TechnoTalk: Time to Tech

[Cauliflower Of Love]

I lost my airpods pro.

What the best in ear wireless head thingies?

I have an android and a mac. I primarily listen on my android and windows laptop.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-planning-ai-powered-users

This is the craziest shit.

[Nintex]

"Unlike human creators, these AI personas don’t have lived experiences, emotions, or the same capacity for relatability," she added.

They said the same about Vtubers

[Potato]

I lost my airpods pro.

What the best in ear wireless head thingies?

I have an android and a mac. I primarily listen on my android and windows laptop.

I guess it depends on your budget. I've had good experiences with Sony noise cancelling earbuds.

[Polident]

Yeah. There are plenty of options ranging in price. Amazon has serviceable options in the $40 to $100 range.

Really like my AirPod Pros, but a lot of that comes from integration with other Apple devices.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-17/trump-team-said-to-want-to-ease-us-rules-for-self-driving-cars0

https://archive.ph/S9qOq




Because of fucking course

[killamajig]

[killamajig]

When I was a kid back in the '70s, I thought it would be cool to live in the future. The prospect of getting run over by a driverless car is not one of the things I anticipated about living in the future. I just sort of assumed they would have that worked out before they sent them out into the world. 

I probably would have thought having Smart Phone with AI wouldn't be without much of a downside either.

[Nintex]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-17/trump-team-said-to-want-to-ease-us-rules-for-self-driving-cars0

https://archive.ph/S9qOq




Because of fucking course

We let women drive why not the computers?

The prospect of getting run over by a driverless car is not one of the things I anticipated about living in the future. I just sort of assumed they would have that worked out before they sent them out into the world.

Cars were already on the road before we worked out the safety thing and we never fully did.
 
We won't get anywhere if we're scared of progress and this is a step in the right direction.

[Potato]

I'd probably trust the AI more than most drivers honestly.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Apparently meta can't get a hold of their own AI accounts. 

[Polident]

After using a Steam Deck for a couple years, I thought I had a basic grasp on Linux. But by simply trying to read files on a Linux formatted SD card, I’m discovering every operating system has its own esoteric storage format. The cleanest solutions I’m finding online suggests building a linux virtual machine inside windows 11, and using some medium to take those files into windows proper. Android and Apple have their own hang ups. Naive to think this stuff just worked.

[benji]

That's why most removable storage is default formatted to FAT32 or exFAT. Even NTFS drives aren't too bad because the other OSses will usually read them by default, I know Linux does. But there's programs you can use, I found this with a search: https://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2read/

There must be a way to use the Windows Linux Subsystem to read them but I'm not even going to bother to look into it.

In general I probably wouldn't trust the Steam Deck to format SD cards if it does them in ext4. Just format them in Windows and the Deck should read it fine anyway. I'm assuming it doesn't actually need them to be ext? I actually haven't tried Steam on Linux installing to a NTFS drive but then my Ubuntu install on my laptop auto-mounts that partition at boot anyway so I dunno.

[Polident]

I believe it is ext4. Realistically I’ll wait until I can access my Steam Deck and transfer everything to an exfat usb drive.

Actually had problems with Samsung external SSDs and exfat. Write speeds were basically unusably slow. Copying the data and reformatting as NTFS fixed it.

[benji]

exFAT is slow when doing lots of smaller files, NTFS and FAT32 are slower when doing giant files. Although I think NTFS can be faster depending on how "large" that large exactly is. Obviously FAT32 has an actual mathematical limit on size.

I don't know which would actually be faster with games. Some games are endless numbers of tiny files and then others, like UE stuff I believe, is giant single packages. I mostly use NTFS because it's the Windows default more than anything. Never had problems with Linux reading it, can't speak for anything Apple but would assume it'd be fine since they don't want users to think they need Windows. I know there are some situations where NTFS can cause problems but I have to imagine if anybody's distro has no issues with it, it's Valve's.

Oh, and I forgot the FATs reserve cluster space that's larger than NTFS usually. So you lose extra HD space in certain situations but it's typically not much.

I think the main advantage of ext4 for us normies is that it basically doesn't fragment. But with SSD's now, this would effectively be the case for NTFS too.

[killamajig]

I'm on Windows 11 and when I switch audio outputs I click on the Settings gear icon in the taskbar. But it's really annoying because sometimes it takes a while because it seems to be loading some kind of information and I don't see the settings for the sound output options till it's done doing its thing. What's most annoying is that if I close the window and immediately open it back up, you'd think it would already have that information loaded but it doesn't and sometimes it sits there thinking again before I can see the outputs and switch back settings. 

Is there some shortcut I can make or something that I can just get immediately to the System > Sound to switch outputs? It's a regular desktop PC that I use for gaming. It's not the latest and greatest but this seems silly that I have to wait even a couple seconds for this thing to load whatever information it's trying to figure out.

[Nintex]

I'm on Windows 11 and when I switch audio outputs I click on the Settings gear icon in the taskbar. But it's really annoying because sometimes it takes a while because it seems to be loading some kind of information and I don't see the settings for the sound output options till it's done doing its thing. What's most annoying is that if I close the window and immediately open it back up, you'd think it would already have that information loaded but it doesn't and sometimes it sits there thinking again before I can see the outputs and switch back settings. 

Is there some shortcut I can make or something that I can just get immediately to the System > Sound to switch outputs? It's a regular desktop PC that I use for gaming. It's not the latest and greatest but this seems silly that I have to wait even a couple seconds for this thing to load whatever information it's trying to figure out.

https://soundswitch.aaflalo.me/

[killamajig]

Perfect

Normaly I don't get in on the "Windows (insert number) Sux!!!" bandwagon but Win 11 sux. Jesus, I don't like anything about it. Next thery're going to bring back some AI version of Microsoft Bob or that googly eyed paperclip guy.

