Read the article at cloud.blender.org/blog/new-pro… and join Blender Cloud to get access to the full production lesson.

Sprite Fright is the new Blender Open Movie, now in production.

As Sprite Fright reaches its final stages, Shader Artist Simon Thommes provides a new production lesson focused on a unique effect: creating cartoony hairspray.

You're watching a weekly of Sprite Fright's crew as they discuss Blender's new Open Movie, coming this October. For more weeklies, as well as inspiration, tips, tricks and downloadable assets, check out Sprite Fright's production logs on Blender Cloud: cloud.blender.org/films/sprite…

0:00 Matthew
1:40 Hjalti
3:06 Andy
8:42 Angela
11:25 Julien
12:04 Pablo F
12:21 Met
16:57 Rik
20:43 Simon

Unterstütze uns und werde jetzt Teil der Bande: bande.funfacts.de/join

Erlebe die Show live – Tickets gibt’s hier: funfacts.de/tickets-kaufen

In dieser Folge von Fun Facts sprechen Abdul Kader Chahin und Sebastian 23 über eines der meistdiskutierten Themen weltweit: Gaza, Nahostkonflikt und die politische Debatte in Deutschland. Im Fokus stehen aktuelle Entwicklungen rund um den Gaza-Krieg, internationale Reaktionen und die Rolle von Institutionen wie den Vereinte Nationen, Internationaler Strafgerichtshof und NGOs wie Amnesty International. Es geht um Opferzahlen, humanitäre Lage, Proteste, Medienberichterstattung und den Umgang mit Kritik in Deutschland. Außerdem: politische Aussagen von Benjamin Netanjahu, Debatten über Antisemitismus, Meinungsfreiheit und gesellschaftliche Spannungen. Auch wirtschaftliche Aspekte wie die Rolle von Rheinmetall werden thematisiert.

In Kooperation mit CORRECTIV – Recherchen für die Gesellschaft

Mehr vom von den Hosts gibt es hier:
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Autor*innen:
Abdul Kader Chahin, Sebastian 23, Burak Yilmaz, Jean-Philippe Kindler, Jann-Luca Künßberg

Quellen funfacts.de/quellen

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...und sonst überall!

You're watching a weekly of Sprite Fright's crew as they discuss Blender's new Open Movie, coming this October. For more weeklies, as well as inspiration and downloadable assets, check out Sprite Fright's production logs on Blender Cloud: cloud.blender.org/films/sprite…

0:00 Start
0:03 Matthew
1:22 Hjalti
4:57 Rik
9:01 Andy
12:15 Angela
16:10 Dani
18:10 Met
22:25 Gerard
25:21 Javier
29:58 Julien
33:04 Monica
36:57 Pablo F
42:55 Paul
46:55 Simon

CHAPTERS BELOW 👇 Trying my hand at electronics - I needed a switch pedal for my little music corner & thought it would be something I could manage as a learning project. Little did I know... spoiler: It all works out in the end 😁

RESOURCES:
Pedal kit 👉 etsy.com/dk-en/listing/1170852…

The AWESOME Circuit JS app 👉 falstad.com/circuit/

Buffer & Power Supply Biasing circuit diagrams 👉 neatcircuits.com/doctor_pedal.…

3D printed casing based on this 👉 printables.com/model/136700-ab…

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - cold open
0:33 - intro
0:41 - the project's early days
1:06 - initial assembly
1:19 - initial failure
1:27 - asking for help
1:38 - the penny drops
1:44 - the solution
2:04 - redesigning the circuit
2:16 - final circuit assembly
2:29 - adding the casing
7:08 - final product
7:27 - final test
7:55 - SUCCESS!
8:20 - short recap
8:40 - a happy camper 😀
9:05 - outro

You're watching a weekly of Sprite Fright's crew as they hash out Blender's new Open Movie, coming this October. For more weeklies, as well as inspiration, tips, tricks and downloadable assets, check out Sprite Fright's production logs on Blender Cloud: cloud.blender.org/films/sprite…

0:00 Matthew
1:14 Hjalti
7:27 Andy
11:19 Angela
13:20 Demeter
16:01 Julien
19:17 Pablo F
20:00 Rik
22:51 Simon
26:38 Vivien

So I recently installed Cachyos and I am now met with this problem.

