Current projects list

Table of Contents

1. programming languages

1.1. [6/6] learn basic Elm

Decided to consider this as a candidate for a front end ecosystem, as opposed to ClojureScript. Will give this a try and at least get a basic site up. At that point, I'll know whether to stick with this or go back to CLJS.

Motivations for choosing Elm are:

  • Wouldn't learn any new language theory writing CLJS, but would with a strongly-typed functional language.
  • A self-contained system, without the massive stack of CLJS or normal JS.
  • Possibly a good balance point between utility and functional purity.
  • Seems to have everything one would need to do just about anything front-end related.
  • Currently a more popular JS alt-lang than CLJS.

Some downsides:

  • Completely different paradigm from CLJS, with no overlap with the segments of the market interested in Clojure.
  • Prescriptive, perhaps too much so.
  • Some Purescript devs claim Elm scales poorly.
  • Has some of the same downsides of other transpiled languages.

Update: Might cancel this for the foreseeable future, due to actually using ClojureScript now. Definitely don't have the bandwidth for two vastly different front end stacks.

Update: Unfortunately, Elm is somewhat dead now. Supposedly, what happened was that the core team whitelisted which projects were allowed to use native code. This killed usability for everyone else. With that in mind, the language and ecosystem aren't dead, but this puts a ceiling on it for sure. If I have bandwidth for something like this later, will consider Purescript or see what's current on the Haskell side of things (supposedly GHC WASM backend is close).

1.1.1. CNCL setup Elm

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-10 Fri 21:31]

Get environment setup on system.

1.1.2. CNCL read Elm guide

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-10 Fri 21:31]

Read this official language guide, which seems to provide a very brief overview of it. This isn't enough on its own, but is a good starting point. https://guide.elm-lang.org/

1.1.3. CNCL install elm-mode

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-10 Fri 21:31]

Looks like this is the only option here. Will probably stick with simple-indent-mode. https://github.com/jcollard/elm-mode

1.1.4. CNCL read Elm in Action

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-10 Fri 21:31]

1.1.5. CNCL make basic web application

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-10 Fri 21:31]

Figure out some sensible infrastructure for a basic web app and its deployment. This doesn't need to do anything useful.

1.1.6. CNCL consider reading Practical Elm

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-10 Fri 21:31]

This is supposed to be the best book on the subject, but costs $39. Will know by this point whether it's worth the cost. Check release date versus current version before buying. https://korban.net/elm/book/

1.2. [8/8] do Haskell refresher

Refresh Haskell knowledge and extend it a bit on the theoretical side. Dedicating a few months to this in 2022, mostly, with some prep work in 2021. Changed this from a mid-level practical competency goal, due to priorities and currently pending decisions. The main thrust of that is split off into a separate goal now.

1.2.1. DONE survey modern Emacs/Haskell tooling

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-21 Sun 17:48]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-21 Sun 10:06]

I'm mildly tempted to get a less heavyweight Emacs setup for the language, which would also hopefully be less fragile. See what the options are right now.

Looks like this is true right now:

  • GHC: Use ghcup, which can install and update GHC, including managing multiple GHC versions.
  • Toolchain:
    • Stack still works and is usable. Some still use this. But, Cabal somehow managed to get a lot better. Cabal-hell is supposedly no more.
    • Use ghcup to install Cabal.
    • The version of Cabal to use is version 3.
    • Install all toolchain utilities (hoogle, brittany, summoner, etc.) via Cabal.
    • Nix is less necessary now as the tooling provides these benefits, mostly. cabal-install can be used in a Nix-like way (or in the old way if desired). The sandbox method is obsolete.
    • Do everything within Cabal projects, or at least try to. Stack might still be useful for building certain older projects/tools.
  • Emacs:
    • Intero development is mostly abandoned. I should deprecate this. Some say this works, but others claim bitrot. Dante is the same.
    • The Haskell community is switching to haskell-language-server, though it's still in a relatively rough state. Seems like it should have some staying power. Uses LSP.

1.2.2. DONE redo base Haskell dev stack

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-21 Sun 19:34]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-21 Sun 17:59]

Install GHC and Cabal 3, the proper way. Figure out how to do the standard project management tasks here, and the idioms for project isolation.

Some resources:

Done. This approach has the whole toolchain except ghcup installed user-specific. Note that this is almost certain to not work eventually. However, the general approach will hopefully remain valid for awhile. Using ghcup should standardize the approach across environments. It seems especially needed on Arch, since the dynamic linking its packages default to gets broken easily. Some people are working on a Cabal docs refactor right now, so I'll hold off on the full project management stuff until then.

Added this to workstation and laptop. VPS doesn't have enough space on /tmp for it, so skipping it there. I could symlink a directory there if I ever really need it.

Setup:

  • Remove GHC if installed already: yay -R ghc ghc-libs
  • Install ghcup from AUR: yay -S ghcup-hs-bin
  • Ensure ghcup is latest version: ghcup upgrade
  • Add ~/.ghcup/bin to $PATH.
  • Install GHC with ghcup install. This will add versioned symlinks to ~/.ghcup/bin for things like ghci, ghc, and runhaskell.
  • Set the active version of GHC with something like ghcup set 8.8.3. Now un-versioned symlinks for ghc, ghci, etc. will be created. Note that this is the first chance for a warning of an upgraded version being available. Probably should update to that if the version difference is significant, but keep both around (use ghcup rm <version-number> otherwise). Then set that version to default.
  • Run ghci to test setup so far.
  • Install Cabal with ghcup install-cabal. This should give a version 3.x.x of cabal-install.
  • Add ~/.cabal/bin to $PATH.
  • Run cabal update to update Cabal, which will generate a ~/.cabal/config and update the package list.

As of right now, Cabal's new Nix-style commands have replaced the old ones:

  • cabal init: Create a project directory, and run this within it to initialize it as a Cabal project.
  • cabal build: Will install project-only dependencies, on a per-project basis.
  • ghc-pkg unregister should remove anything installed via cabal install.

1.2.3. DONE read latest version of How to learn Haskell (article)

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-21 Sun 22:06]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-21 Sun 21:51]

Consider reading this, which seems to be the standard advice in #haskell. Probably too remedial for me, but at least take a peek at its recommendations.

https://github.com/bitemyapp/learnhaskell

Done. Not the worst advice, since it just tells you to install Stack, but still out of date. Already had the course it recommends first on the schedule. Took a peek at the second and didn't like the projects, so will skip that.

1.2.4. DONE get Haskell running on Pi 4B

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-11-27 Fri 22:13]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-11-27 Fri 21:24]

Supposedly this is possible on any of the ARM 7 Pi boards (which doesn't include the Zero). https://www.haskell.org/ghc/blog/20200515-ghc-on-arm.html

The steps taken are detailed on this GHC article, but in case that disappears: First install llvm-9, then run:

wget http://downloads.haskell.org/~ghc/8.10.1/ghc-8.10.1-armv7-deb9-linux.tar.xz
tar -xf ghc-8.10.1-armv7-deb9-linux.tar.gz
cd ghc-8.10.1
./configure CONF_CC_OPTS_STAGE2="-marm -march=armv7-a" CFLAGS="-marm -march=armv7-a"
sudo make install

Looks like this will work, but my current 4B uses a 16GB SD card, so it runs out of space. Once I get a new 4B for the electronics bench, I'll use one of the 32GB cards for this, which should have enough room. I don't actually plan to do any programming on the reloading bench computer anyway, so not worth redoing the install on a new card.

Note that this doesn't use the standard ghcup install used elsewhere. Maybe check back in a few years to see if that's supported.

1.2.5. DONE refresh Haskell dev stack (again)

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-04-28 Thu 10:02]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-04-28 Thu 09:49]

It's been 2 years since I did this, so need to at least update all versions.

Done. Just used the procedure detailed above for this round, since I might redo my workstation soon anyway. Will also stick with plain haskell-mode in Emacs. Will expand on that if I get deep enough to bother this time around.

1.2.6. DONE redo Haskell dev stack (again)

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-31 Sat 09:04]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-31 Sat 08:38]

Doing a fresh install on my new workstation. Will try to use ghcup for everything. Follow the latest instructions on: https://www.haskell.org/ghcup/install/

Seems this has changed quite a bit to integrate a lot of tooling (hopefully) cleanly. Will install ghcup, ghc, cabal, stack, and hls.

Notes:

  • On Garuda, seems all dependencies are met, at least with an otherwise fully setup system.
  • Can skip the $PATH modification on install, since my ~/.zshrc already includes ~/.ghcup/bin.
  • Probably want to switch over to HLS sooner rather than later. Will do that next time I spend some time on Haskell.
  • Run ghcup tui to install other GHC versions and tools.

1.2.7. DONE read Haskell Programming From First Principles

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-09 Tue 15:55]
    • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-04-28 Thu 09:45]

A 2016 book on everything in Learn You a Haskell for Great Good, but with extra detail. Sometimes criticized for its rigor at the expense of pragmatics. That sounds good to me though. Will try taking notes in my physical notebook for this book, just as a test run. I think this has exercises, which I'll still do on the computer. Installed Stack, libffi, and zlib, but I think this book might only use Cabal. Using M-x haskell-session-change to launch REPL.

Quite the massive tome. A huge undertaking to work through, and takes some commitment. Started, then took a break for a couple weeks, then tried to really work heads down on it and target at least 5hrs/day. Some of the chapters really pile on the exercises. Some of those are sizable programs. I skipped a few to keep things moving along if I thought they weren't teaching anything new. Still did the vast majority of them, even if that wasn't the case, though.

Review: This seems optimal for those with some previous exposure to these concepts. If this is a first foray into concepts like the λ-calculus, combinators, etc., their inclusion here would just serve to confuse language education (at least in the form used here – I do think this is the optimal path overall). But if familiar with them, then the tie-ins can help a lot, synthesizing with existing knowledge. Conceptually, I do appreciate the "first principles" approach and this is the best Haskell book I've seen so far. There is definitely still room for improvement, both in content and writing quality (which can be blog-like at times). No major complaints though, and as a refresher where I could fill in the blanks with previous knowledge and then extend that a bit in a few directions, this was just what I wanted.

Contextual thoughts: I'd say I'm currently about 75% as capable in Haskell for raw problem-solving as Clojure (problems at the book exercise level, that is). Most of the gap is familiarity, but I can tell Haskell will always feel clunkier to work with. I used to experience this sense of purity I wouldn't get with Clojure. That's still there, but when I have to do some type juggling, verbose declarations of meta-info not related to the problem, or struggle with tooling, it negates that sense a lot. The idioms don't seem to meld together quite as smoothly, despite their mathematical elegance and the powerful concepts they enable. Branching off from here to some of the more modern static FPLs seems like a good idea to try out alternative packaging of the same ideas.

Didn't finish, but calling it done for now.

1.2.8. DONE refresh Haskell environment

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-19 Fri 05:01]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-09 Tue 15:56]

Need to get this up to date for a project. Will probably setup HLS later.

Using ghcup:

  • Ran ghcup upgrade. This will upgrade ghcup itself and inform of any tools that need upgraded.
  • Upgraded: ghc, cabal, hls, stack.
  • Reminder: hls is the version part of an LSP setup.
  • Ran cabal update to get latest package list from Hackage. Something in my ~/.cabal directory was stale though, and had to wipe it first. Supposedly you can run cabal install <package> --upgrade-dependencies, but that didn't fix it.

Everything seems working now. Will stick with cabal for the current project.

1.3. DONE ponder active language portfolio

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-11-05 Sun 15:33]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 14:38]

Time to think again about what languages I want to distribute my finite time/energy between. Part of the impetus here is to leave open the option of future career progression where I might want to do less large-scale engineering, and move back to more isolated problem-solving (e.g., data analytics). That might benefit from some long-term shaping of the skills portfolio.

Clojure: Most effort will still go here while actively a Clojure dev. Even if that ends, will want to keep Clojure around as a secret weapon, for personal side projects, and just in case something comes up. I noticed that Clojure job listings have really fallen off the map this year. Looks like its heyday is unfortunately over, as I predicted. While the Clojure community did many things that didn't help this, I think this is the case for all FP for the near future. I could probably squeeze out a remaining career in it, but that will likely involve compromises. So, even if I wanted to do SE, it'd probably have to be in other languages.

Python: Might switch back to this as my GTD language, and targeted future work language. Also noticed that Python has maybe displaced R as the main data science language, which I appreciate. So, while I won't actually switch to this right now, will at least prime things to be able to make that transition smooth if I do. Keep things shallow, since there's no guarantee I'll use any of this beyond personal EE stuff.

SQL: Looks like RDBMes are having a renaissance, as I figured they would. If I'm going to do a data focus, need to brush up on SQL, since I'm rather out of practice having worked on NoSQL for so long. Maybe find a book with practice problems. Unlike above, I can make use of more SQL knowledge right now, so will queue this up.

Rust: Will replace Haskell with this as my main side-effort language for awhile. Less intellectually-stimulating, of course, but can actually do real things in it too, and has work potential. Won't start anything for it until at least the above 2 efforts are complete.

Haskell: On hold for now, but will eventually come back to it, I think.

Overall reflections: It's a shame the way the tech market's headed in the past decade or so. 10 years ago, it seemed set for a glorious, functional future. I looked forward to being able to just write Clojure and Haskell for the rest of my life. A lot of things happened, but I think the main influencing trends were the ubiquity of proprietary clouds and several specific hype cycles focused on narrow applications of high-level tech. Both of those changed the industry in very deep ways, including ways that no one would've been able to connect prior to them occurring.

One thing I don't like about this plan is it's a setup for where I used to be: doing more "normal" stuff at a day job, while the stuff I really want to do is relegated to hobby-land. Will think about this some, and I will once I take my next break. An option is to just sit things out for a long time. I could also think of this as a temporary foray into adjacent work, while keeping an eye out for coming back to Clojure. Even if the market is tepid, I only need one job, assuming I want one at all.

Anyway, I'll proceed on this plan for now, though doing anything on this front will be slow since my main priority is still current work stuff. Won't make any life-changing decisions any time soon. In a sense, I'm living my former dream now, and this refactor could be thought of as an intentional downgrade of it from my former metrics.

However, there's a much more positive way to look at this: exchanging language interest for domain interest. I've occasionally made concessions on working on less interesting projects, purely for language reasons. Instead of optimizing for that, what if I optimized for what I'm actually doing? Sometimes I think my favorite job was writing AI/ML data analytics mainly in Python, not boring n-tier applications in Clojure.

1.4. DONE research Clojure namespaced keywords best practices

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-11-05 Sun 18:39]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-24 Sun 22:38]

Qualified keys are pretty simple as a concept, but I sense that spec's introduction influenced the conventions regarding their use. Research what those are outside of spec and for keys used across/within namespaces, e.g., should I use them internally in an ns when used as a signal to other internal fns or not?

Guidelines:

  • If ns clashes are an issue, always use.
  • Qualified keywords can cause circular references, one way out is using a separate ns for them. Though I rather think you should probably avoid them when that's an issue.
  • Ideally the namespace appearing in code should convey some meaning.
  • For spec, use spec-only nses when possible.
  • If using clojure.data.xml, there's a function alias-uri you can use to create aliases that would otherwise be unwieldy and long, e.g.: (xml/alias-uri 'soap "http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/") Then, you could use it as ::soap/Envelope.

I think this is it. Will keep an eye out if I see anything else weird related to this and update here later if I do.

1.5. [0/6] do Python refresher

Already know Python, but haven't used it beyond simple stuff for about 10 years. Want to refresh it to keep options open. Have two goals for this pass:

  • General language refresher. Find a Python 3 book I like and read it.
  • Learn the best practices for project and build management. Find some guides on this.

While doing this, create a new Python group in my main bookmarks file. Will ignore optimizing Emacs for any of this. The basic setup I have now should work fine for anything done here.

1.5.1. STRT read The Python Tutorial

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 19:15]

Was going to select a book for this, but will instead try to read just the official docs, starting with this tutorial.

https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/index.html

1.5.2. TODO read some of The Python Standard Library

Scan the rest of the official docs and read anything of interest.

https://docs.python.org/3/library/index.html

1.5.3. TODO learn Python project setup

Would like my Python projects to be idiomatic to some degree, include tests, and maybe have some notions about directory structure of the code itself. Read these articles. Also look around for other resources. Skip the CI/CD stuff.

https://blog.pronus.io/en/posts/python/how-to-set-up-a-perfect-python-project/ https://towardsdatascience.com/10-steps-to-set-up-your-python-project-for-success-14ff88b5d13

1.5.4. TODO refresh knowledge of pyenv

I forget how/when to use this. Refresh memory.

1.5.5. TODO refresh knowledge of pip

Currently using pipx for some packages, but read some normal pip docs on global/user. Figure out if I can just go back to normal pip.

1.5.6. TODO review Python setup on Linux and Windows

Already have installed on Linux, but want to make sure I'm doing that the best way. On Windows, see if there's a way to do it via MSYS2 or something.

1.6. TODO do advanced SQL refresher

Find a book with practice problems (ideally against a provided practice DB). Would be great if this was in PostgreSQL, since I could use more exposure to that too.

1.7. TODO check out Clojure watch functionality

Somehow missed this along the way. Potentially useful at places, even in programs with a global atom. https://clojuredocs.org/clojure.core/add-watch

1.8. [14/20] attain ClojureScript competency

  • State "CNCL" from "DONE" [2022-10-10 Mon 17:16]
  • State "DONE" from "CNCL" [2022-10-10 Mon 17:16]
  • State "CNCL" from [2022-10-10 Mon 17:16]

Get to the point where I can make at least a site in ClojureScript that does some subset of the basic stuff one would expect from a modern web application.

Suspending this for now to consider Elm. May cancel remaining tasks here if I stick with that.

Update: Now using CLJS, so resurrected. Suspending Elm work. Will give this a fair shake. If this doesn't pan out, I may go back to Elm or just give up and use SSR-ed htmx for everything for the next decade.

1.8.1. DONE standardize cljs execution environment

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-24 Wed 11:04]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-24 Wed 10:56]

I've used PhantomJS in the past, so consider it here as my main ClojureScript. Seemed to be popular last time I checked, but that may no longer be true. Look into Emacs integration.

Done. Looks like the most popular are the browser, followed by nodejs. So, will stick with that. An alternative method to installing nodejs directly is nvm, which will manage multiple versions of nodejs. Skipping that for now until I need it. Setup:

  • Ensure rlwrap is on system.
  • yay -S community/nodejs
  • Optional: yay -S community/npm

1.8.2. DONE read ClojureScript Unraveled

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-24 Wed 15:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-24 Wed 01:35]

An online ClojureScript book. Looks a bit thin. Maybe just review the dev setup content and get tooling working in the process.

https://github.com/funcool/clojurescript-unraveled

Done. Read most of this. There's some problems with this text, like example code that doesn't work. Didn't read all of it as a result. Will try to find another resource. Did learn a few things though.

Notes:

  • You can create a cljs.core/PersistentQueue with (def pq #queue [1 2 3]). conj, peek, pop work against queues. Only works in cljs.
  • Use the #? reader conditional for language checking, and other stuff. Similar usage for splicing with #?@.

    #?(:clj  (Integer/parseInt v)
       :cljs (js/parseInt v))
    
  • Somehow I never knew you could do this, which is probably only useful in multimethods:

    (derive ::a ::b)
    (isa? ::a ::b) ; true
    (isa? ::b ::a) ; false
    
  • specify! is a cljs-only alternative to reify, which allows adding protocol implementations to existing JS types. specify is an immutable version.
  • JS types can be created the same way as Java objects in Clojure, with . semantics, and .- to access properties.
  • Create JS objects with js-obj with args being k/v pairs, or the #js tagged literal against a map. set! mutates. Conversions are handled with clj->js, js->clj, and into-array.
  • Volatiles are like atoms. They don't support validation and watching, but are slightly faster. Functions: volatile!, volatile?, vswap!, vreset!.

1.8.3. DONE devise Clojure CLI tools ClojureScript workflow

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-24 Wed 15:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-24 Wed 11:12]

Do a version of this minus Emacs integration. Emacs should work the same for lein or CLI, so will do that separate. This will also demonstrate how this actually works behind the scenes more.

Done. The build pipeline for this is still a little hazy. The setups here work, but are still a bit clunky. Some examples created in ~/src/cljs/clitest and ~/src/cljs/clibrowser. The latter implements an alternate watcher build script, detects source changes and recompiles automatically.

Notes:

  • Looks like cljs projects require both the Clojure and ClojureScript JARs.
  • A file called build.clj is required. This calls build function in cljs.build.api and lets you specify the main namespace, what input to compile, and where the output should go. Omitting the :target will default to the browser. For output, :output-to is the JS file of your application and :output-dir is all of its dependencies, I think.
  • Run the build with clojure build.clj.
  • Execute output with node main.js. For node, it looks like it creates a hashbag to env node, so you could also chmod u+x it and just run it directly.
  • A browser version of this would be the same, except there is no -main function. Then one would create an HTML file that references main.js. In my example project, the message is printed to the console.
  • See browser REPL example for an REPL tied to a running webapp in a browser. From the REPL prompt, one could run (js/alert "hi"), and an alert box will display in the browser. println calls at the REPL seem to go nowhere though.

May still want to take another pass at this if I use CLI tools for a cljs project, like adding figwheel integration.

1.8.4. DONE figure out Emacs+Leiningen ClojureScript tooling

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-24 Wed 16:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-24 Wed 16:18]

CIDER should support everything I need on the Emacs side. Perhaps configure projects with shadow-cljs. Look at lein-cljsbuild and see if it offers anything lein-figwheel doesn't.

Resources:

Done. Looked at all of these, and some demo projects.

shadow-cljs: Basically a build tool for cljs. Requires an npm install. You create a shadow-cljs.edn file and call the shadow-cljs on it to compile, watch, or start REPLs. I like this better than writing this myself for CLI tools, but won't use it for now.

lein-cljsbuild seems fine, and is a basic lein-integrated build tool+REPL. It enables a :cljsbuild key in project.clj.

Figwheel Main is definitely what I want. It's a rewrite of lein-figwheel that supports Lein and CLI. Use the flappy-bird-demo-new project as a sample for setting up project.clj. From the command line, you can run lein figwheel to build/launch the project. A tutorial is available.

The CIDER workflow is only slightly different, with running M-x cider-jack-in-cljs or C-c C-x C-j s. Select sensible values for the various prompts and a REPL with live reloading will be activated. After this, all normal CIDER usage should work.

