OxiCloud is an open source lightweight alternative to NextCloud

NextCloud is great, but it tends to be heavyweight and packs a ton of extra functionality in.

OxiCloud may be worth considering if you are looking for something a lot lighter and faster. OxiCloud requires a minimum of 512 MB RAM, and I see it has a Docker installation too. Its focus though is very much on performance and speed.

Just note some features are still on the roadmap (which NextCloud already has) such as WebDAV support for desktop integration, basic file versioning, simple file sharing with links, etc.

It has three contributors and the code has been updated in this last week, so it is being actively developed. The project has been around for only a month, so it is also quite new, hence why those features are still to be added.

See https://github.com/DioCrafts/OxiCloud

#technology #opensource #storage

Nitisinone Could Make Human Blood Deadly to Mosquitos, Combatting Malaria

“Mosquitoes are more than pests. They’re also a mortal threat, contributing to millions of cases of malaria a year. Fortunately for humans, however, a team of researchers has recently identified a medication that could curb mosquito populations, controlling their spread of malaria. Revealing their results in a paper published in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers report that the medication nitisinone makes human blood deadly to mosquitoes.”

This is quite interesting in that it has no effect on the environment at all. Malaria affects 100's of millions of people worldwide, so this could help a lot of people.

Scientists still have to determine what dosages will work, and I suppose how long it will last in the blood.

I wonder if this also why mosquitoes like some people's blood, but not others. The difference with nitisinone though is that it is deadly to them.

See https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/this-medication-could-make-human-blood-deadly-to-mosquitos-combatting

#health #malaria

Mini rolling robot takes virtual biopsies — And it's all in the shape

“The team, led by engineers from the University of Leeds, say this is the first time it has been possible to generate high-resolution three-dimensional ultrasound images taken from a probe deep inside the gastrointestinal tract, or gut. It paves the way to a transformation of the diagnosis and treatment of several forms of cancer by enabling ‘virtual biopsies’ — non-invasive scans that provide immediate diagnostic data, allowing doctors to detect, stage, and potentially treat lesions in a single procedure: eliminating the need for physical biopsies.”

Very interestingly, the big innovation seems to be around changing the shape (the oloid shape) so that the device can manoeuvre far better.

The important outcomes of all of this is that immediate results can be obtained for determining colorectal cancer, and the process may be more comfortable for patients.

See https://www.leeds.ac.uk/main-index/news/article/5757/mini-rolling-robot-takes-virtual-biopsies

#technology #health #cancer

Well don't forget about King Donald I in the USA - it has certainly got messy all around the world. Whatever happened to politics being a service to the community. Today it is about power and profiting off deals wherever possible.

Whoops sorry meant 96

89

Ear Tip Fit Tests: How Do They Work, and Are They Accurate?

Apart from the explanation of how the software test actually works, there is some good advice why you want to start out first testing with the smallest size tip and work your way upwards.

See https://www.howtogeek.com/ear-tip-fit-tests-how-do-they-work-and-are-they-accurate

#technology #audio

The problem with all that is there is ZERO proof of that. It is all assumptions, people "close to", and associations. It is the same stuff that the US government never presented about Huawei and TikTok, which is why I don't believe that about Huawei or TikTok until we see some actual evidence from proper security audit reports.

Mentally, I just switch off from all "could be" reports. Those are the basis of conspiracy theories. I'm waiting to see proper peer reviewed reports of whether Signal has actually shared any data or not.

We all know that any company can be legally subpoenaed in any country to hand over the data they DO have in their possession. So yes Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, and many others would have to do that. The question for me is whether Signal would be willingly sharing such data with any 3rd parties - for that, we have no evidence at all.

That type of behaviour has been proven from Facebook for example with their Cambridge Analytica scandal as one example. WhatsApp we know from their T&Cs that they do share the user metadata with upstream (Facebook) and partners. Again, no evidence that Signal does this.

Yes the ideal would be to be completely log-free, phone number-free, etc like Briar, Threema, Session, SimpleX, and others. Then there would be nothing to hand over. But Signal appears to have trodden an ethical line so far, until proven otherwise.

Wow, this is a 25-year-old Palm Pilot still being used in 2025

“They were the original distraction-free technology before we even needed such a thing. You didn’t spend the money on a Palm Pilot to play games or scroll social media. You spent the extra money on a Palm PDA because you had a job to do. Palm Pilots were the original productivity monsters, keeping us on schedule and connected through lightweight email programs and RSS feeds.”

I don't think many of the youth today could visualise a really distraction-free and advert-free piece of technology. Today notifications keep popping up, adverts clutter pages, as well as pop-up cookie notices.

I remember using a Palm Pilot myself, and I used to sync my notes, e-mails, etc with my desktop PC. A Palm Pilot was one of the really early productivity devices, being able to run all sorts of 3rd party downloadable apps. I remember, too, the early database apps, I think mine was called HandyDB.

