Wife kicked me off our joined Spotify membership (we both agreed to her using student discount for her account) so I’ve setup plexamp for my albums. I mean technically streaming but self-hosted.
Has android auto, and the in app interface is reasonable.
Its kind of nice, just to play an album you own vs having a neverending list of songs you might enjoy.
Yeah my car is filthy 😇
Run a macvlan and give containers their own local IP. Or don’t expose the port on the host, and connect via reverse proxy.
I’m much the same in my auto with dsg. Having a gearbox vs slushbox lets me shift down a gear where I only need to gradually slow down or sit in say 2nd on a downhill and not gain any speed.
My car is from 2011 and it had the right amount of modern features while lacking all the touchscreen climate controls and connected nonsonce.
You could always fall back to Hannah Montana Linux.
GUIX, openSUSE or Void might take your fancy if the more mainstream distros aren’t quite hitting the spot.
So vibe coding?
I’ve tried using llm for a couple of tasks before I gave up on the jargon outputs and nonsense loops that they kept feeding me.
I’m no coder / programmer but for the simple tasks / things I needed I took inspo from others, understood how the scripts worked, added comments to my own scripts showing my understanding and explaining what it’s doing.
I’ve written honestly so much, just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks (works). I have fleshed out a method for using base16 colour schemes to modify other GTK* themes so everything in my OS matches. I have declarative containers, IP addresses, secrets, containers and so much more. Thanks to the folks who created nix-colors, I should really contribute to that repo.
I still feel like a noob when it comes to Linux however seeing my progress in ~ 1y is massive.
I managed to get a working google coral after everyone else’s scripts (that I could find on Github) had quit working (NixOS). I’ve since ditched that module as the upkeep required isn’t worth a few ms in detection speeds.
I don’t believe any of my configs would be where they are if I’d asked a llm to slap it together for me. I’d have none of the understanding of how things work.
Yer I host Plex for 10+ folks and it’s an easy send. Really wish I could pipe it through CloudFlare but not willing to risk it currently.
I’ll give plexamp a go, man my tastes are all over the shop so it will be an album dump (that I should have done years ago) spinning up some old cds and the external dvd drive 😂
You hosting your plex service for other users outside of your home? I’m finding the ease of access for other users / the wife is the largest driving point for me to continue using plex.
I could configure a VPN and attach my jellyfin server to that network however that’s a large hurdle for some of the general population users I have on my plex currently.
For something on-topic the wife and I agreed that she should move to the student sub as she’s studying and kick me off Spotify entirely. I’ve got until the EOM to get plexamp / something else self hosted. Interested to see what comes from this post as it’s pretty relevant for me right now.
Admittedly I could Bluetooth to my head unit in my car and stream Grayjay music to it, but that’s just leaning on an unfree service.
That’s why I love my Datavac, been kicking around for 10 or so years now. Decent pressure, reasonably priced. Only downside is the mains power requirement, and the noise it produces would wake the neighbours up.
It’s essentially a big vaccum motor in a tube with a nozzle.
3070? I remember receiving boxes of these which were delegated to prebuild systems.
These were screamers, up there with the two slot 3090 blower from gigabyte 🫠
Yeah take a look at TempleOS and it’s filesystem RedSea.
TempleOS is a rabbit hole in of itself, RIP Terry.
From memory Paint on W10 is able to open webp, and save as another file extension if required. I had to convert so many of these images for product listings online, only for them to be converted back to webp…
Ahh man, Australia have tried DNS blocking websites via our ISPs however running your own or changing your DNS (on your local machine or your modem if it’s not locked down) completely dumpsters this strategy.
From memory torrent websites were blocked and some rom / game piracy sites.
too delicious for you?
For those stuck behind a paywall:
www.wired.com Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified Dhruv Mehrotra 9 - 11 minutes
The United States Department of Justice this week released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The release was intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody. But instead of putting those suspicions to rest, it may fuel them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw” footage.
Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation. The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips. But the absence of a clear explanation for the processing of the file using professional editing software complicates the Justice Department’s narrative. In a case already clouded by suspicion, the ambiguity surrounding how the file was processed is likely to provide fresh fodder for conspiracy theories.
Any aspect of the official story that isn’t fully explained will be co-opted by conspiracy theorists, says Mike Rothschild, an author who writes about conspiracy theories and extremists. “So whatever your flavor of Epstein conspiracy is, the video will help bolster it.”