[Nintex]

Pre-ordered the Samsung S25 Ultra to replace my aging S21 FE. What convinced me was side by side comparisons of a $5000 Sony camera and the quality of pictures this phone can take as well as a comparison between the iPhone 16 Max Pro and the S25 Ultra. 

Great deal as a Samsung member too, 5% discount and the 1TB storage upgrade basically for the same price as the 256GB model. (~€1490)

Early birthday gift for myself.

[Alpacx]

Pre-ordered the Samsung S25 Ultra to replace my aging S21 FE. What convinced me was side by side comparisons of a $5000 Sony camera and the quality of pictures this phone can take as well as a comparison between the iPhone 16 Max Pro and the S25 Ultra. 

Great deal as a Samsung member too, 5% discount and the 1TB storage upgrade basically for the same price as the 256GB model. (~€1490)

Early birthday gift for myself.

Nice. I got a Galaxy S24 FE at Christmas. Wanted the Pixel 8a or Samsung midrange but got a price too good to pass up

Cameras on phones and the image processing are getting unbelievable.

[LoverOfCycles]

I have a Galaxy S 24+ and I pre-ordered the S 25 Ultra. I pick it up Friday at noon at the Samsung store near my place.

Getting over $1000 Canadian on the trade-in, which is ok. I just want the newest and shiniest and the 24+ blew me away with its camera.

The Gemini AI thing is interesting as well. I've been using it as a study buddy for a course I'm taking. I upload all my course notes to google docs, make an AI "Gem" that has access to the course work, and ask it to generate me a study guide, and sample quizzes/tests. I also talk to it in the 'Live' mode and it quizzes me and responds to my answers, gives corrections, adds context, etc.

Very helpful. I am currently running a trial month of the Gemini Pro, but the new phone will come with a 6 month sub, which is nice.

I for one welcome our AI overlords. Although it keeps asking me if my relationship is ok whenever my gf talks shit about the AI voice and accuses it of trying to 'hit on my man'.

[Polident]

tl;dr been connecting my laptop to my monitor via hdmi. No real issues aside from no gsync and no 165hz. Until I started using my laptop on a TV and the annoyance of unplugging and plugging HDMI cables. Digging around, I learned the USB C ports support DP1.4. Picked up a cheap usb-c to DP1.4 cable and everything just works.

usb c

I don't understand all the variations of it. But it's saved me from lugging around a big power brick and now with this display headache.

[Nintex]

Frist post from the S25 Ultra

[Rendle]

AND YOU FUCKED IT UP

[Nintex]

Early impressions.

The Jet Black Titanium version I have looks gorgeous, but it'll be in a flipbook cover most of the time.
Overall the phone feels really sturdy and high-end, unlike my S21FE.

It's fast, really fast. Everything is smooth as butter. I don't like the One UI version that's on my S21FE but this new one is great.

Gemini is well integrated, first time I'm actually actively using it and not the OpenAI / ChatGPT voice. 

The night time camera quality is great and overall the cameras are just insanely good for a phone.

It's really fun to draw stuff into IRL pictures with the pen. Like giving statues hats or putting a helicopter or UFO in your street.
Tanks didn't work though 

The quality of the edits is also impressive, I removed a glass of beer and something from my plate in a picture and my friends could hardly tell the difference.

Best smartphone screen I've ever seen. The first screen that I would say rivals my OLED TV in terms of black levels and colors, perhaps it's a bit better even, I'm stunned at how good it is actually. Not overly vivid like most Samsung screens. No ghosting or anything just absolutely gorgeous. Also the 6.9” screen size is basically the perfect size, still easy to handle and suitable to fit into your pocket but still a nice upgrade from the regular 6.4" screens.

Best smarphone speakers I've ever heard, this thing can go loud and the quality of the sound hardly diminishes at max volume even Atmos kind of works.

[Nintex]

I made the right bet that AMD wouldn't go up even when it looked tempting. All these stonk bros like: "breh AMD is going to the moon like Nvidia, it is way undervalued"

Dude, it's AMD. It'll never go to the moon. Anyone who ever bought a Radeon knows this. Their "AI" upscaling is piss poor and if AMD server center software works as well as their drivers and BIOS I feel sorry for anyone who has to go through that. The only good AMD products are the ones where they aren't in charge of anything but the component(Steamdeck) and even then your mileage may vary.   

Always bet on Nvidia

[Potato]

I fucking hate Apple.

I am trying to set up a group text chat with colleagues so we have another communication option during this approaching cyclone and RCS chat seems to be turned off by default on Apple devices.

None of the Apple people got the message as a group chat and all their replies are coming back individually.

Why does this shitty company exist?

Fuck Apple.

EDIT: Turns out it is actually the telcos that have failed to implement RCS on their networks. Fucking telcos and Apple can get fucked.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

I fucking hate Apple.

I am trying to set up a group text chat with colleagues so we have another communication option during this approaching cyclone and RCS chat seems to be turned off by default on Apple devices.

None of the Apple people got the message as a group chat and all their replies are coming back individually.

Why does this shitty company exist?

Fuck Apple.

EDIT: Turns out it is actually the telcos that have failed to implement RCS on their networks. Fucking telcos and Apple can get fucked.

Why are you hating apple instead of the poors that can have an apple?

[Polident]

Out of nowhere YouTube started auto dubbing videos and there’s no way to disable it on a phone browser. It’s nonsensical gibberish in a robot voice.

[Potato]

Since we're complaining about shit apps...what is it with apps not actually applying the settings you want? 

I have set the Facebook app to open links in the external browser and not autoplay videos.

Of course this shit opens in the Facebook browser and autoplays videos with sound. 

Fuck you Facebook.