There are kind of 2 main contenders here and I'm split between them. What do you use?

There is pacman + aur and then there is flatpak. Pacman has deep system integration and is much more lightweight but it has deep system integration and requires sudo to install. flatpak has sandboxing and easy permission management but it's bloated and possibly less performant?

Of course if the package isn't available on flathub then I will have to use the aur but when both are available it's hard to decide.

You're watching a weekly of Sprite Fright's crew as they discuss Blender's new Open Movie, coming this October. For more weeklies, inspiration and downloadable assets, check out Blender Cloud: cloud.blender.org/

0:00 Start
0:03 Matthew
3:55 Hjalti
8:19 Andy
14:36 Rik
19:29 Gerard
21:10 Julien
25:12 Martini
27:05 Monica
29:50 Met
32:51 Ruth
34:38 Simon

As part of the work on Fediverse sustainability announced earlier this year, the Social Web Foundation is running our first Fediverse Sustainability Survey . We’re seeking operators, moderators and administrators of Fediverse sites, from the smallest to the largest, to fill out the anonymous survey and share information about how their instances work. If you help run an instance, please take the 10-15 minutes needed to fill out the survey. We need a lot of responses (hundreds!) to get statistically relevant data, so please feel free to share the link. We’re also on the lookout for operators of instances that are no longer running; there is a lot to learn about sustainability from servers that closed down, for whatever reason. We’ll publish findings here as part of our sustainability report, supplemented by interviews with selected respondents. Thanks!

Update: we hit a survey response limit in LimeSurvey — it’s been fixed. If you had a problem getting to the survey, it should be cleared now.

Not every crushing project lasts for years. Highway repairs, pipeline access roads, wind farm construction, and urban demolition projects often have timelines measured in months rather than decades. For these short-term operations, investing in a fixed crushing facility rarely makes financial sense. The cost of civil works, foundations, and permits alone can exceed the value of the aggregate produced. This is why a mobile stone crusher plant becomes the logical choice. Designed for rapid deployment, minimal site preparation, and easy relocation, a mobile stone crusher plant(planta de trituración móvil) matches the temporary nature of short-term projects. This article explains the specific reasons why mobile solutions outperform stationary options when the clock is ticking.

The High Cost of Stationary Plants for Short Timelines

A stationary aggregate plant requires significant upfront investment before the first ton of material is produced. Site clearing, concrete foundations, electrical rooms, and overhead cranes for assembly can take three to six months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. For a project lasting only eight to twelve months, this timeline is impossible. By the time the aggregate plant is operational, the project may be half over.

Why Time-to-Production Matters

Every day that a crushing line sits idle while foundations cure or permits are processed is lost revenue. A mobile stone crusher plant can be delivered to site, positioned, and producing aggregate within 24 to 48 hours of arrival. No concrete pads are required. The mobile stone crusher plant simply drives off the transport trailer, lowers its stabilizers, and starts crushing. For a contractor with a six-month window to produce 150,000 tons of base material, those saved weeks of setup time directly determine whether the project finishes on schedule.

Comparing Mobile and Stationary for Short Durations

The differences between a mobile stone crusher plant and a stationary aggregate plant(planta de agregados) become most apparent when the project duration is under two years.

Capital Investment Recovery

A stationary aggregate plant typically requires five to seven years of operation to recover the initial investment through lower per-ton operating costs. A mobile stone crusher plant has a higher equipment cost per ton but eliminates most site development expenses. For projects lasting less than two years, the mobile stone crusher plant almost always delivers a better return because the capital is recovered before the project ends. After the project, the mobile stone crusher plant can be sold or moved to the next job, retaining significant residual value. A stationary aggregate plant left behind has little to no resale value.

Permitting Simplicity

Permitting a fixed aggregate plant often triggers full environmental review, including dust modeling, noise studies, and water discharge permits. These processes can take months. A mobile stone crusher plant, especially one working on an already-permitted construction site, may fall under the project's existing permits. Many jurisdictions classify mobile stone crusher plants as temporary equipment rather than permanent facilities, significantly reducing the regulatory burden. For short-term projects, this difference can save weeks of waiting.

