Now (May 2025 edition)

This page shows what I’m doing currently, if you have your own website, you should make your own too.

Python Discord

Our DevOps team has lately become dormant again. Our infrastructure is very functional these days, there are few things that need to change to keep it running. As such, most of our work these days is focussed on maintenance and replying to any support questions that come from our talented pool of helpers.

A project I recently implemented in large part was our numbers station, which was primarily an exercise in audio processing. While I’m still preparing the changes for the review, the components used for it so far are:

• Icecast acts as the streaming server, fronted by nginx.
• VLC plays files placed in a directory to a virtual output.
• ffmpeg takes audio from that virtual output and adds noise to it for the authentic shortwave station feeling.
• A systemd timer regularly plays any audio files placed in a directory.
• Another systemd timer converts text files in a directory into audio played by the previous cronjob. This allows server users to have custom texts spoken out on air.

You may listen in at https://pydis.wtf/numbers. This also works via media players such as vlc, mpv, if you’re feeling adventerous, you might even build a player with ffmpeg.

Overall this was a lot of fun to build. I learnt about ffmpeg audio processing, configuration and deployment of Icecast, and covert spy information channels, something I hope to use on my upcoming visit to Canada.

Owl Corp

At Owl Corp, we are working on a new e-mail server. So far we are still implementing the e-mail authentication protocols, though. Watch this space.

Programming

I don’t have much time for programming these days - in my free time, I am primarily playing with electricity. My most recent project was hooking up an electric chair for a halloween project. Turns out that pacemakers don’t work well with external voltages. This was a bit hard to explain to the police, but thankfully I have indemnity insurance.

^{Updated May 8th, 2025, from the rubber room. The rubber room with rats.}