Computer Tidbits [Version 2025.12.05]

(c) The Useful Tidbits Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\>usefultidbits.neocities.com\computers.html

WARNING! /F parameter not specified.

Running Useful Tidbits in read-only mode.

[==========================================] 100%

****BEGINNING WEB PAGE OUTPUT****

Peter Pauper Recipe Card Template

If you own some 4x6 recipe cards from Peter Pauper, I have made an .ott and.dotx template file for libreoffice writer and word:

Some of my Favorite Things

Command Line Things I Love

I absolutely love messing with the command prompt. There's something so elegant about it. I'm no computer wiz by any means, but as I've grown older and wiser, I've learned to appreciate the "less is more" philosophy and minimal design that terminal-based programming provides. Luckily, there are dedicated hobbyists out there making wonderful, fun, and useful applications

• wttr.in - A terminal-based weather lookup application. Very customizable, shows weather for morning, afternoon, and night.
• neofetch-win - Everyone knows linux neofetch. Some real one ported it to Windows.
• winget - I know, I know, it's a Microsoft product, and it sucks compared to apt and pacman, but if you're a windows user, this is the only way you should be installing packages. Plus, it can *gasp* upgrade all of your winget repo-sourced packages in one command! Squidward says...

                                                    .-###*+++=++##*-.             
                                                *#=---------------##--++:.        
                                             #*-------+*------+%*-------=-*..     
                                           #+==----------------------------*-.    
                                         .%#---#+---=------------------------#..  
                                        *=----------=------------------------*:.  
                                       :+-----------==------------------------#.  
                                       %%=----*%*---=-=-----------------------#.  
                                     .#%=+%=---------=-----------------------*-.  
                                   ..:*@%---==--==--------------------------+=.   
                                   #=@=@%@+:--+=::.++------:--------------:@:.    
                                  ==-+++++*@=-#::::::@-----------------:-@-..     
                                 .*---@++#@+-#=::::::.@-------------:=@#:.        
                                .+----%+*#%*++=::.:::::*---------%#:..            
                               :=-----=*%%+++=*%@::::::%---------==.              
           .:-+%%+++%@#@@%@=. .+------=*%##++-%+%+:::::+=---------%.              
        .#-------#=--=+=@---*.%-------=#++%#+--#%%:::::==--------:%+.             
      .%--------@+-%#-@=-#@+.=--------*%#+++=--@*::.:::*------------:@..          
     .@-------@++%--#*=%:.   %--------@--@=-*@-::%:::::%--------------+.          
    .%------=%-@=--@+%-.     %--------#--#=%+--:-:@%@*---------------==.          
    +=-----=#-#=--@=#-. ..   :-------**%=%%=-:::::%+%+=-------------%:.           
   .*------@--@--**-#-        %------@--:#%--:--::@%-=@@@#--+=-:=%*..             
   %------#=###+=@%*-::-=#@%-.-=-----@-:-%+-::-:-::%+-@%%@@=-=#--@.               
  .%-----+@-+-=*@@#=::-+#%@#=-:%-----@-:-#*--::-::--@+#@@@@--*=+-*-.              
  .*----+%---+%@@#+--:-=+#@#+-:-*----%=--%@-:-::::--*@--::::@: #-:#.              
  .%----------------:-=+%@#=--@-@----+**-%=%-:----::=-.......  .*-%..             
   .*%*=====----------------%-%-*+----@--%--@-:::---#:.       .#@-+@@           
      ...........-+#@%+-----@-@-@@---:@=-#=--+@=--+@*=%######*@@%***@          
                     ...=---%-@-#@----+%#%%----------@#****%@%%#%@*%@          
                        *--=#-@#-@#---:@..=#+++++##%%@%@%********#*@          
                        *--++-*@+=#----*-.  ..... .%*********#*****@             
                        *--#=*=@%..*----@:..-#%*--:@******%@#*****#+
                        *--%-%-#@. @---------------#@*#@=:%*******@    
                        #--@-@==%. .%--------*@*:..  ..:%********@      
                        *--@-@#==  ..==-:....       .@#*********@   
  FUUUTUUURRREEE!!!     *--%-#@#:               .*%************@   
                        *--%-=@@:.       .:=#%#***************@       
                        =----------%*************************@          
                        .+--------:@**********************%#.        
                        .@---------%********************%@:.           
                         .*--------@******************@:..              
                          .@-------%**************#@=..            
                            .%#-----@**********@%:..                 
                              ...::::*%*#%@%-:..             
                                     ......                           

• towel.blinkenlights.nl - This is an old classic from the XP days. You'll have to install telnet on your system if you want to use anything telnet but there's a lot of cool stuff floating around. Most people over 25 have probably heard of this, but if you have never heard of this before now, don't ruin the surprise and just install telnet, open cmd, and run "telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl".

