HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

Ginguin

40 karma · joined February 1, 2016

submissionscomments
Ginguin··on Laptops with Stickers
My first tattoos were each done years apart. I printed a version out, put it in my wallet, and saw it every time I made a purchase. If I still loved it just as much a year later, I booked an appointment.

Later tattoos are essentially private works of art, put together collaboratively with an artist. These are for ME, and no one at work will ever see any of them (or any of my other tattoos).

Each tattoo has some significance for me, but I won't judge others who just like a thing and get a thing. Tattoos are as varied as the reasons people have for getting them. Mine aren't edgy, but they also aren't visible to strangers.

Ginguin··on Ask HN: How are you making money on the side?
I know it's not always noticed, but the little touches (like the menu, when clicked, spinning to become the x to close the menu) make this absolutely delightful. I hadn't heard about omiword and will be giving it a go.
Ginguin··on Voice Flight – A voice-controlled flying game
So it's essentially flappy bird, but any noise seems to make it "flap". I kept trying to adjust volume to adjust altitude, but noise = flap was the mindset that let me get pretty far.
Ginguin··on Show HN: I built an app to stop me doomscrolling by touching grass
We are a social species living in a world where everything is commodified, and to survive means trying to find a way to exist in that space. It creates a mindset where even a simple hobby needs to somehow create profit, because everything around us requires we have and/or create money over all of the less tangible things that actually make humans happy.

Some people have the luxury of being able to step around that mindset, even if only for a little bit, but there is less and less space for just existing.

Ginguin··on Why do AI chatbots have such a hard time admitting 'I don't know'?
Counterbalance that with the (almost) equally annoying coworker who says "I don't know" as the immediate answer to any question! If there is any possibility of ambiguity or uncertainty, he will refuse to speculate or cite best practices.

I think your coworker would probably be more annoying, but only because I can ask an additional question of my coworker to dig into the response. I wish he would say something like, "I don't know, but [best practice/past experience]" without me having to then ask for the last part.

Ginguin··on Unexpected Keyboard
MessagEase has been my go-to for years. I swapped this year to thumb-key when MessagEase went to a subscription.

I love the ability to quickly copy, paste, select-all, type special characters, etc., all without having to do anything complicated. It took me a little bit of time to get used to the layout, but now I type exactly what I want, as I want it, without any auto-correct or automation needed. I make few errors and love the whole way of doing it. QWERTY makes very little sense on such a small screen, but it's what people know.

Ginguin··on Ask HN: How can I get invited to lobste.rs
The primary way to get in is to know a current user, and to have them invite you.

Invitations are basically infinite, but anyone that is invited is associated with the account of the person inviting them. If I invite someone, I will be responsible for them if they misbehave.

Trust is a two-way street. You will need to trust the person sending the invite with your email address. They will need to trust that you will be a contributing member of the community.

Edit: Who knew!? Account associations are public: https://lobste.rs/users

You can also join the irc chat room and participate/request an invitation: https://lobste.rs/chat

Ginguin··on Secret Hand Gestures in Paintings (2019)
That's the magic of human beings. Once the joke spreads to the point where the people who are in on it are flashing the symbol for the lolz, it no longer matters how it started or if there is no historical basis for the connection between the symbol and certain beliefs. The association exists now, however ironically.

Oh look, the guy who is racist is flashing the ok symbol. His buddy, who is in the same spaces online is flashing the symbol as a joke. How can we not make certain assumptions about the second person and what they think?

Ginguin··on Yes, social media is a cause of the epidemic of teenage mental illness
Even in a place like HN, you can't escape the behaviors and attitudes that people pick up in other social spaces online. If someone gets used to reading ill intent into a comment, they don't suddenly stop doing that because they are in a place where ill intent is less likely. Those social norms get carried with them from space to space. The toxicity is a contagion, even if this space isn't an incubator for it.
Ginguin··on Mechanical Watch (2022)
That's where I ended up. My Instinct has replaced my mechanical watches for every occasion except for the most formal. The app is decent, the metrics are awesome, and the accessories work without fuss (I pair mine with the Heart Rate strap when doing kettlebell stuff). I love my other watches and still have one or two I will eventually convince myself to buy, but the Garmin Instinct 2 has been on my wrist for 90% of the last year.
Ginguin··on Ask HN: Where do you regularly discover interesting links on internet?
I'll second the Kobo. I moved over to them after owning several Barnes & Noble's Nook e-readers and couldn't be happier. I have purchased several for others as gifts (which is better than just a recommendation!). I can check ebooks out of the local library with the integrated Overdrive (functional and free, limited catalog), occasionally buy books from the Kobo store (convenience), but often purchase DRM free epubs (Baen Books being a favorite for Sci-fi/Fantasy) and sideload them.

I love mine and use one every day (and have for years now).

Ginguin··on Ask HN: What non-coding ways are people using GitHub?
One of the most fascinating ones I have found (and something I keep meaning to copy one of these days) is Buster Benson's book of beliefs. The idea of having my basic principles written down sounds like a good one, but the fact that the list is reviewed and refined over time makes it even more interesting.

https://github.com/busterbenson/public/blob/master/book-of-b...

