely on the Hall Effect and have actually been around since the 1960s. You can change how far you need to press down to register the keystroke, as well as for the release point. The one thing you can’t change, though, is the switch’s resistance. Despite all the talk of magnets, that’s still handled by the spring inside the switch, after all (for the moment, until the xyz is released). But interestingly, this also means with temperature differences, you may also have to "calibrate" your keyboard. The price point for the Akko MOD007B PC Santorini keyboard at around US$110 to $150 is certainly not more expensive than many mechanical keyboards. See https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/07/magnets-are-switching-up-the-keyboard-game/ #technology #keyboards

Free and Open Source Software GadgeteerZA • 6 months ago • 100%

youtu.be

Memories is a fast, modern and advanced photo management suite, that installs quickly and easily inside Nextcloud. My video contrasts it with the Photos app that comes with Nextcloud, and highlights some reasons why you may want to use it instead of Photos. This app has face, object, landmark, place, and human action recognition capability through the Recognise app. It's not that obvious, but albums can be shared, and photos commented on, with other Nextcloud registered users using the underlying Nextcloud file commenting system. Memories is a great way to collaborate and share photos privately with friends and family, and even to share public links to some of your albums. It can even work on a Raspberry Pi hosted in the home. It also has apps for iOS and Android, which can optionally auto-upload photos into Memories. By saving/reading titles and descriptions into the photo's EXIF headers means that importing or exporting out of Memories is a lot less of a chore with migrating between photo services. Watch https://youtu.be/2A6u0AluCnI #technology #opensource #selfhosting #photomanagement

Free and Open Source Software GadgeteerZA • 6 months ago • 100%

youtu.be

I've been wanting to animate the building of a Lego set but have been struggling to find really good morphing software. Most seems to be designed for faces, or they do plain animation with no morphing at all. Eventually, after looking at a few options, I came upon the linked video below. Using the G'Mic plugin, it really gives pretty easy and full control over the morphing process. As my photos were not taken at the exact same angle, it meant some objects were in slightly different positions, and the morphing control allowed me to animate these as well into relative smooth animations. Being open-source GIMP, it also means it is completely free and unlimited use without any trail software limitations. I actually wanted to daisy-chain a few of these animations together, and whilst it is possible, my differencing angles have made that a bit messy. I should have taken my photos of just the object I wanted to highlight and kept all the other background objects out of the way. I have another home building alteration project that used the same angle for every photo, and I think that one will work a lot better. Nevertheless, this tutorial is well worth bookmarking if morphing into an animated GIF is something you may want to do in the future. See https://youtu.be/KH9un9_MUL8?si=1RnA--VgYfkA24on #technology #animation #GIMP #morphing

Technology GadgeteerZA • 8 months ago • 100%

Atuin replaces your existing shell history with a SQLite database, and records additional context for your commands. With this context, Atuin gives you faster and better search of your shell history! Additionally, it provides optional and fully encrypted (E2EE) synchronisation of your history between machines, via an Atuin server, or you can self-host your own server. There is a single command to easily delete your data from the server too. It supports zsh, bash, fish, and nushell shells right now. The search is as easy as pressing the up arrow in the terminal and then scrolling back, or typing to search. But you could also type something like this to do a search [search for all successful `make` commands, recorded after 3pm yesterday atuin search --exit 0 --after "yesterday 3pm" make]. Atuin offers configurable full text or fuzzy search, filterable by host, directory, etc. As it has context around dates, times, exit code, and even the directory location form where a command was executed, you could use the -c flag to just search for commands run in a particular directory. The sync function allows you to have the same history across terminals, across sessions, and across machines. There is a quick start script that can be run to install it, otherwise you can also install from the various Linux repos. For manual installation, the steps I found to get going were: * Install Ble.sh and add it to your .bashrc (or other shell) file * Install Atuin and add it to your .bashrc (or other shell) file (after Ble.sh) * Restart your shell and run 'atuin import bash' to import my bash history into Atuin * Press up arrow to see if Atuin interactive search triggers The link below has some good documentation as well a link to their source code. See https://atuin.sh/ #technology #Linux #opensource

