I’ve been following the progress of qStudio – a SQL IDE that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It’s great for running SQL queries against a database. I haven’t used its Pulse features to create real-time graphs of live data, though.

My use of qStudio is driven because it includes the PRQL compiler that takes a modern query language and compiles it to SQL statements. The qStudio IDE allows me to write straightforward PRQL queries and immediately execute them against my SQL database.

Quick Start: My friends want to pick through some of the SQL data we’ve collected for a project. I wrote a series of tutorials that show how to get started using qStudio with PRQL. They are at https://github.com/richb-hanover/qStudio-PRQL_Quick_Start

Installation: There’s a pretty good qStudio installer for Windows on the Downloads page. And the .jar file seems to work fine on Linux. But it’s a bit of a pain to run the .jar file on macOS. So I created a macOS application bundle for the combination of qStudio and PRQL. You can download the macOS file from: https://randomneuronsfiring.com/wp-content/uploads/qStudio.zip Check the Quick Start #2 for details on approving it to run on macOS.

If you work much with OpenWrt, you likely have a pile of older routers that you’re no longer using. But what to do with them? You could pass them along to friends/family or even donate them to the local thrift store. But first you must solve a big problem…

Read the README for more info….

I’d welcome comments on the settings/packages/documentation. Thanks

@SiemusS recently asked me to review the draft documentation for FQ_CoDel for OPNsense.

The document turned into a fairly nice description of the FQ_CoDel algorithm. See https://github.com/opnsense/docs/blob/master/source/manual/how-tos/shaper_bufferbloat.rst

We promise not to fix it if we don’t know it’s broke. My mentor at Dartmouth College, Stan Dunten, said this all the time.

That’s why I always send in short reports to webmaster@…. mentioning something that didn’t look right. Most of the time it’s something silly. And sometimes I get a heartfelt “Thanks!” because I pointed out a real problem.

Many people are surprised to hear that their web browsing doesn’t have to be crowded out by intrusive ads. There is an entire industry of “ad blockers” and “content blockers” that claim to fix this.

uBlock Origin is the one I use. Its author, “gorhill” states that it’s Free. Open-source. For users by users. No donations sought.

Accept no substitutes! The other products carry names that combine the words “ad”, “block”, “guard”, “plus” and a whole host of synonyms. And I wouldn’t trust any of them – they all come with with strings (or fees) that make them less than perfect.

For Chrome or Firefox:

• To install uBlock Origin, Google “ublock origin” (use that exact phrase) and then click the link for “ublockorigin.com“
• Follow the instructions

For Safari:

• uBlock Origin is no longer available for Safari
• Use AdGuard for Safari. It’s also free, and seems to follow the same ethos as uBlock Origin. (Tested with current Safari on 12Feb2023).
• For a state of uBlock Origin for Safari, and the recommendations that lead me to AdGuard for Safari, see https://github.com/el1t/uBlock-Safari/issues/158

For Other Browsers:

• Go to the ublockorigin.com site and follow their instructions.

The NH Stone Wall Mapper project uses Lidar data to display small variations in ground elevation. A UNH project built this map to identify stone walls in the state.

This site can be “misused” (in a good way) to show lots of other topographic features. Here’s a “Lidar view” of the grounds of Loch Lyme Lodge, near Post Pond. The features are shaded as if the sun were shining from the northeast. (Update: 31 Dec: Thanks to the good folks at the NH Geological Survey, the link now goes directly to the desired view!)

But wait… there’s more! You can turn on and off various “layers” to see other kinds of information. To do this:

1. At the top-left, click the Layers Icon to display various layers
2. Check on or off the Hillshade box to “show or hide the trees”…
3. Click the More… icon to enable other features, such as the “Swipe Layers” that lets you compare two layers…

So much fun – play around!. Turn on/off layers, scroll to other parts of NH. If you find something interesting, send me a note and I’ll post it. Enjoy!

A friend (thanks, Ted!) directed me to a nice science-based article that assigns some probabilities of risks of transmitting a disease like coronavirus. The author highlights two major scenarios:

1. Warm body transmission: how far apart should you be from other people if you want to avoid transmission from another “warm body”
2. Surface-based transmission: what precautions should you take when you go somewhere that others have passed through recently.

You won’t be surprised by the takeaways:

• 6 foot distancing is good
• wearing a mask is good
• washing hands is good

…but some of the discussion and details are interesting. View the full article at Medium.

Now that we’re computer conferencing all the time, I needed a better microphone, (My MacBook Pro’s built-in microphone doesn’t work well. The volume is too low – perhaps there’s something wrong.) I suspect many others would benefit from a better microphone, too. Not only do they give a better sound, but a microphone close to the mouth minimizes other nearby sounds.

So I went on a quest to find a better solution. I found a variety of options, and tested several. I put my notes here so I can remember:

• Bluetooth earpieces Any Bluetooth headset/earpiece that is advertised to work with your cellphone will probably work. They’re lightweight, have decent microphones, and boast a certain amount of noise cancellation. (Look for ones that can be paired to two devices, so you can use it with both your computer and your cell phone.) I own the Plantronics M70 – it works fine, and has 11-hour talk time (and when I don’t use it, the charge lasts for weeks). Apple AirPods or knock-offs should also work well, although I have not tested them.
• Earbuds with cables Apple EarPods (corded) ($15 with shipping from MacSales) or from Amazon work fine for videoconferencing.
• External microphone if you want to include multiple people on your end, or if you don’t want to be “cabled” to the computer… I own the Amazonbasics Desktop Microphone because it was highly-rated in a Wirecutter article. It works great.
• USB Audio In Since not all computers have a combined headphone and microphone jack, you can add a USB “sound card” to virtually any computer. I checked out the TROND External USB AudioAdapter Sound Card and it works fine with all the 1/8 inch (3.5mm) audio inputs.
• Gaming headsets These large (and heavy) headphones have a microphone on a stalk to pick up your voice. I own one, and it works just fine. But it’s obtrusive (viewers see those “cans” on my head) and not terribly comfortable. There are a zillion options: you can Google “gaming headset” to see the range.
• My favorite For years, I used a Plantronics headset with my cordless phone. It’s lightweight, has good sound, and it’s cheap ($20). But it has a 2.5mm plug – so I bought an adapter cable ($8). This plugs right into the headphone jack of my MacBook Pro (both headphone and microphone work perfectly). But if this doesn’t work on your computer, get the TROND adapter.

All this assumes your computer has either USB, Bluetooth, or 1/8 inch/3.5mm headphone inputs. (All modern computers do.) I’ve included links to Amazon, but most items are available from lots of places.

Let me know what you’re using for your videoconferencing pleasure – richb.lyme@gmail.com. Thanks!