pekt's recent activity
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Comment on Have you ever witnessed the Butterfly Effect? in ~life
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Comment on What are your personal reading "rules?" in ~books
pekt LinkHow do you choose what to read next? If I'm enjoying a series I may immediately jump in and start reading the next book, but for the last few years I've been more likely to read other books in...- How do you choose what to read next?
If I'm enjoying a series I may immediately jump in and start reading the next book, but for the last few years I've been more likely to read other books in between books in longer series. It helps to prevent me from burning out and gives me some variety in what I'm reading.
If I'm undecided or the next book in a series doesn't seem interesting, I'll do one of two things:
For physical books, I'll just go get something off my bookshelf, since I have a good number of books I have to read still. If I had actually read everything on my shelf, I'd go down to the local used book store and start exploring. After moving here, I've been supporting a group of local used book stores near the market we go to as they've been around for decades and I want to ensure they stay around. They're also not as organized as most used book stores I would go to in the US (I'm looking at you Powell's City of Books) with piles of books and overflowing shelves which can make it feel like a treasure hunt.
For e-books, I'll do a quick scroll through my Goodreads want to read list and see if anything sticks out to me. I have way too many books I want to read, so it usually doesn't take long before I land on something and get going on it.
- Do you read one book at a time or jump between multiple titles?
I used to be someone who would read a book cover to cover before starting the next one. Now I jump around a lot and have many books that I'm concurrently reading. My Good Reads shows I have over 30 books marked as currently reading.
I do tend to not read multiples of one type of book, so no multiple sweeping space opera series or epic fantasy series. Not a hard rule, but I find that with me becoming more of a "mood read" it makes it easier to jump to another book that is not the same style as the one I'm reading.
- How/why do you choose between physical/ebook/audiobook for a given title?
I prefer physical whenever I can, I enjoy collecting books (but I did make a deal with my wife that I wouldn't buy more books until I read the ones I own unless I'm filling out a series where I'm missing a book or two). E-Books are the fallback/convenience option.
I actually do the majority of my reading on my phone nowadays since I have it with me, and it's better than scrolling through social media. I first started e-reading towards the end of college and saw my use of Reddit and other platforms plummet as a result.
I enjoy audiobooks, but have given my listening time over to the way too many podcasts I want to listen to.
- How do you decide to stop reading a book you don't like (if at all)?
If I don't enjoy it I tend to stop reading it, though I've usually found if I come back to a book later or in a different mood I will get back into it and finish it.
The most recent book I dropped was Zomblog II. I enjoyed the first book for the first 3/4 of the first book, as I enjoyed the main character and his struggle (I'm a sucker for zombie apocalypse stories). There was a switch to a new narrator and I didn't enjoy their arc as much, but I thought I'd see if they grew on me in the second book. They did not, and realized that even after taking very long breaks, I just wasn't interested in seeing what happened to them.
- Do you have a specific "spot" for reading?
I used to read before I went to sleep every day in bed, but now that I have kids and put them to sleep then try to get housework/other stuff done in the evenings, I can't do that as regularly. Now I read wherever/whenever I can.
- Do you have any particular reading rituals?
When I'm reading a physical book, I like to put my phone on the charger out of reach. Helps to keep me from getting distracted.
- When do you decide whether a book is worth a re-read?
When I was a kid, I would reread books more often because I wanted to spend more time in that world.
As an adult, the only books I consistently reread are The Hobbit and and The Lord of the Rings. They're not consistent rereads, but I just tend to a have a bookmark in them and when the mood strikes me, I jump back in to them. The Hobbit specifically has been a comfort read pretty much my entire life (the first time I had it read to me, I was ~5 years old) and is the book I've read the most times.Other books series I may reread when a new book comes out if I enjoyed them enough. If Winds of Winter ever comes out, I'll probably reread A Song of Ice and Fire before I read it.
- Do you track/rate your books?
