146 karma · joined May 18, 2019
For what it is worth, not too long ago I came across the concept of “portable monitors”. Took a risk on a 4K 15” model and it ended up being decent quality. Skinnier than a #2 pencil and perfect size when propped next to my 15” MBP, without getting in the way.
edit: Almost forgot to mention this — it is powered via USB-C cable. One end to the monitor and the other into my 15” MBP (13” MBP may not have enough “juice” to power).
This guy gets it.
If one is fortunate enough to experience such a realization, they might just have found a genuine opportunity to solve a real problem, the right way.
Would you feel encouraged or inspired if someone said this to you?
For example, instead of saying the quote above, you could have as easily said “I think this garage door opener project has a lot of opportunity for improvement”.
Mindset goes a long way, and it might just help make a friend or two along the way.
We all get one song called life and it is meant to be danced to while it is still playing. Have you ever asked yourself: “am I dancing?”
Working, traveling, and BRAGGING about it, is not cool.
I’ll share some of my observations and thoughts so far (in no particular order):
- It’s nice to be around them more. Seriously. I personally invest a lot into their development and seeing them positively grow is a great feeling. Being around them more during the day seems to amplify this. “Time” is finite.
- I put my daughter into private school and the expensive monthly tuition bill still came at full price. Was it fair? I don’t know. I knew I could get by financially so never brought it up with hopes it might just help a teacher keep a paycheck. The teachers are passionate and are really trying with distant learning too. If anything, they deserve more.
- No longer paying for a babysitter nor after school care returned a lot back into the wallet. This actually turned into a new and positive financial investment adventure. I’ve saved more money in the last two months than I have in a year. ”Wow” is the feeling.
- The heightened risk around handled food has mentally “forced” me into eating exclusively at home from grocery store goods. We three were a 99% eat-out/takeout everyday family beforehand. Surprisingly, the adaptation has been a lot easier than expected. Eating out was almost never for self-pleasure, just convenient usually. This also has helped save lots of $$$.
- The commute to work has lightened up a little. I think maybe 10ft (+/- a foot or two for you anal type). The car has been with a full tank for over a month. ~5 miles in this timeframe, all of which for grocery store (wow more money saved).
- Morning commute consisted of driving girls to school and babysitter, then to work. That short distance in the car alone cost me ~1 hour each way, so ~2 hours of time returned daily. I normally lay outfits out the night before, the toddler is usually chill about what outfit to wear, and the school requires uniforms, so morning prep was fast and smooth, usually. Maybe 30 minutes returned here.
- Standard of cleaning dipped lower than desired once we became the three musketeers. New found time went as fast as it came here. Having our apartment a little more clean feels good though.
- My official title at the 9-5 is “software engineer”, so the concept of working from home is realistic. Doing so with children as a single parent is where reality hits the fan too. Just one child around is not too bad, doesn’t matter which one. Having both means girls argue, fight over stuff like who gets the last corndog, if Barbie should or shouldn’t go stand in the corner in timeout for doing something bad, so on. My concentration skills with work have been tested here FOR SURE. It’s easy and then it’s not. Productivity is overall on average higher when they take an afternoon nap and lower when awake and about.
- This whole online learning concept sounds nice on paper and might be the best alternative next to in-person schooling, but man it really is difficult to pull off during the week for me. An hour or two a day? I’m already writing this at 3am if that tells you anything. That might be realistic to some, but it’s not for me, and I’m not even dismissing any opportunity to save time. For example, I have it figured out when I wake up: first use the restroom, wash hands, then proceed to brush teeth after washing hands, but before drying. This saves from wetting hands and drying with towel twice. When time is at a premium, it makes you think about weird stuff like that. I try for weekends to catch up on daughters schooling. We are a week and a half behind. I also emailed the teacher on my own behalf to simply let her know I’m having a hard time keeping up and to ask if she had any tips or suggestions to offer.
Overall, social distancing hasn’t phased us since we keep to ourselves in our private time for the most part already. No real negatives experienced on a personal level and our health is good. I suspect this concept of online learning might be easy for some, if not most, but it sure as hell hasn’t been for me with time already at a premium.
My girls and I will get through it, just like the rest of you reading this will.
With that said, I have been noticing more and more people building these insanely powerful desktop machines (a lot of times for less than a MacBook Pro) to keep at home.
Here is where it gets interesting - then the same group of people start walking around with a burner Chromebook that was bought on the cheap with nothing more than a shell with SSH or just simply remote into their desktop via apache guacamole.
Technology is pretty neat.
Our robot is not operational yet, so I will include a YouTube link below of the creator with a couple of his own completed “cats”.
There is no way around it more often than not. Even worse if they have befriended a mutual higher-up in which you both either now or used to report to.
I personally use the latest model Apple Magic Keyboard and the thin size seems nice. No need for a wrist support and the keys feel like hair pin triggers when I type. I personally haven’t experienced anything comparable, yet.
Adding to this with what one can focus on...
Start with an empty mind identifying your customers’ or audience’s problem.
Then answer with the technologies that make the most sense to solve it.
A piano is simply a tool that enables a pianist to bring a dream to reality.
A programming language is simply a tool that enables a programmer to bring a dream to reality.
Ask yourself this:
“Am I a dreamer and a doer...or have I just been doing?”
Out of curiosity, what sold you on this? Has caching of a docker image been considered in this conclusion as well?
Have you given thought to whether these are the absolute baseline...or actually the consequences of practices more fundamental?
As much shit as we give white-boarding, I would have chosen it instead if it were an option.