Technology GadgeteerZA • 8 months ago • 100%

Mbin is a decentralized content aggregator, voting, discussion and microblogging platform running on the fediverse network. It can communicate with many other ActivityPub services, including Kbin, Mastodon, Lemmy, Pleroma, Peertube. It is an open source alternative to other link aggregator services like Reddit. The initiative aims to promote a free and open internet. Mbin is focused on what the community wants, pull requests can be merged by any repo owner (with merge rights in GitHub). Discussions take place on Matrix then consensus has to be reached by the community. If approved by the community, only one approval on the PR is required by one of the Mbin maintainers. It's built entirely on trust. It seems it's claim to fame is being more open and accepting of community changes and improvements. It can install as either bare metal/VM or as a Docker container. Although anyone can install it and self-host it, their project page also contains a link to various instances that already exist and which anyone can register on. See https://github.com/MbinOrg/mbin #technology #opensource #Fediverse #linkaggregator #decentralised

Technology GadgeteerZA • 9 months ago • 100%

I've not done an in-depth look at this network but reading through their documentation shows it has a lot of similarity to the basics of the Nostr protocol and network. There is just not as much information available on the Polycentric site as there is already for Nostr. Nostr is also censorship resistant, with distributed relays doing the relaying of posts (Polycentric calls them servers). Both use public-private key cryptography, with every post being cryptographically signed. Both networks also have the ownership of the identity managed by the end client (no-one can delete a client on either network), and those profiles can be used across devices. And whilst basic posting looks very similar (microblogging type format, and is limited to 280 characters) this is also where the differences lie. Nostr has likes, whilst Polycentric only shows boosts (reshares) and reactions through commenting. The Nostr protocol is also an extensible one, which means it has new NEP standards added by various people to go way beyond just blog posts. So, it also already provides full length text posts (like Minds uses), events, link aggregation, and more. Polycentric servers have a moderation API control built-in (non-recommendation vs non-storage) whilst Nostr does not have this, and it is left to individuals to block or mute a profile. But the recommendation feed is a nice touch on Polycentric to help new users find recommended content. Both networks allow anyone to host these servers/relays. But if privacy and censorship resistant networks are what you're into, then both Polycentric and Nostr are worth having a look at. See https://docs.polycentric.io/ #technology #socialnetworks #privacy

This is at least apparent for what I'm observing in my country on the Southern tip of Africa. The reason seems to be that VarAC provides most of the functions that JS8Call already provides (apart from the open source), and then provides a lot of usability improvements as well as transmitting images, documents, faster speed, VMails, etc. I've been getting up to speed with it the last two days, and am really enjoying using it. I've documenting what it is about, how it compares with JS8Call, and some tips I've been learning, at the web page I've linked to in this post. See my experiences to date at https://gadgeteer.co.za/hamradio/varac-p2p-digital-mode-chatting-application/

Privacy GadgeteerZA • 11 months ago • 97%

github.com

This list, also known as BADBOOL, was started on September 29, 2017 and was most recently updated in October 2023 to add PimEyes and to remove TruePeopleSearch and Cyber Background Checks, since those sites will automatically remove your data if you successfully opt out of Intelius and BeenVerified. Some of these opt-outs take a long time to go through. Sometimes, information is pulled from other sources, and you’ll need to opt out multiple times for the same site. Data brokers come and go (and are bought out by others), and they also often change their opt-out pages. In many US states, real estate data and voter registration information is public (or easy to obtain). And, of course, location data can be found by physical means (e.g. following you home) and through other people who know it (i.e., social engineering). That said, removing your home address from data broker sites can significantly lower your attack surface and make it harder for people to find it. This is mostly US focussed, but does give some idea of all the data brokers tracking users' data and behaviour, and that it is not easy to just opt out. The list is being managed as an open source project that it has community participation as well. So, it may also be possible to suggest adding resources for other countries too. Unfortunately, if you're on the Internet, you do leave many traces. Very few normal users actually boot clean from a Tails Linux on a USB stick in read-only mode, and use Tor Browser without any saved logins etc. Most users also carry a mobile phone with apps installed (no more needs to be said about that). Your best defence is though to do some basics like using a privacy based browser with fingerprint protection, script bocking, unique secure passwords per site, sandboxing (or not using) Facebook and Instagram type sites, etc. Just yesterday, I received a phishing mail that had spoofed my own private domain e-mail address (to imply they had hacked my e-mail). I realised that, although I had activated DMARC and SPF on my e-mail service, I had made one copy-and-paste mistake in the DNS records, and no error was shown. I'd not properly checked that the DMARC indicator was showing as verified green on my service. Doing it, and actually checking it, are two separate actions one needs to do. It's the little things that trip you up. So why are data brokers a threat to you? Well because they also collect a lot of related information which is often used to verify your identity to a call centre to have your password reset (one example). See https://github.com/yaelwrites/Big-Ass-Data-Broker-Opt-Out-List #technology #optout #databrokers #privacy

