The arduous saga of applying for a Google Store credit account

I have been trying for three months to open a @AskSynchrony account for the @Google store. It has been an unmitigated disaster every step of the way. It boggles the mind that Google has chosen such a terrible partner for providing this service. For background, I have never been a victim of identity theft, I… Read More: The arduous saga of applying for a Google Store credit… »

Here’s how I pick good passwords

A billion people have written about this before, but I like my approach, so I’m sharing it in case someone else finds it useful. Most of my passwords go into a password manager; those are long and random and generated by the password manager and I don’t care whether they’re easy to type or memorable… Read More: Here’s how I pick good passwords »

Update on using DisplayLink with Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo)

UPDATE [August 9, 2021]: It turns out DisplayLink doesn’t quite work in 21.04. See this blog posting for the latest on how to work around the remaining issue. UPDATE [June 3, 2021]: DisplayLink works on Ubuntu 21.04 now without any of my fixes. If you’ve installed my fixes, see this blog posting for uninstall instructions.… Read More: Update on using DisplayLink with Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo) »

Stop & Shop still treating me like a thief, still not training their employees, still not maintaining their equipment

Hey @StopandShop let me tell you why you just lost $350 of business from me. 1/ As I’ve written to you several times before (https://blog.kamens.us/2020/07/11/why-stop-shop-just-lost-500-of-my-business/, https://blog.kamens.us/2017/09/10/please-stop-shop-stop-treating-me-like-a-thief/), it’s bad enough when your Scan-It loss prevention system treats loyal, long-term customers like me as thieves. 2/ It’s even worse when it doesn’t work well. It’s even worse… Read More: Stop & Shop still treating me like a thief, still… »

Using DisplayLink with Ubuntu 21.04 (“Hirsute Hippo”)

UPDATE [August 9, 2021]: It turns out DisplayLink doesn’t quite work in 21.04. See this blog posting for the latest on how to work around the remaining issue. UPDATE [June 3, 2021]: DisplayLink works on Ubuntu 21.04 now without any of my fixes. If you’ve installed my fixes, see this blog posting for uninstall instructions.… Read More: Using DisplayLink with Ubuntu 21.04 (“Hirsute Hippo”) »

Automating TP-Link Archer AX6000 router (and others) from Python

Recently, I was confronted with the problem of automating the activation and deactivation of parental controls on my TP-Link Archer AX6000 router. Specifically, I needed a command-line tool that would allow me to disable or enable internet access for a specific parental controls profile. The router only provides the ability to set separate schedules for… Read More: Automating TP-Link Archer AX6000 router (and others) from Python »

“Gearhead Gertie” comic added to comics aggregator

The Comics Kingdom weekly comic “Gearhead Gertie” has been added to the comics aggregator. This comic doesn’t seem to be published on the same day consistently every week, so on days when it’s not published, you’ll see the “Click here to learn how to read Comics Kingdom comics in the aggregator” message. Speaking of which,… Read More: “Gearhead Gertie” comic added to comics aggregator »