PC Gaming

 I've been trying to push myself into being more involved in PC gaming lately.  Ever since I bought the Steam Deck, I've been using it.  It's handy when you're in front of the TV or in bed.  I'd been playing a lot of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and recently bought Red Dead Redemption 2.

In fact, ever since I quit playing War Thunder, I've been struggling to find a specific game to fixate on.

I've Ready or Not and Ground Branch, which are nice tactical shooters (really meant for multiplayer, but can be played lone wolf).  I also have been flying some VTOL VR and Nuclear Option.  I've also been trying to ramp up my flight simming - I've been flying some IL2, trying the different planes (I bought a bunch of modules awhile back).  I also finally bought full fidelity modules for DCS: World, too!

For DCS: World, I bought the Dessault Mirage F1 module pack.  I also bought the F-5E, the Mig-29 (designed for Flaming Cliffs, I believe, and doesn't have full fidelity),  I also bought a few maps and single player missions.  I downloaded the free A-4E 3rd party module, too.  And last week, I bought the Ka-50 helicopter module.  I just need to dedicate a few hours a week to focus on one plane to fly single player and to eventually move to multiplayer.  I'm thinking either the F-5E, the A-4E, or the F1 will get me far and if I go multiplayer, I'll have to find Cold War servers.  I'm not really interested in later era aircraft, although I *REALLY* want the Mirage 2000.  Yes, there's a dispute between it's developer and Eagle Dynamics, but I'm thinking if I buy it now, while it still works, I can fly it enough to get my money's worth.  If it goes on sale between now and the New Year, I'm buying it.  What I'd really like is for another developer to make a Mirage 2000, though.

Also, for DCS: World, I've been using TrackIR instead of VR.  Folks keep insisting that I need to use VR with DCS.  Nah...it's not for me.  I've already tried it in both War Thunder and IL2.  I'll admit that the flying experience, immersion, and spatial awareness that comes with interacting within a 3D environment is great.  What sours EVERYTHING is that you can't see your keyboard or stick or anything that's on your desk.  That's something I can't get over.  It's all unicorns and rainbows until it's time to interact outside of VR, which is sometimes a requirement.  Plus, the hardware requirements to run VR while running a game such as DCS is not insignificant, and if you want to also record your session, it's going to suck for you unless you've a super beefy PC.

I'm one step from upgrading my HOTAS to something a bit better.  My current setup lacks the required buttons to get most of aircraft controls onto either the stick or throttle (even if I'm flying a full fidelity aircraft, I'd still prefer to manipulate the controls through the stick or throttle controls).  As it is, I'm about to use a spare throttle just so I can use it's buttons!  Also, I may need to alter my desk to better support a stick and throttle (no, I don't want to build a pit/rig).

Nuclear Option is fun!  It's in Early Access and I ended up buying it, but leaving it alone for maybe 6 months because it didn't have head-tracking, which I thought was ridiculous.  Headtracking was added maybe 3-4 months ago, but something is wonky with it - the game looses connectivity with either the TrackIR software or hardware (or both).  You've to go to desktop and restart TrackIR, but I found that I would have to do it 4-5 times within a 30 min session, which is a serious buzz kill, so I stopped playing it again...once they sort out the headtracking issue, I'll fly it again.

VTOL VR is actually really nice, but I won't do multiplayer with it.  I want to stay single player with that game, at least for a while.  That means I've to find decent single player missions.  I've also thought of giving a shot at developing some missions.  Maybe I can experiment with that this weekend.  I've heard the mission editor is wonky and there's no guide on how to use it (although I should check Steam for guides).  No, I don't want to check the game's Discord...I shouldn't have to do that...such things should be better accessible than relying on only Discord.

I was also playing Steel Beasts for awhile (I even streamed a session of of gameplay on Twitch).  I started out good but then quit, as that game can sometimes be quite deep.  It's more of a high end sim than a game, IMO.  I think it depends upon the mission, too.  I play single player, which can be a handful with lots of units to command, so I think the key is to seek out single player missions that give you control of a company -- any bigger unit than that will pain since you'll have to manage every aspect of each element of that unit.

OH!  Also, there's a new tactical game coming out called Sea Power, that will be released in November.

dlvr.it Ended Their Free Plan

I'd been using dlvr.it to automate cross-posting from Wordpress to Twitter, as I've been trying to get more traffic to my firearms blog.  Well, dlvr.it stopped providing their free plan.  