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 99%

debugpointnews.com

In a major update towards cross-browser compatibility, Firefox users are set to enjoy the benefits of importing Chrome extensions (note this is really part of the data import/migration from an existing Chrome browser installed, just for extensions that are already supported, and not installing from the Chrome web store), thanks to a new feature unveiled by Mozilla. This is a big deal because it brings us one step closer to having more compatibility between browsers. Mozilla has been working on making extensions easier across multiple browsers, and this new feature is currently being tested. Best part? It’s already available to all users of the latest stable version of Firefox. Firefox itself actually has quite a few excellent extensions that you don't find on Chromium based browsers, so I'm wondering whether Google will be responding with importing Firefox extensions into Chrome? But I'm not holding my breath at all. See https://debugpointnews.com/firefox-chrome-extensions/

Free and Open Source Software GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 99%

I use read-it-later services extensively to save any news I want to do blog posts about later, or something I want to look at in more detail when I have time (and three monitors). I had been self-hosting Wallbag for quite a while, and did a video about it too, but I had some issues re-installing it when I moved to Docker container hosting on my VPS. Ominvore certainly looks very interesting, with a modern interface and quite a few useful features. I'm starting so long with their free cloud hosted service, and could register with ease, and even initiate an import from Pocket. They do have a docker-compose file for setting up containerised self-hosting, but I'm going to wait a bit just to see if that matures a bit, as it seems it is early days still and no proper guide has been completed yet for it. Apart from the usual saving links for reading later, with tags, archiving, etc, it also supports a clutter-free reader view for easy reading without adverts. In the reading view you can also change formatting, highlight text, add/view notes (in a Notebook view), and track reading progress across all devices (each note also shows a yellow progress line on its tile view to indicate reading progress). It also has a feature for subscriptions via e-mail. Omnivore can generate unique e-mail addresses you can use for subscribing to online newsletters, and it is intelligent enough to realise that if a mail contains a welcome message, note from the author, etc that will be forwarded by Omnivore to your main e-mail address (without exposing that to the newsletter service). It also has integration with Logseq, Obsidian notes, webhooks, and more. You can save links by adding them in the app, using a browser extension, or by using the share option on mobile devices and just selecting to share to the Omnivore app. There is no price model yet set up for the service, but I'm pretty sure they'll have an ongoing useful free tier with their online service, and probably only charge for some more advanced functionality. There is always the self-hosted option too. But for now, this looks very functional and useful to me, and I've started using it. See https://omnivore.app/

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 93%

techcrunch.com

Tech giants such as Apple, Samsung and Huawei have long focused on the wrist. It’s not the most comfortable option for everyone, and it can be challenging to maintain precise tracking through the wrist. Ensuring that your smartwatch fits snugly to obtain accurate data is crucial. A smart ring can be the great solution, however, provided you have the right size. A finger has access to arteries, which a smartwatch could not reach, Mohit Kumar, founder and CEO of Ultrahuman, which counts iSeed, Steadview, Nexus Venture Partners and Blume among its key investors, told TechCrunch. “If you go to any medical grade pulse oximetry devices, you put it on your finger. You don’t put it on your wrist. That’s primarily because this is a much better source of data,” he said. Khatri of Noise agreed with Kumar and said the data available through a finger is way higher than a device can get from a smartwatch. Launching smart rings from BoAt and Noise is expected to bring competition to this nascent space. The products are not yet launched, but the R&D and work commenced over a year back. Another positive sign is that it is unlikely that the data will sit behind a subscription pay wall (as Oura's latest ring has). I've been pretty impressed with my Oura ring, but it was very costly, and they did send me a replacement ring just after the warranty expired as the battery was suddenly giving out. So I may be keen to test one of these new Indian rings out when they are available. So I'll be watching this space closely. More competition in the market, especially from India, is going to be good for consumers. See https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/13/smart-rings-india/