1.8.5. DONE review differences between ClojureScript and Clojure

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-24 Wed 22:40]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-24 Wed 17:02]

Review this official list, just to be sure I didn't miss anything important.

https://clojurescript.org/about/differences

Done. A little overhead here, but not too bad.

Notes:

  • Only integer and floating point number types that map to JS primitives are supported.
  • Characters are single character strings. No character literals, e.g. \f evaluates to "f".
  • load and load-file only work from the REPL.
  • If defining macros, do so in one namespace and use them in another with a :require-macros keyword on the ns macro.
  • This says that cljs uses JS regexes, but #"" syntax seems to work at the REPL. Something to keep in mind.
  • cljs nil is equivalent to JS's null and undefined.
  • To check keyword equivalence, use keyword-identical?, not identical?.
  • :require in ns macros doesn't support :refer or :all.
  • Globals are accessed through the js/ namespace.
  • Some libraries are already included in cljs, including clojure.set, clojure.string, cljs.pprint, cljs.spec, and cljs.test.

1.8.6. DONE read Reactive with ClojureScript Recipes: Functional Programming for the Web

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-06-25 Thu 23:23]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-06-24 Wed 22:50]

The most recent ClojureScript book, from 2017. Uses boot for tooling, so ignore anything in that area. This is a recipes book, so skim accordingly.

Quitting. Very trashy, even for a recipes book. I'd rather learn this stuff the hard way than read all of this, trying to extract the actually useful bits.

Notes:

  • enable-console-print! will send print output to js/console.
  • There's some info in here about DOM manipulation that might be useful. Skipping in hopes I can use cljs libraries for this.

1.8.7. CNCL read Études for ClojureScript

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2020-06-25 Thu 23:25]

A 2015 book on ClojureScript with practice problems. There's another O'Reilly ClojureScript book, ClojureScript Up and Running, but that's even older than this one.

Canceled. I thought I had a copy of this, but turns out I don't. Now I'm out of cljs books, so looks like I'm going commando from now on.

1.8.8. CNCL consider re-frisk

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2022-10-10 Mon 17:15] Some kind of ClojureScript UI library, related to re-frame.

    https://github.com/flexsurfer/re-frisk

    Skipping this for now, since it's not used on current project.

1.8.9. DONE brush up on some React concepts

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-10-19 Wed 14:47]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-14 Fri 13:47]

Seems this will help making sense of why Reagent and re-frame do stuff the way they do. Just find some overview about this without going into the details or doing any JS programming.

Recommended by coworker: https://reactjs.org/tutorial/tutorial.html

Fundamental concepts:

  • Components: A class/type that takes in props and returns a hierarchy of views that display via the render() method. Inherits from React.Component. A component can be referred to by <ComponentName />.

    A variant of a component is a "function component", which isn't a class. This is just a function that takes props and returns what should be rendered.

  • Props: Properties. How values are passed between parent->children Components, similar to function arguments. Passed with syntax like <ComponentName propValue="stuff" />.
  • State: Component-specific and private. Referenced by this.state. Best practice when two children components need to share state, to have the parent component manage it and pass props.

Notes:

  • Added React Developer Tools browser addon. This adds a Component and Profiler tab to dev tools.
  • JSX can include any JavaScript in braces.
  • Used npx to create the project, via npx create-react-app my-app.

Overall thoughts: This is better to work with than I thought it'd be. Of course, this tutorial doesn't go into the whole ecosystem though, which is where most of the pain is.

1.8.10. CNCL consider Reagent

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2022-10-19 Wed 14:51] A ClojureScript wrapper around React. Can use this to create components instead of Hiccup creating HTML. Manages state with a global atom, I think.

    https://reagent-project.github.io/

    I think it's possible to remain ignorant about this and just focus on re-frame. Will try that and revisit if that's not true.

1.8.11. DONE create working lein-figwheel template

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-10-31 Mon 12:55]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-31 Mon 12:17]

Figure out how to get a template up using this older version of figwheel.

Looks like I get a working one if I just do lein new figwheel basic-lfw. Added that project to practice repo. Not sure what the critical piece is that gets this working versus my other setups, however. My thought was that it was due to certain things being in the :dev profile, but it looks like it includes that one by default.

1.8.12. DONE create working lein-figwheel + re-frame template

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-10-31 Mon 22:03]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-28 Fri 12:01]

Need this for creating functional re-frame projects.

Created template called basic-rf, which branched off of basic-lfw. Got this working, but there's still some non-critical issues, namely a thread that throws an exception at launch.

Update: Fixed the thread error by fixing some pathing. That error was super misleading though, like a lot of the cljs errors.

1.8.13. CNCL read figwheel-main docs

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2022-10-31 Mon 22:04]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-27 Thu 18:04]

Specifically needed is that I think it's possible to create the <build-id>.cljs.edn file somehow. Might not use for work, but good to know for personal use. https://figwheel.org/docs

Created project basic-fwm.

Notes:

  • If I want to include rebel-readline-cljs, running lein from the CLI requires trampoline.
  • Test config with lein trampoline run -m figwheel.main.
  • Created alias so can just run lein fig instead of the above. Note that alias use requires a terminator flag argument to send additional flags, e.g., lein fig -- -h to get the figwheel-main help.

Reminder: Can print the classpath with lein classpath. Then can send that through sed -e 's/:/\'$'\n/g' (and maybe head) to look at it.

Did some of this, but suspending for now to focus on a more work-like setup. Will revisit later in case I want to use figwheel-main for personal projects. Currently thinking I probably want to do this instead of using shadow-cljs, due to it being able to share a project.clj file with the Clojure side of a codebase. Not sure about this completely though, since shadow-cljs is popular for good reason, mainly due to its NPM integration.

1.8.14. CNCL do shadow-cljs tutorial

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2022-10-31 Mon 22:06]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-10 Mon 23:15]

shadow-cljs isn't used on the current project, but I'll go through this anyway just to get some reagent and general CLJS practice. Uses yarn.

https://www.rockyourcode.com/tutorial-clojurescript-app-with-reagent-for-beginners-part-1/

Notes:

  • Can connect a REPL after launching via shadow-cljs watch app in the shell with cider-connect-cljs, but full functionality there requires cider-nrepl middleware which can be added to shadow-cljs.edn.

Suspending to focus on lein-figwheel and re-frame.

1.8.15. STRT learn re-frame

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-19 Wed 16:43]

A cljs SPA framework, on top of React. See if this can be used in conjunction with Reagent.

https://github.com/Day8/re-frame

Others describe this as being useful for larger scale apps or for larger teams. Recommendation for solo small projects is to use Reagent by itself. I'll probably stick with it anyway, since it's work-relevant.

https://day8.github.io/re-frame/FAQs/DoINeedReFrame/

This site has some good tutorials. Read most of this.

Notes:

  • The core concept is a 6-stage data-centric workflow: Event dispatch -> Event handling -> Effect handling -> Query -> View -> DOM.
  • The entirety of state is contained in the app-db, a reagent/atom. This is updated all at once with a reset!.
  • Event handlers are functions that take two parameters, the coeffects map (which includes the app state) and the event to handle, which is the datastructure from the event dispatch.
  • Returned from event handlers is a map. If that contains a :db key, a default effect handler will handle that. Otherwise, define one with re-frame.core/reg-fx.
  • Subscriptions are implemented in a "signal graph" model, a 4-level DAG.
  • For reg-sub, you can do a simple extraction, or supply 2 functions: a signal function and a computation function. Some sugar is available in the macro as :<-, to define subscription inputs.

Looks like work is only behind by a minor revision.

1.8.16. STRT create sample re-frame app

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-25 Tue 11:00]

Do a client-side only application for starters.

Using re-frame-template with lein new re-frame basic-app. Synced lein-cljsbuild, lein-figwhell, and clojurescript versions with work web project. Added lein-shell for consistency.

Note that this uses figwheel instead of the newer and currently-recommended figwheel-main. That requires figwheel-sidecar.

Notes:

Important: re-frame-template switched to shadow-cljs only. Can still use if I want a project with that, but if I want to stick with figwheel or figwheel-main, will have to use this example as a starter.

Update: Ignore (most) all of the above. Left that for reference purposes in case I want to go that route later. Using my basic-rf template now.

1.8.17. TODO read up on externs

A CLJS feature that's needed to interact with certain JS libs. https://clojurescript.org/guides/externs

1.8.18. TODO consider CLJS devtools

Seems popular among CLJS devs. With figwheel-main, enable features :formatters :hints :async. https://cljdoc.org/d/binaryage/devtools/1.0.5/doc/cljs-devtools-installation

1.8.19. TODO consider chord

A cljs library for using async with websockets. https://github.com/jarohen/chord

1.8.20. TODO integrate Material UI

Read up on how to use this with re-frame.

Here's a reference for components: https://mui.com/material-ui/

For work, we're using an older version (actually a cljs wrapper around 0.16.7-0): https://v0.mui.com/#/components/

1.8.21. TODO look into secretary

Client-side routing, allowing for bookmark-able URLs and functioning back buttons in SPAs: https://github.com/clj-commons/secretary

1.8.22. TODO determine cljs lein project workflow

Still iffy right now on cljs project creation and management.

Resources:

Workflow:

  • lein new figwheel proj-name. Apparently, you can install JS dependencies with npm install from the project directory.

1.8.23. TODO make a basic site

Use Reagent, re-frame, Material UI, and (maybe) re-frisk. This experience will tell me to what degree do I want to consider webapps a platform for software, along with whether I'm missing some fundamental concepts for actually doing so.

1.9. [/] attain mid-level Haskell competency

This is a grouping of tasks related to real world application of Haskell. Goal metric: Be able to write actual, useful software in the language that meets my quality standards at a professional level.

1.9.1. TODO read Haskell in Depth

A 2021 Haskell book aimed at making an intermediate-level programmer capable of production-quality software. Only read a subset of this book, skipping chapters of stuff I already know about. Need to get a copy.

1.9.2. TODO redo Emacs Haskell config

While waiting for haskell-language-server to stabilize, do a super-lightweight combo of haskell-mode, ormolu, and flycheck-haskell. Deprecate intero.

1.9.3. TODO learn Cabal 3

Read most of the Cabal docs to make sure I can do everything. Skim the less commonly used stuff and just mentally note it for future reference. I could theoretically just start writing Haskell after this, using just plain haskell-mode.

https://cabal.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

1.9.4. TODO consider structured-haskell-mode

Called shm in ELPA. Like paredit, but for Haskell. AST-aware editing is generally faster once you overcome an overhead, though I'm not sure how true that is for Haskell. Looks like this has a stack build file now, but still requires an external executable. As a result, I'm deferring this until I really get into it.

https://github.com/chrisdone/structured-haskell-mode

1.9.5. TODO read What I Wish I Knew When Learning Haskell (essay)

A large compendium of all things Haskell. Supposedly good advice before going too far and repeating any mistakes.

Read: http://dev.stephendiehl.com/hask/ Repo: https://github.com/sdiehl/wiwinwlh

1.9.6. TODO do course CIS 194: Introduction to Haskell

Maybe do this course and exercises, if I still feel like I need any remedial overview. If not, skip.

http://www.cis.upenn.edu/%7Ecis194/spring13/lectures.html

1.9.7. TODO reread the Haskell style guide

Already read this years ago, but read it again. Maybe check it yet again after I've got a decent amount of code.

https://github.com/tibbe/haskell-style-guide/blob/master/haskell-style.

1.9.8. TODO solve Ninety-Nine Haskell Problems list

One of the few problems lists available.

https://wiki.haskell.org/H-99:_Ninety-Nine_Haskell_Problems

1.9.9. TODO read Thinking Functionally with Haskell

If I want a book with more exercises or in supplement to First Principles, read this. Might skip.

1.9.10. TODO read Haskell Wiki monad tutorials

Read all these monad tutorials, or at least until they get boring and redundant:

1.9.11. TODO read Programming in Haskell (2nd Ed.)

The most recent full-course Haskell book, updated in 2016. Also includes exercises. A good candidate for doing all of.

1.9.12. TODO read The Haskell Programmer's Guide to the IO Monad (paper)

A short paper just on the IO monad.

1.9.13. TODO read Real World Haskell

This was once the best Haskell book, but it's getting a little dated now. I might still read selected parts of it, however. It's supposedly still relevant in areas important to the Haskell practitioner. I probably will want to read this this up-to-date version.

1.9.14. TODO read The Haskell Road to Logic, Maths, and Programming

Might skip this one, unless I'm doing a generalist math reeducation at the same time as my Haskell mastery task. I might also use it as a source of practice problems, since most books don't have any.

1.10. INAC [/] research category theoretic libraries in Clojure

See which of cats and Fluokitten, if either, I prefer as a Clojure CT library. Currently I only use algo.generic in regular production code. Also determine to what extent going further in this direction makes sense in the language. I suspect going further than functors will result in fighting the language, but how much that is true is unknown.

1.10.1. INAC consider cats

Already used this a bit, but need to spend more time with it. If I recall correctly, it takes a record-based approach, with what are normally typeclasses being protocols.

https://funcool.github.io/cats/latest/

1.10.2. INAC consider Fluokitten

Seems like a lesser amount of effort went into this than cats and is written by one guy, but it emphasizes being an idiomatic Clojure conversion of these concepts.

https://fluokitten.uncomplicate.org/articles/guides.html

1.11. INAC [/] attain Haskell mastery

Go from good Haskell programmer to dreaming in it. Combines the practical and theoretical approaches. Needs additional sub-tasks.

1.11.1. INAC setup haskell-language-server

This is a merger, starting in 2020-01, of HIE and Ghcide. Deprecate Intero and replace it with this. By the time I get to using it seriously, this should hopefully have come together. Keep an eye on things though, since efforts like these seem to hit some kind of wall and go stagnant. I'm optimistic here.

https://github.com/haskell/haskell-language-server https://haskell-language-server.readthedocs.io/en/stable/

Will wait until proper Emacs packaging is available at least. Hopefully by then, there won't be breaking changes.

1.11.2. INAC read Kleisli arrows of outrageous fortune (paper)

One of those algebraic structures that occasionally come up in Haskell libraries.

1.11.3. INAC read Algebra-Driven Design (in development)

An in-progress book on algebraic abstraction. I think mastering properly encoding a domain into algebraic structures and taking advantage of what that gives you is the key to effective use of Haskell in the real world. So, this text might be exactly what I'm looking for at the intermediate level. Keep an eye on this book's listing on Leanpub.

1.11.4. INAC read Thinking with Types: Type-Level Programming in Haskell

Aims to take a competent Haskell programmer to one that programs at the type level. Available on Leanpub here.

1.11.5. INAC read Applying Type-Level and Generic Programming in Haskell (lecture notes)

Quickly read this when I get around to learning this topic, perhaps as an outline on subtopics. These are notes from a 2018 class on the topic occasionally given by consulting firm Well-Typed.

1.11.6. INAC read Optics By Example: Functional lenses in Haskell

Lenses are a necessity in modern Haskell. Give this book a read if I get to intermediate level with the language and still find the concept not completely clear. Available in e-book form on Leanpub.

1.11.7. INAC read Haskell in Depth

An in-progress book that covers a lot of aspects of actually using Haskell in production.

https://www.manning.com/books/haskell-in-depth

1.11.8. INAC consider polysemy

An alternative (better?) model than MTL for effect handling. A competing effort is fused-effects, also worth at least eyeballing.

https://github.com/polysemy-research/polysemy

1.11.9. INAC consider LiquidHaskell

A type system extension that allows for extra compile-time checking. Looks pretty amazing. Look into this after getting to intermediate Haskell skill.

https://ucsd-progsys.github.io/liquidhaskell-blog/

Tutorial: http://ucsd-progsys.github.io/liquidhaskell-tutorial/01-intro.html

1.12. INAC [/] learn some basic Rust

Will do a shallow-dive on Rust, maybe spanning a week or two. Not expecting to retain everything here, at least this time around. Main goal is to gain some perspective on using it for projects versus Haskell and related alternatives.

1.12.1. TODO evaluate tooling/ecosystem

Collect some notes on project management mainly, but also see if any tools are needed outside of cargo. Emacs setup queued elsewhere, and will do that separately.

1.12.2. TODO read Comprehensive Rust

Supposedly used by the Google Rust Android team and quite good. Some have said it's not a good beginner book though. Can skip last part, which is about Android.

The book online: https://google.github.io/comprehensive-rust/ If I want to self-host: https://github.com/google/comprehensive-rust

2. computer science

2.1. DONE read Propositions as Types

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-31 Tue 20:52]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-15 Sat 15:28]

I think I read this many years ago, but have better context for understanding it now. Relevant to various ongoing discussions at work: https://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/wadler/papers/propositions-as-types/propositions-as-types.pdf

Notes:

  • In the simply-typed lambda calculus, every well-typed expression is guaranteed to have a normal form. A normal form is a lambda term that is irreducible, which means that it cannot be further reduced by applying any lambda calculus reduction rules. In other words, a lambda term that has a normal form is fully evaluated and cannot be simplified any further.
  • Paper claims that monads are integrated into Clojure, which is not true. You can use a library for them or make one, like in most languages, but they're not part of the base language and are particularly useless there. Same with C#, though slightly less false due to LINQ, which arguably doesn't expose them as an abstraction you can make general use of.
  • Main thrust of this is demonstrating the correspondence between proofs and the simply typed lambda calculus. The type derivations herein are a mirror to the proofs presented in the first group of natural deductions. Proof simplification also maps to evaluation.

2.2. [/] attain base competence in automated theorem provers

This task links in with other tasks related to type theory, Haskell, and various language theory books, and is conceptually related to proof theory and category theory. The main goal here is to attain Agda (or Coq or Isabelle) mastery to the point where I'm either using it to write code in instead of writing in normal programming languages like Haskell, or at least be capable of doing this for more complex problems.

The reason someone would want to do such a thing is that if you can prove your solution in Agda using various type systems like Hindley-Milner and GADT, where types are propositions, and your solution is correct in the formal system you can prove it in any universal proof system.

If doing any work in Coq, check out this book, supposedly the best Coq tutorial around: http://adam.chlipala.net/cpdt/

Starting with SF, which ties together and introduces the topics: software verification, proof assistants, functional programming, reasoning about the properties of programs, and using type systems for program guarantees. Depending on how this goes, I may read one or more other Coq books after or interspersed with this, or switch to Agda. This is broken into 4 smaller books, which I'll track separately since I might not do all of them.

Notes for other things I could do, but are not currently planned:

2.2.1. TODO redo setup and reorient to environment

2.2.2. TODO do Nahas's Coq Tutorial

Looks like a good tutorial to do to get back into it. https://mdnahas.github.io/doc/nahas_tutorial

2.2.3. TODO read Software Foundations: Logical Foundations

Already did some of this, but will restart.

2.2.4. TODO read Handbook of Practical Logic and Automated Reasoning

Supposedly a comprehensive look at the concept and internals of theorem provers from a mathematical foundations perspective. Uses OCaml, so might want to thread that into other work that uses the language. If that doesn't line up though, might skip.

2.3. TODO read An Introduction to Statistical Learning

A new Python version of this is out in 2023, making this more interesting to me (the previous was in R). Consider the Bible of data science (perhaps along with Elements of Statistical Learning), reading this will help decide whether I want to shift career in this direction and generally refresh my knowledge of such things. Main downside of it seems to be that it doesn't use the standard libraries for such things. Maybe I can still do the programming part that way though.

2.4. INAC [/] attain type theory mastery

I think my goals here are: advanced understanding of the concepts of type theory and understanding the links between type theory and various other subjects of interest. By the end, I'll be ready for approaching dependent types and possibly later homotopy type theory. The amount of tasks here might be overkill for my purposes, as I don't intend to write any type systems.

2.4.1. INAC read Type Theory and Formal Proof: An Introduction

Consider this as a introductory text to the topic. Sometimes comes recommended as a first stop, though this is rare compared to TAPL.

2.4.2. INAC setup opam

OCaml's package manager. Supports having multiple compiler versions. Read up on its idiomatic usage. Along with the OCaml package itself, just get this setup good enough to get some work done in and remove it all after completing work on TAPL (unless I somehow find permanent utility in keeping it around). Once done, I'll switch to one of the implementations in Haskell, or write one myself.

https://opam.ocaml.org/

2.4.3. INAC setup tuareg

Seems to be the canonical OCaml mode for Emacs. Can be install via opam.

https://github.com/ocaml/tuareg

2.4.4. INAC find and read a quick OCaml tutorial

Learn basic OCaml ahead of time, so I can focus on topics in these later books. I know a bit of F#, so this should be rather easy. Will have to think about the best way to do this.

2.4.5. INAC read Types and Programming Languages

The famous text many have apparently used to attain a pragmatic level of expertise in type-theoretic models. Programming language type systems have a basis in the discipline of type theory, which this book gives a formal treatment of. Supposedly has aged well, with a downside being it uses OCaml as the implementation language. Some have done the problems here in Haskell, which I might consider. Online resources for the book are here.

Note that Philip Wadler recommends TAPL, followed by Proofs and Types, followed by ATAPL. Do the opam and tuareg yak shaving tasks before getting started.

2.4.6. INAC read Fun With Type Functions (paper)

A tutorial on type families.

2.4.7. INAC read Proofs and Types

A 1990 book by Girard. It looks like this ties together types with proof theory, λ-calculus, and logic. If so, that's just what's needed before moving on to ATAPL (as that expands the scope) and later dependent types.

2.4.8. INAC read Advanced Topics in Types and Programming Languages

A compendium of type theory papers, curated by Pierce. The point of the text is to explore the interactions of types as they influence various CS subfields. I'll probably give this a selected reading, given that I know some topics extend beyond my interest window. Includes a segue into dependent types.

2.4.9. INAC deprecate opam, tuareg, and OCaml environment

Once these other base type theory tasks are done, don't keep the OCaml stack around.

2.5. INAC [/] refresh λ-calculus and combinatory logic knowledge

I did a dive on this for research in preparation for a presentation. A few larger efforts later, my current master plan has me coming back around to it, where I'll do some gap-filling and link it to subsequent topics.

2.5.1. INAC read Lambda-Calculus and Combinators, An Introduction

This was recommended as a suitable introductory text for the λ-calculus and includes Schönfinkel's combinatory logic. Replacing An Introduction to Lambda Calculus for Computer Scientists with this one (which I didn't like after reading a couple chapters). Another option is An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus.

