What is your hobby

I use to collect Soviet military items but sold most of them only a handful left now mostly deactivated arms. Collecting Old cars but yet again sold a few left with one as my daily driver. Travelling to less visited areas such as North Korea, Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Tajikistan, Somaliland, Transnistria, and been Chernobyl three times second time stayed five days in the zone. And was in Donetsk city back in 2014 when it was takeover by Donbass militia. Now I mostly spend time between Scotland and Kenya/Uganda. Also enjoy walking, historic sites, standing stones, castles etc. Soviet architecture and monuments, Soviet cars, And of course Soviet and Russian military equipment I think the interest never left me after leaving the forces as it was one of the areas of my role while serving in British Army. Also a supporter of Scottish independence.

GarryB wrote:BTW Werewolf... if you are a professional in Linux... what do you know about Caspar... from what I can find it seems to be the equivalent of Ventoy but with the added advantage of saving settings making all the changes and preference you set when you boot up an OS saveable on the device so if you shut down you don't have to set everything up again making each OS a portable computer on a drive...

Sorry Garry!
I have read it while on work and then totally forgot to reply to your question.

I personally haven't tried Caspar and heard it first time from you.
We usually use ventoy as it is easy to use and we have some apprentices who need to show consistent work and due to inexperience they might change something that might affect later on work at a customer's server.

However, it sounds great for personal use I will have to try it once I am at home and have time.

Sorry for the long ass time letting you wait with no information on that matter :/

lets just call it a hobby out of necessity.

some here know i am an adult living solitary.
I wanted to migrate to Russia, but those plans are shot for the moment.
I am western European, and Russia decided (understandably) to give EU citizens the same kind of shit that the EU imposed on Russian citizens looking to migrate.
..unless you are looking for someone to promote Russia to the West and want to offer me an RF passport and permanent job, Kremlin . Call me!!

Living standards are going rapidly downhill here in Europe where housing and utility's are going are becoming unobtainable if you are single.
I am not exactly living on the lower-income scale, so i have room to maneuver.

I live in a rental home right now, but i only utilize one room in the house.
Living in the millitary barracks for over an decade just hard-wired me to cram all i need in a tiny bit of personal space.
I seriously do not know what to do with an full-sized house.

There are heavy energy regulations in Europe.
For example, if you buy an older house now, it has to meet tight energy conservation standards and you need to invest heavily in isolation and electrical heat pumps.
As my Russia migration plans are torpedoed, i want to solve my housing issue without ending being an slave to mortage and payments.

It is a difference of paying 300.000 euro's for an house, with the need to upgrade to environmental/isolation norms.
or 100.000 for an fully equipped Tiny home, excluding the "green" solutions i want to build in and the plot of land.
It is for me a no-brainer.
I will eliminate my mortgage quickly and free myself from the serious financial obligations to spend my money elsewhere.

I am currently setting up to make preparations for an "tiny home" or known as an micro home.
If you never heard of it, this gives a good idea.




Except i want an permanent type with connections to permanent connection utilities like sewage ,water, gas, electricity.
I do plan on investing heavily on self-sustainability

Currently i am lining up the requirement of solar panels and wind turbines, storage in home battery's for daily need and other facility's like water reclamation and heating/cooling of the home by running air-conditioning/heat exchange trough the deep ground.

I have informed several party's i want a small plot of land with utilities that is near forests.
So it is a waiting game now.

In Europe, Gas and Power will be the new gold. so i plan to cut this all out of my bills.
The house will be a smart home, so all will be directed by smartphone or voice controlled.
Plenty of RGB lighting as well, i just love the (retro) future lifestyle.
Being a programmer just makes it easier to realize all of that, to get the shit working as you want.

Anyway, i am pretty excited to get my own little piece of Eden here. Living the Solitary minimalist dream.
my first choice was being an part of St. Petersburg. But if i pull this off i would be very happy too.
We all have to make due with the means that are given to us.

