Recently I set up a private and self-hosted exercise tracker, like Strava but without sharing my data with them and their 700 advertising partners.

OpenTracks is a sport tracking application that completely respects your privacy, and it’s so private, that it doesn’t even request Internet permissions, and can’t upload to your Google Drive either.

FitTrackee is a simple self-hosted, web-based, workout/activity tracker.

OpenTracks can export activity records to a file, and FitTrackee can import them, but how can we automatically get the record from one to the other? This post is about doing that with Tasker.

Task

Tasker is a total automation app for Android and here I’ll share the task I wrote to solve this problem. It watches a folder for the activity record, then uploads it over HTTPS.

First, set OpenTracks to export a track to storage after recording is finished. For where, use a folder named Opentracks/ on the root of the filesystem.

Then, import this profile and task.

Then:

1. Change the URL to that of your FitTrackee instance in 3 places.
2. Change the login email and password to that of your FitTrackee user.
3. If needed, change the folder the profile watches.

Finally, try recording an activity with OpenTracks and opening FitTrackee.

EDHM+UI is a tool that lets you change the colors and lighting of the HUD in Elite: Dangerous. Does it work on Linux? Yes!

tl;dr: Install EDHM+UI in its own WINE prefix, then point it at your E:D install.

Long version:

1. Download the EDHM+UI installer (EDHM_UI_Setup.msi) from GitHub.
2. Choose a name for a new WINE prefix: export WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.wine_edhmui"
3. Initialize the prefix with: wine wineboot
4. Install .NET to the prefix: winetricks dotnet48. This will take you through a couple installers. Just continue through any warnings the installers show.
5. Make sure the Windows version is set to one supported by EDHM+UI: winetricks win10
6. Install EDHM+UI to the prefix (replace with the path to the .msi if it is not in the current folder): wine msiexec /i ./EDHM_UI_Setup.msi
7. (Optional) Download an icon for a shortcut: wget https://bluemystical.github.io/edhm-api/assets/img/logo.png -O "${WINEPREFIX}/logo.png"
8. Set up a .desktop file to put EDHM in your menu. Create ~/.local/share/applications/edhm-ui.desktop with a text editor and put the following in. Replace NAME with your username.

[Desktop Entry]
Name=EDHM UI
Comment=E:D HUD Mod UI
Exec=env WINEDEBUG="-all" WINEPREFIX="/home/NAME/.wine_edhmui" "/home/NAME/.wine_edhmui/drive_c/users/NAME/AppData/Local/EDHM_UI/EDHM_UI_mk2.exe"
Icon=/home/NAME/.wine_edhmui/logo.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Game

8. Start EDHM+UI. Point it at your Elite Dangerous install(s). In the following picture it references my Steam install. You can likely find your install with: find ~ -name elite-dangerous-odyssey-64, but be sure to use the Windows-style path like I do, usually under Z:\. To make the box editable/browsable, CTRL+LEFT-CLICK the pi (π) symbol first.
9. You can then use EDHM+UI like on Windows. Select a premade theme, tweak it, add third-party plugins, and apply it. And just like Windows, you can use a hotkey (F11 by default) to reload a changed theme while the game is running.

Note: I was getting frequent crashes from EDHM UI, but I was still able to apply a theme and add a third-party plugin.

References:

1. EDHM+UI Discord MrVaad
2. EDHM+UI Discord Thorned Rose
3. GitHub issue

Tested versions:

• Arch Linux as of 2024-02-19
• wine 9.2-1
• winetricks 20240105-1
• EDHM+UI v2.2.19

The following steps make a couple assumptions:

0. You are running Linux and using systemd
1. The ludusavi command is available at /usr/bin/ludusavi, which it is at least for the Arch Linux AUR package. You may need to adjust it when using another distribution or package.
2. The timer is set to run daily, or 5-10 minutes after boot. You can adjust it if you want.

