General Computing Randomness

For general computer discussion & help, come here

Moderators: Bakhtosh, EvilHomer3k

Post Reply
User avatar
jztemple2
Posts: 11541
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:52 am
Location: Brevard County, Florida, USA

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by jztemple2 »

Random Randomness? Hadn't been following that one.
My father said that anything is interesting if you bother to read about it - Michael C. Harrold
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

A while back, I bought an Acer convertible Chromebook. Not the good one, basically an 11 inch toy for me to play with, figure out what it's about, you know, that sort of thing. But I basically filed it away. I have a desktop and a laptop for other purposes.

Today my dad wanted me to get him something so he can write documents in Chinese. Hmmmmm!!!!!! I have a feeling he wants to write a novel. And I am NOT giving him my 17 inch laptop. And since he doesn't know pinyin, a keyboard wouldn't help. So, I choose you, Convertible Chromebook!

Since he doesn't type, I just folded the screen back and have him use it in tablet mode. And it actually works fine. Chromebook was able to do handwriting, zhuyin, pinyin, AND voice-to-text. And Google Docs works fine for his needs. Obviously, he had to learn how to use Docs, what the + (new) button does, what the checkmark does (save), how to use the IME ...

Last I checked, he has the title, the date and place entered, and the first sentence started. :)

So I guess an old dog (he's born in Year of the Dog, same as me) can learn new tricks. :D
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
raydude
Posts: 3894
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 9:22 am

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by raydude »

Just bought myself the Roccat Vulcan 121 Mechanical Gaming keyboard. I haven't bought a new gaming keyboard since 2014 and this one was on sale. It's also my first mechanical keyboard. Holy crap, this thing is amazing to type on. I feel the urge to go write a novel or short story or something. Or at the very least play a text adventure :).
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43487
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

Now wait until you've used that for a couple of months and try to use a membrane keyboard again. It's like typing in molasses.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

I bought myself a "Verve Cam" as a novelty toy, and it's one crappy mess. I can see why Motorola failed spectacularly.

The idea is an "action cam" with battery and microSD card, with ability to stream to a phone (via WiFi) and can be read on PC as a storage device. Not a bad idea. The physical buttons are simple enough. The android app is a total mess and completely unnecessary.

First, somehow the device emits both a Bluetooth ID AND a Wifi SSID. And it ONLY talks to the app, not to a PC. The app apparently will use BLE to attempt to pair to it to update it, but due to "live view" bandwidth it had to connect via WiFi to act as a monitor. And that can't be automated. So manual WiFi config it is.

The device supposedly can live stream if you have a good upload speed, but it's going THROUGH your phone... And I could never got Google ID login to work properly. It just dies.

And hooking up to the camera after you set it up is hit and miss. And if it doesn't connect you pretty much have to reboot the phone to try it again.

It also has weird audio interference issues. I move my phone closer to the cam with preview on or off, and I get weird audio feedback... which is NOT mutable.

Seems the best use for it is just use it as a bodycam... turn it on and leave it on loop mode, turn it off when you don't need it. And skip the app altogether except to use it just to update the firmware.

For $25, I guess I should have bought something a lot smaller on Amazon or something, more covert than this "hockey puck".
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Was having a WiFi problem, and ran into a problem of all these fancy devices... they all have SSID and auto-connect cause problems.

I have two WiFi routers, one is the ISP modem/wifi and the other was the Wifi AC I just replaced. When I didn't get any signals on both wifi are down, it's obviously that DSL went down. Went downstairs to reboot it. Had to do it about 5 times to get the DSL signal back. Confirmed all the devices are working now. All except my dad's iPhone. It won't log back. Hmmm.... interesting.

So I opened the settings.

