Got a tech question or want to discuss tech? Bi-Weekly /r/Technology Tech Support / General Discussion Thread

Submitted by veritanuda t3_122go5x in technology

##Greetings Good People of /r/Technology,

Welcome to the /r/Technology Tech Support / General Discussion Thread.

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Ipraythisworks0315 t1_jdtn1tb wrote

This maybe a long shot, but I would like to put a device similar to Alexa or Ok Google in a nursery for a child. I would also like to record several hours of me reading books. However, I like the capability of a device like the two I mentioned before to be able to play random sounds, or give information on demand. Is it possible to have these device store playlist or sounds that I make or are there any devices that can do what I mentioned .

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veritanuda OP t1_jdzmthw wrote

Sounds like something you could do with Neon OS

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321MuffinTime t1_je9v1gq wrote

Why would you overcomplicate it? Of course there are plenty of options to play back playlists through smartspeakers (Youtube, Spotify, local media etc etc), or am I missing something here?

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Canadian_Mum52 t1_jdt4mr9 wrote

I just bought an hp laptop second hand. Any advice on ways to best test whether or not I got a lemon?

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SztywnyJoozek t1_jdvkqsk wrote

Hi! That actually depends on what kind of a lemon you expect it to be :)
I would first start with trying to boot it "as-is" and see what happens. Do not connect it to any network at this stage, as you don't know if it is full of malware or not. If it does not boot, there is no reason to panic (yet). Get a bootable USB with an OS that can run off removable media (e.g. Ubuntu) and try to boot off it. Once you boot, you can test graphics, sound, etc. If you booted from a USB media, you can also test network, as you trust this OS.
If everything is fine until now, you have a decision to make. Do you trust this OS enough to use embedded functions to clean it (won't remove most of malware), or do you want to install from scratch (will remove everything off the laptop). Some of the laptops may have a recovery partition that you can boot off and get the computer to an "out of factory" state. I wouldn't recommend this in most cases as the OS will be old and will require a lot of updates.
Let me know how you would like to continue and we will guide you through :)

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leaky_wand t1_jdvxuy0 wrote

What are the most active subreddits for AI specifically? I find myself looking for updates in this one and Futurology but I am sure I am missing out on some of the deeper discussions.

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dandelionpoetry t1_jdsw9wu wrote

Hi! I was hoping for some help to get back Instagram & messenger messages I accidentally deleted thanks!

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The_Strawberry_Dove t1_jdxrxml wrote

Hello!

About a month ago I got a Seagate hard drive. I have been able to remove it and attach it successfully up until today. But when I try to open a game it says that it isn't downloaded, and when I go to change the download location to the hard drive, it says either "D:/ is unavailable right now" or "The request had failed due to a fatal hard drive issue."

Anyways, If someone could help me it would be greatly appreciated! :)

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doubledip10 t1_jdzuinc wrote

I'm looking to upgrade my wifi, we have a 3 story home that's about 2500 sqft, with Xfinity cable broadband provider at 1000 Mbps(allegedly). We currently have an old shitty router and modem.

Do I need both a router and a modem, is the WiFi mesh the way to go, any brands you recommend, or recommend I stay away from?

Thank you!

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socio-eclectic t1_je5ls8a wrote

I would like to know how default settings (of Facebook, Google etc.) can manipulate users similar to dark patterns?

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jewelsisnotonfire t1_je7jnwj wrote

Not sure if this belongs here, but I figured I would ask anyway.

I use an HP Spectre laptop with an Acer monitor as a second display... Or well, I try to, but each cable I use dies within 3-6 weeks; with the exception of this most recent one, which died after 6 days. Since the monitor is older, I use VGA -> HDMI-adapted cables. I checked, and there isn't a problem with my laptop or my monitor. The problem arises with the cables themselves.

So my question is: How do I fix this for the long-term? I don't have the money to keep buying new cords every few weeks. This recent one that I bought wasn't all that cheap, so I'm disappointed that it died before the less expensive ones did. I read that you shouldn't often plug/unplug the adapter cables because it's really damaging to them. I can safely say that I unplugged this recent cable only twice before it crapped out. I can't go without my monitor for too long, as I use both screens for work and school. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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veritanuda OP t1_je93uvw wrote

Don't buy cheap cables? Buy one that is rated HDMI 'Ethernet' They tend to be more robust.

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funnysunflow3r t1_je8jate wrote

Ok at work the other day, I went into a meeting room and someone had left a single apple earbug in there. I figured they forgot it, and placed it in a visible place at the office.

Weirdly the next day I overheard a colleague saying he found an earbud in the same meeting room and wondering what to do with it.

This is a room typically used to discuss different company aspects that are not knowledge to most employees.

Question 1: can someone put an earbud in a meeting room and listen to conversations from outside?

Question 2: if yes, and if it I find this earbud there again, is there a way to locate the owner can be identified?

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BigCharacter4755 t1_je94hax wrote

Hi, I have to make a prototype and I would like to have a lock that can be opened when someone scans the QR-code, or something else. So i my head, i see it as a magnetic lock but i dont know what all is possible. However i do not know what product i would need and where to find it. Im open for other solution, but it is important that when opening the lock people have to do an action again (scanning something, pressing on button) So no passcodes that they can use again later. Access is open to anyone, if they do the action (that have to be accessible to everyone)

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cocoberryfizz t1_jea81be wrote

Ok, my mom has a TCL TV and an LG TV. Whenever she streams on either of them, particularly Hulu and HBO Max, the mouths don't match the words. They're off by at least 5 words or so. How do we fix this? I have a Sony and don't have that problem too often and it usually fixes itself, but hers doesn't.

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12h_bottletothrottle t1_jeh06rr wrote

Anyone have any recommendations for a stand-alone security camera to record 24/7? Just need one, maybe two cameras.

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