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mxgrn

102 karma · joined December 11, 2022

meet.hn/city/pt-Lisbon

Socials: - x.com/elixirfun

Interests: Web Development, Startups, Programming, Remote Work, Networking, Hacking, Gaming, Entrepreneurship, Digital Nomad, Mobile Development

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mxgrn··on Show HN: Sqlit – A lazygit-style TUI for SQL databases
Love how easy and intuitive it is to use it! Keep it up, what a great project!
mxgrn··on Hashcards: A plain-text spaced repetition system
I also wanted a frictionless card creation experience, and I didn't want another (mobile) app for that. I'm only using SR for new vocabulary in a foreign language, so I created a multilingual AI-powered Telegram bot [1] that does just that.

Creating a flash card is as simple as sending a word (or expression) you want to learn. The bot takes care of the rest: generates the translation, pronunciation, and examples.

The bot also uses FSRS for SR.

[1] https://lexicorn.ai

mxgrn··on Beliefs that are true for regular software but false when applied to AI
> I’ve never seen an AI flow of any kind that meets what would meet the quality of a typical ‘corporate’ acceptable flow. As in, reliably works, doesn’t go crazy randomly, etc.

Jump [1] built a multi-million dollar business exactly on this, a service used by corporations in financial consultancy.

[1] https://jump.ai/

mxgrn··on I did 98,000 Anki reviews. Anki is already dead
For the past couple of years, I've used LLMs for helping me creating flashcards -- and loved it. Initially, I built a very simple desktop tool that would send the LLMs output to a Google spreadsheet, from where Flashcards (an iOS app, [1]) would import them as decks.

After a year or so, I wrapped it up in a Telegram bot, so I could just send a new card or phrase to it, and it would take care of translation, pronunciation, and usage examples. As I'm usually learning several languages in parallel, I also added the automatic language detection (from preselected languages).

Then I randomly found out that FSRS is better than SM2 (which Flashcards uses), and found an Elixir library that implements that. So, I decided to drop both spreadsheets and the Flashcards app, and implement the review process right in my bot.

This is how I ended up with https://lexicorn.ai -- just got my first paying subscriber (yay, I guess). The site doesn't say it, but it's 5 euros/month.

[1] https://apps.apple.com/de/app/flashcards-deluxe/id307840670

mxgrn··on Ask HN: Have you coded any productivity software just for yourself?
Yep, a Telegram bot to "track it all": https://t.me/geektrackbot
mxgrn··on Ask HN: How common is developer burnout? Have you ever been burnt out?
How I'm personally seeing it, the sole reason for burnout is doing stuff you're not enjoying, for too long. Then, the solution I'm trying to follow is to organize my life in such a way that I never feel the pressure of deadlines, as well as any need to communicate with people I dislike.
mxgrn··on Ask HN: What non-AI products are you working on?
I'm working on a Telegram-based all-in-one personal life tracker.

Apparently, Telegram bots provide functionality that allows creating UI resembling native apps, with the bonus of not having to install anything besides Telegram, as well as not having to ask any app stores for approval. Combined with chat-based UX, it fits perfectly for tracking things.

https://geektrack.mxgrn.com/

mxgrn··on Ask HN: What apps have you created for your own use?
I always liked playing Memory/Concentration with friends, but there was no multiplayer online version of it, so, I wrote my own: https://pairs.one (no registration needed).
mxgrn··on Have you noticed how, during Apple presentation, all watches always show 10:10?
As if every presenter has the same time all the time.
mxgrn··on Show HN: Supavisor – a Postgres connection pooler written in Elixir
This is a great video for introducing Elixir/BEAM.
mxgrn··on Ask HN: What would be your stack if you are building an MVP today?
For deployment I'm using Docker + Github CI + Digital Ocean basic droplets. Docker support is built into Phoenix, all you need is `mix phx.gen.release --docker`.

What I like about it is that upgrading a DO host is basically a matter of spinning off a new droplet and install Docker on it. Also, setting up deployment for a new Phoenix project takes about 30 minutes now.

mxgrn··on Phoenix 1.7 is View-less
I would recommend reading these 2 books in parallel: Elixir in Action by Sasa Juric (one of my favorite programming books in general), and Programming Phoenix from PragProg. And before that, to wet your appetite and get a feel for the Erlang VM, watch a small video by Sasa Juric on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBT4XBdoUE
mxgrn··on Function keys productivity trick
> I'd be curious as to why he finds the F keys faster.

Simply because it's a single key press, even no modifier is needed. So, yeah, it's faster and less thinking.

mxgrn··on Function keys productivity trick
That's a great idea!
mxgrn··on Function keys productivity trick
You'll still be able to do that with Fn+F1/F2.
mxgrn··on Function keys productivity trick
Way slower and more cognitive overhead.
mxgrn··on Function keys productivity trick
Good one :D
mxgrn··on Function keys productivity trick
I see your point, but personally I never liked following fixed beliefs if in the long run I could benefit from dropping them. As an example, that's why I also learned Dvorak (which was much more painful than re-learning F-keys).
mxgrn··on Function keys productivity trick
> you have to press Fn-F1 to access F1

Yep, by default, but you can change that in the settings. The the Fn modifier isn't required.

mxgrn··on A year-long journey to native English fluency. New Year's non-resolution
Thanks for taking time to comment, I'm realizing the message turned out vague. My main point was that, while I do set up on a year-long "journey", the specific techniques are not as important as handling motivation. "The map" basically boils down to practice, and the biggest part of the "journey" is going to be how I keep up the motivation.
mxgrn··on A year-long journey to native English fluency. New Year's non-resolution
Good question, thanks! I do regularly hesitate on whether an article should be used or not. I suppose I need to read and write a lot during this year to get more comfortable with that.
mxgrn··on Show HN: A highly opinionated, fully functional Obsidian vault
What's ngmi?
mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
AFAIK, you don't need "complete" or "new" here, "the Star Wars trilogy" is fine. It's "the Title/Name something".
mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
Appreciated the effort! Love these tiny details. Edited the post.
mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
From what I've seen so far, ChatGPT is surprisingly good at editing texts. Would love to hear an opinion from a native, though.
mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
> It's about being adult is about not giving a shit to a lot of thing.

This. In my little theory, that's exactly the watershed: will one be able to find something exciting to do. If succeeded, learning abilities and creativity follow the energy. It's akin to falling in love, really. But yeah, when you get older, you my need to try harder finding those things.

I couldn't find any tricks as to how to identify such areas of interest, but I "discovered" an indirect factor that raises the chances for that: regular physical exercise, ice baths, proper nutrition, and staying calm. When I feel great, the world suddenly becomes a fun place to live.

mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
> either “I started” or “I am starting” not “I start.”

... And suddenly it seems so obvious! Thanks, fixed!

mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
You're right, thanks! Fixed.
mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
Well, only in a way :) I don't think colloquialisms are necessarily what I'm after, but rather a richer, literate language.
mxgrn··on I started taking English classes at the age of 46
Thanks for the comment. Wanted to add that, for me personally, effort _has_ to follow fun, and only then it's efficient, and, most importantly, sustainable. This post was partially inspired by an awesome book called Company of One by Paul Jarvis, btw.