First of all, this isn't AI, the video is over a decade old. Second of all, I actually prefer this version to the NIN original. Go figure. youtu.be/LhL8Sl3dWl8?…

— Scottobear (@scottobear.bsky.social) 2026-05-31T01:29:42.855Z

Deer and chipmunk

Want to make your windows pc better?

1. Win + R
2. services.msc

❌️Connected User Experience
❌️Diagnostic Policy Server
❌️Printer Spooler
❌️Windows Search
❌️Diagnostic Service Host

Reboot.

Why?

Here is how it helps:

Frees Up CPU & RAM: Stops heavy background processing.

Reduces Gaming Stutter: Eliminates random lag spikes.

Ends High Disk Usage: Stops Windows from constantly thrashing your drive.

Saves Bandwidth: Blocks background data uploads to Microsoft.

PRO TIP: Only disable Printer Spooler if you don’t use a printer, and Windows Search if you don’t mind slower file searches!

I am thankful that I didn’t have access to the internet before I was a teenager.

I honestly don’t think that I would be able to read books if I were an iPad kid.

Jellyfin: https://jellyfin.org/

Plex: https://plex.tv/

Navidrome: https://www.navidrome.org/

Kavita: https://www.kavitareader.com/

Audiobookshelf: https://www.audiobookshelf.org/

Immich: https://immich.app/

Papra: https://papra.app/en/

Home Assistant: https://www.home-assistant.io/

Symfonium: https://symfonium.app/

KOReader: https://koreader.rocks/

some nights carvins cove doesn’t look real at all

fog hanging low over the water
one lonely light glowing through the trees
everything blue-black and silent like the world already ended an hour ago

you half expect the mystery machine to pull into the parking lot

fred explaining a plan nobody asked for
velma losing her glasses near the shoreline
shaggy and scooby absolutely refusing to go near the old pump house

because carvins cove has that exact energy

not horror movie scary

cartoon scary

the kind where every branch looks suspicious
every ripple in the water feels alive
every empty trail sign seems like the beginning of a local legend somebody’s uncle swears is true

and the deeper you go around the lake
the stranger it gets

mist swallowing whole sections of shoreline
woods pressing close around the road
that feeling that something might emerge from the dark
but it’ll probably just be a deer
or somebody night fishing in complete silence

still

the place feels staged sometimes
like a painted backdrop waiting for thunder sound effects

especially late

when the city disappears behind the mountain
and the cove becomes its own little world

quiet
cold
watching

you stand there long enough
and your brain starts writing stories automatically

ghost divers
lake creatures
secret cabins in the woods
some old groundskeeper with warnings nobody listens to

meanwhile the water just sits there
completely still
letting people imagine whatever they want into it

that’s the magic of the place

by daylight
it’s hiking trails and kayaks and mountain bikes

but at night

it turns into scooby-doo scenery

the kind where you know something weird is about to happen

and it will sooner than you think

#thegleest #roanoke #carvinscove #scoobydoo #blueridgevibes

Current Mood: mortified (but full of carbs)
Current Music: The low hum of a food truck generator

So the other night, we decided we didn’t want to cook. Word on the street was that there was a new tater tot food truck in town, and it was parked at a local charity car show for the evening. Perfect. Dinner and some cool cars to look at.

We hopped into our SUV and headed over. Now, regarding our vehicle. It is a workhorse. It is a daily driver. It is extremely lived-in. There is a fine dusting of cracker crumbs from the in-laws in the back, a random assortment of straw wrappers, some receipts from earlier this week shoved in the cup holders, and generally just the chaotic aura of a vehicle that actively participates in real life. It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a show car.

We pull up to the venue, and I immediately get tunnel vision. I see the food truck in the distance. The holy grail. We pull into the lot, roll down the window, and ask the organizers with clipboards where we should park.

They smile and say, “We’re just taking donations tonight!”

“Awesome, great cause,” I say, handing over some cash. They enthusiastically wave us into a spot in the main lot.
We park. We beeline for the truck. We acquire a frankly obscene amount of loaded tater tots, and we scurry right back to the SUV to eat them in comfortable, air-conditioned privacy.

So, we’re sitting there, happily shoving crispy potatoes into our faces, when we start to actually look around at our surroundings.

We notice the pristine ’69 Camaro parked to our left.

We notice the immaculate, candy-apple red Corvette parked to our right.

We notice that *every single car around us* has its hood popped and its doors wide open. Men with microfiber cloths are furiously buffing invisible smudges off chrome bumpers.