The iPhone was logged into my Chromecast connected to his TV. WHich it did before, because I taught my dad to cast to it. Turns out he prefers to use a PC instead. So when the two SSIDs for the routers went down, the phone decided to log into the one that still had a signal... The Chromcast. Never mind it doesn't have internet. :-P Or the other 2 SSID's are back up.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Was messing with OBS and managed to create a multi-camera setup, with my mug as an overlay into the corner of the gameplay video, AND with my phone acting as a second camera, and I can change between the views. It's actually kinda fun to mess with the setup. Haven't found any use for it, but it's fun. And that's without spending any money. I have a grip arm on my microphone swingarm and the grip works to hold my mobile phone. Running a free app on it made it into an IP camera for the OBS plugin. So with my webcam looking at me too that's two cameras on me and the game being captured, so it's 3 video sources combined into one scene.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Kasey Chang wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:26 pm Okay, you guys convinced me. eBay ordered one. That link has expired, but I found a V2 for $45 and free shipping.

Now, what do you guys think of that "back button controller" add-on? :)
FWIW, the price is down to $20 on Amazon.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43487
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

I honestly am not sure what product you're referring to.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Anonymous Bosch
Posts: 10512
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:09 pm
Location: Northern California [originally from the UK]

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:47 pm I honestly am not sure what product you're referring to.
I believe Kasey's referring to the DualShock 4 controller back button attachment.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." — P. J. O'Rourke
User avatar
The Meal
Posts: 27987
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:33 pm
Location: 2005 Stanley Cup Champion

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by The Meal »

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:47 pm I honestly am not sure what [item] you're referring to.
Not an infrequent issue for me when reading these "randomness" threads.
"Better to talk to people than communicate via tweet." — Elontra
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

I got tired of my DSL's horrible upload speed. However, there is no chance to switch ISP, as the only decent 4G for home around here happens to be T-Mob, and I'm on Verizon at the moment for wireless, AT&T for sucky DSL, and I can't get Comcast (AFAIK).

So I went for the next best thing: Speedify, which allow me to tether my phone to my PC, which bonds the two connections (my regular Wifi, and my cellular tethering) into a single connection, VASTLY increasing the bandwidth available to me, both download and upload, but I mainly use it for upload as uploading 1GB file used to take a whole day (about 6-8 hours). Now it takes about 1 hour).

I already uploaded 3 videos today, all in the past 5 hours (had to nuke 3 uploads when I accidentally disconnected, ruining the Youtube upload)
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Come to think of it, I probably should get the money back for this. After two days I already blew through my data cap of 15 GB, and I think my upload connection had been throttled down to 0.5 GB or less. Speedtest seems to confirm this. Downlink speed is still at 43 Mbps.

Been looking through my options to get an upgrade. I am quite certain I can get a better DSL deal through Sonic or other providers. So far my choices are:

* Stay on AT&T ADSL -- over 100 for 2 phone lines (not used any more) and speed... I don't remember. But it's like 2 down and 0.5 up in practice.

* Comcast will supposedly give me 35 down and 5 up for $70 a month with 2 year contract and $100 installation

* EIN, supposedly fiber, is $68 a month for 12 down 1 up unlimited, no higher speed available

* Sonic, has different prices if they want biz or res. $90 a month for "2 ADSL lines" and up to 60 mpbs down, 5 up? Which is technically 2 phone lines. Though pro install is $150. They also want me to "rent" the mesh router at 22 a month. (!) which negates the savings, but supposedly vast increase in speed.

I am quite tempted to order Sonic, get two new phone numbers that I don't use (but included), then dump AT&T.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

My internets be a suckin for 2 days. The down speed takes a bit to ramp to its highest speed and kinda rises and falls. The upload is either nothing or 3. Speed tests simply fail a lot because theres no up speed. It makes even web surfing weird because sometimes I click and it seems fine. Other times I click and wait and wait and wait then the page loads up.

