DamnInteresting

I tried two different models of Kensingtons. The first one felt fine to use, but it had a scroll ring around the ball, and this piece broke off after a few weeks. I got it replaced under warranty, and the next one broke the same way in a similar time frame. So I tried one of their other models, and it just didn't fit my hand well. It's now my emergency backup.

Seconded on the trackball. I was a trackball user for years until Microsoft discontinued their trackball ca. 2005, and I was unable to find a suitable replacement. A couple of years ago I was feeling some wrist pain from my conventional mouse, and reexamined the trackball offerings. After a couple of missteps with mediocre Kensington models, I found the Elecom HUGE Trackball. It is excellent, I am tempted to buy some backups in case they stop making it.

For the Mac users: I find that it is quite handy to keep a Magic Trackpad on the side of my keyboard opposite the trackball. I use it to make quick gestures such as switching desktops, showing all windows, etc.

Seconded on the bone conducting headphones. I have a little kid, so I need to reliably hear my environment, but it's nice to listen to podcasts or audiobooks once in a while.

Also the bidet. It is so strange that water washing a bum is the exception rather than the rule. In many ways we're still a primitive civilization.

Do you have photos? I love stuff related to the Voyager Golden Record. About 7 years ago I made this: http://voyager.damninteresting.com/

I have not yet employed an interview coach, but I suspect it would be helpful to have a frank evaluation. I have a pretty large online presence, perhaps it is negatively affecting my opportunities in ways that I do not see. Hmm.

I've been in the business for almost 20 years. I've been hired for positions where I don't even code in the required language, and the employer depends on me to learn it on the go. Until recently I've never had trouble securing a job. But I've been on the market now for about 2 years. I often can't even score an interview, even for jobs that exactly match my qualifications.

I'm over 40, so I must assume ageism is a factor, but even in light of that, this tech job market feels like a desert.

Yes indeed, we are still on Dreamhost. With almost 20 years of hosting sites there, we get some nice discounts from their referral program--otherwise we'd probably change hosts.

Author of the linked article here. If you're implying that I manufactured the "eh"s, you are mistaken, they were in the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder. If you are implying that I intentionally left them in for comedic value, I cannot argue with that.

Mine may or may not qualify as a "personal blog." It is running on blogging software (Wordpress) and I am a person, but our content is more magazine-like than blog-like. In any case, it can be found at https://www.damninteresting.com. Established 2005.

I don't consume HN via RSS, so I am just speculating, but perhaps the RSS feed has a lot of turnover. HN on the web is nice because links stay on the front page for a while, but a chronological delivery such as RSS might be messier.

The song in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJjuBcmPCeQ

Another vote for A Short History of Nearly Everything. Eighteen years ago, I enjoyed that book so thoroughly that I started researching and writing my own nonfiction. The pay is terrible, but the work is fulfilling.

I wrote about this contraption 17 years ago: https://www.damninteresting.com/curio/the-falkirk-wheel/

> "I am so angry, so infuriated that you're abusing me, that ..... I WILL... leave for 3 days and then come back for the rest of my life".

"for the rest of my life" is a big assumption. This strike could/should be the first in a series of escalating strikes. If parties truly seek change, and not just punishment, it is tactically unwise for one's first response to be maximum retaliation.

And yet somehow it handily powers over 75% of websites today.[1]

[1]: https://w3techs.com/technologies/history_overview/programmin...

Most months I earn around a grand on https://www.damninteresting.com/ after I pay for hosting, subscriptions, residuals, author payments, etc. And that is 99% from donations, I refuse to host ads (and about 1% from occasional content licensing). I pour so much time into it that my hourly rate is fairly low. For me, it's not about the money, I just enjoy doing it.

Same experience here. I've been using Macs and iOS devices for over a decade, and while I cannot say that it never works, I could count the successes on one hand (granted, I don't try very often after so much failure). I've even tried setting the "allow me to be discovered by" option to "everybody", and it still fails.

Maybe the problem is me, but I'm good at computers. I can make them do almost anything else in the catalog. Airdrop is a glaring exception.

It's not just non-Apple devices. I use my iPad to make music and sketches, and sometimes I need to move files between my iPad and MacBook. Airdrop almost never works, and transferring in the Files app is confusing--sometimes the file won't appear in the relevant app, or sometimes it appears twice, and it's not clear which is the newer version. I often resort to emailing the files back and forth to myself as attachments, which is not ideal.

If anyone knows of a better way to move files to and from an iPad, I would be delighted to hear it.

> It's a no win situation

Exactly! That's what I meant by tragedy of the commons. It sucks for everybody, consumers and creators alike, and there is no satisfactory solution. I empathize, I am an independent creator myself, and I know the pain. For what it's worth, it helped me to change my mindset from sprint to marathon, and accept that success, if any, would be slow.

I also feel that the modern web's lust for stats is doing more harm than good. If one's follower count isn't growing, the dopamine dries up. Falling listener stats? Enjoy that depression! Better to ignore the stats and use "is this still worthwhile" as one's compass when possible.

Entirely you say? I was addressing this portion of your comment:

> I'm pretty darn sure I'm not the only independent content creator being largely ignored, attacked for "self promotion"

I agree whole-heartedly with your share it sentiment, but if that was your original point, it was unfortunately obscured.

"Seemed" is the operative word here. Past tense, and indefinite.

The problem isn't self-promotion per se, the problem is the sheer amount of self-promotion that occurs when it is allowed. If any is permitted, then often all is permitted, and a forum becomes inundated with people vying for attention. Classic tragedy of the commons.

I am likewise a historian/author who relies on newspaper archives for a lot of my research. I have been maintaining my site for 17+ years, and if one visits my older writings, many of the source links are long dead.

Of course there is the Internet Archive, but if one looks into the stewardship of that project, it is quite vulnerable in the long term. There are key people whose departures would compromise the viability of the project. Perhaps we need the digital equivalent of the Svaldbard seed vault for digital archives--a state-maintained facility storing the bulk of Internet history in a geologically stable server farm.

And yet good luck landing an interview if you lack years of experience with React, Angular, Vue, Bootstrap, Typescript, Node, et cetera ad nauseum. Dependency hell is now the foyer.

So many replies here that are essentially "I hate them too, but I use them because they work"--i.e., "I am a hypocrite because capitalism."

I've been driving a Chevy Bolt EV for almost 6 years now. I have the great luxury of a garage with solar panels on the roof and 240v service, so charging is fast, almost free, and very low effort. I've never been happier with a car, but I can see how someone without easy access to high voltage charging (e.g., in an apartment) would have a much less satisfactory experience.

And don't forget that you can alternatively rent an ICE car for long road trips.

I have been in the webdev industry for 20+ years, always in high demand. I am reliable and good at what I do. I have never had trouble finding gainful employment...until 2022. I have been applying for jobs every day--jobs I am quite qualified for--and most of the potential employers don't respond at all. Those few that do respond mostly say "we are looking at other candidates, thanks anyway."

I have had a few companies reply to my applications with an "email interview" questionnaire, but after I reply I usually hear nothing back. One actually scheduled a video interview, but the day before it was to occur, they emailed to say nevermind, the position was filled.

It's so odd. Some of these job descriptions are an exact match for my skill set. I suspect that ageism is a major contributor given that I am over 40. I am starting to look into other industries, but it feels like such a waste to abandon my cultivated experience.

Mostly it is asking for reader/listener donations in a non-aggressive way. For example, if one is reading on the site, the request for donations appears only if one reaches the end of the text. If listening, the request comes after the story. This is supplemented by licensing our work occasionally to magazines, other websites, etc., and a wee bit of merchandising.