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mchan

222 karma · joined March 21, 2016

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mchan··on Duperemove – Tools for deduping file systems
You might be interested in this app: https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka
mchan··on Ask HN: How to stop being so anxious about job interviews?
Remember that the interview is a two-way street. Try to think about it from the point of view that you are also interviewing them to see if the job is suitable for you, and to see whether you want to work with them.

Too often people see it from the point of view of the interviewer having all the power - of thinking "will they want me for the job?"

But by asking "do I want to work for them?" - this can shift the way you perceive the balance of power in this situation, and that can help reduce the anxiety.

mchan··on Ask HN: Any Good Books on Marketing?
I read Sell with a Story, by Paul Smith about a year ago, and I thought that was pretty insightful.
mchan··on Why Vladimir Putin and his entourage want war
The comments and discussion was actually what I was interested in reading when I posted this
mchan··on Computer-1 mini-ITX Chassis
It's an Eizo FlexScan EV2730Q
mchan··on I built a 5K iMac Display
I'm using this monitor, and it has replaced a dual-screen FHD setup. The amount of vertical resolution is fantastic.
mchan··on Goodbye and good riddance to the 16:9 aspect ratio
I recently switched from dual FHD (1920x1080) screens to a single 1:1 (1920x1920) screen.

Having that much vertical resolution is great especially when looking at documents and code, and I feel no need for a secondary screen.

I even temporarily went back to the dual FHD screen setup while in the office, and honestly it was like looking through a mailbox. Now when I see the dual screen setup with one in portrait mode, and one in landscape mode - it just looks to me like a poor solution to the problem of not having enough vertical AND horizontal resolution. For me, the square monitor solves it, but it may not be for everyone.

For those interested, the monitor in question is the Eizo FlexScan EV2730Q.

mchan··on Overview of universal scaler DS.D3663LUA, revitalization of Philips 42-inch TV
As an alternative to Smart TVs, something recently caught my eye on a deals website - signage displays, such as a Samsung QM49N. Anyone have experience with these?

While it does run an OS, it doesn't have a TV tuner, and I doubt it would show ads, since it is designed for signage (where I guess you have the control to show your OWN ads)

mchan··on Apple announces it will switch to its own processors for future Macs
I guess an Apple TV-sized "Mac nano" seems plausible as a potential product now (I hope)
mchan··on Updated ThinkPad Laptop Portfolio
I was hoping to see a return to 16:10 aspect ratio screens, but it looks like they're sticking to 16:9
mchan··on The Nightjet: A Big Bet on Train Travelers Who Take It Slow
I've caught the ÖBB Nightjet a few times, and it's been great.

The only thing is, if you aren't getting off at the final stop, you gotta pay attention so that you don't miss your stop (they don't make announcements on the Nightjet, as far as I could tell, except for the final stop). For me, that meant I didn't sleep so well. But the time I was going all the way to the end, it was a great way to travel.

mchan··on Solving the Wrong Problem (2011)
"A $500 a week cocaine habit is not a money problem" - a favourite quote I heard from somewhere, which I unfortunately cannot credit
mchan··on Announcing Rust 1.33.0
Does anyone know of any good resources for learning Rust from a beginner's perspective? For someone with very little or no C/C++ experience?
mchan··on We Can Stop Pretending LTE-M Is a Low-Power WAN
> The telecom folks make a bunch of noise about how you can replace a home connection with these kinds of technologies, but until prices come down and speeds go (way) up, the wireline people don't have much to worry about.

In Austria, you can get unlimited 21-25Mbps LTE internet, without a contract for about 20€ per month. It may not be the fastest, but it is enough for Netflix.

mchan··on Hyper 2, Electron based terminal
Interested to see how this compares in performance and resource usage with Alacritty[1]

[1]:https://github.com/jwilm/alacritty

mchan··on Ask HN: What's the best email service?
I use both Runbox and Fastmail. Of the two, I use Runbox more, because I use it to consolidate mail from different accounts, and I have been using it for over 10 years.

However, if I were to start over now, I would probably prefer Fastmail. The interface is more responsive, and they seem to be more actively developing the product.

Personally not sure about importing contacts, because I haven't tried it, but in terms of privacy, Runbox is hosted in Norway, and I believe Fastmail is based in Australia. Not sure what the exact implications are, but I think Norway may have stronger privacy protections.

mchan··on Ask HN: Is Anyone Living “The 4-Hour Work Week”?
A friend of mine is - she trained to become a Pilates instructor a number of years ago. Now she does 2 group classes a week (corporate clients) of 1 hour each, earns about $300 per class. That's enough for her to live on.
mchan··on Ask HN: Best business advice for software developers
Upvoted not just for the comment, but also the user name. Had to do a double-take on that one!
mchan··on Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
I did this, at 33, similar situation.

