zonk's recent activity
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Comment on Why most men don’t carry a purse in ~life.men
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Comment on How to pick up reading again? in ~books
zonk LinkI never was much of a reader to begin with, but I picked it up a few years ago when I discovered the Sanderson Cosmere series. It was just so exciting to read without a lot of prose describing...I never was much of a reader to begin with, but I picked it up a few years ago when I discovered the Sanderson Cosmere series. It was just so exciting to read without a lot of prose describing every single thing in nature. The plot moved along quick enough to keep my interest piqued at all times and after a few weeks of reading it just became a habit.
I still have periods of months where I don't read, after finishing a book or a series for example. I feel like I'm too lazy to read again, but at some point I just feel like doing it, and it make it a habit again. I continued a book I started what feels like forever ago and it was so pleasant to read again. Playing tons of video games otherwise, it felt refreshing to not have to do a task or a quest or grind some levels to get to the next piece of the story :) So the last few days I read a lot again and in two weeks another book that's ending a series and I've been waiting for for a while, is coming out, so I'm excited for that.
What might also help you, is to register on goodreads (or alternatives) and just 'collect' and browse books, track your status and rate books. For me personally, that's a huge motivator to just check off books and manage my 'want to read' list.
If you're a SciFi fan, you could also watch The Expanse (which you might have already) and there's 2 or 3 more books than the series covered. So you can read the first 7 (?) books as a refresher and then dive into new Expanse content :) The books' pace is very high and they're not super hard/long reads.
You could also start reading with lighter SciFi/Fantasy YA books that don't have 5 timelines and 10 view points of various characters. They can still be very good reads with interesting topics without being too heavy on the things 'around' it.
I think just finding some universe/author that you like a lot helps a ton. Not saying that it is for you, but Sanderson's universe has a huge fan community, so I can decide how much I want to jump into the stuff. Just read the books? Watch his updates/QnAs? Browse the subreddits? Listen to the podcasts? Check out the Wikis for the books? Having a whole community around a book series that you read and theorize/discuss topics with them can also be motivating. But also more than some poeple want out of their books.
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Comment on Did you feel ready to have kids? in ~talk
zonk LinkFully confident and ready? Definitely not. But my thought was more like: there won't be a better point in time :) I bought a few books that take you by the hand and explain many basic things (for...Fully confident and ready? Definitely not. But my thought was more like: there won't be a better point in time :) I bought a few books that take you by the hand and explain many basic things (for example "We're parents!") that make you feel at least a bit more prepared. But as soon as you hold the little potato in your arms after it's been born, you're wondering how you ever gonna raise it since you have no clue about what to do: how do you even HOLD a baby? Like really, in detail, head position and everything!? Very basic things suddenly become the most confusing thing ever :D But as the baby grows, you grow as a parent. You get to know your baby better, the baby becomes better in telling you what it wants and you learn new things every day.
I feel like that many people who say they're 100% confident pre-birth are either a tiny, tiny percentage of exceptions (for example having a sibling 16 years younger and heavily involved in raising them, but even then it's something entirely different) or are not humble enough/overconfident. In my opinion, there is only so much you can do to be 'fully prepared' and then just be willing to learn and adapt.
I'm not sure how many people really have an epiphany one day and go like "well NOW is the perfect time to have kids!" (and it can take longer than you expect to get pregnant or it might turn out you need some medical help to get pregnant and suddenly it's 2 years later).
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Comment on Any offline bookmark managers (or similar software) you'd recommend? (simple and open source preferred!) in ~tech
zonk Link ParentIn Obsidian you can attach tags to a note via a front matter. Maybe that's what you mean :D I'm sure there are also plugins to extend on it.In Obsidian you can attach tags to a note via a front matter. Maybe that's what you mean :D I'm sure there are also plugins to extend on it.
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Comment on Any offline bookmark managers (or similar software) you'd recommend? (simple and open source preferred!) in ~tech
zonk Link ParentFair enough, the "tags" are a core plugin that can be disabled, but I'm not fully sure to what extent. Though Joplin also has tags (slightly differently implemented, though). What bothers me most...Fair enough, the "tags" are a core plugin that can be disabled, but I'm not fully sure to what extent. Though Joplin also has tags (slightly differently implemented, though). What bothers me most about Joplin: the file structure on your actual drive. In Obsidian it's actually 1:1 the same structure with folders and .md files. That's sadly not the case with Joplin. They're in a sqlite DB and you need to export them and resources (like attachments) are stored flat in a folder.
Of course, that's not really a problem if you plan to always stay with Joplin.
