sqew's recent activity
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on Soldering irons/stations - Buy once, cry once advice needed in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentI'm slowly filling all of the spare space in my apartment with random electronics/computer/radio stuff... I also wish I had a garage for tinkering!I'm slowly filling all of the spare space in my apartment with random electronics/computer/radio stuff... I also wish I had a garage for tinkering!
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Comment on California fire facts in ~enviro
sqew Link ParentI guess my thought there was just that Newsom is a politician and will naturally view things like "responding to criticism" from a political place. Basically, I'm sure there are things that the...I guess my thought there was just that Newsom is a politician and will naturally view things like "responding to criticism" from a political place.
Basically, I'm sure there are things that the city, county, and state could have done to make a disaster like this less likely or more manageable, but I'm annoyed by the rush from people who have things to gain from calling local and state leaders incompetent or malicious to do so, especially when they lie or distort the truth.
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Comment on California fire facts in ~enviro
sqew LinkObviously Gavin Newsom and his team have political motivations for posting this as well, but I just wanted to share it. I've been so, so disappointed in some of my friends and coworkers over the...Obviously Gavin Newsom and his team have political motivations for posting this as well, but I just wanted to share it. I've been so, so disappointed in some of my friends and coworkers over the last few days as I've listened to them spout off things about "California doesn't manage its forests" or "how'd they mismanage things to run out of fire hydrant water".
This is all so terribly sad for the people affected, and I think it's pretty clear that LAFD, LA County FD, CalFire, and all of the agencies across the country that have rushed resources to help want to protect people as best they can and put out each fire as soon as possible.
Not sure what else to say other than that I'm sad that all of this misfortune and misery is being used to try to score political points when the people on the ground at the water agencies, fire departments, etc. are just doing the best they can.
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California fire facts
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Comment on Lithium and alkaline AA batteries tested by Project farm in ~science
sqew Link ParentI think the killer feature of the lithium batteries for me might be the "no leaking and corroding everything". I've lost far too many good flashlights, etc., to alkaline battery leaks over the...I think the killer feature of the lithium batteries for me might be the "no leaking and corroding everything". I've lost far too many good flashlights, etc., to alkaline battery leaks over the years despite my best efforts to remember to remove the batteries for storage.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
sqew LinkI’ve been seeing Mozilla mention their “FakeSpot” browser extension, and I gave it a try to combat this. Seemed like it did a decent job, although it was kinda freaky for me that it was adding...I’ve been seeing Mozilla mention their “FakeSpot” browser extension, and I gave it a try to combat this. Seemed like it did a decent job, although it was kinda freaky for me that it was adding elements to sites like Amazon, even if they were just to explain the reviews on an item.
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Books or other good content on software design?
Wondering if anyone has any good books or other content to recommend on software design. I feel like when I start out on a new project I always get stuck in a rut of trying to design something...
Wondering if anyone has any good books or other content to recommend on software design. I feel like when I start out on a new project I always get stuck in a rut of trying to design something good, then end up with an awful design anyways. On the other hand, I've been around professors and more experienced software engineers who seem to effortlessly come up with simple, powerful architectures and interfaces.
While I know that reading a book or two won't get me the experience I need to improve, it does seem like that might be a good jump-start. Anyone have any suggestions for me? Thanks!
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Comment on Share your personal dotfile treats and Unix tool recommendations in ~comp
sqew LinkMeta comment because I read every post like this I see but rarely end up actually learning any of the tools: How do people handle scenarios like SSHing into a machine that you don't have...Meta comment because I read every post like this I see but rarely end up actually learning any of the tools:
How do people handle scenarios like SSHing into a machine that you don't have configuration control over? For me, even just the lack of my
.ssh/configfile on remote machines breaks my muscle memory and annoys me.I've wanted to build out a nice
(n)vim/tmuxconfiguration for a while, since the context switch between VS Code on my local machine andvimfor little edits on remote machines is a pain, but it seems like it'll be a hassle to bring my configs along with me to every machine I touch. -
Comment on Soil compositions for succulents? in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentI'm glad to know about needing to fertilize a little more if I go for something coarser and increase the drainage speed. Not sure I would've realized that. I'll definitely look into smaller pots,...I'm glad to know about needing to fertilize a little more if I go for something coarser and increase the drainage speed. Not sure I would've realized that.
I'll definitely look into smaller pots, too. I've started over the last few weeks to move my fastest growing plants into my larger pots and keep the smaller ones in my smaller pots to help them to get to that point of being root bound. Mine have definitely seemed happy when they can fill up the whole pot with their roots.
Given the lighting conditions where I live, I think I'm going to have to just get all of mine a better grow light. I got an underpowered basic one to nurse them through the last two winters, and it seemed to work well for that, but they're definitely still not getting enough light with the windows that I have available to me.
Thanks for all the advice!
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Comment on Soil compositions for succulents? in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentThanks for the tip on the diatomaceous earth! I'll definitely check that out. I usually decide to water them when the leaves are starting to either be visibly parched or get softer. Typically...Thanks for the tip on the diatomaceous earth! I'll definitely check that out.
I usually decide to water them when the leaves are starting to either be visibly parched or get softer. Typically every 2-4w. I've got a mix of ceramic and terracotta pots (rot does seem to have been more common in the ceramic ones...), and I do let the pots sit without their drip trays for a while before I put the plants back in their usual spot.
It's actually been really interesting learning about how the roots die and rot - I've been doing plenty of research on it recently since the one plant that started to rot that I couldn't save was my very first succulent ever. On previous run-ins with rot, I'd guessed that it was disease somehow, but it's fascinating to learn that it's just the roots drowning essentially.
Having read everything people have said here, I think my plan is to slow down watering even more, slowly switch to terracotta across the board, and try to get to a coarser, more inorganic soil mix.
