Wolf314159

I have setup and run what are basically HTPC's for decades now. Kodi running on a Debian based Linux distribution or just Debian is a solid recommendation and has lots of support for infrared remotes, but kodi can be very fiddly to setup properly. It will work, but don't expect it to work "out of the box". You'll probably still need a mouse and keyboard for anything outside Kodi. You'll have to read a bunch of documentation and do some customizing to get the most out of Kodi. It's still easier than most other setups, but it will feel very frustrating if it's your introduction to Linux too.

I've moved to using my HTPC primarily as a server. Once you get comfortable with linux and docker, setting up new server services like Jellyfish, Plex, and and *ARR stack is relatively trivial. The advantage here being that you can serve your media to any device that can connect to your server. For me that means one library of media to share with any TV in my house, any mobile device I own, and any friends and family computer savvy enough to download the right apps and setup an account. If your network (and your Internet connection) isn't reliable this kind of setup may not work very well for you at all. For example, Plex account authentication will fail is you don't have Internet. Jellyfin and Kodi fair better when Internet is only available occasionally or is unreliable.

My least favorite part of using Kodi was setting up the remote. Even worse was trying to configure controllers for retro gaming. The situation is MUCH better than it was, but is still far from easy. I was kind of able to side step the remote problem because now I can just use the remote for the TV (if it supports the Plex or Jellyfin apps) or another streaming stick like fire stick, Nvidia shield, or Roku. My Nvidia shield can pair with any Bluetooth controller and runs RetroArch so that problem was side stepped too. ROMs can be copied via samba shares or loaded directly by a USB drive.

TLDR: Kodi has built-in support for IR, but streaming sticks are cheap, and in the long run I found setting up a server was more versatile, more reliable, and less stressful. I know, I also hate it when people ask for a specific solution and others recommend asking a different question. But in this case, my experience is that IR remotes suck, are flaky, and not worth it if there is any other option.

Do you mind sharing what brand retail UPS weren't lasting a year?

I'm dealing with similar brownouts and also an area with lots of lightning. I got about 5 years out of my UPS batteries. Wondering if I've just been lucky.

Windows is never going to like an NTFS that has been touched by another OS even if it windows was completely shutdown during that time. Reading the NTFS partition might be okay. But, last I checked none of the Linux drivers could write without windows noticing and fouling things up. If that has changed it would be welcome news to me despite my warning use of windows.

If windows (and to a lesser extent that other OS) came bundled with some ability to mount, read, and write filesystems popular with other operating systems this wouldn't be such a problem. One shouldn't have to involve the network stack or 3rd party drivers just to share a partition on the same hardware or a portable drive with a modern file system.

"Step-sister-wife, help me I'm stuck."

EARasures are the ones I've been using. No idea if they're the best. A good fit for your ear is critical for whatever brand you choose.

Doesn't need to be metal to have a bass or drum line that shakes your ass.

I wear musicians earplugs pretty much any time I'm in a crowded place because the people are the loudest and noisiest things. A quieter music act would be quickly drowned out. But, the earplugs help me hear everything better (the music, the people next to me trying to talk to me, general situational awareness) because they only block the damaging parts to the sound without muffling everything.

If you have ever felt the relief of silence after being in a noisy environment, musicians earplugs on a keychain with you always will change the way you interact with the loud world we live in. They have saved me from unnecessary stress, anxiety, and further hearing loss at work, on a night out with friends, crowded bars, clubs, outdoor events, conferences, malls. I appreciate well engineered sound design, like FEELING the sound wash over and through me. But bad acoustics, noisy people, and tinnitus stress me the fuck out.

TLDR: I wear musicians earplugs mostly because of people and they help me hear everything better and feel better even if they're not needed to avoid injury.

They generally don't breed in large bodies of water where the water is flowing. They moatly breed in the little stagnant pools of water that collect in other spots because of poor drainage or things like tires, empty pots, and other trash being left out in the rain. There exist these little pellets that poison those stagnant puddles for the mosquito, but not your pets. That and proper drainage around your house will do wonders to reduce the excess population. Pointing a fan to blow out at any open window can help too, but proper screens (with a fine enough mesh) would help more. Mosquitoes don't like a stiff breeze.

Elephants (and mammoths probably) are also herbivores that chew their food. Sometimes that food is a whole tree. Using the polar bear sharp bone strategy would be like feeding a razor blade to a wood chipper.

Hollywood has been profiting off of remakes basically from the very beginning. Here's a short list of some of the most popular. And before movies, you might be shocked to learn that stage performers regularly "remade" productions originally performed by other groups. Anyone performing Hamlet or that Scottish play after The Globe burned downed is a fucking hack apparently.

No, I don't think you can.

The irony of a comment reviewing the bias of some article is that someone else will always claim that the review is also biased. It's inevitable and unavoidable.

Using crontab to execute these kinds of quick fixes that don't really solve the problem so much as reset the countdown to failure are the real Duck tape Linux hacks.