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Comment on Any offline bookmark managers (or similar software) you'd recommend? (simple and open source preferred!) in ~tech
zonk Link ParentSmall additional note without derailing this into a "my notes app is better than yours" war: also look into Obsidian, it's like Joplin on crack (but can also be used 1:1 like Joplin if you don't...Small additional note without derailing this into a "my notes app is better than yours" war: also look into Obsidian, it's like Joplin on crack (but can also be used 1:1 like Joplin if you don't need these features, but you have the option at any point). It has a huuuuge community and ecosystem with a thousand different plugins if you need them. I've looked into the Joplin code on GitHub a few times and more than once I was scratching my head thinking: wtf they were doing there :D And I like and used Joplin for like 2-3 years :)
A bit more on topic: In case you just use your bookmarks as a dump for "want to read later", then also check out the self-hosted solution wallabag. I personally haven't used it, but seen people in the self-hosted ecosystem talk about it many times (If you don't want to self host it also has a very cheap hosted option). It also comes with Firefox and Chrome plugins to one click pages into your wallabag (and add tags before adding them, etc.).
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Comment on How do I get started in self hosting? in ~comp
zonk Link ParentI feel like the people in the thread went a bit overboard :D In my opinion, to start out just get a RPi4 and start tinkering. Once you start playing with exposing services you're hosting to the...I feel like the people in the thread went a bit overboard :D In my opinion, to start out just get a RPi4 and start tinkering. Once you start playing with exposing services you're hosting to the internet, look into NGINX Proxy Manager and secure it with Authelia. This setup is really low effort and beginner-friendly and probably covers most of your bases. If you wanna add another layer, look into Tailscale. If you want to add something else, look into Fail2ban (but if you set up Authelia properly, you've probably stumbled upon F2B already at that point).
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Comment on How do you keep track of expenses/budget? in ~finance
zonk Link ParentYep, YNAB teaching you how to budget and actually enforcing it via the software is 70% of its value. Really great tool and I've recommended it endless times to budget beginners. I was still using...Yep, YNAB teaching you how to budget and actually enforcing it via the software is 70% of its value. Really great tool and I've recommended it endless times to budget beginners. I was still using YNAB4 and was slowly but surely getting scared of bugs appearing, sync not working etc., so I wanted to phase it out but wasn't happy with any alternative I've tried.
I just tried out actual, hosted it and set up my budget. Really awesome tool. I can totally see myself using it. Glad you recommended it and I found it. Finally my search has ended haha -
Comment on How do you keep track of expenses/budget? in ~finance
zonk LinkI'm looking for a YNAB alternative myself and hadn't heard of Actual yet, so thanks for sharing. Another good alternative that I've found that's very similar to YNAB is Buckets. But it's just a...I'm looking for a YNAB alternative myself and hadn't heard of Actual yet, so thanks for sharing. Another good alternative that I've found that's very similar to YNAB is Buckets. But it's just a hobby project from a single guy and sadly not Open Source. Therefore, there's no feature parity with YNAB yet and I'm missing a couple of features :/ And progress is very slow. He's very transparent and has a survey each year where you can tell him what's important so he can prioritize the features. But progress is still rather slow :/
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Comment on Chefs of Tildes, what’s one simple cooking trick that can vastly improve the flavour of a dish? in ~food
zonk Link ParentThere's a good video by Ethan Chlebowski which touches upon this topic, explaining that it makes a (sometimes big) difference when you add the spices to your dish. Before, during or when serving....There's a good video by Ethan Chlebowski which touches upon this topic, explaining that it makes a (sometimes big) difference when you add the spices to your dish. Before, during or when serving. It was very interesting to me, since I wasn't aware of such big differences :)
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Comment on Thinking of creating a local media center for my home. Any ideas/collaborators? in ~tech
zonk LinkYou should check out Sonarr for your second part. That should cover most of your bases. I've been running it happily for several years now.You should check out Sonarr for your second part. That should cover most of your bases. I've been running it happily for several years now.
