Recently I wanted to set up 2 new Home Assistant instances, and I installed the same add-ons I am using for my "main" instance. They are tested and I have automations built with them; one being the Signal Add-on.
Oracle Wallets for credential storage
Posted on Sunday, 6th of February 2022 • security • permanent link •Read time: 6 minutesIf you're developing for the web (or something else) and you need to connect to an Oracle database, such as an Oracle Autonomous Database that comes for free with oracle cloud free tier, you may run to the typical problem of storing db connection credentials in configuration files and scripts. Nevertheless, Oracle has, since ages, a functionality called Oracle Wallet that can help you manage these connections more securely. Keep in mind that Oracle migrates away from Wallets, but my understanding is that this is a response to usability concerns, as the security standard is not maintained in the new set-up.
Asking my home to play music
Posted on Saturday, 12th of June 2021 • personal • permanent link •Read time: 7 minutesDon't you love open source and the capabilities it provides? My constant tinkering of my home automation has no end! The latest improvement is asking the system to play my favorite music. And I remembered that the advanced capabilities of using Rhasspy with Home Assistant with as little code as possible is not clear to everybody. So here is an explanation of how this works, and how I leveraged these capabilities to satisfy my music needs.
Reviving a broken laptop
Posted on Monday, 31st of May 2021 • personal • permanent link •Read time: 4 minutesWhat do you do when your laptop breaks? If you're like me, you try to find a way to give it a second life. You either replace the broken parts, or, some times, you just imagine other ways to repurpose the laptop.