u/Zarquan314

I like to sometimes read PDFs on my phone while lying down or at somewhat weird angles, but that makes the phone go landscape so I have to disable autorotate. But then I'm driving and I turn on my GPS and put my phone in its stand and it stays portrait while I'm trying to follow the directions. It is quite annoying.

Is there a way to make it so my PDF reader app have autorotate disabled without disabling it for everything?

I saw some older answers, but I'm hoping that Android has evolved since then and has a native solution, but I'm not opposed to getting an app to do it.

I'm using a Moto G 5G stylus from 2023.

I was thinking it would be amazing if I could have a basic screenless drawing tablet built in to my laptop. My original thought was to put a partially torn down bluetooth drawing tablet in and tap come power from the trackpad's power pins, but the problem is no one makes a wireless drawing tablet small enough and I don't know how to mod it in that way.

So, I had a thought. Each of the keyboard positions has their own set of pins on the chassis, right? So if I were to create a thin cable that could carry that USB from the keyboard pins to the trackpad area, I could then mod an existing 4x3 inch <2mm drawing tablet to potentially fit in to the mouse area to the left or right of the trackpad and still even have room for the trackpad.

Using this approach, all kinds of basic low power USB devices could be added to the mouse area for increased modularity, which I think would be awesome even if the only idea I'm interested for me is a drawing tablet.

EDIT: Some other ideas I just had now that I'm thinking about it: Maybe an NFC card reader? Maybe a low-power wireless phone charger? I could even imagine having a small hub of wireless dongles for different mice and keyboards I might have in multiple places sitting in the trackpad module, not taking up external ports. Of course, this would all have to be pretty custom, but I could imagine someone wanting any one of these, and that's the beauty of modularity.

Is the idea of tapping the keyboard section's unused USB pins sound, or is there something I'm misunderstanding about the inner workings of the machine. I don't actually have one to look at or test, so I don't know if the different sets of pins are each their own independent port on some kind of internal hub or just literally the same electric contacts in different places.

I use VoiceMeeter to control which of my audio devices gets sound. I have it set up for my internal speakers, my headphone jack, and my bluetooth headphones, meaning I have broken connections regularly due to unplugging my headphones or turning off bluetooth.

To fix this, I have a macro button bound to a hotkey that restarts the audio engine when I connect my headphones, which usually works great. I turn on my headphones, they say connect, I press the hotkey, and I can hear. However, sometimes the macro button does not register the hotkey until I restart the macro button, and I'm not sure why this happens. I know I haven't given too much to work with, but I'm posting here in case this is a known problem with a known solution.

I use sleep and hibernate, but I haven't noticed either triggering the phenomenon unless it's intermittent.

I have a compact "desk" setup with two portable monitors that I am trying to connect through a single hub. Here are the links to the specific monitors:

2560x1600 240 Hz: https://www.newegg.com/p/3D4-007D-000B8

1920x1080 60 Hz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087792CQT (5-6 years old)

I am connecting them through this hub: https://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Docking-Station-Ethernet-Windows/dp/B0CCXZWS9C

I am connect the better monitor via HDMI with external power and the other monitor through the USB C with DisplayPort port. However, Windows does not show an option for 240 Hz on the 240 Hz monitor, only 180 Hz. When I unplug the 1080p monitor, the fast monitor can go to 240 Hz.

I am using a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16IRX8's back port, which is (if I am understanding correctly) a USB 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort 1.4.

Is this a limitation of the port? Or is this a limitation of the hub? Or is it something else?

I beat the king of the Vaegirs in battle as an ally of the Khanate (it was me vs him in the battle, no allies) as a basic mercenary and captured him, so now I have the King as a prisoner. What can I do with him? I don't have any castles or lands. I feel like this should be a big deal and I should be able to use this to improve my position in the Khanate.

EDIT: I'm playing Mount and Blade: Warband.

I tried giving him to my buddy Tonju and the Khan, dropping him off in a Khanate city, and a few other things.

After most of my life running laptops, I am building my first "desk based"-like computer setup, and I want to find a decent keyboard.

I'm hoping for something quiet, wired or wireless, not super wide and with a numpad. For size, think on the scale of what you would find on a 15 or 16 inch laptop (I don't know keyboard sizes). And I would want to spend less than $100 (keeping in mind that I don't really know how much decent keyboards cost or what people around here define as decent, $100 is not a strict budget).

I have an odd requirement that the Delete key must be above the Backspace key like you see on many laptops. I bought one computer without that and it messed me up for the entire life of that laptop and I don't want a repeat of that. Here's a link to a picture of what I mean (ignoring the evilly-placed power button).

https://preview.redd.it/looking-for-keyboard-with-a-specific-key-layout-combination-v0-wob55jgo669h1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=6f113c61be8855c874d53617d2159ec1fcde4477

Google and Amazon don't understand the last requirement, so I am having trouble finding such a laptop.