How a Mobile Stone Crusher Plant Handles Multiple Sites

Many short-term projects are not single sites but a series of locations. A pipeline project might have work spreads every ten kilometers. A road rehabilitation contract may involve five separate bridge replacements across a region. A mobile stone crusher plant excels in these multi-site scenarios.

Rapid Relocation Between Sites

Moving a stationary aggregate plant is not practical. Once built, it stays. A mobile stone crusher plant, by contrast, can be loaded onto lowboy trailers and moved to a new site over a weekend. For a contractor with three short-term projects in different locations over 18 months, a single mobile stone crusher plant can serve all three. The alternative would be building three separate stationary aggregate plants or buying aggregate from commercial quarries at higher prices.

Producing Material Exactly Where Needed

Hauling aggregate from a distant quarry adds cost and consumes road life. When a mobile stone crusher plant is positioned directly at the work site, material is produced and placed within the same zone. For a highway repair project, this means the mobile stone crusher plant processes existing pavement rubble into recycled base material, then loads it directly into pavers. No hauling, no waiting, and no third-party suppliers. This on-site production model is only possible with a mobile stone crusher plant.

Matching Output to Short-Term Demand

Short-term projects often have variable production requirements. A mobile stone crusher plant can be sized to match the peak demand without over-investing in excess capacity.

Right-Sizing the Mobile Stone Crusher Plant

For a three-month project requiring 50,000 tons of aggregate, a 200 ton-per-hour mobile stone crusher plant running single shifts is appropriate. A larger stationary plant would be underutilized. A smaller mobile stone crusher plant would require overtime. The ability to select a mobile stone crusher plant with exactly the needed capacity—and to rent rather than buy—gives contractors flexibility. Many equipment dealers offer short-term rentals of mobile stone crusher plants, with terms as short as three months. This aligns equipment cost directly with project revenue.

Scaling Up or Down as Needed

If a short-term project accelerates or delays, a mobile stone crusher plant can be adjusted. Additional mobile screens or secondary crushers can be added to the line as modules. If production needs decrease, a mobile stone crusher plant can be parked and restarted later without penalty. A stationary aggregate plant runs at a fixed capacity regardless of demand, leading to inefficiency during slow periods.

The Role of a Stone Crusher Plant in Recycling Applications

Many short-term projects involve demolition or rehabilitation where the primary material source is existing structures rather than virgin rock. A stone crusher plant(planta de chancado) configured for recycling is highly effective in these situations.

Processing Concrete and Asphalt Rubble

When a bridge is demolished or a parking lot is removed, the rubble is a valuable resource. A stone crusher plant equipped with an impact crusher and magnet separator can process concrete rubble into graded aggregate suitable for new base courses. For a six-month road reconstruction project, bringing in a stone crusher plant to process the old pavement on-site eliminates disposal costs and reduces the need for virgin aggregate. The same stone crusher plant then moves to the next project.

Avoiding Disposal Fees

Landfill disposal of concrete and asphalt is expensive and increasingly restricted. A stone crusher plant that recycles 100,000 tons of rubble saves the contractor $500,000 or more in disposal fees alone. This economic benefit is captured fully when the stone crusher plant is mobile and can follow the demolition work. A fixed aggregate plant located ten kilometers away cannot provide this on-site recycling advantage.

Practical Examples of Short-Term Mobile Success

Contractors across the world have documented the advantages of mobile stone crushing plants for short-term projects. One example involves a wind farm construction project in mountainous terrain. The contractor needed 80,000 tons of crushed stone for access roads and turbine foundations over a ten-month period. Rather than building a fixed aggregate plant, they rented a mobile stone crusher plant and positioned it at the quarry face. The mobile stone crusher plant moved twice as the work progressed to different ridges. Total setup time across all three positions was less than one week. The mobile stone crusher plant was returned to the rental company at project completion, with no asset left behind.

Another example involves a municipal road repair program covering 40 kilometers of urban streets over 14 months. The city used a mobile stone crusher plant to process old asphalt pavement into recycled base material. The mobile stone crusher plant worked from a central depot but was moved to different quadrants of the city as the work progressed. The city estimated savings of 35% compared to buying virgin aggregate and hauling waste to landfill.

