yo_scottie_oh

Background: Typically when I’m trying something new on Linux, I search for an online guide that doesn’t assume I’m already an expert and looks like it should be easy enough for a pleb like myself to follow. Whatever it is I’m trying to do, it usually takes me multiple tries to get it right. Sometimes, when I’m venturing into new territory, I’ll derp around in a VM so I can take snapshots and then revert to the last good snapshot when something inevitably goes wrong. This approach works well for me most of the time. But every now and then, I don’t want to use a VM, I want to use a spare laptop that I have lying around, “bare metal” if you will. It just feels more… authentic? My hesitation w/ practicing on spare laptops is that when I mess it up, the only way I know how to start over with a clean slate is to reinstall the OS and try again. This approach is not ideal b/c I mess up a lot - this is a fact of my life - and reinstalling the OS after every mistake takes a lot of time, to the point that I just stop persuing whatever project I was working on. Question: Is this a good use case for btrfs? How easy is it for a pleb like myself to take snapshots and then roll back to the previous state after jacking up a config file in /home or /etc or something?

For example, I came across this YouTube video in which the author tests a whole bunch of batteries and displays a series of bar charts showing each battery’s performance in various categories. How do content creators capture and log battery output like that? Is there a specific tool that plugs into a PC or records to a MicroSD card or something?

I currently have a hardware KVM switch so that I can switch between controlling my personal laptop and my work laptop with one mouse and keyboard. Instead of only controlling one or the other at a time, is there a tool that would enable me to “switch” between my personal and work laptops without having to hit a physical switch? Ideally I’d like to be able to just move my mouse pointer from one screen to the other, click to bring a window into focus on either machine, and start typing in that window. I’m aware of tools like Synergy, the only problem I have w/ that tool is I cannot install any software on my work laptop. I’m open to hardware or software solutions. Thank you!

I enjoy derping around w/ virtual machines b/c not only can I revert to a clean snapshot, I can grab screenshots of pretty much any screen in the VM, including on the initial boot screen. Is there some way for me to get a similar experience to using VMs except instead of a virtual machine, I’d be derping with a spare laptop next to my main daily driver PC? I don’t care about snapshots, I’m mostly concerned about being able to record a video or grab screenshots of the boot screen and BIOS settings without having to use my phone to take the video/photo. In other words, like a remote desktop experience that persists during reboots of the “guest” laptop. What equipment would I need for this? Should I look into video capture cards or KVM switches? Both the “host” and “guest” systems will be running one of the mainstream Linux distros (Mint, Fedora, etc). Part of the challenge for me is actually articulating what it is I’m trying to do and knowing what terms to search for on DDG, so please feel free to ask questions to clarify my requirements. Thank you! EDIT: Thanks to everyone who chimed in. Although your comments definitely piqued my curiosity in devices such as JetKVM, I ordered this video capture card, since in my case, the machine I want to capture images/videos from will be next to my “host” machine. That said, I’ll definitely keep these KVM devices in mind in case my needs change down the road.

It’s been about three-and-a-half weeks now since I filled up a couple 5-gallon containers in anticipation of power outages during a winter storm. Since I’m a dumb dumb, I did not add stabilizer at the time, but I do have some Seafoam stabilizer on hand. I understand fuel degrades over time and running degraded fuel can damage engine parts. Should I pour the fuel into my vehicle or will that gum up my car’s engine? Is it still worth adding stabilizer today so that I can continue to store it in my garage for a rainy day? The only other responsible alternative I can think of is taking it to a hazardous disposal site in my county. It’s octane rating 87, I believe it also has ethanol, in case that makes any difference.