I started tracking all of my books on Goodreads when I started reading again in earnest during the end of my college career. It's fun seeing how many books I read in a year. I have thought about using other services, but this one takes relatively little time, and the app I use on my phone tracks more detailed information about how much I time I spend reading and how fast I read specific books.
I am thinking about getting a new phone soon, and I'd like to see if I can transfer that historical read data over to the new device, as I forgot to do that when I got my current phone ~5 years ago.
- How much do you learn about a book before you read it?
I don't learn too much about a book before diving in. Usually the blurb on the back, interesting cover art, or an author who I know, or I've heard of before is enough to get me to pick up a book and start reading it. A recommendation from a friend helps as well.
I used to spend time on the fantasy or printsf Subreddits looking at book recommendation threads and just throwing books on to my to read list, but most of those threads are along the lines of "recommend me book me sweeping space operas/books about pirates/books with x, y, or z plot elements".
- How do you manage your "TBR" (to be read) list (if at all)?
I don't manage it, it is an ever-growing mountain of books and I will not finish everything I want to read during my lifetime.
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I hope to share my love of reading with my kids, and while I read a lot of children's books with them, I'm also making more of an effort to read my own physical books in front of my kids. I want them to see me reading a physical book and not just me reading on my phone, which looks no different to them compared to me using my phone for other things.
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Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk
pekt LinkWork from home Pay Schedule Flexibility Product Working from home was a huge win for me. I love being around my small kids and covid really pushed me to work 95% of my time from home at my old...- Work from home
- Pay
- Schedule
- Flexibility
- Product
Working from home was a huge win for me. I love being around my small kids and covid really pushed me to work 95% of my time from home at my old job, and I got to spend so much time at home with my kid that we didn't need to hire a sitter or send my first to day care before we moved countries. Not many jobs in the country/area I live now are work from home and if I had landed a local job I would have had to deal with some pretty awful traffic.
The pay is also great for my area, I'm earning ~1.5-2x the salary I had seen listed for local jobs that I was qualified for. I miss my old job where I still earned my US salary, but that is only for the salary and some of the teammates.
I list the schedule because after I moved I worked nights or half night half day (10 PM - 2 AM and then project work during the day) which meant I barely slept since I have young kids, and we lived with my in laws. There are months in which I barely remember anything that happened during that time. Now I work daytime hours and the difference is night and day (pun intended).
My company treats us like adults. If I need to run my kids to school or a doctor's appointment, I can do that and make up the time later by working later that day or starting earlier the next day.
I'm a huge fan of the software that my company provides, and I had been using it in my personal life for years. When I saw the job posting, I told my wife it would be awesome if I could work there and ended up landing the job.
I'm super happy in my current job and can see myself staying with this company for many years to come.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
pekt LinkI've been slowly playing Custom Robo, for Gamecube on an emulator on my phone. I'm using touch controls instead of my blue tooth controller (lazy to get it every time I want to play for a couple...I've been slowly playing Custom Robo, for Gamecube on an emulator on my phone. I'm using touch controls instead of my blue tooth controller (lazy to get it every time I want to play for a couple of minutes) and it has definitely limited how I play the game.
Why this game? My friends and I would play it together during sleep overs and I also beat the main campaign as a kid over a weekend when borrowing it from a friend. The writing is fun and I don't have to think too hard about the plot since I already know it. I did find out there's a whole post story tournament arc that I never played as a kid. I'm not sure if I'll still want to play after I complete the short main story (I want to say its ~6 hours long) but we'll see.
I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in some arena battling and a not too serious story. If you do play it, talk to everyone. I think the side characters and background plots are fun and worth taking the few extra minutes to go and find.
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Comment on What is a book that every 13-year-old boy should read? in ~books
pekt Link ParentThe Redwall books are fantastic, and I'm hoping to start collecting a set to share with my boys. There's a few that came out after I read them, which would be fun to revisit. I enjoyed...The Redwall books are fantastic, and I'm hoping to start collecting a set to share with my boys. There's a few that came out after I read them, which would be fun to revisit. I enjoyed Salamandastron a lot and The Long Patrol.
