Tech-Reader.blog

Solve: Raspberry Pi Desktop Bug—Can’t Change the Wallpaper? Here’s How to Fix It Something strange has crept into recent versions of Raspberry Pi OS. For some users, trying to change the desktop background just… doesn’t work. You pick a new image from the Appearance Settings, click "Set Wallpaper," and nothing happens. No error. No change. No clue. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and it’s not your fault. This issue may be tied to subtle changes in how Raspberry Pi OS handles desktop sessions, especially with the transition to Wayland and updates to the PIXEL/LXDE environment. Fortunately, there are workarounds that work in most cases. Below are two main approaches you can try. Step 1: Try Setting the Wallpaper with pcmanfm Open a terminal and run the following command, replacing the path with the image you want to use:  Bash pcmanfm --set-wallpaper=/home/pi/Pictures/your_image.jpg This bypasses the standard wallpaper setting GUI and goes dir...

Insight:  The Cloud's Command Line—What the AWS CLI Actually Does The Terminal You Already Know If you’ve spent time at a Linux terminal, you already understand the basic pattern: type a command, press Enter, and your computer obeys. Whether you’re listing files, installing packages, or checking system status, you’re giving direct instructions to your operating system. It’s fast, powerful, and deeply connected to the machine beneath your fingertips.  Bash mkdir my-folder This simple Linux command creates a folder in your file system. It sends a system call to the operating system, asking it to allocate space and register the directory locally. Now Imagine That Terminal Talks to the Cloud The AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) looks and feels like a Linux terminal. You type familiar-looking commands, and something happens—but this time, it’s happ...

The LocalStack Stack: Why Python Devs Should Love Layered Sandboxes Modern Python development—especially when it touches cloud services—isn't just about code. It's about control. Control over environments, dependencies, and the endless churn of cloud APIs. And when you’re using LocalStack to emulate AWS locally, that control gets layered. You don’t just have one sandbox. You have a stack of them. Let’s unpack what’s really going on under the hood when you build with Python and LocalStack. Docker Is the Cloud Emulator At the bottom of the stack sits Docker. It’s not running AWS, obviously—but it is running a container that simulates AWS’s services: S3, Lambda, DynamoDB, and more. This container is isolated from your host OS, meaning no surprises from your system config, no accidental interference with real AWS credentials, and a clean slate every time you restart. Docker gives you a simulated cl...

Insight: Using the LocalStack AWS Emulator in Cloud Development What Is LocalStack? LocalStack is a local AWS emulator. It runs on your machine and mimics the behavior of real AWS services—like S3, Lambda, DynamoDB, and API Gateway—so you can build and test cloud-native apps without logging into the actual cloud. It uses the same commands, the same SDKs, and the same tools. You don’t learn a new platform—you just reroute your AWS workflow through a local sandbox. Why Developers Reach for It Working directly in the cloud has tradeoffs: longer feedback loops, riskier deployments, and the constant worry of running up a bill. LocalStack solves that by giving cloud engineers a safe space to iterate. You can test Lambda functions locally, simulate an S3 upload, or check your event-driven logic—without provisioning real resources or worrying about IAM misfires. Let’s say you’re building a serverless app with boto3 and awscli . Instead of pointing at the real AWS endpoint, you route those c...

Build: Installing LocalStack on Debian Linux Introduction: AWS Without the Cloud Imagine spinning up S3, Lambda, and DynamoDB on your laptop without touching AWS or paying a dime. That's the promise of LocalStack—a self-contained emulator for AWS services that runs inside Docker. In this guide, we'll walk through installing LocalStack on a Debian-based system (like Ubuntu or Chromebook Linux) and successfully creating your first S3 bucket, all from the command line. Step 1: Install Docker (System-Wide) LocalStack runs inside Docker, so your first move is to install Docker outside any Python environment. Update and upgrade your system packages:  Bash sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y Install Docker:  Bash sudo apt install docker.io -y Add your user to the Docker group so you can run Docker without sudo:  Bash sudo usermod -aG docker $USER Reboot or restart your Linux session to activate the new group. Step 2: Set Up a Python Virt...

Build: PocketAWS—Build S3 URLs from Anywhere, Instantly PocketAWS is a tiny command-line tool with a simple mission: let you build S3 URLs in seconds — public or presigned — no matter where you're working. You can run it from an EC2 bastion inside AWS. Or you can run it from a Chromebook on your couch. If you have Python 3 and  boto3 , you're good to go. What It Does This script builds: Public S3 URLs (unsigned) Presigned S3 URLs (with optional expiration) It asks a few simple questions, gives you a clean URL, and resets for another run. It doesn't crash on typos or blank inputs — just guides you back in the loop. Installation To install the required AWS SDK ( boto3 ) system-wide:  Bash sudo apt-get install boto3 No virtual environment needed. Sample Run Bash $ python3 pocketaws_s3_url_builder.py -----------...

New Article on Medium: Someday, DDoS Attacks Will Be History The internet today faces constant siege from DDoS attacks — floods of traffic five times bigger and far more frequent than the ones that once stunned the world. But there’s good news, too. A future without these attacks is already quietly being built. Read the new Medium piece: 👉 Medium link Written by Aaron Rose, software engineer and technology writer at Tech-Reader.blog.

Insight: Exploring Network Connections with the Linux ss Command Let's continue our exploration into the world of Linux networking. Today we'll talk about a handy little tool you'll find yourself using quite a bit on your Ubuntu system: the ss command. Think of it as a more modern and often faster replacement for the older  netstat  command. Don't worry if that sounds like jargon – we'll break it down step by step. What Exactly Does ss Do? At its core, the  ss  command is used to display socket statistics. In simpler terms, it shows you information about the network connections your Ubuntu system is making and listening for. This includes TCP connections (the backbone of the internet), UDP connections (often used for things like streaming), and even local UNIX domain sockets (used for communication within your system). Why Should You Care? As you become more comfortable with Ubuntu, you might find yourself needing to: Check ...

Insight: Diving into Network Connections with the Linux netstat Command Welcome, Ubuntu explorers! As you venture deeper into the world of Linux, you'll discover powerful tools that give you incredible insight into your system. Today, we're going to explore one of these essential utilities: the netstat command. Think of it as your window into the network activity happening on your Ubuntu machine. What Exactly Does netstat Do? At its core,  netstat  (short for network statistics) displays information about network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast1 memberships. In simpler terms, it helps you see: What network connections your computer is currently making or listening for. Which programs are associated with those connections. The status of your network interfaces (like your Wi-Fi or Ethernet card). How network traffic is being routed. While newer tools like  ss  are gradually becoming more ...