Setting a BIOS password is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve read on Lemmy. Once you set that password, Windows shouldn’t be able to overwrite grub. That doesn’t help with devices and storage locks but that removed the biggest frustration for me.

Listenbrainz is an open-source alternative to Last.fm: https://listenbrainz.org/

But I’ve used Last.fm for 20 years so I definitely recommend it.

Pop! OS might be a good option. It’s Ubuntu-based and is pretty easy to get running. I switched from Windows 10 earlier this year and it’s been mostly fine. A couple points to ask yourself before experimenting with Linux:

1. Is your data backed up? Will it be okay if you lose all of your computer’s data? I backed up all the important documents just in case I made a mistake.

2. Do you need Windows specifically for anything important? For example, do you use your computer for work? Stuff like Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud either doesn’t or can’t run on Linux. However, there are tons of FOSS alternatives to replace Office and Adobe software.

I really like Pop! OS because it’s a nice bridge distro from Windows to Linux. It’s possible that I’ll switch to a more “advanced” distro like Arch in the future, but it’s nice just not having to worry about Windows 10 or having to upgrade to 11.

Keep in mind though, I still keep an install of Windows 10 on my machine in case I need to switch back for work software.

If you do dual boot, turn on the BIOS password to prevent Windows from messing with your bootloader.

Start with your city and parish, do either of them run a household hazardous waste recycling center? These places will take chemicals, batteries and other dangerous materials so they don’t end up in the landfill. Sherveport is hosting a dropoff day on July 26: https://www.shreveportgreen.org/community-garden-2-2-1

Also look and see if any local recycling centers will take them. We also have electronic/e-waste collectors in my area.

I’ve kept a blanket for 20 years. I remember when I bought it at a department store with my mom before I went off to college. It’s the perfect thickness and texture for me to sleep with. The nostalgia is an added bonus for a really comfortable blanket.

Smarttube on Android TV OS

Another option is using an alternate launcher. I’ve used Flauncher and ProjectIvy to bypass Google’s default launcher.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spocky.projengmenu&hl=en-US

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.efesser.flauncher&hl=en-US

APKs are available wherever you’d like to source them. F-droid should technically work on Android TV, as well. Android TV OS is a different OS from original Android, so I’ve never seen an alternative like Graphene.

Prices for physical console games has exceeded any historic cycle. I’ve been shopping at the same local used store for 30 years and stopped in a few days ago. I saw a copy of Aerobiz Supersonic for $200. Authentic carts for Earthbound are listed at $400.

A great game, but it’s being sold at a borderline criminal price during a massive market bubble.

If a game isn’t legally available for purchase (digital or physical) from the original company or subsidiary, it’s absolutely the correct decision to pirate a game. Subscription services like Nintendo Switch Online don’t count in my book.

Even with inflation, the game should only cost around $100 based on original price. And even if I buy a used game, the original creators don’t see a dime. We should support the developers/publishers and reward those who create good rereleases like the Castlevania Collection.

I’d also grab a ROM or ISO of a game that I’ve bought on Steam so that I can play it on original hardware. But that’s just me.

All *arr apps should use root folders to organize media. If I understand the question, here’s the hypothetical situation:

1. Create a root folder for *Arr App.
2. Download media until drive is full.
3. Create a new root folder that points to different drive.
4. Configure *Arr App to move new downloads to new root folder created in step 3.

You should be able to have multiple root folders, but I’ve only checked in So are. One problem you’ll run into is that you can’t break up music artists or TV show series across root folders.

You might want to consider something like OpenMediaVault or Unraid to manage your storage. Either platform (or others) allow you to add drives as needed. I don’t use either so I’m just passing that along as a consideration.

Not sure if my setup is unique or wrong but here’s what I use:

1. I registered a domain with Name cheap and created subdomains for the tools I wanted to access (i.e. jellyfin.domain.tld, sonarr.domain.tld)
2. A DDNS client on my OpenWRT router updates the IP address for those subdomains. Traffic for each subdomain is pointed at my server.
3. Nginx Reverse Proxy runs on my server. This provides HTTPS certificates and is pretty straightforward.

I also use Tailscale for remote access and I’m not sure that my friends and family are ready for that. (Admittedly, I’m still on Plex.) Registering your own domain and using a DDNS service and reverse proxy will give your users an easier experience than Tailscale. I can give an easy-to-remember URL to folks rather than a new VPN platform to learn.

If security is more important, Tailscale is the best option for remote connections.

Why don’t we need this for Plex? Because Plex has all of the above steps baked into its service.

It drives me crazy when Reagan is treated as a god :)

South Dakota is an interesting place. I live here and it’s a Republican supermajority at the state level, so Trump supporters enjoy an extraordinary level of comfort.

This place is the perfect example to show how the conservative political machine have taken root across rural America. It started with Nixon’s silent majority and has only grown more powerful through the Reagan and Bush II administrations. All of the seeds that Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh sowed in the nineties have grown into an angry, bitter rabble out here.

People here are led to believe that there are dark forces at the gates both domestic and abroad. Those liberals in other states want to convert South Dakota into a woke hellscape. The farm crisis in the eighties made people distrust Washington D.C. and foreign trade. Lots of people think we need to completely revert back to an imaginary time and place.

I was born after George McGovern but it’s fascinating to think of a time that this state would have a democratic, anti-war governor who would run for president. That was the seventies and we had democratic U.S. representatives until the Tea Party movement pushed them out.

Since then, we have but a handful of left-leaning political leaders in the state. The Democrats are effectively powerless outside of larger towns and reservations. Neoliberalism died here about 20 years ago, so any establishment Democrat has a snowball’s chance in Hell to run here.

I’m rambling but I wanted to give some insight from someone who lives here. I’m not hopeful that much will change here politically. I’ve felt marginized by the national Democratic party since I graduated high school, so they aren’t going to come “rescue” us from this mess. Talking about this place online only draws ridicule from other liberals and left-wing folks.

There are some bright spots, as we had 5,000 people show up at one of our Hands Off rallies:

https://www.sdpb.org/politics/2025-04-07/nationwide-hands-off-protests-draw-thousands-across-south-dakota

Flauncher is a great pick too

I use the ONN 4K Pro and the ProjectIvy launcher. You can completely hide the standard Android TV OS launcher and its ads. Button Mapper is another good app to have on Android boxes. The remote is full of app-specific buttons that I’ve either disabled or remapped to alternative apps

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spocky.projengmenu

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flar2.homebutton

I have no idea which codecs are supported.

I think hindsight bias is always a factor when talking about old video games. The N64 was a runt in sales but the library was stacked in my opinion. But it sold nearly as many U.S. units as the SNES or Genesis, so the fact that the PS1 was such a blockbuster doesn’t reduce the N64’s quality.

Catalog wise, I always felt that the N64 had enough games until at least 1999 when the PS1 pulled away. It had better shooters (with awesome multiplayer) and great party games.

People in 2025 should remember that some folks were lucky enough to have both systems, which plays a factor too.

Gene Hackman had a pretty good run

A shame too because it was such a waste to use Walken and Duran Duran in such a crappy movie.