Category: tip0

##[24]ext mem #laptop++

Posted on by tiger40490

Some models are designed for phones and cameras. They are concealed and can’t use USB ports. They are slower.

— For laptops, you can consider all types, if you have the required ports

Fastest .. USB-C and some USB-A devices, up to 400MB for reading. Standard SSD offers 500MB.

SD cards (concealed) .. require card readers. Speed is up to 200MB for reading, unaffected by SD card adapters.

SD cards can be a suitable choice if you want to keep your ext storage permanently attached. However, SSD offers better reliability and longevity for day-to-day storage in computers compared to SD cards.

Warning: installing software in these ext storage devices … may fail, although portable USB-installers should work.

— Device cost … depends on read/write speed, stick-out and GB. For 64GB (becoming smallest), typically $10+, very affordable.

Price tends to drop over the decades, as smaller, slower models phase out.

 

##cool`solution@night: estimat`A/C bill #$.25/H/household

Posted on by tiger40490

More frequent and extended heatwaves across continents imply more reliance on A/C. Hopefully we will see more RnD, more products, cheaper solutions.

For home cooling, A/C is the primary solution and default solution for Singapore residents, with a running cost ≈ $0.25/hour/household, i.e. slightly below 1kWh / hour / household. However, other costs are easily neglected —

  1. (similar to car ownership) dependency
  2. (similar to car ownership) maintenance costs like noise, leak, poor cooling…
  3. carbon footprint

Therefore, I see ROTI of research/experiment with natural cooling solutions.

— solution: fan
— solution: wet t-shirt. Heat center is the upper back
During Sleep?

— solution: frequent showers, or wet towels by bedside. I developed this solution in #2-1173

==== Estimating A/C cost$/hour .. Imprecision is the reality, the backdrop. We will focus on kWh. Then we estimate SGD cost per hour.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/air-con-unit-electricity-energy-carbon-emissions-climate-change-1339326 says “A standard 2 kilowatt AC unit .. can comfortably cool a room of up to 20 sqm.” My model (MSY-GE10VA) is 10,000 BTU, average 2.5 [1.1-2.5-3.5] kW per unit. Vendor call center gave me a best-effort estimate, with sweeing assumptions to simplify many many factors

  • condenser (outdoor unit) is the real energy hog. For a system 4 set to 23~25 degrees, the condenser would consume 2.4 kW at 100% capacity. This is probably signified by double-green light on some of the four indoor units.
  • If every indoor unit shows one green light only, then condenser is running around 60% load, consuming 0.9 kW only.
  • If only one unit is running, and showing one green light, then condenser is perhaps running 25% load.
  • Initial cool-down drives the condenser harder than maintaining at target temperature. Condenser can even reach 0% load for 10 minutes if all rooms dip below target temperature.
  • high fan speed also drives the condenser to higher load

Verified fact: my home uses 230 kWh/month or close to 8 kWh/day. (#2-1176 was 300 kWh/month, presumably due to boy’s additional A/C usage.)

Assuming average 5/day .. aggregate across my 3 rooms .. we use about 4kWh+/day, or more than half the household power consumption.

(In comparison, my fridge uses 27 kWh/month equivalent to a 37.1W lamp, according to manufacturer.)

NEA claims “Air-conditioners consume the bulk of a household’s electricity bill. A fan uses less than 1/10th the electricity of an air-conditioner”

Q: when an A/C unit is only keeping a room (at 24 degrees for eg), does it use less electricity than actively cooling it down?
A: I think so, but without evidence. If no air leak, then the room would tend to stay cool, or lose cold air slower.

— Many websites underestimate the variation in manufacturers’ power ratings (0.3 to 3 kW!) and usage hours (1 to 10!) per day.

One Sgp site claims “On average, an air conditioner’s usage costs $0.25 to $0.35 per hour (per unit). This depends on the size of your space and what type of air conditioner you are using.” I think this assumes 1.0 kW for a single unit.

one site claims “In Singapore, the average household spends $30-$45 per month on electricity for an air conditioner.” but this is overestimate for my family.
* When we were on SingPower, we were probably paying $70~90/M for all electrical appliances.
* Now we are on PacificLight, we are spending $55~70/M for all electrical appliances.

