Slashdot Mirror


User: jerk

jerk's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
109
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 109

  1. Check out Hubitat Elevation. I'm in the process of moving from Wink right now. My only gripe so far is needing to buy a Lutron hub for my Caseta switches that Wink had built into the hub. I also run Homebridge on a Raspberry Pi to bring all my devices into the Home app.

  2. Re:It's a 'Web Browser In A Box' on Moving To a Chromebook (avc.com) · · Score: 1

    So.....use two computers instead of just having one?

  3. It could need it for a number of reasons. Taking videos with sound, using speech-to-text, etc. I still haven't given it access to the microphone since I use the built-in camera for video and photos and don't use speech-to-text, but there are legitimate reasons for it.

  4. Re: Question about Apple machines on Apple To Force Users To 2FA On iOS 11, macOS High Sierra (onthewire.io) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You're an AC that works at Teleperformance or some other call center, and you think you know what you're talking about. No Apple ID is required to create an account on a Mac or to download updates.

    Update (iOS and MacOS) are available here, no App Store required.

    As he stated, you do need an Apple ID for the App Store and iCloud features.

  5. Re:MIPS was in game consoles, sure, but on Splitting Up With Apple is a Chipmaker's Nightmare (engadget.com) · · Score: 1

    This was my thought, when MIPS is mentioned, I automatically thing SGI. Then I realized that I'm old (not really) and that my memory is even longer than they assume their readers have. Of course, this is slashdot, so my expectation was that the user base that's left here (since I doubt they're adding to their user base) is as old or older than I am.

  6. Re: Had the problem... on A Design Defect Is Plaguing Many iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Units (iphonehacks.com) · · Score: 1

    The Apple Store replaced mine under AppleCare+ about a month ago. It was a crapshoot as to when the problem would rear its head, but it did happen while I was near an Apple Store, so I took it in and they handed me a new one.

  7. Re:Microsoft has never discontinued any hardware? on Apple Discontinues Thunderbolt Display (macrumors.com) · · Score: 1

    Don't forget the Microsoft Kin that lasted just over a year (May 2010 to August 2011 [though the Kin website was shuttered in January of 2011.])

  8. 100% false. I've switched my SIM between my iPhone 6 and my Galaxy S5 and have no problems sending text messages to/from the Android device. When I put the SIM back into the iPhone, iMessage is re-enabled.

  9. Re:Sleeper hit? on Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo · · Score: 1

    Ugh....last year, not last month.

  10. Re:Sleeper hit? on Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo · · Score: 1

    I considered getting one but I just don't like Amazon and I'm neck deep in Google services (which I like) and the Echo does't work with them. I will be looking closely at the Google version and just might get it of not to expensive.

    They did add Google calendar functionality to the Echo last month. Usage instructions here.

  11. Re:Sleeper hit? on Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo · · Score: 1

    You also own 5 Nest devices. You aren't normal. You just like shiny tech. That is fine, but don't pretend there are many people like you.

    Six now, since adding a thermostat to the bedroom (its heating/cooling system is separate from the rest of the house.) I got quite a chuckle out of the thought of you searching my history for that little nugget of information; you're taking this very personally.

    And we're discussing this on slashdot, where I'd argue that most readers have an interest in shiny tech, though I know two other people (who are not gadget nerds like me) that own Echos.

  12. Re:Sleeper hit? on Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo · · Score: 3, Informative

    You do this multiple times a day? You have a problem.

    Since you know so much about me, you know that our weather actually changes from day to day, sometimes even in the same 24-hour period. I've even checked the weather, wanted to hear the news headlines of the hour, and set a tea timer within mere minutes of each other. Craziness, I know!

    cause switches you walk by are hard ...

    We don't actually walk by the switches for the lights in question. One is mounted in an area that's inaccessible because the refrigerator we installed is larger than ones the kitchen was designed for in 1963. I installed a Lutron switch with a remote control that's affixed to the front of the fridge with a magnet. Call it laziness, poor kitchen design, or whatever...it works (very well) for us and we like it.

    Because this is easier and faster than reading it ...

    Yes, actually. I don't have to get out , wake it from sleep, then launch or navigate to . Our local newspaper isn't worth the price of the paper it's printed on, so I simply say "Alexa, what's in the news?" while making my tea or coffee and she plays the briefing within 3 seconds.

    My "excuses" are simply my use cases. It's a convenience for us and it was well worth the $99 they were charging for the Echo at the time. It's not quite the impulse buy it used to be at its current price point, but if mine were to die out of warranty, I'd likely replace it with another.