I'd also agree with the Lord of the Rings being a great series for a boy this age. I'd read The Hobbit when I was younger, but if they haven't read it, it is also a fantastic novel for them. I've been needing to revisit the Silmarillion as I got into a Tolkien kick around that age and read it when I was ~13 and probably didn't understand it very well.
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Comment on Steam Next Fest 2025 - February 24 to March 3 in ~games
pekt Link ParentAs a did with kids, Erenshor is super exciting. I'm hoping that I can pick it up after it releases. I've been checking in on the development occasionally and it looks great.As a did with kids, Erenshor is super exciting. I'm hoping that I can pick it up after it releases.
I've been checking in on the development occasionally and it looks great.
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Comment on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 announcement spoiled by Singapore rating in ~games
pekt Link ParentThe WC3 remaster was the final nail in the coffin for me wanting to support Blizzard. I'd been off WoW for years due to not having the time to play and feeling like a few hours a month weren't...The WC3 remaster was the final nail in the coffin for me wanting to support Blizzard. I'd been off WoW for years due to not having the time to play and feeling like a few hours a month weren't worth the subscription. I was looking forward to the remaster as WC3, especially the custom games, is the game that I played constantly for years.
Seeing them not give the remaster its due felt like such a slap in the face, and made me glad I didn't preorder it. I guess Activision-Blizzard being a small independent company couldn't afford to invest too many resources into the project /s.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
pekt LinkMy slow watch through of Taiyou no Kiba Dagram continues! I've watched through episode 46 so far. Another interesting episode with a mix of politics and action. We saw the Federation forces...My slow watch through of Taiyou no Kiba Dagram continues! I've watched through episode 46 so far.
Another interesting episode with a mix of politics and action. We saw the Federation forces maneuver their way into getting an "inspection" of the mine town where the main guerrilla forces are. The guerillas eventually are able to stage attacks outside the mine to indicate they were in the area but not nearby.
Overall an episode that just continues building on what came before. Not a ton of exciting twists, and I'm glad for a steady progression of the storyline.
I've mentioned it before but it's always so fun to me seeing them walk over to answer a corded desk phone while they live on an alien planet with giant mechs. There's also a lack of computers visible in this show, most of organization is shown being done on paper or over phone/radio calls.
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Comment on Looking for low-precision, mouse-only Steam game recommendations in ~games
pekt Link ParentOn Android there's Rebuild and Rebuild 3. Iirc Rebuild is a mix of the first 2 flash games. They're worth a few dollars to play, but I did find them a bit repetitive after awhile.On Android there's Rebuild and Rebuild 3. Iirc Rebuild is a mix of the first 2 flash games.
They're worth a few dollars to play, but I did find them a bit repetitive after awhile.
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Comment on Valve releases Team Fortress 2 source code in ~games
pekt LinkThat's awesome to see, I'm excited to see what projects are made with this. I played TF2 a good amount in highschool with my best friend at the time and loved it. We ended up getting a number of...That's awesome to see, I'm excited to see what projects are made with this.
I played TF2 a good amount in highschool with my best friend at the time and loved it. We ended up getting a number of unusuals, and I've been tempted a number of times to sell them since I don't play anymore, but always end up keeping them since when I see them I remember that past friendship.
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Comment on How often do you replace your phone? in ~tech
pekt Link ParentI still prefer to do things on a computer if I can and hate when I have an app that is missing some functionality just because its the mobile app version. After my oldest was born, I came to...I still prefer to do things on a computer if I can and hate when I have an app that is missing some functionality just because its the mobile app version.
After my oldest was born, I came to appreciate working on my phone more. I found I could do everything for my job on my phone if I needed to, some things would just take longer. Being able to carry him around and play with him while working one-handed helped us to be more flexible and not need any extra childcare while he was little and both of us were back to working full-time.
I mentioned in another comment that I was close to getting a Galaxy Fold at my old job because having that extra screen real estate and being able to more easily multiple task on my phone would have been huge.
