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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 21st, 2023

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  • I read this a while back and am already taking action to replace my Ring cams and doorbell with locally controlled Reolink cameras. I already have them set up and working on my desk, just need to finish the actual install. I am currently trying to figure out why I’m getting <12v on my doorbell circuit.


  • One of my objections is that it pushes proprietary operating systems without providing a neutral FOSS option. So in a sense, the tracking and profiling (per your Android or iOS phone) has to come along for the ride. It also opens the door to more and more invasive IDing both IRL and on the web as it will eventually be worked into a bunch of different things. Everything that’s optional now could become mandatory later. It’s like building a munitions factory but putting a “Mark’s Fruit Export & Wholesale” sign on the building. All you have to do is bust down a few walls and put a fresh coat of paint in things and the gig is up.




  • My partner had a preference for the wider FOV so I got the black one. It paired no problem and after banging my head against the wall for a while I got the stream working in Home Assistant, VLC, then Frigate. I haven’t decided how I want to handle the recording. I have yet to set up notifications and I’m not certain if my doorbell circuit is providing enough power, which would explain why the Bezos Bell sucked at keeping a charge (also surveiling your customers all day takes a lot of juice). This may become a slightly bigger project if I have to rerun the wiring.

    There was a lot of hype around this bell and that naturally makes me skeptical, but rarely have I had a device pair and get to a functional state that quickly, even in most proprietary apps. We’ll see how it works out once I have it wired in.








  • Kagi gave me weird hype vibes like Private Internet Access. Very cult-sounding/ hard to tell what’s a paid advert when everyone is so rabidly opinionated and it’s a bit of a niche to begin with.

    I’ve tried it since then and it’s actually very good. I’ve used DuckDuckGo for years and 30% of my searches go to google for a second opinion. With Kagi, that number is more like 10-20%. It’s designed with users in mind and actually helps you find things not by actively subverting your will, but my giving you tools to build better queries and better results.

    I’m still trying to reconcile my thoughts about FOSS and such but the results are the closest I’ve found to early Google. I don’t care much for AI, but I used it to accurately identify an unknown wire connector on a cable I found and the model of a keyboard someone was selling in classifieds and didn’t actually list in the description (this one took a few tries).

    I’ve decided for now I’m going to put them in the same category as some of the stuff Louis Rossman is involved in which also isn’t the perfect FOSS licence though its in the direction of freedom.