Prior to dlvr.it, I'd been using IFTTT's automation applets to cross-post to Twitter, but their free applets for Twitter became payware.

As I'm not trying to spend a ton of money for something that I'm providing, I do not want to have to sign up for expensive plans just to be able to cross-post.

I spent a large portion of my day yesterday trying to find free solutions to replace dlvr.it and found Buffer.  I tested and it works.  Yes, they have a free plan.  I'll be using that until they stop offering their service for free (if they stop, I'm in trouble because I'm not sure anyone else offers free plans that aren't super-neutered).

Went from AlDente Free to AlDente Pro!

I've been using AlDente (yes, the battery charge limiter app) for a while now.  I started using it when I first bough the Macbook Air.

Today, I though to myself, "I've been using this and it's obviously an important thing to me.  Why not buy the Pro version?"

This made so much sense to me and I had similar thoughts in the past, so I bought AlDente Pro, the lifetime version.

When I run into good software that I know I'll need in the future, I usually end up buying it after using the free edition of the software for a while.  I've no problem with giving back, especially if the software owner is an independent developer.  Developers have to eat, too!

I'm also a flight sim guy (I recently bought several DCS World modules and I fly IL2: Sturmovik too).  I bought TacView (Advanced version) a long while back because I love how you can replay previous flights and use TacView to analyze a combat situation.  TacView wasn't cheap - it was $70 - but I used it to the point that I hated when I flew something that TacView couldn't work with, so I bought it.

Beats Studio Buds + Were Still Falling Out Of My Ears, So I Bought Complys!

 I shared with you all that I bought a set of Beats Studio Buds + awhile back.

I got a bit pissed a few weeks ago when I was working in the yard and my Beats earbuds were slipping out of my ear canal.

I decided to check to see if I Comply made some anti-slick inserts for these earbuds, as I bought a few of these for my AirPods Pro earbuds and they work well.

I was quite surprised when I saw that Comply was making versions for the Beats Buds + earbuds and I immediately ordered a set.  They work well.

I also ordered a different set from Amazon, because although the Comply ones work well, they don't last all that long before they no longer work.  The ones I ordered were Ludos Comfy Earbuds Replacement Memory Foam.  These fit into my ears well, but will not fit in the charging pod and require removal to charge the earbuds.

At this point, I've been using my Beats earbuds far more often than my AirPods Pro buds - dunno why, because the AirPods immediately connect to my phone and Macs, whereas I've to manually connect both my Beats headset and buds.  I do like the Beats buds' controls better.

Docker, Wordpress, and Linode

Maybe a week ago, I decided to refresh my Linode instance.  I'd been using Ubuntu 16.04 LTS on it the past 10 years.  16.04 has been unsupported for quite a while now, but I was being lazy while still watching the server for compromised (the server was locked down very well).

Initially, I'd planned on a slow rollover to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, by deploying a new host and slowly migrating over to it from the old server.  One day, I just said, "fuck it" and started from scratch.  I kept my old disk volume and mounted it to the new host so that I could grab old data whenever I needed it...having config files from the old host would help me when reinstalling the software I was using on the old host.

The plan was to migrate my two Wordpress sites to the new host but today I tried running Wordpress on Docker on an old Dell XPS 8930 and it worked well.  I first tried to just get to the point where Wordpress could install onto it.  I then tried to restore a backup of one Wordpress site onto the Dockerized Wordpress instance and I was immediately successful.  It happened so quickly that I spent the rest of the day testing it, to the point that I decided to do the same thing on the 24.04 server tonight.  It's now up and running and I've already been posting to it.  I'll monitor it the next few days and will probably back it up, tear down the whole thing, and then try some different setups, such as trying to run both Wordpress sites from one set of containers (the problem is, I need both Wordpress sites to be serving on port 80 and there's only one port 80 on the server.

Currently the setup is using three small containers (one for MySQL, one for Wordpress, and one for phpmyadmin).  I leveraged the YAML files of two other nerds, using both to build my own YAML file, which I used to pull the images and configure the containers.  I ran in to issues more than a few times, but between what I learned last year on acloud.guru and trial and error, it wasn't all that difficult.  What I haven't done (YET) is build my own dockerfiles.

