Filed under #howto and #telegram

I use Telegram messenger a lot both to communicate with my family, my friends and my future self.

I am not totally happy with it: between the

• recurring accusations from certain leading cryptographers
• and the fact that they insist on staying free and will do a blockchain thing instead

I do sense there is room for a lot of things to go sideways.

That said:

• for now it works better that most other things
• the program that leading cryptographers have been recommending has had its own share of problems
• and I only do things that require post card security level

That said, here are some advanced tips:

• You could always(?) chat with yourself, but now it is an official feature called “Saved messages”
• You pin up to 5 (for now at least) chats, groups or channels at top of the screen.
  • Ideas: Saved messages, loved ones, frequently used groups
• You can create multiple groups containing the same persons (useful in a family setting to separate everyday chatter and photo sharing from planning etc)
• Related to the last one: A group doesn't have to contain more than two persons. For example I can have a group with just me and my wife were we post car maintenance, mileage, receipts from everyday purchases (in case something breaks) etc etc.
• You can post silently:
  • on the mobile client, long press the send button to see your options
  • on the desktop client, right click the send button to see your options
• You can also schedule a message:
  • this can be useful if you know you are afraid of forgetting to send a message
  • or you can schedule a message in Saved messages as a reminder to yourself.

BTW: If anyone wants a nice business idea, here's one:

• Create something like old WhatsApp with all the features from todays Telegram and the encryption from Signal/Whatsapp
• Make it impossible to sell out
• Charge $2 a year (WhatsApp made healthy profits at $1 a year when they started)
• Charge extra for API access
• Tell me.

Filed under #howto and #ideas

I guess this might primarly be useful for myself. Posting it here I might actually remember it.

So here are some ideas after this years VAT and customs reform:

• https://www.electrokit.com/produkt-kategori/robot/mekanik/ (Based in Sweden)

• https://sunneleker.no/butikk/bygg-og-konstruksjon/fischertechnik-byggesett

• https://no.frederiksen.eu/nettbutikk/teknologi-og-forskningslaere/elektronikk-og-programmering/elektronikkomponenter

• https://no.frederiksen.eu/nettbutikk/teknologi-og-forskningslaere/elektronikk-og-programmering/microbit

• https://no.frederiksen.eu/nettbutikk/teknologi-og-forskningslaere/modellbyggesett/fischertechnik-byggesett

Filed under #lifeInNorway, #observations and #howto

(Might apply for other Scandinavian countries and certain other countries as well, see video of Swedish people waiting at the bus stop at the bottom of this post. )

As you walk into the bus, scan the seat rows.

• Some seats are prioritized for elderly and disabled. Stay away unless the bus is empty anyway.

• Try to find two empty seats next to each other, take one, put your bag in the other.

• Generally within reasonable limits try to contribute to an even distribution of peiple in the bus.

Exceptions:

• If you see a friend (who's not extremely close friends,) or someone you know, smile and say hi or nod.

• If you cannot find two empty seats, pick one based on the following list:

1. Someone you know

2. Someone else

Take with a grain of salt, and always apply common sense. Also it is a bit short; I wrote it in around 15 minutes, on the bus.

BTW, avoiding people on the bus is seen as polite, even if you know them.

Will try to get back with some advice on how to pick a seat on the train (if you can get one, that is 😎 )

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