WikiTok is a Web App Is TikTok for Reading Wikipedia “WikiTok, which, as its name alludes to, is a web interface that combines TikTok and Wikipedia. Unlike traditional video-sharing platforms, WikiTok offers users a refreshing respite from the relentless algorithms that dominate our digital landscape. The web app delivers an article at random, with an engaging image filling the display. If something interests you, you can tap “Read More,” and then the full Wikipedia article will pop up in another window. If it doesn't catch your fancy, you scroll up, and another article will randomly appear.” I was just listening to a podcast today where a mother was talking about how her daughter telling her their school was taking away phones during the school day, and the daughter thought it was a good thing as “the kids addicted to TikTok are anyway unhappy” and this may give them a chance to recalibrate. WikiTok has no algorithm that is tailored to a person's interests. The articles are random, but at least it is real knowledge of a general nature, and without the addictive pull. It is a similar format in which it is presented, but without the algorithm, it also means that it will present articles of a broader interest. This option is web based, so you need to bookmark the link in the linked article below, or save it to the home screen to open using the browser similarly to an app. See

Lifehacker

This Web App Is TikTok for Reading Wikipedia

Make screentime a little more mindful with this algorithm-free web-based interface

#technology #WikiTok #TikTok #Wikipedia

I Spend More Time Watching Games Than Playing Them (and I'm Not Alone) “A recent study suggests that gamers spend, on average, around 7.5 hours playing compared to 8.5 hours watching games. With so many great games around, why do these gamers spend more time watching than playing? As someone who finds himself watching games more than playing them, I can say there are several reasons.” This is certainly true for me. Although I do play some games, it takes a bit of time to organise the steering wheel etc, to update the game, and then to get back into where I was with it. It is quite fun to watch others playing, see what they do, and you can end the session at any time you want to (and even continue watching tomorrow). On a funnier note, I used to watch one or two specific players many years ago. I went to look them up, and they are still playing the exact same games, except they look quite a bit older now. ;-) It does show there is quite a market for this, and quite a few YouTubers make their living off playing games the whole day (was it not our parents back in the 1980s and 1990s who said you can't play games the whole day, and better get out and get a job). That didn't age well! See

How-To Geek

I Spend More Time Watching Games Than Playing Them (and I

Let them suffer through the boss fights—I’ll be here with popcorn.

#technology #gaming

Say goodbye to parking tickets in South Africa Once you've used a parking app at a shopping mall for parking, you'll never look back. No queues to pay, no carrying cash, it keeps record of what you paid where, it is quicker to enter and exit a mall, no struggling with a machine that does not accept your note or coin, no more losing your ticket and having to pay a penalty. Although the article covers the Admyt app, I'm also using the Parket app for a new mall in Cape Town that has cashless parking only. I think the Admyt app does charge a small charge for the usage, but at one mall where I get a free 90 minutes of parking from PnP, I still use the Admyt app to scan the QR code in store, and my parking is free. When I was visiting the same mall last weekend, I was amazed to still see so many people paying for their parking. There are signs all over the mall advertising the service, and any new user gets R20 free credit. When I went to park at Newlands Forest not too long ago, I saw the parking “guard” has a QR code to accept payments by SnapScan. He says he gets paid more by SnapScan users than he receives as cash, and there is less risk of him having cash stolen from him. The article at https://mybroadband.co.za/news/motoring/581651-say-goodbye-to-parking-tickets.html explains more about Admyt works. #technology #cashless #SouthAfrica

OpenBoard is a free and open source cross-platform interactive whiteboard for schools and universities OpenBoard is a free and open-source interactive whiteboard software compatible with any projector and pointing device. Currently, OpenBoard is maintained by the Education Department (DIP) of the canton of Geneva, in Switzerland. The University of Lausanne, who developped the original Uniboard software in 2003 has joined the effort by means of a logistical and financial contribution. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux (including a Flatpak). See

OpenBoard, the best interactive whiteboard for schools and universities

OpenBoard is an open source cross-platform interactive whiteboard application. OpenBoard is intended for use primarily in schools and universities,...