Nokia+Linksys routers #192.168.18.1

Posted on by tiger40490

==== Nokia modem/router .. much faster setup than Linksys, perhaps due to parental control…
not http, but https://192.168.18.1 accessible even if you are connected to the another hotspot downstream.

https://192.168.18.1/web_whw/#/security/mac-filter
https://192.168.18.1/web_whw/#/wifi/wifi-networks .. can edit wifi key to daba******
https://192.168.18.1/web_whw/#/maintenance/password .. can change pw to eng xxxxxxxx !1 (min 10-char; meta required) for the default username printed on casing ( It’s a good habit to only mention hints, never full passwords.)

The white tplink is confirmed necessary in the kitchen deadzone. Nokia signal strength is unreliable. No need for further test.

This Nokia product is rather new and kinda beta version.

— issue of frequent disconnection

IPhones can experience slow switching when using an auto-switching hotspot. Such a hotspot automatically switches channel between 2.4 and 5Ghz, when a mobile device roams in and out. The switching is faster on Android, and some Android devices don’t switch channel at all, but iPhones are known to be slow switching.

My older routers don’t have auto-switching hotspot. Therefore, we created a traditional non-switching hotspot  (0Nokia_2.4) for iPhones.

— WMF (wifi Mac filter)

  • A device (indirectly) connected via the ethernet “interface” is not subject to WMF. I think the ethernet mac filter is not really necessary.
  • If a devices wants to connect via 0Nokia SSID, then it can use either channel .. (mysterious) SSID#1 or SSID#5. If one of these channels allows the device, then it would connect.
    • One way to “allow” is … disable WMF for that channel. EVERY channel (SSID 1 to 8) have WMF disabled by default. So by default, any device can connect via SSID#1 and #5 !
    • One way to “allow” is … enable WMF for that channel, and add the device into the white list. Need to create a tiny whitelist on SSID 5. Otherwise, any MAC can join SSID 5

In conclusion, to stop unauthorized access by an unknown device JJ,

  • you must physically block it from the ethernet interface .. easy
  • you must enable WMF on both SSID #1 and #5, otherwise any device can connect by default
  • you must ensure device JJ is not in any white list

==== In Sep I started using a $70 EA8100 model I bought from a Simlim shop (Indian gentleman). This model was originally a Starhub bundle router. Such units are usually below $100, so some people say “crap” but my first-hand experiences are convincing.

Factory default SSID/pw: in manual and sticker on hardware, but the manual has incorrect (non-customized) 192.168.1.1.

— Q: is Linksys better than other brands [dlink, tplink etc]

A: I have some limited evidence.

  • WebConsole better designed, but other routers I had were older and cheaper.
  • tech support perhaps better

— MAC filter ..
Access via website .. wifiSettings>MacFilter. Verified by misspelling one MAC
Access via APP .. delete only. No edit.
guest network is also subject to MAC filtering.

— console log-in … by 1) email/pw or 2) router pw

Using router pw, your phone must be (physically close to ) and connected to the router.

Using email/pw, the computer/APP can be anywhere. However, there is a system bug affecting APP login.

— WebConsole > networkMap

The displayName of each device can be cryptic. Looks like you can look into and edit each displayName — NetworkMap > click on a displayName > deviceInfo > Edit

NetworkMap > FilterMap .. lets you filter out devices by certain criteria.

On the network map (actual map), each device has an icon on its right, indicating LAN/5Ghz/2.4Ghz. The central item (router) has a misleading displayName. This name could be 0tiger2 but it represents not only the 2.4GHz channel.

— warranty .. was over in 2022, but free tech support is still available.

Service life .. let’s target 2Y till Sep 2025.

