gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

Moreover, if you are producing a device for open source developers, people working for free , giving their free time to contribute to create a valid product, you can't spit on them when they have problem with the hardware they are contributing to develop, IMHO. At the end, I paid the phone, the shipment, custom duties, VAT, the shipment costs back in USA (why USA ???), a lot of my time, for nothing. So I felt was better to stop, spending my time elsewhere.

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

I'm an hacker and I gave up with that platform after that experience because if you can't guarantee reasonable assistance quality , a basic replacement service if the device is defective and a procedure for RMAs in reasonable times, I feel is better to employ my time elsewhere. Two months asking a replacement and obtaining nothing, two months : we aren't talking about a service from hacker to hackers as it should be. > I would consider it a donation I'm also donating my time, for that reason I don't feel their behavior is justifiable.

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

Hi, I'm am a pro. I have laboratory equipment and I did the needed checks before opening the RMA. As explained to the service the problem was elsewhere. It's exactly the opposite, IMHO, they treat me as an idiot consumer that wasn't able to recharge a phone. I think they don't realize that this kind of device often is purchased by people different from the average consumer, so yes, I had same impression of your friend. Moreover, I tried to access their on-line form to request the RMA: the only browser at time able to access and send properly the request was Opera. I tested, Safari, Firefox, Chromium: only Opera was able to do the job.

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

I had one device who died after a couple of weeks: suddenly it refused to switch on. So I found the real source of pain from Pinephone project: the assistance. I sent a detailed report about the hardware failure and they sent me a message about how properly recharge the phone , something like : "you need the power supply, insert the plug in the 220V socket, insert the USB-c cable, etc", demonstrating that they didn't read my message at all. After some further rounds of nonsense instructions, that , anyway, I followed giving them feedback about the results, I asked for a replacement. At that point, they started to waste time, another department apparently stepped in. After my complaints, they asked me to send the device back without acknowledgment of receipt, via ordinary post service, in the USA (I'm in Europe and I received the phone from Asia), sending to an anonymous p.o. box. I told them that it was unacceptable because in that way I took all the shipment risks not having any proof that I sent the device nor that the parcel in case of problems. Luckily, I found a post service with proof of shipment, so I had at least a receipt proving I sent the device back. At the end, they refused to send me a replacement, starting to negotiate the amount of the refund, because they wasted so many time I risked to not be able to ask Paypal intervention, I asked Paypal to step in receiving a full refund.

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

No he's a friend of mine, I also have my nuclear RNG based on different vintage counter. I think his project is older. I like your project too! This is him: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30252171

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

Another one: https://github.com/gbonacini/nuclear_random_number_generator

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

I don't think so, this command could be significantly slow:

    cp myfile.iso /dev/sdb

compared with this one:

    dd if=myfile.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=32M

because implementation of cp have a fixed buffer, so if the amount of data is big and the disks fast, using cp you are calling more read() and write() syscalls than necessary, slowing down the copy process.

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

Ok, but, if I've understood correctly , at the end of article they suggest that the CO2 captured while the battery was in recharging state is released when the same battery is in use. In other words the battery doesn't capture permanently the CO2 as the gas stream method you just mentioned: the battery isn't like a black hole for CO2, it simply "breath" releasing the CO2 when it's discharging. So in what way that should be a solution for the global warming ? If they want capture the CO2 in discharging phase, they need to store a big number of coin size batteries in an industrial facility that needs batteries for some reason, plus you are using electricity that likely was produced burning fossil combustibles to remove CO2 from air. So no laptop or cellphone removing CO2 from our atmosphere.

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

I totally agree with Rossmann: the more important thing is that you can lease the equipment from Apple but there is no obligation. The equipment is intended to do a job compliant with Apple standard but, if you don't care to replace the water proof sealant, etc, you can use tools you already have or more cheap from your regular sources ( hardware stores, ebay, etc). The right to repair is a serious matter, without activist like Rossmann, who spent his time to speak to the US Congress, we wouldn't even have the spare parts from Apple: this is the real vantage, not the possibility to lease the tools.

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

I haven't read the article yet, but, judging the title, IMHO seems just another marketing balloon: under the skin only hot air. The "device absorbs CO2 emissions while it charges" : I don't think that something like that can solve the problem of global warming or even reduce the side effects in a way we can measure, justifying the hype about that characteristic.

EDIT: I've read the article: "is the size of a two-pence coin", so how many fraction of ug of Co2 can absorb of the "Around 35 billion metric tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere per year" ? But the last part is fantastic: "The results from Temprano's contribution help narrow down the precise mechanism at play inside the supercapacitor when CO2 is absorbed and released", so when the battery discharge release the Co2 again , right? So what is the point of the whole article?

gabrielblack

4년 전discuss

Too many:

- 2x MacBook pro

- 1x Old Mac Mini

- 1x iPad

- 2x Nvidia Jetson (NANO, TK1)

- 1x Dell XPS

- 1x Dell Subnotebook

- 1x Lenovo X220

- 1x Asus eee 900

- 2x Linux server x64

- 2x Compaq Alphaserver DS10L (Alpha)

- 1x Sun Netra T1 (Sparc)

- 1x IBM 9114-275 (Power4)

- 1x HP Integrity RX1620 (Itaniun2)

- An unknown number of Raspberry, almost every model since its birth, I honestly don't know how many: I need an inventory

- An unknown number of more exotic stuff, network apparatus, microcontroller and development boards : I also need an inventory

- more machine incoming

- all the machine are in working conditions

- more vintage stuff, like a 386 Pc, is stored somewhere

gabrielblack

5년 전discuss

I read then link to the other article explaining the new technologies developed by Helion that should permit commercially viable fusion reactors, there are no words about Q plasma or Q total:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ4W1g-6JiY&t=5s

so the affirmation that "Nuclear Fusion Is Close Enough to Start Dreaming" could be other speculation of the press not supported by facts. Obviously I hope to be wrong.

gabrielblack

5년 전discuss

Having a counter, I think it's easy to found some source around, for example in surplus stores, etc. For example, old naval compass and clock are treated with tritium. You could find also rocks near the rivers with some interesting material.

gabrielblack

5년 전discuss

Thank you for your valuable suggestion. Because the interest shown here, I decided to build an improved version ( I think during the Christmas vacations).

gabrielblack

5년 전discuss

My device, as other implementation, use the particle passing through the Geiger tube as a "virtual coin" , given a sampling frequency, if one or more particles are detected the firmware returns 1, if no particle is detected, zero. In other words, the random numbers are built a bit at time. My configuration with the background radiation returns too many zeros, so I needed something more ... lively. Anyway, what is the point to use the natural radiation if you have the serious stuff ? :-) When I say that the device is a nuclear RNG, peoples smile but when I turn it on and they listen the characteristic sound of a Geiger counter, the average reaction is "WHAAAAAATTTT ????". It's funny.

gabrielblack

5년 전discuss

I have some marbles and a crucifix ( that kind you hang on a wall) made of this material. I inherited them from my grandmother , the marbles was intended to be toys. The crucifix also is visible in the dark and it's the object with major emissions, but nothing dramatic. The marbles emit mostly alpha rays. Both can excite notably my Geiger counter, but, storing them in a metallic box, (i.e. that sheet metal box for biscuits ), no emission leaks. I'm using the marble in my DIY random number generator, based on a Geiger tube and an Arduino board.

gabrielblack

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