2021
What is my typing speed? - 2021-08-26
I just did some typing speed tests just to see. The results are: Typing unordered random words: 71 WPM with 90% accuracy Typing proper English Sentences: 83 WPM with 97% accuracy.
Societal Progress and the Externalization of Information - 2021-08-22
Is societal progress defined by its ability to externalize information?
Uplifting a society of magpies - 2021-08-22
There was an interesting post on stackexchange about how advanced could a society of magpies get. I wrote a rather too long answer on the generic "how to uplift a society".
Why Modern Embedded Development Sucks - 2021-07-16
I enjoy building embedded devices - finding a problem that a small chunk of technology can solve. Then it's a case of wiring it together and testing the electrical connections. Finally it ends up with ... writing firmware. And that suc...
The Return of Innovation - 2021-07-13
Today I was walking into town (about 6km), and on the way was thinking about the best way to seal a manta-ray-like underwater ROV, how to gear down an angle grinder to drive a scooter, realizing that lithium air batteries won't solve p...
The value of silence - 2021-07-12
Over the past few weeks I've come to realize how much I value silence when working. Silence both allows focus which is one of the reasons why I tend to stay up late coding rather than doing it during the day. If I do want to program du...
Storage based cryptocurrencies - 2021-07-08
Cryptocurrencies have had a negative affect on many things: CI services (eg gitlab CI, github actions, Travis) have scaled down or stopped their free services due to cryptomining abuse. The existence of malware and browser-based crypto...
The Nature of Progress - 2021-06-25
In the industrial revolution when iron and steel machines were just being invented, people probably said: "these machines could change the wolrd - they will make it faster and stronger, but will take away our indivuduailty. They can be...
Don't eliminate low percentages - 2021-06-20
A company I've had some involvement with is planning to change it's vehicle fleet. Currently it operates both 2wd and (part time) 4wd pickups, and after some analysis has decided to ditch the 4wd's and only use 2wd's. Why? Turns out th...
Outside vs Inside - 2021-06-19
What is visible outside isn't necessarily what is going on inside. I've had periods over the past few years where I've been relatively depressed. Arguably, I still probably am. But there's something odd I've noticed: Sometimes when dep...
Humanity is a Virus - 2021-06-19
"Humanity is a virus." - almost Agent Smith Cultures are born, spread, wane and die. Virus' are the same. Cultures thereforce have some of the same properties as virus' For a culture to be successful, the number of people-groups ...
Science and Magic - 2021-06-13
I recently came across a worldbuilding stackexchange question asking for thoughts on a fundamental "theory of magic". As a result I decided to figure out what the difference between magic and science is. Turns out there is a single the...
Logistics games - 2021-06-07
There are many games like Factorio, Mindustry and The dyson sphere program where the player is tasked with logistics - managing resource distribution for exceedingly complex systems. Because it's a game, the system design and "construc...
Why is applying for jobs so hard? - 2021-06-06
For the past few months I've been in the shadow of my course finishing. I've known it is coming up and that it has been the time to work on preparing my CV, gettin in contact with potential workplaces and so on. But I've been putting i...
Emotional Vampire - 2021-06-05
Today I was walking on a beach - it was drizzeling and there was low fog. The clouds out over the sea made interesting patterns of light, and you could see the waves rolling in. I spent a long time staring at the sea, thinking about on...
The Value of Work - 2021-05-27
Recently I wrote a post that a person is more valuable than the work that they do. But I have also wondered why it is that modern society values a person by the amount of work they can perform.
Jumping into a river vs getting washed off your feet - 2021-05-20
One of the first things we did on the course I'm doing was to learn how to cross rivers. We did this by a day or so of theory (where should you cross) and then an afternoon out actually crossing rivers.
You are more than the work you do - 2021-05-19
A couple of times now I've seen people get depressed when the thing they're working on doesn't work out the way they hoped. Or perhaps they're injured and are watching their "team" do work without them and feel bad for not being able t...
Finding your passion - 2021-05-11
Everyone says you need to find your passion. I think having a passion is not universal. I enjoy many things - drawing, programming, building, thinking, making music, hiking, driving. But none of those is my passion. None of those do I ...
