chroma's recent activity
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Comment on Software developers are not okay in ~tech
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Comment on Software developers are not okay in ~tech
chroma (edited )Link ParentPersonally I've been thinking about being an indie game developer. It tickles the main reason I got into software in the first place, which is because I found it fun basically, and it tickles the...Personally I've been thinking about being an indie game developer. It tickles the main reason I got into software in the first place, which is because I found it fun basically, and it tickles the creative itch.
That is kind of a moonshot in terms of being a long term career replacement though. So yes, let me know if you or @archevel find something out.
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Comment on The modern tech interview in ~tech
chroma LinkThanks for sharing! I am on the hiring team at my current company, and it was reassuring to see that I hit most of your marks as a passable interviewer haha. Or at least I'd like to think so. To...Thanks for sharing! I am on the hiring team at my current company, and it was reassuring to see that I hit most of your marks as a passable interviewer haha. Or at least I'd like to think so.
To add my 2 cents to this, I also think that the prevalence of LLM-assisted coding has also thrown a big wrench in the interview process. My company still does your typical coding round, then design round (or vice versa), but it took us a while to arrive at a version of this that was actually applicable to how one writes software nowadays. We arrived at a methodology that asks for, in short, pragmatism, critical thinking, and ease of collaboration as the main rubric. We try not to arrive at these by asking "LLM proof" problems, rather by asking very open-ended design questions that force the candidate to define and come up with their own tradeoffs and the like in addition to answering for the design (I often do the design calls and the majority of my questions are just "yes, but what if?"), or by asking coding questions so large in scope that they pretty much require the use of a coding agent, for which we observe proficiency, how well they reason about and curate output, and how well they are able to understand and interrogate the problem being asked in the first place.
That paragraph got long, and it's hard for me to state that in a non-wishy washy way without getting too specific... but it works well for us. The point I'm trying to get at is that it's amusing how many times I've heard positive feedback from candidates after the fact, saying this is the first time they've had to use a coding agent in interviews, or that the design call was really interesting because it actually made them think, or whatever. I interpret that as a sign that many other companies, even in the face of AI mania, aren't doing these kinds of things. Like, what else is there to test for now that hand coding proficiency is basically a commodity?
(We are quite AI-pilled as a company which might influence how we carry out that process. I'm not quite AI-pilled... I think, but I can appreciate how we haven't lost sight of what the bar for an engineer should be.)
Good luck at your new gig!
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Comment on The return of phones with physical keyboards? in ~tech
chroma Link ParentLol the need to type γ£ by itself comes up so infrequently with a romaji keyboard that I... did not know this. I just assumed doubling a consonant was the only way.Lol the need to type γ£ by itself comes up so infrequently with a romaji keyboard that I... did not know this. I just assumed doubling a consonant was the only way.
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Comment on The return of phones with physical keyboards? in ~tech
chroma Link ParentThis is doubly true when typing in Japanese specifically. (You already brought up typing in Chinese/Japanese in a child post but I felt this reply more relevant to this one) On smartphones, you...This is doubly true when typing in Japanese specifically. (You already brought up typing in Chinese/Japanese in a child post but I felt this reply more relevant to this one)
On smartphones, you usually have two options: Romaji (QWERTY, then autocomplete into kana/kanji) or T9. For T9, smartphone screens allow you to flick. T9 + flick is just better. The 1 position gets A-I-U-E-O; tap is A, then clockwise starting left gets you the rest. It is way faster to type kana like this than with a romaji keyboard. It's not even that much slower to do this with one hand. Not to mention the autocomplete that you brought up in your other comment.
I get that most people who buy this aren't going to be typing in Japanese. But I thought I'd give an example of an input method which isn't possible on a physical keyboard, and if one were to switch, they'd be losing out on a lot.
(Also the romaji keyboard is funny. γ₯, pronounced "zu", is typed "du". There are reasons for this, but nevertheless this is amusing to me.)