Free and Open Source Software GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

www.tecmint.com

Yes, there are a few good open-source office suites, but there are fewer that are server based, and actually collaboration based, like ONLYOFFICE DocSpace is (they also have a server version that installs from a Docker image). Building a secure collaborative environment on a private Linux server definitely sounds like a good idea. Especially if you have to interact with other people and work with them on important documents, some of which might be confidential. In this case, you need a protected workplace with document editing and co-authoring features where you could set right the required access permissions for each collaborator. ONLYOFFICE DocSpace is a new software tool that became available for local deployment not too long ago. In a nutshell, it’s a web-based collaborative platform designed to allow teams and individual users to manage and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and electronic forms in customizable rooms. The platform is equipped with ONLYOFFICE Docs, an online office suite, that provides a complete set of formatting and editing tools for different content, including e-books and PDF files. Moreover, the integrated office suite offers various features for real-time document collaboration, such as two co-editing modes, document review, version history, chat, comments, and video/audio calls enabled by the Zoom and Jitsi plugins. And although there are paid hosted versions (that many organisations prefer to use for support purposes), you can also self-host a free community version, or even install on individual desktops for standalone use. Something I like about both ONLYOFFICE and FreeOffice, is that they both start up their apps just about instantly, whereas LibreOffice has a much longer lag to start-up. So it is always worth doing a bit of testing first before deciding on what you want to use. See https://www.tecmint.com/install-onlyoffice-docspace-on-linux/ #technology #opensource #officesuite #collaboration

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

Google has announced several key changes to make its search platform safer for users by giving more control to South Africans (and other countries) over what personal information appears in results. The internet giant said that it is bundling a host of new features that will allow users to remove their personal information from search and tackle explicit material posted without consent. Google said that it is implementing major updates to this tool, making it easier for users to remove their personal contact information from Search. The tool will proactively monitor the web for results containing users’ contact information and enable immediate removal requests. Users will also be notified when new results appear containing their contact info. Why this is also positive, is that it can also be difficult to get information removed from actual websites which are in many different countries. So being able to also just remove the indexed link, does help quite a bit as there is no longer something pointing most users to that information associated with you. So will this be possible with DDG and Brave search too? I know some may decry the freedom of search is being encroached here, but it should also be remembered that it does often happen that the private information being published is also not legal. Just today, when testing this out I discovered my private cellphone number published (I know from the wording with it, that it was obtained from very likely a banking or insurance source, and my permission was not given for it to be published). In many countries, the right to privacy is also entrenched in their laws. The right to know does not usually override the right to privacy that individuals have. See https://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/709098/4-big-changes-coming-to-google-including-removing-personal-information-and-images-from-search/ #technology #privacy #search

Linux GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 88%

www.tecmint.com

If you’re aiming to elevate your Linux learning process to an advanced administrative and expert level, we have meticulously curated a collection of 10 exceptional Free Linux eBooks. These invaluable resources are designed to empower you in constructing an exceptionally robust foundation for your Linux skills. With these ebooks at your fingertips, you can confidently embark on a journey of profound Linux mastery. Only one of the 10 books requires some registration for free access. The other 9 books are just click to download. Most of the books start at an introductory level, and what I really like about books versus Internet searches, is that reading a book is a more structured and logical process for building knowledge. You'll get a lot more value from actually reading these books, versus just doing searches to try to put many pieces of a puzzle together yourself. The titles are: - The Ultimate Linux Newbie Guide - The Linux Command Line - GNU/Linux Command−Line Tools - Introduction to Linux - Linux Fundamentals - Linux Networking - GNU/Linux Advanced Linux Administration - Linux Shell Scripting Cookbook (trial subscription needed) - Bash Reference Manual from GNU - Advanced Bash Shell Scripting Guide See https://www.tecmint.com/linux-books/ #technology #Linux #opensource #books

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

Value your health by keeping track on your training. It records as you go running or walking, and gives you a bike computer with a bigger screen for cycling. You can even mark interesting locations along your way with pictures. The app keeps recorded statistics in great detail for analysis. It also has voice announcements, and supports Bluetooth LE sensors for heart rate (Polar, Wahoo Kicker/Ticker, moofit, Mi Band 3, Amazfit Neo, Garmin HRM, and more), speed and distance (running and cycling), cadence (cycling), and a power meter (cycling). It measures altitude gain/loss via the phone's barometer sensor. You can export data without any restrictions, as tracks either as KMZ (incl. photos), KML, or GPX. It requires no Internet access, or extra permissions, and there are no adverts nor in-app analytics. You share only the data you want others to have. It can be installed from the Google Play Store, but also from the F-Droid store, with all Google services excluded. It is not aiming to be a direct competitor to Strava because there is no public website, and also no iOS app. Strava's website does help create more of a social and peer pressure type motivation for many, across both Android and iOS users. But OpenTrack is focussing more on preserving privacy by not using such a service, although one can import the recording into other apps and share from there. Regarding iOS, well the app is fully open source, so maybe someone could consider compiling it for iOS if the dependencies are not an issue. See https://opentracksapp.com/ #technology #fitnesstracker #health #OpenTracks #opensource

