tombruzzo

WYDing in this situation?

Zohran needs to sit hasan down and tell him these debates don't really mean anything and it's no big deal. You never change people's minds on these things, both sides just think they won and go on with their lives

I saw it on your front lawn as I was coming in, I guess you've got a subscription, huh?

Happy reading

As August rolls around, we often start thinking “spring is here.” Warmer days, longer daylight and a bit more sun can certainly lift the mood. The temptation is to believe our pastures are waking up too. But for those managing kikuyu, paspalum and other pasture species, it’s important to understand what’s really happening beneath the surface.

False spring for kikuyu Kikuyu, a warm-season perennial, might look like it's starting to green up in late August, but don't be fooled - this is a false spring. The plant is responding to sunlight and day length, but real growth won’t begin until soil temperatures consistently reach 12°C or higher, typically not until mid to late September in most of Greater Sydney.

Applying fertiliser too early based on visual signs can be wasteful, as the plant’s roots are still relatively inactive. If you’re looking to feed kikuyu and make the most of nitrogen, wait until those soil temps climb. Consider using a soil thermometer and placing first thing in the soil at 9am to guide your decisions.

**When does spring really start for temperate species? ** If you’re growing temperate grasses like ryegrass, phalaris, or cocksfoot, spring growth will start earlier than kikuyu but still not as early as the calendar might suggest. These species generally respond to soil temperatures from 8–10°C, so you might see genuine spring growth from late August into early September, depending on your paddock’s aspect and soil type.

That said, each year varies. North-facing slopes, shallow soils, and areas with good drainage may warm up quicker. Use visual cues alongside soil temperature checks to time grazing rotations or fertiliser applications effectively.

Key takeaways for small farms: Don’t trust green tips alone: kikuyu’s true growth kicks in when soils are reliably warm (12°C+). Temperates are earlier but still soil-temp driven: watch for consistent 8–10°C soil temps. Avoid early inputs: premature fertiliser or grazing can stress pasture and waste resources. Consider your microclimate: paddock orientation and soil type make a big difference. A little patience now can mean better pasture performance and better returns in the season ahead.

You get the a lift and hit 15 to go to work then get out as soon as it stops. You realise the layout is different and instead of immediately turning around to go back in you walk around a little and hope no one notices before going back to go to your floor.

You feel a little silly because it's the morning, of course a bunch of other people are also going to work and using the lift. Your floor is so high up it's not going to go straight there.

Relatable situation I can empathise with completely.

I have a side gig helping old people with technology and my last job was helping a guy set up his new computer.

His old computer ended up in a boot loop so he bought a new one.

And this is an older guy, so he accesses his emails on his computer and his phone is just for making phone calls.

You need to have a Microsoft account to use Windows 11, and this guy was stuck at the login step for his new computer. He'd been without a computer for a week so he really wanted someone to help him out.

He had tried to login to his Microsoft account too many times, so Microsoft sent him an email to verify it was him. But he didn't have a computer to access his emails on. Microsoft is making some big assumptions about the number of devices people have and their availability when setting up a new computer.

Buying a new computer is a quite expensive and not very exciting endeavor for most people, so they're only going to do it when they really need to. Which for this guy is when Windows 10 stopped working on his old computer.

So people could be down a device when they go to set up their new Windows 11 PC.

It frustrates me because it adds an extra layer of shit people need to deal with, and it means you can't use a perfectly good computer because Microsoft wants to populate your device details against your contact record in their CRM.

Fortunately this guy has all his passwords written down, and I was able to access his emails from his phone to get the Microsoft code. As a quick aside, I also had to deal with a bit of authentication hell, needing to receive an SMS from his email provider to access his inbox to get the code Microsoft had sent. I was trying to explain to him what each code was for, so I can see how it would be easy for someone to get lost in these side quests of codes when you're trying to do one specific thing.

If I had a USB drive with Mint on it, I almost would have just switched him over. He wasn't a power user from his own admission so he would barely notice the difference, aside from the lack of popups and extortion Microsoft does to its users.

It made me think of how different the setup process was when I installed Bazzite on an old work laptop. I was creating the password for the root user, Bazzite recommended 8 characters for the password but I put in the regular 4 digit PIN I use for some things.

Bazzite comes up with a notice saying something like 'We recommend a password of 8 characters. Your password is less than recommended, so you'll have to press ENTER twice to confirm'.

Bazzite knows what a good minimum length password is, but also acknowledges it's your computer and you can use it how you want.

I know this isn't a surprise to anyone here, but it pisses me off how user hostile Microsoft is. Requiring an account feels like marketing or the board getting in on the software design process. Windows has muscled itself into being the go-to OS for consumer electronics. More consideration needs to be made for that 5% of users that don't have a computer, phone, and tablet all talking to each other. Especially when you expect less tech savvy people to use your shitty software because you've done so much to block any competition.

Oh, and I find it galling you hand over your contact details to Microsoft for a paid OS and it still doesn't come with office software. Open Word on a fresh install of 11 and you're met with a pop-up to buy a subscription to Office 365. One of the first things I did for this guy was install Libreoffice and SumatraPDF, setting both of them as defaults.

Sometimes the big software vendors are the biggest ads for their FOSS alternatives.

Marx (Alive today): I'm quite enjoying these White Monsters

I picked up an old optiplex I'm trying to use as a NAS and do other things with. Initially I put Debian on there but felt like I was running into too many problems with things like power management, remot desktop, Docker, and mounting drives.

So I put Openmediavault on there and it's working now. But what are some of the best ways to get the most out of it?

Can I do most things through the browser interface, or should I remote into it to install things?

How easily can I mount it as a network drive to other computers? I still have a Windows PC so I'd like to access it from there too if possible.

And what's the best way to get other services running on it? I'm thinking of how it's possible to set up torrenting software and control it with a remote app from your phone. (For managing and sharing my distros, of course).

Happy to hear any feedback on what people do with OMV, or their setups for a NAS in general. This is more of a tinkering computer to get me more familiar with networks and Linux.