loopy

I’m not sure where else best to post this, so please direct me if there is somewhere more appropriate.

I’m looking at getting cable again and still have a DOCSIS 3.0 modem. It looks like the biggest limiting factor is the speed but there are other mentions of “improved latecy and power comsumption.” If I’m not get a speed that exceeds 1Gbps, is the latency that much better for $160? I game a little online but hadnt noticed an issue in the past.

For that matter, is an AC wireless router is fine? The AX or Wifi 6 looked neat, but I’m just not sure the benfits are worth the cost. Any input is appreciated.

I’ve been using Express and had a great experience so far, but I may want to try a Proton subscription for cloud space and more emails. It also comes with a VPN service but I’m a little leary on trying something new. Any thoughts on Proton VPN?

Alt text: picture of a piece of wood on top of a horse

I would like to eventually begin growing my own food and herbs. Do any of you have good book recommendations for growing food, herbs, or possibly herbal medicine?

I know there are a million options, so a few places to start would be really helpful. I want to start with herbs in a raised planter. I’m in the midwest US, so I’ll bring the herbs into an indoor greenhouse cabinet during the winter.

The larger scale of trying to eat only my own vegetables and maybe chickens/goats would likely be in the distant future.

now my desk job is something I chair-ish

I recently started learning hand tool woodworking and won’t shut up about it haha. I found a few books and channels that are helpful and feel real. The more I do it, the more it’s apparent to me that many things around me are just distractions. It’s really nice to unplug from everything and make some things or practice using/sharpening my tools. Those little moments when something clicks feel weirdly fulfilling.

What do you all enjoy doing? Have you found any new passions? What do you like about it?

Hi everyone, I’m looking to possibly simply my smartphone setup. I would really love to keep it as a utility: phone, text, camera, GPS, web browser, notes, email, music player. Im think of switching to local NextCloud backup system as well. I currently have an iPhone but used to flash ROMs on Android phones, so I would be willing to do that again for more privacy options and less unnecessary changes to the OS.

I have looked a little into it, and I’m wondering about getting a couple year old Pixel and putting GrapheneOS on it. I also searched a little and came across the Purism Librem 5 that has physical kill switches and sounds neat; a little pricy but I’d be willing to pay if it lasts a while and has good privacy options.

What are your thoughts? Are there other hardware suggestions or setups that you like? The idea of FOSS is appealing because it seems like the money aspect seems to skew the priority of smartphones.

do you not smell body odor or do you just get used to it?

Genuinely curious. I have met a few people of different walks of life that I could tell did not and I have always used it, so I’m just curious. I know there was a couple that stopped using it for around a year, and they said their body actually end up not perspiring as much as when they used antiperspirant, but I’d like to know other people’s experiences.

I know there is usually a “target demographic” that is profiled for what kind of products that they may buy. I was listening to an electro swing mix online and I kept hearing ads for different kinds of soaps, and all I could think of is “damn, a lot of people must clean while listening to this.

Howdy Beehaw, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately and wanted to share some thoughts. I’ve been having these strange little epiphanies that many things today just don’t seem to fit right. Like at least in the US, everyone is working so hard just to get to this fictitious level of “success” that finally means “you’ve made it,” i.e. finally making enough income to have a decent work/life balance. But it from what I see, often people need to take out a large school loan to do that, pay it off seemingly forever, and there never seems to be a real point of “made it.”

I took a vacation to much more relaxed, beachside spot and saw how the locals were living. Basically off the grid, get fruit at the little market, fix things or trade things. Everyone seem to have this collectivism that felt really connected. No one was money rich, but everyone had this peace about them that almost felt fake to me at first. And then I went down this whole rabbit hole of “why do I need money anyway?”

I know there are certain things life that just costs money, but I’m coming to realize that I don’t think I need as much as I previously anticipated. The people that are “living” to me aren’t just enduring and saving for most of their life so they can sort of relax during retirement, they’re doing real things with people that make them happy.

On a somewhat similar note, I wanted a hobby/activity that did not involve screens and I could continually learn. I ended up picking up hand tool woodworking and feel pretty nice to simplify a bit and get a little creative. I listened to a few podcasts that discussed the industrial era transition and the focus to “more efficient and lower costs,” which took some of the feel away from many things.

The more I think about it, the more I think that industrial shift was not entirely beneficial. The hand tool working podcast said they’re “finding the ‘new’ old ways of living.” And that there is this natural desire for human connection. Restaurants have fake wood marks in the paneling to feel more authentic. Before machined things, there was more intention that went into goods.

Anyway, in my sea of thoughts about enhancing human connection and intention, I thought about Beehaw. After the whole Reddit-geddon searching for an online community, I noticed that the communities here are respectful, open, and actually making human connections. It felt like a breath of fresh air. And I just want to say that I appreciate y’all.

I bought a “Buy It Now” item, payment went through. Two days later, I got an email saying I got a refund. I looked at the order and I looks like I indeed got a full refund. There are no notes or messages from the seller, so I’m not really sure what happened. Should I message the seller? Report that I haven’t received the order? The order does not show that it was canceled; it shows the Paid status, and awaiting shipping.

I’m honestly confused on what to do.