Life on an exponential curve - 2021-05-09
Recently I've been reading "Guns Germs and Steel" - a book that tries to explain human development while ignoring, well, human history. It's a fascinating approach that looks at differences of geography and so on. Early in the book ...
The Curse of Faux-Instant-Messaging - 2021-05-07
Every so often someone invites me to a discord server or a facebook group. It seems that because I enjoy helping others on forums or StackOverflow, people assume I'll enjoy chatting with others on discord about their problems. But it i...
Dancing vs going through the moves - 2021-05-06
For the past few months I've been doing social dancing fairly regularly. I recently have been thinking about what makes the difference between a great dance and an OK dance.
The Nature of Critique and Praise - 2021-05-05
Why is it that sometimes when someone says "you've done a great job", we internal go: "ahhh, nope"? What is it that determines if we accept criticism, or if we let it pass over us?
When the going gets tough - 2021-05-04
... the tough get going? Or so the saying goes. I think there are three things people do when the going gets tough: they try to change the situation, they try to change themselves, or they leave.
Then vs Now - The Result - 2021-04-21
In my post "Then vs Now" I mused over how I didn't used to care how things turned out, and as a result I just, well, did things. And at the end I said I'd head out to the workshop and build something. Well I did, but my opinion has ...
Then vs Now - 2021-04-20
I've started converting all my posts from facebook over to this website, because one day I will delete my facebook account, and I'd rather not lose that content. However, I've noticed how different my interaction with the internet is n...
Exercise is not adventure - 2021-03-15
A couple weeks ago I was with a group of young adults, and we were talking about how we could get more engagement with a group of teenage kids. One idea I put forward was "Well, we should have some adventures with them" to which the re...
A trip into the red hills - 2021-03-14
I'm currently doing a course to become a forest ranger, and have just returned from a trip to the "red hills" - a plateau near Porters Creek Hut. We were up there for five days and (on the three working days) pulled out approximately 1...
2017
Snow in Switzerland - 2017-12-11
Well, it's my first winter in Switzerland, so of course I had to go for a walk at midnight just to see what it was about.
Learning Digital Drawing - 2017-05-21
As a kid I used to enjoy sketching with a pencil. As I went through school and university, I did less and less art, though I still did doodle dragons occasionally. As part of university, I bought a laptop with an active stylus so that ...
The High Country - 2017-04-10
Where is the high country? Head south a little, and cross some braided rivers. Head inland until the land curves up, and the grass flats start turning into scree slopes. If there isn't some bog and some spaniards, you're in the wrong p...
2016
The Swiss Alps - 2016-12-11
While the high country of New Zealand is spectacular, so are the alps in Switzerland. Sometimes I wish I had a proper camera - but then I look at the price tag. Maybe one day. These are photos from two separate trips.
My Car #2 - 2016-12-11
Well, When I moved to Switzerland, I had to get rid of my 1995 escudo. I ended up passing it on to one of my friends, but initially I planned to sell it. So of course I had to photoshop some images of it. So here we have the 1995 Suzuk...
My Car - 2016-11-26
A few weeks back I bought a car. It's a 1993 Suzuki Escudo, and it runs very well considering it's older than I am! This car is is a four wheel drive and thus capable of driving (and having fun) off road. Also, rather surprisingly it...
Being a Librarian - 2016-07-23
In year 11 (2010) at school I became the 'Student Library Shelver' which meant I was in charge of shelving the returned today books at the end of each day, stamped and barcoded new books, helped with textbook distribution and a few oth...
2014
Age and the Internet - 2014-03-16
In the physical world age dictates how people act towards you. People look at you, and decide if you're "old enough" to be "sensible enough" to do something. At school, we're divided up based on age, and only later in life does this 'a...
What Makes a Hero - 2014-01-04
Is a hero someone who helps people when they need it? Or is it a person who does the right thing in the difficult times?
2013
Distro or Window Manager - 2013-11-18
Because there are millions to choose from, each slightly different. How do you pick? Does it make a difference?
The Perception of Time - 2013-11-06
Time seems to bend and shift. When you're doing something you enjoy, time passes at a frantic rate. But when you are doing something you don't enjoy, it seems to take forever.