• cloudhiker.net - I used to spend a lot of time on old school StumbleUpon back before it became Mix. I loved it to death, and I was sad to see it go. However, some awesome people have been creating a new version with curated links, and it's pretty much it's spiritual successor. If you like weird, cool and interesting web sites (which you most likely do if you're on neocities), please visit and support cloudhiker.
• WhizzBall! - I loved this flash game as a kid. It's a puzzle game where you are given a set of contraptions and you have to get a ball from start to a goal using only the contraptions and the spaces allowed for the contraptions on a grid. An even realer one ported this one from flash to HTML5 (with leaderboards, even!).

• pi-hole - everyone should have a pi-hole on their home network if they can achieve it. Blocks non-video ads on all network devices including phones.

Windows

Oh how I could go on for days about everything wrong with modern Windows... Terrible design language made for old people and zoomers while eschewing computer-savvy people and power users, while simultaneously making neither of these groups happy. I'll try not to turn this page into a gripe session about how much shit one has to do to windows before it's useable, but it may inevitably seep in from time to time. I know this page looks just like the windows console, but that is because it has a sentimental place in my heart.

The Proper Way to Install & Configure Windows 11

1. Get a Windows Pro Image on a flash drive. Don't even fucking think about hitting the upgrade button, or sticking with the trash you get from the OEM. Get ready to wipe that shit and start over. Sometimes OEMs burn the keys into the hardware though with no way to remove them, so if you buy a laptop from HP or somewhere your just stuck with Windows Home or whatever the hell they decide you deserve. Try to avoid this by getting a laptop that has a pro license or maybe no OS installed at all.
2. When you boot into the login screen, do not connect to the internet. You gotta do that oobe/bypassnro trick that keeps you from needing a Microsoft account to install the OS. IDK look it up online. Fuck you Microsoft.
3. Turn off all that privacy garbage they ask for.
4. When you're finally in Windows, don't touch shit yet. Breathe, collect yourself. Don't use Edge to check MSN News or whatever people read these days. You'll get your digital cocaine fix here shortly. Hit Windows Key +X, then A, and you're in the command prompt. type "winget". It'll install the package manager for windows. use "winget --list" and "winget --remove *package*" to remove all the bullshit from your computer you don't need. Yes, even Copilot, that "AI" trash is worth nothing to you or anyone around you. If you can't figure this step out you don't deserve to own a computer.
5. Once you're done with cleaning your computer out of all the junk, align that taskbar left. This isn't a personal preference, it's required. What kind of psycho wants the Windows button to change position depending on how many apps they decide to pin to the taskbar??
6. Install Firefox. Yes, Firefox. You want internet AIDS from not being able to use uBlock Origin on Manifest V2? go right ahead and download Chrome you pedestrian. See what I care.
7. When you do have Firefox get the Ublock Origin extension. DO NOT RAW DOG THE INTERNET!
8. Anyways, back to Windows. Use powershell and plop this incantation in there:"Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search -Name "BingSearchEnabled" -Value 1 -Type DWord" This removes web search from Windows start menu. Unless you're unlucky enough not to have windows Pro, in which case go cry in a corner while taking delight that you can change your desktop wallpaper.

C:\>cd Q:\

Q:\>ls

Q:\> Hey, usefultidbits, your Windows suggestion step X is wrong/not what I want. How about I don't do X or do something different?

A: That's too fucking bad. I am right and you are wrong. If you knew better than me you would be using Linux.

Q:\> If you have Windows so much, why not just switch to Linux?

A: First of all, I respect Linux distros a concept, andI think desktop environments like KDE Plasma have come a long way to appealing to the average consumer. I actually tried switching to Arch running KDE a while back and generally, I liked it a lot. I like the modular packages and management tools, I like that it can detect unused dependencies for packages I no longer have installed (Looking at you Microsoft C++ Redistributables), I like the customization, I like the look, and it's generally a good system. However, I think most non-KDE Plasma based distros besides GNOME look incredibly ugly, and GNOME does not have the features/customizability/app support that I desire. Also, when I can't find any good local music manger apps with device sync capabilities (like MusicBee) written for Plasma and I gotta download GNOME instead, when I gotta do voodoo magic in the terminal to get my audio driver to switch to my headphones from my speaker automatically when I plug them in, when WINE can't run jack shit even though everyone in the community pitches it as some miracle solution for cross-compatibility, when I can't operate VPNs via a GUI and have to download and swap config files for every region I want,when the open-source ethernet driver will just uninstall itself randomly and leave me pissed off to no end, then I find that Windows is a piece of shit worth dealing with. Maybe I'll dual boot one of these days but who wants the fucking headache of that?