u/chribonn

I am looking for a gadget that would allow me to record a phone interview. My phones are Android.

I do not mind the periodic beep to alert the other side that a recording is taking place or a disclaimer at the start of the conversation. What is important is that the final recording is "clean" so that I can have it transcribed accurately.

As I have a number of phones, I was thinking of a Bluetooth device which would pair with the phone on one end and pair with my car or headphones at the other. Do these exist?

The gadget must work with Android phones. I specify this because there seems to be a device for IOS phones that taps into a component and records through induction - reviews seem to state that on Android it is pretty much a hit and miss because the components are set differently.

I am looking for a gadget that would allow me to record a phone interview. My phones are Android.

I do not mind the periodic beep to alert the other side that a recording is taking place or a disclaimer at the start of the conversation. What is important is that the final recording is "clean" so that I can have it transcribed accurately.

As I have a number of phones, I was thinking of a Bluetooth device which would pair with the phone on one end and pair with my car or headphones at the other. Do these exist?

The gadget must work with Android phones. I specify this because there seems to be a device for IOS phones that taps into a component and records through induction - reviews seem to state that on Android it is pretty much a hit and miss because the components are set differently.

This explainer examines machine intelligence, consciousness and the historical patterns behind technological revolutions. It is based on the article of the same title.

Entirely created using AI, including the narration, visuals and video clips.

I've had a credit card style programming card for an electricity meter for years.

I use it very infrequent.

When I tried to use it last the meter displayed an error.

I got a replacement and it worked so the unit is not the problem

Following my article in the series *The AI Revolution — History Repeating Itself*, discussing sentience (https://www.alanbonnici.com/2026/07/the-ai-revolution-history-repeating.html), meet ELIZA, the chatbot from the 1960s.

ComfyUI has made local generative AI remarkably accessible, but its shared Python environment can create serious dependency conflicts.

When one model requires Transformers 4.x and another requires Transformers 5.x, there may be no single installation that supports both. The result is a modern form of “DLL Hell”.

This article explores why dependency isolation could become essential to ComfyUI’s future.

https://medium.com/towardsdev/️-warning-increase-in-social-engineering-attacks-via-linkedin-2ea00ca8000f

I was approached myself and decided to see how far it would go.

The flow was remarkably consistent:

1. Initial LinkedIn contact.
2. Invitation to a Calendly meeting.
3. Video call with someone who would not turn on their camera because of "technical issues".
4. Communication using a Gmail account rather than a corporate email address.
5. Request for me to share my screen.
6. Technical discussion where I was repeatedly praised, even when I intentionally gave completely wrong answers.
7. Links to external sites and pressure to install software.

One interesting observation: when I asked the caller to share their screen, they suddenly had technical problems and couldn't.

The call appeared to be taking place from a noisy call-centre environment. Others who experienced similar approaches reported similar accents and scenarios.

As soon as I pointed out that I believed the websites were fraudulent and that I intended to document the interaction publicly, the call ended immediately.

Watch out for:

• Fast progression from LinkedIn chat to video call.
• Personal email addresses.
• No camera.
• Screen-sharing requests.
• Requests to install software.

https://towardsdev.com/%EF%B8%8F-warning-increase-in-social-engineering-attacks-via-linkedin-2ea00ca8000f

I have a Programming card for the Card Prepayment Meter/Timer - Model: EMA1.z+MP21.Z1. It has been working well for years.

All of a sudden I am getting Error #008 when I try to reprogram the unit.

The supplier offered to sell me a new programmer card.

I was wondering whether there is a way I could "fix" the card.

Another question: If I get a replacement programmer card, will unspent cards I already have still work?

Setting up a home media server? Synology NAS systems are powerful tools for this, but getting Plex Media Server configured correctly under DSM 7 requires understanding specific shared folders and system internal users. Alan Bonnici has created a straightforward, first-principles guide that walks you through the installation process. It covers prerequisites, architecture compatibility, and how to handle the PlexMediaServer permissions without the headaches. A great resource for anyone building out their home lab. Check out the complete walkthrough here: https://medium.com/towardsdev/how-to-install-plex-on-a-synology-nas-441a2077f2ea

Post: If you are setting up a media server, a Synology NAS is a fantastic choice, but DSM 7 changed how permissions and package updates work. Alan Bonnici just published a comprehensive, beginner-friendly guide covering everything from finding the right package for your CPU to managing the PlexMediaServer account and keeping your system updated. Whether you are using the Synology Package Center or grabbing the latest version directly from Plex, this walkthrough makes it simple. Read the full guide here: https://medium.com/towardsdev/how-to-install-plex-on-a-synology-nas-441a2077f2ea

Is the era of buggy code finally ending? 💻 AI models are now finding & patching flaws, while new regulations strip away the "as-is" legal shield. But cybersecurity isn't dead; it's just moving up the stack to protect the human layer.

Read: https://medium.com/@chribonn/software-defectrums-the-end-of-an-era-1fd8154fbe37

The system software that comes with the vehicle is poor quality. I've seen posts by others in this subreddit describing symptoms I have.

My top are:

1. When using Android App the system will, after a period of time, reset into a standby mode. This normally happens 30 minutes into a journey. I think of this as some sort of sleep mode. This is particularly problematic when one has google maps running and, all of a sudden the screen is cleared and the console defaults to the minimalist view.

2. The nagging popup telling me that the time on my Android app does not match the system (not the case). Worst of all it is on top of other information on the screen and cannot be removed / hidden.

3. I have never been able to set the time such that it works across daylight savings time switches.

4. Periodically the pressure sensor on all 4 tires comes up with a warning.

5. Three times in less than 2 years, the autolock feature that opens / shuts the vehicle when when is approaching it stopped working. I took it to the dealer to reset it.

6. The automatic headlamp full bright does not work if the vehicle's speed is less than 40km/h. If one lives in the country side and needs to take winding lanes at night one cannot go at this speed and requires the bright to manage the country lanes. Having the lights dim (with no way to toggling this feature off) is risky.

Furthermore, the horrible user interface is so unintuitive that resetting something requires a complete lack of logical or intuitive thinking. I'm not that good :-).

My question: Is a software update available that addresses these issues and which can be applied from a USB pen drive?

I wrote a long-form piece on how the threat landscape has transformed over three decades, and why the window between vulnerability disclosure and active exploitation is collapsing.

Key points covered:
• How early hacking culture (BBSs, Turbo Debugger, NOP sleds) evolved into commercialised ransomware
• The three-layer ecosystem: state-backed APTs, criminal groups, and exploit brokers like Zerodium
• Why the "zero-day clock" is ticking faster than ever, and how AI is accelerating it
• Concrete steps for individuals and organisations to reduce exposure

Not a vendor pitch — just a grounded look at where we are and what it means practically.

Full article: https://medium.com/@chribonn/the-zero-day-exploit-clock-is-ticking-dccfc394ee8c

I am using WhisperX to transcribe audio.

I get the following output:

Could not load libtorchcodec. Likely causes:

1. FFmpeg is not properly installed in your environment. We support versions 4, 5, 6 and

I have FFmpeg v8. Does anyone know from where I can get the v7 binary for Windows?

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Furthermore if I source it can I combine it specifically with this project and have the python code access it specifically?