I usually also use the Linode host as a file server (sharing pictures with friends and forums), and I was doing that using Apache, so that's a 3rd application that I'd need to use port 80...not sure how I'm going to set all this up, but the neat thinga bout Docker is that I can blow it away and start over (keeping my .yml compose files to work with and tweak), again and again, until I get it right.

This was the first time outside of training that I used Docker and I honestly should've been using it a long time ago.

I actually had a lot of fun doing this.

UPDATE (7/28/2024):

I'm having some issues trying to determine how to host two sites on one Dockerized Wordpress setup.  I can probably use the muti-site Wordpress setup but I need to study up on how to alter the wp-config file using the docker-compose.yml file.

Or, I can probably just run two Docker setups, one for my firearms blog and one for my car blog.

I also want to be able to share my many pictures and files using Apache, but found that I can't run Apache AND Worpdress, as both use port 80.  I may have to use some type of proxying.

Lastly, I can just reinstalled Wordpress in a non-Dockerized fashion, while experimenting with Wordpress in Docker.  This is probably the more reasonable approach, as I can study up how to leverage Docker at my own leisure but have a production native Wordpress setup.

Second GoPro Hero 10 Black Gotcha - Camera Overheating

I've been using the GoPro Hero 10 Black for a bit now,  The last time I posted, I complained that there was no real preview option.  That issue still exists and is still annoying.  There have been more than a few times where I've discovered that my framing is off-center or is not capturing what I require.  I'm almost to the point where it's so annoying that I may replace this camera.

There's another annoying thing that's occurring.

I want to capture in 4K reslution at 60 FPS when I'm at the firearms range.  My range visits are usually an hour long but I don't shoot during that whole hour.  I only record when I'm shooting, and between shooting, I've to load mags or retrieve/replace the target.  I'm finding that the camera can never get through the session while being turned on.  At the last 10 minutes of the range session, I always find that the camera has shut down due to overheating.

This is highly annoying, as sometimes I don't even know that the camera is off...it doesn't audibly alert me (I can't see the camera, as it sits on my head, on a ball cap, using a hat mount).

Note that the range I frequent is an indoor range that is AC-cooled. Ambient temps are cool, to the point that I usually wear a jacket/hoodie.

The camera gets hot just by being on, it seems, then when it's recording, it gets hotter.  I've configured the camera to not have the camera screens on (I view the framing and control the camera using the Quik app on my phone).  Dialing back the resolution is a very LAME workaround, but that's what I think I'll have to do to prevent this from occurring.  :/

The lack of live previewing can be negated by just buying a 360 camera.  I'm sure most 360 cameras that aren't made by GoPro will not overheat.

This is depressing because Ive invested (financially) in using this camera.  I suppose I can sell it and every GoPro accessory I own to attempt to recoup financially.  I also spent a lot of time in researching if this was the camera for me.

So, the hunt begins for yet another camera.  One thing I haven't done is use the Osmo Pocket 3 at the range, and I think it will perform fine, but I really think a good inexpensive 360 camera will work...I don't need to use the $600+ Pocket 3 to replace the Hero 10.

UPDATE (8/13/2024):  I should've shared that the Pocket 3 also shuts down when I used it when capturing Youtube footage.  As with the GoPro, the OP3 overheats when recording in 4K (30 FPS), which is sad.  It's obvious that there are limitations with the higher resolutions.

SteamDeck Update

I bought a SteamDeck not long ago (documented here).

Some thoughts are listed below.

I'm not sure I needed the OLED model, but I wanted 1-TB in storage.  As the cost between the OLED 1-TB and 512 GB non-OLED wasn't huge, I opted to get the unit that had the most option.

I've yet to see this system crash or even hang up on a game.

I thought I could play some games like Generation Zero and GTA V, but those two games are difficult to play on the SteamDeck.  I've been playing Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Subnautica, and No Man's Sky, as well as games like Hades and Hades II.

The game system never gets hot or noisy (the fans are quiet).

I bought a 100W charger specifically for the SteamDeck, too...it works well.

I want to try emulators (for Nintendo games) and will probably buy a micro SD card and dedicate it to emulator games.

I've no need for s dock but if I end up wanting one, I'll try a non-Steam dock first.

New Ear Buds - Beats Studio Buds +

I bought a new set of ear buds this week.  I bought the Beats Studio Buds +.

It's technical specs are here.

