hungariantoast's recent activity

  1. Comment on Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda, id Software, Arkane Studios, and more in ~games

    hungariantoast
    Link Parent
    If you're an Elder Scrolls or Fallout fan, I implore you to play the games on PC instead, mostly because the quantity (and quality) of mods available seems to be so much greater.

    If you're an Elder Scrolls or Fallout fan, I implore you to play the games on PC instead, mostly because the quantity (and quality) of mods available seems to be so much greater.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda, id Software, Arkane Studios, and more in ~games

    hungariantoast
    Link Parent
    Microsoft now basically owns all three companies that have made Fallout games in the past so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Microsoft now basically owns all three companies that have made Fallout games in the past so...

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Let's talk about taking notes in ~talk

    hungariantoast
    Link
    I'll start with journaling. Since January 1, I have been recording a daily journal. I thought I would eventually get bored with it, or stop writing entries every day and start just doing them once...

    I'll start with journaling.

    Since January 1, I have been recording a daily journal. I thought I would eventually get bored with it, or stop writing entries every day and start just doing them once every week, but no, I'm 260 entries in and absolutely loving it.

    There were (and still are) a lot of things I wanted to do in 2020, like New Year's resolutions and what not. Most of them remain uncompleted and will probably just end up on my list for 2021.

    But journaling? I stuck to that. I'm glad I did.

    I don't have any specific reasons for keeping a daily journal other than this: it allows me to reset at night, and start the next day as entirely new. Everything that happened today, I can write it out, explain it, and then those emotions, good or bad, are dealt with. Catharsis.

    That's the crux of it. It's a sort of writing therapy for me.

    Every entry is different. There isn't a uniform set of things that I try to include in each entry. Some days are short, some days are long, some days are really, really long, but every day is different, and every day's entry reflects that.

    I would have never guessed that I'd enjoy keeping a journal as much as I do.

    As for taking notes:

    Am I a note-taker? Oh yeah. I have notes going back over a decade, written in various file formats, stored on various drives. Most of them have had their content re-written into plaintext or Markdown files, and most of them are now tracked in a Git repository.

    Unfortunately though, almost all of them are still completely unorganized and written using whatever note-taking system I was trying out that week.

    Recently, I've started re-writing my most important notes in a way that should play well with a static site generator. Using Visual Studio Code or Vim (especially VimWiki), I can already have local Markdown files link to each other like a wiki, but in addition to that, I want to also be able to generate my 'wiki' of local Markdown files into a set of webpages that I can host on my own website, or otherwise use a web browser to read.

    So that's what I am doing right now. I'm incrementally rewriting a few notes every couple of days weeks, trying to get them to play nice with the Pelican static site generator so I can have both a set of interlinked, locally stored Markdown files that I can browse from my text editor, and a set of HTML pages that reflect this interlinked structure on the web.

    (As a bonus, I'd eventually like to somehow implement LaTeX, MathML, KaTeX, or some other syntax for mathematical notation, so I can do most of my writing in Markdown, but drop into a different syntax for equations when needed.)

    To answer your other questions:

    • Note-taking adds a ton of value to my life by allowing me to manage thoughts and ideas well beyond the scope and size that I could reliably remember in my head. For journaling, that means keeping a detailed record of what I have done for every single day for the past 260 days. If I keep this up long enough, I'm sure I start to notice patterns in myself as I re-read previous entries. For instance, how does my productivity change when I start a new semester of school? How does my mood change when we get closer to Christmas or New Year's?

      Even if I don't consider journaling for a second, taking extensive notes on ideas, for studying, and just about anything else, helps me to stop thinking about extraneous stuff that I don't need to focus on, while also ensuring that I'm not going to forget it any time soon. Taking notes helps build out more complete ideas and makes implementing them easier. Also, I've found that even just to translate my thoughts into words, I really have to have a good understanding of whatever it is I am writing about. Sure, I can write down a bunch of questions at first, but when I come back to answer them, I really have to know what I am talking about, or at least know enough, to formulate my thoughts into a structure that makes sense.

    • I prefer digital note-taking and digital notes. I type way faster than I can write. Digital files are easier to organize, categorize, keep private, back up, and otherwise preserve than an ever-growing pile of papers and notebooks.