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Comment on Group updates for July 2023 in ~tildes.official
zonk LinkGood compromise! Useful subgroups without going overboard and spreading people too thin and everyone is auto-subscribed :) Regarding football: you could make it .football and .soccer. Not the...Good compromise! Useful subgroups without going overboard and spreading people too thin and everyone is auto-subscribed :)
Regarding football: you could make it
.footballand.soccer. Not the cleanest way and it will also cause endless discussions, but it's clear to 99% of the users and you'd get rid of.american_football:) I would not suggest using the leagues as tags (nhl,nfl,mlb, etc.) -
Comment on What is your favorite deck builder and why? in ~games.tabletop
zonk LinkI'm a big fan of Clank!. It's well-paced, packed, exciting and goofy. The deck-building is the right amount of synergies but still adding your own touch to it, so you don't feel like you're just...I'm a big fan of Clank!. It's well-paced, packed, exciting and goofy. The deck-building is the right amount of synergies but still adding your own touch to it, so you don't feel like you're just doing what the game wants you to do anyway. It's casual enough to get new board gamers to play it, but still deep and fun enough to get seasoned players to join. On top of it, it adds random draws out of a bag for the 'ooooh damn' moments at the table and also enough variety and replayability with the board and artifact. And the theme of silently sneaking through a castle and not waking up the dragon or go full yolo and don't care about the dragon, hoping that you make it out fast enough is great. And if that's all not enough, you can also get the campaign version of it that's very well reviewed.
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Comment on How do I migrate almost twenty years of email off of Gmail? in ~tech
zonk Link ParentOn the right hand side you have a topic log and you see who did which changes when (to tags, the title, etc.). As to why, that's only something the editor can explain, I guess.On the right hand side you have a topic log and you see who did which changes when (to tags, the title, etc.). As to why, that's only something the editor can explain, I guess.
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Comment on Tips for moving to a new country? in ~travel
zonk LinkIt's kinda corny and also can apply to almost everything in life, but when I moved abroad alone for the first time temporarily, the best advice I would give my past self: don't be scared, try new...It's kinda corny and also can apply to almost everything in life, but when I moved abroad alone for the first time temporarily, the best advice I would give my past self: don't be scared, try new things and leave the comfort zone.
Just meet new people and try everything out, even if you don't expect you like it. One of my favorite memories from this period is sitting in a karaoke (I hate singing), drinking and partying (I generally don't like either) with complete strangers that I met a few hours before (very atypical as well, lol) and not taking the last subway home and being stuck there till 6am.
It's great for your personal growth and you might discover things that you'll like that you never thought possible! -
Comment on Experiences with emotions (do you feel them often, and how to feel more emotions?) in ~talk
zonk Link ParentI'm a very logical and barely emotional person myself and I'm fine myself and I generally don't care about and get along well with it, but the part I struggle with is: When I'm surrounded by...I'm a very logical and barely emotional person myself and I'm fine myself and I generally don't care about and get along well with it, but the part I struggle with is:
Part 2: A struggle with empathy.
When I'm surrounded by people having a hard time it's really hard for me to feel bad for them or oftentimes to understand their pain. My brain goes immediately into (re)solving the issue/situation at hand instead of trying to understand. If I'm upset after a fight or something along those lines, I'm pretty much a mute until I've "solved" the issue and I'm ready to move on (which is not a great trait in a partnership as you can imagine).
I've tried looking up literature about emotional intelligence to help me understand others and their feelings better, but to my surprise there was no good book available to learn and understand. Apparently you can find books from dealing with depression over atomic habits to how to raise your kids, but no one is really willing to explain emotional intelligence in detail :) If anyone here has a good read about it, feel free to share it with me! I'm more than willing to read a book or two about it that helps me in any shape or form.
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Comment on Is it normal to stress about your codebase becoming bad? in ~comp
zonk LinkTo be fair, that says more about your code than you - but it's completely normal :) As you go on with your project, you'll learn more about what you're building and you also grow as a developer,...- Exemplary
To be fair, that says more about your code than you - but it's completely normal :) As you go on with your project, you'll learn more about what you're building and you also grow as a developer, hence you see the permanent need to refactor older stuff, I've been in the exact same situation before.
For me, the most important part is that I don't forget about these improvements and technical debts, so for me personally it's important that they're written down so that I don't forget them. That helps a lot at putting my mind to ease. Obviously, it's generally better to rather do it now than some time (tm). You have to find a good balance between new stuff and things that excite you and refactoring older stuff that makes you spent days and (ideally) literally nothing has changed functionality-wise.
And to refactor easily and without panicking if you're breaking stuff, two things are elemental in my opinion: first, most if not all programming languages and frameworks nowadays offer ways to modularize your code and give each of them a specific use cases and clear limits. In case you're newer to coding: It's called Separation of concerns and makes your life much, much easier :) Look at bigger Godot projects and see how they went about splitting their code into modules and ask yourself why. Once a task becomes just a sum of working on small, distinct modules, it feels a lot less overwhelming.