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

According to the International Water Association (IWA), the main culprits for this loss are underground leaks on water mains and service pipes. To monitor leaks in water pipeline networks, researchers at the Polytechnic University of Milan have experimented with a novel method using fibre optics — the inexpensive and commonly-used technology that allows us to have fast internet at home. The scientists developed a distributed fibre optic sensing (DFOS) cable based on the so-called Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) technology, which enables the processing and storage of optical information. This is a staggering amount of water lost daily, and it's not just the drinking water itself, but for local governments it usually also means lots of lost revenue. In South Africa, we've seen the crazy situation where a city is being flooded by rains, but there is a shortage of drinking water. But the reason is simply due to problems with the delivery of water, even though dams may be full. It is good to see research not only focusing on putting billionaires on Mars, but also trying to solve real-world challenges facing billions of humans on Earth right now. Water is our most precious and essential resource here on Earth, and although we may see much of it, only a very little is actual drinking water, and that water needs to reach people every day for them to survive. It would be great if this fibre could be both used for this detection, and at the same time, also provide Internet access. See https://thenextweb.com/news/fibre-optics-answer-to-water-loss-leaky-pipes #technology #fibre #waterleaks

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

The app was written in Python and started out for the HP-45 (ROM is included) but finally included also the HP-35 and the HP-80, as well as three others. For macOS and Windows you could just run the included executables, or with the Python code, this will run fine on Linux if you have Python installed. Nice thing is that you can also modify or tweak the Python code if you wish. As she states, this is not a "how to learn HP or RPN" but there is a lot of included online help, and the original HP manuals are available online. What an amazing resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the inner workings of these legendary calculators. See https://sarahkmarr.com/retrohp1973.html #technology #opensource #Python #HP1973 #HP45

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

I rediscovered this weather app again (for Android and iOS) and am quite amazed that it now has a 4.9 out of 5 rating on the Google app store, and 5m+ downloads just on Android. Weather forecasting is just never going to be 100% accurate but I do like that this app presents a forecast view from a number of forecasting services so that you can best compare them. The widgets are also the most customisable that I've seen with font size adjustments, icon type, and a good selection to choose from. The weather page itself is also customisable to quickly see what you most want to first. I was pleased to see it does accept, and works fine with, a non-precise location. It is also ad-free and there is an option to share some info, but it is defaulted to off. They work on donations via PayPal for once-off donations (nice to have that option), or monthly via the Android or iOS app stores. The app is Japanese based so hopefully data is safe from the US NSA, but they do state they are not selling data to any 3rd parties. They do seem to be handling privacy according to best practices. They claim their feature is actually the "wow" weather photos you see, and they also offer a marketplace to sell your own weather photos via their market. See https://weawow.com/ #technology #weather #weawow

Linux GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

github.com

I’m busy looking into xdotool to automate various actions on Linux with the Elgato Stream Deck (well because Elgato only provides apps for Windows and MacOS). There is a good Linux alternative app to work with the Stream Deck, but I do need to be able to execute some commands when I want to bring a specific window into focus from the background, and then to execute a key press shortcut. So an example may be to bring Brave Beta browser window into focus, then activate tab 3 and do a tab fresh. Another tip I worked out is instead of struggling to identify which window has which name exactly, you can also right-click on a window’s title bar and choose to rename the window. When I restarted that application, it retained the window name. So, to bring Brave Beta browser into focus, activate tab 2 (CTRL-2), and then do a fresh (CTRL-R), I can just set this command string to a hot key on the Stream Deck: ‘xdotool search –name ‘Brave-Beta’ windowactivate –sync key ctrl+2 ctrl+r’. You can still do this sort of thing without having any Stream Deck by just setting the same string to any Linux shortcut on the keyboard. Xdotool lets you simulate keyboard input and mouse activity, move and resize windows, etc. It does this using X11’s XTEST extension and other Xlib functions. With xdotool, you can search for windows and move, resize, hide, and modify window properties like the title. If your window manager supports it, you can use xdotool to switch desktops, move windows between desktops, and change the number of desktops. See https://github.com/jordansissel/xdotool

