soueuls

I am fat and I don’t really care.

But I don’t understand how some people come to understand that it’s healthy.

It hasn’t ruined anything for me.

For now, AI is not good enough for me to use it (I only use Midjourney to generate illustrations)

The day it will be good enough I will just adapt and add it to my toolbox.

Problems will just become more complex.

I have no idea how we will be working but the universe is a vast topic, I don’t think we will all be sitting together, lamenting about how AI still everything.

I definitely side with the people who said that what you are describing is bad TDD

This is the result of people believing « unit test » means I should only test one « unit » (usually a function)

When you start testing a behaviour which can span multiple scopes, your tests don’t suffer from the same problems.

As for Clean Architecture, the overhead is quite minimal, and being able to hide complex stuff behind an interface means you will actually save a lot of time (like not having any database for several weeks, which helps iterating a lot quicker)

I have had the chance to see strong craft practitioner, it convinced me that they are indeed faster than the majority of developers (and ship more often)

I don't consider them to have any tradeoff. So far I am not losing any time applying TDD. And Clean Architecture seems common sense.

I am becoming more and more convinced that everything is a matter of tradeoff in computer science, except two things

- TDD - Clean Architecture

That's what I am currently learning.

Yes it's possible. But if you want to be controversial, you need to expect controversy. That's what the word implies.

From personal experience, it's far easier to cross the line completely than flirt with it.

If you are just a little off base, you will get a lot of pushbacks.

Once you cross the line for good, it's easier. 95% of the world population will not want to associate with you in any way. But you become part of a tribe.

If you have a hard time handling criticizing or being canceled, then don't do it.

Because countries like the US persecute worldwide.

I haven’t really changed the way I search information or acquire knowledge.

The only difference is that I can make very cool artworks while being devoid of any artistic skills

I consider them equally greedy in term of data collection and tracking.

But if I have to choose, I prefer giving away my data to China than the US. I consider China to be a bit less hostile

I use WeChat daily

Pretty much like with friends.

We both have online businesses, where we need to learn about marketing/tools/etc We both read lots of books (classic, non-fiction, etc) We watch TV shows, movies We do some sports

There is always something to talk about, when we just wander around a lake we will talk about more contemplative stuff.

When we eat around the house, we will talk about the quick wins we are having, countries we want to go next, making plans for the week, the new TV show we should start, what kind of music we want to listen throughout the afternoon.

Because it’s primarily being fed a corpus of texts.

There is a finite number of articles on the internet.

There is an even more finite number of articles talking about Joan of Arc or copywriting.

But numbers are infinite.

Not many people write articles about why 2+17 is 19.

Not many people write about why 33 + 4 is 37 either.

I think there is a difference between a newsletter and a mailing list.

Mailing list are multidirectional by nature. You can decide to be just a reader. But you can respond to emails and participate too.

I founded a famous right wing / conservative media in France. https://www.youtube.com/@LivreNoir

I don't think it would be of any use for the HN audience, though.

Do whatever you want but count me out of this mess.

I prefer being a tech mercenary than joining a union.

I don't plan to retire. I like intellectual challenges.

I will work less for sure. Taking regular breaks and working mostly in the mornings.

Probably gonna play pétanque in the evening or taking my grandchildren to the park or wherever they want to go.

Healthcare is not really important, I prefer taking care of that myself.

Remote (fully remote) is indeed very important.

I also prefer working for a company with a strong elitist worldview

And I avoid companies that are into diversity hiring

Simplified Chinese.

Because I am considering relocating to China for the foreseeable future. I enjoyed living there.

I currently speak English as well as French, it’s fun learning a tonal language

I pretty much lived like nothing happened. I packed my bag to change countries a couple time to avoid most restrictions.

I did not change my lifestyle a bit. I love spending time inside my house 90% of the time.

I go out a couple time a day for a long walk with a book, hit the gym or meet someone.

I think it's been a year since I checked the situation with Covid, I have no idea if it's still ongoing or if people are wearing masks out of habits.

