Show Color or Black and White Emojis in different applications

Okay, this is a very specific preference. But what is Linux for, if not for working exactly according to a specific preferences?

I have mixed opinions about emojis. I find symbols as you see on the screenshot ¹ , very useful in notes, documentation, and even terminal . But I prefer them to be rendered grayscale (screenshot left) to not stand out in the text, and look consistent with other symbols I use a lot: ✔ ✖ ⚠ ←↑↓→ . If you search The Internet, there will be a million advices on how to make emojis colorful . But I was not able to find a bit of info on how to make them black or white or grayscale .

To make things even more tricky, I want colorful emojis in chat applications and Spotify, but grayscale in other applications like text editors and browser.

It turns out that it is very simple to achieve if you use the right configs.

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Your keyboard needs a Scroll Wheel: a Simple Mod

Let me start with a pretentious statement :). Human brains are pretty fast, computers times faster ¹ , but communication speed between two is a disappointing bottleneck. I don't see interfaces like Neuralink in the near future without huge drawbacks, so we are stuck with input devices that have not changed much over the last dozens of years.

When interacting with computers, of course, the mouse is the simplest and most universal way. Or maybe a good touchpad. However if one invests time into learning keyboard shortcuts and tricks, they can do work much much faster. In addition to productivity gains, not touching the mouse (or touchpad) is better in the long run, as wrists will be healthier after 15 years or so.

Even browsing the web with keyboard is pretty convenient. Except for one thing - scrolling. Because the mouse wheel feels much more natural and precise control compared with mashing PgUp / PgDown / ↑ / ↓ buttons.

To improve this, let me tell you about a fast and simple mod to add a scroll wheel to a mechanical (or even regular) keyboard. No need to build the keyboard from scratch, it is an add-on:

In this example, I will be talking about X-Bows Lite which conveniently has some free space in the middle. But you can apply it to any keyboard, by positioning the scroll in any place. For example replacing [Caps Lock] or putting scroll near [↑] arrow.

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Why my daily Linux desktop looks like Windows 9x

Note: for even more nostalgia, read this post on tilde.club !

Once, as an April Fools' Day joke ¹ I set a Windows 95 theme on my Linux desktop for a screen-sharing session. Like, look at me, calling in from a vintage computer, ha-ha! Haven't changed the theme back since then.

Turns out, the Classic Windows interface is actually a pretty good choice from a practical point of view. In terms of productivity, elements are compact and clearly distinguishable, colors are nice and not distracting, and icons are meaningful. Not that modern flat interface blur.

It also helps to draw a line between Work and Life mindsets. In the home environment, I have a bit more modern theme, so by creating clear visual associations it helps to switch the brain between concentration and relaxation modes.

And, of course, I am nostalgic for the digital aesthetic of the 90s. Not for Windows itself, it's a slow and clumsy OS, but because it was on the first computer I had access to, it brings back fond memories. In fact, some of my most formative memories were made in that clumsy, boxy world. Growing up, I didn't have access to many video games or consoles, nobody had even heard of the internet, but we did have an office computer. With the kind of patience that you only have when you are a child, I would find things to get excited about. I spent hours trying to make sense of system files, imagining what they were for, tinkering with settings, playing with themes and screensavers, breaking things, fixing things. Ultimately, it made me who I am and what I do today.

Nowadays I don't try to reproduce the Windows 95 interface 100%. It is more a mixture of 95, 98 and even 2000. It's a revised nostalgia , a reinterpretation that captures the brightest memories, enchanting the good and minimising the bad. It is also not a step backwards in terms of usability and productivity.

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Organizing Tip

You probably know about SKÅDIS pegboard from Ikea, which makes your workspace more organized by making use of vertical space. If you have lot of random stuff on your table - you definetely need one because it much easier to keep place tidy when each item has it own dedicated place. Plus it looks nice.

But did you know that if you have access to a 3d printer, you can print perfectly fitting holder for literally anything you own? Form any tool to even beer . Just search for skadis on Thingiverse . And in unlikely case you won't find what you need, theres always an option to super-glue a Generic Hook

#Tip #Ikea #3Dprinting

So I had Xenomorph figurine...

So I had The Xenomorph figurine lying around and figured out it fits perfectly in a PC case (huge fans, orange lights, black wires, cooling pipes)...

