Ruthalas (u/Ruthalas)

Ruthalas commented on Google Street View in 2026 tech.marksblogg.com/googl... · Posted by u/marklit

ks2048 · 18 days ago

We need an open version (as OpenStreetMap is to Google Maps).

Mapillary (https://www.mapillary.com/) has surprisingly good coverage in some places, but the experience is lacking, partly because most of the images (where I've looked) aren't 360 views.

Ruthalas · 17 days ago

Panoramax[0] is another, perhaps more open option, though it is currently primarily used in Europe.

[0] panoramax.openstreetmap.fr/

Ruthalas commented on In Search of a Discord Replacement no-bull.sh/blog/2026/02/1... · Posted by u/ta8903

DoctorOW · a month ago

Small correction, Stoat does have a usable native mobile app:

- Android: https://github.com/stoatchat/for-android

- iOS: https://github.com/stoatchat/for-ios

Ruthalas · a month ago

The iOS client is available through testglight right now, and has this in a banner on the repo:

"This app is still in early stages, and not yet ready for production."

Just for others who are evaluating it as an option.

Ruthalas commented on · Posted by u/Ruthalas

Ruthalas · 4 months ago

Anecdotally, myself and several others can no longer connect to Flatpak, and downdetector shows an increasing report count.

Ruthalas commented on Show HN: I made a fireplace for your wrist (and widgets) · Posted by u/kingofspain

_august · 4 months ago

> There are no subscriptions, just like a real fireplace

well, logs are an irl subscription

Ruthalas · 4 months ago

In both cases you pay for the energy used, it's just that there are many more steps to get that energy to your watch!

Ruthalas commented on Why effort scales superlinearly with the perceived quality of creative work markusstrasser.org/creati... · Posted by u/eatitraw

bluGill · 4 months ago

Except for others who do that type of work and so know what to look for. I have a friend who does trim work in mansions - I can't take him to a restaurant near me because the trim work is terrible and he can't help but stare at it the whole time - nobody else notices.

Ruthalas · 4 months ago

I went on a ferry ride with a friend who is a welder by trade and they spent a full hour examining the railings and critiquing the welding. It was pretty interesting.

Ruthalas commented on My fan worked fine, so I gave it WiFi ellis.codes/blog/my-fan-w... · Posted by u/woolywonder

ssl-3 · 4 months ago

Home Assistant does great at tying all kinds of things together.

People had a habit of leaving the basement lights on here. Now they turn themselves off after a timer expires, and also whenever nobody's home. Using HA and a cheap Shelly relay (chosen for form factor), I was able to do this while retaining the existing lighting circuits, light switch, and the lights themselves.

It works perfectly, is completely local, and the end-user UI is completely natural. Toggle the same plain-Jane light switch that has always been there at the top of the basement stairs and the lights change state. (UI doesn't get more intuitive than that.)

Or: Fans. This house has a good furnace and central aircon, but the ductwork doesn't really extend upstairs. By default, this makes the upstairs-parts very hot in the summer and cooler than I'd like in the winter -- even though it's nice downstairs during all seasons.

I fixed that to my satisfaction by putting a fan on the landing that is controlled by an inexpensive smart switch, just to improve circulation. HA runs this show; the fan runs when the HVAC is doing something, and whenever people are home and it is either too hot or too cold upstairs (based on a temperature sensor). It's not a perfect solution, but it's kept the temperatures sane (and provided logging to prove it), it was cheap to implement, and it is cheap to run.

I already had the parts kicking around; it just took software and time.

(The best option for efficiency and comfort is probably installing mini-splits up there, but... sheesh, that's into the realm of orders-of-magnitude more expensive. Maybe some day.)

Ruthalas · 4 months ago

What are you using as your temperature sensors, if you don't mind?

Ruthalas commented on How I bypassed Amazon's Kindle web DRM blog.pixelmelt.dev/kindle... · Posted by u/pixelmelt

cassianoleal · 5 months ago

You could still use an older version of the app to force getting a book with the older DRM.

I haven't done that in a while though, so I'm not sure if they closed that loophole.

Ruthalas · 5 months ago

Unfortunately they did close that loophole recently. :(

Ruthalas commented on How Kyoto, Japan Became the Loveliest Tourist-Trap nymag.com/intelligencer/a... · Posted by u/trevortheblack

evertedsphere · 5 months ago

one tiny famous painting from a cop-enforced distance of god knows how much while an enormous painting full of stuff stands right opposite it

Ruthalas · 5 months ago

I imagine the curators did this to entertain themselves. I thought it was a great juxtaposition when I visited.

Ruthalas commented on Pixel 10 Phones blog.google/products/pixe... · Posted by u/gotmedium

packetlost · 7 months ago

It's easily solvable with a case. I agree that it's silly that Apple does it this way, but I struggle to see how it rises to the level of being a fundamental flaw like file management is.

Ruthalas · 7 months ago

The wobble actually factors onto my device choice as well. It's just annoying to live with for the life of the phone if you can't find a case that widens it, which many don't.