Ryan and Debi & Toren

Category: technology

  • Setting Up a New Windows Computer for Your Kids

    I recently had a colleague contact me for some computer advice. He knows I’m a computer geek and was looking for some help setting up a new Windows laptop for his kids. He was wondering which antivirus software to buy. If you’re at all familiar with my blog, you’ll know that I’m not a fan…

  • Plex/tinyMediaManager and Doctor Who Specials

    I’m a science fiction fan. And I want my science fiction at my fingertips. To that end, I have slowly been digitizing my favorite series (e.g., Star Trek, Stargate, and now Doctor Who) and putting them on my fileserver that uses Plex to serve the episodes to whatever device I want. I recently ran into…

  • Change Doorbell Sound on Ring App and Amazon Echo

    Change Doorbell Sound on Ring App and Amazon Echo

    I’ve had a Ring doorbell (and security system) for quite a while. I never bought the chime that goes with the doorbell because it has always worked through my Amazon Echo devices. However, I only recently learned that you can change the notification sounds you get when someone rings your doorbell. However, how you do…

  • Linux/Kubuntu – Disable Network Printer Auto Discovery

    Linux/Kubuntu – Disable Network Printer Auto Discovery

    I don’t know when Kubuntu started automatically discovering printers on networks and then adding them to my list of printers, but it is a problematic feature in certain environments – like universities (where I work). I set up my home printer on my laptop easy enough. But, whenever I open my laptop and connect to…

  • Linux – Failing to Read Encrypted DVDs

    Linux – Failing to Read Encrypted DVDs

    Thanks to the fine folks at VLC and Ubuntu, watching DVDs on Linux is generally pretty straightforward. Install “libdvd-pkg” and follow the prompts and you’re generally good to go. That works for me almost all of the time. However, I recently tried to watch a DVD and had no luck. I would insert the DVD…

  • Plex – Syncing Media to Devices

    NOTE: As of 2022, Plex has switched from “syncing” media to “downloading” media. More information on how to do that is available here. I love my Plex server. It works pretty flawlessly with devices like my Roku or allowing me to listen or view my media collection online. However, there are occasionally instances when I…

  • Linux – Setting Up FTP/SFTP Restricted Access for User

    I run a server (Ubuntu 18.04) that hosts about a dozen websites using Linode. Most of the sites are run using WordPress and are my own or sites I manage for friends or family. I do, however, host one for a colleague who actively develops online content for that site. As WordPress has developed, the…

  • Plex – How To Create Smart (auto updating) Music Playlists

    I love my Plex server. I stream my music basically around the world (I travel regularly). But it took me a while to figure out how to create playlists that automatically update (i.e., “smart playlists”) based on search filters. At home, I use a native music client (e.g., Strawberry or Clementine) to play my music.…

  • Restarting KDE’s Plasma Shell via Konsole (command line)

    As much as I love KDE as my desktop environment (on top of Ubuntu, so Kubuntu), it does occasionally happen that the Plasma Shell freezes up (usually when I’ve been running my computer for quite a while then boot up a game and begin to push the graphics a bit. Often, I just shut down…

  • Linux – Music File Naming Conventions

    I have been collecting music files for decades, like a lot of people. My total collection includes over 10,000 tracks. When I built my own NAS recently, I decided it was time to do a careful audit of my music as I hadn’t organized my music in a very long time. In the process, I…