EDIT: I found an example keyboard with the layout I want, but they are currently out of stock

https://iqunix.com/products/iqunix-magi75-96-aluminum-low-profile-mechanical-keyboard?variant=50355797819698

EDIT 2: I think I would prefer a low profile keyboard, as that's what I'm used to on laptops, but I am definitely willing to have my mind changed.

EDIT 3: I do want a PrtSc (or equivalent) button as a dedicated button. I take a lot of screenshots of applications using Alt-PrtSc.

EDIT: My title is ambiguous, I am looking for suggestions and advice, not offering suggestions.

I live in a place where I don't have a convenient place to put a desk for my computer, so I would like to set up something nice using a lap desk that I can use on a couch.

I am currently using a gaming laptop (a Lenovo Pro 5 16IRX8) with a stand to increase monitor height, and I would like to preserve my built-in and hard-to-replace keyboard (and computer as a whole) by essentially docking it on to a setup on my couch with its built-in monitor as a second monitor off to the side. That way, it can be in a place where it doesn't make me hot and I can use the computer without jostling it around and wearing out the keyboard and ports in the hopes of making it last longer.

I have a plan for a setup, but I thought I'd run it by people.

My goals are as follows:

1. It has to be locally portable/non-permanent, by which I mean it has to all be removable from the room within a short time frame to make room for guests when we have them. That means no large pieces of furniture and no permanent mounting to walls or large pieces of furniture. I don't need to be able to take it around outside my house easily, but I do want to be able to move it around my house and set it up in other locations easily.
2. I wish to base it around a lap desk that I put directly on my lap and pick up and move to a nearby table in front of me when not in use. I currently have something kind of like this, but significantly larger with about 2-3 inches of wood on the top, but I'd be willing to buy a different one if needed. It feels pretty robust and durable. I can drill in to it if needed.
3. I want to be able to adjust the monitor in certain ways. I don't need anything particularly fancy, but tilt (like you would get out of a laptop monitor) is very important. Rotation would also be pretty handy. The monitor should be elevated for ergonomics.
4. I wish to use an external keyboard that will be on the lap desk in a reasonable spot with a mouse on a mouse surface to the side, as I find a lower mouse to be more comfortable for me.

To accomplish this, I found a few items to show the kinds of things I'm currently looking at. I do not have any attachment to these specific items.

For my monitor, I think this is a good choice and about the size I want given the size of my setup and its equivalent size to my current laptop's monitor, which I have been happy with. It has VESA mounting holes:

https://www.amazon.com/UPERFECT-Portable-16-2560x1600-Adaptive/dp/B0F9NYGKVN

To mount my monitor to my lap desk, I found these non-ideal stands that I want to attach to the back of the lap desk. I think these could cause problems that I will detail further down, but is representative of the thoughts I am currently having:

https://www.newegg.com/p/0VE-0211-00533

https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Adjustable-Articulating-Counterbalance-STAND-V001O/dp/B01NH0HTM5

And pretty much any 97% keyboard where the delete button is above the backspace, as I do use that a lot and expect it to be there. I don't think this needs to be anything special.

And pretty much any USB-C hub that can run the monitor and other peripherals over USB-C, like an inatek one I already have.

My Concerns:

1. Balance: I fear that this setup might be terribly weighted and could attempt to fall backward off my lap or off the table I put it on. I was thinking I could attach some weights to the front of the desk.
2. Clamping mechanism: I fear that with the clamp-mount I selected could interfere with my knees and I could find myself painfully banging my legs in to it or loosening it over time, causing the monitor to fall off. But pretty much all the clamp-style monitor mounts I've seen have the same problem. Maybe I could put some kind of foam over it or something, but maybe there's a better mechanism.
3. Peripheral safety: These arms are not really meant to be put on surfaces that are moved around, so I'm concerned about the monitor's safety. Like, if I adjust my legs, thereby adjusting the angle and position of the lap desk, or pick up the lap desk to get up, the monitor might try to flop around, which is why I'm leaning towards the non-arm solution (though an arm would be nice for other reasons).

I'm open to suggestions, as I have very little experience with building something like this.

I have exclusively owned laptops and prefer the interface. I like that I can move it around in my area easily, remove it quickly if needed, and that I can easily use it in my lap (with a lapdesk) on a couch. You just can't do that with a desktop computer. However, what I don't like is that they are hot and I tend to be hard on components like keyboards, which can be a nightmare to replace, especially when gaming.

With how open Framework laptops are, I was wondering if there is a way for me to create a laptop-shaped interface for a computer (i.e. a device that reads as an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse) using Framework components. That way, my computer (laptop or desktop) could sit somewhere that isn't too close to me (sparing me from the heat) and can be saved the constant wear in an area that is probably more thermally optimal.