— Some good things to focus on (when in bad mood)

  • WebGUI: 192.168.10.1, fortunately different from the DLink and TPLink.
  • 24×7 tech support… slightly better than other vendors. Can be slow at peak hours like late night. 800 120 4280 in Sg.. 1 for home-wifi
  • With a free Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account (Linksys!978) you have WebConsole anytime, anywhere, even if you don’t know your router’s IP. Verified. I think this is better than other brands.
  • WebGui can show (Troubleshooting and NetworkMap) all clients currently connected… good. I think the earlier routers (across brands) didn’t have this feature.
  • parental control

==== parental control .. complexity -> huge legwork but insufficient reliability [2]

You need to identify the device by displayName, not MAC. Web console > Troubleshooting > status > devices > IPv4 and IPv6 tables seem to show displayName/MAC for each (connected?) device.

can pause inet access indefinitely for a given device [64:70:33:BF:7F:8D / 2d94ab5c and 80:45:DD:6A:06:44 for CB ]. For old models like EA8100 [1][2], the “pause” feature is known to be less reliable than scheduled internet access, though I have NO confirmed evidence. You can have a 23.5/7 blackout, almost the same as “pause” but recommended as more reliable.

Warning … do not use a 24/7 blackout. It would be converted to “pause”, and the actual schedule would be discarded… confusing everyone.

Warning … some sites are uncontrollable via parental control. We might need to call Linksys to find out, but it could take too much effort.

Warning … The mobileApp and the webGUI are synched up in specific ways.

  • mobileApp is connected directly to router. Any change (including toggle) is saved inside the router memory. WebGUI would need some time to show it (I tested webGUI refresh 🙂
  • webGUI is connected to the cloud. Any change (including schedule) is saved to the cloud + router. MobileApp has to re-login to show it. Therefore, the mobileApp display is frequently outdated…. but I will embrace the technical limitation.

[1] no more firmware upgrades after 2021. To get better-supported models, I was “advised” to consider MX2000 [three downstream ports] or MX4200. The same Linksyssmartwifi.com account will be usable.

— [2] real-world reliability and usability of parental control .. Regardless of manufacturer, I always had an unfounded perception that parental control features use complicated GUI, but are not the most reliable thing compared to simpler technologies like MAC filtering. Now I have heard a similar comment from the Linksys hotline, and I have a confirmed evidence in my router. Some may say “You are a novice and don’t know how to use this feature”, but most users are like me.

I suspect the cheaper, older models are probably even less reliable, less predictable, less consistent. No evidence.

Whenver there’s a reliability issue, Linksys tech support would say “upgrade your firmware” but this feature is not new.

##Roti@classify`廉价小货: eg@involution #unclassified #zipper

Posted on by tiger40490

k_classify_objects

eg (earliest): classifying cheap rugs (抹布) in 十一号楼 #610 .. 内卷 without real progress.
eg: organizing (and classifying) stamp collection
eg: organizing (and classifying) old photos
eg: organizing (and classifying) books

— eg: classifying cheap screws / bolts .. too many varieties.. excessive tcost
see bpost on screw tips
bolts and nuts sorting into categories by compatibility … kinda worthwhile.

I paid SGD 14 for a new screw box because I have “intolerance” for visual clutter of dozens of small items like 4 nails spread out across one or more tables. The physical box provides a visual /boundary/.

— eg: classifying cheap clear zipper bags .. Need to improve my system.. reduce the number of categories from 8 to 5? Let’s embrace blurred boundaries..

  1. category: horizontals with aspect ratio > 1.0
  2. category: slender with aspect ratio < 0.5
  3. category: tiny ones
  4. ^^ above types can consider “throw-away”
  5. category: A4 or bigger sizes
  6. category: other rectangles

Priorities are 1) eco and 2) tcost

Q: is the tcost worthwhile (conserver/minimalist) or involution?

I guess the “efficient” family mostly use a few packs of uniform-size bags, and _never_ put a used bag back into a pack, because “rejoin” is no easy habit. Some of them might put used bags into one “misc” group.

If we aim to save cost + environment, we need to differentiate big vs small (less ROTI) zipper bags. I think that’s why my wife reuses big zipper bags. I think the total mass of plastic saved from small zippers is smaller than a few bottle.

Sugg: discard some of the smaller zippers after use, if it saves me time.

— eg: classifying cheap plastic wall plugs .. excessive and unjustified. Let’s reduce the categories.