2.5.2. INAC read To Mock a Mockingbird

An introduction to first class functions and construction to composition of combinatory logic combinators. These fundamentals are generally useful and could be a good introduction to various PLT topics. Have an e-book copy.

2.5.3. INAC read The Lambda Calculus

An extremely dense tome on the λ-calculus written by Barendregt himself. By the time I get to this, I'll know if it's worth the massive effort.

2.6. INAC [2/4] do selected topics in compsci fundamentals reeducation

I've already done this a few times, and originally planned to always keep revisiting this from another angle. This one mainly focuses on algorithms and computability.

2.6.1. CNCL read The Annotated Turing

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2020-06-06 Sat 23:31]

A Charles Petzold book that works through Turing's 1936 paper On computable numbers, with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem.

Canceled in The Great Task Cleanup of 2020.

2.6.2. CNCL read Introduction to Algorithms

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2020-06-06 Sat 23:32]

The most used algorithms book (particularly at the gradschool level). I should definitely know everything herein cold, at least in outline form. Have the 3rd edition in PDF form and the 2nd edition in print.

Canceled in The Great Task Cleanup of 2020. A selected reading of this might be worth reconsidering later, depending on how higher priority goals go in the future. I'm mainly skipping this because of how most algorithm books assume imperative implementation. So, thinking about problems this way might actually be harmful in some cases.

2.6.3. INAC read Introduction to the Theory of Computation (3rd Ed.)

A book that supposedly reviews the fundamental theorems of computer science. This is a highly recommended book among Haskell programmers. Covers languages, automata, context-free grammars, computability, and complexity. Note that there's another book of the same title. The one I'm targeting is written by Sipser in 2012.

2.6.4. INAC read Practical Foundations for Programming Languages (2nd Ed.)

A book similar to TAPL, but updated in 2016 and not having full overlap. Written by Harper, CMU professor and author of the Existential Type blog. Judging from its increased terseness, I'm queuing it afterwards. Answers to the exercises are here. Need to buy a copy.

2.7. INAC [/] master dependent type theory

Still thinking about what this will look like. I do generally prefer Agda > Coq, but since I have to learn Coq anyway for Software Foundations, might as well just stick with that. Apparently Proof General integrates with it nicely these days now too.

2.7.1. INAC read Dependent Types at Work (paper)

An introduction to dependent types in FP using Agda.

2.7.2. INAC read Why Dependent Types Matter (paper)

A formal methods paper describing the rationale behind Epigram. Probably won't get much out of this until some more preliminary formal methods studying is complete.

2.7.3. INAC read The Little Typer

An introduction to dependent types. Look into this a little more closely before deciding to read.

2022-05-25: Ordered hardcopy of this, thinking it might be a good basement couch read.

2.7.4. INAC read A Tutorial Implementation of a Dependently Typed Lambda Calculus

An implementation of dependent types for Haskell, I think. Might be a good example of extending a type system in this direction.

2.7.5. INAC read Intuitionistic Type Theory (paper)

I think this is a 1984 paper of collected Per Martin-Löf notes, introducing the topic. By the time I get to this, I should already know dependent type theory, so should have some context on how much effort to expend on this extension of it. Might break ITT out into its own task if so.

http://intuitionistic.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/martin-lof-tt.pdf

2.7.6. INAC read Type Theory and Functional Programming

After ITT came out, this book describes how it can be used in practice.

2.7.7. INAC read Programming in Martin-Löf's Type Theory

Same as coverage as Type Theory and Functional Programming, but different in style.

3. mathematics

3.1. CNCL consider From Mathematics to Generic Programming

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:15]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-19 Thu 10:42]

Covers the concept of abstraction, building from a mathematical foundation. I believe the programming part is in C++, so give this a glance before putting any time in (don't want to refresh any C++ neural pathways, after all). Could also just read the first parts of each chapter that cover the math-side of each topic. Also critical is what is meant here by generic programming. If it's about C++ templates, then I'm definitely not interested in a book on that.

Yeah, this is in C++, so not interested. If I was desperate, I could still read it, since it's not really a C++ book. Basic knowledge in any C-like language would probably be enough. However, there's similar texts without this issue at all, so no need to settle.

3.2. [1/7] do category theory reeducation

I've completed a high level pass on this in the form of study necessary to give a presentation on it. I now have better context for what a realistic self-driven course in the subject looks like. My goals are to be familiar enough with it to use as a general thought/communication tool and, as it intersects with my profession, to internalize the algebraic structures that can be used to model and design programs.

3.2.1. CNCL read Category Theory in Context

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2022-08-15 Mon 08:18]

Looks comprehensive on the content I care about, and a good full details survey of the important subtopics. Probably will skip doing exercises to not get too bogged down. Some say this is a better full text read once already deep. If that's true, I'll replace it with Categories for the Working Mathematician.

After sampling the first chapter, this seems like an actively unworkable book. It's rather strange it keeps getting recommended, given how awful the content is. Only two possibilities exist for its state: either the author is completely incompetent at writing a textbook, or she's afflicted with some desire to appear smarter than she is. If the latter, this results in her info-dumping and not thinking about the reader's experience. She's definitely accumulated a lot of relevant knowledge, but no care is made for the poor saps that take her class and have to wade through the abysmal presentation. Now I regret buying this one. I'll keep it around since I might want to use it as a reference on selected topics, but otherwise will replace this with my alternative above, inserted later in this lesson plan.

3.2.2. STRT read Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories (2nd Ed.)

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-16 Tue 22:48]

Apparently one of the best category theory introductory books. Possibly a good choice for me since I've not done much work on this topic for over a year, minus using the programming language analogues. Bought a hardcopy.

3.2.3. TODO consider reading The Joy of Abstraction

Was going to skip, but Topos Institute seems to think this is worth reading. Will at least give it a try.

3.2.4. TODO do course MATH198: Category Theory and Functional Programming

Consider doing this course as a review and assistance in keeping the focus on FP.

https://wiki.haskell.org/User:Michiexile/MATH198

3.2.5. TODO read the Category Theory wikibook

Another option for comprehensive review with an eye towards FP.

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Haskell/Category_theory

3.2.6. TODO read Category Theory for the Sciences

Another supposedly great intro text. I don't feel comfortable with just one, so even in the best case, I'll give this one a try as well.

3.2.7. TODO read Applied Category Theory

Glanced at my hard copy some and it seems good at that, plus unlike most texts, grounds concepts in application to models of systems. A great approach for functional programmers, who mostly are doing exactly that. The downside is these chapters seem to go rather deep on very specific applications I may not care much about. Probably won't read the whole thing as a result.

3.2.8. TODO read Categories for the Working Mathematician

The popular and oft-quoted Mac Lane textbook. Does the full walk-through from basics. Supposedly written with some basic math pre-reqs expected (probably undergrad math degree level, at least). Might do a selected chapters read on this.

3.3. INAC [/] attain abstract algebra semi-mastery

I've mostly picked this up by osmosis and directed study of sub-topics so far. Like with discrete mathematics, a comprehensive survey may prove useful to those pulling and unifying ideas from the various grouped disciplines.

3.3.1. INAC read Contemporary Abstract Algebra (8th Ed.)

Highly recommended as an ideal self-education text on this subject, supposedly optimal for self-study. I'll read this book first, then reevaluate whether to queue any texts on specific sub-topics, particularly group theory. I also have the solution sets for the problems here.

3.3.2. INAC read A Book of Abstract Algebra (2nd Ed.)

Supposedly a tour of the field, retaining rigor. Includes exercises. May be good for companion text.

3.4. INAC [/] attain category theory mastery

There's two classes of CT texts, with one being extremely dense. A lot of that content is opaque to the uninitiated. This is an attempt to elevate and internalize CT knowledge to the point where such is digestible. Plan here needs some work, but partly is composed of comprehensive review (as I predict a gap between this and the previous foray into it) and a selected topics focus on concepts within.

3.4.1. INAC read Category Theory for Programmers

An online book, where chapters are posted in a blog. I've read a few of these and am unsure about the presentation, but will give it a try. Will use the EPUB version for light reading on the e-reader. Some examples are supposedly in C++, which I'll skip/skim.

https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/10/28/category-theory-for-programmers-the-preface/

3.4.2. INAC read A Taste of Category Theory for Computer Scientists (paper)

A lengthy 1988 paper by Benjamin Pierce. Only available in image PDF form, but could be useful as groundwork for Category Theory for Computer Science. Just read this without doing the exercises.

3.4.3. INAC read Category Theory for Computer Science

Based on my self-study plan for category theory, I should be super comfortable with the topic by the time I'm ready to read this extremely dense text. The goal is closing the gap from the abstract to application within CS, though if this book isn't useful in that regard I may bypass it and just go to the PLT application of the theory. There are multiple books with the same CT/CS focus, and this seems the most promising. Contains both exercises and solutions.

3.5. INAC [/] do logic/proof theory reeducation

I should know all the main logic systems cold and be able to solve proofs in them in my sleep. I do kinda know this stuff, I just need to exercise those neural pathways and do a gaps check. If I feel like detouring for a couple months, I can integrate it into my CS/math (re-)education plan prior to doing abstract algebra.

3.5.1. INAC read How to Prove It: A Structured Approach

A college-level introduction to proof reading and writing. The goal here is to internalize thinking of the type required for solving proofs. If this ends up being inadequate, I can supplement this effort with Book of Proof (2nd Ed.) which also looks good.

3.5.2. INAC read Introduction to Logic (2nd Ed.)

This is a often-recommended self-study text on the subject, by Gensler. If I do read this book, I'll see about skipping the use of LogiCola, which is an application designed for use with the book. Since I've already taken classes on this subject and this is just for refresher purposes, I might just read it without doing exercises.

3.6. INAC [/] learn homotopy type theory

Add this to my collection of useless mathmatical knowledge. Finish self-education plan for this.

3.6.1. INAC read A Brief Introduction To Type Theory And The Univalence Axiom (paper)

Reviews relevant base type theory and provides a general overview of homotopy types.

3.6.2. INAC read Homotopy Type Theory

The official book on the subject. Supposedly pretty comprehensive, so may not need additional resources if reading this. Already purchased hard copy.

3.6.3. INAC work through The HoTT Game

Not much of a game, but more of a introduction to cubical type theory, which is supposed to give computational meaning to HoTT. Worth noting is that this is in Agda, so that may make doing this less or more desirable, depending on what else I'm doing at the time.

https://github.com/thehottgame/TheHoTTGame

3.7. INAC do graph theory reeducation

One of the most useful form of discrete mathematics I've made use of at work. Graph theory is still generally useful in life and often pops up in strange places in functional programming, like the applicability of graph algorithms to complex data structures or collections of them, despite them not necessarily being graph-based. Need to think about this some more to formulate an approach that doesn't waste any time though. Ideal would be a functional perspective of the topic.

3.8. INAC read Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science

The most recommended math book for computer scientists. From what I've read of it previously, it seems to be a good sampling of things I've often encountered and occasionally wished I had a thoroughly solid grasp of. It is, however, mostly in the number-crunching realm, which is probably of limited utility for me. As a result, I'll defer this and come back around to it after I've reached my goals in pure math. Consider doing all the exercises in Maxima, which I'll need to redo the Emacs setup for.

4. software engineering

4.1. DONE setup docker on workstation

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-26 Sun 21:12]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-26 Sun 19:02]

Might just duplicate the work setup, but also maybe not. Read this: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Docker

Since this is Arch, will stick with the package repo:

  • sudo aura -S docker docker-compose
  • sudo systemctl enable docker.service
  • sudo systemctl start docker.service
  • Add user to docker group, re-login, and restart service.

This seems to use the (older?) convention where docker-compose is its own binary instead of a sub-command under docker. Will need to adjust scripts accordingly.

4.2. [1/8] consider Clojure web libraries

The most common form of real world Clojure application is an application that serves rich Web front ends. When I last reviewed the topic here, there was just Ring and Compojure. This is a boring topic and while that still works fine, a few nights spent surveying current best practices is probably not a bad use of time.

4.2.1. CNCL consider Peridot

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2020-06-12 Fri 09:31]

Full Ring testing with sequences of calls. Good for, say, testing a login sequence. Watch the first lightning talk here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaxF5RDdVRE

Canceled. I know this exists now, so will reconsider should the need arise.

4.2.2. TODO read Web Development with Clojure (2nd Ed.)

Since this book is from 2016, if I do read this it might be prudent to sanity check everything from it online afterwards. Maybe skip it altogether or read it very selectively. 3rd Ed. is in the works, so maybe hold off on this until then.

4.2.3. TODO consider duct

An application framework for Clojure. Seems to include all of the features and best practices I'm interested in.

https://github.com/duct-framework/duct

Maybe also: https://circleci.com/blog/build-a-clojure-web-app-using-duct/

4.2.4. TODO consider Pedestal

Give this a look. Some claim it's more lightweight than Ring+Compojure.

https://github.com/pedestal/pedestal

4.2.5. TODO consider Luminus

The most recommended Clojure web framework. Can also create a new project with lein new luminus +re-frame. Has some of the same criticism that Rails does though, in that it does everything for you. If things don't fit into the template, you end up without recourse.

4.2.6. TODO consider clojurice

A full stack web app setup in Clojure. Makes all the main architectural decisions. Worth looking at to compare against my best practices.

https://github.com/jarcane/clojurice

4.2.7. TODO consider reitit

A routing library, often used in combination with integrant/duck.

https://github.com/metosin/reitit

4.2.8. TODO consider alternative Clojure web frameworks

Give a super fast pass over all the remaining libraries available in the "Web Frameworks" category on The Clojure Toolbox.

4.3. TODO read Hypermedia Systems

An online book by (I think) the author of htmx. Recommended by former coworker and possibly a good treatise on non-stack web dev, the antithesis of the heavyweight Web 2.0 paradigm.

https://hypermedia.systems/book/contents/

If I want to keep going with this concept, there's this in Clojure: https://github.com/whamtet/ctmx

4.4. TODO read up on FRP

Been meaning to do this, so tracking to be sure I deep dive it. Already know the basics, but need to round it out. Also look into implementations in the Clojure world. There's also frameworks like Electric Clojure, which use reactive DSLs, but are variations on FRP.

4.5. TODO consider electric

An alternative to making Clojure applications with web front ends, leveraging the compiler to allow you to write a unified codebase. https://github.com/hyperfiddle/electric

4.6. TODO learn more babashka

Review earlier notes and then figure out how to run bb scripts that use EDN files with dependencies. Used occasionally at current job.

4.7. TODO refresh knowledge of spec

Been using Malli and custom schemas, so refresh on this topic. One good overview is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqY4nUMfus8

4.8. TODO read lein tutorial

Leiningen has a built-in tutorial now. Check it out with lein help tutorial.

4.9. TODO consider clojure-lanterna

A Clojure wrapper around Lanterna, a Java terminal library. Give this a look and maybe try a quick test project to see if I want to use this in projects. Having an ncurses-esque option that doesn't suck would open up a lot of possibilities.

https://multimud.github.io/clojure-lanterna/

4.10. TODO consider brick

A terminal interface library for Haskell. Haskell capability here would be a good option for many project ideas. Haskell on terminal applications is also free from a lot of the conceptual impedance of n-tier architecture.

https://github.com/jtdaugherty/brick/

Related is: https://codeberg.org/amano.kenji/brick-tabular-list

4.11. TODO consider transit-clj

Might want to use this to propagate types between front and back ends on an n-tier application that encodes data in JSON. Supposedly, this parsing is super fast (significantly more so than EDN). I don't think there's a need for it at the moment, but it's worth being aware of.

https://github.com/cognitect/transit-clj

4.12. TODO consider inlein

A Clojure scripting solution that can pull in dependencies, listed within the script file itself. http://inlein.org/

4.13. TODO consider Joker

An SCI, linter, and formatter. Might be better than clj-kondo, which is a static code analyzer. https://github.com/candid82/joker

4.14. TODO learn some Datomic

Datomic Pro is now free, so if I have a spare weekend, getting some familiarity might be a worthy use of it. Might want to hold off on it though, since maybe development is going to be stagnant now too. Might be worth just reviewing the underlying principles at least. https://blog.datomic.com/2023/04/datomic-is-free.html

4.15. TODO check out langchain Python library

Coworker suggested.

4.16. INAC consider core.unify

A unification library. Might be useful for times when a full LP environment is too heavyweight. An example might be creating a rules system. https://github.com/clojure/core.unify

Maybe refresh knowledge on unification first: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_(computer_science)

4.17. INAC consider clojail

Check this out for embedded REPLs.

4.18. INAC learn GraphQL

An alternative to REST. At least get comfortable with language concepts, enough to determine whether I want to use it on various projects. Maybe check out GraphiQL, which is a GraphQL live editor/browser plugin, or something like that. Lacinia, is a GraphQL library by Walmart Labs. Haven't done this yet, since I might skip altogether or just casually get a little more familiar with it.

4.19. INAC [/] consider Haskell web development

Clojure is the ideal FP solution for such things due to issues related to data vs. the network boundary. However, without some capability here, Haskell gets a lot less useful. Do another pass for resources before starting.

4.19.1. INAC read Developing Web Apps with Haskell and Yesod (2nd Ed.)

Attended a lecture on this and found this library at least technically interesting. Another Haskell web framework, Servant, is also popular now. Compare the two before investing a lot of time in Yesod.

4.19.2. INAC read Practical Web Development With Haskell

A 2018 book. Supposedly covers all the essentials.

4.19.3. INAC consider IHP

Another Haskell web framework. This one seems interesting since it solves a lot of the rather impenetrable infrastructure needed to get the features it supports working. Supposedly this is in usable state and has been for some time. https://github.com/digitallyinduced/ihp

4.20. INAC [/] research modern indie game development technologies

The main goal here is checking out the Clojure game engine libraries and seeing if there's a best option that covers some of my project ideas. Do a survey of available options before starting any of these, since this changes some over the years. Will also consider some supporting non-Clojure based game dev tools. Godot is the most popular in the FOSS world, so any Clojure interface to that would be preferred, though none exist at the time of this writing. Bevy for Rust might be worth looking at too.

4.20.1. INAC consider Overtone

An audio engine in Clojure, wherein you write source and have audio generated programmatically. Could be a plausible alternative to externally generating audio files for games. Supposedly, this allows one to trade programming skill for musical skill.

http://overtone.github.io/

4.20.2. INAC consider clojure2d

A small library for live 2D image manipulation, popular in "live coding" demos. Will just give it a quick try.

https://github.com/Clojure2D/clojure2d

4.20.3. INAC consider advenjure

Has potential for implementing IF-style game ideas.

https://github.com/facundoolano/advenjure

4.20.4. INAC consider zaffre

A library for drawing characters (sprites they might mean) to a screen.

https://github.com/aaron-santos/zaffre

4.20.5. INAC consider fn(fx)

A functional wrapper around Java FX. Use this for Clojure desktop application development. Deprecate all use of seesaw. Rewrite commercial-angler-clj in fn-fx. Consider using the garden library for CSS generation.

https://github.com/halgari/fn-fx

Alternatively: https://github.com/cljfx/cljfx (and cljfx/css)

Here's a blog article on the subject: http://nils-blum-oeste.net/functional-gui-programming-with-clojure-and-javafx-meet-halgarifn-fx/

4.20.6. INAC consider BitWig

Maybe look into this for normal audio creation. Ardour is another alternative. Both run on Linux.

4.20.7. INAC consider Krita

An open-source, free graphics program, seemingly great for drawing. Just give it a look.

4.20.8. INAC consider ArcadiaGodot

Recommended as best pick as of 2022-10-25 on #clojure. https://github.com/arcadia-unity/ArcadiaGodot

4.20.9. INAC consider Unity engine for Clojure

Check out the free version of Unity to see how much work it is to use. Unity has become super popular lately, especially with indie games. Just get some context for the engine, then check out Arcadia, which integrates Clojure and Unity.

https://github.com/arcadia-unity/Arcadia

4.21. INAC read Purely Functional Data Structures

Creating data structures in a typed FPL is something I do, but implementing their internals can benefit from some of the accumulated knowledge on the subject. This is the primary text that supposedly addresses that. This is a popular book for language designers, but some criticism I've heard there is that these data structures expose a bit too much complexity and sometimes are lacking in performance.

4.22. INAC read Hacking your way around in Emacs

A 2021 book about developing Emacs packages. According to the author's blog, he might add some additional chapters in the future, so will check back later in case that happens. Seems a bit thin at 3 chapters currently. https://leanpub.com/hacking-your-way-emacs/

5. work

5.1. DONE get a couple extra cables

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-06 Fri 12:47]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-27 Sun 21:42]

Could use 2 cables to optimize work desk:

  • Short USB extension of 3'.
  • HDMI cable of 5'.

2022-11-27: Ordered. Once I get the HDMI cable, use it to connect the 2nd monitor to the gaming rig, which is where I snagged the one I'm currently using from.

2022-12-01: Installed HDMI cable. Now can switch between 2 dual-monitor setups.

2022-12-28: Canceled USB extension cord order since it was out of stock and never going to arrive. A- ordered a different one for me.

2023-01-06: Finally received USB extension cable. Replaced USB hub I was using for the same purpose.

5.2. CNCL stage T440 as backup work laptop

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-12 Thu 20:31]

Install Xubuntu on this and rsync over my work files to this laptop, as a cheap insurance policy in case something happens to the X260. Don't bother setting up the full dev environment though. Then store this in the closet.

Might get another X260 to fill this role later, or skip it altogether if I decide to attempt making a Garuda work setup. If doing that, will keep this as the personal use laptop.

If I put Garuda on an X260 instead, see this: https://forum.garudalinux.org/t/guide-old-opinion-configuring-garuda-linux-for-laptop/7685

Update: Need to use X for work, since screen sharing doesn't work on Wayland. Might try a Garuda+Qtile build.

Update: Canceled, since I decided to grab another X260.

5.3. CNCL consider Dell U4919DW

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-19 Thu 21:38]

Normally wouldn't consider a curved ultra-wide monitor, but this one can act as a dual display and has built-in KVM. Seems preferred by overemployed multi-jobbers when J=2, or with external KVM when J>2. Cost is over $1.3k though, and my current setup does seem pretty good. Mainly noting here to research later to see how the KVM feature works.

KVM works with Linux, but is intended for use on Windows with their custom application that adds the keyboard hotkey support. This could still be an option on my incoming new desk and it does have some nice features (e.g., a more gentle curve), but I think I'll stick with the 27" there for now. If I was a Windows dev with J2, then this would be a perfect fit. I'd probably pair this with a software KVM like Synergy then too. Might revisit the notion of a monitor upgrade in a couple years, depending on what's available then.