For months leading up to the joint memo the DOJ and FBI published Monday, attorney general Pam Bondi had promised the release of records related to Epstein, raising expectations that new, potentially incriminating details might surface about the disgraced financier’s death and his ties to powerful individuals. However, rather than revealing new information, the memo largely confirmed conclusions reached years earlier: that Epstein was found in a Manhattan prison cell on August 10, 2019, and died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
To support its conclusion, the FBI reviewed surveillance footage overlooking the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), where Epstein was held. The FBI enhanced the footage by adjusting contrast, color, and sharpness, and released both the enhanced and what it described as the “raw” version. Both versions of the video appear to have been processed using Premiere and include much of the same metadata. According to the FBI, anyone entering the area containing Epstein’s cell during the relevant time frame would have been visible on that camera.
Working with two independent video forensics experts, WIRED examined the 21-gigabyte files released by the DOJ. Using a metadata tool, reporters analyzed both Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) and Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data to identify signs of postprocessing.
The “raw” file shows clear signs of having been processed using an Adobe product, most likely Premiere, based on metadata that specifically references file extensions used by the video editing software. According to experts, Adobe software, including Premiere and Photoshop, leaves traces in exported files, often embedding metadata that logs which assets were used and what actions were taken during editing. In this case, the metadata indicates the file was saved at least four times over a 23-minute span on May 23, 2025, by a Windows user account called “MJCOLE~1.” The metadata does not show whether the footage was modified before each time it was saved.
The embedded data suggest the video is not a continuous, unaltered export from a surveillance system, but a composite assembled from at least two separate MP4 files. The metadata includes references to Premiere project files and two specific source clips—2025-05-22 21-12-48.mp4 and 2025-05-22 16-35-21.mp4. These entries appear under a metadata section labeled “Ingredients,” part of Adobe’s internal schema for tracking source material used in edited exports. The metadata does not make clear where in the video the two clips were spliced together.
Hany Farid, a professor at UC Berkeley whose research focuses on digital forensics and misinformation, reviewed the metadata at WIRED’s request. Farid is a recognized expert in the analysis of digital images and the detection of manipulated media, including deepfakes. He has testified in numerous court cases involving digital evidence.
Farid says the metadata raises immediate concerns about chain of custody—the documented handling of digital evidence from collection to presentation in a courtroom. Just like physical evidence, he explains, digital evidence must be handled in a way that preserves its integrity; metadata, while not always precise, can provide important clues about whether that integrity has been compromised.
“If a lawyer brought me this file and asked if it was suitable for court, I’d say no. Go back to the source. Do it right,” Farid says. “Do a direct export from the original system—no monkey business.”
Farid points to another anomaly: The video’s aspect ratio shifts noticeably at several points. “Why am I suddenly seeing a different aspect ratio?” he asks.
Farid cautions that while the metadata clearly shows the video was modified, the changes could be benign—for example, converting footage from a proprietary surveillance format to a standard MP4.
While there may be uncontroversial explanations for the metadata artifacts, such as stitching together multiple days of footage during compilation, or the routine export of surveillance footage to an mp4 format, the FBI did not respond to specific questions about the file’s processing, instead referring WIRED to the DOJ. The DOJ in turn referred inquiries back to the FBI and the Bureau of Prisons. The BOP did not respond to a request for comment.
According to a 2023 report from the DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG), MCC, the detention facility where Epstein was found hanged, had around 150 analog surveillance cameras—but starting on July 29, 2019, a technical error prevented roughly half of them from recording, including most inside the SHU.
The system was scheduled for repairs on August 9, the night before Epstein was found dead. But the technician assigned to fix it couldn’t access the necessary equipment because the corrections officer required to escort him was nearing the end of their shift.
As a result, only two cameras were operational near the SHU at the time MCC staff found Epstein hanging in his cell: one covering the common area and stairwells near the entrance to the adjacent 10 South Unit, and another monitoring a ninth-floor elevator bay. Neither captured Epstein’s cell door.
According to the DOJ’s memo, the footage confirms that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at approximately 8 pm on August 9, 2019, and between around 10:40 pm and 6:30 am the next morning, no one entered the tier where his cell was located. However, the recording includes a notable gap: Approximately one minute of footage is missing, from 11:58:58 pm to 12:00:00 am. The video resumes immediately afterward.
The OIG’s report found no evidence of a conspiracy to kill Epstein. Instead, it documented years of chronic staffing failures and system breakdowns at MCC. The facility was temporarily closed in 2021 after the DOJ essentially deemed conditions unfit for incarceration.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Bondi attributed the missing minute to a flaw in the surveillance system’s daily cycle, claiming that one minute is missing from every night’s recording.
Given the years of high-profile conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein, any perceived inconsistency in the official narrative is likely to draw intense scrutiny. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones called the DOJ memo “sickening.” “Next the DOJ will say, ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,’” he wrote in a post on X.
