When looking to secure your house, you should use a “defense in depth” strategy of which an alarm can be part of it but I don’t think you should solely count on an alarm to keep you safe. Many crooks can kick in your front door, get in, go through your bedroom, and be out in five minutes well before anyone can get there and do anything.

So it could help, but only as one part of a multi-pronged strategy.

An alarm that makes noise (but doesn’t necessarily call the cops) can help if someone breaks in and you are home (which, IMO, is the best argument for it) or even to encourage them to get in and out quickly as they know they’ve called attention to themselves.

You want to do several things that will deter a burglar so most just decide that your house is not worth the effort. This is no guarantee (as there are some stupid but opportunistic criminals out there) but for example:

• not having hedges that hide entry points to your house
• getting a dog that barks
• not establishing routines that say “I’m not home” (like, for example, your garage door is always open when you are home but only shut when you leave)
• don’t leave boxes out front that had expensive things, etc…
• Make sure your house is well lit
• Lights on a timer when you are away
• Security Cameras or even fake alarm signs
• Don’t leave your garage door open unattended
• Don’t leave valuables in your car
• Good locks and a strong doorframe

None of these things will stop a burglar, but a combination of things may make them think that your neighbor is a better target. And, regardless, have good insurance.

If someone does break in, don’t keep valuables in your bedroom/main closet or bath as that is the room most likely to get tossed. Have a safe in an obscure place that bolted down (like under the sink in a bathroom), or maybe have something a little valuable out in the open so they grab that and run.

In the U.S. this has changed a bit over the years. I believe, based on watching Mad Men, that it used to be super common for people to drink and have alcohol at work, let alone at lunch. A friend of my dad used to take his Playboy subscription at work because he didn’t want it to be available to his kids. Try that these days!

In the 90s, I worked at a job were it wasn’t uncommon to have a drink with lunch, especially when we were out with our Managing Director.

In the 2000s it was essentially something you’d get fired for.

Now? My current job (IT in the aviation industry) wouldn’t allow it but there are apparently a lot of start ups that bring beer around to people’s desks on Friday afternoons.

First, I agree with your comment about the room. It’s the most important part of how good a system sounds, neck and neck with speakers.

Second, while I don’t have a wide variety of experience with studio gear or a variety of audiophile speakers I can say this: I have been a Magnepan guy for decades and currently have the 1.7i’s. But I recently got some Yamaha HS7s for my computer and I have really been enjoying them.

Maggies are legendary for how well they reproduce female vocals (and they deserve that reputation) but I was listening to Cowboy Junkies this morning and just really enjoyed how Margo Timmins voice sounded as well as the imaging (and they aren’t set up really well for imaging given I have three monitors on my desk).

So, yeah, try studio monitors if you are looking for powered speakers.

Have you tried filtering the home page? I’m very new to Lemmy so my advice may not be the best, but on the home page (I’m’ using lemmyusa), there is a “Location” option and I changed it from “All” to “Subscriptions”. This way I only get the sub communities I’ve subscribed to.

I have not found a way to hide a sub community (i.e. hide “politics” or something) from the main feed.

If someone with more experience with Lemmy can sherd some additional advice for focusing content I would appreciate it!