Iโve been experimenting with my newish solar battery
Represented here is the end of the charge cycle yesterday at about the same time the sun started to set
Iโve been powering the freezer with this 2 kWh battery, and every morning there is ~50% charge left, and so far every day I get it up to 90% (by choice) from solar alone
I can also do a load of laundry or two, and some vacuuming, without being even connected to the grid (if I get the timing right)
Of course this is clear summer weather, so this wonโt be the same all year
(This is far from sufficient to power the entire house, itโs just an experiment)
Essentially, 1-2 kWh that arenโt drawn from the grid on a daily basis
#solar
Let's talk SMS 2FA and its shortcomings in the context of an energy crisis (and electronic components shortage)
[TL;DR] It is mostly that our laziness drives networking infrastructure expansion. Alternatives like TOTP and physical keys don't require that infrastructure and are also better at security.
First off, let me just say that SMS 2FA is a piece of tech that is amazingly accessible: practically everyone who knows how to use a phone understands how to read a text they received via SMS. We receive a 6-digit code, it appears as a notification, we copy the code. Job done. Sometimes the application can even read the text without involving the user.
SMS 2FA represents incredible user experience & decent security improvements for little inconvenience.
But.
There are a number of failings and shortcomings. I'll start with the monetary cost for the service provider.
Service providers (think any website or app here) are most likely using a mobile carrier who bills them for their SMS usage, or perhaps they went through the extraordinary step of interfacing with the existing carriers. Either way, there are costs (& energy usage) for their use of the global SMS network. It's not unlike our own individual SMS bill, the more we use it the more we pay, until we just opt in for the unlimited contract (but it's still there).
=> For the smaller services, this is expensive and sometimes prohibitively so. The bill is also dependant on events out of their control: how often their users reset their passwords.
Then there is the number of hops.
The way the SMS network works, any time a text is sent, it goes through a number of intermediaries before reaching its recipient. You could think of it as snail mail going from post office to post office until reaching the recipient's mail box. In the easiest cases, there are probably 4 hops involved in the transfer, and that's assuming the service and the recipient are using the same carrier, are in geographical proximity to one another, are both available at the same time (phone isn't turned off or otherwise indisposed), etc. Geographical distance means going through different routers (electronic infrastructure), possibly using other carriers as gateways when crossing borders and such, etc. Availability means the transfer might need to be reiterated several times until the recipient acknowledges delivery, and also that an automated message goes all the way back from the recipient to the original sender, using much the same infrastructure as the original message.
The issue here is not so much the size of each message. That's tiny. Rather, it's the sheer amount of physical electronic infrastructure we need all over the planet to guarantee delivery of every text message within minutes, sometimes within seconds, because these 2FA codes are time sensitive. They expire fast, often within an hour. We don't want to context switch, any delay makes us lose our train of thought. The login flow must be seamless or the service might lose on the conversion rates. Take your pick.
There are stories about how cell networks used to be overloaded at year's end parties. In years gone by, sometimes SMS would take days to arrive. Well, the infrastructure was improved and it doesn't happen as often.
The issue is also not that each text message involves many cell towers. That's not true. It involves them only at both ends (start and receive) and most of the way is handled by computers connected through the regular internet. Actually, one way for consumers to help cut down on cell tower buildup is by enabling their internet service provider (WiFi) to take over their cell connectivity so that the wired internet is preferred to cell towers.
And suddenly, with routers all over the world, for a text sent to the other side of the planet, merely 4 machines don't quite cut it. The tiny amount of data per text requires numerous energy impulses all over the world, as well as data storage, electrical redundancy, spare machines and various safeties meant to avoid data loss.
That's just for a 6-digit code, and we haven't yet gotten to the parts where it fails the user in miserable ways.
(To be continued)
#shiftproject
Hi there, I have a little project that Iโm not sure how to tackle. I have ideas but the proof of concept would take a long time. Can the Fediverse help?
Here is the problem Iโd like to solve:
My cat, Vanille, has a heart condition. Sheโs fine with regular medication but her continued well-being also involves me knowing when she is unwell and reacting fast. This is done through monitoring how fast she is breathing.
Apparently there is no better way than her RPM (respirations per minute), as funny as this readsโฆ
Of course I can do this the old-fashioned way but sheโs a busy cat, she doesnโt stay in place for long, and counting her RPM absolutely requires:
her being deep asleep
me being already in her vicinity
me not waking her up as I prepare the timer on my phone
her not waking up for at least a full minute while I count, occasionally with several recounts
So I have a low success rate, it takes a lot of time and Iโd rather spend this time enjoying her company than stressing over her health.
Hence my little project. Can #dyi #electronics help solve this?
My naive idea was to add sensors near her favorite places, perhaps infrared cameras
#DiyCatHealthMonitor
Iโm really happy with how my current project is going
This is an air quality sensor plugged into a microcontroller thatโs transmitting readings over a mesh WiFi
I only have this one soldered at the moment, plus a prototype on a breadboard. That's my proof of concept that I could do this.
I learned lots doing this. Quite happy. Much to do still.