    • I guess these days the system most close to how I write notes would be outlining, but I don't really write with any system in mind. I just tend to separate notes into different sections and subsections, with each of those having a short title, kind of like a Wikipedia article. However, this is less of a conscious choice and just more of a direction that Markdown's syntaxes pushes me in.

    Finally, it's not exactly note-taking or journaling, but for task management I use Taskwarrior, a command-line program. I wrote about it in this comment:

    https://tildes.net/~comp/nbt/what_are_your_favorite_cli_tools_applications#comment-4tev

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Post editing etiquette in ~tildes

    hungariantoast
    (edited )
    Link
    I wrote a bunch of stuff as a response to this, which you can read below if you want, but to summarize my thoughts: I don't think this "common" etiquette is actually all that common. I've...
    • Exemplary

    I wrote a bunch of stuff as a response to this, which you can read below if you want, but to summarize my thoughts:

    • I don't think this "common" etiquette is actually all that common. I've certainly never read anything explaining what the etiquette is or why I should follow it.
    • I dislike the idea of this sort of etiquette becoming a pervasive expectation on this website, and find it rather burdening for myself and a possible deterrent for new users.
    • There's no difference between the ability to edit out a comment, versus just deleting it, and their potential for information and context loss. No one is about to suggest that we take away the ability to delete comments.
    • If you're worried about someone editing some part of their comment and that somehow invalidating or otherwise affecting your reply to them, you can quote the relevant parts of their comment that you're replying to by copying the text from their comment and putting a > before it in your own, like this:

    Hi everyone.

    Whistling

    I understand that it can be frustrating if someone is constantly editing their comments and making it difficult for you to effectively reply to them, especially if they're not making those edits in bad faith or otherwise being malicious (and if they are, you should label those comments accordingly and/or message Deimos).

    That being said, I don't really like the idea of Tildes having some sort of pervading culture that expects you to disclose edits. The idea comes across as burdening to me.

    My comments are mine. I don't think there should be any rules or expectations for what I do with them, so long as I follow the site's rules.

    And on the other end, I'd be worried about what such expectations might do as far as deterring other people from participating here. One of the recurring themes when people talk about Tildes' demographics and recruiting new users is trying to invite more people who aren't programmers, IT professionals, or otherwise involved in tech. I don't think your "common comment editing etiquette" is actually going to be that common to anyone who hasn't spent years worth of time in online spaces like Reddit or Hacker News, which excludes just about anyone who doesn't work or have an interest in tech.

    Also, just food for thought: is that sort of etiquette actually common, or does it just seem common to you because strikethroughs and EDIT: are easier to notice than little asterisks or other indicators?

    Or does it just seem common to you because you're a programmer and have spent a lot of time in some very specific online spaces where people tend to follow such etiquette?

    If I had to guess, I'd say it's actually more common not to disclose edits at all.

    What are the benefits of disclosing edits, and are they really worth it?

    Take this comment of mine:

    https://tildes.net/~tech/hjz/remove_richard_stallman#comment-3x3c

    I wrote that comment and then almost immediately went to sleep. I woke up the next morning and noticed that the comment turned out to be rather popular, but I had also been called out on some things that I had originally included that were unfair. I removed those things.

    Then, I proceeded to edit the comment further throughout the day, and the next day, until I had basically rewritten the entire comment.

    There's simply no way that comment comes out as nice as it is if I had scattered a bunch of strikethroughts and EDIT:s throughout. It would look gross and be much more difficult to read.

    Sure, I could have just stuck the entire old comment into a <details> block like I did here:

    https://tildes.net/~tildes/osm/would_it_be_beneficial_to_ban_certain_topics_of_political_discourse#comment-51ie

    But would that have really added any value? Would that have mattered to anyone? All the context people need to follow the discussion is already there. Disclosing my edits and keeping the old content of that comment somewhere for people to read wouldn't have added anything. (And indeed, the "recent experience" that prompted you to post this topic is equally understandable without anyone disclosing their edits.)

    Finally, what's really the functional difference between editing content out of a comment and simply deleting the comment? In terms of potential information and context loss, they're exactly the same, but surely no one is going to actually suggest that we take away the ability to delete comments, or propose that it should become common etiquette to write about why we delete comments.

