Consumed Consumer . org

I have bunch of old, dusty laptops running around, and, obviously, I've been working to install linux onto them. Whenever I turn them on, I have to solve the same problems, so rather than repeatedly looking for the solutions I cannot memorize, I'd rather add them here.

Having recently purchased a new Flipper Zero together with a Wi-Fi Dev module and a Video Game (Raspberry Pi) module, I'm writing an updated guide on how to make the best use of these devices.

Having recently purchased a bunch of fruits (red grapes, cherries and apples) in Chinatown at deep discounts, I was curious to learn what was the best value not only in terms of price discount but also in terms of fiber vs sugar.

I have recently purchased a Lenovo mouse and fingerprint combo and it may be useful to you as well.

I recently had an issue with my laptop caused most likely by some software conflict or update. It's not the first time it happened so I document it here in the event it happens again. I'm also not the only one going through this, hopefully it is useful to others as well.

Having briefly discussed how to choose a virtual private server (VPS), we have experimented with a number of (hosting?) providers, some providing limited-time free service, some providing rock-bottom prices, and we are now ready to make a recommendation. We started this overview in 2020 and finished it in 2022.

Privacy is a concept long sacrificed on the altar of convenience. More legislative attention improves temporarily the situation, until the large conglomerates learn their way around it. We look at a recent analysis made by pCloud.  

Given a recent study on weight gain during the pandemic, we look at conventional wisdom advice on dealing with weight gain and the omnipresent menace of diabetes.

I purchased my gaming laptop ( .ca ) in a hurry, at a time when many others were buying theirs, and was unable to get all that I wanted. Compromises had to be made. But this past December, I took the plunge and upgraded the memory and the hard drive (which was already quite fast, but a little too small).

I have recently resurrected some older devices with flaky connectivity and while ssh-ing into them had to use some terminal tricks (aka multiplexers ) to restore connections if disconnected (or to purposely disconnect/reconnect on long commands). I used tmux where possible, but occasionally only GNU screen was available, making a summary of features opportune.

Youtube is a wonderful platform and its creators deserve to be able to make a living. Many of them actually do by serving Google ads (with Google keeping a significant portion of ad revenue) or, via some Youtube subscription model that was first called Red and now is Premium (this may be inaccurate, I’m not following it closely). If, like me, you dislike a model where Google decides who is worthy of support and who’s not and gets to keep the lion’s share of ad revenue, this article might be for you. If, on the other hand, you have the means to purchase YouTube Premium and don’t have time to waste, go ahead and get it, it’s definitely worth it!

Despite the numerous vulnerabilities and cracking methods around WPA and its successor, a black hat might find themselves brute-forcing a handshake. If the most common list of passwords fails, (a dictionary attack that automated tools generally employ) the next to try is a list of valid phone numbers in that particular area, which can be easily generated.

I recently went to the trouble of installing Metasploit Framework (MSF) on a few devices (Android smartphone, Windows laptop, Kali on multiboot), with various degrees of success. My experiences may be helpful for others attempting the same, as well as for me, so that I can finish it later.

There seems to be a mistaken belief that in order to gain superuser access (or to do serious development or, to use a popular misnomer, “hacking”, one has to “jailbreak”, or as it is called everywhere other than iOS, “root”. Let us see how anyone can do most of it using an excellent and completely free hack (or app) called Termux.

I recently had to buy a stand-alone camera for security purposes and I ended up buying what seemed to be the best value I could find. It still is after using it, so I am sharing this with you.

Forced by circumstances, I found myself searching for a robotic vacuum cleaner. I look for something without frills, less than CN$300, which automatically excludes all the Roomba nonsense.

I recently had the opportunity to benchmark two very similar Acer computers, differing mostly in the kind of Intel processor they shared. I found that only Novabench is worth using.

Not long ago I dropped my old trusty tablet hybrid on the floor and the monitor went blank. I had to quickly purchase a new laptop, which itself was fixed only days ago. I will discuss here how I got a new one and what others can do when their laptop is almost dead to retrieve their data.

There was a time when having a “media center” involved building an HTPC, which was a difficult project to undertake, wrought with frustrations and hardware/software incompatibilities. OTA HDTV came along and many felt left behind just when they had gotten things working. Some experimented with Popcorn while others played with NZBs/NNTP/Usenet downloads. After all these years, one media interface has emerged dominant: XBMC / Boxi / Kodi.

I have recently responded to a rental ad on Craigslist and got a reply from a scammer. He hides behind the identity of a TV personality.