This is PURE productivity at its best. Technically, with the Pebble watches making a comeback, there is no real reason why Palm Pilots could not also do so. Big Tech would of course hate this as they still want to sell newer flashier devices to you, that can pop up all sorts of messages and disclaimers.

And look at this: “Surprisingly, the 25-year-old rechargeable battery still works well, holding a charge for over a month.”

See https://www.androidpolice.com/i-still-use-a-palm-pilot-editorial

#technology #retro #PalmPilot

Keep Tabs On Your Vehicle’s Needs With Self-Hosted LubeLogger

“This free and open source software tool is designed to make it easy for individuals to keep track of both the routine maintenance needs of their vehicles, as well as keep track of any previous or upcoming repairs and upgrades. In perhaps the most basic example, LubeLogger allows the user to add their vehicle to a virtual garage and set up routine maintenance tasks (such as oil changes), and fire off reminders when tasks are due. But it can also do things like track your vehicle’s mileage and fuel efficiency over time, and break down its operating costs.”

It looks like a great app to track all of this data. You can test it out on the app's website, where there is a demo version. The only pity is there is no knowledge base of vehicles with the recommended maintenance. I suppose you'd enter this from the owner's manual yourself.

I do like the touch for choosing an oil change based on date or mileage, whichever comes first.

See https://hackaday.com/2025/03/28/keep-tabs-on-your-vehicles-needs-with-lubelogger/ or their website at https://lubelogger.com/

#technology #vehicles #maintenance #selfhosting #opensource

First direct-to-satellite phone call in South Africa using a LEO satellite and unmodified mobile phones

“MTN South Africa and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite service company Lynk Global carried out a successful technical trial of one of the first satellite-to-mobile device phone calls in South Africa. The phone call, made in Vryburg, North West, allowed the companies to test voice call quality and SMS capabilities over an LEO satellite connection.”

Once this goes commercial, this will obviously be useful for disasters and very remote areas. Although these satellites will work with ordinary unmodified cellphones, including older models, right now it may not be a 24/7 coverage. I'd imagine though for a commercial service in future there will either need to be more satellites, or there may need to be a few geostationary satellites.

Still, it shows what is possible, and that you don't necessarily need Starlink to offer such a service.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/telecoms/588871-first-direct-to-satellite-phone-call-in-south-africa.html

#technology #satellite #southafrica

Signal vs WhatsApp: Signal is still the most private by a long way

Users adding an incorrect user by mistake to a group is no reflection at all on the security of any app. This happens across all apps, as the user is the issue, not the app.

I had long ago deleted the WhatsApp app off my phone, mainly because of its metadata collection, and the sharing of that data with their upstream 'partners' including Facebook and others. This is clearly stated in WhatsApp's T&C's.

'In a statement, a WhatsApp spokesman said it relies on metadata to prevent spam and “keep the service safe from abuse”.' This is just not true, in that this is not the reason why WhatsApp collects metadata — their T&C's state it is to be shared elsewhere.

Yes, both Signal and WhatsApp keep the message content secure, and use the same encryption protocol. But WhatsApp is also collecting your location continuously, when you message who, for how long, when you wake up, when you go to sleep, where you shop, etc (and of course shares this with your consent).

This is not Signal's business model, nor do they obtain your consent to share this data. WhatsApp/Instagram/Facebook are all about targeting users for advertisers, and sharing data for that targeting (and of course being US owned they have to share that data under the CLOUD and Patriot Acts with the US government as well when requested).

What came out of the US Congressional hearing this week was also interesting to hear — the CIA have Signal installed on their desktops, and they use Signal themselves.

I'm not saying at all that Signal is perfect, as it still requires a verified phone number. So the user is still always identifiable (unlike other messengers such as Threema, SimpleX, Matrix, Session, etc).

It is about what data is collected, and what data is shared with anyone outside of the organisation. Between WhatsApp and Signal, Signal is the clear winner here.

For this reason, there is no WhatsApp app on my mobile phone. If organisations want to ensure better privacy, they should use Signal (like the CIA does) or go a step further and self-host a service like Matrix on their premises where they fully control the data as well as the user access verification.

WhatsApp was a very good app (I used to use it) before they got bought out by Facebook, and it is that business model that has ruined it.

See https://techcentral.co.za/signal-vs-whatsapp-messaging-app-war/261341

#technology #metadata #privacy #messengers

Powerfoyle may be able to keep many battery powered products permanently charged

This is a flexible type of solar charging device that can be moulded to fit many devices such as wireless headphones, Bluetooth speakers, etc to keep them topped up whenever there is outdoor or even ambient light.

Yes, it's not going to be used to charge car batteries, and is really aimed at wearable devices. But with so many devices going battery powered today, keeping track of charging and ensuring they are ready for use at any time, all becomes a bit of a pain.