While it took me about a year to find work after coming back, I still don't regret it. I was travelling for about 15 months in total. After returning, I did a bit of contract work, but took almost a year before I started full time work - but I am now living in a different country, and sorting out a visa took about two of those months of the year in limbo. To be honest, a part of why I took so long to return to work was my own resistance towards it, but now that I am working, I'm learning the stuff I want to learn.

Before you go, perhaps set yourself a limit. I had a budget in mind - about half of my savings - where I decided I would pull the plug if I reached that point and go home. I ended up returning before that point.

As many have said here, having a long sabbatical on your CV won't necessarily be a red flag. My current employer was very enthusiastic to bring me onboard.

mchan··on Deis to Join Microsoft
What are some good devops forums? I remember trying to find them a year ago, and I didn't seem to be looking in the right places
mchan··on Ask HN: What advice would you give yourself looking back on your journey?
Taking something personally - e.g. what happens to you, or how someone treats you - is a choice. Choose not to take everything personal, because things rarely are.
mchan··on Ask HN: What are you working on?
Other potential users: People who are overseas who need to make transactions, but don't have cellular roaming available (whether by choice, or because the carriers don't have a roaming agreement), but can get Wifi. This particularly applies for travellers.
mchan··on The Uber Bombshell About to Drop
I believe they mentioned business use. They are getting reimbursed by their employer.
mchan··on Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say
> Might have been FSB, but there were plenty of other parties that really didn't like Litvinenko and could have used Russian Polonium either to blame the FSB or to tell the FSB not to fuck with them, because they had the means to blame them for random hits (or a million other possible reasons)

According to the book 'A Very Expensive Poison' by Luke Harding, the Polonium used in the Litvinenko assassination is only produced in one reactor in the world, located in Ukraine. It would have been almost impossible to obtain without FSB knowledge or collusion, leading investigators to believe that Putin had direct knowledge and/or approval.

mchan··on Ask HN: How do I get my life back in order?
First of all, try not to beat yourself up about screwing up or making the wrong decisions. This is all normal and a part of your experience. What you have gone through may need some time to process.

Start with small steps. Over thinking and over reasoning is a way for your brain to avoid what you are actually feeling. This is normal because we are all inclined to avoid unpleasant feelings. Slowly try to get in touch with those feelings, even if they're painful. The more you try to avoid them, the more they will linger, and the more you try to suppress them, the deeper your depression. Getting in touch with those painful feelings are actually not as bad as you fear. It can actually be cathartic.

Along with all the suggestions to see a qualified therapist, I would recommend reading some of Pema Chodron's books. There's one in particular that may be relevant for your situation called 'When things fall apart'

I won't wish you good luck, because luck will not make things better for you. This will take some time and a little effort to work through. You have already taken the first step by reaching out. What you do next, and the skills and lessons you will learn through processing this experience will grow you as a person. Remember - one step at a time.

mchan··on Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’
But think about the sort of pressure that would be on Larry's shoulders. If he quits, or makes the wrong decision, that potentially affects thousands of his employees, and their families.

For a poor single mother or 40 something factory worker, their stress is more localised to their own family's well-being.

I think the problem here is that people try to compare or value stress on a scale of entitlement. I don't think it's that simple. I agree everyone deserves sympathy, because at the end of the day, we all experience stress on some level. One person's experience of stress is never more valid than another's.

mchan··on Ask HN: Spending my free time in video games. It's eating me. Suggestions?
That's OK. Sometimes it takes time to find the real motivation behind something. Sometimes it doesn't make sense either, and that's OK, because it doesn't have to make sense, despite your mind thinking that it should. It takes an honesty with yourself to acknowledge those motivations as well. The key is to not beat yourself up about it too much. The more you do that, the more resistance you will feel about it.

"What you resist, persists"

mchan··on Ask HN: Spending my free time in video games. It's eating me. Suggestions?
Some really good points and advice here. I just want to add: you're 22. What you are experiencing is totally normal. Everyone goes through this struggle at some point in their lives - not necessarily with video games, it can be with other things. The guilt is a perfectly normal reaction to the situation, so no need to beat yourself up about it. What you are feeling are two opposing needs that need to be met - both are perfectly valid. The need to feel productive, and the need to feel relaxed. You need to acknowledge both.

Also, I am guessing that that need to feel productive may come from an expectation to achieve and possibly appear successful. If it is, it would be beneficial to really deeply question the motivation behind it. A lot of people at that age (including me, when I was) believe that you have to 'be' somebody. That is an external expectation that you would need to see through and let go of.