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

www.timeslive.co.za

The new BMW Motorrad ConnectedRide smart glasses integrate the familiar BMW head-up display technology found in its cars. They project data such as navigation, speed or selected gear directly into the rider’s field of vision in real time. They are designed for comfort and fit numerous helmets and face shapes. The lithium-ion battery enables up to 10 hours of operation and BMW Motorrad supplies two sets of certified UVA/UVB lenses with the frame. I remember a helmet also having something like this a few years back, and I'm not sure if it is still around. This, being a BMW product, probably means it is solid and works well, but also means it's going to cost €690 (ZAR14,202). Having navigation directions also visible does mean your expensive phone need not be sitting exposed on the bike's dash (which in South Africa can be a brave thing to do). See https://www.timeslive.co.za/motoring/news/2023-07-11-bmw-smartglasses-help-bikers-navigate-with-head-up-display-technology/ #technology #motorcycling #BMW #HUD

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

All things amateur radio at this instance. So if you're interested, you can follow from any existing Lemmy instance you're at. I see the following communities already there: - Amateur Radio at [!amateur_radio@lemmy.radio](https://lemmy.radio/c/amateur_radio) - Lemmy talk - Homebrewing - Digital Modes - Rag Chew - CW Talk - Weekly Net - Macs in the Shack - VHF+ - SOTA - Shack Pics - POTA - DMR

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 88%

youtu.be

Most people agree that Social Media is broken and that we need to find new solutions. Max DeMarco embarked on a journey to find out more about a new invention called NOSTR. This is his documentary about that journey and his interview with key players. I've actually been on Nostr myself a few months (and did my own video about it). As with most alternative networks, you see who you put in your feed. Watch at https://youtu.be/aA-jiiepOrE

Free and Open Source Software GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 85%

youtu.be

It is a Java-based app that runs on Windows, Linux and macOS that provides an amazing amount of rich text formatting options for sticky notes, auto-roll up notes, protection and encryption of notes, alarms, colours, attaching images or files, and much more. Although you could use it for organising masses of notes into groups and subgroups, it really shines at having quick reference notes, checklists, to-do list and reminders readily available on your desktop. Watch https://youtu.be/s1M2A6dPSsM #technology #GloboNote #opensource #stickynotes

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

www.howtogeek.com

I like devices that are not locked into an OS ecosystem (Apple, I'm looking at you!) and although I already have a Fitbit Aria scale, it gets thrown out when my wife stands on the scale with a pet, to get the pet's weight (you weigh yourself, hold the pet, and then work out the difference). Having a built-in pet/baby mode is actually really useful. But Withings also has some other interesting features like Eyes-Closed mode, Athlete mode, Pregnancy mode, etc apart from all the usual smart scale measurement features. And of course it will sync to Apple and Google/Samsung Health, and Strava or MyFitnessPal. Thankfully the Withings+ subscription is not needed for any of the above functionality, so I may seriously consider buying this scale. See the review at https://www.howtogeek.com/894214/withings-body-smart-review/ #technology #weight #Withings #smartscale #health

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

www.wired.com

Reddit has a form where you can request a copy of your data. The process can take up to 30 days, after which you will get a private message on your Reddit account with a download link. The data comes in the form of CSV files that you can open using Microsoft Excel or any text editor. If you’d rather not wait for Reddit to deliver your data, or would prefer to keep your data in a searchable archive, you can use Brownman’s tool, reddit-user-to-sqlite. This command line application can download the complete public archive of any Reddit user and compile it in an SQLite database file. Just keep in mind that this method will stop working on July 1, 2023, when the API change occurs (because you don't actually own that content you created on Reddit?). See https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-download-your-reddit-data/ #technology #deletereddit #Reddit

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

It is interesting how easy this has got with a popular service like Prime Voice AI, and when you realise that many use voice recognition for authenticated access to systems, we can see where the risks come in. Like most technology, there are lots of positive upsides, but it always opens up the negatives as well. As Steve points out in his commentary in the linked article, the bad actors are often quicker than anyone else nowadays to take advantage of these new developments. No end in sight for the upward trajectory of careers in security and vulnerability consultants. #technology #security #voicecloning

