By Rian

Gray, a writer.

App to Download YouTube Videos

There are many web-based YouTube downloaders out there, but I thought to share one that is known to work locally. Instead of worrying about which button is the real “download” on the web, I thought why not use a program that runs locally and possibly from more reputable sources. yt-dlp is an open source, command-line…

App to Read X (Twitter) Threads without Logins

I still have an account from Twitter days, I rarely it. X, or formerly Twitter, is simply not my style. While I appreciate some official communications done through X as a backup in rapid response (e.g. service status), I wouldn’t mind it if the same memos were written on Bluesky, or else. In fact, I…

Shopping with Gemini Fixes Broken E-commerce

I’ve been using a counter top oven for all manners of baked goods. The one installed in the wall is a convection microwave which only mimics the function of a standard oven; it’s a story for another time why I stopped using it for baking. Regardless, the counter top oven is significantly smaller than ordinary…

App to Display Subtitles and CC on iOS YouTube PiP

The official YouTube app is mostly hit-and-miss on mobile devices. I can’t speak for all experiences, but on iOS, the YouTube app does not support subtitles or CC on PiP, or picture in picture. I had tried using YouTube Premium for this very purpose, but it was up to no avail. For the records, it…

How to Troubleshoot PS5 Screen Cutting Off Intermittently

Because the issue is primarily based on HDMI and the integration of HDMI on PS5, there doesn’t seem to be a solid answer. So the purpose of the post is in documenting what I found and sharing a fix, though not the most ideal, I used. Perhaps Sony may be able to create a firmware…

Action Button Maybe Dropped on iPhone Fold

Action button replaced the traditional Silent switch in 2023. The idea behind the button is rather opaque. It can be customized as a trigger of any actions, including Shortcuts. It can stay as a Silent switch for those who wish to keep it, or in my case, I use it to call the orientation lock…

HomeKit Update Deadline Draws Near

HomeKit architecture update that is announced in 2022 will now be the only supported version, as the previous version will no longer be supported starting on Feb 10, 2026. There were mixed receptions initially about the update process itself. But having gone through them years ago myself, I can safely say most known issues have…

Skin Deep (2025) Spiel

Back when Hitman (2016) was released, I remember an old friend of mine telling me how the stealth formula in the popular franchise is simply getting too old. The AI of these NPCs never work together. And each iteration did try to amp up AI behavior, but it hasn’t changed so drastically. It did give…

How to Turn off Korean Public Alert on iOS

I’ve seen this question thousands of times. Korean authorities issue too many alerts, and many of them do not require immediate attentions. Amber alert, one which I would prefer to keep on, is quite meaningless in South Korea, as the alert reaches well past the city limit. Just few days ago, I received an Amber…

iPhone Fold, iPadOS, or iFoldOS?

Though I never elaborated it to software level of discussions, one of the immediate questions I had for foldable (book styled) is that it has no media exclusive to the hardware. And it seems that is still the case. As far as I am aware, Android manufacturers and developers on the platform have not worked…

Fear the Timeloop – Prologue Spiel

I prefer not to talk about a game that is not fully released, let alone a demo, but Fear the Timeloop seemed to have positioned itself in a different spot. The reason behind avoiding making a comment on a game before the full release often comes from the common practice amongst the developers not to…

How to Add SSL to qBittorrent on Synology

One of the main reasons why I chose qBittorrent was its web UI. However, if you are using qBittorrent from SynoCommunity, chances are, each and every browsers are raising alarms about lack of secure (https) connection. While the risk is negligible if the web UI is correctly set to be accessible only by local users,…

App to Download BitTorrent on Synology NAS

Synology offers an official version of BitTorrent client, Download Station, but it lacks many features I would consider given in this day and age: a. it would need comprehensive web UI to manage BitTorrent traffic, and b. it would need VPN or proxy support natively. Neither were the case when I gave Download Station a…

App to Add Third-Party Packages on Synology NAS

Synology had a rough year in 2025 with its new policy — now retracted — on HDDs, but it didn’t outright kill the consumer NAS brand. In fact, when I did some research into what could be the possible alternatives to Synology as a platform, there weren’t many that offered community supports and different builds…

App to Create Scroll Screenshot on iOS

I have covered an iOS app with similar features named Tailor, but the app in question hasn’t received any updates recently; iOS 26 seems to have completely broken the app. It is frustrating when an app no longer receives an update, but it happens regardless. Picsew is yet another iOS app offered as a freemium…