#Alien #alienmovies #xenomorph

X-Bows Lite — review of reasonably priced mechanical ergonomic keyboard

I have mixed opinions about the mechanical keyboard phenomenon . From one point I can totally understand spending 400+ bucks on a thing you are interacting with 8+ hours per day, every day. It should be nice. From another point, I'm all about sourcing nice things for a minimal price. Also, I have all skills and resources to build one from scratch except for time.

For a long time, I wanted to try an ergonomic mechanical keyboard ( real ergonomic means button rows aligned with the wrists' natural position) but was not sure if I'll like it in the end. So it was hard to justify investing much in that experiment.

Recently I found out about X-Bows Lite — an entry point ergonomic mechanical keyboard. I was able to get mine for 55 bucks, and I'm enjoing typing on it since.

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Militarish Pi: Status update 1

I'm building Raspberry Pi Laptop called Militarish Pi, remember? You are probably not interested in the many reasons ¹ that stopped me from working on the project, but you might be interested in the status update.

So here are photos from the current prototype. As build is in progress it looks ugly. Still publishing an update as soon as I could because I'm aware of multiple people doing their own great builds based on that. Hope you might find something useful:

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A couple of Laptop Tips

1. If you travel a lot tip

If you work on a laptop a lot, this ingenious vertical stand will save you from the Royal Pain in The Neck™! Because it is much more portable to travel with a light stand and keyboard, than an additional monitor, you know. Answering your potential concern - yes the whole thing is very stable, because of the low center of mass. alexdoit (author) made multiple sizes for different laptops.

As an added bonus, it is a lot trickier (although not impossible) to spill a drink over the laptop when it is in a vertical position.

Speaking about portable keyboards I can't feel more hackery than with B.O.W Folding Keyboard . There are tons of foldable keyboards, but that is the only one that in addition to Bluetooth is recognized as a regular USB keyboard ¹ ! Of course not as convenient as a full keyboard, but the best in cases when portability is preferable. The mouse is generic "Arc Foldable Mouse" btw.

Also, did you know that GaN revolution happened, and you can charge your laptop with tiny (compared with stock power brick) charger (for example Anker 735 ), simultaniosly with 2 other gadgets?

2. If you do not travel a lot tip

When a laptop is connected to power all the time, you might notice that battery health still degrades over time. This is a pity, especially if you don't use the battery at all. This happens because when the laptop is plugged in, the battery charge cycles all the time to get 100% charge if decide to unplug it ² . The irony is chasing that 100%, overall battery capacity might degrade much worse than 100%. For some models, this could be solved by installing tlp and changing /etc/tlp.conf :

START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0="60"
STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0="80"
RESTORE_THRESHOLDS_ON_BAT="1"

This configuration will not touch the battery until it discharges over 80%, therefore prolonging battery life.

#Tip #travel

How to label microSD cards?

Let me give y'all another simple everyday advice! I've almost stopped using USB Drives because microSD cards are much more portable and convenient, especially if you have the right holder and right card reader . The only inconvenience is to distinguish them once you have many.

Recently I've discovered a perfect way to label microSD cards:

1. Using white permanent marker paint one side
   • Best results are if you let it dry for 30 seconds then repeat 2-3 times
2. Using extra fine (0.5mm) black permanent marker label them
3. If you ever need to change the label either:
   • Repaint the new layer with a white marker (step 1)
   • Remove all paint using alcohol pads

This approach was proven much better than correction liquid because it holds and does not crumble over time.

#Tip

Some lesser known items good to have in your travel/emergency bag

I travel a lot. Like a lot lot. I’ve prepared an achievement list to define “a lot”:

• ✔ Visit more than 10 countries (I’m currently at 15)
• ✔ Spend at least 1/3 time abroad (in a years perspective)
• ✔ Fly without ticket back (round trip is for rookies)
• ✔ Buy plane tickets in the morning, fly in the afternoon
• ✔ Get weeks planned trip extended to a month
• ✔️Compelled to stay overnight because of a missed flight
• ✔️Get stranded at the airport for more than 12 hours

Because of that, I need to have my travel-survival bag always ready and with me. As unfortunate recent events taught more people to be more prepared for unforeseen travel, let me share some lesser known items that are good to always have in your bag.

What I'm trying to say, is items I about to recommend are carefully picked, tested and proven to be useful in a different life sutuations.

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