[edit] Code and documentation are at:
https://github.com/GuillaumeRossolini/griotte
#electronics #bme680 #esp8266
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services hi, do you happen to know if there is a feature that would let me get notifications from a post/thread mostly like the author would get them? Responses, interactions.
re: Harry Potter & the Savior of the Wiz Reich
@tiefling@bardicperspiration.club I just discovered this YouTube channel that pokes holes in movie plots and itโs great
https://youtu.be/t8uJtWtDkk4
re: Harry Potter & the Savior of the Wiz Reich
@tiefling@bardicperspiration.club I love (/s) how they adopted the authorโs ethics to cast the actors
The actor portraying the non-magical bully eventually got fitter, so they almost recast him
Hermioneโs actress apparently had a contract clause forbidding her from changing anything with her hairstyle for the entire span (thatโs 10 years for 8 movies?); I guess they didnโt know about wigs and it was easier to traumatize this kid for her entire personality seeking phase through to adulthood
re: Harry Potter & the Savior of the Wiz Reich
@tiefling@bardicperspiration.club there are so many icky plot points in those books, and from the earliest stages
The main character was declared a hero at birth
Heโs rich rich
He has never trained in the arts, in fact he wasnโt even aware of them
After the story starts, he still doesnโt train
He just has lots of lots of untapped raw power
All because heโs from a legacy family
On the other hand, one other character, who is also from a legacy family, can do the most despicable things and not face any consequences, in fact I believe heโs eventually presented as a hero as well?
re: Harry Potter & the Savior of the Wiz Reich
@tiefling@bardicperspiration.club I just discovered this YouTube channel that pokes holes in movie plots and itโs great
https://youtu.be/t8uJtWtDkk4
Today was very cloudy, a blanket white-grey sky, but the two solar panels were still able to eke out a little over 130 W when I was looking, and sometimes even 200 W
The panels charged most of the battery (almost 80%) by noon even while I was using it (freezer + some computer stuff)
I decided to do some vacuuming (went down to 52%) and to start a laundry
At 16h30, the battery level was back up to 75%
Cloudy days and photovoltaics are weird
#solar
I tried charging from last nightโs full moon, but no luck ๐คฃ
@tiefling@bardicperspiration.club yes, full rather than new: yesterdayโs
@tiefling@bardicperspiration.club Iโm annoyed at science on this one
@jerry@infosec.exchange @lerg@infosec.exchange also, assuming this is bash or equivalent, these shells tend not to default to set -e if memory serves? Meaning โexit as soon as you get a failed commandโ: this isnโt the default.
Another flag I discovered recently is set -o pipefail which has the same effect for piped commands, because that isnโt covered by -e for some reason.
So a failed directory creation would let the remainder of the script run, like you said, without extra checks (or these flags)
@jerry@infosec.exchange @lerg@infosec.exchange still another failing of these tools, they arenโt really absorbing the boring tasks (the quality checks) that were hidden in the prompt
I am feeling more confident in my little #solar experiment here
I was worried that absorbing 1-2 kWh per day (about a third of my daily use in the summer) didnโt mean anything in the grand scheme of things
I was also worried that since we have so much excess energy in the summer, my experiment was moot
But Iโm coming to realize a few thingsใfirst: how Iโm using my solarใ
I have a 2 kWh battery/generator that I can easily fill on clear days, probably even several times over
I have my freezer on this 24/7, thatโs the only appliance not plugged into the grid; thatโs about 1 kWh per day of background use
Sometimes I spend my work from home days outside, plugged into this battery; thatโs 1 kWh per day too, spread over 8h
As for surge uses, the vacuuming and the laundry machines also havenโt needed the grid for over a month; thatโs another 1-2 kWh within a few hours but not every day
The vacuuming is the most surge-like of these examplesใusage spikesใ
I understand that usage spikes (noon & evening for example) are an issue for energy providers, especially when most of the energy comes from nuclear sources (as is the case in France)
Nuclear reactors arenโt meant for episodic production within the day, their cost is constant throughout the year and they are meant to function more or less constantly at their optimal level
Spikes mean unpredictability, and we canโt guarantee that there are enough dams, wind and solar to absorb tomorrowโs for example; which means having giant backup generators that run on fossil fuel, and Iโm not in favor of thoseใexcess in the summer at utility scaleใ
Iโm not sure how energy providers deal with excess energy produced from domestic solar and such, but if negative prices are any indication, they arenโt doing great
This is also a spike, just in production rather than use, and itโs equally difficult to deal with this problem at scale
We would need storage at scale, and we donโt have that
Soโฆ We canโt really count on excess production spikes to excuse our behavior (consumption without regard, just โbecause we have excess anywayโ)ใdisclaimerใ
I am in no way an energy professional and I donโt work at a utility
Iโm just a random trying his best
Today was very cloudy, a blanket white-grey sky, but the two solar panels were still able to eke out a little over 130 W when I was looking, and sometimes even 200 W
The panels charged most of the battery (almost 80%) by noon even while I was using it (freezer + some computer stuff)
I decided to do some vacuuming (went down to 52%) and to start a laundry
At 16h30, the battery level was back up to 75%
Cloudy days and photovoltaics are weird
#solar
A little bit of a hiccup today that, in hindsight, I really should have seen coming [1]
Outside temperatures were in the thirties (ยฐC), so the battery, being built to protect itself against aggressive use, started rotating a fan according to the room temperature
In summary: the battery has been using additional 50 kWh consistently all day for cooling purposes, even after the sun set, and it actually needed recharging from the grid
/cc @solaradmin@solarcene.community fiy watch out for this?