  1. Put straight plugs together into a Level2 “straight category bag”.. all loose straight ones will go into the Level2 bag
  2. next, huge + tiny go together into a Level2 bag
  3. Misc.. remove the current zipper bags and pour them into the Level1 zipper bag.

— eg: “unclassfied” cheap objects .. an effective category… stress-prevention

  • hook scale .. perhaps dump in the hardware toolbox
  • torchlight .. keep in multiple locations .. meter rooms,

chest strap

Posted on by tiger40490

Heart Rate Monitors and Accuracy: wristband versus chest strap – Machine Shed Fitness

— chip away in set-up .. tbudget 1h

read all the docs .. care instruction esp. on the sensor.

download and xx the APP

no need to finish before I go to Beijing.

— wrist band .. Garard said Garmin watch is slow to reflect the heart rate change
— chesk strap is probably far more accurate for me, and possibly cheaper. How do you see the heart rate?

My chest size is 84cm. Official M-XXL : 67~95cm (26~37 in)

The cache feature of H10 is irrelevant since I need to monitor in real time. Swimming is tough because you can’t carry mobile app in water. H10 can only transfer cached data After swim.

— care, replacement of consumables
Battery is the main consumable, and it only costs $6.  400h on H9, same as H10

Always separate the connector (sensor) from strap after use (to save battery).

Wash the stap. After repeated use, the strap tends to wear out.

24M x$44 iPhone14+ #Mar2023

Posted on by tiger40490

— $44 x 24M contract signed 23 Mar 23

  • 100 + 300 minutes outgoing minutes
  • 15GB. Additional $10.80/GB
  • 100 SMS
  • CND free
  • plan name: “4G $55 2Y plan”, but NTUC gives 20% discount. Bill could show $41.1215 because 41.1215 * 1.08 / 80% = $55.5

Bill may also show a meaningless “36mth”.

— briefly tried a 12M SIM-only

  • $20/M after discount
  • 80G
  • unlimited talk

This plan works well with a third-party iPhone13.

Alternatively, bundled iPhone13Pro + $52 x 24M would cost about $2k

tww+todo list: priorities #promote phone #0.txt

Posted on by tiger40490

k_X_upkeep

In each phase of my life, my priorities and requirements change. My todo list always includes a tww list. Current priorities:

  1. durability .. bpost > git_0_txt > smartphone > smemo
  2. easy update .. smemo ~ smartphone::jot > 0_txt > bpost
  3. easy to print .. git_0_txt > bpost
  4. For think-while-walking, smartphone::voice > smemo > printout of git_0_txt  > smartphone::jot> printout of bpost
  5. info-radiator .. hardcopy > smartphone
  6. infrastructure uptime .. bpost hosters like dreamhost/bluehost have more frequent blackouts than github

Single todo list (like git_0_txt-only or bpost-only) ..  is the ideal but unlikely to be optimal.

E-update is the most expensive, most time-consuming part of todo list. I prefer write_n_forget todo system or pencil-update only.

— bpost .. was an /unlikely winner/ but it has proven effective for longer-term tasks … Aha
System down once few months 🙁

— Q: in choosing the todo sytems, why not just follow your sys1? Sys1 would “self-adapt”?
A: No. Without conscious effort, you are likely to be stuck with bad solutions like …(no need to give examples)

— Q: What todo list do ordinary people use? I guess very few use tww. I guess smartphone (camera) is “quick-n-lazy”.

However, Photos saved in the phone tend to take up huge space for years. Upkeep can be time-consuming unless the user develops efficiency. Overall,  it’s a highly inefficient todo system.

==== another bpost: todo-dashboards #tabs

  • 1) inboxes — in MSOutlook and gmail are two disconnected dashboards, mostly for tasks given by other people
  • 2) browser tabs – each represents a task, but this breeds an over-reliance on blogging sites.
  • gmail draft
  • google calendar
  • (to be deleted) MSOutlook tasks — GTD author suggested MSOutlook tasks as the ultimate, but I find it useful only for a subset of my tasks.
  • — Now some all-time favorites that depend on no sophisticated software systems, which are always over-complicated and less reliable
  • 0.txt hosted in git blog was my primary dashboard for a few years..
    • 🙂 useful when we I have a lot of tww + shopping items + reminders
    • 🙂 printable
    • 🙂 high density with multiple items
    • 🙂 version history via git
    • Can use any decent text editor (not notepad or Winword)
  • paper notice board —
    • 🙂 highest visibility, good for a short span up to 2H.
    • 🙂 extremely simple and robust, similar to the space pen (pencil)
    • 🙂 Can be combined with other notice boards.