    No, it's just something that we all acknowledge that we have the right to do, as it should be.

    19 votes

  9. Comment on What keyboard do you use? in ~tech

    hungariantoast
    (edited )
    Link
    First, have you checked out VSCodeVim? Emulating Vim's commands and keybindings in VSCode seems to be the best of both worlds for a lot of developers. It might help to alleviate some of the pains...

    First, have you checked out VSCodeVim? Emulating Vim's commands and keybindings in VSCode seems to be the best of both worlds for a lot of developers. It might help to alleviate some of the pains that come with switching editors.

    I have a Planck keyboard. It's an ortholinear, 40%, 48-key little monster. No function keys. No number row. It does have arrow keys though.

    I absolutely love it, and find it perfectly adequate, better and faster even, than other, more regular sized keyboards. The real trick to using small keyboards is layers. You know how you can type an uppercase letter or a different symbol by holding shift, or cut, copy, and paste using a combination of ctrl + x, ctrl + c, or ctrl + v?

    The Planck uses a firmware called QMK, which makes it 100% programmable, and enables it to have layers that function not entirely unlike shift or ctrl do. For instance, I can press the lower key on my Planck, plus the tab key, and that will enter 1. lower + tab, a, s, d, f, g, h, j, k, l will give me 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0 respectively (when I'm using QWERTY, which I only really drop into for games).

    That probably sounds cumbersome and gross, but it actually isn't. Not only does my keyboard include all the keys of a normal sized keyboard (and even more, including macros, emojis, and other non-standard stuff thanks to the programmable firmware), but I am also a much faster typist thanks to these sorts of layer-enabled key combinations.

    And the functionality of layers goes beyond just having additional key combinations too. For instance, I could do something like double tap my lower key to have the keyboard's entire keymap switch from QWERTY to AZERTY, and then I could just double tap lower again to go back to QWERTY.

    The firmware also allows you to do neat things with tapping versus holding a key. So, I could set up my firmware so that if I hold enter for more than 500 milliseconds, it types ) instead of enter. I could do the same thing with tab and (. This doesn't require pressing multiple keys at the same time, it just requires holding a key down rather than tapping it.

    Those are just rudimentary, off-the-top-of-my-head examples, but my point is that because you can program your keyboard, you can make it do just about anything you want. This obviously is very powerful.

    I'm absolutely spoiled by this keyboard, and I doubt I will ever go back to owning a significantly larger one, and I definitely won't go back to using a normal, staggered keyboard. About the only path forward for me in the world of keyboards is to start looking at split keyboards. I've looked at the ErgoDox, Atreus, Pinky4, and a few other keyboards, but I have not decided on anything yet. I'm currently leaning towards just designing my own layout and handwiring it, or taking on the colossal task of designing my own PCB (as if I have the time).

    Finally, on the Planck I use the following:

    • The Workman keyboard layout, because it's literally leagues ahead of QWERTY and prioritizes index and middle finger homerow usage quite a bit more than Colemak. (Seriously though, switching from QWERTY to pretty much any other keyboard layout, like Dvorak, Colemak, or QGMLWB, will save you literally miles of finger travel when typing over time.)

    • Kailh BOX Navy switches, because they're extremely clicky and heavy, and that's what I like.

    • Sculpted, blank SA profile keycaps. Yes, my keycaps are blank. They do not have numbers or letters on them. This is a surefire way to break the habit of looking at your keyboard while typing, makes changing your keyboard's keymap very easy (because you no longer have to move keycaps around), and makes learning new keyboard layouts the right way (without looking at them) a requirement. I recommend everyone do this with their keyboard (or get a set of keycaps that have nonsensical symbols on them, or just jumble up the keys into random positions).

    As for my next keyboard, like I said, I want it to be a split keyboard, and I really want it to be my own design, but I also think I am going to use tactile switches in my next board. Current first choice are the Kailh BOX Royal switches, because their tactility is (apparently) like breaking through a wall, but I am also going to try samples of the various Hako and Hako Royal switches before I commit to using anything in a new build.

