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I Built a Headless Temu Guitar

At the start of January, my coworker and former-roommate sent me a message with a link to a guitar kit on Temu, 
 
 [temu guitar link] Not gonna build the Temu Electric Guitar?
 
 similar kits are on ebay and I thought about it because there were some fretless ones. They're, uh, not good.
 
I think the one reason to get them is the body. Throw away everything else.
…

Improper Language Detected


 Friday, September 13 th 
 # 
 
 On Friday, September 13 th 2024, I found a new issue had been opened on the GitHub repo for this site. This issue has since been deleted (the page 404’s) but I still have the email I got as a notification when the issue was made 
 
 Dear @VegaDeftwing :
I hope this message finds you well. From ScanOSS, we are constantly reviewing…

How To Communicate Over Text

There are a few social ettique things that people sometimes handle incorrectly over text, much to the detrimant of their own relationships. After dealing with these so many times, I thought maybe having a source to point to that says “Not only does this bother me, but it’s bothered me enough, historically, that I’ve written exactly how, why, and how to avoid it” might help.…

What's up with this whole AI thing?


 This page is targeted at a non-technical audiance. 
 
 Right now, AI is moving crazy fast in multiple areas: 
 
 Generating images in most any style, including photo-realistic to the point of deception
 
 This is quickly moving to include video generation as well 
 This also includes manipulating existing images 
 
 
 Generating descriptions of photos…

A Fair Scammer & #004584 Angels

Last week I went to an airshow with the Blue Angels and yesterday I went to the Nebraska State Fair. 
 
 The Fair Scammer
 # 
 
 My state, Nebraska, is largely agricultural, so it should be no surprise that the fair had multiple buildings stuff to the brim with animals - cattle, sheep, chickens, pigs - and while I find factory farming of the animals stomach churning, I’m…

/Uses - Vega Deftwing


 Preface
 # 
 
 This is a uses page. 
 I want to preface everything by saying I am very fortunate to have all of the stuff I have. I like my stuff . But, ultimately, it’s just stuff . I know I do not use any of it to its maximum potential. It makes me happy to have it, but I also don’t need the vast, vast majority of it to accomplish the majority of what I want to…

Does it still count as a tool?

I previously wrote 




 


 
 AI Art Panic
 
 about how this image generation stuff isn’t going to displace artists much if at all, but, uh, it didn’t age well. 
 I said that it was more likely to simply augment how artists work. I wrote about how it had limitations, like not being able to generate somebody’s personal character.…

Exodus


 
 The year is 2022. In the world of social media, Twitter has long been the platform of choice for politicians, celebrities, and everyday users alike. But as the years have passed, the once-mighty site has struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of the internet. 
 As the lines between the virtual and the physical world blur, Twitter becomes a battleground for…

AI Art Panic

If you’ve been on the internet at all lately, you’ve seen AI generated art and discussion of the impact of the tools. You’ve also probably seen a lot of hate for AI generated art. There’s a lot of drama going on, as art focused communities across the internet decide how to handle this. Does AI generated/assisted art need tagged as such? Should it be allowed at all?…

Uni𐞥uode

foobar

My Video Synthesis Journey


 
 I’m not being paid to say any of this, I haven’t spoken to any of the companies listed here except for 
 
 Noisedeck, which while is made by two really awesome people, also gets a pretty nasty review here because it doesn’t work for this use case. 
 Sleepy Circuits, which I’ve only talked to. I don’t even own their hardware. 
 
…

Why did I pay to go to college?


 Post originally published March 22 of 2021, date above represents most recent edit
 
 
 
 The Nebraska Union at UNL, photo by ensign_beedrill, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
 
 At the time of writing, I am currently a student at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, where I study Computer and Electrical Engineering as a dual major. I have a serious passion for…

Quantization, Polarization, & Indoctrination


 
 Quantization is the process of constraining an input from a continuous or otherwise large set of values (such as the real numbers) to a discrete set (such as the integers).
 
 
 
 - wikipedia 
 
 
 
 I’m less than two months from graduating with degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. One subject that comes up a lot in both…

A Meta-er-verse


 
 Plots of land & Euclidean space
 # 
 
 One of the bigger points of the metaverse is the idea of owning a slice of digital property. This is a weird mix of the scarcity and value from real life property and the domain name (like myfancyname.com ) market. It also makes no god damn sense in this context, and is really just artificially putting limitations into a system…

Offline

Religion & Doublethink

From time to time, I get asked about my religion. Sometimes, “asked” is putting it lightly, like when my SO’s father asked if I believe in a God, but made it very clear there was only one right answer if I wanted to date my SO. Sometimes I’m asked with honest curiosity, as when people find out I grew up in a mixture of Wicca and Christianity, people wonder how that works,…

sudo


 [WP] “username not in sudoers file. This incident will be reported.” 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/qfhbcw/wp_username_not_in_sudoers_file_this_incident/ 
 