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Comment on The fine dining flip in ~food
chroma LinkThis is a stretch, but I do wonder if part of this trend, if it is one, is due to the Instagramification and Yelpification of how restaurants promote nowadays. When I was on social media I...This is a stretch, but I do wonder if part of this trend, if it is one, is due to the Instagramification and Yelpification of how restaurants promote nowadays. When I was on social media I distinctly remember being inundated with those "Guys, you're neVERgonnaBElieve this spot I found..." reels promoting random spots the creator happened to find. More accessible price point means it's easier for restaurants to get people through the door, more people willing to walk through the door at a place makes that place more appealing for a creator to promote.
This is all apropos of nothing. Also, on a personal note, my view on restaurant dining rapidly turned into that of a skeptical old curmudgeon after having exposed myself to those types of reels for years. I'll still go to a fine dining place for a big occasion, but nowadays I overwhelmingly prefer the cheap local place that's a few blocks away. Or to cook.
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Comment on Saner macOS keybindings with skhd-zig in ~tech
chroma LinkI might give this a shot again. I may have done something wrong the first time I tried to bind holding caps to hyper using shkd-zig, esc when tapped. Was also potentially juggling too many balls -...I might give this a shot again. I may have done something wrong the first time I tried to bind holding caps to hyper using shkd-zig, esc when tapped.
Was also potentially juggling too many balls - I was trying to switch from Aerospace to Rift as my WM and so tried to bind certain combinations to Rift CLI commands, since at that time I wanted parity with Niri (okay, Hyprscrollr) on my Linux machine. That didn't really work so I went back to Karabiner Elements and Aerospace. Maybe macOS scrolling WMs are just weird.
I do use keyd + Hyprland on the Linux machine just fine though, hence the feeling of wanting to switch to skhd.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
chroma Link ParentNo matter how often you or I might have exercised before, it's easy to take for granted how much good exercise does for your mental health. Keep it up! (And careful not to get back into it too...No matter how often you or I might have exercised before, it's easy to take for granted how much good exercise does for your mental health. Keep it up!
(And careful not to get back into it too fast. I somehow acquired tendinitis from getting back into squatting too quickly. YMMV of course)
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Comment on 1Password wades into a right-wing mess after funding a Linux project in ~tech
chroma Link ParentThanks, I will do this with KeePass or something. (I realized I might as well do encrypted cloud backups for most of my lower volume homelab stuff too. I don't have a backup strategy right now...Thanks, I will do this with KeePass or something.
(I realized I might as well do encrypted cloud backups for most of my lower volume homelab stuff too. I don't have a backup strategy right now because my setup is relatively new and I don't want to shell out an asinine amount for drives in 2026. It for some reason never occurred to me to just rent cloud storage.)
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Comment on 1Password wades into a right-wing mess after funding a Linux project in ~tech
chroma LinkWhy the fuck can't I just use my useful tech in peace without being blindsided by a moral dilemma lol I recently de-Googled, de-Appled, de-everything'd to the extent practical - switching to...Why the fuck can't I just use my useful tech in peace without being blindsided by a moral dilemma lol
I recently de-Googled, de-Appled, de-everything'd to the extent practical - switching to Graphene, self-hosting most cloud solutions (except 1Password... if my homelab goes down I don't want to be SOL). I don't want to support any of this, and so now I know I will be spending my weekend migrating mine and my partner's personal 1P archive to like KeePass or something.
Despite my hobbyist enjoyment of doing stuff like this I am becoming exhausted from having to Make a Choice all the time god damn it.
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Comment on What made that wedding that you attended particularly memorable? in ~life
chroma Link ParentProtestantism is just an umbrella term for Christian denominations that originated during the Protestant Revolution. Lutheranism falls under this umbrella, along with several other denominations....Protestantism is just an umbrella term for Christian denominations that originated during the Protestant Revolution. Lutheranism falls under this umbrella, along with several other denominations. In that specific historical context, it approximately means "not Catholic".