And number two: I know it sounds boring, but cover functionality with tests. At least the very central ones, no one forces you through a quality gate with 90% test coverage. Being able to just refactor something, then run some tests again and it still does the same really helps you build confidence in your solution and removes a ton of manual effort.All in all it sounds like you're on a good path! The fact that you notice this in the process and look at game programming patterns shows that :) The next challenge will be to prepare your code base for these patterns (SoC) and to find the right ones for the correct situation and application - this is potentially the biggest difference between a junior developer and a senior developer. But everyone started from zero :) Again, go to github and look at repos using your framework and look what they've done. Maybe watch some tutorials on YT from start to finish and pay attention to how they structure their code and ask yourself why (good teachers explain it, but it is often not covered as well, especially in amateur sessions on YT).
Oh, and one last thing: in case you're new to coding: no one, absolutely no one, just sits down, writes code for 8 hours, leaves their desk and has the perfect code. After the iteration is before the iteration, the code is always evolving and changing, but you need a framework that doesn't make this hell for yourself :)
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Comment on AMA with u/spez going on right now - "Addressing the community about changes to our API" in ~tech
zonk Link ParentIn this archive link you can see that it was A:, which you just do to mark your answer (Q&As are generally in Question: Answer: or Interviewer: Name: format). Much more likely than a bulleted...In this archive link you can see that it was
A:, which you just do to mark your answer (Q&As are generally in Question: Answer: or Interviewer: Name: format). Much more likely than a bulleted list.Doesn't change that everything else about this Q&A was a huge mess...
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Comment on Latvia heads into the final weekend of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship after a stunning 3-1 upset of Sweden in the quarter-finals in ~sports.hockey
zonk LinkI'm slightly biased as German, but I'd say that Germany's win over Switzerland is a bigger upset :D (at least if you haven't watched the games in the group phase where Germany played really well...I'm slightly biased as German, but I'd say that Germany's win over Switzerland is a bigger upset :D (at least if you haven't watched the games in the group phase where Germany played really well already).
I hope that doesn't mean the finals will be a boring (from EU perspective) US vs CAN matchup. I'll take another upset in the semis for a guaranteed medal. Germany didn't play too bad in the groups against the US. Hype!
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Comment on Suggestion: Add "self post" tag to all posts that are self posts in ~tildes
zonk (edited )Link ParentI didn't mean the tag, but there's a small text under the title saying text. Seems like all self posts have that. But it would indeed be useful if you could search/filter for those topic content...There are more variety of self posts than ask and the "text" tag seems to refer to something else already. For example, people used to write poetry or financial analysis here, who knows what else is out there!
I didn't mean the tag, but there's a small text under the title saying text. Seems like all self posts have that. But it would indeed be useful if you could search/filter for those topic content types!
Edit: also browser plugin for something so small seems not very user friendly
That's true! And also probably more effort than it is worth, but it would fix the problem. I don't know how RES started :) But a user script for Greasemonkey/Tampermonkey would probably also work and be much shorter and simpler.
Edit: I just did this small script that gives every "text" post a bright green background for the content type. Not pretty but quick and dirty and gets the job done, feel free to use it:
let thisElement; const bgColor = "#4BFF33"; const allTopicContentTypes = document.evaluate( "//span[@class='topic-content-type']", document, null, XPathResult.UNORDERED_NODE_SNAPSHOT_TYPE, null ); for (let i=0; i < allTopicContentTypes.snapshotLength; i++) { thisElement = allTopicContentTypes.snapshotItem(i); if (thisElement.innerHTML.includes("Text")) { thisElement.style.background = bgColor; } }
My wife gave me a messenger bag made out of leather many years ago, and I used it every day. That's also the state was in a while ago and I decided I also want more compartments, so I switched to a sling bag that has tons of compartments and is comfortable to carry and accessible at all times. Especially with a toddler it's nice to have a place and some extra space to put wet wipes or their water bottle.
Of course, there are also backpacks with many compartments but at that point a sling is just more convenient and seems to do the job better (e.g. quicker and easier access) for everyday life and I barely every get it completely full where I ran out of space. And of course I also have a bag pack if more space is needed (for day trips or hikes), but it's just less accessible (e.g. when I'm in a grocery store and quickly want to pay while having to put the groceries away and have to watch my toddler, it's just easier to look down, open a zipper and grab the wallet instead of having to get it from my back). And on the other hand, when I go to a doctor's appointment and I'm sitting in the waiting room and want to read my kindle, I don't want to carry a whole backpack and then just get my kindle out and that's it, that also feels like wasted space. I wouldn't wanna miss my sling anymore :D
PS: If anyone is curious about some models, I suggest visiting the pack hacker reviews and just browse a bit.