Ben Combee
@unwiredben.combee.net
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
Also posting on Mastodon at https://nycr.social/@unwiredben
Pinned
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.
Keep passing this poster at my office and thinking, man, that guy has a lot of machetes.
November 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Keep passing this poster at my office and thinking, man, that guy has a lot of machetes.
Reposted by Ben Combee
Rebecca Heineman passed today.
She was a unique talent, to understate things. Anyone could see that in her long list of accomplishments.
But we are not just our catalogs of retail products. She was a force of nature, a light in the darkness.
This is an unimaginable sadness.
She was a unique talent, to understate things. Anyone could see that in her long list of accomplishments.
But we are not just our catalogs of retail products. She was a force of nature, a light in the darkness.
This is an unimaginable sadness.
November 18, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Rebecca Heineman passed today.
She was a unique talent, to understate things. Anyone could see that in her long list of accomplishments.
But we are not just our catalogs of retail products. She was a force of nature, a light in the darkness.
This is an unimaginable sadness.
She was a unique talent, to understate things. Anyone could see that in her long list of accomplishments.
But we are not just our catalogs of retail products. She was a force of nature, a light in the darkness.
This is an unimaginable sadness.
My heart breaks at the news of the closing of Koriente, the Korean diner on 7th Street here in #atx. I loved their food and my wife and I had our first date there.
Casual Asian restaurant in downtown Austin closes after 21 years
Longtime Asian-inspired restaurant Koriente has closed, according to a message on its website. Besides losing a trustworthy local option downtown, locals are saying goodbye a stronghold against corpor...
austin.culturemap.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:10 AM
My heart breaks at the news of the closing of Koriente, the Korean diner on 7th Street here in #atx. I loved their food and my wife and I had our first date there.
🎵 It's a Starbucks strike for me,
Start drinking locally,
Think where you get your tea.
It's a Starbucks strike. 🎵
(Roughly to the tune of "Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie")
Start drinking locally,
Think where you get your tea.
It's a Starbucks strike. 🎵
(Roughly to the tune of "Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie")
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
November 13, 2025 at 1:04 PM
🎵 It's a Starbucks strike for me,
Start drinking locally,
Think where you get your tea.
It's a Starbucks strike. 🎵
(Roughly to the tune of "Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie")
Start drinking locally,
Think where you get your tea.
It's a Starbucks strike. 🎵
(Roughly to the tune of "Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie")
All set up for cup and shirt sales at the Violet Crown Oktober(ish)fest here in Austin's Brentwood/Crestview neighborhoods. Details at VioletCrownCommunity.org.
November 8, 2025 at 5:27 PM
All set up for cup and shirt sales at the Violet Crown Oktober(ish)fest here in Austin's Brentwood/Crestview neighborhoods. Details at VioletCrownCommunity.org.
Need funding to make "Sub Pop Demon Hunters", where the surviving members of Soundgarden and Nirvana join up with The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, The Postal Service, and Iron and Wine to save the Pacific Northwest from doom using the power of music and flannel.
November 7, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Need funding to make "Sub Pop Demon Hunters", where the surviving members of Soundgarden and Nirvana join up with The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, The Postal Service, and Iron and Wine to save the Pacific Northwest from doom using the power of music and flannel.
What an amazing Lego-made homage to something I'm happy to have helped shared with the world, Roku City. Thanks jtsandman45!
I Built ROKU CITY Out of LEGO...
YouTube video by jtsandman45
youtu.be
November 5, 2025 at 9:19 PM
What an amazing Lego-made homage to something I'm happy to have helped shared with the world, Roku City. Thanks jtsandman45!
Big congrats to my home state! Let's keep the momentum for 2026!
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.
The two Dem challengers, Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard, have ousted two GOP Republican commissioners on the state's utility commission.
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Big congrats to my home state! Let's keep the momentum for 2026!
Reposted by Ben Combee
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
👉 tr.ee/GCNSaR
November 4, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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
👉 tr.ee/GCNSaR
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
November 3, 2025 at 4:41 PM
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.
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.
November 3, 2025 at 3:36 AM
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.
Feels nice to be wearing a Pebble watch again. Thanks @ericmigi.com and @repebble.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Feels nice to be wearing a Pebble watch again. Thanks @ericmigi.com and @repebble.com
Reposted by Ben Combee
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.
October 24, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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.
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
October 26, 2025 at 5:59 PM
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....
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.
October 23, 2025 at 3:44 PM
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.
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
October 18, 2025 at 8:49 PM
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
October 15, 2025 at 12:40 PM
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.
Reposted by Ben Combee
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
October 8, 2025 at 5:08 AM
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
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.
October 13, 2025 at 7:04 AM
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.
I hope the B-52's are getting paid for this terrible cover that plays over and over on the TV at my hotel
October 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I hope the B-52's are getting paid for this terrible cover that plays over and over on the TV at my hotel
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.
October 9, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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.
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
October 8, 2025 at 5:08 AM
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
Reposted by Ben Combee
These people are evil. Never stop saying so. Don’t be intimidated into shutting up.
October 8, 2025 at 2:22 AM
These people are evil. Never stop saying so. Don’t be intimidated into shutting up.
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!
October 7, 2025 at 1:34 AM
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!
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
October 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
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!