I'm still using my set of AirPod Pros (v1) and while they've not presented any issues that warrant immediate replacement, I got the Studio Buds for 30% off the normal price.  I basically bought these because they were on sale.

A few things I noticed right off the bat:

• The charing pod uses USB-C, which I LOVE!  I've quite a few Lightning cables but USB-C is always better, IMO.
• These come with an assortment of gel inserts, which allows a good bud-to-ear fitment.  I always hated the fact that I've to buy 3rd party solutions to get the AirPod Pros to work with my particular ear.  I don't have to worry about such things with the Studio Buds.
• The Studio Buds have a larger charging case (it's more rounded than the AirPod case).
• I love the way the buds "snick" into the case - each bud has a magnet (or each space within the case has a magnet - dunno which...there's some magnetics going on, for sure, though).
• Pairing button is inside lid of the case.

I listened to both sets of buds back-to-back and both are on-par with each other as far as audio quality is concerned.  Both have great noise cancelling functionality, as well.

There's hardly anything to dislike.  

The only real gripe I have is that the case is larger (it has a larger footprint than the AirPods Pro case).  The case is slicker as well, but it could be due to my choice of cases...I've the clear case and buds, which has an unfinished feel.  The case looks really cool, though.

Another slight gripe would be that the form factor is small.  Small is good, unless you've big hands and fingers.  They're a bit more difficult to use when pressing the buttons on the buds.  It also means that you can't use the same accessories that you'd use with the AirPod Pros, such as the gel sports tethers.

Also, I don't know which bud belongs in which ear, either, but also not sure if it matters.  

These are trivial gripes, though.

UPDATE (6/1/2024): looking closely, I can see that each bud is labeled "R" or "L" on the bottom.  Since I've the clear case, it is very difficult to see the labeling but I'll include a pic below:

I'll provide updates throughout the year.

UPDATE (7/28/2024):

Although I love these buds (I use them more than I do my 1st Gen AirPods Pro), they don't stay in my ears all that well.  They stay in better than my AirPods in their stock configuration, although the Comply cushions make the AirPods stay in my ear.

As well, my right ear has a wider canal that appears to be between sizes.  I've tried all the different size OEM cushions but none of them work well in my right ear.

I checked to see if Comply has cushions for the Beats Studio buds and they do, so I ordered an assorted set.  I also ordered a set of LUDOS cushions - if those turn out to not work, I'm going to try to refund them (if I can't, there's not much of a loss, as they're not expensive).

Steam Deck Inbound!

HAHAHAHAHA!!  Yeah, I'm on a tear this year regarding tech.  The last few months I've bought close to $1K in videography equipment.  Now I also bought a Steam Deck.

Which Steam Deck did I get?  The 1 TB OLED model.  It didn't make sense to get the 512 when the 1 TB was only $100 more...seriously.

It shipped yesterday and is supposed to arrive on 4/9.  What I'm worried about are the UPS workers.  These gaming systems tend to disappear after they ship but before they're delivered, which is extremely sad.  It doesn't help that Valve keeps using exterior packaging that labels the package as a Steam Deck (WTF).  I tried to have the shipment diverted to a UPS store (I heard that this method lessens theft - I guess it does since the onus is on the driver at that point), but UPS states that the shipper (Valve) won't allow delivery to UPS stores (WTF Valve).

There's a chance that I won't receive this unit, which will piss me off, as I've waited 5 days for it to ship AND Valve won't allow me to re-route it.  If it ends up "lost", I'll have to reach out to Valve, who will eventually ship me another one...if that happens, I'm going to insist that they ship to a UPS store and if they can't, I'll ask for a refund.  As well, UPS needs to quit letting this happen (it's a very common thing for their employees to steal these gaming systems).

For now, I'm just waiting for it to ship.  I don't think I need to order any other items for use with the gaming system.  Since it's 1 TB, I don't need a micro SD card right now (eventually, I may want one).  I have ordered a 100W charger as a backup to the OEM one.  I may eventually order a docking station for it.  I may also order a carry case and other accessories - I won't know exactly what I want until I start using the system.

My daughter bought one for her brother last year (a 512 GB LCD unit), then after seeing his, she bought a 512 GB OLED unit.  I saw both of theirs and wanted one, but didn't want to spend the money at the time.  I now have the money.  :)

As always, I'll keep you all up to date on my experience.