Key Factors When Choosing a Mobile Stone Crusher Plant for Short-Term Work

If a short-term project is your situation, consider the following when selecting a mobile stone crusher plant:

• Rental availability – Many suppliers offer mobile stone crusher plants on monthly terms. Compare rental rates against purchase financing.
• Transport dimensions – Ensure the mobile stone crusher plant can travel legally on your local roads without requiring police escorts.
• Local support – Even for short-term projects, parts availability matters. Choose a mobile stone crusher plant from a dealer with a service center nearby.
• Used options – A used mobile stone crusher plant can be purchased and resold after a short project with minimal depreciation.

Making the Right Choice for Your Timeline

Short-term crushing projects demand equipment that matches the temporary nature of the work. A mobile stone crusher plant offers rapid deployment, minimal site preparation, easy relocation, and the ability to right-size capacity to project demand. A stationary aggregate plant, while economical for multi-year operations, imposes setup costs and timelines that are incompatible with projects lasting months rather than decades.

When evaluating equipment for your next short-term contract, start with a mobile stone crusher plant. Consider renting rather than buying to align costs directly with revenue. If you do purchase, select a mobile stone crusher plant with strong resale value so the asset can be liquidated after the project ends. The same principles apply whether you need a complete stone crusher plant or a smaller configuration. For short-term work, mobility is not just an advantage—it is the foundation of a profitable project.

Singapore continues to shine as Asia's premier business hub. You finalize your market entry strategy. You complete ACRA incorporation formalities. You receive your certificate of good standing. Then the weight of ongoing obligations settles in. Regulatory compliance demands constant attention. Corporate governance requirements never sleep. Standing at the center of these duties is the mandatory company secretary.

This requirement is written in stone. No company escapes it. From the smallest startup to the largest multinational, every incorporated entity must comply. Directors who ignore this gamble with their personal finances and their company's future. Understanding the full scope of this mandate keeps your business on solid legal ground.

The Legal Mandate

Section 171 of Singapore's Companies Act is unambiguous. Six months from incorporation—that is your hard deadline for secretary appointment. The position cannot remain vacant beyond this point. When a secretary departs, the same six-month countdown begins anew. Regulators enforce these timelines without exception.

The rationale is structural, not arbitrary. Secretaries enforce governance standards. They create accountability for directors. Every material decision finds its way into official records through their efforts. Every filing reaches government offices on schedule because they track it. Without this role, companies drift toward non-compliance. Standards slip quietly. Violations accumulate invisibly. Your secretary is the institutional memory and discipline your board needs.

What They Actually Do

The job description runs far deeper than most founders initially appreciate. Maintaining statutory registers represents foundational work. The register of members, register of directors, and register of charges—these are living documents under secretarial care. They must reflect current reality at all times. Inspection by authorities can happen without notice.

Meeting administration falls squarely within their domain. Private companies must hold Annual General Meetings. Public companies face additional layers of obligation. Your secretary manages the logistics, crafts the agenda, documents the proceedings, and ensures resolutions meet legal standards. When boards act by written resolution rather than meeting, the secretary validates and processes those decisions.

The filing burden spreads across agencies. ACRA wants annual returns. IRAS expects tax estimates. Changes in directors or shareholdings trigger immediate reporting duties. Your secretary maintains the master calendar that prevents any of these from slipping. They draft the documents, shepherd them through review, and submit with time to spare. Late filings mean fines. Your secretary is your insurance policy against that outcome.

Who Can Be a Secretary?

Not just anyone qualifies for this responsibility. The law draws clear boundaries. The secretary must be a natural person—corporate bodies cannot serve. Local presence is mandatory: Singapore citizen, permanent resident, or holder of an employment pass with a local address.

Knowledge and experience requirements separate the qualified from the unqualified. Professional standing matters. Membership in the Singapore Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators is the standard path. Equivalent experience—three years as a company secretary within the past five—also satisfies. Lawyers qualified under the Legal Profession Act meet the threshold as well.

A critical prohibition prevents conflicts: the sole director of a company cannot also be its secretary. Single-director enterprises must engage a separate individual. This separation of functions prevents any one person from controlling both decision-making and record-keeping. Checks and balances protect against abuse and error.

The Case for Outsourcing

Some large corporations justify full-time compliance staff. For the vast majority of Singapore businesses, this is economically irrational. The cost of salary, CPF, benefits, and continuous training is substantial. When that person resigns, institutional knowledge walks out the door.