Beautiful Bicycle . Good hobby to restore and ride ! Doctor ordered me to ride Bicycle to help Arthritis in my knees .







https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=imqkwyoHbIE

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A1NgPFiBu_k&pp=QAFIAQ%3D%3D


I have started going shopping on my bicycle . I find it a good way to go shopping and it is easy to park . But carrying loads on a bicycle can be tricky ..So far , I have been able to carry about 25 kg in a back-pack and a pannier that I constructed out of an old back-pack . I only have a pedal bicycle ( since I am an old commie , lefty and radical well say , progressive at least ! ) and think that an electric bicycle defeats the objective and is expensive ; those wealthy capitalist pigs with their electric bicycles ! Do you have suggestions about carrying loads with bicycle ( other than front or rear boxes ) ?

I have seen "kiddie" carts towed by bicycles but I do not think they are practical. You are stuck with behind the seat racks
and a backpack. If you can carry 25 kg you do not sound like you need more capacity but I do not know what your shopping
schedule is like. The simplest fix is to go more often.

Yes my bike has a front and rear rack , but I can not fix a basket or box to it , to put my shopping in . The reason is that , I have short legs and am no longer flexible , able to mount the bicycle , over the rear basket or box . So I am left with my only choice of hanging panniers and carrying a back-pack . And you are right , I do not do my main shop by bicycle , that would be too much . I only do once a week bicycle shopping , for hard to find items , or cheaper items , such as fruit and veg and some toiletries . Carrying a cart is not practical , affects riding safety and is cumbersome to carry around , up escalators and stairs . Going twice a week is better , as you say . Fresh veg and fruit ! I remember now the caricature of the Frenchman , on his bicycle , with a string of Garlic , hanging from his bike !



https://curiousrambler.com/berets-onions-and-stereotypes/

A trike is a good idea for dedicated cycle lanes and those with storage space . In the UK , the Roads generally do not allow their use , Car drivers will overtake them in unsafe manner , but bicycles do allow safer overtaking on narrow Roads . Also trikes are difficult to pass through normal size doors or back yards . And you can not take them easily up escalators or lifts or stairs . And storing them outdoors , will block pavements and they will get stolen . For my purposes , a simple single speed bike , with a rack , allows for both exercise and shopping trip .

I believe bicycle use is determined by climate and also by culture . Try cycling in the rain or ice and snow ! But in some countries , such as Holland , bicycle use is encouraged by numerous cycle lanes , and by a sort of culture . But , I think that Cars are seen in some developing nations , as status symbols . It is like being brain washed by a consumerist society . You know , everybody's idea of normality in the world  , is home ownership with a Car parked upfront , and 2.2 kids , Dog , cable TV and mod cons and annual package holiday . Psychologically , if a couple achieve these milestones , then they are happy . Many in the developing nations , have bought in to this dream or lifestyle .

However in some developed nations , Cars no longer provide a status symbol , since everyone has one ! The idea then becomes exercise or convenience or being environmentally friendly . I once met someone , that built or converted Roads into dedicated cycle lanes in the world . He came to work himself , with a very fancy custom built fully recumbent bike . Now that would be ideal for me , or those with bad backs or knees . Could also carry stuff behind the bucket seat , on a rack ! But you need a red flag on a pole , to allow car and Truck drivers to see you , so low to the ground !

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1tkITQRHgfE

For those with back or knees problems or injuries or even amputees . Used for rehab or practical day to day use . Easy conversion , of used bike .

GarryB wrote:BTW I have a wide range of ISO files including Android and Linux and Windows which can be found online. Linux ISOs are generally free.

For people like me who do not have a computer science or coding background, what are ISO files and what makes them important?

ISO is a CD data standard. An "image" of a CD disk in electronic file form is typically an ISO file (with a .iso extension). There are other formats
which can hold images (e.g. bin + cue, mdf, etc.) that can be burned onto writable CDs using multiple software (with very good freeware) packages
and a CD/DVD reader-writer.

kvs wrote:ISO is a CD data standard.   An "image" of a CD disk in electronic file form is typically an ISO file (with a .iso extension).   There are other formats
which can hold images (e.g. bin + cue, mdf, etc.) that can be burned onto writable CDs using multiple software (with very good freeware) packages
and a CD/DVD reader-writer.

Ok.

I don't see too many computers (especially laptops) these days with a CD-ROM drive. All of them have a pen drive.