    This hobby costs too much damn money.

    6 votes

  10. Comment on A 433% 450-key keyboard in ~hobbies

    hungariantoast
    Link
    The author also posted about it on reddit in a couple of places: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/it7a0p/i_present_my_433_ortho_endgame_is_only_a_lie_if/...

    The author also posted about it on reddit in a couple of places:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/it7a0p/i_present_my_433_ortho_endgame_is_only_a_lie_if/

    https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/comments/it7bhr/i_dunno_if_this_counts_as_ergo_but_i_know_you_lot/

    https://www.reddit.com/r/olkb/comments/it7b3k/is_this_ortho_enough_pt_2/

    4 votes

  13. Comment on Phosphine discovered in Venus' atmosphere, which could be evidence of microbial life in ~space

    hungariantoast
    Link Parent
    Other mirrors are still up:...

    Other mirrors are still up:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20200914003530/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:dUWrpm80WHsJ:https://earthsky.org/%3Fp%3D343883+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

    https://archive.vn/L7MT1

    https://www.docdroid.net/Ai3int3/webcachegoogleusercontentcom-has-microbial-life-been-found-on-venus-pdf

    Honestly, considering the potential magnitude of this discovery, maybe it'd just be best to leave this as is, but perhaps with another mirror link, and then just have a whole new topic tomorrow for the actual announcement, with links to the paper and everything (assuming something does actually get announced tomorrow).

    6 votes

  18. Comment on Republicans are going to try to drown the economy in ~finance

    hungariantoast
    Link Parent
    They didn't even bother removing the bit about the newsletter at the end Seems like this is the original source: https://theweek.com/articles/936573/republicans-are-going-try-drown-economy And...

    They didn't even bother removing the bit about the newsletter at the end

    Seems like this is the original source:

    https://theweek.com/articles/936573/republicans-are-going-try-drown-economy

    And then it was reposted to MSN and Yahoo:

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/republicans-are-going-to-try-to-drown-the-economy/ar-BB18Tolm

    https://news.yahoo.com/republicans-going-try-drown-economy-100002162.html

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Could we have a different color for exemplary new comments? in ~tildes

    hungariantoast
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I like this idea. It seems somewhat common that users get confused about what all the sidebar colors mean. I also imagine that eventually Tildes will have a couple of themes that break the usual...

    I like this idea. It seems somewhat common that users get confused about what all the sidebar colors mean. I also imagine that eventually Tildes will have a couple of themes that break the usual color patterns (such as a theme, like Zenburn, not having an orange color, and thus having to use a different, non-standard color for new comments).

    Just moving everything that the colored sidebars are currently supposed to signify into text, somewhere in the comment, would hopefully cut down on the confusion, and offer more flexibility for theming the site in the future.

    Oh, and then just as a bonus, since we'd be removing any sort of meaning from sidebar colors, we could then start color-coding comments based on their order in comment threads, like some reddit mobile apps do, and maybe that would help make navigating big comment sections easier.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on Could we have a different color for exemplary new comments? in ~tildes

    hungariantoast
    Link Parent
    We basically had something like this at one point. You know how when your own comment gets labeled as exemplary, you get that little blue box that literally says "Exemplary" under your username?...

    We basically had something like this at one point. You know how when your own comment gets labeled as exemplary, you get that little blue box that literally says "Exemplary" under your username? Previously, that box used to show up on any comment, whether your own or another
    user's, in addition to the blue line on the sidebar. It even used to show how many times the label had been applied to any comment, just like it currently does for your own comments.

    So, if the blue line just isn't cutting it for enough users, maybe the easiest thing to do would be to just re-enable exemplary boxes being displayed on every comment that receives the label. For your own comments, you'll still get to see how many times the label has been applied, and read whatever nice messages users left you, but when looking at another user's comment, you'll just see a blue box with no amounts and no messages, as it used to be.

    Then, because that box would show up on any comment with an exemplary label, the orange sidebar line for new comments could then take precedence over the blue line for exemplary comments, just like it currently displays above the white sidebar line for comments by the OP.

    As far as I can tell, that solves all the complaints, and it might even just be a matter of reverting a commit or two to the site's code to restore the functionality.

    4 votes