Jeff GeerlingModify

2025-05-07 01:26:28

4x faster network file sync with rclone (vs rsync)

For the past couple years, I have transported my 'working set' of video and project data to and from work on an external Thunderbolt NVMe SSD.

But it's always been slow when I do the sync. In a typical day, I may generate a new project folder with 500-1000 individual files, and dozens of them may be 1-10 GB in size.

The Thunderbolt drive I had was capable of well over 5 GB/sec, and my 10 Gbps network connection is capable of 1 GB/sec. I even upgraded my Thunderbolt drive to Thunderbolt 5 lately... though that was not the bottleneck.

I used the following rsync command to copy files from a network share mounted on my Mac to the drive (which I call "Shuttle"):

rsync -au --progress --stats /Volumes/mercury/* /Volumes/Shuttle/Video_Projects

mercury is so named because it's a fast NVMe-backed NAS volume on my Arm NAS (all my network volumes are named after celestial bodies).

2025-04-25 11:00:09

Trying out a cheap USB VK-172 GPS dongle on a Mac

I've been getting into time, with my most recent project being a DIY PTP Grandmaster Clock with a Raspberry Pi.

For most civilians, the most accurate source of time available comes from satellites—GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, etc.—nowadays referred to as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). Originally targeted at GPS only, even cheap dongles today cover multiple constellations adding to the accuracy and coverage of satellite-based positioning and timing signals.

2025-04-17 21:41:16

The (almost) perfect mini NAS for my mini rack

The GMKtec G9 N150 4-bay NVMe mini PC is $240 and the nearly perfect NAS for my mini rack:

It has an Intel N150 4-core SoC with halfway-decent Intel UHD integrated graphics, 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, dual 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, WiFi 6, and the best part: 4 integrated M.2 NVMe slots.

Granted, splitting up the 9 PCIe Gen 3 lanes limits the performance a bit, but there are some things I love about this design:

2025-04-16 01:00:33

It's easier than ever to de-censor videos

Last month I asked people to hack part of my YouTube video, specifically to de-pixelate the contents of a folder I had pixelated starting at the 4:57 mark.

For years, people have used the censor tool to blur or pixelate out parts of videos where there's sensitive information. And for years, every time I've used it, I get a few comments from people saying that's not a safe way to censor information.

So is that true?

I wanted to find out, so I put a message saying I'd send fifty bucks to anyone who could tell me what it said under the pixelation. And you know what? Less than a day later, three people solved it, using three slightly different techniques—scary!

This blog post is a lightly edited transcript of the following video:

2025-04-10 11:11:15

Raspberry Pi cluster spotted inside $6k audio processor

People often ask me whether Pi clusters are useful besides just tinkering. I've built my fair share, including my most recent 'Lamp Rack' Kubernetes-in-a-Lamp cluster.

Well... I have a definitive answer: the Orban Optimod 5000-series audio processors:

2025-04-09 05:25:32

BPS is a GPS alternative that nobody's heard of

I came to the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show this year with my Dad to learn more about time in broadcast and live production.

I was expecting to learn more about grandmaster clocks, AV sync, timing in protocols like Dante, Livewire, AES67, and more—and I have. But then on the first day here I found this odd little corner of the building with a completely empty booth:

When you see an oscilloscope that costs 3x the value of your car on a trade show floor... well, let's just say my interest was piqued.