Can’t you just not use their cloud services? It makes you create an account for setup, but once setup was done I never touched it.

I do not know what you mean by third-party integrations. I do not use any cloud stuff, Ubiquiti’s or otherwise.

I used to use OpenWRT on various devices, but two years ago I got a UDM-Pro, a USW-16-POE, and a few Unifi APs and cameras. I run pi-hole on the UDM-Pro. I have no complaints. It is more expensive than piecing it all together using OpenWRT and some Raspberry PIs, but way easier.

You could use multiple USB microphones and do the mixing in software. I prefer using an audio interface (e.g. UMC204HD) because it is simpler to set up and adjust levels, and because it lets you use any widely available microphone, or plug in an instrument (e.g.: electric guitar, electric piano). You can plug your headphones into the audio interface and adjust the relative level of your own sound and what is coming from the computer (e.g.: your teacher). sweetwater.com has the UMC204HD and the UMC404HD on sale right now.

I do not have any experience with pick-up mics.

I tried Jitsi, but was unable to match Zoom’s audio quality.

The difference between Jitsi and Zoom was noticeable, but less important than the difference between the mic built in to the webcam and good mics. I use an SM58 for voice and an SM137 pointed at the cello just below the bridge, through a UMC204HD.

Prosthetic makeup is a thing. In that photo, he does not look like he was painted with an orange marker by a three-year-old. The news here is that he got a new makeup team.

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Why is the Harris campaign not selling t-shirts that say “dangerous liberal”? Because I would buy five of them.

It was Mitch McConnell and the Republics that blocked Merrick Garland, not the Democrats.

The PB&Js your mom made and cut into quarters diagonally and brought out to you and your friends playing in the backyard when you were six. The ones with the toothpicks in them, indicating they have crunchy PB. Best after sitting for ten minutes so the jelly starts to leak into the bread a little bit. With a glass of milk.

Boeing QA department

BMW: 40 in town, 90 on the expressway, 80 on the twisty roads, 70 on the on ramps.

Nissan: 60 in town, 100 on the expressway, 40 on the twisty roads, 12 on the on ramps.

If the artist has a way to buy and download from their website, I do that. Otherwise I buy CDs or vinyl and rip them.

Sometimes I poke around Wikipedia and see what other artists collaborated with, influenced, or were influenced by artists I like, and buy their albums.

Sometimes I download highly-rated shows from random artists on Internet Archive’s Live Music Archive

Sometimes friends recommend stuff.

mpd + ncmpc

I am but a simple man. All my music is FLAC. It is arranged neatly in folders. I just want to select an album to play. I do not need album covers, playlists, search, streaming, tags, lyrics, analyzers, or scrobbling.

Like with anything, you will not know if you are going to be good at it until you spend a lot of time trying and failing and learning. If you enjoy it, just keep doing it.

Actual good plan:

1. Announce that the 401 will be permanently closed on Dec 31, 2024.
2. Do NOT add more lanes to the 403 or the 407.
3. Start construction of both a high speed, limited stop, rail line and a moderate speed, frequent stop rail line, where the 401 used to be on Jan 2, 2025.

Bert is clearly the kind of guy who is pretty sure that Ernie is his friend, but is afraid to say it publicly on the 0.01% chance that Ernie says “we’re not friends, just roommates”, which would emotionally devastate Bert.

used steam deck + bluetooth keyboard

My state is winner take all.

If my vote does not affect outcome put only expresses support, I am voting for somebody actually good (often from the Green Party).

Even if it was 55/45, nothing would change. The Senate would be very close, if not in favor of the candidate who got 45%. The House would probably also be close, because the legislatures of the states that voted for the 45% candidate would still gerrymander. The only change could come from the states that voted for the 55%. If they gave all of their votes to whoever won the national popular vote, nothing would change. If they did proportional allocation, then it would get even worse.

My vote does not matter.