Side note: Synergy is a great application that does work with Linux. Might want to consider it if my setup changes such that using it makes sense (a dual monitor setup with one monitor on each computer). It's also only $29.

5.4. DONE consider KVM switch

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-29 Sun 15:19]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-18 Wed 12:32]

Might make sense now to order a higher end KVM switch. Also look into just KM switches.

2023-01-18: Decided to try a KM switch, since it's much cheaper. Also provides more display options for using the two monitors. If this works out, will be great to have a clear desk, free up another keyboard/mouse, use the more ergonomic peripheral placement for both computers, and have less cables everywhere. Cost was $29.44. Some thoughts:

  • This market has a lot of generic junk in it, but since this is a work expense with high possible returns vs. the cost, seems worth the risk. Had a similar junk one back in PS/2 days that worked fine.
  • Might end up needing longer USB->USB cords, but will try to use the included ones first.
  • Will try using the remote and putting the switch under the desk on the power strip cage. If that doesn't work, will put it on the drawer units.
  • Depending on how this goes, could see me doing the same on the other desk with a second dock. However, a full KVM might make more sense there.
  • Move the full-sized KB to the Linux workstation. Set aside spare small one for bedroom desk or downstairs.

2023-01-26: Received switch. Will setup next weekend.

2023-01-29: Got everything setup. Works pretty good, though on the Windows side (and probably on Linux too), the devices actually get disconnected. Would've preferred they didn't have to get redetected. Doesn't seem to be a huge issue though, since they start working after about 2 sec. It is nice having the extra peripherals off the desk. Will use and see how it goes.

5.5. DONE do 6 month eval

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-26 Wed 10:45]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-16 Thu 14:53]

Around 2023-03, do my standard routine of thinking about the situation, projecting outwards, and comparing other options. Pretty sure I'm not kissing frogs here, but there are a lot of complexities that are worth sorting out.

Some random preliminary thoughts:

  • One thing that will make this analysis simpler is reducing the parameter space. Since an income isn't needed, I can limit it to this summary: Is this a worthy use of my time versus what I would otherwise be doing with it?
  • Been thinking a lot about system complexity and the mechanics of software integrated with a modern ecology. E- suggests doing straight data analysis is a good escape hatch from all of this stuff. He might be right about that. Might want to revamp my tech stack for that either way.
  • Doing a stint of volunteer FLOSS dev might be an option. Maybe not now, but worth keeping in the probability cone. One aspect of unemployment I didn't like last time was I didn't really have an interesting enough virtual world to inhabit.

Conclusions for now:

  • If I didn't already have a job, I would definitely sit things out given the current market. These conditions will probably remain for at least another year. Now would actually be a good time to work for the government, but I've added a lot of friction to returning to that path due to clearances expiring.
  • 2 informal principles are at work in the main codebase (definitions from here):
    • Gall’s Law: A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.
    • Hickam’s Dictum: The opposite of Occam’s Razor. In a complex system, problems usually have more than one cause. For example, in medicine, people can have many diseases at the same time.
  • Still learning a lot of stuff I otherwise wouldn't, and most of that is reasonably valuable (though not all).
  • Currently experiencing none of the negative social overhead or social ills of most previous employment.
  • Not sure if this is true yet, but a general notion that might be coalescing: It may be the case that it's been most rewarding to solve problems in isolation more than building large software systems. Clojure tends to be used more for the latter, as a stand-in for the normal ecosystems that would make doing so quite tedious. In that sense, Clojure's made it possible for me to keep doing something I would've probably already given up on had it not existed. I like a little bit of it, like say building a light data layer to make core work smoother, but huge, integrated systems might be on the other end of that spectrum.

5.6. DONE read Java Concurrency in Practice

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-24 Tue 14:26]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-06 Thu 09:54]

Recommended by coworkers to understand the concurrency paradigms being used (which are only partially in Clojure at present). Will do a mostly full read, skipping selected chapters. Current plan is chapters 1-12, and 16. This is pretty damn boring, so will revert to my standard force-read method of trying to get through a chapter/day.

Stalled out on this, but I get the general idea. There's a lot of specifics on how to actually implement parallelism and thread safety, down to the specific details that would be very necessary for a Java programmer that had to deal with such things. That's not me, but I did get some use out of reading the first third or so of this.

5.7. DONE do 1 year eval

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-30 Mon 21:47]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-26 Tue 09:31]

Around 2023-09, think about how things are going, and what I want to do employment-wise.

Had another offer for much more salary (around +33%), but decided to stick with the current situation for non-monetary reasons (social, lifestyle fit, etc.). The other position was at best a side-grade otherwise, and almost certainly a downgrade in one important context: I'd have been in a staff-augmentation role, not really part of a company such that the incentives for investment in relationship wasn't present on their end (and I'm too pessimistic to rely on the underlying good will of humans). It may not have ended up this way, but seemed likely to end up in a lonely, code-churning role as a temporary part of some startup's cost center. There were also tax inconveniences for being 1099.

I'll at least do another eval in 6 months, if current status remains otherwise unchanged. Some things to ponder in the interim:

  • I still enjoy being a Clojure programmer, but there's a few factors that will influence any future decisions, such that I may want to reconsider my relationship with it: the direction of "modern" Clojure (which has gotten very opinionated in a few ways that I could make a long list of trade-offs for), knowledge rot of alternative languages, the fact that we're probably at or past peak-Clojure, and the problem space of Clojure use intersected with my interests (e.g., the majority of Clojure use seems to be in the health care industry).
  • ClojureScript, and whether I want it part of my life in the future. I'm leaning hard no currently, preferring htmx, with electric as a possible out for highly-interactive front ends. Generally, I think I want no front end in my life. Will re-tool resume to exclude that. Added task.
  • Regardless of any future outcomes, it's a prudent idea to start pondering what my optimal retired life looks like. Will open a separate goal for that.

Proto-thoughts regarding alternatives to current path:

  • Could go back to government contracting, but more in a data analytics role. Since my clearances are expired, would have to find an unclass entry point and/or a public trust/confidential role. That's probably not a huge hindrance since I'd want to work remotely anyway. I could see such a role meshing well with my lifestyle, as I could scale my side efforts up/down, time permitting (as opposed to now, where they're on hold). Regarding the work itself, this falls in line with my recent commentary on large-scale, integrated SE. Would also pay more. Main downsides are: government contracting culture, admin overhead, probably no or very limited FP, some of this stuff is a bit boring (though if I'm being flexible on language, maybe I can correct for that).
  • Been talking to E- about a re-entry to the AI/ML space. Like him, I have street cred in this area that I could resurrect, though I need to do some studying first.
  • Some general qualities I think I'd be looking for:
    • Remote or hybrid with less than 1 day/month. Any hybrid shouldn't involve regular flying.
    • No front-end dev.
    • Emacs for everything.
    • More directed/focused.
    • Languages: Any FPL, Python, niche languages. No Java, .Net, etc.
  • Could selectively open the gates a bit for companies to find me. Wouldn't open it up on Dice or the like, but maybe specific, targeted, smaller sites. Probably would just do one for starters. Might also keep an eye on: https://ai.gov/apply/

Will think about the above more. Will do a Python refresher as my next non-work tech task.

5.7.1. TODO refactor resume

Two things I want to change:

  • De-emphasize anything front-end, JS, GUI, etc. Would rather not work than deal with that stuff anymore. Also don't want to get recruiter spam about it, wasting everyone's time. For data viz, I also don't want to do that, but it's not as hard of an aversion. Maybe just keep it in the actual job history.
  • Emphasize data analytics. I may do an internal write-up on some accomplishments there, establishing a better narrative. I've done a lot of cool stuff in this space, but never really thought about it.

5.8. [7/7] read Web Browser Engineering

Doing a book club by-chapter read and code-along with coworkers. Plan is to implement in Clojure. Might do it in Haskell though, just to do something different.

Main site: https://browser.engineering/ Forum: https://github.com/browserengineering/book/discussions

Looks like this effort died. Everyone's probably too busy for this. In my case, that's definitely true, given I was doing it in Haskell.

5.8.1. DONE collect library stand-ins

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-14 Sun 22:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-05 Fri 11:46]

Some semi-equivalent libraries:

  • For handling HTTP requests: urllib -> wreq
  • For parsing HTML and CSS: lxml -> xml-conduit
  • GUI library: PyQt5 -> gtk3, qtah, Gloss (latter preferred)
  • Alternatively: Skia and SDL -> diagrams and sdl2 or glfw-b (and diagrams-rasterific for loading standard image formats)
  • Other Python libs to look into: beautifulsoup4, sh.

Good enough for a starting point. Probably won't use some of these, but things being possible instead of known impossible is enough to get started.

5.8.2. DONE create project scaffolding

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-16 Tue 22:01]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-09 Tue 16:50]

Collect some notes on creating Haskell projects in current year. Get project building with at least one dependency and running in the REPL and on the CLI.

Notes:

  • Regarding Cabal specification options: I'll use Cabal 3.4, which has some upgrades over 3.0, like finer-grained control over dependencies and sublibraries. Note this removes the -any and -none syntax for version ranges.
  • Regarding language choice: Haskell2010 is the standardized version, while GHC2021 includes a lot of the popular language extensions that most people use presently. Will use the latter.
  • If I want a long-form project description, open the .cabal file and edit/uncomment the description field.
  • Apparently ~/.cabal can still become corrupt and result in weird errors. If that happens again, just wipe it and run cabal update.

5.8.3. CNCL do chapter 1

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-07-06 Thu 21:21]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-17 Wed 09:24]

Covers grabbing web content, connecting to the server and extracting the page body.

Docs:

5.8.4. CNCL read http-client tutorial

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-08-13 Sun 09:24]

Selected this as the main HTTP library. https://github.com/snoyberg/http-client/blob/master/TUTORIAL.md

Decided to use wreq instead.

5.8.5. CNCL read book

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-07 Fri 12:20]

Even though I'm not directly using it, will still read the book, skimming a lot of the implementation-level Python details. Might do the first 1 or 2 chapters in Python, just for refresher reasons.

Did some of this, but canceling this effort. Decided not to do it in Python either, since I can get more out of just reading a language book.

5.8.6. CNCL retool program to be a text-based web browser

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-07 Fri 11:08]

Decided to go rogue on this and make a text-based browser similar to Lynx instead of following along with the book. Side benefit is that I wanted to check out the brick library anyway, to see if I wanted to use it for any text-based games.

5.8.7. CNCL consider html-conduit

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:10]

Might be a better solution vs. wreq for this project, since it can tokenize the response body.

5.9. [1/6] gain competence in all job-related skills

Tier 2 of 3 for my work skills upgrade. Goal here is to be able to competently do anything the job requires. A big part of this system is learning where stuff is within it though, so will set aside a few weeks to stare at select parts of the codebase. Targeting ~6 months as a time range for this. Will add stuff to the deep-dive list as I skip non-critical details.

Update: Decided to just plow through all the topics one at a time. While doing so, will do what would've been the 2nd tier of this on an as-needed basis. Some things will still be 2-part, since they're such huge topics. Will do a intro, then a deep dive later if that still seems sensible.

5.9.1. DONE learn React concepts

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2022-10-19 Wed 14:52]

Tracked above. Only duplicating here because it's work-related.

5.9.2. STRT learn re-frame

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-19 Wed 19:13]

5.9.3. TODO learn AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Get some context on how this works.

5.9.4. TODO learn basic ClojureScript

Just a placeholder for work tracking. Details above.

5.9.5. TODO refresh core.async knowledge.

See old notes from 2020.

5.9.6. TODO learn basic Camel concepts

Check version used. Maybe give the first couple chapters the first edition of Camel in Action a skim.

5.9.7. TODO learn basic Spring concepts

Check Spring components used. Security is one, I think.

5.10. [4/7] build new X260 work laptop

Between using Xubuntu for work, but would ideally like to have a tiling WM. I do have Xubuntu's bugs/annoyances all addressed now, so this new setup will have a somewhat high bar for polish. There's a few work-related packages that might be need some extra work to port over. If there's blockers there, I will fallback to setting this new one up as the backup laptop and just shelve it. Either way, can then give away the X230 currently serving as backup.

5.10.1. DONE build working X260

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-22 Sun 20:27]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-13 Fri 20:32]

Ordered one of these from eBay for around $150 after shipping/taxes. This one will need a new SSD, but supposedly is in great condition. Since there's no emergency, will wait until it arrives before ordering that. For hostnames: keeping with the conlang theme for laptops, the new one will be "cmaci", and the Xubuntu one will stay "zivle".

2023-01-18: Received and setup UEFI. Looks good, so ordered a 480GB Crucial CT480BX500SSD1. Cost was $32.99.

2023-01-22: Received and installed SSD.

5.10.2. DONE setup Garuda+Qtile

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-23 Mon 11:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-22 Sun 20:27]

Get everything working here. This is back in X, so refactor the setup doc to just be about Garuda, with branching for X/Wayland differences. Will probably spend a weekend doing just this, then use it for normal stuff for a week to see if there's any issues before proceeding.

Notes:

  • Added xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap to ~/.bashrc (used by the X11 login shell), which is different from the normal one in dotfiles. Maps caps -> super.
  • Skipped texlive and browser config for now, until I confirm the work dev stack is functional.
  • Skipped docker setup, in order to do work-specific setup.

Done with the above caveats. Everything looks good so far. Did have one random weird instance of hardware behavior when I picked up the laptop and the screen blanked, requiring a hard reset. If I can get the work stack functional, will try using it a bit for personal use in different situations to see if it happens again. Was tweaking some stuff at the time, so could've been related to that.

5.10.3. CNCL tweak Qtile

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-06-10 Sat 09:59]

The default Garuda config is pretty good functionality-wise, but I do want to swap some colors around.

Switching to Debian for work.

5.10.4. CNCL get dynamic multi-monitor setup working

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-06-10 Sat 09:59]

Will want to integrate a multi-head config into a Qtile function that detects monitor changes. Use hook @hook.subscribe.screen_change, maybe. Also need to do the Xorg setup first: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Multihead

Might want an xrandr script to manually run when I dock instead of an Xorg.conf setup. Consider installing arandr for quick changes.

5.10.5. STRT install Debian 12

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-28 Fri 23:08]

Decided to switch to Debian, which should solve the Snap-related issues. I suspect this will be pretty solid. Will setup XFCE for it, but might also install Qtile later if this works out. ISOs for this should be out by mid/late 2023-06.

Notes:

  • Enabling TPM in BIOS makes the startup error go away.

5.10.6. TODO setup work tech stack

Transfer everything over some weekend, test everything, and ensure the comms tech works. Side note: Will probably want to use tmux for all my work terminals.

5.10.7. TODO deprecate all X230-related hardware

Look around for all spare X230 parts. Should have dock, a few extra power bricks, and the spare parts one too.

5.11. TODO get spare dock for X260

Might set this up on the living room desk, giving me the option to work out there. If I decide to use it for that, will need another KVM for that setup, but will hold off on that for now. Might need another DP cable.

5.12. TODO consider Dell U3223QE

A 4k 32" Ultrasharp, with integrated KVM. Might want this for working on the new desk, once I setup a dock there. Note that the X260's GPU, the HD Graphics 520, does support up to 4k, but requires use of the DP2.1 port. I also like that it doesn't have the word "DELL" right in my viewing range at all times too. Cost is $860.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ultrasharp-32-4k-usb-c-hub-monitor-u3223qe/apd/210-bdph/monitors-monitor-accessories

Might want the SB522A sound bar to pair with this later, depending on how I run the setup. Probably will try docking but using internal laptop speakers for a while to see how that goes.

5.13. TODO get monitor arm for new desk

Consider the Amazon Basic monitor arm. Will allow quick up/down adjustments, useful to get camera height correct during video conferencing. This one supports up to 25lbs, which I might need for a U3223QE if I get one later. Once installed, put NUC in center of desk.

Don't like the branding on the Amazon Basic, though I suppose I could paint the base. The AVLT has the same problem but keeps future options open better on weight. The Humanscale M8.1 is the no-compromise approach, which I might prefer. I'll hold off on this until I get a larger monitor, since I don't want to buy the wrong one. There's also issues with some smaller monitors not having enough weight to keep the tilt in place, so might not be able to use it now anyway. Note that the weight of the U3223QE is 22.8lbs.

5.14. TODO sign up for TSA pre-check

Should pay off with 1 guaranteed flight per year + maybe occasional extra.

5.15. TODO read Designing Data-Intensive Applications

A 2018 O'Reilly book recommended by coworkers. Probably just do a selected topics read.

5.16. TODO convert favicon to SVG

Have an SVG for this already, just need to convert it to whatever settings browsers expect. Will need to reinstall whatever I used to create it too (maybe Inkscape).

6. technology/software

6.1. DONE try out Optimizer

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-02 Mon 20:22]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-02 Mon 19:39]

A freeware Windows app for disabling a lot of modern Windows garbage. Even though I'm only using Windows for games now, might be able to save some bandwidth and power with this. https://github.com/hellzerg/optimizer/releases

Well, tweaked all settings. I guess I'm using less resources now, but I didn't profile it before turning everything off.

6.2. [7/7] setup new Linux workstation

Will replace my old NUC, a NUC8i3BEK, with a NUC11TNKi5. Was going to do a HD-swap on the old one, but will use it enough to be worth the full upgrade. This is also a pre-req to the redo of data storage (getting that off Windows and on a Samba network store). Also have a new desk coming in, and might want a perfect workstation for use with that.

Have a nice setup now that is pleasant to use. New hardware is also much quieter, never running the fan at idle or light use. Only hangup was the heavy locking down of the pre-owned hardware, but dealing with that saved ~$140, so was worth it in the end.

6.2.1. DONE consider gen 11 NUC

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-06 Tue 16:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-02 Fri 13:09]

Thinking about the NUC11TNKi5 (currently $452 on Newegg). Do a build on a new wishlist. This model can mount 2 m.2 drives, so I'd use the 22x42mm one for network storage. Would also get a 512GB USB drive to do backups to. The 12th gen is just coming out now, but doesn't seem to offer much in the way of upgrades beyond the newer gen CPU. So, not worth it for the +$200 or so. Will wait a couple months either way to see what the prices for the NUC12WSKi5 settle at.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/205603/intel-nuc-11-pro-kit-nuc11tnki5.html

Putting this off for now, since I'm too busy with new job ramp-up. By the time I get around to this, the 12th gen might be more reasonably priced. At present, it's not worth the extra cash, but I do slightly prefer it for the mildly upgraded specs and the matte case finish.

2022-12-02: Got offer for $300 for a NUC11TNKi5. Purchased. I think this one comes with RAM and HD, so wait until that arrives first to see what components are in it. Might be able to use them for something.

2022-12-06: Received. Tested and runs fine. Was hoping the HD in it was a 42mm one, but it's an 80mm, so can't use. That has some Win10-based install for just using MS Teams on it, so will set it aside, along with the 8GB RAM. Might use that for testing or a future desktop build.

Side note: Would maybe have been interested in the Librem Mini, but that's equivalent to a NUC10. Maybe next time the timing will align better. Hoping to keep this one for 4-5 generations or so. Would be willing to pay the extra for disabled IME.

6.2.2. DONE acquire remaining needed parts

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-20 Tue 23:20]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-06 Tue 16:11]

Ordered the planned parts:

  • Transcend 42mm m.2 512GB SSD (model TS512GMTS430S) for $44.99 from Amazon.
  • Crucial (32GBx2) DDR4 3200 (model CT2K32G4SFD832A) for $156.44 from Newegg.

2022-12-13: RAM received and installed. Also installed the Samsung 980.

2022-12-20: Second SSD installed. Broadband currently out due to storm though, so will start setup once it's back.

6.2.3. DONE fix locked out BIOS

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-30 Fri 18:34]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-30 Fri 16:33]

My eBay-sourced NUC is set to fast boot and to disable the USB peripherals on boot, probably to prevent USB-booting by employees of its previous owner. Tried removing the security jumper and using the recovery BIOS, but that seems to not work too (strangely). Supposedly the internal 1x4 pin USB ports are not disabled though, so will try getting a cable for that. Will upgrade the BIOS while at it. Once I get that cable, power off the unit, hold down the power button for 3 sec, then change all the USB related settings (fast boot, and enable front/rear USB). Also need to disable Secure Boot: https://www.reddit.com/r/intelnuc/comments/w80yfa/disabling_secure_boot_blindly_nuc11phki7c/

Used cable and it worked. System now fully functional. The BIOS update fails due to it not liking the update file for some reason, but the version on there isn't all that old either. A few people in the NUC forum report bricking their setups with updates, so I'd rather not risk it.

6.2.4. DONE install/configure Garuda on NUC

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-31 Sat 09:12]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-30 Fri 18:34]

See if I can get everything running perfect here before deprecating old system. Might try Qtile instead of Sway, if I have a few remaining annoyances. Also leave this running for a few days to see if it still has the video driver issues the old setup did (have a potential solution for that now if it does).

Notes:

  • Worth reviewing: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_NUC
  • Deferred database for now, since I don't want both MariaDB and PostgreSQL. Whichever one I have need of first will go on.
  • Deferred docker setup.
  • Made some updates to setup file. If I stick with this, will probably deprecate the Manjaro content therein and switch this to just be for Garuda.

Everything seems to be working pretty good. Don't see any major issues. Also liking using caps as mod so far. Turned off the NUC8 under the expectation that this will likely work out.

6.2.5. DONE setup storage drive

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-31 Sat 17:06]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-31 Sat 09:23]

Format as btrfs with gpt partition table. Mount to /data. Then configure Samba. Will start over with a completely new config for this, since I think my old one was against Samba 3.

Added disk with gparted. To run gparted on Wayland:

  • Install extra/xorg-xhost
  • Run xhost +SI:localuser:root before running gparted.
  • Create a partition table for new drive (in this case, /dev/sda) with Device -> Create Partition Table. Use gpt (GUID partition table). Set the partition name and label to "data", and the file system to btrfs.
  • Click the check mark to apply these new settings.
  • Create a /data directory and chmod go+rwx it.
  • Edit /etc/fstab and add something like this: /dev/sda1 /data btrfs defaults,noatime 0 0
  • Run sudo mount -a and sudo systemctl daemon-reload.
  • Check df to see if it's mounted correctly and maybe copy a file into it.

