Thinking Out Loud: Tech Edition
Thinking Out Loud is a recurring post where I write about thoughts and ideas that have recently occurred to me. As ever the intention is not to develop these ideas into full blown blog posts, although they often the could be. Instead I just collate a few sentences to express my point and leave it at that. The idea being that if anyone else wants to pick up the conversation they can do so in the comments section below. On this occasion the various points are all technology based. I’ve been busy of late with several projects, such as building a new website and creating some widgets specifically for it. Like most technical projects things don’t often go as planned and problems occur unexpectedly. Hence, I thought why not make a themed instalment of Thinking Out Loud this time round? It’s something that I may well do this again in the future. As ever, feel free to make your thoughts known.
Thinking Out Loud is a recurring post where I write about thoughts and ideas that have recently occurred to me. As ever the intention is not to develop these ideas into full blown blog posts, although they often the could be. Instead I just collate a few sentences to express my point and leave it at that. The idea being that if anyone else wants to pick up the conversation they can do so in the comments section below. On this occasion the various points are all technology based. I’ve been busy of late with several projects, such as building a new website and creating some widgets specifically for it. Like most technical projects things don’t often go as planned and problems occur unexpectedly. Hence, I thought why not make a themed instalment of Thinking Out Loud this time round? It’s something that I may well do this again in the future. As ever, feel free to make your thoughts known.
Additional Project Costs
A few months ago I added a blogroll to this website. Since then I’ve been tinkering with it regularly to add functionality. The blogroll is now a blog directory with some simple filtering tools. 343 blogs are currently listed. There is also a widget that collates the latest twenty posts from those blogs. A few days ago, I added summary functionality to the widget. It’s a nice feature that ultimately introduced an AI into the equation. Initially I tried to use a Google Gemini API key but it had restrictions and performance issues, as I was using a free tier. I ended up using GPT-5.6 Luna API instead which is a paid service. Essentially you have to buy a pool of tokens which are used whenever the AI is used to create a summary. The cost is not prohibitive but it clearly demonstrates how every minor AI transaction is monetised. No wonder the owners are billionaires.
A New Webcam
My grandson has now started his first year of formal schooling. Some of his homework requires a video to be recorded and uploaded to his class website. Naturally the easiest solution to this is to use a phone. However, my grandson is contrary and may not immediately cooperate. Also, why pass up the opportunity to buy a new webcam? So I bought the Insta360 Link 2 which you can cogently argue is using a sledgehammer to crack a Walnut. However, I am thinking of doing some “think piece” content on video, rather than writing blog posts and thought this would be a good device for that purpose. As the webcam can track movement, it lends itself to recording more fluid video content, rather than me just sitting in a chair talking to camera. I shall experiment and see what it can do. No doubt I will blog about the results.
Open-Source Software
All too often, I look for some commercial software to do a specific task, only to find that it doesn’t exist or if it does, it is priced ridiculously. Fortunately the open-source community solve this by writing their own software, making it available for others. Advanced Renamer is a great example of this as I often have to rename large quantities of files such as photos and videos. Fire Toolbox is another app that I use to administer changes to my Amazon Tablet. Changes that Amazon wouldn’t necessarily let me make. Then there’s Windhawk, which allows Windows 11 users to change numerous elements of the UI, such as hiding email addresses or screen elements that offend you. Let’s not forget the various 3rd part YouTube players that bypass all the horrible features that are inflicted upon us by default. I greatly appreciated such software and those who write and maintain it. Which is why its always worth reiterating, that if you use open-source software and like it, then pay for it or make a donation.
The Wonders of GitHub
For those who may not know, GitHub is a cloud-based web platform where developers store, share and manage their computer code. A lot of the open-source projects I previously mentioned can be found on GitHub. It is well worth the time trawling through the site if you have a particular tech problem that you wish to solve. Because chances are someone else has already encountered it and created a solution. I have been using Microsoft Phone Link to connect my phone to my PC. Until recently, Phone Link allowed data, such as authorisation codes, to be copied from the system tray notification messages and pasted into the relevant website. Sadly this functionality stopped after a recent Android update. Which led me to discover Sefirah, software designed to seamlessly control your phone from Windows. It is a far more comprehensive app that Phone Link, affording you much more functionality without any restrictions. GitHub is filled with such projects and is therefore an invaluable online resource.
Linux and Hype
I am still testing Steam OS as a Windows alternative and it is proving very useful. It is not such a resource hog as the other OS and I like it’s lean UI. There are Linux versions of the most of the software I use and if not, lots of comparable products. Overall, I am happy with the way this test is progressing. However, it is not been devoid of issues and although many have been minor, they have proven quite irritating. Despite a primary monitor being set, apps and games launch on whatever screen they see fit. Bluetooth devices stop working after a reboot. You cannot extend your taskbar (confusing known in Linux as the taskmanger) across both screens. Command lines added to Steam games to control behaviour, work inconsistently or become forgotten. The list goes on. I don’t dispute the performance benefits of Linux or the lack of bloat. But it does not yet “work straight out of the box” as a Windows replacement. Claims that it does, are misleading. A lot of fine tuning is required.
Thinking Out Loud is a recurring post where I write about thoughts and ideas that have recently occurred to me. As ever the intention is not to develop these ideas into full blown blog posts, although they often the could be. Instead I just collate a few sentences to express my point and leave it at that. The idea being that if anyone else wants to pick up the conversation they can do so in the comments section below. On this occasion the various points are all technology based. I’ve been busy of late with several projects, such as building a new website and creating some widgets specifically for it. Like most technical projects things don’t often go as planned and problems occur unexpectedly. Hence, I thought why not make a themed instalment of Thinking Out Loud this time round? It’s something that I may well do this again in the future. As ever, feel free to make your thoughts known.