Having this would be very convenient for me and would likely greatly extend the life of my computers, as I would be interacting with/abusing an external component rather than the built-in and harder-to-replace internal components of my laptop. And it might lead to me getting a desktop computer that I then use with this interface if I need more power.

There was once a concept like this called a Lapdock, but they never used nice components and were meant to be a thing you plug your phone in to, so they are small and don't have features like a high refresh rate.

Is this a reasonable idea?

EDIT: If useful, I do have the technical skills to completely disassemble and reassemble a laptop with some degree of confidence, but I have limited experience beyond that.

EDIT: I think that the part I'm most concerned about is the keyboard and getting that to work over something like USB.

EDIT: There are a few parts that I want to be sure I can do before I make any purchases.

1. I want to be sure I can make the panel in to an external monitor with a standard output with a decent framerate for the panel
2. I want to be sure I can make the touchpad an external USB mouse.
3. I want to be sure I can make the keyboard an external USB keyboard.

I'm 90-95% sure I can do 1 and 2, but I have no idea about the keyboard. I would like to do this with the Framework 16, as I prefer the larger screen,

Is there anything that I can do to stop hitting the edge of the map? I feel like in big battles where I'm kiting the enemy cavalry around, I hit the edge of the map extremely regularly. I think at least 75% of my personal deaths in non-siege fights is due to running in to the edge of the map while being chased by lancers, which honestly feels horrible.

Is there a mod to make the edge of map visible or obvious to a glance? Or maybe a warning that I'm about to hit it?

I have an old irrigation pump that sometimes loses prime while pumping for unknown reasons (maybe one or two times ever few months). As a mitigation, I added a pressure switch to turn off the pump if the pressure goes too low. However, that means the pump just "silently" stops, in that it just goes silent without alerting anyone and we don't get our stuff watered.

This normally wouldn't be a problem, as someone is usually keeping an eye on it, but this year, our non-potable irrigation water comes at around 4:30 AM (which is why I installed the pressure switch), and no one wants to be or stay awake at that time to watch it at that time until around 7 or 8 AM. It's hard enough to wake up at that 4:30 to turn it on.

I assume that this isn't a problem unique to me, so I was thinking that there might be a common solution.

Being a somewhat techy person, I was thinking of using some kind of home automation solution to make an alarm go off to wake someone up if the pump stops drawing power, but I wanted to see if there is a better or less complicated solution that people have ready for them. In case anyone is wondering, the solution I thought of involves a smart plug/switch on the power meter that can detect power draw and cause an alarm if it goes from a high wattage to a low wattage between a set time frame using Home Assistant

I've been playing solo and I've become incredibly strong from slaughtering bandits.

I want to try to take over a castle or a city, but the game doesn't let me even try. I declared war on the Vaegirs and took out one of their armies, but I can't attack the castle. Is there a way to override the game and attack a city without an army?

I'm playing Mount and Blade: Warband.

I recently got truly wireless headphones for the first time and found that I kept accidentally doing random things with the capacitive buttons (randomly skipping tracks, turning it on and off, etc) because of the way I absentmindedly mess with my ear when thinking at my desk, so I just had to turn them off. This, unfortunately, makes I can't turn on or off my music without pulling my phone out of my pocket or putting my headphones in their case. The headphones have no other controls other than the capacitive controls on the headphones themselves. The headphones are very basic.

Is there a way I can use the exterior buttons on my phone for play-pause (and maybe some other controls). If I could press power+volume up or volume up+volume down to pause music without having to take my phone out, that would be very convenient.

My phone is a Moto G Stylus 5g (2023).

I recently had to replace my keyboard, but the new one is showing an extremely strange bug. When I press Left Shift, it doesn't register until I press another button. It doesn't matter which button, any will do, even page up. This honestly doesn't bug me that much for typing, as I always use right shift. It does instantly register my shift button if I'm holding another button, but it fails to apply shift to the first character.

For example, when I press L-Shift and 'a' a few times, it looks like this: aAAAAAAAAA. Every single time it does this with every single character. Even pressing buttons on my numpad gets it to register and it instantly registers when it is being released according to a keyboard checker.

Right shift does not have this issue. R-Shift with 'a' looks like this: AAAAAAAA.

It also occasionally interacts in a slightly different way with 't' and 'y', where it sometimes loses that shift was pressed. But only with 't' and 'y'.

The fact that it is so consistent makes me think it isn't really a hardware issue in the sense that it's a physically damaged keyboard, but perhaps a firmware issue instead that I might be able to fix with some kind of patch that I am unsure how to get. Pressing the buttons differently normally affects physical damage, but it doesn't affect this bug. This problem extends outside of Windows in to GRUB and Ubuntu.

My laptop is a Lenovo Legion Pro 15 16IXR8. Though the new keyboard I have says Intel i9, even though my computer only has an i7.