#technology #education #opensource #whiteboard

5 quirky self-hosted services to manage your relationships, adventures, and more I’ve been a part of the self-hosting ecosystem for a long time, and let me tell you, it’s filled to the brim with all sorts of fun and interesting projects. On the practical side of things, you’ve got the e-book management platform Calibre Web, budgeting powerhouse Firefly III, PKM system TriliumNext Notes, and a host of other utilities. For security experts, there’s the network traffic probe ntopng and self-hosted firewall OPNsense. But here’s a list of the most quirky (but still fairly useful) services you can host on your workstation. There is something for trekkers, tourists, and travellers; a Customer Relationship Management tool; a private, self-hosted browser; a genealogy tree; a habit tracker and changer; and a few other ideas too. The great thing with self-hosting a service is that it remains private. I'm busy implementing OPNsense firewall myself right now at home. See

XDA

5 quirky self-hosted services to manage your relationships, adventures, and more

Looking for outlandish apps you can host on your home lab? We've got you covered!

#technology #selfhosting #privacy #opensource

10 of the best plug-ins for your OpenMediaVault NAS On its own, OpenMediaVault is a decent OS if you want to build a NAS out of a low-spec device. After all, it has the holy trifecta of a simple UI, lightweight nature, and compatibility with ARM systems. However, hidden under that beginner-friendly exterior is a highly customizable operating system that can be outfitted with powerful plug-ins to extend the functionality of your NAS. The linked article covers a few interesting plugins you can use to extend the functionality of your OMV NAS. I'm still using OMV myself after many years, as it does what it needs to do quite well. See

XDA

10 of the best plug-ins for your OpenMediaVault NAS

Turn your OMV NAS into a behemoth of a storage server with these incredible plug-ins

#technology #OMV #NAS

5 reasons why FreeOffice is a great Microsoft Office alternative I use FreeOffice myself, mostly because it starts up super quickly (ready in under 5 secs) and has an interface that resonates with me. Yes, LibreOffice is just as powerful and is much better known, but I find it takes nearly 30 secs to start up on my desktop PC. I also have challenges getting the themes to show the colours correctly. The great thing though with free office packages is, you can install two, four or more of them and give them a good try out. FreeOffice is not perfect, though, and one of the biggest drawbacks is the lack of an English grammar checker (there is a spell checker). See

XDA

5 reasons why FreeOffice is a great Microsoft Office alternative

Looking for a free Microsoft Office alternative? Here

#technology #officesuite #alternativeto

Challenges with Asus Router and VLANs (Video) Key issues covered in my video are: * Problems with VLAN Trunked port and Inter-VLAN traffic rules * No aggregating of wired and wireless devices into the same VLAN * Correct settings for a TP-Link TL-SG108E switch for mixed VLAN traffic I show some of the issues I experienced with my new Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX6000 gaming router. It is one of only about five or six routers of Asus that support VLAN traffic. The problem is, Asus only provides basic support for 802.1Q VLANs, and for anything more you probably need to consider a MikroTik, pfSense, etc type routers if detailed VLAN support is required. This is an excellent gaming router, but VLAN support is not something it really excels at (and it does not claim to do so either). Watch #technology #asusrouter #networking #VLANs

Finally, You Can Automatically Block Spam Calls on Your iPhone: Too Late For Me Though I did try again using an iPhone about 3 years ago, because it had really caught up to Android with 3rd party keyboards, some widgets, etc. And of course, the Apple Watch is second to none when it comes to health stats. But as I said in my blog a year ago, I was so frustrated with spam callers, and Truecaller not being allowed to do number lookups, that I finally ditched the Apple ecosystem for a second time (and final) time. I have just sold off my AirTags as well. Seriously, if this functionality was release a bit over a year ago, I may well have stayed in the Apple ecosystem. Well, I can't say for sure, as my philosophy around accessibility and open standards is a bit divergent from Apple's. But it does go to show that clearly this was a major frustration for many, and it just takes Apple very very very long before (ah, RCS messaging I'm now thinking of) before they make a change. This does though make me feel very happy for Apple users. That said, Android does also appear to be restricting some things now. The two ecosystems are getting more and more alike. See

Lifehacker

Finally, You Can Automatically Block Spam Calls on Your iPhone

iOS 18.2 introduces a new API for developers that finally brings live caller ID to iPhones. Truecaller is the first app to take advantage of this n...

#technology #iOS #spamcallers

I Feel Like a Hacker Using These Cool Linux Terminal Tools Most of these tools will only excite a YouTuber wanting to have some geeky stuff happening in the background, but actually gping is a graph view of the ping command in the terminal, and Bpytop is an htop alternative with a really good layout. Surprisingly enough, when I wanted to install Bpytop on my Manjaro machine, it was already installed by default. I did not even know it was there the last few years. It responds to the mouse, and has various options that can be set and tweaked. See

It's FOSS

I Feel Like a Hacker Using These Cool Linux Terminal Tools

Get ready to look like a hacker with me using these Linux terminal tools!

#technology #Linux #terminal #opensource