Sujoy wrote:

kvs wrote:ISO is a CD data standard.   An "image" of a CD disk in electronic file form is typically an ISO file (with a .iso extension).   There are other formats
which can hold images (e.g. bin + cue, mdf, etc.) that can be burned onto writable CDs using multiple software (with very good freeware) packages
and a CD/DVD reader-writer.

Ok.

I don't see too many computers (especially laptops) these days with a CD-ROM drive. All of them have a pen drive.

You can use ISO images with pen drives also. There are utilities that can turn the pen drive into a bootable partition that essentially
acts like a CD/DVD unit so you can install the software in the ISO image.

https://rufus.ie/en/

Just for little information regarding copying of CD/DVD's content to an ISO file (ISO 9660 standard). Most of the CD/DVD's and even BlueRays today have some copy/reading "locks". This can be "unlocked" by opening in one session or piping the content through and updated version of VLC (video player). IT has a nice little module that is unlocking the AACS locks (Advanced Access Content System) that prevents "unauthorized" read of the content.

In Linux the library for this nice feature is from the libaacs-dev libbluray2 and under Windows its libaacs.dll file that contains the necessary reference code.

Anyways have fun creating your images.

+1 KVS

I have a question for those who might have experience with tablets and digital art creation.

One of my hobbies is drawing but I haven't used anything other than pencil and paper so far and my Xiaomi 12T Pro that is quite decent, but it has a to small display with no option for a Stylus Pen.

Due to bad company policies and in general garbage customer Privacy I would like to avoid the half eaten Apple and Microsoft and rather go for Android/Linux.

I would like to get a tablet for drawing and basic web-browsing, but not a dedicated Artist Drawing Tablet like Wacom or XPen are offering.

The candidates so far (without prior knowledge) are budget devices like Lenovo Tab P12 and Xiaomi Pad 6, mainly because I have year long experience of long lasting devices like ThinkPads and Xiaomi phones.

Both are in the budget range of 250-350 Euros.

Lenovo Tab P12


Xiaomi Pad 6


They tend also to have good build quality for their budget. I know iPads are pretty good for that purpose, but A) I am against their company policy to screw their customers and B) I don't like to buy devices for a mere hobby over a certain budget.

I also know the Microsoft Surface Go devices are pretty decent for a Tablet but over the budget I would like to invest and it is Microsoft.


Any knowledge or recommendations?

Nothing useful from me other than a comment about the feel of using a screen instead of paper. I never can get used to the offset feel from using
electronic devices to write something. Receipt of delivery signatures are simply atrocious. I suppose the tablets are more refined, but you
need to test any of your options. Some shops have display models but maybe not the ones you want.

The offset on electronic devices for signatures is really annoying I agree.

What I have used so far is my Xiaomi T12 Pro (mobile phone) with a small display and the offset from a capacitive pen with a 8mm wide ruber head is barely noticeable.



If my phone would support a proper Stylus Pen with all the features they come with and a 1mm head, then I think I wouldn't feel any offset at all.

I have used only an iPad Pro from a friend and it is quite good for drawing but the price tag is ridiculously high and I try to avoid apple and their products.

Reading different forums for artist and hobbists they use different tablets for this purpose from really low budget 65€ to a few thousand.

It is hard to get any useful information on people with experience with Android/Linux tablets other than Samsung devices.

Xiaomi has quite good quality for their budget and it seems it's their strategy to conquer a certain market share before they will start demanding more money for they products. This company is already building a lot of stuff other than just mobile phones and tablets. I also bought some stocks since their stock market is still cheap, but I expect them to raise in the near future.

I am looking for shops in my area to check if they have them in display, but you are right these models are more niche devices.

nomadski wrote:A trike is a good idea for dedicated cycle lanes and those with storage space . In the UK , the Roads generally do not allow their use , Car drivers will overtake them in unsafe manner , but bicycles do allow safer overtaking on narrow Roads . Also trikes are difficult to pass through normal size doors or back yards . And you can not take them easily up escalators or lifts or stairs . And storing them outdoors , will block pavements and they will get stolen . For my purposes , a simple single speed bike , with a rack , allows for both exercise and shopping trip .

