Reflections on the iMac 27
The pre-owned iMac I bought a few months ago has been rather enjoyable to play with. After years of using a “normal” mouse on Windows and Linux systems, I confess that the Apple mouse remains a mysterious beast.
My iMac has an Intel i7 CPU. I purposefully avoided the M-series chips. In hindsight, that was probably a mistake. Even the M1 has capabilities the i7 lacks.
Wandering through Costco a few weeks ago, I stopped and fiddled with a new iMac with the smaller 24-inch screen. I think that would have been a wiser choice. The screen clarity is exceptional (my first reaction was WOW what a great screen!), and my workstation is not deep so the 24-inch system would fit (and feel) better.
I’ll have to think about whether to transition to a 24-inch iMac. That’s a chunk of money to make the jump to a newer iMac with an M-series chip.
TinyGS ground stations
New to me (thank you, Ham Radio Workbench podcast team!) are TinyGS ground stations. Says the GitHub page:
TinyGS is an open network of Ground Stations distributed around the world to receive and operate LoRa satellites, weather probes and other flying objects, using cheap and versatile modules.
You build it, install the software, and deploy it. Hackster.io published a story about TinyGS ground stations, including fairly complete “how to” directions for building your own station. Sounds like fun!
Want to learn more? This PDF has a ton of info: https://w4ovh.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/LoRa-Meshtastic-OVH.pdf
Coming soon to the mini server rack
Now that I have a 44net block of IP addresses, I need to figure out how to actually create a tunnel and protect my home network from the big, bad internet. I’m going to add a Slate 7 (GL-BE3600) Dual-band Wi-Fi 7 Travel Router by GL.iNet. I picked one up on sale and it should arrive early in January. This is probably overkill but having the display will be helpful.
Common network protocols
OK, this is pretty dry stuff, but if networking makes your eyes glaze over, this article is accessible and understandable: Common Network Protocols Every Engineer Should Know. While the article just scratches the surface of network protocols, a high-level overview like this is a good place to check your own understanding.
Also see 8 Common Network Protocols.
DJI responds to US drone blacklist decision
I just don’t know what to make of the US position on DJI drones. This article — DJI responds to US drone blacklist decision — pretty much sums up my level of confusion. I have some DJI drones but haven’t been flying recently. CNN also has good coverage of this decision in US bans new foreign drone models in a blow to Chinese giant DJI. Same with Ars Technica: FCC’s import ban on the best new drones starts today.
I do like the reviews of the Potensic ATOM 2 mini drone, although there are too many reports of inferior picture and video quality.
I’ve enjoyed looking at landscapes and landforms from several hundred feet up in the air. I’ve also checked my roof for the condition of shingles, without having to climb up on the roof. With a larger drone and remote-controlled hook, I once dropped an antenna wire over a tall tree, but I don’t recommend this as too many things can go wrong. I’ve also used a mini drone to inspect the top of my sailboat mast.
EtherHam attacks
One of the joys of running a website on the worldwide internet is dealing with people who want to break into the site. I’ve observed a number of brute force attempts this week, and some of those attackers have been banned for a period of time. I have multiple layers of protection in place, but nothing is perfect, so there is always a smidgeon of concern when the site is getting pounded.
Easy dashboard for my preferred web browser
I like the Brave browser as it helps me block a lot of unwanted content. To Brave, I added the New Tab Page extension. It’s pretty simple and seems to run well. Here’s how mine is set up:
I also have a shortcut to a DAKboard dashboard that opens a browser page that looks like this:
The DAKboard display gives me a quick look at my Outlook calendar appointments. That’s nice. But I find I use this less than I expected since I usually have Outlook open on my laptop, at least during work days.
More on earbuds
The C. Crane earbud plugged into the speaker-out port on my AllStar node 588412 is working very well. I need to monitor the sounds around me because of my invalid spouse, so the mono earbud fits my need perfectly. Clarity is good enough for amateur radio.
I have the monaural version of the C. Crane earbud but arriving soon is a binaural set with an inline microphone. I don’t expect to be able to transmit on amateur radio with the binaural buds, but it should help with listening in on nets, and I can use the buds+mic with my laptop and iMac.
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