Samba config:

  • Using reference: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Samba
  • Change workgroup.
  • Run testparm to test config.
  • By setting /data owned by my user and having setgid bit set to 2 for file/directory creation, my Linux user can more easily manage these files without overriding any permissions.
  • nmbd also reads its config from smb.conf, so add netbios name = hostname here. Note that Win10 and up don't use NetBIOS anymore, and a WSD daemon is required.
  • Tried aur/wsdd2, which reads its config from smb.conf, make it more convenient than wsdd. This makes the host show up in Windows Network, but I can't navigate into it. Since I can still get to it through the IP address, skipping this.
  • Define a share name and settings for my shared directory.
  • On the Windows side, map a network drive using \\<ip>\volume.

This seems to work okay. Probably could get it even more seamless with some deep-diving. Copied over everything and will ignore the local storage drive on Windows for awhile. If everything works for a few months, I should be safe to proceed with my flash drive backup solution.

6.2.6. DONE consider selling NUC8i3BEK

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-01-01 Sun 18:05]

Maybe sell this with the SSD that the NUC11TNKi5 came with. It's still a good system though, so think about whether I might have a use for it later before doing so. Might not be worth the $150 I'd get to part with it. Try updating the BIOS if I decide to keep. Only thing I can currently think of to do with this is install OpenBSD, Qubes OS, or NixOS on it for a bedroom computer, once I have the spare desk in there. Leaning heavily against that though, since yet another computer is of very marginal utility.

Ended up giving this to S-. The one kid really needed a decent machine, and now has one.

6.2.7. CNCL use new system for a month

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-03 Tue 01:36]

Will make this the primary workstation for a month, trying to use it for all personal stuff. If things are going well, can take down the NUC8, reorder the cabling, and check in some new dotfiles.

Since I already gave away the NUC8, I'm committed to this build now. I still have the old 970 EVO though, so could always swap it in if needed.

Note: One thing I forgot was to backup my databases. I have a slightly older snapshot, I think. It's still on the drive if I want to grab it later before using it for something else.

6.3. CNCL switch back to xmonad on workstation

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-03 Tue 02:21]

After using i3 for awhile, I do think xmonad is better overall. Probably will stick with i3 for the laptop, due to the convenience of switching wireless networks. On the workstation, try making a more customized config for this, perhaps with xmobar, trayer, and xsession. Holding off on this for now until I figure out what computers are going where though. If I put the workstation in the office, I may reconsider doing this.

Can't do this anymore, since using Wayland on it now. If I stick with Wayland, Sway is pretty much the main tiling compositor option that isn't in basic dev and/or unaligned with my preferences.

6.4. DONE try out Qtile

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-03 Tue 20:01]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-03 Tue 19:16]

Qtile is a Python implementation of Xmonad, using X. Can see myself preferring this over on a laptop and maybe a future work laptop. Would also make the occasional Wayland inconvenience go away. Try out the Garuda variant on my T440 via live booting. http://www.qtile.org/

Qtile can be used as a Wayland compositor, but there's a lot of missing functionality currently. Is broken OOTB here too. I do like this quite a lot in X though, and will consider it for my backup work laptop build. If I use Garuda, it'll need a lot of color-tweaking. The default here is well-crafted, but too distracting for my tastes.

6.5. DONE check out yark

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-07 Sat 08:22]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-05 Thu 22:22]

Looks like a good solution for grabbing a full YT channel. Could see this being useful for grabbing a local copy of stuff to watch without all the streaming and web overhead. Downside would be grabbing extra stuff I don't want, but with the update feature, this would just be a one-time cost. Check if I manually delete a local file, whether it'll re-grab it. https://github.com/Owez/yark

Installed with pipx. Works nice, but is extremely space inefficient. Only issue is it annoyingly creates files starting with - chars, so scripts need to account for that. Don't have anything I want to keep around like this and track currently, but will keep it in mind. If I don't use by the time I setup my next workstation, will skip.

6.6. [5/5] tweak Garuda

6.6.1. DONE build a sway config

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-03 Tue 22:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-03 Tue 22:40]

Figure out what needs to be commented out in the config.d/ directory and check in a config to dotfiles repo. Read the manual to see if there's an idiomatic way to organize this. Will try Qtile first before spending any time on this, though I'll probably stick with Wayland on the workstation so will need to do this either way.

Notes:

  • Condensed all of config.d/ into a config file for portability convenience.
  • Fixed my non-locking swayidle call, which must've had something out of place. Might've been the -w flag on swayidle. This works now:

    exec swayidle \
      timeout 300 'swaymsg "output * dpms off"' \
      resume 'swaymsg "output * dpms on"'
    
  • Turned off all gaps and increased border to 2 pixels.
  • Set background color to solid black. See man 5 sway-output for options on the output command.

Could still use more fine tuning, but is pretty good now.

6.6.2. CNCL look into clamshell-mode for Sway

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-04 Wed 12:01]

If I use this on a laptop, I will probably want sleep functional on lid close.

https://github.com/swaywm/sway/wiki#clamshell-mode

This mode is for running off external monitors when you have the lid closed. Not what I want to do currently, though I could see this useful in certain desk setups.

6.6.3. DONE fix ddclient

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-05 Thu 00:35]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-05 Thu 00:07]

Updated my router to point to the new server. However, ddclient isn't working since it can't find my public IP address for some reason.

WARNING:  found neither ipv4 nor ipv6 address
DEBUG:    get_ip: using if, eno1 reports <undefined>
WARNING:  unable to determine IP address

Fixed. There were two problems:

  • Having use=if, if=em0 didn't work because em0 wasn't a network device name on this machine.
  • Using the proper device name tries to update the DNS name to the LAN IP. Switched ddclient to use a website to find my IP address and use that.

6.6.4. DONE setup Python stack

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-05 Thu 22:16]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-05 Thu 22:09]

Probably want to install a few things with pip3.

Decided to install pipx instead, which is like pip's virtual environments, just less complex. Should be good enough for me, since I'll just want a few things installed globally and not to make a mess of any system packages. Can also add normal pip later too.

Will hold off doing anything more complex than this until I have a work-related reason for expanding the Python dev stack.

6.6.5. CNCL try out kanshi

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-13 Fri 13:21]

The Wayland equivalent of autorandr. Profiles can be auto-enabled on hotplug. Maybe get this all setup for my office dock on the T440. Will want this working if I use Sway on a work laptop. This comes already installed by default. https://sr.ht/~emersion/kanshi/

Notes:

Skipping for now, due to discovering that screen sharing doesn't work on Wayland. Will be using Qtile on (hopefully) new work setup. Since I don't have a non-work external monitor setup for a laptop, don't need this now.

6.7. [2/2] consolidate personal data (retry)

Completed plan to move all storage over to Linux on the 512GB 42mm m.2 drive. Once I'm confident in that solution, I'll go ahead and work on this backup plan.

Successfully implemented. Glad I wait until now to do, since the hardware needed to make this such an elegant setup is cheap and readily available.

6.7.1. DONE consider backup drive options

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-09 Mon 16:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-31 Sat 22:56]

Probably will do flash drive. I have an older WD My Book from a previous job, but this requires a power cord, so less inclined to use it. Note that both NUC11 front ports are USB 3.2.

If going USB drive and buying on Amazon, use this link to sort by price and see the various options: https://diskprices.com/?locale=us&condition=new&disk_types=usb_flash

Some options:

  • 1TB flash drive, with a single rsync script that backs up everything.
  • 2 512GB drives, one for the /data directory, and the other for the system. Would need 2 scripts.
  • 1TB external USB-powered SSD.
  • 1TB external HDD. The cheapest solution, but slowest.

2022-12-31: Ordered the 1TB SanDisk SDCZ880-1T00-G46 from NewEgg for $130. This simplifies things, and thus I'm more likely to backup more often.

2023-01-09: Received flash drive.

6.7.2. DONE create rsync scripts

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-13 Fri 19:01]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-13 Fri 16:54]

Tune a script to backup everything. Save to ~/bin for quick running. Include mounting in the script, so I can just plug in the drive, run the script, and then remove it.

The rsync command might look something like this:

rsync -aAXv --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} /* /mnt/media

Check this exclude list. Might want -H to preserve hard links.

Notes:

  • Created script ~/bin/backup.sh.
  • Formatted flash drive to ext4.
  • Modded the exclude list above. Leaving out /lost+found since the system is on btrfs. Note that it is in ext4, so exists on the destination side.
  • Script with ensure that /data exists before doing anything else. Would otherwise make a mess if not and then the subsequent commands were run.
  • Script will normalize permissions to conform with masks in smb.conf before copying.
  • Might consider later just leaving this in a slot off the back or a future connected USB hub and having it auto-run via crontab. Would really be hands off then.
  • Could also add a database export to this later, writing it out to a file. Don't have one running currently though. Will also want to think about whether I'd rather have that separate, rolling, and possibly scheduled.

Got everything setup, did first run, changed some stuff, and confirmed incremental update functional. Seems to be a good solution. Can now slot the flash drive, run sudo bin/backup.sh, then pull it when its done. Will do this every few months at least.

Update: Added a condition to exit if the volume identified by UUID does not exist, preventing running the lengthy /data updates if it can't rsync them anyway.

6.8. CNCL check on revChatGPT status

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-03-04 Sat 11:18]

This used to work nicely and I was using it as my primary interface. It's probably the backend that future Emacs packages will use too. However on 2022-12-11, OpenAI switch to Cloudflare auth (probably to stop bots, since it won't even work with a headless client). There's a workaround for it, but since it requires logging in first with the browser and only lasts an hour, might as well just use it there. Check back on this project later to see if the devs come up with a workaround. At present, they seem stumped and it's out of my field of expertise. https://github.com/acheong08/ChatGPT/issues/261

Looks like some work was done on this lately, but doesn't seem to actually install a working binary. Might check back later, but will try shell_gpt instead first.

6.9. DONE consider shell-gpt

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-04 Sat 18:57]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-04 Sat 11:27]

A command line interface to ChatGPT. https://github.com/TheR1D/shell_gpt

Works great. Will stick with this. Generated an API key here, which is required upon first use. Use --code flag to just get code with no comments (useful for piping to files).

6.10. CNCL consider WezTerm

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-04-16 Sun 08:30]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-16 Sun 08:08]

Another modern terminal emulator, written in Rust. Configured in Lua, which I'm not that crazy about. Often cited by former kitty users as superior to their needs.

Pretty close to kitty, but I think kitty is superior for my needs/preferences. Some thoughts that may influence later similar analyses:

  • kitty has GPU-acceleration, which does seem to make things faster. Downside to that is it's actually required, and doesn't run on an rPi.
  • While a full programming language for config is nice, it's often unnecessary overhead over a simple config-file format. Except where I have specific/advanced needs, for most applications, I'm a user that just wants to toggle settings. Then if the config is in a language I don't want to think in, it becomes a big downside.
  • Since I always use tmux, I don't care about terminal-handled panes and tabs.

6.11. DONE consider phind

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-26 Wed 23:41]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-24 Mon 07:15]

Might want to replace DDG after it removed the search filter operators I rely on. There's suspicion this might be a result of Bing's API pricing increase.

phind is an LLM-powered search engine that kinda does what I've been thinking I might want for one of those: give the LLM answer, the links to the sources it derived those from, and the option to start a chatbot thread from the answer.

To provide just site search: Go to the "Search engine"->"manage search engines and site search" section in Settings. Under "Site search" add values phind, phind, and https://phind.com/search?q=%s. Should be able to type "phind" and hit tab to get a search.

To use as default: Can still use DDG for a basic keyword search by just typing "duc" and hitting tab. Install this extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/phindcom/cbkjbnfjbjlcpfaengknbfbffabiloab

Will use the extension method for now. This doesn't work on w3m though, so will still be stuck with less featured DDG there. Workstation in console-only mode for now, so will leave open to finish.

2023-04-25: Noticed that it does have the CF protection captcha during the day. Hopefully that goes away as more people are using other sources of GPT. Also noticed that when the API is down altogether (meaning it's not usable from my Emacs/CLI clients), so is this site.

2023-04-26: Switched to just the site search method on main workstation to keep the captcha from slowing me down. Will leave this hybrid for now, but probably unify it at some point. I think this is useful enough to keep around in some form, at least until something better comes along.

2023-04-29: Due to the CF captcha, switch back to method 1. Was slowing me down at work, when I just need a quick lookup of something. If I don't mind waiting several seconds, I can spare the extra second to type "phind<tab>". So, phind isn't quite perfect yet, but I could see a version of it or something like it solving those problems in the near future.

6.12. DONE fix issue with QtGreet log filling up /tmp

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-03 Wed 06:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-01 Mon 18:13]

On Garuda with Sway, the system's configured to use greetd with qtgreet. This writes all system messages to a log file in /tmp, which eventually fills up the partition, causing errors with any other application that needs free space there. I suspect that most of the junk being output is a result of poor Wayland integration by one or more desktop applications. Having the greeter daemon log anything on its own seems like a poor design decision.

Attempting a fix by adding this to /etc/greetd/config.toml:

# Default level is "info".
log_level = "error"

I still see some non-ERROR level entries here, so not sure this is doing anything. Watching with tail -f shows not much data accruing, but it could be that a specific process is causing runaway entry writing. Will keep an eye on it for a few days.

Update: Still a problem. Error filling up the space is caused by nm-applet failing to interact properly with Wayland. Entries are of this form:

(nm-applet:1341): Gdk-CRITICAL **: 16:36:23.824: gdk_monitor_get_scale_factor:
assertion 'GDK_IS_MONITOR (monitor)' failed
(waybar:1182): Gdk-CRITICAL **: 16:36:23.855: gdk_monitor_get_scale_factor:
assertion 'GDK_IS_MONITOR (monitor)' failed

This bug was reported but supposedly fixed in nm-applet 1.8.24. However, the network-manager-applet package version locally is 1.32.0-1. Trying this instead:

In ~/.config/sway/config, change the launcher for nm-applet to this:

# nm-applet
exec GDK_BACKEND=x11 nm-applet --indicator

Update: Well, this fixed it for that application, but turns out there's more of them. Instead of chasing every one down, I'll just switch to working on my Qtile setup. Once I get that perfect, I'll probably switch over to that. Wayland certainly works, but it's the little annoyances around the edges that ruin one's day and waste a bunch of time.

6.13. DONE update BitBucket host keys

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-19 Fri 12:26]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-19 Fri 12:23]

Need to do this, at least for my person accounts. https://bitbucket.org/blog/ssh-host-key-changes

Done for main workstation.

Note: Run this on laptops, whenever I next have them on: ssh-keygen -R bitbucket.org && curl https://bitbucket.org/site/ssh >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts

6.14. DONE check out Urbit

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-30 Sun 23:27]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-28 Fri 23:20]

An active project, but didn't really get past the Metcalfe's Law hump (or even get close). Not particularly interested in using it, but its architectural, conceptual, and PLT ideas might be worth a few evenings. https://urbit.org/

My shallow-dive analysis:

Urbit has some interesting features, the main one being its restoration of a true P2P internet. On that critical point though, I'd probably design it such that only stars are required to be always online, and that planets could run locally and go offline. When back online, they could sync with their stars, who would cache their state, providing a proxy for the planet's resources to others. This would allow the system to be truly P2P, as Urbit can't be if local machines that people are actually using are still clients to servers on centrally-hosted VPS providers.

Regarding the language Hoon, this is interesting for its system of runes and nomenclature, but not so much in the area of language structures/features. In fact, it's (intentionally) limited in that regard, and doesn't allow for much in the way of higher-level concepts. Not sure I'm interested in it for that reason, and practically, it seems to be a limiting factor of Urbit adoption.

For Nock and Arvo, respectively the VM and OS layer of Urbit, they seem to have some limiting design constraints that may not be necessary, but it's hard to say without thinking about it more deeply and learning more about it.

Overall, it's definitely got some things working against it such that it's unlikely to get over the hump and start benefiting from network effects. I'm also not sure I'm keen on certain aspects regarding its commercialization and reliance upon Ethereum. So, I don't think this is the final solution to the ills that plague the modern internet, but am generally supportive of its overall vision/goals and hopeful it'll feed into whatever comes next that does the same. And if I'm wrong and it does pan out, we would certainly be better off.

Might come back to this if I'm looking for something to do later, since it seems there's a lot of interesting essays and other content on the network. Not doing so now because my current VPS doesn't have the spare resources for it and I'd have to spin up another one just for Urbit, which I don't have the bandwidth currently to make use of. There's also a project called Plunder, attempting to recreate it with some changes (see this comparison for details): https://git.sr.ht/~plan/plunder

6.15. DONE fix pipx

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-31 Mon 13:21]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-31 Mon 13:15]

Upgrade to python 3.8.x broke pipx and all installed packages.

Exercised nuclear option. Deleted ~/.local/pipx, reinstalled python-pipx (which may not have been necessary), and reinstalled yark (skipping shell-gpt). Seems to work now. I guess version upgrades cause pathing issues?

6.16. DONE fix storage drive

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-31 Mon 22:21]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-31 Mon 18:17]

Accidentally zorched this when running dd to write an ISO to a flash drive and not checking which device I was writing to. Realized mistake and canceled, but it was already writing the partition table.

Fixed. Used gdisk to make a new GPT partition table and recreated the partition. This restored the drive, though I may have lost a few sectors worth of data in the beginning of the drive. Should have backups of anything corrupted if I find that to be the case later.

6.17. DONE check out yt-dlp

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-01 Fri 11:17]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-01 Fri 07:40]

Consider this as a more useful replacement for yark, and to hedge against YT's incoming unblockable ads. Haven't been using YT much lately though, so might put off until that happens. Might even be able to do without it completely when it does. https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp

Package is available on Arch, so just installed it that way, though it's also installable via pip. Replaced yark with this in setup doc. If I want to keep URLs from junking up my zsh histfile, run in a subshell started with HISTFILE=/dev/null zsh.

Probably always want to run as: yt-dlp --sponsorblock-remove all <url>. Might create alias for this later.

6.18. [5/10] get into 3D printing

6.18.1. DONE consider FreeCAD

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2020-11-20 Fri 08:18]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2020-11-20 Fri 07:48]

Try out this CAD program to see how difficult it is to make 3D models of stuff. This is for 3D printing, but can also use it for CAD work if I go that route later.

Looks like this can import/export STL files, so should be good for my needs. To import, open a new document, then use the File|Import menu item. Supported by Linux. I'll hold off on getting decent with this until I get the printer, just in case something about my plan changes.

Wiki: https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Main_Page

For converting STL into proper models: https://grabcad.com/tutorials/how-to-convert-stl-to-step-using-freecad

6.18.2. CNCL get Prusa MINI

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2021-11-30 Tue 08:27]

Of the available printers, this one seems the most ideal currently. Print area almost as large as the MK3s for half the price, open source software, and high quality output.

Putting this off for a bit to work on other things.

After some more thought, I'm now leaning towards going more budget on this and getting the Ender 3 v2.

6.18.3. DONE get Ender 3 v2

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2021-12-08 Wed 12:54]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-12-03 Fri 20:49]

This gives me the print area of a MK3s for cost less than the MINI. The Prusa products are definitely nicer, but we were thinking that we won't use it enough to justify the marginal increase in quality. One trade-off is that the Enders have generally required more calibration to get just right upon initial setup.

I'll leave this unmodded for start. I've read that adding yellow bed springs, aluminum extruder, and BL Touch makes it pretty good. Supposedly the fans on it may occasionally need replaced too.

2021-12-03: Ordered, along with 2 spools of PLA+.

2021-12-08: Printer arrived.

6.18.4. DONE setup/tweak hardware

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2021-12-09 Thu 10:02]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-12-08 Wed 22:54]

Get this setup and auto-homing correctly. Follow some of the guides online to avoid the many pitfalls possible by just following the manual.

I think I have this good now. Did have some issues with the bed being too low to hit the Y-axis switch, but raising it a bit fixed that. Might want to try the stronger upgraded springs since these seem a bit weak when not compressed. Only remaining issue might be the extruder/bed gap, but can't tell until trying to print something.

6.18.5. DONE upgrade stock springs

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2021-12-15 Wed 20:31]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-12-15 Wed 20:03]

Will do the most common upgrade of swapping out the stock springs for the flat yellow ones. Along with the normal benefits, I'm hoping this will allow for leveling the bed a little higher than seems possible with the stock springs.

6.18.6. STRT calibrate Ender 3 v2

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-12-08 Wed 22:54]

See if I have a 0.004" feeler gauge. If not, use a piece of paper to calibrate each corner. Run a XYZ cube test. Then try a few Benchy prints.

Also might want to try this calibration print: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3014091

Use this to set steps per mm: https://www.maxzprint.com.au/stepps-per-mm-calculator/

6.18.7. TODO try some functional prints

This solder roll holder might be a good test: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4094882

6.18.8. TODO consider Fusion 360

Supposedly way better than FreeCAD. Use this for model generation, then send to PrusaSlicer, I guess.

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal

Another option is Ultimaker Cura: https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura

6.18.9. TODO learn chosen CAD software

Either FreeCAD, Fusion 360, or something else. Decide, and invest many days into getting capable.

6.18.10. TODO get threading tap set

Useful for all kinds of situations where plastic meets metal bolt. Get a handle too.

6.19. [6/27] do 2023 Emacs yak-shave

Probably will have to do a few things, but nothing critical on the radar currently.

6.19.1. DONE disable auto-indenting in org-mode

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-03 Fri 23:50]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-03 Fri 23:41]

At some point, Org was changed to do this. The default is to make the next list item at the next level in for some reason. Wastes a lot of time undoing it. Find a way to undo.

Thought I could fix this with (setq org-list-indent-offset 0), but it already is set to that. org-indent-mode is also not what I want.

Figured it out. There's two functions, org-return and org-return-and-maybe-indent. The latter is the old behavior, so bound that to RET in the org-mode-map.

6.19.2. DONE try out GPTel

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-22 Wed 10:20]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-22 Wed 08:26]

Supposedly the best of the current GPT interfaces for Emacs. Write function to load API key from file. https://github.com/karthink/gptel

Works pretty good and will switch to this while still keeping shell-gpt around. Notes:

  • Decided to stick with markdown mode, which is smarter about line wrapping currently. To switch to Org, add this (setq gptel-default-mode 'org-mode).
  • Added some support functions to read key from file and also not fail when it's not present.
  • Increasing response tokens to 200 (or more) seems to give answers closer in length to the web UI. Run M-x gptel-menu or C-u C-c <RET> to set.
  • Can set model to "gpt-4" when better answers are needed. See full list under "Model endpoint compatibility" here: https://platform.openai.com/docs/models/gpt-3

6.19.3. DONE consider dash.el

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-19 Wed 11:13]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-13 Thu 12:46]

Adds -> and ->> threading macros to elisp.