 
 “Hello Andrew,” the disembodied voice called from behind his head, staying there no matter how he turned 
 “We trust you have received the…

Strike


 [WP] You arrive at the dungeon and discover that the monsters are on strike. 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/qcbx4k/wp_you_arrive_at_the_dungeon_and_discover_that/ 
 
 
 The Dungeoneers Office Of Monsters (D.O.O.M.) gives you their deepest respect, Moster №2519, for bringing these issues to our attention and showing to us how many…

Demon Date


 [WP] Your main character makes a contract with a demon, not because they want anything, but because they want to date a demon. 
 Originally posted tohttps://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/qane9u/wp_your_main_character_makes_a_contract_with_a/ 
 
 
 O Northern Star Night, Thirty Candle Plight 
 
 the room grew strangely silent, as if even the air in his lungs…

Some Consumerism

I bitch about consumerism a lot, yet, I like things . So that’s what this post is about. Things . Things I’ve bought over the last few years and what things fall into “ OhMyGod This is Life Changing ”, “ A Bit of a Mixed Bag ” and “ How Did You Fuck This Up? ”. Because I know not everyone cares about all these products, I’m going to skip right…

Low Bandwidth Images


 So, you’ve got a website that you want to make use less bandwidth. Maybe you’re paying by the byte for content delivery, maybe you’re worried about the environment, either way, let’s assume you want to make your images as small as possible. The obvious place to start is just shrinking your images. Here, this is a 4032x2268 .jpg shrunk down to a 1008x567 .jpg - 25% of…

Epochalypse


 [WP] Almost half your crew died getting to the treasure and many more will die on the journey back. For what, water? Water that could be purchased in a convenience store. The scientist confirmed it’s plain ol’ H2O. It dawns upon you, the Nectar of the Gods, Elixar of Life, all along, was just water! 
 Originally posted to…

I'm Not a Digital Native, and Neither Are You


 The term digital native describes a young person who has grown up in the digital age, in close contact with computers, the Internet, and video game consoles, and later mobile phones, social media, and tablets. The term is often used to refer to millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha; the latter two are sometimes described as distinct “neo-digital natives”,…

Nebraksa LR107 - Stupdity Abound


 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA, FIRST SESSION: 
 
 That we hereby reaffirm our solemn oaths of office by expressing a firm resolution to maintain and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Nebraska against every act of aggression whether foreign or domestic, including every act of…

Ternary Logic

This paper was written for CSCE-430, Computer Architecture at University Of Nebraska - Lincoln in Spring of 2021. 
 This in-page view isn’t all that great, so feel free to download the pdf directly . 
 If you would like to read the refrenced papers, I recommend using Sci-Hub with a VPN on, as the academic publishers putting up paywalls as barriers to science can go fuck themselves.…

10 Products I Wish Existed


 Most of these things probably exist. For many, it’s just that they don’t exist at a practical price point.
 

 Without further ado, In no particular order 
 
 
 A not garbage, not phone based, IR camera that doesn’t cost a bajillion dollars 
 Yes. I know the FLIR and SEEK Thermal cameras are a thing, but both have their share of software problems…

Chains


 

 
 

 

 
 My name is Vega. I have to tell myself that a lot, reminding myself of who I am. 
 I know that may sound weird, but, if it wen’t already obvious, it isn’t my legal name. (yet.) 
 Despite my best efforts, my parents still call me by my ‘old’ name. I’m hesitant to call it a dead name, as I’m not trans. I…

Fey.


 [WP] While cleaning, you find an old dusty flag with a colorful pattern of leaves and flowers in a box of your late grandmother’s things. Thinking it festive, you clean and hang it up outside for Spring. You didn’t know that it was an invitation for Fey creatures to shelter in for the night. 
 Originally posted to…

Not The Main Character


 [WP] You are not the main character. 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/m2w6pj/wp_you_are_not_the_main_character/ 
 
 
 Charlotte finished pulling the weeds from the community garden, as she brushed the dirt from her shorts she heard the narrators voice, as always without a source yet still not just in her head: 
 “She brushed…

Graythor


 [WP] Years ago humanity sent out a satellite with an archive of human culture for a first encounter. The heavy metal files were the only audio uncorrupted. Aliens come to Earth and attempt to communicate in the most metal way possible. 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/m14dbh/wp_years_ago_humanity_sent_out_a_satellite_with/ 
 
 
 As the…

Chores


 [WP] “I just found out that my roommate summons demons to do her chores around the house!” 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/m0j097/wp_i_just_found_out_that_my_roommate_summons/ 
 
 
 “Look, I get it Sam. Doing the dishes is gross, and stuck on cheese is bad- but you do know you can just wash it off after we eat instead…

Mirrors of Opal

When I looked into the mirror this morning, I wasn’t sure who I was looking at. Is that me? Is that really what I look like now? Has this years long separation from reality caused me to not recognize my own face, or would it have happened anyway- a side effect of growing older. 
 