External providers offer a smarter path. Firms delivering corporate secretarial services bring concentrated expertise without the overhead burden. They employ teams of qualified professionals who live and breathe regulatory change. Systems track every deadline automatically. When one team member moves on, another steps in without disrupting your service.

Liability management favors outsourcing. Established firms carry professional insurance. Quality processes catch errors before they become your crisis. An inexperienced hire can cost you dearly when mistakes happen. Reputable corporate secretarial services assume that risk while delivering consistent, documented performance.

Responsive secretarial services adapt to your changing needs, from simple compliance to complex cross-border transactions.

Risks of Non-Compliance

The consequences of ignoring this requirement are severe and personal. ACRA can compound the company for violations—meaning fines. Directors face individual fines as well. This is not a corporate shield situation; it is personal financial exposure.

Persistent failure leads to striking off. ACRA can remove your company from the register entirely. Legal existence ends. Assets may become state property. Resurrection requires court orders or expensive administrative restoration. The cost dwarfs what proper compliance would have required.

Financial institutions watch compliance indicators closely. Late annual returns signal risk. Banks may freeze accounts or terminate relationships. Without banking access, payroll stops, suppliers go unpaid, and revenue cannot be collected. The business dies by operational strangulation.

Choosing the Right Partner

If you outsource, invest time in selection. Price alone is a poor guide. You need a partner who answers emails promptly and explains matters clearly. Poor secretarial services create more damage than they prevent—missed filings, lost documents, confused records.

Probe their methods. How do they track your specific deadlines? Do they remind you before crises develop? Who is your primary contact—a stable manager or a rotating junior? Check their reputation through reviews and client references. You are entrusting them with your legal standing; treat this as seriously as hiring a CFO.

Clarify what you are buying. Some arrangements cover only basic filings. Others include strategic advice. If you anticipate raising capital, restructuring ownership, or expanding internationally, you need advisory capability, not just form processing. Ensure your chosen provider can scale with your trajectory.

Distinguished secretarial services function as extensions of your leadership team, not mere administrative vendors.

Final Thoughts

The company secretary requirement in Singapore is foundational law. It is not a bureaucratic annoyance to minimize. It is governance architecture that protects the enterprise and its leaders. Penalties get prevented. Records stay accurate. Directors receive proper guidance.

Six months from incorporation arrives faster than you expect. Do not wait. Decide early whether to build internal capability or engage external support. Most companies discover that corporate secretarial services offer the optimal balance of professional expertise and cost efficiency.

Compliance work will never thrill you. But it creates the security that permits bold growth. Focus your energy on building the business, not fighting regulatory fires. Take this role seriously. Engage qualified professionals. Keep your records beyond reproach. Your company will be stronger and more resilient for it.

Investing in excellent secretarial services from the outset builds governance muscle that becomes a lasting competitive asset.

The digitization capabilities in 1997 were quite primitive. This is me taking off from the launch on top of Mt Holyoke in 1997 with my 225 Wills Wing Falcon hang glider. I take off from a cliff, head out into the smooth ridge lift and within a couple of 180 degree turns I have my feet in my harness boot and I am soaring back and forth about 50 feet over the launch spot.

My partner had our two very young daughters with her< Grace 6, and Rebecca 3. They are all calling to me as I'm flying above them.

The digital bazaar has changed everything. Gone are the days when buying heavy machinery meant endless site visits, firm handshakes, and vague promises. For the South African contractor—whether you are pouring foundations in the suburbs of Johannesburg or laying roads near Cape Town—the world of self loading concrete mixture is now just a few clicks away. But here is the paradox. More choice does not always mean better clarity. The same internet that connects you to a manufacturer in Istanbul or Shanghai also floods you with drop-shippers, middlemen, and digital mirages. You need a roadmap. You need to know which platforms protect your capital, which suppliers actually stock parts in Durban, and which international brands have cracked the code of shipping to SA without turning your investment into a logistical nightmare. This guide dissects the best online hunting grounds—from local marketplaces to global factories—with a special focus on the brands that understand the unique rhythm of South African construction.