(There are other non-Protestant, non-Roman Catholic denominations like the Eastern Orthodox Church, etc. but that's a whole other thing)
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 launches into Early Access in ~games
chroma (edited )LinkI've been blown away by this game so far. The storytelling (hell, the existence of the story) and how lore is gradually exposed is a really nice touch; reminds me of Hades, which I also love....I've been blown away by this game so far. The storytelling (hell, the existence of the story) and how lore is gradually exposed is a really nice touch; reminds me of Hades, which I also love. Graphics and performance updates are nice to have. Of the OG characters, the deck reworks for Ironclad and Silent I think are in the right direction (I'll write more about this in a spoiler tag). Of the new characters I've only played Regent so far; I'm liking his kit and sound/vfx.
Overall can't wait for full release. I also bought Hades II in early access and had a similarly positive reaction, and was pleased to find that it didn't take away from my experience on full release. Hoping for the same here!
Spoilers
As far as Ironclad and Silent, I think their deck identities are a lot more pleasant and a bit more intuitive to pull off in this game. I've found it quite a bit easier to look at card options during Acts 1 and 2 and, without being familiar with a lot of the new cards yet, gravitate towards a theme that kind of just makes sense. (Though I've played StS 1 a _lot_... so, sorry if I'm just biased here)The new rares on Ironclad especially I've found have made it a bit easier to play around exhaust/"hurt yourself to win" decks. Crimson Mantle in particular is pretty forgiving compared to cards from StS 1, which IIRC mostly involve hurting yourself to do damage (and therefore foregoing block). Stoke feels like a lower risk exhaust card as well compared to things like Fiend Fire and Second Wind.
For Silent, I really like what they did with Sly. Previously unplayable cards from the first game, as far as I've encountered, are all Sly with variable costs now, which, on a similar note as Ironclad, makes it more intuitive to play around those cards and think about building into a discard deck. Flick Flack and Untouchable are already pretty high value even with your starting Survivor, so it's easy to justify taking them along with already good "blank slate" discards like Dagger Throw and Prepared, so it's not hard to wind up with 3-4 discards just from happening to take value cards early.
I've played exactly 2 runs of Regent... on my first hallway fight I could immediately tell he was a burst character, which I think points to good design. My impression of him so far is that he's like Watcher, but if Watcher was better designed lol. In fact I beat A0 on my second run because I had Shining Strike and Unceasing Top by Act 1, randomly got Touch of Insanity in my first Act 3 hallway fight, and just beat the boss with that infinite. (... maybe they might want to patch that one out. I think they've been trying to nerf infinites in this game, and a one card + one potion infinite is a little busted.)
Anyway, about to play a Necrobinder run before I head to bed. Stoked to play this on a 6 hour flight on Wednesday π
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Comment on I donβt know if my software engineering job will still exist in ten years in ~comp
chroma Link ParentReally enjoyed the blog post you linked. Versions of the "maintainer's burden" are beginning to show up at work for me - well, the slop was there before, but it was manageable - and it's getting...Really enjoyed the blog post you linked. Versions of the "maintainer's burden" are beginning to show up at work for me - well, the slop was there before, but it was manageable - and it's getting out of hand. I had a bad day today because I happened to check Slack and saw a message from a coworker who's by all counts guilty of being a slop cannon, and the thought of dealing with his shit tomorrow pissed me off.
... anyway, yeah, cathartic.
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Comment on Communities, relationships, and navigating the enshittification of absolutely everything in ~tech
chroma Link ParentNo worries :) Mostly comes down to wanting to also live near friends and family. My parents are a few hours drive upstate, my partner's parents and her sister only live 20 minutes away from us in...No worries :)
Mostly comes down to wanting to also live near friends and family. My parents are a few hours drive upstate, my partner's parents and her sister only live 20 minutes away from us in either direction. All of our friends are close by too. It would just take a lot of effort, planning, and coordination outside of just ourselves to fathom being able to uproot ourselves. Might be something to do when we're both older though.
I am jealous that you have had the opportunity to move yourself though. Mind if I ask what made it possible for you?
