RandomPancake

joined 1 year ago
sorted by: new top controversial old
Alternatives for each of Proton's tools? in c/[email protected]
[–] RandomPancake 31 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Tuta is an excellent alternative.

Fastmail is what I use for my day to day mail. If you're concerned about it being subject to Australian privacy laws, check out Startmail.

Mailbox.org is very good but some may find it overly complex.

“Fly Me to the Moon” is a stupid song. You want to know what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars? Extremely unpleasant. in c/showerthoughts
Pi-Hole question / Blocked Queries being reset each day? in c/selfhosted
[–] RandomPancake 18 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Make sure you're also blocking all other outbound DNS at your firewall. Many "smart" devices (and presumably some apps, though I have no way to check this) are hard coded to use 8.8.8.8 regardless of what DCHP says to use.

Bannon vows Trump’s opponents will be prosecuted in a second term | CNN Politics in c/news
[–] RandomPancake 68 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

I am 110% in favor of breaking the two party stranglehold. It's long overdue. It needs to end yesterday.

But hot fuck, this is LITERALLY THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME to vote third party. I read here and on Reddit that people are promising to vote third party because Biden hasn't personally solved the middle east conflict or whatever, but doing that in the presidential election amounts to screaming "fuck yeah I love Trump and everything he stands for".

Vote Biden or vote Trump. There is no third choice. Doing literally anything else is a vote for Trump.

Hyundai pauses X ads over pro-Nazi content on the platform in c/news
[–] RandomPancake 53 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (7 children)

I'm a moderate. I tend to take a lot of what I read online with a grain of salt (as everyone should, but you know how that goes).

A few months ago I decided to try X again and see for myself. I thought "what if this is just exaggerated hysterics, and the site really isn't that bad."

No. It's not exaggerated. It's not hysterics. X / Twitter really is that bad of a dumpster fire. You can say "I don't like Nazis" and a billion bots will accuse you of being a woke radical leftist.

Sold my well-aged account to a scammer, haven't looked back.

YouTube's anti-adblock rollout has finally arrived for Firefox users in c/[email protected]
[–] RandomPancake 1 points 1 year ago

You think I'm jumping through mental hoops for telling people to use an ad blocker?

FDA says 561 deaths tied to recalled Philips sleep apnea machines in c/health
[–] RandomPancake 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I had a Philips Dreamstation that was recalled. I'm not sure exactly what happened but I started having an issue where I would feel extreme euphoria at random times throughout the day when I inhaled. It only happened when I used the Dreamstation. If I used my travel CPAP or my replacement Airsense, I had no problems.

I saw my PCP about it and we never figured it out. And again, it stopped when I switched devices.

I don't know what gases were being released but there's got to be a correlation.

Biden campaign speech on abortion rights disrupted 14 times by pro-Palestinian protesters in c/politics
[–] RandomPancake 8 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Which will remove yet another barrier to Trump becoming president.

I'm all for breaking the two-party stranglehold but do it in a local election where it will make a difference. This year is the absolute worst year to try a failed presidential run.

Biden campaign speech on abortion rights disrupted 14 times by pro-Palestinian protesters in c/politics
[–] RandomPancake 13 points 1 year ago (6 children)

That’s nice. They’ll lose, and the momentum put to that independent candidate is momentum that could have been used against Trump. Voting for either of them is a vote for "I am not interested in what happens in this country, and sincerely hope Trump wins. Because instead of voting against him, instead I choose to throw away my vote by making some kind of 'statement' that will never be heard by anyone."

Biden campaign speech on abortion rights disrupted 14 times by pro-Palestinian protesters in c/politics
[–] RandomPancake 13 points 1 year ago

It absolutely is. You're removing a vote that could have been used to stop Trump and throwing it into a candidate who will not win. You are, quite literally saying, "I am completely fine with another Trump presidency".

Stop using Opera Browser and Opera GX in c/technology
[–] RandomPancake 13 points 1 year ago

I remember way back in the late 90s or early 2000s, when Opera was commercial, I bought a lifetime license. I don't remember the specifics but it was basically a way to support them and it was good for all future versions, forever and ever.