This is actually a full list manipulation library, with a lot more features. Has a lot of handy functions that would make elisp programming more Clojure-like. Not sure how much I'll use this though, since if I did make my own mode, I probably wouldn't want any transitive dependencies if I could avoid it. Will keep it around for using doing on-the-fly data manipulation in elisp.

For example, the following two expressions are equivalent:

;; Built-in elisp.
(seq-reduce reducer (seq-filter filter-func (mapcar func list))
;; Using dash.el.
(-reduce reducer (-filter filter-func (-map func list)))

Being able to do stuff like this is great:

(->> '(1 2 3 4 5 6)
     (-filter (lambda (n) (= 0 (% n 2))))
     (-map (lambda (n) (* n n)))
     (-reduce '+))

6.19.4. DONE think about additional language support

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-21 Fri 07:40]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-19 Wed 10:46]

There's a few languages used sometimes at work that I don't have setups for. Also, I may occasionally want to edit files in some currently unsupported major modes. Think about what I'd like to retool my setup for, and to what degree. Will split these off into separate tasks after done.

Conclusions:

  • Rust: Survey what's out there. Would be nice to have integrated debugging at least. Still not sure what degree I'll participate in using this language, but there's a lot of FOSS in it that it'd be nice be able to edit.
  • OCaml: Setup tuareg. Probably will defer this while employed, since don't have time for it.
  • Java: Have minimal setup. Already queued.
  • Haskell: Modernize. Already queued.
  • Python: Have a minimal setup. Make sure it works and can load stuff into an integrated REPL.

Only completely new agenda item is Rust support. Adding task.

Considered Ruby to account for a few legacy work scripts, but there's already a basic ruby-mode active by default now. Will stick with that until further need arises.

6.19.5. DONE try out emacs-fireplace

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-13 Tue 01:05]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-13 Tue 01:03]

Curious about this, since it supports sound via ffplay. https://github.com/johanvts/emacs-fireplace

Activating sound with C-= doesn't work even though I have ffplay installed. Smoke could use some work too. Let it run for awhile and froze Emacs. So, uninstalling.

6.19.6. DONE deprecate emms

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-19 Thu 21:15]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-19 Thu 21:34]

Removing, since I never use it. Can re-add later if that changes.

Removed. Backed up init to unused_init.el.

6.19.7. STRT upgrade to Emacs 29.1

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-03 Thu 22:30]

Worth tracking the upgrade to this, due to the following new features:

  • Pure GTK front-end: The most important for me. Emacs seems to get randomly corrupted in Wayland, at least graphically. Hoping this will fix that.
  • Built-in LSP support via elgot: Need to look into the consequences of this more.
  • Built-in treesitter: Shouldn't be any immediate consequence for me, but worth noting for future addons.
  • Built-in use-package: Will deprecate my use-package bootstrapping once all machines are version synced.

Mainly want to test the first point, and look into the second a bit more. Will do so once this version makes it to the Arch package repos.

Notes:

  • docker-tramp has been replaced by the internal tramp-container. Won't do anything about that immediately except disable docker-tramp and add a tramp-container task.
  • Noticed that tab-bar-mode changed to have tabs be a fixed width. I guess I like this better, since the buffer names for certain REPLs are super long.

6.19.8. TODO consider default tweaks

Already have most of these, but there's a few I don't. Think this collection of default settings changes, and whether I want to incorporate them. https://idiomdrottning.org/bad-emacs-defaults

6.19.9. TODO learn more smartparens

Held off on this since I always figured I'd go back to paredit, but I'm pretty happy with the quirks. So, commit more commands to muscle memory.

6.19.10. TODO deprecate ac-cider

CIDER supports company-mode for this functionality now. https://github.com/clojure-emacs/ac-cider

6.19.11. TODO integrate lsp-mode

Seems not possible to ignore this going forward, though I probably still can for Clojure. Catch up on the lsp-mode ecosystem and integrate some basic setup into my init.

6.19.12. TODO add rust-mode

Main competitors are rust-mode and rustic. The former is less full-featured, but doesn't require lsp-mode, which I'm not ready to integrate yet.

6.19.13. TODO revisit Java support

Been like 10 years since I looked into this, so see what's out there. I only occasionally use JDK 1.8, don't need anything too fancy. However, I find myself peeking into a Java file often enough to benefit from some improvements here.

6.19.14. TODO look into tree-sitter

See what's so great about this.

6.19.15. TODO reconsider undo-tree

The built-in reverse undo works, but every now and then I get myself into a bind with it. Also look into undo-fu. Might even re-integrate redo-mode, which is a little overhead but can't go wrong like C-u C-_.

6.19.16. TODO switch to tramp-container

Deprecate docker-tramp and switch to tramp-container, which is included in 29.1. Holding off on this until my other installs catch up. Not using docker-tramp right now, so have it disabled in my default setup.

6.19.17. INAC integrate forge

Closes the gap on repo functionality, at least for forge-compatible ones (GitHub and GitLab). I think Bitbucket either doesn't work or only partially does.

https://github.com/magit/forge

6.19.18. INAC consider Org deadline feature

Might be able to use this for my scheduled tasks, like appointments. There's also the addon org-recur, which can be used for recurring tasks.

https://orgmode.org/manual/Inserting-deadline_002fschedule.html

6.19.19. INAC consider mu4e

I like mutt, but mu seems the most popular email client among Emacs users currently. Seems to handle threads and remotely-defined folders better. Would also be nice to keep another thing completely inside Emacs, instead of an external app shelling out to emacsclient. Also has fast and powerful search features. Will have to look into config for this, and make sure it's split from my main init if it includes any PII.

6.19.20. INAC convert internal package init to use-package

Probably won't for most of these, but a few with extensive config might benefit.

6.19.21. INAC consider pen.el

An interface to semantic language models. Could be useful for work. https://github.com/semiosis/pen.el/

6.19.22. INAC consider org-tree-slide

Consider this instead of org-present. Pretty happy with that though, so this would have to offer something substinative and useful. https://github.com/takaxp/org-tree-slide

6.19.23. INAC deprecate user-installed json-mode

Supposedly 27 added native JSON parsing. Not sure if this means that the API has parsing functions, or there's a mode for it. Try disabling and opening a JSON file to find out.

6.19.24. INAC revisit Python support

Would like to keep open the option of doing some Python-based data analytics. Maybe switch to an LSP config.

6.19.25. INAC have GPG auto-decrypt

Apparently, it's possible to setup the GPG agent to automatically decrypt stuff. I think this is if you generate your own key, then maybe register it somehow. Not sure, but maybe worth looking into. Apparently this is fraught with ancient software, so might not bother. Also wary about integrating with a complex system-specific setup that might be hard to duplicate on some systems. Then on top of that, there's issues with GPG/PGP, to say the least. Leaving here just in case I want to waste a weekend on it.

6.19.26. INAC deprecate docker-tramp

Emacs 29 is adding native TRAMP support for docker, kubernetes, and podman. So, won't need a separate package for that. Once 29 is on all systems, deprecate docker-tramp.

6.19.27. INAC install all packages from source

Emacs 29 will add native support to install packages as git repos instead of versioned tarballs. Previously needed straight.el for that, so passed on it. Check how to do this with use-package, once it's time to upgrade.

6.20. STRT fix workbench Pi

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-04 Wed 10:39]

Looks like this setup got fried during some power fluctuations. Hopefully, it's just the SD card. Get a 2 pack of 32GB microSD cards, which will still be useful even if the one in there is recoverable.

2023-01-04: Ordered 2 pack of Kingston 32GB microSD UHS-I cards.

2023-01-19: Finally received SD cards. Trying first with a 64-bit Manjaro+Sway for ARM setup. If that works, should be able to use some of my workstation config. Thinking it might not, since the panel needs some custom config.

Update: Nope, doesn't work. Would need some kind of tweaking for the monitor to work properly. Probably can do it by mounting it on Linux and doing some work on that front, but don't think this setup is worth the effort. Also confirmed the old SD card is fried.

6.21. STRT consider Pi-hole

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-15 Sun 21:19]

Maybe set this up on a physical device or use a docker image. Current preference is for it to be a discrete device (using my Zero W) that sits on the rack next to the router, so will try that first.

https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole

Since the router has a USB port, I can power the Zero off that and ensure it'll always be on as long as the router is.

Setup:

  • Install Raspberry Pi OS Lite using the official imager, so it can do some setup for me.
  • Create a wpa_supplicant.conf file with:

    ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
    update_config=1
    country=US
    
    network={
      scan_ssid=1
      ssid="«your_SSID»"
      psk="«your_PSK»"
      proto=RSN
      key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
      pairwise=CCMP
      auth_alg=OPEN
    }
    
  • Create a file named ssh. This will enable ssh on boot, but note that it will be deleted after that, so be sure to enable sshd to keep it on.
  • The above might not be necessary though, since the firstrun.sh should turn it on if I selected it to do some in advanced options in the imager. Check that file though, since it set country to GB for me.
  • This setup uses DHCP, so check my router network map. When host pihole shows up, get its IP address and ssh in.
  • Run raspi-config.
    • Enable sshd.

6.22. TODO see if mutt can work with Gmail

phind seems to think that this is still possible in current year. So, give it a try, though don't waste more than a couple hours on it.

6.23. TODO consider Anti-Adblock killer

I think this is a work-around to the sites that detect that you are using Adblock. Subscribing to the filter list might be sufficient. http://reek.github.io/anti-adblock-killer/

6.24. TODO learn the various top commands

Only using top for basic process diagnosis. It can do quite a bit more. Once I have an idea of what it can do, the feature differences between it and htop (apart from a nicer top-level viz) will be more useful to know.

6.25. TODO learn more fzf

Review the following links to see if there's anything more about fzf I'd like to include in my workflow. Be sure to check tmux integration.

https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/ https://andrew-quinn.me/fzf/ https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/wiki/examples https://github.com/bling/fzf.el

6.26. TODO consider browsh

This could be a solution to accessing sites that aren't functional with w3m. Requires an FF install though, and probably can't pass things through Adblock I'd imagine. Possible upsides make this worth a look.

https://www.brow.sh/

6.27. TODO consider git-annex

An solution for distributed repositories of data files too large for normal git. Might want to use this for all file storage. https://git-annex.branchable.com/

6.28. TODO read Quantum Computing for Computer Scientists

Read some or all of this book to get a better understanding of the subject, which currently is only surface-level. This book looks like a good choice for me, being intended to be accessible by the CS-literate.

6.29. TODO convert playlists to EMMS

Haven't really touched these much in the past 10 years due to only having a junk soundbar on Windows. Move my MP3 collection over to Linux and convert the foobar2000 playlists to EMMS ones. Might want to finish my personal data consolidation first to make this easier. Before doing any real work, try just converting them outright by exporting to .m3u and calling emms-insert-m3u-playlist. emms-insert-playlist-directory might also do most of the work for me.

Not entirely sure I want Emacs to be my media player though, so might survey the various CLI players are before perma-switching. One of note is musikcube, but seems opinionated on how to manage content.

6.30. TODO inhibit swayidle when audio active

Package aur/sway-audio-idle-inhibit-git, which will disable idling when audio is active. Currently broken in AUR, so check back later. https://github.com/ErikReider/SwayAudioIdleInhibit

Uncomment config for this when it's working. If this never works, there's some other options, like a daemon called idlehack.

6.31. TODO consider zoxide

A cd replacement for shells like zsh that tracks frequency of use. Might be more useful for work, due to the deeply nested directory hierarchies. https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/zoxide

6.32. TODO consider running shreddit

Since deleting one's Reddit account doesn't delete your posts, might want to run this. Was reluctant to do so, since I did post some things that might be helpful to others. Will have to think about it. https://github.com/andrewbanchich/shreddit

Could also manually go through and delete everything but those posts, then delete my account.

6.33. TODO consider wireless mouse for workstation

Don't need a mouse too often on this machine, due to tiling WM and mainly using Emacs. Might be one of those cases where it's worth the trade-off.

6.34. TODO remake PII VM

This PureOS install can no longer be updated. Got it sort of working, but instead of messing with it, I'll just redo it. Would like to stop using Gnome 3 on it anyway. Probably will just redo it with Debian, since that's easier to fix.

6.35. TODO figure out how to test batteries

See if I can use a multimeter to test the remaining charge.

6.36. TODO build DIY computer speaker kit

Might as well build these since I have the kit and all tools. Will be good soldering practice and I might be able to use them on my bedroom desk.

6.37. INAC retry using ZSA Moonlander

Still want to give this a go, once I switch over to my Linux workstation as main machine. I'm also interested in the Piantor, a 42 key with low-profile keys: https://shop.beekeeb.com/product/pre-soldered-piantor-split-keyboard/

6.38. INAC [/] tune web site

Do these things once the main site is redone and I have some finalized content for it. SEO is one scummy industry, and if you ignore the spam part of it, you can do it yourself quite easily.

6.38.1. INAC research sitemaps

Sitemaps is a protocol used to inform search engines about the resources available on a site. Look into whether or not it's worth making one of these.

http://www.xml-sitemaps.com

6.38.2. INAC remake robots.txt

Already have one of these, but should add stuff to exclude, like various script files.

6.38.3. INAC consider registering on Dmoz

Add site here, maybe. Google uses Dmoz to factor in its rank. Go to dmoz.org, and click "Suggest URL". Will need to submit it under some kind of software company category though.

6.39. INAC [/] more seriously consider NixOS

If this lives up to the hype, I can see this being a contender for my primary OS. I've set Nix up on a netbook before, but didn't spend enough time with it to give it a fair chance.

Maybe wait until the Pi 4B is supported: https://nixos.wiki/wiki/NixOS_on_ARM/Raspberry_Pi

6.39.1. INAC survey current NixOS viability

Last I spent time on this many years ago, it was looking like it would be pretty popular but was rather clunky. Get a feel for what NixOS is up to in $CURRENT_YEAR and whether it plateaued or declined. If it looks dying, I'll probably spend the time on something else.

6.39.2. INAC read A Gentle Introduction to the Nix Family (essay)

Read this page to get a good feel for what the experience is like.

https://ebzzry.io/en/nix/

6.39.3. INAC read NixOS Manual

Read at least most of this before/while giving NixOS another try.

https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/

6.39.4. INAC setup a NixOS VM

Get an install up and running with the minimal ISO. Try to duplicate my main dev stacks and UI preferences.

6.40. INAC consider EOMA68 (in development)

A card-sized computing unit that can go into various shells, like a laptop or desktop. Those platforms can be mostly 3D printed. Currently being crowdfunded. Check back on this in 2022 or 2023 to see if this works out.

7. novels

7.1. DONE read The Epiphany of Gliese 581

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-10 Tue 12:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-08 Sun 14:20]

An online novella about exploring the ruins of a dead superintelligence. Read this author's previous 2 short stories in the same universe, which were pretty good. https://borretti.me/fiction/eog581

Decent, almost great. Some of the concepts drawn into this are a bit showy and ill-fitting, but there's enough well-selected ones to still make it worthwhile. Main complaint is how they don't quite come together all that well and seem tacked on. Could have the same story by just leaving out the Wikipedia link walk. There isn't much fiction out there that does a decent job portraying super-intelligence. Arguably this doesn't do that either, instead just pondering the impassable gap between them and us.

Regarding this universe, I'd probably portray the immortal, disembodied post-humans as significantly less like present day humans. Could be an interesting thread to explore the space of concepts vestigial, evolved, and retained. Would be a more difficult task to write that though. That there's not much new physics here can have interesting implications for far-future settings too.

7.2. DONE read The Truth

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-12 Thu 10:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-10 Tue 23:57]

A recently translated Lem short story. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-truth-by-stanislaw-lem/

An okay read, I guess. Explores the notion of life processes being possible at high energies (e.g. plasma-based). Timely, since I recently glanced at a paper about this. I'm a bit skeptical about the mathematics behind this concept though, and suspect there's a high likelihood that there are currently unknown entropic barriers. Informally speaking, high energy matter is close to max entropy. Even if there is an entropic gradient between, say, layers of a star, that at best makes some kind of autonomous process (very) hypothetically possible. But I suspect it would need some kind of (probably impossible) external bootstrapping. Plus, these gradients already exist at lower energies everywhere else there is matter in the solar system. That said, I do think that artificial life could be created at higher energies than room temperature chemical reactions at least, and arguably computers (sort of) operate in this context.

7.3. [3/3] read Legends of Dune series

The second of the expanded series, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson between 2002-2004. Another prequel series, but set 10000 years before the events of Dune. Will read this first since it seems the most interesting, being about AI. Will then decide whether to read the other continuation series. I suspect I'll skip those either way though.

These are huge books that seems to have been crafted in outline form, then a chapter is written about each plot advancement point. That assembly line process affects the finished product, to its detriment. I do find it a bit strange these new series are still widely read, but maybe they're just popular enough to keep 2 authors employed.

7.3.1. DONE read The Butlerian Jihad

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-21 Wed 13:44]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-14 Wed 22:43]

On the higher end of my modest expectations for the continuation novels in this series. While lacking the vision and literary skill of Frank Herbert, this is still an okay read, on par with a pulpy scifi novel. An honest attempt is made at preserving the lore and fitting things into the existing universe. Main downside here is the unimaginative AI portrayal, who might as well be alien tentacle monsters. Maybe if these authors slowed down and gave themselves time to think of things worth saying, the setting here perhaps could've been used for more than just a lot of messy action. Will finish this series, but skip the remainder of them.

7.3.2. DONE read The Machine Crusade

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-08 Sun 14:18]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-21 Wed 13:48]

Same as the previous, though slightly lower quality. Wraps up in a way that makes much of the reams of character development wasted time on the reader's part. This is probably done with the intention of introducing a mostly new set of characters in the next entry, since that one is set some 60 years later. Will finish this, but liberally skim anything in this area from now on.

7.3.3. DONE read The Battle of Corrin

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-25 Wed 13:14]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-16 Mon 20:27]

Not that great and wraps things up rather poorly for the time investment of reading these huge novels. Glad to be finished finally.

7.4. [3/3] read Unification War trilogy

The 3rd (and probably final) trilogy in the Black Fleet series.

7.4.1. DONE read Battleground

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-27 Fri 16:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-25 Wed 13:59]

Pretty good. Wasn't sure how I'd feel about a human faction being the antagonist in this trilogy, but I think it's probably just what the series needed. Since it's at its best with space strategy (or at the operational level, I guess), having a fathomable human opponent makes for more interesting reading.

7.4.2. DONE read No Quarter

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-08 Wed 20:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-27 Fri 16:48]

Just okay. Nothing particularly note-worthy here.

7.4.3. DONE read Empire

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-11 Sat 21:00]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-08 Wed 20:10]

Wraps things up. Confirmed to be the final entry, which is probably the right decision as the universe is a bit played out. That's mainly due to introducing ever more fantastical tech, the main ones being letting ships jump around a system at will during combat and introducing FTL comms. Might as well not be space combat in this case. The first trilogy was certainly the best of these, with declining quality thereafter.

7.5. DONE read Jay's Journal

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-15 Wed 13:29]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-11 Sat 21:02]

A 1978 fabricated journal (originally sold as authentic) of a teenage boy who falls in with a Satanic group. The author also wrote the much more popular and very similar Go Ask Alice. That focused on drugs and being a teen runaway, so going for this one instead.

Apart from being a sloppy and obvious fraud, this is just also just terrible writing, full of cringe. Very painful to read, even skimming past the boring parts.

7.6. DONE read Rabbit Test

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-15 Wed 14:18]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-15 Wed 13:33]

A scifi short story recommended on HN. https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/rabbit-test/

Not a story, but rather a pro-abortion political screed. Read it anyway, since it was short, but now I wish I hadn't.

7.7. DONE read Upgrade

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-20 Mon 11:34]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-15 Wed 20:34]

Another Blake Crouch novel, this one about genetic modification.

Mainly about superintelligence, one of my favorite topics, here explored as a biological path towards it. Has a good perspective on it in much of the book, though nothing too unique as it's just an amplification of what it's already like to interact with humans a few standard deviations below oneself. Instead of all of the physical enhancement stuff, especially resolving the plot that way, perhaps the underlying theme could've been that raw processing power wasn't enough and that there may even be pitfalls to simply increasing it (e.g., making it easier to rationalize conclusions drawn from shaky axioms). This topic suffers from being in a thriller, but I guess that's what this author wants to write.

Features the notion of sensory gating, which is the ability of the brain to filter input and focus on one higher-level thread of it.

7.8. [5/5] read Ender's Game series

Read some of the first entry long ago, but will attempt to finish it this time. Had it lower on the list, since I already know the general plot.

7.8.1. DONE read Ender's Game

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-11-21 Mon 12:33]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-20 Sun 19:52]

An excellent book, of course, and deserving of being considered a great work.

7.8.2. DONE read Speaker for the Dead

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-11-24 Thu 23:19]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-22 Tue 13:23]

Not in the same class as its predecessor, but still a good book worth reading. Among the themes are some thoughts on the structure of human society and what works and doesn't when the group is small and/or isolated.

7.8.3. DONE read Xenocide

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-09 Fri 16:04]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-24 Thu 23:20]

Quite good in certain parts, but overall just okay. Very long, much longer than it needed to be.

Not sure I'm keen on the native Lusitania life being so central to the ongoing story here. Being more enigmatic in the earlier novel, they retained some interest there. Now we know everything about them, and they're a bit boring. The society of the human civilizations featured here is also rather dull to read about. Perhaps the good parts here could've been a few short stories. The introduction of the "Outside" is an unwelcome addition too, with people's thoughts magically manifesting reality. The characters created from this are central going forward, so debating skipping the rest. Will shelve the series for a bit while considering that.

7.8.4. CNCL read Children of the Mind

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-26 Sun 22:34]

Decided to skip. Been falling victim to a lot of completionism lately, reading stuff of little value just to complete series, and trying to rectify that. Read the plot summary for this, and looks like it was the right call.

7.8.5. CNCL read Ender in Exile

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-26 Sun 22:34]

7.9. DONE read Story of Your Life

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-02 Thu 23:32]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-02 Thu 21:34]

A short scifi story by Ted Chiang, which I had a copy of, but apparently never read. His most famous work, pondering alien linguistics.