It will be interesting to see how this gets used in the future. Already big brands such as Adidas, Porsche, Urbanista, Philips, JBL, 3M, and POC are starting to incorporate Powerfoyle into their products.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1xjUnDlSrk

#technology #solar #environment

inZOI is a hyperrealistic life simulation going into public early access by end March 2025

Yes, it is similar to The Sims in terms of what it is about, but it is a whole two or three levels above what The Sims ever reached. The character setup is incredibly detailed and of an extremely high quality, as are the buildings. The gameplay is very AI driven and certainly delves into lots of life's normal events such as births, deaths, relationships, marriages, divorce, banking, working, jail, etc.

It appears to be a single player game, though, so nothing like you'd get in Second Life where you are interacting with real people.

The reviewer here is actually not using the highest quality video, as I've seen some other video that shows a lot of finer detail, and I'd imagine this depends on what graphics card you're using.

Also to be seen in other video reviews is the actual making of food. You'd see the actual egg broken in the pan, and being stirred until it turns to scramble egg. These types of detail in the game would be enthralling to experience.

Another point this reviewer mentions is that you can upload a photo of a real world object, and the AI in the game will convert it to an in-game object which you can use. That is probably a taste of what more there is still to come.

This is still an early access game, so I'd expect a lot of what is mentioned by the reviewer, would be addressed and expanded on in future. The game looks pretty playable right now, though.

Hopefully in future too, you could travel as a tourist to the other cities, and I'm sure there may be more cities coming as well.

The cost is expected to be about US$40, but this is apparently a discounted price, so this won't be any quick impulsive buy for most folks.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL-60fSpTug

#technology #simulation #gaming

It's true that Big Tech are not the most innovative companies around

The linked article is about the many shortcomings that Google Password Manager has, and it is quite true that many of the dedicated password managers out there have way better features than Google has.

It was for the same reason that I never used Google's Authentication app at all. The same went for their passkey management.

Many Big Tech companies have millions or billions of funds to throw at buying out their competition, and to cobble products together. The reason they buy out their competition is, because the competition has something better that they cannot just use, unless they buy the business and own the patents. Often they even kill those products off, or they neuter them (like the original peer-to-peer Skype) and let them die off.

Big Tech is no friend of innovation, and can use their financial (and other muscle) to kill off the competition. Anyone still remember the early days of Microsoft Windows when the deal was struck for discounting Windows with new PCs as long as the manufacturers only pre-installed Windows? I remember a government department having to also pay for Windows licenses for all their Linux computers (which had no Windows installed on them) because the licensing deal was “all” PC's irrespective of what OS was installed. This all helps us understand how the “Big” came about in Big Tech...

But I digress, the point being actually Big Tech is really not that good at innovating, and this is especially true once their own founders have departed the organisation. Their founders were often the ones who were innovative (OK, excluding Microsoft) when they started out themselves.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/reasons-stopped-using-google-password-manager

#technology #innovation #BigTech

10 Tricks You Can Do With FFmpeg on Linux, macOS, and Windows

Yes, FFmpeg is far from just being some plain copy or convert command. It is packed with powerful features and, in fact, sits in the background behind many fancy GUI applications, with FFmpeg during the work in the background.

The linked article discusses how FFmpeg can perform the following features:

* Playing a Video (yes, really!)

* Get Media Information

* Record Your Screen

* Extract Images From a Video

* Convert Images Into a Video

* Convert a Video to MP3 or GIF (or other video formats)

* Add Subtitles to a Movie

* Rebuild a Video's Index Without Transcoding

* Resize Videos

* Trim and Crop Videos

Some of these functions can consume a lot of CPU and memory resources, so it is also worth having a look for versions of FFmpeg that specifically use the GPU for extra horsepower.

As one of my readers commented, when it came to malware, rather try to use existing OS tools to do what you need to. FFmpeg is one such tool when it comes to all things video and audio.

See https://www.howtogeek.com/tricks-you-can-do-with-ffmpeg-on-linux

#technology #FFmpeg #video

FBI warnings are true—fake file converters do push malware

“The FBI is warning that fake online document converters are being used to steal peoples’ information and, in worst-case scenarios, to deploy ransomware on victims' devices. The warning came last week from the FBI Denver field office, after receiving an increasing number of reports about these types of tools.”

It seems that many of these relate mostly to creating to or from PDF files, but really most good word processors already do that as a built-in function, e.g. free LibreOffice.

See https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-warnings-are-true-fake-file-converters-do-push-malware

#technology #security #malware

But also quite a few alternative search engines such as Quant and others

Yes that funding is largely to have Google Search the default on Firefox (like I think Googler also pays Apple for the same reason). But it is easy to switch search engines and I use my own hosted SearXNG as my search engine on Firefox.

LibreWolf is one of many spin-offs of Firefox. From what I know it really disables a few of Firefox's defaults. But from both perspectives, the same can be done on Firefox itself, and some of the disabled items on LibreWolf can be re-enabled e.g. DRM playback, etc.