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Comment on How often do you replace your phone? in ~tech
pekt Link ParentYeah Samsung does really like their own apps. I disabled most of them and after doing that it worked fine. Their migration app was also super handy when I first got my S20. I know that there are...Yeah Samsung does really like their own apps. I disabled most of them and after doing that it worked fine. Their migration app was also super handy when I first got my S20.
I know that there are Pixel phones available in the country I live in, but I haven't seen them in person, which I'd want to do before committing to switching over to see if I like how it feels. Granted, I haven't looked that hard to find them, since I'm not in desperate need of a phone yet. Samsung having dedicated stores in a few of the malls here makes it a lot easier to just go play around with one of their phones if I have a few minutes.
I do feel like it's still a bit early in the lifetime for folding phones, but I was very close to getting a Galaxy Fold when I worked at my old job, since I did so much of my work from my phone.
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Comment on How often do you replace your phone? in ~tech
pekt Link ParentI've enjoyed my Galaxy S20 enough that I am considering staying with Samsung for my next purchase, especially now that they give the 7 years of support for newer phones. I know Google is offering...I've enjoyed my Galaxy S20 enough that I am considering staying with Samsung for my next purchase, especially now that they give the 7 years of support for newer phones. I know Google is offering that as well, but I found that once I disabled all the Samsung bloatware, their One UI has been enjoyable enough for me to use without any real complaints. Though, I haven't gone and tested other phone UIs in a long time.
My last phone before this was a Oneplus3 which was a great phone but I was glad when I replaced it due to battery life and also some random compatibility issues I'd started running into with work related applications.
In general, I agree on the payment plans not being great for most things, but when I get an offer for 0% interest and there's no additional cost baked into the plan, it helps take the sting out of the purchase and not impact my short term finances to address spending so much at once. Granted, my perspective has shifted a bit after moving to SE Asia where instead of a higher end phone being hundreds for the base model, the base model is already several thousand of the local currency.
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How often do you replace your phone?
My phone, Samsung Galaxy S20, has finally started having some screen issues and made me start looking seriously at a new phone. I felt like I got great use out of this phone after 5 years, and I...
My phone, Samsung Galaxy S20, has finally started having some screen issues and made me start looking seriously at a new phone. I felt like I got great use out of this phone after 5 years, and I anticipate trying to get a similar or (hopefully) longer life span from my next phone.
Ideally I'd like to keep this phone going for another year, currently the screen issue is more annoying than actually preventing me from using the phone. The OLED can no longer properly display black colors and when the screen goes to sub 10% brightness it adds a yellow tinge to the screen, and using my blue light filter only makes it worse. This has led me to use my phone less at night or when it's dark, since it's like having a dim flashlight shining in my eyes.
A bit of a startling realization, was that I've been putting off building a new computer since I moved over here due to the expense, but I'd happily drop more than I'd be willing to spend on that new computer on a new phone since I use it everyday throughout the day.
This made me wonder how often others replace their phones.
Are there any criteria you look for when picking new phones?
Are you a brand loyalist, or do you shop around?
Do you do camera comparisons between phones/models?
Or simply, how do you choose your phone?42 votes -
Comment on [SOLVED] What's the scifi book? in ~books
pekt Link ParentJust out of curiosity how long is your back log/do you have a list of books that you're playing to read in order after your current book? How other people sort their books and determine what they...Just out of curiosity how long is your back log/do you have a list of books that you're playing to read in order after your current book?
How other people sort their books and determine what they will read next is always interesting to me.
I have way too many books in my back log I'd like to read one day (my want to read list on Goodreads has ~850 books).
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Comment on At what age do you consider someone to be an adult? in ~talk
pekt Link ParentIf you don't mind me asking, which country are you from? After moving to South East Asia, I've seen how much more common it is for children to stay with their parents well into their adulthood...If you don't mind me asking, which country are you from?