Privacy GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 93%

mashable.com

Today, most messaging apps have true end-to-end-encryption (Telegram's must be activated per contact for Secret Chat), but what really differs now is how many can tie your communications back to you through metadata. Obviously those which require a phone number or an e-mail address, do have your activity tied to you potentially. WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and similar do require this for registration. Partly it is for authentication, finding friends, and also for resetting access if access is lost. What data you can see after a reset, gives an indication of what the provider has access to. For Signal, you won't be able to read any of your older messages. Signal indicates in this linked article, though, that they only keep the very minimum of information (tested by a legal subpoena). Telegram has more access as that is how all your chats get restored, but they have been banned in various countries because they don't hand over the information. WhatsApp, of course, we all know about their passing of detailed metadata upstream to Facebook (it's in their terms and conditions). I've done a post before about the risks and the monetary rewards around harvesting metadata. Just by registering on WhatsApp, you have also shared all your friends' phone numbers to Facebook, along with how often and how long you contact them, where you are when you contact them, etc. We've also seen lots of secure messengers emerging that require no phone number and also no e-mail address, eg. Briar, XMPP, Jami, Threema, SimpleX, Nostr, and many more. Many mainstream users don't adopt them because the common problem is, you can't find your own friends easily (who do you chat with then?). So this is one of the reasons why Signal has been pretty popular as a secure messenger. It requires a phone number, but retains virtually no information about you to sell or leak, and you can very easily find all your friends using it. So no, it is not THE most secure messenger, but it is certainly the most secure of those requiring a phone number or e-mail address for registration. But the main takeaway is, unlike with an SMS app where only one app may be the active SMS app, your phone can have 10 or more instant messengers installed, so there is no reason not to also have Signal installed. It helps your friends, who are more privacy conscious, to stay in contact with you via Signal. Whether a message notification pops up via WhatsApp or Telegram, It's still going to pop up, unless you have a friend that insists on contacting you through two apps at the same time. Most modern messenger apps use push notifications, so they are not constantly polling, which uses data and battery all the time. Go ahead, try more than one messenger, and you may be amazed that there are often better and more interesting features to try. Many of your friends will thank you. #technology #privacy #messengers #chat #Signal

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

www.reviewgeek.com

When you’re on the hunt for a new USB power adaptor, you may come across a few options with gallium nitride (GaN) technology. These charging bricks tend to be a bit expensive. But due to their reduced size and increased charging ability, a GaN charger may be your ideal purchase. It could even help you save money in the long run. Most USB chargers use silicon semiconductors. Gallium nitride (GaN) is simply a power-efficient alternative to silicon. It allows a charger to achieve small size without a reduction in charging speed or thermal performance. A GaN charger is ideal for travelling or powering several high-wattage devices, such as laptops. With more and more laptops charging through USB-C, and more phones making use of ultra-fast charging, you'll start to notice that the silicon based chargers can get really hot during charging these devices. Instead of buying a large silicon-based charger that only has two ports (with a shared throughput), you can buy a GaN charger with four, five, or even six high-speed charging ports. #technology #chargers #GaN

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 96%

www.howtogeek.com

Bionic Reading is a new way of reading text that uses a patented algorithm to highlight the most important parts of words, making it easier and faster to read. The method was developed by a German software developer named Renato Cukar, who was inspired by the way the human eye reads text. Bionic Reading works by highlighting the most important parts of words, which helps the eye to follow the text more smoothly and efficiently. This makes it easier to read longer passages of text, and can also help to improve comprehension. Bionic Reading is available as a free Chrome extension, as well as a mobile app for iOS and Android. It can also be used on websites and in PDFs. See https://www.howtogeek.com/882688/why-you-should-use-bionic-reading-in-chrome-or-any-browser/ #technology #bionicreading #reading

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

youtu.be

Nostr is unique in that it has a global public key ID that replicates posts (notes) via relays, so it is scalable, resistant to censorship, and the user fully owns their identity profile. There are only two parts to the network, namely relays and clients, with the Nostr protocol linking them. Every post is signed, and every client validates these signatures. In this video I explain more about Nostr is, why it is probably one of the easiest networks to get registered and going on, I compare it with some other protocols, and I demonstrate a few of the web as well as Android mobile apps. There are no servers at all needing to be chosen, and it is truly irrelevant which client app is used. I'll also explain where cryptocurrency may come in, but why you need not worry about it all, or even use it at all. Watch https://youtu.be/8mSyMCJlSwA #technology #Nostr #socialnetworks #alternativeto #decentralised

