Audacity is an audio editor useful for a variety of things, though in no way a DAW (nor will it be). It is great for simple and fast functions, such as exporting in different formats, noise reduction, high- and low-pass filtering, and normalization, etc. Audacity tools Noise reduction (if needed) High pass filter Low pass ... Read more
This is meant as a cautionary note regarding open source software forks. And by this I mean hard forks, namely that one project goes a different way than a previous version. Both are a bit different, but happened within six months of each other to important (to me) open source projects: Syncthing-Fork --> syncthing-android KeePassXC ... Read more
Note: v.2.x.x has been released: Syncthing (deb) Syncthing forum BasicSync (android wrapper/app) Syncthing is a continuous file synchronization program. It synchronizes files between two or more computers in real time, safely protected from prying eyes. Your data is your data alone and you deserve to choose where it is stored, whether it is shared with ... Read more
Updated 22-Apr-2026 Algorithm aversion is when an AI is discriminated against. There are a variety of approaches for studying this phenomena which clearly exists. Algorithm aversion Aversion is assumed to be an irrational and largely unconscious preference against something or someone. Algorithm aversion is an implicit prejudice against AIs in the widest sense of the ... Read more
Updated 20-Apr-2026 I hate bluetooth I have hated and rejected bluetooth for since its inception. I mean, for headphones/earbuds. Of course I use bluetooth for things like: Smart band Car connectivity (in conjunction with wifi) SMK25II midi controller Chromecast-compatible smart speakers/TV Other bluetooth speakers Heck, it looks like I actually love bluetooth (but have still ... Read more
Updated 24-Apr-2026 There are several places to put in DNS resolvers and Secure DNS servers to use, and variations of those services. The following are for Quad9. DNS resolvers Resolvers resolve DNS names to IP addresses. These are usually one or two IPv4 and/or IPv6 addresses. These can be set at your home router, so ... Read more
Update: Screw it, go with AMD. This driver hell is ridiculous. Yeah, Nvidia is a mess to deal with. That is, regarding Linux video drivers, and getting things working. Graphics on Linux can be nearly as frustrating as audio on Linux (well, not that near but still, frustrating). For Nvidia video cards, there are several ... Read more
Updated 19-Apr-2026 See also: Android devices Over the years I have been a fan and consumer of Xiaomi products including several phones, electronics of all types, backpacks, etc. Since they tend to enshittify, that is get crappier over time, I've scaled back and have found better substitutes. The following are not yet out of our ... Read more
These are the apps that I currently (or more recently) run in various Linux distributions (mainly Debian), for desktop and server. Linux destop apps By desktop I mean those apps I run only on the desktop (not console-based apps that can run on a headless remote server). I'm a fan of XFCE which I use ... Read more
Updated 06-Apr-2026 Note 06-04-2026: Kontact is simply painful when compared with Fastmail and its web, desktop, and mobile apps. Yes, I have to pay for Fastmail, but this also covers all my email and calendar hosting needs. The user interface is so much more improved and should act as a model and a spur to ... Read more
See also: Ungoogled Chromium, Vivaldi, and Chromium in general. Firefox woes Firefox has dramatically disintegrated under the so-called leadership of Mitchell Baker, enriching herself to the tune of millions while the market share (and revenue) of Firefox plummeted and 250 employees were laid off. This alone is reason enough to avoid such a toxic software ... Read more
Updated 06-Apr-2026 See also: Kontact the KDE PIM (email, calendar, etc.) Email, for so long was a client and server issue. Then it became cloud-based. Now we can't trust and cloud email providers, or at least damned few. As well, having your email locked in someone else's server with cloud access seems quite short-sighted. And ... Read more
Updated 06-Apr-2026 For XMPP clients, see XMPP Clients: Conversations, Dino. See also the Prosody IM chatroom itself. Preamble Note that after a year of using Snikket, I've installed Prosody (on which it is based) and find it to be more flexible, and more-or-less straightforward. Prosody is also super-easy to integrate with coturn for audio and ... Read more
While there is something to be said for actual self-hosting a server (at home or mobile), having a low-cost spot on the Internet is good for not having to worry about one's own personal connectivity at any given time, for services to work. By services, this could include: Web server (Caddy) Email server (Mox) File ... Read more
Updated 03-Apr-2026 Ungoogled Chromium for Debian This is meant to help with selecting and installing a chrome-based browser, with minimal tracking and other cruft. I've given up on Firefox as being too corrupt, and technically inferior. Yes, Chromium is a Google project, but the open source nature has produced two viable browser options for all ... Read more
I've avoided Flatpaks and Snaps for a long time, but now see three uses for Flatpaks (though none yet for Snaps). The main issues have to do with the size of files, security stuff, and simply being not as convenient as using apt repositories. But when some folks can't keep those things stable (or offer ... Read more
Updated 02-Mar-2026 For XMPP server, see Prosody, which works lovely and is super-easy to integrate with coturn for audio and video calls. Note that Movim and Jitsi Meet are two additional items that can be integrated as well. Preamble I've used Signal for the past number of years as a chat / videocall app, having ... Read more
Updated 19-Apr-2026 See also Samsung buds core bluetooth Android devices Android apps disable One UI 7/8 battery indicator Android hardware At this point, I feel that Chromebooks are non-starters. Either Android or Linux (Debian) are the proper OSes of choice, and decent hardware that can support these platforms. We have moved to Samsung devices from ... Read more
Updated 11-Dec-2025 Reaper is the DAW I've decided on based on a combination of functionality and affordability. Reaper is not open source, but it does have a reasonable and affordable license. I'm fine with supporting them, up until enshittification (which isn't 100% guaranteed in any case). See also Generative AI in Music The main thing ... Read more
Updated 04-Mar-2026 I have several different thoughts on AI music. Note: Over the past 4 months November 2025 - February 2026) I have created over 6 hours of songs in a variety of genres, and this music has and is enjoyed by my friends and family. Overall a positive experience. Copyright and infringement Generative A.I. ... Read more