Steps

1. Set Ludusavi up in the GUI as you wish. Test with the Preview and Back Up buttons. 2. Create a service with systemctl edit --user --force --full ludusavi-backup.service and put the following text in it:

[Unit]
Description=Back up game saves
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/ludusavi backup --force

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

3. Create a timer with systemctl edit --user --force --full ludusavi-backup.timer and put the following text in it:

[Unit]
Description=Back up game saves
RefuseManualStart=no
RefuseManualStop=no

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
RandomizedDelaySec=5min
OnBootSec=5min

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

4. Enable the timer and run the backup with: systemctl --user enable --now ludusavi-backup.timer

Other Commands

• List timers: systemctl --user list-timers --all
• Run a backup manually: systemctl --user start ludusavi-backup.service
• Check logs: journalctl --user -u ludusavi-backup.service

Solution

The solution I came up with is, instead of using the Tailscale-provided polkit configuration, create /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/99-tailscaled-dns.rules with the following content:

polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
    if (action.id.startsWith("org.freedesktop.resolve1.") &&
        subject.user == "tailscaled")
    {
        return polkit.Result.YES;
    }
});

Then restart it with sudo systemctl restart polkit.service .

I have filed #9344 and hope the official documentation will be updated soon, as Ubuntu 23.10 and later have finally updated polkitd.

Step 1: Make your mod playset as usual

In the Paradox launcher (or Irony if you already use it), set up your mods in a playset as usual, and test them out ingame. This is the most important step, because once we’re done, it will be difficult to change.

Each mod should list its recommended load order in its description, but if you need tips for setting a load order, the wiki has guidelines here.

Step 2: Get Irony Mod Manager

Download and install Irony. Instructions are on the linked page.

Step 3: Create a merged mod

Import your playset

Open up Irony Mod Manager.

If you are an Irony user already, then select your collection.

Otherwise, for Paradox launcher users, make sure your desired playset is selected in the Paradox launcher, then close it.

Then in Irony, import from the launcher: In the top middle, click the three-dot menu next to Import, and select Import From Paradox Launcher.

Merge your playset

Click Merge in the top right, then select Basic. Irony will create one local megamod containing the files from all mods in your playset.

Aside: Merge Compress If you will not be uploading this merged mod, then you can select Compress instead. The game usually loads compressed mods faster, but this will create a compressed local copy of every mod in the playset. More info can be found in the Irony documentation.

Aside: Resolving Conflicts I do not recommend resolving mod conflicts in Irony unless you are an experienced modder. A conflict is not necessarily a bug, and properly resolving conflicts requires in-depth knowledge of modding Stellaris and of the mods that are conflicting. There’s no point in clicking Resolve without thought. The easier way to resolve conflicts is by not using conflicting mods, or by setting your load order properly.

Tada!

Back in the Paradox launcher, you may now select your merged mod in your playset like any other mod. It will be named the same as your existing playset with (Merged) prepended. I recommend adding it to a new playset by itself and naming the playset after the current game version.

Step 4: Upload to Steam (optional - for multiplayer games)

1. Upload your merged mod to Steam. More info on the Stellaris WIki. .
2. Change the visibility on your mod to unlisted/friends only.
3. Give your friends the link and have them subscribe.
4. Make a playset containing only your own local copy of the merged mod. Your friends should make a playset containing only the Steam Workshop upload.
5. Congrats, the checksum will never change!

Aside: Don’t subscribe to your own mod on the workshop! (from the Stellaris Modding Den): If your mod doesn’t seem to be having any effect, this is often caused by a common beginner mistake: subscribing on the workshop to a mod you have in your local files. This will cause the game to ignore the workshop version, and only the local version will work. Avoid subscribing to your own mod - if the version you uploaded works, the workshop version will work. Alternatively, if you must test it, change the name of your local mod in the descriptor file. This will allow you to subscribe to the workshop version separately.

Step 5: Revert to a previous version (optional - after the game updates)

Paradox provides the ability to revert to many previous game versions via the Steam Beta menu. After a new game version releases, if you want to go back and use the merged mod you created, this is where you go back to the game version it worked with.