Conclusion — no perfect combination

#VivoY02: SMS apps

Posted on by tiger40490

I need a basic app with search feature. If money can buy stress relief and carefree ezlife, then this is a good example.

— app: Messages [by BatteryStatsSaver] .. no ads so far
🙂 better grouping by counterparty, with color. No need to search.

— app: Textra .. no ads so far:)
👎 line spacing too much
👎 confusing: new msg to new number
🙂 better multi-delete

==== unacceptables
— app: Messages [by Google] .. no search bar
— app: Telegram .. shows no SMS whatsoever
— app: “SMS Messenger” No message showing up
— app: Hi There [by KiteTech] .. ads inserted as SMS messages
— app: aMessage [by aMessage studio] .. too many ads
— app: Messages [by AppsSpecials] .. too many ads
— app: Messages [by iMessages. Icon shows 3 dots in a rectangle] .. too many ads
— app: #Messages [by “Messages-Messaging”] .. way too many ads
This app shows different icons in PlayStore or on desktop or list of running apps or
This app shows different titles in PlayStore or on desktop

I think the developer is trying to confuse users.

 

##disk-hogs]win #landGrab

Posted on by tiger40490

laptop disk usage tweakig with landgrab, treeFreeSize ,,,
Comparable to rug-sorting in my Bejing 610 home?
may not be necessary, but I find it enjoyable

It is more relevant in small, cheap laptops

The analysis gives me insight and confidence when facing disk shortage

k_ctbz,,,,, k_disk_hog

See also

With the techniques in this blogpost, 32GB disk proved sufficient

  • 32GB disk with 30.10 x 109 bytes
  • 18.5GB land-grab with 19.97 x 109 bytes
  • 10GB actually used and I can’t make do with less
  • Git+strawberrPerl+python,
  • no chrome no MSOFFice

— C:\ProgramFiles\WindowsApps: 4GB. See to delete stubborn WindowsApps folders
— c:\windows\serviceProfiles: 4GB. Somehow resolved, perhaps by builtin StorageSettings screen
— c:\recovery. Unsafe to delete. See https://superuser.com/questions/1517095/deleted-usmt-ppkg-nothing-works-anymore-windows-10
— c:\windows\software_distribution\download ? safe to delete
Was 300MB on Day 1 but grew to 8GB on Day 2

— c:\windows.old and $WINDOWS.~BT .. I feel I have never needed to go back to previous install of windows
Safest way to delete windows.old is via Settings -> Storage -> TemporaryFiles.

I see no need to delete this static folder. It is similar to my landGrab files.
— WindowsApps folder ? not worth optimizing. Quite risky.
— c:\windows\winSxS ? See tips in https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/clean-up-the-winsxs-folder
— C:\hiberfil.sys? safe to get rid of, using the command found on google
— c:\pagefile.sys + swapfile.sys? Safe to delete but may hurt performance. These are considered virtual memory files

  • set too small, and it could cause instability, but it’s crucial to experiment and find out how bad. In 2020 I let it automatically shrink to 200MB, and experienced browser crashes only one the a95, never on the acer299.
  • set too big, and it could lead to winUp on rampage. So I don’t want the initial size vs max size to differ
  • Given 8GB RAM, Online recommendations range from 1.25 GB to 12GB, but the win10 system recommends [on the virtual memory screen] 1900MB

 

fruit as breakfast@@

Posted on by tiger40490

If you search online or ask some doctors, you may hear a similar comment to Dr Lau’s. However, my gastro doctor told me it’s better than skipping breakfast.

I see an important pattern — The unconventional proposal deviates from standard advice, so professionals would not endorse it, but it is probably better than nothing. I believe this pattern shows up in multiple places: