TITAM - Technical issues that affected me

Yonks ago, I started writing my passwords down in my phone, so I'd always have them available. No, I'm not stupid.  They were encrypted. Eventually, I wanted to get the list out of my phone and on to my file server, for backup and emergency access.   There was, however, no good way to do that, as:   -  A PC could not decrypt the original file format, meaning straight file copy, Dropbox, FTP, etc. were no good.   -  I could not copy / paste the text from the encrypted note using remote access programs.   -  Exporting a plain-text file was inherently insecure.   -  Emailing my entire password list to myself, in plaintext, was a horrible idea. This left me stuck for quite a while. - Solution:  Bitwarden . Steps: 1.  On mobile: Create a secure note Copy the sensitive info to that note 2.  On desktop: Open your Bitwarden vault, and the note will be there.  It's a ridiculously easy solution to a difficult problem. You can a...

 If you don't understand Docker yet, read How to Install Docker on Windows and/or How to Install on Synology SRM first. - Once you've got Docker installed, here's some apps that I think will be most useful to get you started. I have not tried ANY of these, so take this for what they are worth.  These are just the ones that caught my eye as being useful for me.  Nobody paid for these recommendations, and I've honestly not tried hardly any of these for myself.  But I probably will. - These apps all have weird names, and often seem complex, and so will probably seem more unfamiliar than they should be.   Look past this and focus on what they can do for you.  Some of these are freakin' great. There are TONS of other apps, many for exotic uses far beyond what ordinary users want / need - it's frankly overwhelming.  Hopefully this helps you get your feet wet. - The big advantage to these is they are (almost) always free.  If you're like me and lo...

I previously wrote about Docker for Windows , which turned out to be pretty simple. It also gives us hints on how to accomplish this on Synology SRM.  Which also sounded complicated, but is actually equally simple. For this, I'm using Uptime Kuma as the example.  Exact settings may vary by application. Here's what you do: 1.  Go to Package Center and install Docker (DSM 6.x) or Container Manager (DSM 7.x). 2.  Navigate to the "docker" subfolder of your Synology. - For Container Manager (DSM 7.x): 3.  Create a subdirectory for your Docker application (i.e. "rustdesk-server"). 4.  Go find the official "docker-compose.yaml" file for the Docker application you want.   **  WARNING:  Just like with ANY software you install, be sure you are using the correct, official installer .  Malware disguised as legitimate software is hardly a problem confined to Docker, so always be careful! ** 5.  Drop the .yaml file into the new directory. ...

I didn't understand the ins and outs of Docker for a long time. I understood the what : it is (essentially) an adapter to plug software into any hardware, in the "write once, run anywhere" ethos.   I understood the why :  You can take one application and run it directly on Windows, Synology, Linux, or whatever, without recompiling or worrying about software / hardware dependencies.  Very handy for software development.   I understood the how :  You install Docker, which hosts programs in virtual machines called "containers".  The program has its own private container, and Docker handles the interactions between the container and the OS.  But I didn't understand the steps required to actually do it.  And I don't do anything on my PCs that I don't understand. And it all sounded really complex: "Self-hosting" calls back nightmares of debugging networking problems, which always sucks. "Homelab" sounds like a time-suck tar pit for Yo...

All of the guides talk about Docker containers, Trash-guides, Usenet, indexers, subscriptions, a whole ton of configurations and a bunch of people trying to sell you prebuilt solutions.  Plus more ARR services than you can remember. Screw that noise.   These are EASY.  You can level up from straight RSS feeds in practically no time. - Well, OK, they're still a >bit< of work.  But you DON'T need: Docker containers, Linux, JSON files, sabnzbd, nzbget, nzbgeek, special directory structures, paid subscriptions or any of that other sh!t that's probably either (i) scared you to death or (ii) scared you off completely. These work pretty much like Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin, etc. and do just fine on their own, at least for starters.   (And you have Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin or something similar already, or else you wouldn't be reading this.) -  Note: these WILL work on a machine that is running a VPN. No, none of them actually run over the VPN.  That woul...

 So DNS-O-Matic is shutting down , forcing me to find a new solution. I was so happy to find that my Synology could do this too.  I was not so happy to find it didn't seem to work, with multiple users saying they never got it to work with Namecheap.   [Yes, my Synology is old, and is running 6.2.  I'm not dropping $5k on a new model that whines like a little bitch every time you stick in a new hard drive, even if Synology belatedly walked those back .  (More like ran those back, like sprinted.)   Congratulations Synology, you've tarnished your brand forever , and are, and will now heretofore forever be, the textbook cautionary tale on how to alienate a loyal customer base.  Forever .] My experience It does work.  The NAS will throw an error every time it updates, but the NAS does still seem to update the Namecheap records correctly. How to do it:  1.  Follow the instructions here .    2. In my setup, I initially us...

Update 1: This problem is now occurring even without anything plugged in to the USB ports during reboot.   So, NOT a problem with USB-C devices being plugged in at reboot.   No solution yet.  --- Update 2:  I reset the machine to factory specs, and the problem >appeared< to go away.   However, as I still have no idea what caused it in the first place, I can't have much confidence it won't re-occur in the future.  So I'm returning this machine.  --- Update 3:  Replaced with ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16.  Installed all the same software, used all the same USB-C devices plus one new one.  Zero problems, perfectly smooth sailing. --- Problem:  As described.  Starts suddenly, disappears just as suddenly.  Crashes can occur anytime after boot (i.e. anywhere between 5 minutes and hours later), or sometimes never.   --- Solution:  Try unplugging devices from the USB-C ports before booting. If that works, ...

 

So I list a camera on eBay, and select Canada Post services for shipment to USA. Here they are:   Note the " Save when you buy a label on eBay " blurbs next to every one. The buyer chooses and pays for Tracked Packet. I go to generate the label, and the Canada Post options are not available: Now I have to pay more shipping than the buyer paid for. Going to Canada Post directly does not help: I call eBay, and they won't take any responsibility for this. Their claims are: •  eBay does not do shipping, it's offered by separate carriers; (true) •  Some people ship outside of eBay, but so they offer the option to list those carriers; (true) •  Just because they list an option, does not mean eBay can always generate a label. This last despite the very prominent " Save when you buy a label on eBay " blurbs next to every one.    Apparently I'm just supposed to know this, and to know that eBay stopped offering Canada Post labels at some point in the past. I am, ...