Local Digital Marketplaces: The Quick Win

Leading South African Platforms for New and Used Stock

Let us start where the search usually begins. Gumtree South Africa and Bob Shop remain surprisingly potent for smaller, used self-loading mixers. You will find everything from well-worn 350-liter drum mixers to the occasional 1.5-cubic-meter self-loader that a small contractor is offloading after a completed estate project. The advantage here is proximity. You can see the machine. You can hear the engine turn over. The disadvantage is risk. There are no warranties, no guarantees, and the seller often knows more than you do about that subtle hydraulic whine. For more professional transactions, AgriTurf and Commercial Trader offer better vetting. These platforms attract equipment dealers rather than private sellers. Listings typically include financing options and delivery arrangements. For the buyer who wants a machine within two weeks and has the budget for a reputable local dealer, these platforms are the sensible starting point. Just remember: the best price on Gumtree is often hiding the worst maintenance history.

The Auction House Shortcut: Ritchie Bros. and GoIndustry DoveBid

Here is a creative strategy most contractors overlook. Online auctions. Ritchie Bros. holds regular virtual sales with equipment physically located in Johannesburg and Durban. You will find self-loading mixers from distressed assets, corporate fleet renewals, and construction liquidations. The prices can be astonishingly low—sometimes forty percent below dealer retail. The catch is simple. You buy as-is, where-is. There is no test drive. There is no returns policy. To succeed here, you need either mechanical courage or a trusted inspector willing to visit the auction yard on your behalf. GoIndustry DoveBid offers a similar model, often featuring European and Chinese brands that have finished their first life in South Africa. If you have a good mechanic and a tolerance for paperwork, auctions are the secret passage to premium equipment at discount prices.

International Direct Sourcing: The Bold Frontier

Why AIMIX Stands Out in the South African Online Space

Now let us talk about buying from the source. Among international manufacturers selling directly to South African buyers, AIMIX has built a particularly robust digital presence. Their website functions as a genuine sales portal, not just a brochure. You can configure a self-loading concrete mixer for sale south africa by capacity, engine type, and hydraulic system. You receive a detailed quotation within hours, not days. More importantly, AIMIX has solved the two problems that kill international deals: shipping and support. They offer CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) pricing to Durban or Cape Town ports, meaning you know your landed cost before you commit. They also maintain a relationship with local logistics partners who handle customs clearance. For the South African buyer who wants a new, factory-spec machine without paying the premium of a local middleman, AIMIX represents the most polished online experience among Asian manufacturers. The language is clear. The specifications are transparent. The risk is reduced.

Alibaba and Made-in-China: The Wild West of Options

You cannot discuss international sourcing without addressing the elephants in the room: Alibaba and Made-in-China.com. These platforms list thousands of self-loading mixers from hundreds of Chinese factories. The prices will make your eyes water—sometimes half of what you would pay locally. The process is simple. You message a supplier. They send a quote. You negotiate. You pay. Then the waiting begins. Here is the reality for South African buyers. Only about twenty percent of suppliers on these platforms have genuine export experience to Africa. The rest will promise delivery in forty-five days and deliver in one hundred and twenty. Some will ship with incorrect documentation, stranding your machine at the port of Durban while you scramble for a customs agent. The smart approach is to use Alibaba for research, not for your first purchase. Find three suppliers. Demand video calls where you see the factory floor. Ask for references from other South African buyers. Use Escrow payment protection. And never, ever pay the full amount before the machine is on the vessel. If you treat Alibaba like a retail store, you will be disappointed. If you treat it like a high-stakes negotiation, you might just win.

Navigating Logistics, Customs, and Final Delivery

Ports of Entry: Durban, Cape Town, and the Inland Question

The online purchase is only half the battle. The other half is the journey from the factory floor to your project site. For international purchases, Durban remains the preferred port of entry for heavy machinery. The port has the cranes, the space, and the customs clearing infrastructure to handle self-loading mixers efficiently. Cape Town is a capable alternative, particularly for buyers in the Western Cape. The mistake is assuming that delivery to the port is delivery to your site. It is not. You will need a clearing agent—typically costing between ZAR 5,000 and ZAR 15,000 depending on complexity. You will need to pay import duties. Self-loading mini concrete mixers fall under HS code 8474.31, with duties varying based on country of origin. Chinese imports attract duties of approximately fifteen to twenty-five percent. Turkish and Indian imports may be lower under trade agreements. You will also pay VAT at fifteen percent on the total landed cost. Do your math before you click buy. A machine quoted at ZAR 300,000 ex-factory can easily become ZAR 450,000 landed and cleared.

