Author | Lightnews

Ben Combee

@unwiredben.combee.net

970 followers 790 following 450 posts

He/Him/His. Maker of neat things, member of NYC Resistor. Opinions expressed are my own, not the views of my employer, @Roku. Can't evolve into Vespiquen Also posting on Mastodon at https://nycr.social/@unwiredben

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · Jun 20

Overwhelmed by the cool art on display at @crowdsupply.bsky.social Teardown this year. Here's a thread on the great stuff on display, updated randomly.

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 4h

Big congrats to my home state! Let's keep the momentum for 2026!

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 4h

CONFIRMED: Georgia Democrats have won their first statewide elections for non-federal offices since *2006.*

The two Dem challengers, Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard, have ousted two GOP Republican commissioners on the state's utility commission.

Reposted by Ben Combee

Council Member Mike Siegel @mikesiegeld7.bsky.social · 12h

Read about the City's response to the Federal shutdown, with resources for food access, utility bill relief, and healthcare services in our latest newsletter.

👉 tr.ee/GCNSaR

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 1d

Just learned about this #retrocomputing book Kickstarter that still needs some backers to meet its goal. It's the story of a small computer company that designed ahead-of-its-time products and then disappeared just as the personal computer revolution was getting started.

Go Computer Now! – The Story of Sphere Computers

A book telling the extraordinary story of Sphere, a 1970s Utah personal computer maker far ahead of its time—until its sudden collapse.

www.kickstarter.com

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 1d

I implementated the game on Arduboy, so could port that code too as an app. The screen dimensions change a bit, but I think it could work.

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 2d

Fired up a GitHub workspace and managed to get my old Ravine Despoiler watchface project built and deployed to the #pebble Duo 2. It still needs work before I can post on the store, but I could reuse code that I wrote for my Arduboy port to get the bomb animation going.

In a Pebble watchface running on my wrist, a blimp and biplane fly over an canyon filled with boulders, the darker ones spelling out the current time.

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 4d

I'll have to give that a try.

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 4d

I've been most recently using a Galaxy Watch Classic 4, and its better in a lot of ways, especially screen readibilty for me. Touch controls are really useful and quicker for things. However, I was surprised how much better notifications work on Pebble OS even after all this time.

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 4d

Impressions after using this a day and comparing it to my Pebble Time Steel. The screen is more readable, but a little too small for my 51-year old eyes. Buttons feel terrible but I'm getting used to them. Definitely looking forward to the Time 2 next year.

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 5d

Feels nice to be wearing a Pebble watch again. Thanks @ericmigi.com and @repebble.com

Picture of a new Pebble Core Duo 2 watch on my wrist running the Reflow watchface by Lignite. It shows the time as 11:22 am.

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Reposted by Ben Combee

K. Thor Jensen @kthorjensen.bsky.social · 11d

Oh my god some fucking tech dingdong posted this on Twitter with the caption "AI games are going to be amazing" totally seriously, you have to watch it. You have to. In full screen.

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 9d

I also like the Austin Chronicle's guide at www.austinchronicle.com/topic/electi..., especially how it differentiates between No and Hell No! on some of them.

Chronicle Endorsements for the November 2025 Election • The Austin Chronicle

The Chronicle Editorial Board offers the following endorsements ahead of early voting (Oct. 20-31). On the ballot this fall: a tax rate increase for the city of Austin (Prop Q) and 17 proposed amendme...

www.austinchronicle.com

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 9d

If you're in Texas, please go and vote early for the November 4th election. There are many state constitutional amendments that affects our state and local governments. @progresstexas.bsky.social has a good guide and endorsements at progresstexas.org/blog/2025-te....

2025 Texas Statewide Ballot Guide

Here’s our convenient, easy-to-follow election guide for the November 2025 Constitutional Amendment elections. After you read this, pass it on!

progresstexas.org

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 12d

My kids and I came up with a nickname for the self-driving cars that are flooding Austin. I originally proposed "ghost taxi", which led to the holiday-appropriate term Boo-ber.

White-painted Waymo-branded self-driving taxi spotted in north Austin while in traffic. The car's roof and corner sensors are visible, as well as rear-facing camera and an Uber sticker.

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 17d

Watching the #NoKings feed here in #Austin, always so many feelings hearing the original Declaration of Independence read aloud and noting all the echos to today.

'No Kings' protests in Austin | LIVE

YouTube video by KVUE

www.youtube.com

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 20d

It's insane that in the year 2025, you have to tweak a Windows registry setting to get PowerPoint to export PNGs from a slideshow at a resolution greater than 1280x720. At least its possible.

How to export high-resolution (high-dpi) slides from PowerPoint - Microsoft 365 Apps

Describes how to change the dots per inch (dpi) setting of a PowerPoint slide when you save it as a picture. To do this, you must add a new registry value.

learn.microsoft.com

Reposted by Ben Combee

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 28d

My talk from @crowdsupply.bsky.social Teardown 2025 on conference badges has been released. I'm excited to share it with y'all. #electronics #teardown2025

Teardown 2025 - Ben Combee - Conference Badges I've Known and Loved

YouTube video by Crowd Supply

youtu.be

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 23d

Oldest son and I were given tickets to this afternoon's #iLuminate show at Bass Concert Hall. I had no idea what to expect, and while I found the music selection a bit mid, the choreography and EL wire effects were top-notch. Just wished they'd got some Daft Punk representation in there.

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 26d

Aye! Sir Timberlake has returned from his quest with success.

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 26d

I hope the B-52's are getting paid for this terrible cover that plays over and over on the TV at my hotel

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 27d

Just back from a CalTrain ride to Sunnyvale to dine at Dishdash, a favorite since I started traveling here in the early 2000s. Their lentil soup is yummy and the vegetarian zahar (grilled cauliflower, aged yogurt, onions, garlic) served on a bed of freekeh, is so filling and flavorful.

The window at the front of the restaurant Dishdash, showing their neon sign formed in Arabesque letters.

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 28d

My talk from @crowdsupply.bsky.social Teardown 2025 on conference badges has been released. I'm excited to share it with y'all. #electronics #teardown2025

Teardown 2025 - Ben Combee - Conference Badges I've Known and Loved

YouTube video by Crowd Supply

youtu.be

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Reposted by Ben Combee

Point Blank Sandwich Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 28d

These people are evil. Never stop saying so. Don’t be intimidated into shutting up.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 28d

Here’s video of the incident

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Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · 29d

Why yes, I did just send a random hotel room $40 of vegan Asian food because I can't tell the difference between the different Element Hotels here in Silicon Valley. Arghh!

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · Oct 6

If were here without status, there's no way in hell I'd download that app. Smells like one of those "free yacht" scams the police run from time to time.

Ben Combee @unwiredben.combee.net · Oct 5

I got my first Tivo back in 2000, a Sony SVR2000. I upgraded hard drives on it, eventually moved to a HD-capable Series 3, and got a Rovio OTA which got little use. They were good devices, and they inspired my career move to Roku eleven years ago. So long, and thanks!

TiVo Stops Selling DVRs Marking The End Of An Era | Cord Cutters News

In a seismic shift for the television industry, TiVo Corporation has quietly pulled the plug on its storied digital video recorder line, effectively ending an era that redefined how consumers interact...

cordcuttersnews.com