Ive unplugged the modem and turned off the PC and put it all back with no help. Im not looking for answers or help just wanted to post how its going right now. I am NOT calling those script monkeys.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Just helped my mom powerwash her Chromebook I must have sent her, oh... 5 years ago. I remembering ordering it off Newegg. Apparently, WiFi no longer connects, despite turning it on and off. So I had to teach her how to powerwash it... Sent her the instructions, but she had no idea how to follow it. Had to get on Zoom (with her on her phone) and walked her through. And the thing just started working, really. You start with an Android-like screen where you need to select a WiFi to connect to, which means WiFi was successfully reset. Then I get her to log back into Google, and voila, everything is as if she never reset it.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
jztemple2
Posts: 11541
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:52 am
Location: Brevard County, Florida, USA

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by jztemple2 »

Learned a new term today, "powerwash your Chromebook" :D

If I had not seen your post, I'd suspect someone was pulling my leg if they had said it to me.
My father said that anything is interesting if you bother to read about it - Michael C. Harrold
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12672
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Rumpy »

Yeah, it's basically their term for 'factory reset'. I've had to do the same for my Mom's Chromebook several months ago due to an apparently common password related issue that wouldn't let her log in normally. The temporary fix had you log in as a guest. The issue was actually big enough that they've had to issue an OS update via a powerwash. I was getting a little frustrated with my Mom though, because she kept reading up on it and delaying doing it because she kept getting unsure, nevermind the fact that I kept reassuring her it was the thing to do. This went on for months until she finally felt ready to do it.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Daehawk wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 5:13 pm Ive unplugged the modem and turned off the PC and put it all back with no help. Im not looking for answers or help just wanted to post how its going right now. I am NOT calling those script monkeys.
There was a story on Reddit about how one guy who got the run-around "it's an 'unknown issue' so there is no ETA to be fixed" with his Internet connection (his neighbor's internet with same ISP works fine) decided to open 3 to 5 support tickets PER DAY. He lasted FOUR MONTHS until the ISP finally fixed it. ;)
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

Was that 'one guy' you Kasey? :)
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Rumpy
Posts: 12672
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Rumpy »

Kasey, that's just as bad as an ISP telling a customer a service isn't available in their area when the service is available just a few houses down. Happens more often than not out here.
PC:
Ryzen 5 3600
32GB RAM
2x1TB NVMe Drives
GTX 1660 Ti
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Just called up Comcast and see if they can get a basic Internet 35 Mbps to me. $80 a month. I can probably upgrade it before they actually put it in. We shall see. ANYTHING is better than this ATT mess.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Apparently my tether data cap is indeed 15 GB. And I've already blown through it. So uploading more videos may have to wait. I hope to hear back from Comcast in a few days. Fortunately, no overage charges, just throttling to 600K (instead of 10 M, that sucks)

EDIT: Comcast site survey says they won't be wiring my block for 2-3 MONTHS.

ATT supposedly has 35 mbps DSL line for me. I assure you it's nowhere near that fast. And they're charging me a lot. I think I'll call up Sonic and see if I can really get two DSL lines for $90 a month (slightly less than what I pay ATT) for 60 Mbps. I don't even need the landlines anymore, technically, except whatever's necessary to get DSL to my door.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

My new job is basically a hardware inspector, cleaner, and lister. They recycle eWaste and a lot of it is going right back out to eBay. People will buy all sorts of things, from laptop shells and mainboards to a beaten up notebook that has an old i7 in it that may go over $100 (still works fine). Over the past 3 working days' I've taken apart dozens of laptops and notebooks, and even looking for a power brick for them can be an adventure.

So imagine my surprise when my supervisor/mentor gave me late yesterday to list: A Powerbook 520. Yes, this thing came out almost 27 years ago. Battery's crusted over (got those green cystals in the contacts) but it powers up fine with the original power brick. Unfortunately, the policy is we *have* to sell it without the HD (data destruction purposes) and trying to source another SCSI drive would be just about impossible, but policy's policy. For such a tiny thing, it's surprisingly heavy. Stats says 6.3 lbs, which is DOUBLE or even TRIPLE what contemporary computer of that size weighs.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10233
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by hitbyambulance »