Excellent. The most compelling observation: Viewed from a sequential perspective, a notion like free will can be said to exist. Viewing the universe (or some segment of it) simultaneously, the notion lacks any meaning.

7.10. DONE read All Quiet on the Western Front

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-13 Mon 03:19]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-01 Wed 21:57]

The popular WWI novel, considered possibly the foremost of anti-war literature. Not sure I'll like this though, as it might have the too-personalized problem I often find war authors gravitate towards. I tend to view the main reason that war is traumatic to the individual being its depersonalized (and in modern times, mechanistic) nature. A person being confronted so undeniably with their place in the machinery of macro-organisms in conflict induces all sorts of problems, including cognitive dissonance. Will give it a chance though.

Mixed on this one. Randomly meanders, though I suppose that part is actually realistic. Main downsides are probably the pointless bits, weird transitions, and parts poorly narrated. I can see why this is popular though, and it deserves its place in the literary canon for historical reasons. If written today about a modern conflict, it wouldn't be noticed though.

7.11. [3/3] read Troy Rising trilogy

A military scifi series. By Ringo, but supposedly above his normal quality.

7.11.1. DONE read Live Free or Die

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-18 Sat 20:50]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-13 Mon 13:17]

Very cartoonish. Spends a lot of the text focused on minutiae regarding logistics, mining, ship/structure design (which seems pretty detached from reality), and building a business. Still has a few good points, so will give the next entry a try.

7.11.2. CNCL read Citadel

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-03-20 Mon 09:43]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-18 Sat 20:50]

Read about 10% and it was all about logistics shuttle piloting and welding. I could be interested in these topics, but it'd need something extra beyond low-effort speculation on future versions of them. The most interesting thing about all of this is why Ringo would want to write reams of text about such things. Maybe he's targeting blue collar scifi fans.

7.11.3. CNCL read The Hot Gate

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-03-20 Mon 09:43]

7.12. [5/5] read Terran Fleet Command saga

A military scifi series predicated on the notion of enigmatic alien signals sending advanced tech to humans. Skipping the final entry, DFV Ethereal, though I'll consider purchasing a copy if the rest of this is really good.

Pretty good series and a unique take on some well-worn tropes. Would be interested in anything else in the genre this author might write in the future.

One interesting notion from the series is that if combat is to happen in close quarters (as the tech here ensures for space, though this probably would more likely apply to ground/air tactics), then the side which effectively employs the lightning-fast reflexes and minimax/heuristic search of AI would have a significant advantage if platforms are computer-controlled. This is only partially used to effect here, but could easily be the entire focus of a series, e.g., with a side pre-programming a plan and contingencies (or just delegating it to well-trained AI). It also makes possible incredibly complex coordination between units, and extend to operational/strategic realms. Definitely plausible in the near future, and a natural merger of current AI-assistance and network-centric warfare. Would take a skilled author to make reading about it entertaining though. Absent that ability, I'd rather read the slow, strategic, and more common "WWI/WWII naval warfare in space", regardless of realism.

7.12.1. DONE read TFS Ingenuity

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-22 Wed 08:30]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-20 Mon 20:32]

Pretty good. Does a good job of exploring a unique contact scenario, remaining authentic on the naval side of things, and leaving out the soap opera stuff. Some minor quibbles would include it quickly dropping in a lot of scifi tech, sometimes over focusing on trivial matters, and how it could've played the unknown motivations of ETI civilizations to better effect.

7.12.2. DONE read TFS Theseus

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-23 Thu 23:33]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-22 Wed 08:35]

Lots of refitting and procedural details covered. Okay overall, but a bit dry.

7.12.3. DONE read TFS Navajo

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-25 Sat 18:13]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-23 Thu 23:33]

Best entry so far. Lots of well-handled fleet operations. Was a bit wary about how the lack of relativistic limitations would affect that, but this is played out to good effect here. Still has a big dose of filler in the middle though.

7.12.4. DONE read TFS Fugitive

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-01 Sat 20:40]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-25 Sat 18:13]

Pretty good, with less filler and some interesting developments.

7.12.5. DONE read TFS Guardian

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-06 Thu 23:11]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-01 Sat 20:41]

Probably the weakest of the entries so far. As common in other similar series, the tech advancement treadmill kind of gets out of hand from the balanced status quo at the beginning. Author says he'll write more standalone novels within the same universe, but I'll skip the currently existing one since it focuses on the comic relief ETIs.

7.13. CNCL read The Giver of Stars

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-06-26 Mon 11:36]

Bought a hardcopy of this for the local women's book club. Since it's sitting here, might as well (very quickly) read it, as I've never read a book like this before. Looks terrible though.

Read 1.5 chapters, which was enough to get the idea. Don't need to read the rest to find out how everyone's feelings and relationships play out. Confirmed that this is a good pick for the book club though, particularly certain members who consume a lot of certain TV channels.

7.14. [9/9] read Star Carrier series

Large military scifi series by Ian Douglas, featuring the standard Humans versus aliens in naval space battles. Supposedly hard scifi too, so will give it a chance.

This series has two main themes, I'd say:

  • Technological progress, and what that means for a species. In particular is the concept of the Singularity, and some notions of it that run counter to current transhumanist thinking (along with much that doesn't).
  • The limits of communication across biological and development level boundaries. This is probably the most insightful and makes the series worth reading. It's also in line with many of my own thoughts about the subject, which are too extensive to go into here. However, it shares my pessimistic views about the subject. Effective communication is practically impossible between the species present in the series, and is even difficult between members of the same species that have different backgrounds and underlying worldviews.

7.14.1. DONE read Earth Strike

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-15 Sat 20:02]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-06 Thu 23:57]

Promising, but not particularly great on its own. Makes attempts to stay hard scifi to some degree and exercise some creativity in making ETIs suitably alien. The mechanics of how space combat works is somewhat questionable, but it's an original take at least.

One interesting idea from this world is the "White Covenant", which is described as a near-universal law and social norm to allow all religious belief and practice, with the exception of proselytizing. This makes religion a more private affair, only passable by birth or self-initiated action, minus a few socially-ostracized holdout sects. The author obviously thinks this is a good idea, and I'd probably agree. I can see a few potential negative side-effects though, like it encouraging growth through mass procreation and abrogating freedom of speech.

7.14.2. DONE read Center of Gravity

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-29 Sat 22:05]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-15 Sat 20:02]

Content is more of the same, but probably slightly better structured and written than the previous entry. Have been skimming the uninteresting and rather shallow character dev to good effect.

The titular concept here is the center of gravity, a notion introduced by Clausewitz in On War. Clausewitz' version is focused on physical space, where the mass of forces is more predominant. That's the context used here. In modern thinking, particularly in the US, this is often redefined as a "source of strength", with strength being more than just physical, and can be moral or freedom of action. That's probably due to the lack of recent experience in positional warfare, though the current CoG is more of an expanded definition and can probably still be of use for such purposes.

7.14.3. DONE read Singularity

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-25 Thu 14:54]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-02 Tue 10:27]

Roughly same as the first 2. Kind of wraps up the main plot from those as well. Will try next book to see where the series goes.

Includes the concept of the Tipler cylinder, a hypothetical (and supposedly physically impossible) object that can exploit the principles of GR in order to allow time travel at the ends of a rotating cylinder traveling at FTL, due to frame-dragging. Cited here as being impossible due to requiring a cylinder of infinite length, though the existence of also-hypothetical exotic matter (with negative energy) would be a potential work-around.

7.14.4. DONE read Deep Space

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-11 Sun 13:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-25 Thu 15:22]

Slightly more interesting than the others in some ways, due to focusing on the vast gulf of communication between very different species.

7.14.5. DONE read Dark Matter

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-20 Tue 22:09]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-14 Wed 21:27]

Despite some space naval battles, weakest entry of the series. New enemy faction that actually eat humans is played for full effect. The scifi side is supposed to be about many worlds, I guess, but it's not like we needed another book about that.

7.14.6. DONE read Deep Time

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-26 Mon 11:22]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-20 Tue 22:09]

Nothing remarkable, just okay. No noteworthy ideas.

7.14.7. DONE read Dark Mind

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-05 Wed 14:57]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-26 Mon 11:23]

Has a few focused ideas, like Matrioshka brains, ring worlds, and Tabby's star. These are just covered to about the depth one might find if doing some casual internet research though. Probably the only thing not done much elsewhere are space organisms being diffuse clouds of nanites, and how that might work (i.e., being bound by EM fields, spreading to act as solar sails, and then contracting once reaching max velocity).

Update: Recalled now that this also included an exploration of gut-brain axis theory. This theory suggests that the gut microbiota, also known as gut flora, can influence human behavior and mental health. Seems that this is proven rather conclusively, though the extent is still debated.

7.14.8. DONE read Bright Light

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-11 Tue 16:31]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-05 Wed 15:00]

Wraps up most (all?) of the main series threads, I guess. Not sure this is very satisfying though, and seems like just a bunch of stuff that happened. Since there's another entry, maybe there's some things still left to cover though.

7.14.9. DONE read Stargods

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-23 Sun 09:11]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-11 Tue 16:32]

Singularity ends up being achieved via networking existing wetware to a greater degree than previously attempted and merging that with existing AIs and computing infrastructure. Not an implausible conception of the event, but was hoping for something a bit more insightful after 9 novels.

7.15. DONE read Mockingbird

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-30 Sun 03:44]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-23 Sun 15:32]

A 1980 scifi novel about AI by Tevis. Supposedly somewhat timely currently.

Mediocre as a story, but relevant as social commentary regarding AI. Mainly lacking as a novel due to the long tracts of very boring content. Conceptually, a unique take on where things could be heading: a depopulating world of drugged and overstimulated humans, focused inward, and who have abrogated their agency to technology.

7.16. DONE read The Nexus Fallacy

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-25 Fri 14:17]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-25 Fri 14:01]

A collab between a human author and ChatGPT4. Will give it a look when done. They're writing a chapter every 2 weeks or so, so check back sometime in mid/late 2023. https://fernandoamaral.org/the-nexus-fallacy/

Seems to have stalled out after 3 chapters. Maybe the author doesn't know how to interact with ChatGPT in ways that exceed its context window.

Read a little, and it's what one might expect from leaning pretty heavily on ChatGPT for where the story goes next. Needs a skilled human holding the reigns and cleaning things up to actually make this work.

7.17. [2/2] read Anghazi series

A hard scifi thriller series starting with an interstellar survey ship and maybe venturing into other topics. Seems the series is concluded at just 2 entries, since they're from 2016 and 2018.

Read first, regretted it, skipping second.

7.17.1. DONE read Casimir Bridge

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-16 Sat 08:14]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-27 Sun 21:54]

Has the pieces of semi-hard scifi, but that's just the backdrop for a budget thriller of random stuff that happens to boring stereotypes. Won't bother with the second book.

7.17.2. CNCL read Pathogen Protocol

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-09-16 Sat 08:14]

Skipping.

7.18. DONE read The Ghost Lemurs of Madagascar

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-28 Thu 21:03]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-24 Sun 16:22]

A short story by William Burroughs in 1986. I'd avoided Burroughs in the past due to a lack of any interest in beat generation content. CCRU (probably in accordance with the tenets of hyperstition) weave this into the complex plot detailed in the essay Lemurian Time War, so reading it here as background. Available in scanned PDF here.

Reading this does shed some light on the CCRU chapter. In fact, one could think of that as an attempt to further develop this story, while adding notions they're fond of, like Heideggerian temporality.

This story itself is just okay though. Burroughs likes to experiment with time and time-spanning conspiracies, but may not be capable enough to make it really compelling. This is my first read from his bibliography (though I've seen the 1991 film, Naked Lunch), but not seeing any reason to read anything else. What I know of him, particularly the wife-killing incident, makes me default to writing him off for now as a moron beatnik. Though reasonably creative and good at writing, he doesn't seem to know anything of value that I don't. That may apply to CCRU too, but at least they can sometimes be clever and entertaining, and I enjoy untangling their particular form of cryptic writing as a mental exercise.

Side note: This story is also an extension itself of the 18th century book, A General History of the Pyrates, volume 2. Burroughs also wrote 2 other full length books about the protagonist, Captain Mission, and the utopian pirate colony of Libertatia. Anyone in the market for time travel, pirates, and surrealism in one package will be well served.

7.19. DONE read Songs of a Dead Dreamer

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-24 Tue 14:23]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-10 Tue 03:19]

A collection of Thomas Ligotti short stories, selected as my first read from his bibliography. This is also his first published work. Sometimes called "philosophical horror", this book is often categorized in the same genre as the likes of Cyclonopedia, which is why I'm interested in giving it a look.

These all share the theme of dreams and share something of a dream-like state. Not every one of these works, but many do to varying degrees. Ligotti is quite skilled at the craft of writing, vocabulary, and original setups. Those qualities must be appreciated on their own as almost none of these really have great endings, plots, or anything you can learn from. Generally, I'd prefer all of those missing pieces, but the good points are enough to make it worth the effort. The Chymist was probably my favorite of these. That said, this is basically in the horror genre, and usually supernatural (or effectively so, being dream-like). That's not something I'm particularly fond of, so might not read his other works. Should I change my mind later, the later book Grimscribe: His Lives and Works is a collection of short stories that's supposedly better than this one.

7.20. DONE read The Purloined Letter

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-29 Sun 18:59]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-29 Sun 12:20]

Third in Poe's line of short stories featuring Det. Dupin. Also will read Lacan's critique of it, in §2 of Écrits, and use that as a sample to decide whether I want to read the rest of the book some day.

https://americanliterature.com/author/edgar-allan-poe/short-story/the-purloined-letter

A fun read, and a well-executed example of hiding in plain sight, along with some commentary on the mental blocks one might have related to such. A useful observation is the metaphor of force on a large mass being like that of a higher intellect, which takes greater time/energy to change directions.

On Lacan's tedious analysis, I'm not sure much is added. However, though Lacan didn't address this, it did make me think why Poe bothered to make the letter's retrieval a scene where the minister's presence was required. It had already been established that he was intentionally allowing his residence to be searched while away, after all. Without that plot device, the story would be much less suspenseful and lack the symmetry that Lacan points out.

Regarding whether I want to actually read all of Écrits, I'm no longer inclined to now. Many have pointed out that Lacan (and his ilk) are intellectual frauds. He earns himself a full chapter dedicated to his work in Fashionable Nonsense, after all. I agree with (my recollection of) the claims therein, but would still consider reading it for entertainment value. However, this reads like some awkward combination of obscurantism, blog, and book report. I'm also thoroughly uninterested in Freud, and psychoanalysis in general. Glancing around the rest of the book, there's really nothing within it I would actually learn anything from. So I'll skip it, since I have more than enough continental gibberish to keep myself busy with. I feel sorry for any humanities majors that get assigned such reading.

7.21. [9/9] read The Culture series

Had skipped this in the past for various reasons, but I'm more in the market for it now due to various philosophical themes that the series explores. Already tried reading Excession as a stand-alone and previously bailed. Hopefully the novels leading up to it will make it more interesting. There's a short story collection in this series called The State of the Art that I'm skipping for now.

Once again bailing on this. The series kept being recommended by various philosophy types alongside other books I liked, so wanted to give it a chance. As far as those themes they say are present, I couldn't really detect any in the amount read. Maybe those happen later, but none of the summaries I read post-quitting seemed to be much beyond simple space opera plots (with maybe the only exception being the OCP inclusion in Excession).

7.21.1. CNCL read Consider Phlebas

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:32]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-26 Thu 23:24]

Read about 25%, but can't continue. Has all of the space fantasy tropes I dislike. Otherwise okay, I guess, but not in the market for hundreds of pages of this stuff, particularly all the action scenes. Browsing some of the following books, seems they're all like this, so will cancel the series.

7.21.2. CNCL read The Player of Games

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.21.3. CNCL read Use of Weapons

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.21.4. CNCL read Excession

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.21.5. CNCL read Inversions

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.21.6. CNCL read Look to Windward

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.21.7. CNCL read Matter

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.21.8. CNCL read Surface Detail

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.21.9. CNCL read The Hydrogen Sonata

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-05 Sun 08:38]

7.22. STRT read CCRU: Writings 1997-2003

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-12 Tue 20:25]

Every now and then, I get the urge to actually read Fanged Noumena, but then I come to my senses. Bought hard copy of this instead. Will keep it on the coffee table and occasionally read an essay or two.

Notes:

  • Mark Fisher observed: "If time travel ever happens, it always does."
  • The cover depicts the Numogram, described here.

7.23. [9/17] read Berserker series

Had intended to read this long ago, but then forgot about it. A long scifi series about mutinous self-replicating machines. Might be the first treatment of hostile von Neumann probes in fiction. Being so massive, try out the first 1-3 entries before committing. There's a few aspects about it that make me wary. Not including The Bad Machines (the 12th entry), since it's a crossover novelette with The Humanoids series.

The titular berserkers in the series are somewhat de-personalized, but have a bit of ST:TOS space monster feel to them, the extent of which varies by entry. Was hoping for them being more an inexorable cosmic force, like the antagonists in AI War: Fleet Command, but more disturbingly hyper-intelligent. That would be significantly harder task to write to though. The existing conception of them still sort of works, and sometimes reasonably well, but also makes for the occasional pulpy moment and overall feel.

7.23.1. DONE read Berserker

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-08-15 Mon 22:53]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-13 Sat 12:05]

This is a short story collection, which I guess is how the series got started. Some of these are surprisingly good, and overall this is worth a read.

7.23.2. DONE read Brother Assassin

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-08-18 Thu 16:11]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-17 Wed 14:49]

Something of a multi-part, medium length story. Some parts are pretty good, others just okay. Rather forgettable.

7.23.3. CNCL read Berserker's Planet

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2022-08-20 Sat 02:17]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-19 Fri 01:00]

Read a bit, but looks like this one is about gladiatorial combat, so bailing.

7.23.4. DONE read Berserker Man

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-10-22 Sat 15:22]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-16 Sun 23:53]

Might skip this one, since it's about a hybrid machine/human child saving the day. Some say it's a good entry though.

Okay at times, but far too sci-fantasy. Ending was best summed up by one reviewer as an attempt to "describe the indescribable", and doesn't quite work. Would've preferred it stay more in the realm of the plausible.

7.23.5. DONE read The Ultimate Enemy

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-16 Mon 12:45]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-12 Thu 20:49]

Another short story compendium. Some of these are okay, others not so much. Overall, nothing special. I suspect these might have been published in scifi serials, since they tend to go over the setting in each one.

7.23.6. DONE read Berserker Wars

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-22 Wed 00:50]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-20 Mon 11:36]

A collection of short stories, like the first entry. Check these before reading, since there's some overlap. Skip the one named something like "Radiant", since that was expanded into Berserker Throne.

The majority of this is content that already appeared in previous entries.

7.23.7. DONE read Berserker Throne

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-01 Wed 21:57]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-22 Wed 00:50]

One of those books where small things briefly mentioned end up mattering in the end, though it didn't give any sign it was one of those as first. Despite that, most of this is pretty dull and uneventful. Considering it mostly a waste of time as a result.

7.23.8. DONE read Berserker Blue Death

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-25 Fri 12:50]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-31 Mon 00:51]

Similar to the previous. A minor mystery that can be detected if paying attention, but that's not of much substance. Main plot is something of scifi take on Moby Dick.

7.23.9. DONE read Berserker Base

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-30 Sat 22:40]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-16 Sat 15:26]

A compendium of short stories, but one tied together by another one, running the length of the book. A good idea, but the stories themselves are rather forgettable.

Now past the halfway mark for this series. Will take a break and stick with the plan of reading them all, but try to be more selective from now on, e.g., anything with mind-reading will get a pass.

7.23.10. TODO read Berserker Attack

7.23.11. TODO read Berserker Lies

7.23.12. TODO read Berserker Kill

7.23.13. TODO read Berserker Fury

7.23.14. TODO read Shiva in Steel

7.23.15. TODO read Berserker's Star

7.23.16. TODO read Berserker Prime

7.23.17. TODO read Rogue Berserker

7.24. TODO read Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials

An experimental novel of what I guess I'll call Abstract-Lovecraftian. Grabbed hardcopy, as lately I've appreciated consuming dense obscurantist content in such form. Might be worth reading the essay A Brief History of Geotrauma by Robin Mackay prior to starting. The author, Negarestani, is a former CCRU member, I think.

7.25. [/] read Salvation Sequence

A 3 entry scifi series by Hamilton, exploring humans' relationship with technology. Supposedly good.

7.25.1. TODO read Salvation

7.25.2. TODO read Salvation Lost

7.25.3. TODO read The Saints of Salvation

7.26. TODO read Siddhartha

Read a little of this back in undergrad, but got distracted. Would like to give one of Hesse's books a try, and this seems the most interesting. Some say Steppenwolf is better, but I'm more interested in this due to its intersection with Buddhism.

7.27. TODO read Memoirs Found in a Bathtub

Another Lem novel, and one I somehow missed. Of his scifi books, this one is notable for the critical theory types occasionally citing it.

7.28. TODO read Nimitz Class

A modern naval military fiction novel involving the US carrier fleet.

7.29. TODO read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Another Heinlein novel I never got around to reading. About the rebellion of a colony on the Moon.

7.30. TODO read The Count of Monte Christo

Large, but supposedly very much worth the effort. Find a copy of the unabridged translation by Robin Buss.

7.31. TODO read The Haunted Mesa

A 1987 scifi novel, heavily leaning on themes common in the American Southwest. Not my normal fare, but will give it a try. Seems to be quite liked by some.

7.32. TODO read Interface

A Stephenson collab about (then) near-future semi-dystopian tech integration.

7.33. [/] read Worlds of Chthon series

A scifi series begun by Piers Anthony (composing the Aton series), with the final two novels written by Charles Platt. Anthony is mainly a science fantasy author, so bail if these are in that genre. Need to find copies of the last two.

7.33.1. TODO read Chthon

7.33.2. TODO read Phthor

7.33.3. TODO read Plasm

7.33.4. TODO read Soma

7.34. [/] read Mission of Gravity series

An older hard scifi novel about a highly oblate planet with a few other books continuing the series. Note that the second may only be tangentially related. The first is considered one of the greatest scifi novels of all time, at least by a small and select few.

