• Activity
  • Votes
  • Comments
  • New
  • All activity
    1. I've changed my username (again)! 0d_billie => h3x

      It transpires that after the first time changing my username, I didn't learn my lesson about using a possible deadname in an online identity. Well, I changed my name in real life for the second...

      It transpires that after the first time changing my username, I didn't learn my lesson about using a possible deadname in an online identity. Well, I changed my name in real life for the second time earlier this year, and now /u/deimos has helpfully changed it for me here. When I was at Uni, my friends and I had a long conversation about what our Matrix-style hacker names would be. I picked Hex back then, and it feels fitting to bring it back in some form now. So with that in mind: Howdy, I'm h3x :)

      If you were a character in the Matrix, what would your super cool hacker name be?

      21 votes
    2. Tildes Book Club - The Poisoners Handbook by Deborah Blum - How is it going?

      Our discussion at the end of October will cover The Poisoners Handbook. Are you making progress? I found this nonfiction discussion of the New York City coroners office and the early days of...

      Our discussion at the end of October will cover The Poisoners Handbook. Are you making progress?

      I found this nonfiction discussion of the New York City coroners office and the early days of effective forensic toxicology to be a real page turner. I started on the first and I finished it last week. I'm looking forward to our discussion, later this month.

      13 votes
    3. What programming/technical projects have you been working on?

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's...

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's interesting about it? Are you having trouble with anything?

      6 votes
    4. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

      Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

      10 votes
    5. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

      Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

      8 votes
    6. Recommendations for a Linux based job/ticket management system

      Hi all! I'm someone who has ADHD/Autism spectrum issues and am dealing with problems related to executive function. To the point, I'm asking for help with a specific idea of better managing...

      Hi all! I'm someone who has ADHD/Autism spectrum issues and am dealing with problems related to executive function. To the point, I'm asking for help with a specific idea of better managing getting things done.

      What I'd like is a job tracker / ticket management system that would make it easy for me to keep track of all the different individual to-do items (I.E. jobs / tickets) that I have, keep notes on what I've already done, and have a separate notes section for 'this is what still needs to be done on this item'.

      Currently I have this information kind of scattered through different areas / folders. Calendar, work documentation folders, personal notes, etc...

      Needs:

      1. Free (open source is nice but not explicitly required). I don't want to add another expense to my balance sheet.
      2. Is user-friendly enough to save me more effort than it costs. I am a long-time tech so the bar on this one is reasonably low.
      3. A GUI. If there are CLI / command line interface programs that would not be convenient for me, I work much more efficiently when I work visually. If I need to install by CLI that's not a problem, just the daily use of the program should be graphical and not command-line text.
      4. (EDITED IN): Locally installed. I want to stay away from adding more company-hosted services which can change / become paid only / otherwise easily undergo Enshittification. If it is locally installed software, I can always decline to update or install a new version.

      Nice to haves:

      1. A tracker that gives datestamps for when I put in more information so I can easily know when I last picked up that task.
      2. A priority system so I can have it automatically sort to top for stuff that needs doing sooner vs long-term projects.
      3. Some kind of 'tagging' system which would allow me to tag things like 'personal' or 'work' or 'parts orders' which I could then use a search or sort function to look at only items tagged that way.

      My main desktop is Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon in case anyone needs that detail. That is the computer I want to install the ticketing system on.

      I've done some searching so far but I'm hoping that by laying out exactly what I'm trying to do with it someone here will have specific advice. My search results so far have found people recommending projects for others who have different use-cases or needs than me.

      17 votes
    7. How do I convince my workplace we need SQL databases?

      I work for a GIS company and our tools have not grown with our projects and client base. We use ArcPro personal geo databases (GDBs) for ALL data. We recently had a project where shit really hit...

      I work for a GIS company and our tools have not grown with our projects and client base. We use ArcPro personal geo databases (GDBs) for ALL data. We recently had a project where shit really hit the fan, one major issue was related to invalid values from poor version control. Everything uses personal GDBs and is just "version controlled" by dating filenames in Explorer. It would have been trivial to fix in a proper database. We also have operational constraints, like we can only have one person doing X job at a time since all the data for X job is in a personal GDB.

