Wait for VM Startup with SSH: A One-Liner Guide

While working on a github pipeline, the need came up to wait until a VM is up. The "sufficient" precondition being that an SSH connection becomes possible. Because of ... reasons, this had to be a one-liner. I came up with the one below: vm_public_ip=.... timeout 120s bash -c 'while true; do ssh -tt -o … Continue reading Wait for VM Startup with SSH: A One-Liner Guide →

Toggling keyboard languages in Ubuntu 24.04 with Alt + Shift

Windows introduced [citation missing] the Alt + Left Shift key combination for switching between keyboard languages and ever since I tried to configure that combination for every setup I've worked with. Ubuntu, unfortunately, made it harder and harder over time to do that. User Raffa on askubuntu has the solution [KL]: Open a terminal and … Continue reading Toggling keyboard languages in Ubuntu 24.04 with Alt + Shift →

Linux tar –blocking-factor

I wasn't aware of tar's --blocking-factor parameter: -b, --blocking-factor=BLOCKS Set record size to BLOCKSx512 bytes. This actually reduces CPU load and backup creation times measurably. Figures for backing up 7GB on my home NAS: Setting Seconds Setting Minutes.Secods------------------------------default 1.18 512 1.071024 1.052048 1.08 The fastest setting (1024) is 11% faster than the slowest (default).

Android: “something went wrong and you need to sign in again” loop

I recently had trouble setting up a Google workspace account on my Android phone. Symptoms:- The phone persistently displays "Something went wrong and you need to sign in again". On clicking that, you get the same message again.- The phone persistently displays "android account action required". On clicking that, you get the same message again.- … Continue reading Android: “something went wrong and you need to sign in again” loop →

Microsoft Teams video freezing

I usually don't write about the Microsoft Windows ecosystem, but this one took a while to figure out and I hope it saves other people time. The setup: Microsoft Windows, the Teams application, a Canon EOS camera attached over a no-name HDMI-to-USB video grabber being used as a web cam. The issue: video sporadically freezes … Continue reading Microsoft Teams video freezing →