I mostly use `gzip -d image.gz | dd of=/dev/sda bs=1M oflag=direct status=progress` to write a compressed disk image to a slow USB stick with progress bar and n

I mostly use `gzip -d image.gz | dd of=/dev/sda bs=1M oflag=direct status=progress` to write a compressed disk image to a slow USB stick with progress bar and no disk caching. This avoids the lengthy wait at the end of a typical `cp` for the sync before unplug.