      But I'm just an analyst. I've garnered some attention for my technical expertise beyond processing the data. PostGIS is a thing so it isn't as though we'd be recreating the wheel. How can I push for that sort of change? I'm thinking I can sell it using how much we lost on this project because of these avoidable failures. I'm also wondering if I can make this an opportunity to create a "database administrator" position for myself

      29 votes
    8. What happens when the internet goes out at your work?

      Can you pivot to other tasks, or are you dead in the water? What about others? Your team/department? Tell us what its like for those minutes/hours. How often does the internet drop for you (if at...

      Can you pivot to other tasks, or are you dead in the water? What about others? Your team/department? Tell us what its like for those minutes/hours.

      How often does the internet drop for you (if at all)?

      If you don't ever lose internet at work (lucky you!), answer hypothetically about what would happen.

      35 votes
    9. At the end of our ropes

      I’m here to ask the community for help. I know we’re a neurodiverse bunch, so I’ve got good hopes somebody can relate to this. My son is currently 16 and has always struggled with basic tasks....

      I’m here to ask the community for help. I know we’re a neurodiverse bunch, so I’ve got good hopes somebody can relate to this.

      My son is currently 16 and has always struggled with basic tasks. He’s gone through many tests and trainings when he was elementary school, but executive functions remain a challenge. From previous tests, we know he has an IQ of over 145. Back when he was tested, the psychologist advised to change his school curriculum to get him more engaged. This has partially worked: he’s been having more fun at school and has had some really cool academical achievements. But his struggle with basic day to day tasks and school work remains the same, and keeping focus is by far the most problematic part of it.

      With going to middle school came owning a phone and iPad. From day one, these do get his full attention. Me and my son are much alike when it comes to obsessive behavior, so I sometimes feel like I’m looking in the mirror when I see him with his phone. I too can lose myself in a game and binge it in a weekend. But for me, it isn’t 24/7. I can turn it off when it needs to be off. So I’ve always been strict with rules about screen time for him, but these rules have gone out the window in the last 2 years. There has been lying, sneaking and hiding to increase screen time. It has had a negative effect on our family and it’s draining to have to deal with this daily. I think that’s why we’ve somewhat given up on it, it was impossible to keep in check.

      In the past 3 years, he has started to really experience the negative impact of his challenges. We’ve attempted to help him plan his days, to plan his school work, to do chores in the house. But nothing seems to stick and he gets frustrated with himself and it is affecting his mood. In an attempt to find out more about what is causing his difficulties with basic tasks, we’ve asked a psychologist to look into AD(H)D. After an assessment, they’ve now come back with their findings. According to them, it cannot be AD(H)D because he can focus on things he likes (a board game was their example). Their rationale is that people with ADHD cannot focus on any task, even if they like them. They are saying it is his IQ, that he’s too bored to focus on basic tasks. According to them, he should force himself to do menial tasks and that we should be there to enforce this with rules and praise. Like we haven’t tried this already without any results. To say that I’m disappointed and furious about this outcome, is an understatement. It leaves us dead in the water and this makes me feel hopeless.

      I’m hoping to gain some insights by reading your comments. This attempt might point us in a new direction, because I’m fine if it is something entirely different than ADHD. I just really want him to feel better.

      43 votes
    10. Ten years since my last PC build - Help me spec a quiet mATX rig

      My current computer is finally old enough that we need something new. Something nice. Something that doesn't run modded Xcom 2 at sub 15fps. But the long gap in my knowledge has left me wondering...

      My current computer is finally old enough that we need something new. Something nice. Something that doesn't run modded Xcom 2 at sub 15fps. But the long gap in my knowledge has left me wondering in a state where I don't even know enough anymore to make educated decisions on a new PC build.

      Here's what I do know:

      • I want a microATX board
      • I want a quiet and smaller case
      • I want to keep my current Geforce 3060
      • My Budget is roughly 1k, but flexible

      Past that, my knowledge is now pretty much out of date. Is AMD currently better? Is Noctua still a good and quiet fan? How fast does ram really need to be? Are things pretty standard priced, or do I need to wait for Microcenter to have a sale?

      Thanks for your help, appreciate you!

      21 votes