Requirements

• Python 3
• Ideally dnspython >= 2.2.0 (so, Ubuntu 22.04’s python3-dnspython package will not work. Use pip or a python docker image). Earlier versions will work without setting id=0.
• requests for testing

One-liner

Change example.com:

DOMAIN="example.com" python3 -c "import os, dns.message, requests, base64; req = dns.message.make_query(os.environ['DOMAIN'], 'A', id=0).to_wire(); print(base64.urlsafe_b64encode(req).decode('utf-8').rstrip('='))"

Script

Set DOMAIN environment variable before running:

import os
import dns.message
import requests
import base64

req_raw = dns.message.make_query(os.environ['DOMAIN'], 'A', id=0).to_wire()
req_str = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(req_raw).decode('utf-8').rstrip('=')
print("Query path and encoded string to use with a GET request to a DNS-over-HTTPS server:")
print("/dns-query?dns=" + req_str)
print("\nTesting query with Cloudflare...")
resp = requests.get("https://cloudflare-dns.com/dns-query?dns=" + req_str)
resp.raise_for_status()
msg = dns.message.from_wire(resp.content)
print("DNS response:")
print(msg)

Example output

$ DOMAIN=example.com python3 ./doh.py
Query path and encoded string to use with a GET request to a DNS-over-HTTPS server:
/dns-query?dns=AAABAAABAAAAAAAAB2V4YW1wbGUDY29tAAABAAE

Testing query with Cloudflare...
DNS response:
id 0
opcode QUERY
rcode NOERROR
flags QR RD RA
;QUESTION
example.com. IN A
;ANSWER
example.com. 82324 IN A 93.184.216.34
;AUTHORITY
;ADDITIONAL

References

https://github.com/dohwg/draft-ietf-doh-dns-over-https/issues/30#issuecomment-345850479

https://developers.cloudflare.com/1.1.1.1/encryption/dns-over-https/make-api-requests/dns-wireformat/

https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc8484#section-4.1

The following macro will:

• Make every summoner summon small on your screen (this is a client-side setting)
• Keep limited party effects (bubbles, etc)
• Turn off effects outside your party
• Also turn down sound effects

Add this macro and the second one to a bar if you want to toggle back and forth.

THAL’S BALLS, MAN, I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING macro:

    /micon "shut eyes" emote
    /bfx party simple
    /bfx other off
    /petsize all small
    /soundeffectsparty 50
    /soundeffectsother 20

Use the following to turn it all back up:

ON SECOND THOUGHT I WANT TO GO BLIND macro:

    /micon "Examine Self" emote
    /bfx party all
    /bfx other all
    /petsize all large
    /soundeffectsparty 100
    /soundeffectsother 100

Command reference:

• /petsize
• /bfx

This example is for the Zabbix Web interface version 6.0, which is the supported LTS version as of August 2023. Later versions have additional options.

For the associated 6.0 documentation see here and for the current manual see here.

Note that an LDAP user must exist in Zabbix Web as well, however its Zabbix password will not be used. When creating the user in Zabbix, the user should also be added to your desired Zabbix roles/groups.

Configure LDAP Settings

• Log in to the web interface as an admin
• Navigate to Administration > Authentication > LDAP Settings

Here’s a picture, see below for details:

Enable LDAP authentication

Checked

LDAP host

URI of your LLDAP host. Example: ldap://ldap.example.com:3890 or ldaps://ldap.example.com:6360 for TLS.

Port

Not used when using a full LDAP URI as above, but feel free to put 3890 or 6360 for TLS.

Base DN

Your LLDAP_LDAP_BASE. Example: dc=example,dc=com

Search attribute

uid

Case-sensitive login

Checked

Bind DN

uid=admin,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com

Alternately, it is recommended that you create a separate user account (e.g, bind_user) instead of admin for sharing Bind credentials with other services. The bind_user should be a member of the lldap_strict_readonly group to limit access to your LDAP configuration in LLDAP.

Bind password

Password for the above bind DN user.

Test authentication

The test authentication Login and User password must be used to check the connection and whether an LDAP user can be successfully authenticated. Zabbix will not activate LDAP authentication if it is unable to authenticate the test user.

Enable LDAP in Zabbix Web

• Navigate to Administration > Authentication > Authentication (the first tab)
• Set “Default authentication” to “LDAP”
• Click “Update”

Not affiliated with Li-Yong Rui, PowerPlay, nor any player minor factions. Still secretly controlling a galaxy near you.