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Early Access trailer in ~games
chroma Link ParentNice. I'm currently working on Ironclad, I think I'm on like A13 or something. His kit is way less intuitive to me than Watcher and Silent, who I've beaten A20 with. I've heard Defect is the...Nice. I'm currently working on Ironclad, I think I'm on like A13 or something. His kit is way less intuitive to me than Watcher and Silent, who I've beaten A20 with. I've heard Defect is the hardest class in general though, so good luck to both of us when we get there.
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Early Access trailer in ~games
chroma Link ParentThanks! Act 3 for now, and then maybe if I don't hate myself enough after beating A20 with everyone I'll try to beat Act 4. High ascension spoilers I've thrown many runs on lower ascensions at The...Thanks! Act 3 for now, and then maybe if I don't hate myself enough after beating A20 with everyone I'll try to beat Act 4.
High ascension spoilers
I've thrown many runs on lower ascensions at The Heart _already_. It usually takes me nearly the amount of time to get through A20 as it takes to get through like A5-A19 just because of the double boss. Turn that into basically quadruple boss with the Spire Shield/Spear and The Heart and feel like I'd lose it pretty quickly lol. -
Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Early Access trailer in ~games
chroma (edited )LinkSpeak of the devil (I was just talking about StS in another topic about another deck builder. I'm 2/4 classes through my attempt to beat Ascension 20 with every class. Time's ticking before the...(I was just talking about StS in another topic about another deck builder. I'm 2/4 classes through my attempt to beat Ascension 20 with every class. Time's ticking before the sequel comes out.)
crawls back into StS 2 waiting room
EDIT: Holy shit they turned the Defect into a chad
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Comment on How open world Soulslike deckbuilder Death Howl was built β The Outer Zone shares the story behind today's PS5 release in ~games
chroma LinkSome of my favorite games are Slay the Spire, Dead Cells, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Fire Emblem, and Expedition 33. I watched the trailer and added this game to my Steam wishlist in about 2 minutes....Some of my favorite games are Slay the Spire, Dead Cells, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Fire Emblem, and Expedition 33. I watched the trailer and added this game to my Steam wishlist in about 2 minutes.
... crawls back into Slay the Spire 2 waiting room
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Comment on Communities, relationships, and navigating the enshittification of absolutely everything in ~tech
chroma Link ParentDefinitely prioritize your own health over gestures vaguely all of this, yes. It's unfortunate that general state of the internet/the world manages to become at least tangentially relevant to...Definitely prioritize your own health over gestures vaguely all of this, yes. It's unfortunate that general state of the internet/the world manages to become at least tangentially relevant to whatever it is I'm doing at any given moment, and so I get to feel run down by just existing. It's like taking -1HP environmental damage every 5 seconds in a video game or something.
... I dream about retiring and operating a farm or running a small restaurant quite a bit...
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Comment on Communities, relationships, and navigating the enshittification of absolutely everything in ~tech
chroma Link ParentYou're objectively not wrong. There are way more ways to interact and do stuff on the internet now, everyone's online, etc. For me, therein lies the problem. Everyone is online, yes, but people...You're objectively not wrong. There are way more ways to interact and do stuff on the internet now, everyone's online, etc.
For me, therein lies the problem. Everyone is online, yes, but people are going to gravitate towards the most convenient way to be online; so, platforms like Discord, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, etc, those which have done an amazing job at either removing barriers to entry or surgically injecting dopamine into one's brain via UX.
So for someone like me who tends to gravitate away from that pattern of interaction and/or the invasive back office behaviors going on in those platforms, I am faced with a dilemma.
There are tons of privacy-oriented options for literally everything.
The majority of people I know don't care about privacy. Do I get to inflict fall damage on myself by accepting that I am being spied on for the sake of interacting with my friends, or do I get to inflict fall damage on myself by choosing to not interact with them, either "as much" or "at all", for the sake of muH pRiVacY?
So, fortunately for me I'm able to adopt many of these privacy-oriented options for software and the like. But not all of them, and not to the degree that I'd like, because there are broader implications on my social life.
Heh absolutely - like I said, moonshot. I feel I'm still in the throes of figuring out what exactly I might do if a career pivot is in my future, and this post got the gears turning again. Unfortunately the "retire on a farm" pipeline is gonna need some work :P