Ginguin··on The vanished grandeur of accounting (2014)
I hit the same thing. Nuke Anything (a pretty awesome Firefox extension) let me kill the popover and access the article.
Ginguin··on Show HN: Notably – minimalist markdown notes app
Is there a reason you didn't just link directly to the website?
Ginguin··on Ask HN: Are there any mobile games that are good rather than purely addictive?
Buying a tribe also unlocks multiplayer (online), which is where the game really grabbed me. Playing with the spouse and siblings is a blast. The fact that you can play the game without having to pay anything is a bonus, but paying for something was worth it.
Ginguin··on Ask HN: Are there board games like Go, Hex etc but a bit simpler?
Tak is relatively new but is pretty fun to play for an abstract game.
Ginguin··on Ask HN: How long does it take to learn a new keyboard layout?
MessagEase is my favorite (and only) mobile keyboard. I am happy to see someone else using it in the wild!
Ginguin··on Ask HN: What's your journaling setup?
Outside of keeping a Field Notes notebook on me at all times for jotting down ideas (or keeping score when playing a board game or cards), I have basically just copied and tweaked the entire system from http://plaintext-productivity.net/ to work for me.

For the journal, I create a new text file every month and use Markdown to type up what is happening. Every day, I insert the date and list what I hope to accomplish for the day. I will occasionally add what I have completed for the day, notes on random stuff, etc.

It's quick, searchable, and accessible from anywhere (backed up to both OneDrive and Dropbox and editable from home/work/phone, etc.).

Ginguin··on Moqa is looking for beta testers
From the brief peak I have taken it looks interesting, but you seem to be missing a lot of pretty key information (privacy policy, a basic "about" page, etc.). Typing in my e-mail address doesn't quite make sense yet.
Ginguin··on The computer doesn't always know what's right
ctrl-f "font"

Yes, please.

Ginguin··on People Who Speed-Listen to Podcasts
I mostly agree, except it can be almost impossible to find an interruption free environment. Many work in an open office (blech) and live in thin-walled apartments with music-pounding (or just floor stomping) neighbors. The only "silent" time I can get is in the car or late at night when everyone else is asleep. I wish I could find genuine silence. Half of my headphone time is done without anything actually playing. It's to drown out the incessant noise around me.
Ginguin··on Show HN: DebateGate, a website for civil debate
I love the idea! I have a few questions/concerns. When attempting to join a debate, how can you tell which side the other person has claimed? Once you click "join debate" is there a way to cancel that action before entering a claim?
Ginguin··on Show HN: Vexlio – Create precise, beautiful diagrams
Hopefully it's just me, but nothing outside of the main page is loading. I am getting a "This site can't be reached" when attempting to see features, the about page, pricing, the download, etc.
Ginguin··on TiddlyWiki: a local, single-page wiki
We are currently using Tiddlywiki as the documentation for our Learning Management System. Even the non-technical administrators can navigate where they need to and do the things they need to do. It is insanely easy to work with.
Ginguin··on Show HN: The world's most efficient iOS keyboard
Have you checked efficiency of yours against something like MessagEase (my current keyboard of choice)? http://www.exideas.com/ME/index.php

This is my daily driver and, while the learning curve was rough, it has increased my speed and accuracy considerably. It makes coding and writing longer pieces on my phone a much simpler task.

Ginguin··on Ask HN: What do we get when applying root cause analysis to humanity's problems?
While this feels like a right answer, I would say that you can go deeper when doing a real root cause analysis.

The desire for money is rooted in a deeper problem. Money is just a means of exchange. What more money really gives you is access and opportunity. The more money you have, the more access you have to limited resources. We want more money because we don't have enough to own the things we want, do the things we want, control the things we want, etc.

Money is a means for control and fulfillment, both of which are not universally available due to hard limits (we don't have unlimited resources) and relative intangibles (the structure of society). A real root cause analysis would go deeper than "The love of money" to why money is something to be loved.

Ginguin··on Ask HN: Android browser Ad blocker?
This is probably the best bet. There are quite a few options available with Firefox on Android that you won't get going with any other browser. Sure, you can download a specialized browser that _just_ blocks ads, but you're missing out on the other features that come with Firefox (like HTTPS everywhere, Ghostery, or whatever other stuff you like).
Ginguin··on Ask HN: How do I evaluate different opportunities?
This is a perfect response, with a simple addition to make it relevant to the original situation:

- Your long term goals: Do you want a lot of different experiences quickly? Do you want a single place you will work at for years (however unlikely that is these days)? Will these opportunities help, hinder, or have no impact on your ultimate goals?

My final advice:

Sit down and actually write this stuff down. Don't just attempt to intuit the answer, but actually write down the things you want and need. Write down how you think the opportunities will impact your list. If you use that to feed your decision, it will make your choice easier and lead to a lower probability of regret later on.