Kasey Chang wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:52 am My new job is basically a hardware inspector, cleaner, and lister. They recycle eWaste and a lot of it is going right back out to eBay. People will buy all sorts of things, from laptop shells and mainboards to a beaten up notebook that has an old i7 in it that may go over $100 (still works fine). Over the past 3 working days' I've taken apart dozens of laptops and notebooks, and even looking for a power brick for them can be an adventure.
always thought that sounded like a fun job. i took my last CRT to an eWaste place north on Aurora Ave, and when i went in, they had multiple columns of stacked CRTs from floor to ceiling there. there was an old guy who had an array of disassembled desktops and laptops on the bench, cobbling together working machines from salvaged (and salvaging) parts.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

I love using animated wallpaper. It would be nice if I could have it raining in whatever one I choose if its raining outside. Or snowing if its snowing and windy and soon. I can have all those just no way to use the same pic and have it adjust the weather in real time. I expect this will be a thing one day soon.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43487
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

I can't imagine it would be all that hard to do (for a developer, which I'm not.) Wallpaper Engine already has effects like rain and snow. Just combine basic weather app functionality with that. Given how reactive some Wallpaper Engine wallpapers are, they could probably even pull off stuff like the sun rising/setting and displaying the temperature in the image (say, a picture looking out a window with a hanging thermometer could be made to show the actual temperature.) Of course, it wouldn't be able to tell if it's actually raining outside or not, just whether it was raining in your area according to the weather report.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43487
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

Some quick reading shows that there is a way to change the WE wallpapers via command line. If so, all you'd need to do is find a weather app that allows you to issue commands when weather events occur, which probably already exists. And then you'd have to find (likely make) wallpapers that use the same image but with 'rain', 'snow', 'sun', 'dark', etc. It could probably be done by recording short loops in something like Skyrim - record 60 seconds of a sunny day, use the console to set the weather to rainy, record 60 seconds, set it to night, 60 seconds, etc, all without moving the camera.

Of course, that's making the entire thing really complicated for what it achieves.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

Its WE that got me thinking about it. Ive been using it for years. The wallpaper running now is raining so it syncs so made me think about it. Ive also thought about the suns rising and setting stuff because of it.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Anonymous Bosch
Posts: 10512
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:09 pm
Location: Northern California [originally from the UK]

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Daehawk wrote: Sat Feb 27, 2021 10:52 am I love using animated wallpaper. It would be nice if I could have it raining in whatever one I choose if its raining outside. Or snowing if its snowing and windy and soon. I can have all those just no way to use the same pic and have it adjust the weather in real time. I expect this will be a thing one day soon.
You should be able to set that up using the Chameleon utility, described by Lifehacker below:

'Chameleon' Can Change Your Wallpaper Based on the Weather
lifehacker.com wrote:Windows: While you might be wedded to your desktop wallpaper—be it a picture of your family, your favorite Internet pet, or something else amazing—there’s no reason you can’t have a little variety each day. All those Apple fans might get macOS Mojave’s dynamic wallpaper, but you can do even better in Windows, thanks to a fun little utility called Chameleon.

With Chameleon, you can automatically change your desktop background according to a lot more variables, such as the weather, time of day, or your PC’s battery life. That’s a lot better than Windows’ default treatment for “dynamic” wallpapers: A slideshow that shuffles through different wallpapers at different time intervals. Meh.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." — P. J. O'Rourke
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43487
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

Close, but not quite. Wallpaper Engine is a really cool, effective, surprisingly cheap app on Steam that replaces desktop wallpapers with animations, videos, data (like music visualization), etc.

/edit - here are some examples of the kind of Wallpaper Engine wallpapers that we're talking about featuring rain effects:

(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Anonymous Bosch
Posts: 10512
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:09 pm
Location: Northern California [originally from the UK]

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Blackhawk wrote: Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:02 pm Close, but not quite. Wallpaper Engine is a really cool, effective, surprisingly cheap app on Steam that replaces desktop wallpapers with animations, videos, data (like music visualization), etc.
Indeed, but I don't believe it alters wallpaper based upon current weather conditions. So I suppose it depends upon one's priorities (quality interactive animation vs. dynamic wallpaper that changes based upon the weather).
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." — P. J. O'Rourke
User avatar
Blackhawk
Posts: 43487
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
Location: Southwest Indiana