Bounty Hunting Spot Finder

Find RES/CNB near you, dynamically updated as the galaxy changes.

https://siriuscorp.cc/bounty/

Ship Anatomy (Rehost)

Rehost of Anton Natarov’s interactive ship anatomy tool.

https://siriuscorp.cc/edsa/

Guides

Various guides on mining, Robigo, etc.

https://siriuscorp.cc/guides/

Community Goal Progress Graphs

https://siriuscorp.cc/goal/

Space Conflict Zone / War Finder

https://siriuscorp.cc/conflict/

Cybrxkhan’s Assortment of Namelists for Stellaris

DESCRIPTION

The Primes are a xenophobic, aggressively expansionist alien species originating in the Dyson Alpha system. … The race is extremely xenophobic, to the point that individual immotiles view the very existence of other independent life forms as a threat to their continued existence. … This xenophobia is so extreme that the Prime exterminated all mobile life on their home world, lest it ever become a threat, and upon gaining nuclear technology immediately and unhesitatingly used it against each other, stopping only when the damage to their world became so extreme that it threatened the survival of the remaining immotiles. Upon contact with humans, the immotile collective known as MorningLightMountain immediately deployed wormhole technology to eliminate every other immotile, leaving it and its offspring as the only representative of its race on the homeworld. It then proceeded to immediately turn all its forces against humanity, as the very possibility of not destroying them was beyond its comprehension.

Picture

Code (3.8.4)

"Prime Collective"={
        key="Prime Collective"
        ship_prefix={
                key="ISS"
        }
        species={
                class="LITHOID"
                portrait="lith8"
                species_name={
                        key="Prime"
                        literal=yes
                }
                species_plural={
                        key="Primes"
                        literal=yes
                }
                species_adjective={
                        key="Prime"
                        literal=yes
                }
                species_bio="The Primes are a xenophobic, aggressively expansionist alien species originating in the Dyson Alpha system. ... The race is extremely xenophobic, to the point that individual immotiles view the very existence of other independent life forms as a threat to their continued existence. ... This xenophobia is so extreme that the Prime exterminated all mobile life on their home world, lest it ever become a threat, and upon gaining nuclear technology immediately and unhesitatingly used it against each other, stopping only when the damage to their world became so extreme that it threatened the survival of the remaining immotiles."
                name_list="cybrxkhan_abstract_3"
                gender=indeterminable
                trait="trait_lithoid"
                trait="trait_hive_mind"
                trait="trait_survivor"
                trait="trait_industrious"
                trait="trait_natural_physicists"
                trait="trait_strong"
                trait="trait_repugnant"
        }
        name={
                key="Prime Collective"
                literal=yes
        }
        adjective={
                key="%ADJ%"
                variables={
                        {
                                key="adjective"
                                value={
                                        key="Primes"
                                        literal=yes
                                }
                        }

                }
        }
        authority="auth_hive_mind"
        government="gov_devouring_swarm"
        planet_name={
                key="Dyson Alpha Arche"
                literal=yes
        }
        planet_class="pc_tropical"
        system_name={
                key="Dyson Pair"
                literal=yes
        }
        initializer="custom_starting_init_03"
        graphical_culture="arthropoid_01"
        city_graphical_culture="arthropoid_01"
        empire_flag={
                icon={
                        category="lithoid"
                        file="lithoid_12.dds"
                }
                background={
                        category="backgrounds"
                        file="inverted_v.dds"
                }
                colors={
                        "red_orange"
                        "yellow"
                        "black"
                        "null"
                }
        }
        ruler={
                gender=indeterminable
                name={
                        full_names={
                                key="MorningLightMountain"
                                literal=yes
                        }
                }
                portrait="lith8"
                texture=1
                attachment=0
                clothes=0
                ruler_title={
                        key="Immotile"
                        literal=yes
                }
                trait="trait_ruler_warlike"
                leader_class="general"
        }
        spawn_as_fallen=no
        ignore_portrait_duplication=no
        room="lithoid_room"
        spawn_enabled=always
        ethic="ethic_gestalt_consciousness"
        civics={
                "civic_hive_devouring_swarm"
                "civic_hive_natural_neural_network"
        }
        origin="origin_post_apocalyptic"
}

Elite: Dangerous Star Names

Add tons of star names from Elite: Dangerous to your next galaxy.