The correct way to do it is always pretty much the same.

Clean architecture / ports & adapters

You are supposed to put your database details behind interfaces

It provides an experience I can't reproduce anywhere else.

I read Don Quichotte early 2022. It's absurd, insane, the main character is not reliable, yet he is brave, willing to make the world a better place to fit his knight ideals exist.

You can't find such a story elsewhere.

I read Lolita, I have never seen anyone talk about depravation with such a beautiful prose.

I am now reading The Brothers Karamazov. Right on a chapter called "The Grand Inquisitor". It's deep. About human nature, God. It's ambiguous. It makes you think. It's been haunting me for the past couple days.

Most of the conversation I have with friends in bars are nice, pleasing. They probably won't haunt me in 6 months.

Books do.

Not exactly the same feeling because I do have few close friends (most of them I don't see very often because I left my home country, without any intention to really go back)

But, I like strangers.

I like exploring cities, chasing hidden bars, drinking some cocktails with a person I have just met few hours earlier.

Converse, debate.

And then never meet again.

It obviously all comes down to Calories In < Calories Out. Here are the things that worked for me

1. Prioritize convenience over optimality. I spend several weeks exploring what I liked and disliked. I was drinking way too much soda and not enough water. I found water "boring" so I switched to sparkling water + lemon I am too lazy to cook vegetables properly (it's easy for a few days, harder when you need to do it for months and months). I buy a lot of high quality frozen vegetables (it's probably a bit worth in terms of nutriments, but at least I can stick with it).

2. Eating healthy 100% of the time is too hard. I make a high income and go out quite often.

But intermittent fasting is quite easy to do. And after a week or two, you reduce your appetite.

3. I have no problems eating the same thing over and over.

I love eggplants. I eat a lot of eat. I did not eat a lot of fruit. But I like banana so I eat a lot of it as well.

4. Eggs are the best source of protein (your body can use 50% of the protein from eggs)

If you are used to eating shitty breakfast. Switch to eggs. Poached eggs or whatever.

5. I have read a few recent studies saying that exercising does not really help to lose weight (because your body finds a way to cut down calories expenditure elsewhere.

It's probably true. But the thing I notice is that people who workout 3-4 times a week are never obese.

So I exercice as well.

I don't remember ever having a mental breakdown. I am rarely "happy" but I am 100% satisfied with my life.

Because living in the West does not provide me much satisfaction. I miss my time living in China and I had the opportunity to stay.

So I have some regrets that I made the choice to leave at that time. I have been trying to get back there for a while, but the borders were closed.

Leaving China in 2017.

I think I would cook, go for some long walk, read/watch a lot of classics.

Probably still code a bit.

But overall I think I would dislike my life.

I enjoy competition.

I don’t know what to think of this idea, it’s quite unexpected.

That being said, as someone who lived several years in China and studied at Tsinghua University, sure censorship exists and is quite heavy.

But from my point of view the global, intelligent, all encompassing social credit, observing everything you do and say, is a myth. I even believe it’s more or less a propaganda made by the West.

I have met some people who were in troubles with the government. And people are indeed not comfortable voicing strong opinion against the government.

But I have never met someone who was afraid of the « credit score » or who could not put his children to school, or travel.

And I am always weary of things everybody talks about but I can’t see myself.

I am confident that after spending many years there. If it had existed I would have known it by now.

- I switched to keeping my daily todo list on a simple sheet of paper. This helps being focus on the important stuff. Everything I haven't done yesterday, I will have to rewrite it on today's paper. More often than not, I realize it's not important anymore, and I just discard it.

- I also take Ritalin. 10mg. Once a day. I constantly reach flow state 5h/day. It's a light drug, but it'd a drug nonetheless so I can't recommend it.

You make reading your default choice to kill the time.

I read when in bed truing to sleep

I read if I am waiting for the friend or transportation

I read during boring meeting

I read 60 books this year, but this included Don Quichotte and Karamazov brothers.