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

Or, as I said, on how much effort one is willing to put into it. If Chameleon could be configured to send a command rather than directly changing wallpaper, it would do the trick.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Plenty of widgets in Rainmeter that does it, but it's not part of the wallpaper.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

I bought a Kickstarter 96 key keyboard a while back, and today I found that the legends are rubbing off the keys I press most often. , which sucks. Apparently they are pad-printed, not even laser infilled. So I swapped half of the keys over from the old keyboard I have... except that keyboard has a couple weird key sizes, and so does this one. This keyboard has RGB lights, but the keys that came with it are NOT backlit. Hmmm... The keys I just put on are backlit, and works fine, but both the left shift and right shift are of the wrong size. Left shift seems to be 2.0 instead of 2.25, and right shift needs to be 1.75, instead of 2.75 of a normal right shift key. I also need a "menu" key, which I don't have. But who uses that key?

Then I spent the last 2 hours searching the Internet for a solution, like what keyset should I buy for the best "coverage" of my keyboard, or should I customer order one or two keys... Then I realized any custom solutions I seek will be expensive as ****. The most likely keyset to cover that I want is not black (it's a 150 key superset from Ducky, costs $50, and it's white with blue modifiers). The seller also has a black set but that's 126 keys, and may not have the modifiers I wanted (namely, the 1.75 right shift).

For a moment I was about to custom order 2 backlit keys then realized for TWO KEYS I'd end up playing like 25-30. Sheesh.

I am sure I have a 1.75U key somewhere. I just don't feel like going to look for it. I know I have a lot of extra keys from years ago.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

Ive had keys doing that a couple years now. Mine seem completely black then the letters are lasered out so the light shines through. But a few have kept peeling. Dont even think they are the most used ones either. For a while I used a black sharpie to repair them but that only lasts a couple days so gave up.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Found a keyset that may do the job, is backlit... AND black. But it's also $55, and it's not "complete" coverage. From the photo, it *seems* to have the 1.75 right shift I need, but not the 1u Alt / Fn / Menu keys. Because it's just 104 key plus 4 extras.

I think I need to check the Asian shops, as I am quite certain these are just rebranded Taihao or Ducky keysets.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10233
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by hitbyambulance »

Kasey Chang wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 4:23 am I bought a Kickstarter 96 key keyboard a while back, and today I found that the legends are rubbing off the keys I press most often. , which sucks.
i do have an up-arrow key on my cheapo compact Pictek mechanical that is cracked with a shard of it missing at the base (something fell on it when it was in storage?) - might need to be replaced at some point, i guess. but fading legends? why even bother replacing it? (but then, i don't think i ever look at my keyboard)
User avatar
Anonymous Bosch
Posts: 10512
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:09 pm
Location: Northern California [originally from the UK]

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

hitbyambulance wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 3:45 pm
Kasey Chang wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 4:23 am I bought a Kickstarter 96 key keyboard a while back, and today I found that the legends are rubbing off the keys I press most often. , which sucks.
i do have an up-arrow key on my cheapo compact Pictek mechanical that is cracked with a shard of it missing at the base (something fell on it when it was in storage?) - might need to be replaced at some point, i guess. but fading legends? why even bother replacing it? (but then, i don't think i ever look at my keyboard)
Indeed, it seems you'd do better to put your funds towards saving for a better-quality mechanical keyboard that comes with double-shot PBT or laser etched/engraved keycaps included.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." — P. J. O'Rourke
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Part of it is texture. Cheap keys quickly turn into "slick plastic" that doesn't feel quite right when you type on them. You usually want keys made of PBT plastic that retains a slight "rough" texture even after being used.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10233
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by hitbyambulance »

for mechanicals, i have a Das Keyboard and a Matias Mini Quiet Pro so there are better keyboards here. the Matias might be one of my favorite keyboards ever. i'm not sure why i'm using the Pictek lol
Post Reply