Little bits update - July 2024

Occasionally I have a list of things that don’t warrant a full blog post for each. Here’s some other random tech stuff I’ve been working on.

Custom NFC tags

As a gift, my wife got me a pack of rewritable NFC tags so I can experiment with various automations. For my first project I created a small sign with a QR code and some instructions on how to connect to our wifi network, then I taped one of the NFC tags to the back. Now anyone can either scan the QR code or tap their phone to get logged in.

I think my next project with these tags will be to hide some in the various items I carry with me and embed my contact info if I ever lose them. I thinking like my backpack or toolbox. Makes it so I can prove it belongs to me. May not be useful, but a fun little side project.

Side note: As a construction contractor, there are two things I would love every customer to tell me when I arrive. One, its okay to use their bathroom. Two, allow me to connect to their wifi. A lot of places have iffy data signal and being connected to wifi makes my life so much easier. I created some signs for my guest network, strategically placed, so a contractor or service person can see it and sign in without even asking me.

Giving up on persistent USB desktop

I tried. I tried hard, but I could never get a persistent Linux desktop installed on a USB device. I tried standard USB stick, 2.5" external enclosure with a SSD, and even a USB NVMe device. But, each time I got it setup it would have data corruption issues and I’m at my wits end. This is over multiple different storage devices and four different distributions.

I would love to have a persistent Linux desktop I can carry with me, but I have wasted so much time trying to get it working. I am beyond frustrated at this point.

Prep for hot weather

This weekend its gonna be hot, especially for us in the greater Seattle area. We will be around 98F/37C for a few days and we do not have air conditioning.

So, I’ve been going around and doing our hot weather preps. I have shades that go on the outside of the south and east-facing windows (gotta block the sun before it gets into the house) and inside covers for other windows. I also have a system of fans for the house.

Essentially I have three window fans in the south and north windows that run on a timer. We are lucky that overnight our temperatures always cool down to at least 60F/16C. My goal is to use that time to cool the house down as much as possible and then we close everything up during the day. This works great and actually keeps the house kind of cold. The fans have standard mechanical timers that turn the fans on at 1AM and turn off at 6:30AM. By the morning its a cool 62F/17C.

Now, I can hear some people saying, “Why not get some smart plugs?”.

First, I am anti-smart home as 99% of it is completely useless. Smart home products are an ecological disaster. Why do I need a server running in a data center just to turn the fans on at the same time every night? Smart home products are designed from the beginning to be e-waste, not including the unnecessary energy consumption of the centralized server.

Yes, I am aware of Home Assistant and how I can self-host.

But why do I need charts showing how much the fans run or what the temp is? Why do I need these fans connected to the internet? ? Why do I need yet another app on my phone when a mechanical timer accomplishes the same task? Why do I need to be tech support for my family just so some fans can turn on?

Rant over.

Helix editor

I just started using Helix Editor after seeing this Mastodon post from codemonkeymike. At the moment it is a little over my head since I never used Vim/NeoVim. But, I love that it is a TUI-first editor and is lightning fast.

It is too early to give feedback, but keep an eye on the blog feed for a longer post later.

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