Steam

Combined Repeatable Techs

Combines several pairs of vanilla repeatable technologies in to one, and halves their effect.

Steam

Hive Namelists Restored

Re-adds the Hive 1 and 2 namelists from Stellaris 3.6: Autonomous Drone, Motile Organ, etc.

Steam

Lemonade Names

Are you a determined exterminator born from robots sent to a landfill, populating the worst planets in the galaxy? This is the name list for you!

Steam

trigger planet_size = trigger:planet_size

Find the biggest barren planet within your borders

Useful to decide what to use Azaryn’s power on. If you want to find more, change the number in position = 0.

effect ordered_planet_within_border = { limit = { planet_size > 25 is_planet_class = pc_barren NOT = { has_modifier = "terraforming_candidate" } } position = 0 order_by = trigger:planet_size inverse = no set_variable = { which = Size_Of_Planet value = trigger:planet_size } custom_tooltip = "[This.GetName] is an Azaryn candidate, in system [This.System.GetName]" } }

Find hidden presapients in your empire

You may see the notification for Unspent Trait Points but be unable to find the species on your empire screen, nor on your species screen, nor on any of your colonies. This is because presapients on planets within your borders spawn the notification even if you do not have the body colonized, and they can even spawn on barren planets which hides the Population tab entirely.

Use this to find them (it is two lines - just paste in to the console):

effect space_owner = { every_planet_within_border = { limit = { is_colony = no } every_owned_species = { limit = { is_archetype = PRESAPIENT } custom_tooltip = "in system [Prev.System.GetName]
" } } }

Choose L-Cluster outcome

Do this any time before actually opening the cluster.

First, check which it is (source: Stellaris Wiki):

effect switch = { trigger = has_global_flag
  gray_goo_crisis_set   = { custom_tooltip = "Gray Tempest"}
  dragon_season     = { custom_tooltip = "L-Drake" }
  gray_goo_empire_set   = { custom_tooltip = "Dessanu Consonance" }
  default               = { custom_tooltip = "Gray" }
}

Next, choose a different one:

Gray Tempest:

effect remove_global_flag = dragon_season remove_global_flag = gray_goo_empire_set set_global_flag = gray_goo_crisis_set

L-Drake:

effect set_global_flag = dragon_season remove_global_flag = gray_goo_empire_set remove_global_flag = gray_goo_crisis_set

Dessanu:

effect remove_global_flag = dragon_season set_global_flag = gray_goo_empire_set remove_global_flag = gray_goo_crisis_set

Gray chance:

effect remove_global_flag = dragon_season remove_global_flag = gray_goo_empire_set remove_global_flag = gray_goo_crisis_set

Spawn G-type star if the system is missing a star

Click something in the system first. If the system is completely empty, then fly a ship there first and click it.

effect solar_system =  { spawn_planet = { class = "star"  size = { min = 25 max = 30 }  orbit_distance = 0   orbit_angle = 1 init_effect = { change_pc = pc_g_star set_name = "Perfectly Normal Star" }  }  }

Set dominant species to your most populous sentient species

Bug report here.

effect owner = { ordered_owned_species = { limit = { is_same_species = root.owner_main_species can_think = yes is_sapient = yes } order_by = trigger:count_species_pop position = 0 save_global_event_target_as = species_to_change } }  owner = { change_dominant_species = { species = event_target:species_to_change change_all = yes } }

Allow construction of fallen empire Sky Dome building

effect owner = { change_variable = { which = skydome_build_count value = 1 } }

Spawn random new system in the rimward direction

Target something in the system you want it to be near first.

effect solar_system = { spawn_system = { min_distance = 1 max_distance = 10 max_jumps = 0 initializer = random direction = rimwards } }

Add regular terraforming candidate modifier to targeted planet

effect add_modifier = { modifier = "terraforming_candidate" days = -1 }

Un-stick stuck archaeology dig site

Symptom: Scientist assigned, but it’s stuck at 90 days. Open the site and:

effect archaeological_site = { set_site_progress_locked = no }