I lost the key long ago and the browser is free now anyway. Still wouldn't use it.

Biden campaign speech on abortion rights disrupted 14 times by pro-Palestinian protesters in c/politics
[–] RandomPancake 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That's nice. They'll lose, and the momentum put to that independent candidate is momentum that could have been used against Trump.

Voting for an independent candidate for president is standing on your rooftop and screaming "I LOVE TRUMP AND HOPE HE BECOMES PRESIDENT IN 2024".

13
Other platforms under the lemmy.world umbrella? (self.support)
submitted 1 year ago by RandomPancake to c/support
1 comments fedilink
 

Are there any other platforms, like Pixelfed or Peertube, hosted under the same umbrella as lemmy.world? I wasn't able to find anything referenced about this on lemmy.world, but perhaps that's just my newness to the defederated universe.

For whatever it's worth, I'd love to have multiple instances housed under the same roof. I lack the technical skills and time to set one up myself, and most of the ones I've looked at appear relatively deserted or poorly moderated.

16
Tire brands? (self.bicycling)
submitted 1 year ago by RandomPancake to c/bicycling
11 comments fedilink
 

I was about to pull the trigger on a set of Schwalbe Johnny Watts, but they seem to be out of stock everywhere. My backup plan is to get a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour. But in doing my research, I've read multiple people say that although they stand up really well to thorns and other trail nasties, they're a mild pain to take on / off due to sidewall stiffness.

Everything I've raid suggests Schwalbe is a pretty solid brand. Before I pull the trigger on these, are there any other brands I should be considering?

I'm riding an ebike mainly on rail trails. Some are paved, most are packed dirt or well-packed pea gravel. Sometimes I'll hit a small mud patch but I don't really go mudding. Once in a blue moon I'll hit single track or railroad ballast, but that's rare. I want something that's going to be reasonably quiet and smooth on paved but that won't shred itself when the terrain gets a little rougher, and that won't fly out from under me if I hit a mud puddle.

20
The basics: bugging out vs bugging in (self.preppers)
submitted 1 year ago by RandomPancake to c/preppers
4 comments fedilink
 

If you spend any amount of time on just about any prepper forum, you'll see terms like "bugging in" or "bug-out bag". There is a TON of bad information out there, so I wanted to take a second and make a no-nonsense, plain-language primer for anyone just getting started on their preparedness journey.

Put simply, when people talk about "bugging out", they mean rapidly evacuating an area (usually their home) in an emergency. This can be due to things like natural disasters, chemical spills, civil unrest, war, or getting a call about a sick family member at 3 AM. Bugging out can be, but doesn't have to be, permanent.

You'll also see some people talk about "bugging in". This means that instead of evacuating, they stay at home in an emergency. There's merit to this approach as well: you already know your home and community, and all your supplies are (hopefully!) already there. This is especially appropriate in emergencies that are either very short in duration (like a two-day power outage) or very extreme in scope (like natural disaster making major roads out of your area impassible).

Whether it's better to bug out or bug in depends on your needs and circumstances; there is no "best" answer that applies equally to everyone in every situation. But there are a few things you can do in advance to help you decide:

  • Think about the emergencies that are likely to occur in your area. Severe weather? Spill at the nearby chemical plant? Start an emergency manual by listing these emergencies and how you'd react. Document any special circumstances that might change your normal plan.
  • In your emergency manual, decide on a bugout threshold for each emergency. Maybe "widespread flooding" isn't worthy of evacuation because your home is on a hill, but "Somename River exceeds 35 feet" cuts off the main route in and out of your home.
  • Also in your manual, decide under what circumstances you'll bug in. For example, it may be safer to stay home during a tornado outbreak.
  • Pick one or more bugout locations in advance. Wherever you go should be far enough away that it's unaffected by whatever you're evacuating from. If you plan on bugging out to a friend's or family member's home, make sure they know about your plans in advance! Just showing up unannounced is a great way to be turned away.