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Comment on Soil compositions for succulents? in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentI definitely used too fine of sand in this recent mix I came up with... I'll have to remedy that when I get a chance!I definitely used too fine of sand in this recent mix I came up with... I'll have to remedy that when I get a chance!
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Soil compositions for succulents?
Curious if any of the succulent-lovers on Tildes have any tips/tricks for soil composition. I've been using the basic succulent mix from my local hardware store for years, but I've had some issues...
Curious if any of the succulent-lovers on Tildes have any tips/tricks for soil composition. I've been using the basic succulent mix from my local hardware store for years, but I've had some issues with rot. Reddit seems to think that soil composition is at fault for just about all succulent ills, so I've adjusted my mix to be about 50% perlite/sand 50% organic (a.k.a the basic succulent mix).
Still seems like the new mix doesn't dry out quite as fast as the internet thinks it should, though. Does going even more inorganic make sense? My guess from a few years of reading about succulents is that they would probably be happy in even 80-90% inorganic soil to keep their roots dry, as long as they were watered when they needed it. No clue if that's right, though.
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Comment on SpaceX accomplishes first soft splashdown of Starship, Super Heavy Booster on Flight 4 mission in ~space
sqew Link ParentWatching that flap come apart slowly I was convinced it was going to rip off during reentry or at least when they first tried to use it. And then it didn’t! The moment in the video when it lit up...Watching that flap come apart slowly I was convinced it was going to rip off during reentry or at least when they first tried to use it. And then it didn’t! The moment in the video when it lit up as the engines lit and we could see it again was crazy.
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Comment on Does anyone else have succulents? in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentAh, makes sense. That's really cool that they're so good about labeling them and providing information. It's so fun to interact with people who clearly are really interested in something and want...Ah, makes sense. That's really cool that they're so good about labeling them and providing information. It's so fun to interact with people who clearly are really interested in something and want to share their knowledge. Wish I lived anywhere even remotely nearby so I could stop in sometime!
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Comment on Does anyone else have succulents? in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentI love your collection! I know those are links you found online, but I can imagine your windowsills and outdoor space are beautiful with them. At the rate I'm going right now, I'm probably going...I love your collection! I know those are links you found online, but I can imagine your windowsills and outdoor space are beautiful with them. At the rate I'm going right now, I'm probably going to end up with a similar quantity before too many more years go by. The lithops and the haworthia cooperi var. truncata both look so cool.
I have to ask, how'd you figure out exactly what yours are? I've tried figuring mine out via comparison on r/succulents and the PlantNet plant identification app, but it seems like so many look so similar that I can't be confident of anything.
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Comment on Does anyone else have succulents? in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentI have what I'm 99% sure is a jade that started out tiny and just keeps on growing! I like it, but it's going to need its own pot soon. While re-potting mine I discovered its roots had pretty much...I have what I'm 99% sure is a jade that started out tiny and just keeps on growing! I like it, but it's going to need its own pot soon. While re-potting mine I discovered its roots had pretty much taken over the whole pot it was sharing.
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Comment on Jack Dorsey quits Bluesky board and urges users to stay on Elon Musk's X in ~tech
sqew Link ParentBizarre indeed. I wouldn't have found it interesting if it was obvious he was just being buddy-buddy with Elon, but clearly there's something different here. I'm sure he has an angle to make some...Bizarre indeed. I wouldn't have found it interesting if it was obvious he was just being buddy-buddy with Elon, but clearly there's something different here. I'm sure he has an angle to make some money...
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Comment on Does anyone else have succulents? in ~hobbies
sqew Link ParentI've kept all of mine in a couple little pots dotted around my windowsill. Probably every six months or so I like to take stock of how they're all doing and think about re-potting them. If any...I've kept all of mine in a couple little pots dotted around my windowsill. Probably every six months or so I like to take stock of how they're all doing and think about re-potting them. If any have gotten too big or misshapen reaching for sunlight, I've just lopped the tops off, let the wound callus over for a few days, and then replanted the top. They'll happily put down new roots and keep growing.
To be honest, it seems like it's mostly a taste thing whether to do anything other than water them every few weeks as needed. I like the little activity of reorganizing them and maybe letting a few leaves that have fallen off root and turn into baby plants, but it seems like plenty of people just leave a few in a pot for years and they stay happy.
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Comment on The surprising reason few Americans are getting chips jobs now in ~tech
sqew Link ParentSimilar experience here, it sucks. "Entry level" demanding multiple years of experience and expertise in all sorts of technologies. One pet peeve of mine with lots of those postings is the...Similar experience here, it sucks. "Entry level" demanding multiple years of experience and expertise in all sorts of technologies. One pet peeve of mine with lots of those postings is the requirements for expertise in development process things like CI/CD. You can certainly get exposure to those things outside of work, but unless you've worked on larger teams, you probably won't have too much depth on them.
I've mostly given up on applying to big companies because it seems like they just reject you instantly - too big a pool of people applying. Small-to-medium places where there's some small chance a real human will see your resume feel like a better bet.
I've been slowly getting more and more interested in radio stuff and SDRs, so after putting together a dual FlightAware/FlightRadar24 ADS-B collection station in December, I've been playing with making my own custom antennas. It's surprisingly simple to get something that performs reasonably well.
I don't have a very good view of the sky from where I live, so it's been really interesting playing with some cheap Amazon/Aliexpress antennas and the ones that I've built for myself. Currently have a nanoVNA-H4 on order from Aliexpress to start being able to look at the performance of what I'm building in real numbers rather than just "how many aircraft/messages can I receive?". If anyone else is interested, I'd be happy to write up a little more about what I've been doing and why it's been fun for me!