  13. Re:The FBI, CIA, and NSA are lovin' it! on Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo · · Score: 1

    Nah, we use our "secure room" in the basement for all of our plotting and conniving.

  14. Re:Sleeper hit? on Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Echo isn't impressive, if you can find anyone with one of these 'sleeper hits' for more than a week, ask them how much they use it ... and then I dare you to find me the person who doesn't regret wasting the money after the first month is over.

    Okay, I'll bite. My girlfriend and I use Echo several times a day, every day. Whether it's to ask the forecast for that day or the next, to set a timer for tea, to turn the lights on/off when we walk into the kitchen (where our Echo lives), or for the latest news brief from NPR and BBC (though you can set different ones). I've also used it for unit conversions while cooking or baking and it's used fairly frequently for playing Pandora stations or something from Amazon's music service since it's actually got a very nice speaker built into it.

    I find it much, much more reliable than Siri (which is disappointing, being an Apple user) and fairly close to Google's Now as far as speed and accuracy. They're constantly adding new features and send an email every Friday letting you know what's new and how to use it.

  15. If you haven't heard of the Amazon Echo... on Google Chirp To Rival Amazon Echo · · Score: 1

    ...you must be the one sleeping. Under a rock.

  16. Future legislation will require... on California Legislation Would Require License Plates, Insurance For Drones (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...turn signals, mirrors, and a working horn.

  17. Re:What NDA? on Apple Bans iFixit Repair App From App Store After Apple TV Teardown · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, they are not. At the moment you can only buy one if you are a registered developer and are willing to sign an NDA.

    Not even that. They held a lottery for registered developers and gave the winning developers a developer kit. As a registered developer who was not selected for the lottery, I cannot even buy an early-access unit.

    iFixIt signed up for that lottery and was picked to receive a developer kit. I remember when I signed up for the same kit, I did a very cursory skimming of the NDA and it was pretty explicitly stated that I wasn't allowed to publicly publish pictures or even publicly discuss the unit/software.

  18. Re:Headline leaves out one very important detail on Over 225,000 Apple Accounts Compromised Via iOS Malware · · Score: 1

    And it seems that 225,000 people did the first part, but just left the lock off their door and didn't bother installing a new lock.

  19. Re:I know on San Francisco Fiber Optic Cable Cutter Strikes Again · · Score: 1

    It's Chip. Chip Douglas.

  20. Re:Waitasecondhere... on Tattoos Found To Interfere With Apple Watch Sensors · · Score: 1

    He asked you to explain how it works, not how Apple is wrong in their explanation. Explain how it works, I'm genuinely curious. And please, feel free to dumb it down for my idiot brain; be as condescending as you like.

  21. Re:Becauese NEST is so good with devices on "Google Glass Isn't Dead!" Says Google's CEO Eric Schmidt · · Score: 1

    Are you speaking from experience? I own 5 Nest devices (4 Protects and a thermostat) and haven't had a problem with any of them (outside of short connectivity outages with the thermostat - which continued working normally, otherwise.) I've owned the thermostat since Christmas of 2011 and the Protects much less time (4 months), but have yet to experience a problem (and hopefully won't when I need it most.)

    I'm not in an extreme climate where I am, but we see temps ranging from slightly below freezing to over 100F. There's generally a lot of complaining online when Nest has an outage, but I can deal with not being able to adjust my thermostat remotely during those short periods of time. I've never had a false alarm on my Protects, but I recognize they had some issues early on.

    That's not to say that people haven't had problems, but it's not an "endless shitstorm of problems" for everyone.

  22. Re: But surely... on Samsung SmartTV Customers Warned Personal Conversations May Be Recorded · · Score: 1

    Never thought I'd see a Lagwagon song posted on slashdot.

  23. Hey man, is that Freedom Box? on All Packages Needed For FreedomBox Now In Debian · · Score: 1

    Well turn it up, man!

    Sorry, I'm just having flashbacks of the Freedom Rock commercial.

  24. Re:Abduction on Myst Creators Announce Obduction · · Score: 1

    Since your dictionary is broken and mine is not:

    obduction |bdkt()n| noun [ mass noun ] Geology
    the sideways and upwards movement of the edge of a crustal plate over the margin of an adjacent plate. the granitic magmas formed when the ophiolite complex was obducted onto the continental margin.

  25. Re:If it's as good (for today) as Myst was (for th on Myst Creators Announce Obduction · · Score: 1

    I remember spending a solid 24 hours playing Myst for the Mac when I was in high school and it remains my absolute favorite game of all time. I opted for the $75 level on Kickstarter. The enjoyment I got out of Myst is worth it even if this game is somehow horrible.