When the time comes and you decide to bug out, review your plans in light of whatever the actual circumstances are at that time. Is your destination still unaffected? Can you get there safely? Is your family (including pets!) able to travel safely? Just because you planned to bug out (or bug in) doesn't necessarily mean you have to do so. Always stay flexible. Unyielding adherence to plans is a fast path to failure.

Finally, you'll see a lot of people talking about a bugout bag ("BOB"). This is basically a pre-packed backpack or duffle bag that you can grab on your way out the door. There are lots of good guides on building one, and I can make another post going into more details later (feel free to beat me to it). But a basic checklist includes:

  • A seasonally-appropriate change of clothes. At a bare minimum, one or two pairs of socks & underwear.
  • Any medication you may need. If you have prescriptions, talk to your doctor. "Hey doc, I'd like to keep a small supply of my prescription on hand in case I have to travel in an emergency and forget to pack. How can I do this?"
  • A basic first aid kit. Building one yourself is usually cheaper and gets you better quality gear, but you can also buy a small ready-made kit just about anywhere.
  • A multi-port USB charger, a small travel surge protector, and enough cables to charge your gear.
  • Two compact flashlights with spare batteries. If you're using alkalines, keep the batteries in a separate container to reduce the odds of leaks.
  • A paper map of your region. You can get these for free through most states' visitor centers.
  • A basic toiletry kit. In my case: bar soap, soap sock, travel size toothpaste / shaving cream / deodorant / mouthwash, cartridge razor. I normally use a safety razor with blades, but if you have to take your bugout bag through TSA, you may get a hard time about the razor blades.
  • Poncho, emergency blanket.
  • A printout containing emergency contacts (family members, employer, bank / credit card issuers, insurance carriers, etc). Policy numbers are fine but don't put account numbers on there; your bank / card issuer can look you up by your social security number.
  • A notepad with several pens
  • A few paperback books
  • Enough cash to fill up your gas tank three times. Keep it to small bills ($20 and under).

Feel free to add your own items below. I'm sure I missed some but this will be enough to get you started with a functional, balanced bag. I see a lot of people in various prepper forums building up their BOB like they're going to ride out WW3. That's not what a BOB is for; a BOB is to get you from point A to point B. And don't feel like you have to buy some special "tactical prepper backpack"; that old Jansport tucked in the back of your closet is fine, and secondhand laptop backpacks can give you tons of organization for very little money.

4
Long-term coffee storage (self.preppers)
submitted 1 year ago by RandomPancake to c/preppers
2 comments fedilink
 

In an emergency I simply will not be able to function without coffee. But I was surprised to learn that many people don't know how quickly coffee loses its flavor.

Ground coffee starts to flatten out almost immediately upon being exposed to oxygen. Typically you can expect it to hold its flavor for a few days, maybe two or three weeks at the most. After that it will still resemble "coffee" but the flavor will be significantly weakened. Storing it in mylar with an O2 absorber may help somewhat, but the flavor breakdown is already underway by the time you seal the bag.

Roasted coffee beans will last roughly a year stored at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. Storing them in mylar (with that O2 absorber) should stretch this out somewhat. I'm going to fill and seal two small bags out of my next purchase, and test them at the 3 and 5 year marks.

I see people recommending green (unroasted) beans for long-term storage, but there are two problems there. Roasting isn't an exact science; you'll want to make sure you're a seasoned roaster before you ruin your stash. And when you do roast, that wonderful smell will be travel far and wide. In a SHTF situation, that's a powerful motivator for someone to come pay you a visit.

I'm saying this as a coffee snob who hates instant coffee: instant coffee is the best way to go for long-term storage. There are special "prepper" brands of instant coffee out there but the truth is as long as the container is sealed, it's going to hold its flavor for many years. Go to your local supermarket and buy a few jars of whatever floats your boat, write the purchase date on them, and tuck them away in the back of your pantry. At the minimum they'll be good for many years, probably at least a decade.

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