[1] the air-water heat pump has the same issue
#solar #HeatPump
I am feeling more confident in my little #solar experiment here
I was worried that absorbing 1-2 kWh per day (about a third of my daily use in the summer) didnโt mean anything in the grand scheme of things
I was also worried that since we have so much excess energy in the summer, my experiment was moot
But Iโm coming to realize a few thingsใfirst: how Iโm using my solarใ
I have a 2 kWh battery/generator that I can easily fill on clear days, probably even several times over
I have my freezer on this 24/7, thatโs the only appliance not plugged into the grid; thatโs about 1 kWh per day of background use
Sometimes I spend my work from home days outside, plugged into this battery; thatโs 1 kWh per day too, spread over 8h
As for surge uses, the vacuuming and the laundry machines also havenโt needed the grid for over a month; thatโs another 1-2 kWh within a few hours but not every day
The vacuuming is the most surge-like of these examplesใusage spikesใ
I understand that usage spikes (noon & evening for example) are an issue for energy providers, especially when most of the energy comes from nuclear sources (as is the case in France)
Nuclear reactors arenโt meant for episodic production within the day, their cost is constant throughout the year and they are meant to function more or less constantly at their optimal level
Spikes mean unpredictability, and we canโt guarantee that there are enough dams, wind and solar to absorb tomorrowโs for example; which means having giant backup generators that run on fossil fuel, and Iโm not in favor of thoseใexcess in the summer at utility scaleใ
Iโm not sure how energy providers deal with excess energy produced from domestic solar and such, but if negative prices are any indication, they arenโt doing great
This is also a spike, just in production rather than use, and itโs equally difficult to deal with this problem at scale
We would need storage at scale, and we donโt have that
Soโฆ We canโt really count on excess production spikes to excuse our behavior (consumption without regard, just โbecause we have excess anywayโ)ใdisclaimerใ
I am in no way an energy professional and I donโt work at a utility
Iโm just a random trying his best
The experiment has been running smoothly so far
(TL;DR for today: was a bit uncertain but still managed 1 laundry and some vacuuming, in addition to the freezer)
This photo is from today at 1pm, because this morning the battery was much lower than usual, with a cloudy sky a few days in a row
I seemed like it was going well so I started a load of laundry, shown in the output in the photo
Two hours and a stretch of clear skies later, the battery was upwards of 70% so I got a little greedy and I did some vacuuming too, and it dropped to 40% (no surprise there)
I was hoping to get it back above 50% before the sun rays stop shining on the panels, so that it can last the night for the freezer
Seems that I am in luck, itโs now 5:30pm and the battery level is at 60%, cloudy skies again but charging a little regardless, and I only need a half charge to tie it up with tomorrowโs first rays (if they are on time)
#solar
A little bit of a hiccup today that, in hindsight, I really should have seen coming [1]
Outside temperatures were in the thirties (ยฐC), so the battery, being built to protect itself against aggressive use, started rotating a fan according to the room temperature
In summary: the battery has been using additional 50 kWh consistently all day for cooling purposes, even after the sun set, and it actually needed recharging from the grid
/cc @solaradmin@solarcene.community fiy watch out for this?
[1] the air-water heat pump has the same issue
#solar #HeatPump
Iโve been experimenting with my newish solar battery
Represented here is the end of the charge cycle yesterday at about the same time the sun started to set
Iโve been powering the freezer with this 2 kWh battery, and every morning there is ~50% charge left, and so far every day I get it up to 90% (by choice) from solar alone
I can also do a load of laundry or two, and some vacuuming, without being even connected to the grid (if I get the timing right)
Of course this is clear summer weather, so this wonโt be the same all year
(This is far from sufficient to power the entire house, itโs just an experiment)
Essentially, 1-2 kWh that arenโt drawn from the grid on a daily basis
#solar
The experiment has been running smoothly so far
(TL;DR for today: was a bit uncertain but still managed 1 laundry and some vacuuming, in addition to the freezer)
This photo is from today at 1pm, because this morning the battery was much lower than usual, with a cloudy sky a few days in a row
I seemed like it was going well so I started a load of laundry, shown in the output in the photo
Two hours and a stretch of clear skies later, the battery was upwards of 70% so I got a little greedy and I did some vacuuming too, and it dropped to 40% (no surprise there)
I was hoping to get it back above 50% before the sun rays stop shining on the panels, so that it can last the night for the freezer
Seems that I am in luck, itโs now 5:30pm and the battery level is at 60%, cloudy skies again but charging a little regardless, and I only need a half charge to tie it up with tomorrowโs first rays (if they are on time)
#solar
Guillaume Rossolini