Hello, Pine64 community!
My name is Paul and I've just arrived to the Pine64 community by way of a PineBook Pro. I am an avid user of Raspberry Pi systems, and had no tried any Pine64 singleboard computers or other products... I've heard good things about the Pine64 company and hope that the user community is also similar.
A little bit about me and my ARM/singleboard computer usage... I use ARM singleboard computers for many projects in my life. I run a Home Assistant server to control my smart home devices; I always hated the super-connected and anti-privacy 'features' of mainline smart home products, so I got rid of them! There are some great products from Sonoff that give the user all the functionality of a strong smart home, without the devices 'calling home' behind my back... running a Raspberry Pi 8gb model, it handles my Home Assistant server pretty well and provides me with a great dashboard for control and much more control over my system. My next home automation is going to be a Hyperion Responsive LED Light System for my television.... instead of static colors behind your TV,why not have them match whats on the screen... in real time.
I'm going to use an ARM based SBC, some good LED light strips and Hyperion software which plays nice with my Home Assistant server.
Another project I just completed marries a Raspberry Pi Zero and an antique 1942 Philco Predicta television. The Predicta is iconic and beautiful; but it is an 80 year old B&W television without ANY bells and whistles that we enjoy today in our home media systems... well I decided to change that! I coded the Zero to accept Chromecast videos from other devices, and used Python and a capacitive touch sensor to create a button inside the television without damaging or modifying the hardware at all. When user presses a certain spot on the TV, a new random video plays... push button, get I Love Lucy... or All in the Family... or similar. Now theres always something cool to watch thats period correct, without the user having to know anything about whats going on. Push button, get cool 1940s video. Period. In addition, the TV (Well, the Zero) boots up and displays several 1940s pictures I've curated.. then it plays a 1943 Philco Predica commercial and immediately start playing random period correct videos. The push button is always available to skip to the next video, or use your cell phone to Chromecast anything you want to view in beautiful B&W on an iconic platform.
The last thing I'd like to share is my BBS server. I used to run a bulletin board in the early 90s before the internet took over. I ran a Renegade bulletin board, but there were also many other options like Synchronet, PC Board, Wildcat! and many more. In 2020, there are a few currently developed options; Mystic, Synchronet and Enigma.5 are a few with great communities. I run a Mystic BBS, because of its highly modifiable system and that its the most popular and used BBS software of the current times. I'd love for you to login to my BBS with your ARM singleboard or PineBook Pro... but theres a little homework for you; you need to dial in with an ANSI compatible terminal... just using telnet from the CLI will get you a bunch of ugly looking characters on screen - you need a terminal that decodes the ANSI art and shows you in the intended way. If you run Linux, this is as easy as building/compiling Syncterm or you can run NetRunner.... syncterm.bbsdev.net or mysticbbs.com are the websites for each of those softwares and I've listed my BBSes info below. Telnet in, and experience a BBS as if it were 1995:
20 For Beers BBS
20ForBeers.com using port 1337 on telnet
password = meatloaf
I hope you'll build SyncTerm and login to my board!! When writing email to the SysOp after creating an account, please let me know that you came from pine64.org!!! I'll make sure you have access to all the online door games and FTNs (message networks).
---
In closing, I am Paul and I hope to be a part of the Pine64 community!!! I know the limitations of the ARM systems, but that only allows me to see all that you CAN do with these great computers!! I think a lot of new users get so wrapped up in trying to make these computers their iMac replacements that they miss out on how much they can do! Use em' for what they are - great Linux based problem solvers... with a little input from the SysOp.
Hope to hear from some of you; I'll be here to stay... I wrote this with my PineBook Pro, and using it is continually growing on me. It is a great piece of hardware - just know what it IS!
pAULIE42o
. . . . . . . .
/s
My name is Paul and I've just arrived to the Pine64 community by way of a PineBook Pro. I am an avid user of Raspberry Pi systems, and had no tried any Pine64 singleboard computers or other products... I've heard good things about the Pine64 company and hope that the user community is also similar.
A little bit about me and my ARM/singleboard computer usage... I use ARM singleboard computers for many projects in my life. I run a Home Assistant server to control my smart home devices; I always hated the super-connected and anti-privacy 'features' of mainline smart home products, so I got rid of them! There are some great products from Sonoff that give the user all the functionality of a strong smart home, without the devices 'calling home' behind my back... running a Raspberry Pi 8gb model, it handles my Home Assistant server pretty well and provides me with a great dashboard for control and much more control over my system. My next home automation is going to be a Hyperion Responsive LED Light System for my television.... instead of static colors behind your TV,why not have them match whats on the screen... in real time.
I'm going to use an ARM based SBC, some good LED light strips and Hyperion software which plays nice with my Home Assistant server.Another project I just completed marries a Raspberry Pi Zero and an antique 1942 Philco Predicta television. The Predicta is iconic and beautiful; but it is an 80 year old B&W television without ANY bells and whistles that we enjoy today in our home media systems... well I decided to change that! I coded the Zero to accept Chromecast videos from other devices, and used Python and a capacitive touch sensor to create a button inside the television without damaging or modifying the hardware at all. When user presses a certain spot on the TV, a new random video plays... push button, get I Love Lucy... or All in the Family... or similar. Now theres always something cool to watch thats period correct, without the user having to know anything about whats going on. Push button, get cool 1940s video. Period. In addition, the TV (Well, the Zero) boots up and displays several 1940s pictures I've curated.. then it plays a 1943 Philco Predica commercial and immediately start playing random period correct videos. The push button is always available to skip to the next video, or use your cell phone to Chromecast anything you want to view in beautiful B&W on an iconic platform.
The last thing I'd like to share is my BBS server. I used to run a bulletin board in the early 90s before the internet took over. I ran a Renegade bulletin board, but there were also many other options like Synchronet, PC Board, Wildcat! and many more. In 2020, there are a few currently developed options; Mystic, Synchronet and Enigma.5 are a few with great communities. I run a Mystic BBS, because of its highly modifiable system and that its the most popular and used BBS software of the current times. I'd love for you to login to my BBS with your ARM singleboard or PineBook Pro... but theres a little homework for you; you need to dial in with an ANSI compatible terminal... just using telnet from the CLI will get you a bunch of ugly looking characters on screen - you need a terminal that decodes the ANSI art and shows you in the intended way. If you run Linux, this is as easy as building/compiling Syncterm or you can run NetRunner.... syncterm.bbsdev.net or mysticbbs.com are the websites for each of those softwares and I've listed my BBSes info below. Telnet in, and experience a BBS as if it were 1995:
20 For Beers BBS
20ForBeers.com using port 1337 on telnet
password = meatloaf
I hope you'll build SyncTerm and login to my board!! When writing email to the SysOp after creating an account, please let me know that you came from pine64.org!!! I'll make sure you have access to all the online door games and FTNs (message networks).
---
In closing, I am Paul and I hope to be a part of the Pine64 community!!! I know the limitations of the ARM systems, but that only allows me to see all that you CAN do with these great computers!! I think a lot of new users get so wrapped up in trying to make these computers their iMac replacements that they miss out on how much they can do! Use em' for what they are - great Linux based problem solvers... with a little input from the SysOp.
Hope to hear from some of you; I'll be here to stay... I wrote this with my PineBook Pro, and using it is continually growing on me. It is a great piece of hardware - just know what it IS!
pAULIE42o
. . . . . . . .
/s
