project-insanity.org

NixOS development progress for upcoming 21.11 release

The upcoming NixOS 21.11 release will include new packages, modules and some exciting technological changes under the hood. Here is a list of some updates I’m waiting for and some contributions I made in the last few months. New apps The modern and simple looking Gtk app fragments 1.5 got merged. I also tried to […]

Travel

Basic Wander-Packliste für Selbstversorger

Alles notwendige dabei haben, ohne sich abzuschleppen. Bei jedem Wetter in der Natur (auf)gehen. Kaffee am Berg genießen und sich die kalten Fingern an einem frisch gesammelten Wildkräutertee wärmen. Um für all das gerüstet zu sein und nichts wichtiges zu vergessen, ist eine Packliste überaus praktisch. Auf bisher vier Wanderungen erprobt, teile ich gerne mit […]

Software

Share printer via AirPrint with NixOS

I started to migrate my ARM homeserver to NixOS and was able to configure the printer together with AirPrint enabled network sharing. Here’s a short how-to. Update June 2022: Starting with newer Cups printing server versions (> 2.4), AirPrint support is already included and the configuration should be easier. See the section below for an […]

Software

postmarketOS development status 2021

In the last few months I was looking into adding support for some older Android phones to postmarketOS. Porting an existing downstream kernel to a real Linux operating system for mobile systems wasn’t that hard following the easy porting guide from the pmOS wiki. Here’s a roundup on what I have achieved so far ;) […]

Hardware

Mobile timber-framed cork sauna

I built a small, lightweight sauna that sits on a trailer ready to be taken to a nearby lake. Its half-timbered construction is time consuming to build but offers appealing aesthetics. Following the traditional path further led me to employ natural materials all the way. Baked cork with its low weight, being weatherproof and open […]

Software

Using Virtio-FS directory sharing together with NixOps libvirtd backend

Virtio-FS is the newest technique to share directories of the host system to a virtualized guest machine managed by libvirt. This example will show you how to use it in NixOps to automatically deploy and configure guests with access to shared directories. I’m using NixOps to configure and setup web services in virtual machines. One […]

Software

Blender Addon: Node Preview

Ever since Blender made the switch to the Cycles renderer back in 2011, its shader nodes have lacked an interactive preview for each node. I spent the first months of 2021 writing an addon that adds this functionality: Node Preview, which is available on the Blender Market. It utilizes a Blender instance started in a […]

Hardware

Low budget car key replication and transponder workaround

I lost my backup key for my Mitsubishi car and wanted to replace it. To get a cheap solution I had to remove the transponder from the key and go for a walk to the city. To get a spare key from the manufacturer, you’d have to pay 140 € – and that is not […]