Free and Open Source Software GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

github.com

You host your own service, which can also federate with other Databag nodes. It is Public-Private key based identity (not bound to any blockchain or hosting domain) and End-to-End encrypted (the hosting admin cannot view sealed topics, default unsealed). This is not a service for finding friends in your contact list. You, or your organisation, hosts the service, and has completely private and secure chatting amongst yourselves. Another use-case may be if you are visiting a foreign country which blocks many public messenger services. This app would connect back to your private server, which is very unlikely to have been blocked. See https://github.com/balzack/databag #technology #opensource #privacy #selfhosted

Free and Open Source Software GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

To normally access say two Raspberry Pi's, maybe a remote virtual private server, a media machine in the sitting room, etc you'd probably use SSH from a terminal, as well as say a VNC Viewer, and maybe more applications. And you'd have to do that from the admin machine you've set it all up on. With Apache Guacamole gateway setup, you'd just use your browser to log in to Apache Guacamole, and from there click on which machine you'd like to access remotely, whether by SSH, VNC, or RDP. The effort is done once to set up the configurations, but after that you can access via the gateway from any location, or even grant others access. So you are not tied to one admin machine that has all your remote access applications configured (big bonus if you are remote or travelling, as you just need a browser to access Apache Guacamole). See https://guacamole.apache.org/ #technology #opensource #remoteaccess #selfhosted

Gaming GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

veloren.net

It is inspired by games such as Cube World, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft. You can play single player or multi-player, standalone or use an online server, or even host your own server in a Docker container, or on a Raspberry Pi. Plenty of options! You start by creating your character, you can collect items for your inventory, you can craft items, there are weapons and combat, you develop skills, can tame creatures, you can trade with merchants, you can socialise, and lost more. There is no single, specific goal or focus, and the idea is to keep exploring and have adventures. The game is community driven and actually updates quite regularly. It is clearly no clone of Minecraft. It is fun and adventure! See https://veloren.net/ #technology #opensource #gaming #selfhosting #Veloren

Technology GadgeteerZA • 1 year ago • 100%

thenewstack.io

Yes, there is quite a debate raging across different networks about what protocol to support. Obviously, those who know only one well, are going to root for that one, irrespective of whether it may be the best one. From a dev perspective, where do you throw your efforts in from a perspective of the future growth of the protocol, and how flexible and free is that protocol going to be to new ideas and advancements. The “best” protocol also does not necessarily mean it will be the most successful, or the most adopted one, as we’ve seen all sorts of politics, misinformation, bad PR, etc play a role in the past (just see what happened to the Zot protocol which has nomadic ID). From a user perspective, what network do you join and put all your creativity efforts into? There is no easy answer, and some have even suggested, to get away from the entrenched positions, why not create a brand new protocol! But that has actually happened repeatedly already, and none ever took the “ring that would rule all rings”. Client apps like Hubzilla and Friendica, of course, took the approach rather to support multiple protocols so that your one app connects across different networks. Maybe there is still something in that idea. The Bluesky protocol may well be loosened up in future, and although ActivityPub is quite open (not owned by anyone), it is still actually quite limited in terms of not having profile migrations, groups, and other features. So yes, Nostr right now is probably the most open with devs registering NIPs (Nostr Implementation Possibilities), much like we also see with XMPP protocol’s XEPs. It all comes down then, to what NIPs a particular client supports. Personally, as a user, I still long for a fully interoperable protocol, one for instant messaging, as well as for social networking (or combined into one). Look at e-mail. It may be very dated, but it made no difference which service your joined (apart from the domain name you got) and it always connected to other e-mail clients, and it is not owned by any one company or central server. But whilst we have this situation, I’m wondering if we won’t see the emergence of some future “translation protocol” that will allow posts from XMPP to translate into ActivityPub, Bluesky, Nostr, etc, and go the other way too? I do think users, at least, are starting to accept the situation of social networks going decentralised and federated, and are realising it is not so complicated to grasp. We’ve been spoilt and brainwashed too long by strong authoritarian centralised network services. If we don’t demand more open and interoperable social networks now, we are doomed to repeat the lock-ins of Twitter, Facebook, etc all over again. Then our friends can be on any network, and we can still interact fully with each other, like we’ve been doing with e-mail. See https://thenewstack.io/bluesky-vs-nostr-which-should-developers-care-about-more/