Then I look out my greasy, tot-smudged window and see a group of older gentlemen with clipboards walking towards us.

Uh oh.

The spectator parking lot was across the street. I didn’t see it because we were blinded by the majesty of the tater tot truck. That “donation” we made? That wasn’t for parking. That was the entry fee.
We accidentally entered the Black Pearl into a charity car show.

We were officially contestants. We were, apparently, supposed to be eating our tater tots with our hood popped and our doors flung wide open so the judges could properly admire the structural integrity of the empty LaCroix can rolling around in the backseat.

We honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or sink completely into the floorboards.

We just sat there, chewing our food very slowly, while the occasional car enthusiast walked past our utterly unimpressive SUV with a look of minor confusion.

We certainly didn’t take Best in Show, but the tots were spectacular.

The easiest approach is using CasaOS on top of Ubuntu Desktop.
CasaOS provides a beautiful, click-to-install dashboard (like an app store) that handles Docker for you behind the scenes. Using Ubuntu Desktop gives you a regular visual interface (GUI) so you do not have to rely entirely on text commands.

Phase 1: Install Ubuntu Desktop

   1. Download the free Ubuntu Desktop LTS installer on a working computer.
   2. Flash it onto an empty USB drive using a free tool like Rufus or BalenaEtcher.
   3. Plug the USB into your Mini PC, boot from it, and follow the on-screen prompts to install Ubuntu. (Choose “Erase disk and install Ubuntu”).

Phase 2: Install CasaOS (The App Dashboard)

Once Ubuntu is running, open the Terminal application (press Ctrl + Alt + T) and run this single command to install your dashboard:

curl -fsSL https://casaos.io | sudo bash

When it finishes, the terminal will show you a local web address (e.g., http://192.168.1.50). Type that address into any web browser on your home network to open your new Mini PC dashboard.

Phase 3: Install Plex and Pi-hole
Inside the CasaOS browser interface, click on the App Store icon.

* To install Plex: Find Plex in the store, click Install, and wait 60 seconds. It will appear on your dashboard. Click it to open the Plex setup wizard.
* To install Pi-hole: Find Pi-hole in the store and click Install.

Critical Step for Pi-hole
Because Pi-hole acts as your network shield, it needs to block port 53 (the DNS port). Sometimes Ubuntu has a built-in service that steals this port. If Pi-hole fails to start or throw an error, open your Ubuntu Terminal one last time and paste these lines to free up the port:

sudo systemctl stop systemd-resolved
sudo systemctl disable systemd-resolved

Final Network Tweak

To make Pi-hole actually block ads on your devices, log into your home internet router’s settings. Change the DNS Server address to match the IP address of your Mini PC.

You can find your Mini PC’s IP address directly from the Mini PC itself, or by using another device on your network. [1, 2]
## Method 1: Directly on the Mini PC (Easiest)
Since you are using Ubuntu Desktop, you can find it visually or with a quick command.
Option A: Using the Visual Settings

   1. Click the network icon (Wi-Fi or Wired) in the top-right corner of the screen.
   2. Click Settings (or the gear icon next to your network name).
   3. Look for IPv4 Address. It will look like 192.168.1.X or 10.0.0.X. [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Option B: Using the Terminal

   1. Open the Terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).
   2. Type ip a and press Enter.
   3. Look for your main network adapter (usually starts with enp for ethernet or wlp for Wi-Fi). Your IP address will be the numbers right after the word inet. [8, 9, 10, 11]

——————————
## Method 2: From Your Phone or Main Computer
If your Mini PC is plugged into a TV across the room without a keyboard, you can find it using your current device.
Option A: Use a Mobile App (Fastest)

   1. Download a free network scanning app like Fing (available for iOS and Android).
   2. Connect your phone to your home Wi-Fi and tap Scan for devices.
   3. Look through the list for “Ubuntu”, “Beelink”, “GMKTec”, or the brand of your mini PC to see its IP. [12, 13, 14, 15]

Option B: Look at Your Router Dashboard

   1. Log into your home router’s admin page (usually by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into a web browser).
   2. Look for a section named Device List, DHCP Client List, or Connected Devices.
   3. Locate your Mini PC in the list to find its assigned IP address. [16, 17, 18, 19]

——————————
⚠️ Crucial Step for Servers: Set a “Static IP” [20, 21]
By default, routers change your Mini PC’s IP address every few weeks. If the IP changes, your Plex and Pi-hole web dashboards will stop opening at the old address. [22]
To lock it in place, look inside your router’s settings for DHCP Reservation or Static IP Allocation. Find your Mini PC in that menu and click “Save” or “Reserve” so its IP address never changes again. [23, 24, 25]