After moving to South East Asia, I've seen how much more common it is for children to stay with their parents well into their adulthood than it was in the US. Though I understand that has been shifting as the economy does not nice things, student loans, etc. From the people I've met since moving here, their families usually see it as a waste for that person to live away from home if their job is in the same area, especially when they're not married.
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At what age do you consider someone to be an adult?
I've been rereading The Fellowship of the Ring and saw the mention of Hobbits having their coming of age at 33. "At that time Frodo was still in his tweens, as the hobbits called the irresponsible...
I've been rereading The Fellowship of the Ring and saw the mention of Hobbits having their coming of age at 33.
"At that time Frodo was still in his tweens, as the hobbits called the irresponsible twenties between childhood and coming of age at thirty-three."It made me wonder what all of your opinions are on adulthood/coming of age. Some questions I thought might be interesting around this topic include:
- Are there any coming of age ceremonies where you live or that you partook in?
- Are there any coming of age ceremonies you've heard of that you think would have been cool to participate in or think should be more widely adopted?
- When did you feel like you were an adult?
- Do you think the legal age that someone is considered an adult in your country should be changed?
- Do you think there are some things that should be age gated beyond the age of legal adult good? (I.e.: in the US alcohol being restricted to those who are 21+ years of age while someone is a legal adult at 18.)
Curious to see your thoughts on this!
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
pekt LinkMy slow watch through of Taiyou no Kiba Dagram continues! I've watched through episode 45 so far. This episode was interesting and carried right where the previous episode left off exploring the...My slow watch through of Taiyou no Kiba Dagram continues! I've watched through episode 45 so far.
This episode was interesting and carried right where the previous episode left off exploring the side character Rita and her relationship with Destin (who I previously referred to as Donovan, I should have double checked that since I hadn't watched in awhile).
Rita over hears Destin confirming he's a traitor while speaking to his handler and arranging his next job. She then decides to confront him and ask him to run off with her as she still appreciates all he did for changing her life. Destin then panics during the encounter thinking she had betrayed him and ends up shooting Rita.
The gorillas get a tip off that an incoming train has been loaded with a shipment of arms to give the federation forces a reason for an armed intervention into the area they are hiding. Dougram and the gang manage to get the weapons disposed of before they make it to the checkpoint and have a quick mech fight to round off the episode.
I've really enjoyed this anime so far, after 45 episodes we've only had one recap episode and no episode that feels like filler. There hasn't been a random beach episode or some contest with people in a random town. Each episode has built on the prior ones and I've enjoyed seeing the plot progress.
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Comment on What books do you recommend for someone looking for positive vibes or casual amusement or escape in ~books
pekt Link ParentI would recommend the first book The Misenchanted Sword as a great starting point. It gives some nice background to the series and is set during the establishment of the Etshar city states. I...I would recommend the first book The Misenchanted Sword as a great starting point. It gives some nice background to the series and is set during the establishment of the Etshar city states.
I started with the second book, With a Single Spell and loved it.
The author goes over the books he thinks are good starting points and what later books serve as follow ups/loose sequels to specific previous books on his FAQ page in question 9.
I know how you feel about long book series. I'm currently on Book 7 of Malazan Book of the Fallen and while I love it I find myself thinking a lot while reading it. With my work getting a bit nuts I've been branching out into some easier to follow and lighter books.
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Comment on What’s a book about your area that you think would be interesting to people outside of it? in ~books
pekt LinkThe Phoenix Project was a novel written to help give a narrative and example for the implementation of the devops movement. While I don't work in a devops role within IT, I got this as part of a...The Phoenix Project was a novel written to help give a narrative and example for the implementation of the devops movement. While I don't work in a devops role within IT, I got this as part of a bundle when spending my IT education budget to grab a copy of the Devops Handbook as I wanted to explore it further.
I did not expect The Phoenix Project to be so good, and I ended up sitting on my couch and reading the entire book over the span of a day the weekend after I picked it up.
I've pondered this a lot actually, especially about my own life choices (often the negative ones) and wondered what life would be like without it.
Some positive examples: