I've got some smart home devices that need to be setup by another device on the same WiFi network, but it has to be 2.4ghz network. My modern android phone insists on connecting to the 5ghz network and so can't complete the setup.

Currently, I use an old android tablet that only connects to 2.4ghz to get round this, but it's clunky. Previously I've changed the WiFi network to produce seperate ssids for the two bands, but I'd rather not have to switch these settings around everytime I need to modify something.

What I want is a system setting in android or an app that forces my phone to turn off its wireless N capabilities and only use the 2.4ghz band. My searching and reading stackoverflow posts suggest this just isn't possible, but surely that's not true?! It seems like a simple enough option to have!

Tldr : how to force my phone to connect on 2.4hgz WiFi rather than 5ghz

I love Southern fried chicken, and I'm pretty fond of waffles (savoury with bacon and maple syrup, or sweet) but I cannot imagine the combination as working at all.

They're both a little dry on the outside and soft on the inside. It feels like they really don't complement or contrast with each other. I'm sure I'd eat it if I had so alternative, but I can imagine how it is a classic American paring. I'd much rather have fries, slaw, or potato salad which all seem to offer a creamy or crunchy contrast.

Am I missing something? People who like it, what's good about it? Is the secret lots of maple syrup? Are the waffles different that usual? Is it not actually that popular? I'm a decadent European, so I can't just go somewhere and try them myself.

I don't really like discord, but my gaming group have been using it for rpg stuff. Chat channels, video calls and easy to setup bots have all been really useful.

But I get the feeling the enshitification is going to get worse, so I was looking for somewhere else to migrate to. The video stuff isn't as important, we could switch easily to other services. But before I start a new campaign, and spend time setting up bots with routines for rolling dice and calculating tables, I'd like to do it somewhere that isn't in talks for an IPO.

I'm not really up on stuff like this, so I don't know if there's some obvious similar choices or an alternative medium that I haven't considered.

I came across this cryptic phrase in a description of an old D&D adventure Tale of the Comet . In context, it seems to describe the designer solving a problem of game balance by having the powerful technology items have limited charges / uses before expiring. But I cannot parse prophet-squeeze-monster and I certianly don't recognise it as a classic trope. Any ideas?

Is there any options for better bluetooth management than stock android (I'm on 14 currently, on a Motorola)? Android does a reasonable attempt at autoconnecting, showing me the last couple of devices and so on - but there's not a lot customisation or control.

I would like to be able to toggle easily whether devices autoconnect, I'd like to me able to have a list of 5 or 6 devices that I regularly connect to, rather than just the last three I've used. I'd like to be able to set priority for which device gets the audio out. Stuff like that!

Many androids ago there were apps that improved bluetooth management, but now they don't seem to exist. Or, at least all the ones I found in the app store seemed scammy af.

Any suggestions? Do I need to root? Or finally learn Tasker?

I've been looking for a zigbee temperature sensor that has a long (1-2m) probe. I can find general room temperature zigbee sensors, and WiFi devices with probes, but not what I'm looking for. Searching online just comes up with people saying I'd need to make make soemthing myself with esphome.

I'm not opposed to getting into esp at some point when I've got some free time, but I'd like something quick and easy I could just buy and have working easily. Anyone know of anything suitable?

Back in the early days of the internet, there were a bunch of webcams anyone could view - sometimes a street, sometimes the coffee machine of a lab, and, occasionally, someone's bedroom or appartment. Although they were much talked about, I'm sure it was a tiny number of people, and probably not for very long. And because of crappy bandwidth, most of these cams were more like constantly updating image, rather than actual video. Tbh, maybe it's not even a real thing, but I definitely remember it being spoken about.

Nowadays obviously things are great for people who want strangers to know what they're up to, they've got countless media to choose from. And 'watching a stranger do mundane things' was packaged up and sold as reality TV a long time ago.

But I guess my question is, are there people still live-streaming their life - without it being a sex thing (like onlyfans) or advertising / shilling front (so, ruling out most 'influencers'). Are their folks out there just running a 24h twitch channel where people can watch them fold their laundry or doomscroll the night away on a poorly illuminated couch?

I've been looking for an app that will let me write down a bunch of short ideas/phrases and move them around easily. Something like scribbling on postits and sorting into piles, ordering and rearranging them.

So far I've found lots of task list / to do type apps that I can make lists and move things about in one axis. Or mind map type apps for building specific webs. But I've not come across something quick and easy to freeform engage with my brainstorming. Any suggestions?

The current news has me thinking that, while the death of any human is not something I actively relish, most people feel a certain satisfaction, relief or, at least, less sad when someone like Osama Bin Laden dies, because they were responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people.

Which got me wondering, have studies been done estimating how many legitimate insurance cases are rejected, delayed or otherwise mishandled, and how many of those result in deaths? I guess other industries are also responsible for some pretty measurable risk factors (e.g. air pollution). It would interesting to see some rough numbers of how many deaths the CEOs who choose to continue running these companies in harmful ways account for. Obviously, they are only indirectly responsible, but the same could be said about Bin Laden, he didn't fly the planes himself, he delegated.

I've seen reports and studies that show products advertised as including / involving AI are off-putting to consumers. And this matches what almost every person I hear irl or online says. Regardless of whether they think that in the long-term AI will be useful, problematic or apocalyptic, nobody is impressed Spotify offering a "AI DJ" or "AI coffee machines".

I understand that AI tech companies might want to promote their own AI products if they think there's a market for them. And they might even try to create a market by hyping the possibilities of "AI". But rebranding your existing service or algorithms as being AI seems like super dumb move, obviously stupid for tech literate people and off-putting / scary for others. Have they just completely misjudged the world's enthusiasm for this buzzword? Or is there some other reason?