I believe bicycle use is determined by climate and also by culture . Try cycling in the rain or ice and snow ! But in some countries , such as Holland , bicycle use is encouraged by numerous cycle lanes , and by a sort of culture . But , I think that Cars are seen in some developing nations , as status symbols . It is like being brain washed by a consumerist society . You know , everybody's idea of normality in the world  , is home ownership with a Car parked upfront , and 2.2 kids , Dog , cable TV and mod cons and annual package holiday . Psychologically , if a couple achieve these milestones , then they are happy . Many in the developing nations , have bought in to this dream or lifestyle .

However in some developed nations , Cars no longer provide a status symbol , since everyone has one ! The idea then becomes exercise or convenience or being environmentally friendly . I once met someone , that built or converted Roads into dedicated cycle lanes in the world . He came to work himself , with a very fancy custom built fully recumbent bike . Now that would be ideal for me , or those with bad backs or knees . Could also carry stuff behind the bucket seat , on a rack ! But you need a red flag on a pole , to allow car and Truck drivers to see you , so low to the ground !

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle

What you say is accurate, my friend. I give you two examples. Argentina and the United States are linked to cars. There is a culture regarding car ownership as a status symbol. It's pathetic.
One of the things I like about the people of the Nordic countries is their austerity, they ride bicycles, they have a high standard of living, but austerity is a great value. Then they are decadent in other things, regarding sexual morality and the lack of children due to the family crisis, but I recognize their simplicity. They remind me of the Japanese although it is true that they have a fever for technology.

GarryB wrote:Riding a bike instead of jogging would probably reduce your risk of ankle and knee joint problems later in life.

It also gets you places faster than walking or running.

It must be great to ride a bike in New Zealand

Airbornewolf wrote:lets just call it a hobby out of necessity.

some here know i am an adult living solitary.
I wanted to migrate to Russia, but those plans are shot for the moment.
I am western European, and Russia decided (understandably) to give EU citizens the same kind of shit that the EU imposed on Russian citizens looking to migrate.
..unless you are looking for someone to promote Russia to the West and want to offer me an RF passport and permanent job, Kremlin . Call me!!

Living standards are going rapidly downhill here in Europe where housing and utility's are going are becoming unobtainable if you are single.
I am not exactly living on the lower-income scale, so i have room to maneuver.

I live in a rental home right now, but i only utilize one room in the house.
Living in the millitary barracks for over an decade just hard-wired me to cram all i need in a tiny bit of personal space.
I seriously do not know what to do with an full-sized house.

There are heavy energy regulations in Europe.
For example, if you buy an older house now, it has to meet tight energy conservation standards and you need to invest heavily in isolation and electrical heat pumps.
As my Russia migration plans are torpedoed, i want to solve my housing issue without ending being an slave to mortage and payments.

It is a difference of paying 300.000 euro's for an house, with the need to upgrade to environmental/isolation norms.
or 100.000 for an fully equipped Tiny home, excluding the "green" solutions i want to build in and the plot of land.
It is for me a no-brainer.
I will eliminate my mortgage quickly and free myself from the serious financial obligations to spend my money elsewhere.

I am currently setting up to make preparations for an "tiny home" or known as an micro home.
If you never heard of it, this gives a good idea.




Except i want an permanent type with connections to permanent connection utilities like sewage ,water, gas, electricity.
I do plan on investing heavily on self-sustainability

Currently i am lining up the requirement of solar panels and wind turbines, storage in home battery's for daily need and other facility's like water reclamation and heating/cooling of the home by running air-conditioning/heat exchange trough the deep ground.

I have informed several party's i want a small plot of land with utilities that is near forests.
So it is a waiting game now.

In Europe, Gas and Power will be the new gold. so i plan to cut this all out of my bills.
The house will be a smart home, so all will be directed by smartphone or voice controlled.
Plenty of RGB lighting as well, i just love the (retro) future lifestyle.
Being a programmer just makes it easier to realize all of that, to get the shit working as you want.

Anyway, i am pretty excited to get my own little piece of Eden here. Living the Solitary minimalist dream.
my first choice was being an part of St. Petersburg. But if i pull this off i would be very happy too.
We all have to make due with the means that are given to us.

The problem is raising a child or children there. And the dog? For a loner like me there is no problem. It is the ideal house, but I try to think about the future of humanity lol