“In the world of conspiracy theories, evidence that disproves something happened becomes proof that something happened,” says Rothschild. He explains that the case of Epstein’s death is a good example of this phenomenon. “Every piece of evidence that points to him taking his own life—the negligence of the prison staff, the disrepair of the cameras, the coroner’s report—is turned into evidence that he was killed by powerful figures who weren’t competent enough to cover up the crime correctly.”
The apparent gaps in the video, Rothschild says, will naturally inflame these suspicions.
One media forensics expert, who reviewed the metadata and agreed with WIRED’s analysis but requested anonymity due to privacy concerns and a desire to avoid having their name publicly associated with anything related to the Epstein case, put it bluntly: “It looks suspicious—but not as suspicious as the DOJ refusing to answer basic questions about it.”
www.404media.co I Tried Pre-Ordering the Trump Phone. The Page Failed and It Charged My Credit Card the Wrong Amount Joseph Cox 4 - 5 minutes
On Monday the Trump Organization announced its own mobile service plan and the “T1 Phone,” a customized all-gold mobile phone that its creators say will be made in America.
I tried to pre-order the phone and pay the $100 downpayment, hoping to test the phone to see what apps come pre-installed, how secure it really is, and what components it includes when it comes out. The website failed, went to an error page, and then charged my credit card the wrong amount of $64.70. I received a confirmation email saying I’ll receive a confirmation when my order has been shipped, but I haven’t provided a shipping address or paid the full $499 price tag. It is the worst experience I’ve ever faced buying a consumer electronic product and I have no idea whether or how I’ll receive the phone.
“Trump Mobile is going to change the game, we’re building on the movement to put America first, and we will deliver the highest levels of quality and service. Our company is based right here in the United States because we know it’s what our customers want and deserve,” Donald Trump Jr., EVP of the Trump Organization, and obviously one of President Trump’s sons, said in a press release announcing Trump Mobile.
The announcement describes the T1 Phone as a “sleek, gold smartphone engineered for performance and proudly designed and built in the United States for customers who expect the best from their mobile carrier.”
💡
Do you know anything else about this phone? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at [email protected].
On the Benny Show podcast Trump Jr. said the phone is for people who want a phone made in America that without the potential of a “backdoor made into the hardware that some of our adversaries may have installed in there.” Trump Jr. also said call centers for Trump Mobile will be in St. Louis, “so we’re keeping our data on shore.”
Various phone companies and projects have pushed the “made in America” aspect of their phones. One is the Liberty Phone from Purism. Building a device in America or ensuring the integrity of a phone’s supply chain can be exceptionally difficult for a smaller company, because many components may be made in China or other countries even if the device itself is assembled in the U.S. And ultimately, a company with no telecom or hardware experience selling a device like the T1 Phone is probably not going to have the expertise to build a more secure device than, say, Apple or Google with its own Pixel devices, which have massive teams updating the hardware and operating system and constantly hunting for threats against their devices and users.
The mobile carrier part of Trump Mobile appears to be a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which is essentially a carrier that piggybacks off the technical infrastructure of the country’s other fully-fledged carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. The Trump Organization’s announcement says that “Trump Mobile will offer 5G service through all three major cellular carriers.”
The Trump family and organization continue to make lucrative deals based on the Trump name while President Trump is in power. Bloomberg found that since Trump’s reelection campaign, the name has powered more than $10 billion of real estate projects, $500 million in sales from one of his crypto ventures, and millions from stakes in other companies.
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After maybe pre-ordering my T1 Phone, the confirmation email said I could log into TrumpMobile.com to make changes to my account. I did that, changed my password as prompted, and then hit another error page. I have not been able to log into the site.
About the author
Joseph is an award-winning investigative journalist focused on generating impact. His work has triggered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fines, shut down tech companies, and much more.
Joseph Cox
Cloudflared is such a nice feature, I have seperate tunnels for different services hosted on the one machine.
Depends on your ISP and where in the world you live.
Yeah sorry should have listed that, they do require a NixOS installation.
Pick a DE for the installer, and if you want to change DE the installer will guide you through the process.
Then it will leave you with a config file and some man pages, it’s a bit much at first but spend some time with it. In my eyes easily one of the better distros out there.
I’d dare say the easier method, from memory the p6 should have a charge limit in the stock firmware.
I’ve not an old Samsung s10+ kicking around with corrupted firmware, should really take a look at it and see if it can be up and running again. Not that I need more cores, ram, cameras or any additions to my equipment but just because.
It fassinates me that consumer hardware, and low power at that goes wasted so often. So many small form factor devices such as phones, with built in ups aren’t being leveraged. But I guess that comes down to proprietary binary blobs and developer work on a per device basis.
I might have to investigate what platforms mobile nixos supports and see if it’s cheap enough to dabble with.