 
 

 

 
 If you saw me , would you even recognize me? Or am I the ship of…

How I Make OpGuides


 History
 # 
 
 Before I can get into how OpGuides works now, I need to provide some history so that you can learn from my mistakes. 
 The first iteration of OpGuides was OpinionatedEngineering.md. A single markdown file so long that the scroll bar was hard to grab. It was meant to be viewed and distributed not as a website, but as a file to be opened with https://typora.io…

Time lapse

Super brief post about one of the more fun projects I setup recently: a lil’ time lapse script 
 #!/bin/bash
CAM=$(v4l2-ctl --list-devices | grep C920 -A 1 | grep /dev | awk '{$1=$1};1')
#Uncomment the next line to verify it's using the correct device
#echo $CAM
ffmpeg -f video4linux2 -s 1920x1080 -i $CAM -ss 0:0:2 -frames 1 '/mnt/data/lapse/tl$(date…

Slow Down!

I use VCV Rack a lot. I normally use it on Windows as running VSTs in Linux is still a bit of a PITA and If I’m going to make music I want to have access to all of my tools. However, I still want to be able to use VCV on Linux for processing guitar when taking breaks from working on other things without having to reboot over to Windows.

Delivery Man


 [WP] Newly hired by the Post Office, you find an address on your route that only appears when it has mail. The house can’t be found when it doesn’t. One day you get a package for the mysterious house that requires a signature. 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/kuq48m/wp_newly_hired_by_the_post_office_you_find_an/ 
 
 
 I…

Daughters Of Zeus


 [WP] With all the illegitimate sons of his running around, Zeus must also have had plenty of half-human daughters. 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/kqfbsl/wp_with_all_the_illegitimate_sons_of_his_running/ 
 
 
 The thunder rolled outside my window, I’d like to think it was a sign of his approval, but I pops doesn’t even know…

The Bard


 [WP] You are the party bard, offering comic relief to your adventuring party. Your never serious and overly positive demeanor is a facade. The party does not know your true nature or power. While against an insurmountable foe, the party is about to see you get serious for the first time. 
 Originally posted to…

Seven Siblings


 [WP] You have always lived in the shadow of your seven brothers and sisters. Forgotten by the world, shunned by your peers, all but cast away. But you’ve bid your time, planned and schemed. Now you are ready, now they’ll know your name. You’re the 8th deadly sin, and you’ll take over the world. 
 Originally posted to…

Key to Knowledge


 [WP] You actually can learn through Osmosis! Any book you touch you instantly “read” and that knowledge stays with you. 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/j1blqd/wp_you_actually_can_learn_through_osmosis_any/ 
 
 
 “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” Shakespeare’s words echoed in my head, the only…

The Outside?


 [WP] One day, every man-made structure on Earth mysteriously fuses to one another. Hallways now blend into other hallways, stairways just lead to more levels of rooms. No matter how far anyone travels in the maze, no one can get outside. If there even is still an “outside.” 
 Originally posted to…

Patron Goddess


 [WP] Everyone gets a patron god when growing up. If you are really lucky you get a pretty cool one, such as Zeus or Odin. You meanwhile got an obscure god, lost by history and forgotten by everyone. As you’re trying to make him popular again they show gratitude in weird ways. 
 Originally posted to…

Blind


 [WP] You lost both of your eyes in highschool after a car accident. Years later when walking in the park with your guide dog, Archie, a woman aproaches you to ask for permission to pet her, but you are just standing there, shocked because you can see her as clear as day 
 Originally posted to…

Runes & Ramune


 [WP] A tattoo artist with some magical knowledge who has, unbeknownst to their customers, been weaving little runes, signs, and sigils into most of their work 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/j7q8pc/wp_a_tattoo_artist_with_some_magical_knowledge/ 
 
 
 Come forward you teens with ink riddled minds 
 Come to my house of design and…

Iron Blood


 [WP] “For the sake of the world, I will defeat you!” “Is that sword made out of holy essence?” “Uh, no? It’s Mithril.” “Then go home. You’re wasting your time. Tell those gods you need a pure holy essence sword… You know what, fuck it, let’s go and get you that sword. I’m sick of waiting.” 
 Originally posted…

xx80


 The year is 198x.
 # 
 
 I stare at my amber terminal. Hexadecimal fills my screen and my mind has become lost in the flow of 6502 assembly, as I hand optimize the code flow. 
 I’m interupted when I recieve a message from my friend, _Maverik, he’s excited about the ground breaking CGI in Tron. 
 
 Nostalgia is a weird feeling. We can forget when things…

Park Ranger


 [WP] A park ranger is introduced to the dryads who will help oversee a new nature preserve. 
 Originally posted to https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/g66npe/wp_a_park_ranger_is_introduced_to_the_dryads_who/ 
 
 
 “Ready for your ori-en-tate-ion, here newbie?”, Rick said Orientation like it was some fancy foreign word, that was above my intelligence…