[1] [https://nzlw.co.nz](https://nzlw.co.nz/tech-posts/pihole-and-a-cheap-mini-pc/)
[2] [https://www.youtube.com](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHTi7mJlL7c)
[3] [https://nordvpn.com](https://nordvpn.com/blog/raspberry-pi-ip-address/)
[4] [https://support.microsoft.com](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/connect-to-a-wi-fi-network-in-windows-1f881677-b569-0cd5-010d-e3cd3579d263)
[5] [https://www.slashgear.com](https://www.slashgear.com/1726186/how-to-set-static-ip-address-raspberry-pi/)
[6] [https://opensource.com](https://opensource.com/article/18/5/how-find-ip-address-linux)
[7] [https://brainly.in](https://brainly.in/question/56817564)
[8] [https://www.ionos.co.uk](https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/hosting/technical-matters/get-linux-ip-address/)
[9] [https://www.zdnet.com](https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/how-to-find-your-ip-address-in-any-operating-system-and-why-youd-want-to/)
[10] [https://www.industrialshields.com](https://www.industrialshields.com/blog/arduino-industrial-1/how-to-change-the-ip-in-windows-and-linux-242)
[11] [https://www.itarian.com](https://www.itarian.com/blog/how-do-i-find-the-ip-of-my-computer/)
[12] [https://github.com](https://github.com/homebridge/homebridge-raspbian-image/wiki/How-To-Find-IP-Address)
[13] [https://superuser.com](https://superuser.com/questions/690374/cant-find-my-ip-address-for-my-network-attached-storage)
[14] [https://community.element14.com](https://community.element14.com/learn/learning-center/stem-academy/b/blog/posts/access-raspberry-pi-gui-and-command-line-from-your-windows-machine-using-ssh-and-vnc)
[15] [https://www.groovypost.com](https://www.groovypost.com/unplugged/find-ip-address-computers-desktop-home-network/)
[16] [https://h30434.www3.hp.com](https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printer-Wireless-Networking-Internet/IP-address/td-p/8984049)
[17] [https://blog.comodo.com](https://blog.comodo.com/pc-security/how-do-i-find-the-ip-of-my-computer/)
[18] [https://help.simplyprint.io](https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/find-the-ip-of-your-raspberry-pi-t2318c/)
[19] [https://busys.ca](https://busys.ca/blog/how-to-find-printer-ip-address/)
[20] [https://community.appinventor.mit.edu](https://community.appinventor.mit.edu/t/scan-local-network-to-get-the-ip-address/11286)
[21] [https://us.informatiweb.net](https://us.informatiweb.net/tutorials/it/windows/set-a-static-lan-ip-address.html)
[22] [https://shivanshbakshi.dev](https://shivanshbakshi.dev/blog/home-server/pt-1-setting-up-the-network/)
[23] [https://www.netmaker.io](https://www.netmaker.io/resources/static-ip)
[24] [https://www.forward.com.au](https://www.forward.com.au/pfod/HomeAutomation/ConnectingIoT/index.html)
[25] [https://devconnected.com](https://devconnected.com/how-to-get-your-ip-address-on-linux/)

I really like SJ’s take on Columbo’s car.

Originally found here

Zip file containing Columbo’s Peugeot,  and Donald Duck’s car in 1:32 scale

https://svonberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/freenetcloud.zip

Lego bricklink app:

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/download.page

Sorry,  birdies.

Getting Pearl’s goat, too.

May 22, 1926: The Colonial Dames of Virginia dance an old-fashioned minuet in front of the Municipal Building of Roanoke after the dedication of a historic marker.

I’m covering biscuits you’ve never heard of with gravies you can’t comprehend.

https://svonberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/eyeviewnew4.html

Working on some roanoke flavored code for my little circular esp32  1.28″ display.

Since it has wifi, I put a weather app, but otherwise, its self-contained for now. It has a few simple goodies for now, an eyeball that looks around as default (the on board mic and camera on the device will track sound and movement, and follow it)

Also has a die roller, magic 8 ball, pomadoru style timer, a roanoke star sim and a 3d object sim for the hell of it.

Thinking of removing a couple of things, and maybe putting a Conways game of life and possibly adding a cryptid/ghost sensor for fun? Maybe integrate the wifi and ble for a little light sensor info of items in the area like flock cameras or airtag detection.

Edit – an esp32 flock detector already exists! Handy to use as a library source for my project

https://github.com/f1yaw4y/FlockSquawk