Local Delivery and Final Mile Logistics

Once cleared, your machine needs to move from the port to your site. This is where local knowledge pays dividends. Companies like Time Freight and Value Logistics offer specialized heavy equipment transport. For a self-loading mixer weighing three to six tonnes, you are looking at ZAR 8,000 to ZAR 20,000 for transport from Durban to Johannesburg, depending on season and fuel prices. The creative alternative is to negotiate door-to-door delivery with your international supplier. Some manufacturers, including AIMIX, offer this as a line item on their quotation. The cost is higher than arranging your own transport, but the convenience is significant. You pay one invoice. You wait at your site. The machine arrives. For the contractor who values time over minor savings, this is the superior path. The best online purchase is not just about the price on the screen. It is about the certainty of what arrives at your gate, when it arrives, and whether you can start pouring concrete the next morning.

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#linux #gnome #tech

00:00 Intro
00:36 Sponsor: Take back control of your privacy with Safing
01:34 GNOME Shell: tray icons aren't replaced yet
05:11 Applications: quality of life improvements
09:03 Settings: features people were asking for
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The first big addition is support for background applications. What you'll get now is a section in the quick settings menu, called "background apps". It lets you close these applications, and that's it.

Another change in the GNOME shell is the quick settings. First, the bluetooth setting is now fully functional, letting you see all the devices you previously paired with, and letting you connect to them in one click.

All quick settings toggles are split with 2 lines of text: the first one is the name of the feature, and the second one is the setting or the thing you're connected to.

You can also click on the speaker icon in the settings to mute or unmute your computer, and they replaced the icon for screenshots.

Now, let's talk applications. First is the file manager, Nautilus. It gained back the ability to expand folders in list view. You also now can right click on a tab and get new actions, like closing all the currently open tabs, reopening a closed one, and moving a tab to a new window.

Nautilus will also let you directly paste an image onto a directory when you've copied one from another app or when you've just taken a screenshot.

Another big change in file management is the image preview in the file picker, you finally can have a grid of icons in the picker.

GNOME Web is also getting better with GNOME 44, as it's been ported to GTK4. It now uses a newer version of Webkit's GTK implementation, with a new webGL implementation and webGL2 support.

In the interface side of things, Epiphany now moved to the libadwaita about window, it lets you open these preferences by pressing control + comma, you can duplicate a tab by middle clicking on the refresh button, and it now has access to the brand new tab grid that lets you see thumbnails for all your open tabs.

GNOME Software got a new toggle to only display free and open source software. GNOME Console got access to the visual tab grid to switch between tabs.

GNOME Weather gained a new smooth temperature curve, and a flatter toolbar that merges with the window's content, and GNOME contacts now lets you share a contact by generating a QR code.

GNOME Maps gained back keyboard navigation in the search results.

Finally, GNOME boxes got a redesigned VM creation window that should be faster to use and easier to understand.

And of course, the settings got a bunch of changes as well. First, the lockscreen got a redesign. Gone is the dark gray, drab background of the user list, now you get a nice blurred wallpaper in the background that reflects the wallpaper of the selected user. User icons are now much bigger to be more visible, and the font size of the click is also bigger.

The network panel in the settings got support for Wireguard VPNs, the wifi panel now lets you share wifi network passwords in the form of a QR code as well.

The accessibility panel was also reorganized and split into multiple pages instead of having one long page of settings split into categories, and they gained a new option to disable the overlay scrollbars.

The mouse and the touchpad settings were redesigned, with nice animations to explain the difference between natural scrolling and traditional scrolling. You also finally get the option to disable mouse pointer acceleration.

The About panel now shows the kernel version, the sound panel has a new volume level window, the alert chooser has been redesigned, and the sound test window has been improved as well.

Hey guys, I have been using a Linux for a while and I always thought as long as some software is Open Source, its good enough.

What are other considerations that make for good FOSS software? In which of these does systemd fail? Is that why it's criticized or is there some other reason?

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?