Don’t record your social life on an append-only social network

The tech behind peer-to-peer (P2P) social networks such as Secure Scuttlebutt enforces permanency. Absolute permanency isn’t what you want in a social network.

First look at Microsoft PC Manager and its conflicting interests

Microsoft’s new PC cleaner app puts the company’s interests in front of its customers’. At least it doesn’t over-promise and under-deliver like its competitors.

The frustrating RouterOS–WireGuard VPN peering bug

A bug in RouterOS’ webconfig interface caused me to waste hours troubleshooting what I initially believed was a mistake in my WireGuard VPN configuration.

TP-Link network equipment hijacks some DNS requests

No one remembers the IP address of their favorite websites. Why should you remember your router’s IP address? TP-Link hijacks DNS to give itself a domain name.

I miss del.icio.us – the web’s discovery-engine and link classifier

The early 2000s social bookmarking and link-sharing website was great for organizing and discovering the web by topic. I really wish it still was around.

A Sony Headphones app feature kills your phone’s battery life

Adaptive Sound Control auto-adjusts your noise-canceling and ambient-awareness levels based on detected activities and location. At a significant battery cost.

A closer look at Steam’s local network cache proxying protocol

Valve Software has introduced a new automatic method for caching game downloads on a local proxy server without needing to reconfigure individual Steam clients.

You don’t want to be on Cloudflare’s naughty list

My home IP ended up on Cloudflare’s naughty list for six days. Most websites and many apps loaded slowly, partially, or not at all. Just had to wait it out.

Review: Aqara indoor climate sensor (for home automation)

The Aqara temperature and relative humidity sensor for Zigbee-home automation is unreliable and it doesn’t work in humid environments (where you’d want one!)

TP-Link band-steers 2,4 to 5 GHz Wi-Fi even when the radio is off

TP-Link Wi-Fi access points mindlessly band-steer clients off 2,4 GHz to the 5 GHz radio; even during periods when the 5 GHz radio is powered off.

Finally fixed my PC’s persistent graphics and audio stutters

I experienced intermittent stuttering when my PC ran Linux and Windows. A mix of hardware, firmware, and driver issues created a difficult to diagnose problem.

Stop using DICT dictionary apps (such as GNOME/​MATE Dictionary)

MATE Desktop installs a Dictionary app (a fork of the retired GNOME Dictionary app). The apps don’t protect your pricacy, and you might want to stop using them.