7.34.1. TODO read Mission of Gravity

7.34.2. TODO read Close to Critical

7.34.3. TODO read Star Light

7.34.4. TODO read Lecture Demonstration

7.35. TODO read Dichronauts

Another Greg Egan novel about a world where there are 2 spatial dimensions and 2 time dimensions. Explanation of the physics of this world are here. This is from 2020, well after Egan's quality decline. So, keep an eye out for warning signs of that here. I do still want to give this a chance in case he's capable of setting aside whatever is wrong with him to work on a novel like this. One would think his "issues" shouldn't be relevant on this subject matter, though it could still easily be reams of boring nothing.

7.36. TODO read Cryptonomicon

Read some of this previously, but give it another try and attempt to finish it. Considered by some to be the best of Stephenson's novels. Of the entries I've read so far, I consider that to be Anathem.

7.37. TODO read SSN

A 1996 standalone Clancy novel about a US/China conflict over the Spratly Islands, making it still sorta relevant today. Refresh my geographic knowledge by reading the Spratly Islands Wikipedia article first.

7.38. TODO read 2034: A Novel of the Next World War

Coauthored partly by the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. A speculative military fiction novel about a world war, from a pessimistic perspective.

7.39. TODO read The Children of the Sky

The last in the series including A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky. The setting for this one doesn't sound that great though, but the other novels were at least readable, so I'll give it a chance.

7.40. [/] read Seafort Saga

A 1994-2001 naval scifi series by David Feintuch. Looks like another C.S. Forester scifi port.

7.40.1. TODO read Midshipman's Hope

7.40.2. TODO read Challenger's Hope

7.40.3. TODO read Prisoner's Hope

7.40.4. TODO read Fisherman's Hope

7.40.5. TODO read Voices of Hope

7.40.6. TODO read Patriarch's Hope

7.40.7. TODO read Children of Hope

7.41. [/] read Desolation Road series

A series about terraforming Mars and the only content produced by Ian McDonald that looks worth reading.

7.41.1. TODO read Desolation Road

7.41.2. TODO read Ares Express

7.42. TODO read Great North Road

A large standalone Hamilton scifi novel, combining several genres like mystery and detective. Doesn't seem to have any obvious selling points, but is generally claimed to be worth the effort, so will give it a try.

7.43. [/] read The Night's Dawn trilogy

A very large scifi trilogy by Hamilton. Looks like a lot of work went into the world-building, but nothing compelling about it noticed so far. Will give it a chance.

7.43.1. TODO read The Reality Dysfunction

7.43.2. TODO read The Neutronium Alchemist

7.43.3. TODO read The Naked God

7.44. [/] read Aloysius Pendergast series

A series of semi-scifi thrillers. Occasionally claimed to be good, but I'm skeptical. Maybe give the first entry, Relic, a try to find out. Full series listing is here. Just queuing up the first 3 for now.

7.44.1. TODO read Relic

7.44.2. TODO read Reliquary

7.44.3. TODO read The Cabinet of Curiosities

7.45. TODO read Artemis

Was going to give this a pass due to the plot summary being about a conspiracy to control a city on the Moon. I'll give it a chance since Weir's most recent novel is so well done.

7.46. TODO read Termination Shock

A 2021 Stephenson novel about solar geoengineering.

7.47. [/] read Childe Cycle series

A military scifi series from the 1960s, supposedly focused more on grand strategy than the on the ground experience.

7.47.1. TODO read Dorsai!

7.47.2. TODO read Necromancer

7.47.3. TODO read Soldier, Ask Not

7.47.4. TODO read Tactics of Mistake

7.47.5. TODO read Spirit of Dorsai

7.48. [/] read Bobiverse series

A scifi series that supposedly has some original ideas and achieved a mild cult following as a result. The 4th entry might've been an audio-book only release, but I found a possibly transcribed version. Some claim it sucks though, so may skip.

7.48.1. TODO read We Are Legion

7.48.2. TODO read For We Are Many

7.48.3. TODO read All These Worlds

7.48.4. TODO read Heaven's River

7.49. TODO read Les Misérables

Read much of this previously, but this was back in college and never finished.

Main motivation is this theory: Javert is sometimes considered to be written as a tragically flawed character, with Valjean taken at surface level–noble, virtuous, and the victim of Javert and circumstance. However, I'm thinking maybe Valjean is the most tragically flawed of all the characters in the book. He's quite delusional at several points as I recall, among many other flaws. Like with the other characters in the book, this results in negative outcomes. I'm thinking Hugo wrote him intentionally that way, seeing the world full of Valjeans (viewing themselves as Valjean's conventional interpretation, but in reality as described here). Not sure if this is actually a valid interpretation though. I'm sure there's no shortage of literary criticism of the novel, but I'd like to reread it myself to find out.

7.50. INAC read Maelstrom

Another Peter Watts novel, and follow-up to Starfish, I think. Available online. There's also now a 2-part 3rd entry to this series too, collectively called βehemoth.

https://rifters.com/real/MAELSTROM.htm

7.51. INAC read Gravity's Rainbow

Supposedly Thomas Pynchon's magnum opus. I'm mainly interested in its experimental narrative style that is said to include detailed, specialized knowledge. "Experimental" in writing usually means crap though, so I'll bail quickly if that's what this is. One thing I've heard from it is its notion of predictable randomness, namely how the probabilities associated with (effectively random) V2 rocket attack locations in WWII could be derived via a Poisson distribution.

7.52. INAC read The Crooked Hinge

Another Carr locked-room mystery novel and entry 8 in the Gideon Fell series.

7.53. INAC read Beggars in Spain

A speculative look at the results of applied Objectivism. I'm purposely remaining in ignorance of any conclusions drawn here, so it could be complete ass. Objectivist fiction can occasionally be quite good, but most of it (particularly the criticism, which often misinterprets it) is very awful. If this turns out to be the latter, I'll bail quickly.

7.54. INAC read Crime and Punishment

Supposedly the best Dostoevsky novel and a popular candidate in some circles for one of the greatest novels ever.

7.55. INAC read Ideal

A posthumously-published novel by Ayn Rand. Only recently released in 2015.

7.56. INAC [/] read The Second Formic War trilogy (in development)

A followup trilogy, currently in the works. Maybe check back in a few years to see if it's done.

7.56.1. INAC read The Swarm

7.56.2. INAC read The Hive

7.56.3. INAC read The Queens

7.57. INAC read The War Against the Chtorr series (in development)

A 6-part series, with 4 currently completed. Maybe give it a try when done.

7.58. INAC [/] read Iron Gold trilogy (in development)

The sequel trilogy to Red Rising. Last entry scheduled to be published on 2023-07-25.

7.58.1. INAC read Iron Gold

7.58.2. INAC read Dark Age

7.58.3. INAC read Light Bringer

7.59. INAC [/] read Ark Royal series (in development)

A naval scifi series that I think is still in development. Check back here in a year or two to see if there's new entries (last one was released 2019-10): https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/christopher-g-nuttall/

7.60. INAC [/] read Frontlines series (in development)

A military scifi series. Might be too much about ground combat, but will give it a chance since it's supposedly hard scifi. Probably still in progress, so check back in 2022 or so. If this reads well, check out the author's The Palladium Wars series, which started in 2019.

7.60.1. TODO read Terms of Enlistment

7.60.2. TODO read Lucky Thirteen

7.60.3. TODO read Measures of Absolution

7.60.4. TODO read Lines of Departure

7.60.5. TODO read Angles of Attack

7.60.6. TODO read Chains of Command

7.60.7. TODO read Fields of Fire

7.60.8. TODO read Points of Impact

7.60.9. TODO read Orders of Battle

7.61. INAC read USS Hamilton series (in development)

Another naval military scifi series, currently (as of 2021) only 3 entries in.

7.62. INAC read Blood on the Stars series (in development)

Yet another naval military scifi series. This one is 17 books in as of 2021. Check back in a few years to see if it's finished. 17 entries in 5 years seems pretty excessive though, and quality might be lacking.

7.63. INAC [/] read The Lost Fleet: Outlands series (in development)

Started in 2021, this is another follow-on series to The Lost Fleet series. Last entry to be released on 2023-07-04.

7.63.1. TODO read Boundless

7.63.2. TODO read Resolute

7.63.3. TODO read Implacable

7.64. INAC [/] read The Final Architecture series (in development)

3 scifi novel series by Tchaikovsky, about humans fighting moon-sized, enigmatic, world-destroying entities. Final entry to be published in 2023.

7.64.1. TODO read Shards of Earth

7.64.2. TODO read Eyes of the Void

7.64.3. TODO read Lords of Uncreation

7.65. INAC [/] read Children of Time series (in development)

A supposedly excellent scifi space opera by Tchaikovsky about escaping a ruined Earth. Third entry should be finished sometime in 2023.

7.65.1. TODO read Children of Time

7.65.2. TODO read Children of Ruin

7.65.3. TODO read Children of Memory

8. general topics

8.1. DONE read The Black veil ov Isis

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-02 Tue 15:32]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-02 Tue 10:03]

Was sent a preprint copy by author.

Some notes, mostly from using GPTel as a learning assistant while reading:

  • Nachash: Hebrew word for serpent, often associated with that in the Garden of Eden. In Kabbalah, it refers to an interpretation of esoteric and symbolic meanings.
  • EQ Gematria: English Qabbalah Gematria, presumably assigning numeric values to the English letters and deriving hidden meanings from arithmetic operations upon those values.
  • Spagyric alchemy: Alchemy involving nature-related reagents like herbs, plants, and minerals, along with their extracts. Started by the 16th century Swiss alchemist, Paracelsus.
  • Primum Ens: A "first entity", "first being", or primal essence that underlies all physical matter.
  • Yod: An astrological concept of three spatial points, presumably of some astrological significance, forming an isosceles triangle. Also later used as the letter Yod (10th in the Hebrew alphabet).
  • Qliphothic: In occult, the opposing or dark side of the Tree of Life. Derived from the Zohar, which introduced the notion of the Qliphoth.
  • Hieros Gamos: Literally "sacred marriage". Here, it probably refers to the union between spiritual and material aspects of the self.
  • Alef Beth: First two letters in Hebrew, used together to refer to the Hebrew alphabet.
  • Hadit: A Thelemic diety, and the speaker in Liber AL vel Legis, Ch.2, and masculine counterpart to Nuit (another speaker, along with Ra-Hoor-Khuit).
  • Aiwass: The diety supposedly dictating the book to Crowley, referred to here as his "HGA", or Holy Guardian Angel (though other sources say that role is filled by Hoor-paar-kraat/Harpocrates/Horus the Child).
  • Choronzon: An abyssal demon in Thelema, originally cited in writings of Dee and Kelly.

Key takeaway for me is how syncretic Thelema is. I knew that was the case, but the extent is still surprising. Furthermore, modern practitioners seem to have really pulled in nearly everything they could get their hands on, even including aliens.

8.2. [7/7] learn basic lojban

Not sure if I want to bother being able to speak this, but writing/reading it would be nice. I'll know whether to keep going once I get into it. Do a survey of resources before starting, as these are old.

Canceling for the foreseeable future, since I don't have the bandwidth for learning a non-programming language.

8.2.1. DONE learn basic pronunciation

  • State DONE"" from "STRT" [2021-06-09 Wed 23:21]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-06-09 Wed 13:26]

Would rather do this first, so while reading the books, I'm properly sounding out the words mentally and don't have to unlearn any incorrect pronunciation later. This might be one of the few situations where watching videos would be useful. Watch enough of these to get the general hang of it, but don't worry much about grammar rules.

Got it, at least for now. Did learn a little grammar along the way too, at least enough to compose statement bridi.

8.2.2. DONE check lojban addons for Emacs

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2021-06-13 Sun 10:32]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-06-12 Sat 22:31]

Had 2 of these enabled back in 2007 or so, but give it a current scan to see what the capabilities are now.

No progress in this area, just the same two addons in the same state. Neither are in ELPA too, so will just turn off flyspell when writing lojban.

8.2.3. CNCL read What Is Lojban?

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-08-25 Fri 15:08]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-06-13 Sun 10:32]

An introductory text to learning the language. Will at least read this and make a determination on whether to stick with it.

Read some, but got distracted long enough that I should start over. Canceling this goal for now.

8.2.4. CNCL do online lojban lessons

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-08-25 Fri 15:08]

A spoken language will need some help to internalize.

8.2.5. CNCL read The Complete Lojban Language

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-08-25 Fri 15:08]

A complete description of the language. Available free as EPUB.

https://mw.lojban.org/papri/The_Complete_Lojban_Language

8.2.6. CNCL chat in lojban on IRC

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-08-25 Fri 15:08]

See if there's regular activity in #lojban and #jbosnu. Will wait until I have the vocabulary down before doing this, since it'll be frustrating in real time without that.

8.2.7. CNCL write short story in lojban

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-08-25 Fri 15:08]

Use one of my less promising short story ideas and see if I can get it in the language. Might do some more if this works out.

8.3. DONE reread Transgressing the Boundaries

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-28 Thu 21:15]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-28 Thu 18:04]

Been meaning to reread this, the famous Sokal Affair text, now that I know more of the relevant disciplines and have read so many academic papers in the interim. Last read this back in college, along with the book Fashionable Nonsense. Not sure I'll get anything additional out of it besides entertainment though, since I seem to recall tracking everything in it just fine.

https://physics.nyu.edu/sokal/transgress_v2/transgress_v2_singlefile.html

As expected, entertaining, but not particularly enlightening to read again. I did know a few more of the references, but nothing substantive. While resisting adding my own commentary on the subject matter, I am nonetheless left wondering what Sokal makes of everything that's happened regarding this phenomenon since then, being still active in academia at present. A quick search only turned up very brief commentary by him on the subject in the past few years.

8.4. [3/3] research Buddhism

Learning about Hinduism was informative and enlightening in a few specific ways. I definitely know more about the world I live in as a result. I suspect that to be even more true for Buddhism, as its influence is more distributed and more present in the West. Will review the various schools of thought within it and pick one to focus on. Like with Hinduism, I'm also interested in its intersection with Western culture. So, I'll give one of the popular books on it a try. Still need to select a source text to read too.

Decided to bail on this effort. I (sort of) had the notion to give myself the equivalent of a religious studies undergrad degree, and had been working on that for many years (informally since my 20s, in fact). Of course, its final form is very different in content from what one would get from a university, but potentially of greater value (to me). For example, I intended this to be my last foray into the major religions (in particular, skipping Islam and the remaining parts of Judaism, which one would certainly not do in a full course load).

Currently leaning towards not coming back to this, and calling myself good on the subject. The main reason is that there's many lifetimes worth of more worthy texts in philosophy, such that expending any additional effort here would see diminishing returns for my main goal: understanding the religious side of motivation for human behavior across various cultures. In addition, many philosophical works often include religious content, so I'll still get a decent dose from those. I also have enough context now to lazy-load any useful details later. Finally, and perhaps even more importantly, going deep on primary source religious texts often has a neuron-scrambling effect (for various reasons too lengthy to go into here), and isn't doing my rational neural pathways many benefits compared to what I could be reading instead. I'm more sensitive now to thinking about what I want out of the end state of a large effort, and canceling this is part of prioritizing accordingly.

8.4.1. DONE read Why Buddhism is True

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-25 Fri 15:09]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-02 Wed 00:16]

Current pick for a Western popular culture book. This one might be more tolerable, since it takes an approach from evolutionary biology. Suggested by former coworker.

Definitely a Western Buddhism book of the most popular mindfulness-centered extraction of the Theravada lineage. This purports to scientifically justify Buddhism as true, for some definition of "true". Having read it, I'd say it fails pretty hard in that endeavor. The formula here is to cite scientific knowledge in a very popular science way, then proceed with some hand waving to connect that to a Buddhist principle while ignoring the obvious nonsensical aspects (like supernatural stuff). While also being wishy-washy about it, it lays out some foundational principles, but these all have serious problems.

A good example is how the core Buddhist texts cited define the self (as the 5 aggregates), then proceed to negate the self by making the argument that since you don't have control over them, they aren't you. Yet saying the self could just as easily be composed of things you don't have control over isn't addressed. If this is the foundation of even the Western, secularized version, then this popular form isn't useful as a cognitive model. Will think about it a bit, and maybe half-ass the rest of this (at least for this pass).

Have a few chapters to read still, but calling this done since I get the idea here. Probably would've liked this more if it were less personalized and replaced a lot of the narrative filler with alternate perspectives from Mahayana Buddhism.

8.4.2. CNCL select/read religious studies book on Buddhism

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-10-02 Mon 11:30]

8.4.3. CNCL select/read source text

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-10-02 Mon 11:30]

8.5. DONE read Pensées

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-04 Wed 10:37]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-15 Mon 16:57]

Blaise Pascal's compendium of random thoughts, assembled posthumously. Will skip over the apologetic arguments. HTML version (EPUB is also available): https://www.gutenberg.org/files/18269/18269-h/18269-h.htm

Select quotes:

  • 80: How comes it that a cripple does not offend us, but that a fool does? Because a cripple recognises that we walk straight, whereas a fool declares that it is we who are silly; if it were not so, we should feel pity and not anger.
  • 139: I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber.
  • 162: Cleopatra's nose: had it been shorter, the whole aspect of the world would have been altered.

Only an okay read. Apologetics compose a sizable chunk of this. I read a bit of that and found his attempts at proof fraught with a lot of problems, of course. Doesn't have a lot of value on that front–even for believers, I'd say–as the conversation has moved beyond these points.

Much of this really does read like an authors notes to himself, often consisting just of quotes and thought fragments. Other parts may have been close to final form, ready for a book to publish them in. I'd probably have benefited from an abridged version that collected the best of these and filtered out most of the religious content.

Anyway, read about half, but calling this done mainly due to it being a treasure hunt for good content (though such content is usually rather good) and the fact that I have a new over-arching plan for reading philosophy books that this doesn't fit into.

8.6. DONE design custom undergrad philosophy curriculum

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-04 Wed 15:49]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-04 Wed 09:29]

Have switched over to this topic from religious studies (and calling that one done, minus some occasional recreational reading). Create a structured walk through the subject, such that I end up with the rough equivalent of an attentive undergrad's understanding, though tailored for my specific interests and excluding books/thinkers/schools already explored. This will just be a first pass on this to get the general idea of areas of interest. Details will probably change later.

Overall plan is to stick to the main texts within each group, with the exception of present day, where I'll venture into more esoteric branches. Will try my best to exclude most politics, aesthetics, and ethics, with select exceptions for the ancient and modern.

Some general themes:

  • Ancient Greek: Review the most influential texts and select a few. Don't want to dwell too much here. This is more of a grounding to give some context on later works. Maybe 3 or 4 books at most. At least finish Republic, and reread Categories. Maybe read Epictetus to get a dose of stoicism.
  • Continental: Could easily spend the rest of life reading this, so will have to be selective. Probably will just read Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Schopenhauer (particularly his commentary on Hegel), then maybe circle back around later once done with the rest of this. Be sure to read at least one from the Existentialist movement.
  • Leftist continental: Usually considered part of the above, but want to tackle this on its own. Interested in the philosophical underpinnings of the various movements that rose to prominence in the 20th century. Will at least read Hegel and some Marx, though I'd also like to attempt at least one sample of the later deconstructionists, like Derrida.
  • Analytic: The dominant philosophy of today, containing the thoughts that most influence computer science. Not sure what to read here yet. There's a good chance it'll be nothing, since this is where I'm probably better served reading actual science/math texts, instead of wasting my time reading Chomsky or Kripke. Maybe just read Quine's paper, Two Dogmas of Empiricism to cover the historical transition from logical positivism.
  • Current: There's not much large scale philosophy being done currently, so will do some select readings in the kind of works that have been heavily influenced by some of the above, e.g., early Land, CCRU, Mark Fisher, etc. Most of this is in the critical theory field, which some consider a "social philosophy". I generally think of it as downstream from it, as the authors cite prior philosophical work, but don't really do new philosophy. Instead they use it to build models of critique, like for present day culture and media. In parallel, I'll finish an already-started thread on NRx to balance all the leftism. Not sure I want to go too deep on politics though, being the exercise in futility that it is, so will try to stick to the conceptual and fictional. Finally, I might also select a modern neo-Puritan text, like one from MIT Press's "Software Studies" series.

Pretty happy with this plan for now. As such, will cancel my current reading of Pensées and postpone Leviathan, since they don't fit into this course of study. Will come back to the latter later. Will also keep open as an option not reading a selected text and just finding some summaries/interpretations, as a lot of them can be verbose time-wasters when the ideas themselves are rather simple. Will read these completely out of the order given here, so won't create goal groupings for most of them. Finally, this is very much a side hobby, and I still want to spend my core energy on math/CS. Will keep that in mind when deciding whether to nix parts of this (which I expect to happen).

8.7. DONE read Communist Manifesto

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-07 Sat 00:08]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-04 Wed 22:23]

Have settled into relatively solid perspectives on most of the content here, though I haven't actually read it in full. Being short, no reason not to do so. Will try my best to let the text speak for itself, and suspend any pre-existing notions I have about it.

Doing my best to keep the above in mind, it's still impossible to not notice that there's a lot of assertions here that don't align with reality, both now and in the 1840s. I looked around a bit, and many Marxists do admit this is the case, though some say one needs to read Das Kapital to get the more correct version of the various problematic points. Of course, the vast majority of the manifesto's other content is also rife with various issues, though I'll spare myself the massive task of enumerating them here, as that would take an entire book and has already been done many times.

Sticking to my overall reaction to the text as a whole, I'd say that it does do a good job at being an accessible and well-structured manifesto: it lays out an ideology's reality model, principles, and goals. The main downside is it strangely dedicates the remaining half to polemics targeting its apostates. I can see why it's held many firmly in its sway, though I'm still not sure why it appealed to so many early 20th century Western intellectuals, including many that were otherwise demonstrably highly intelligent and wealthy. I suspect one would have to be rather detached from the reality of the world (like Marx himself), and filtering it via a biased selection of print media, possibly reinforced by subcultural social dynamics. Had I read this knowing no history but alongside other ideological treatises, I would find it rather unremarkable and would never guess it convincing enough to put billions of humans under its yoke. My hypothesis on why that did happen is that communism and democracy are two ideologies that can motivate the general masses, giving them a perceived stake in an uprising's outcome. Then, if you combine that with revolutionary momentum against a faltering, top-down, hierarchical regime, either can be there to rally the mob, who then overwhelm existing power structures. In recent decades, democracy has been more successful at doing this, but I suspect with certain populations (post-Tsarist Russia being the ideal example), distinctions between the two regarding outcome are less relevant to their effectiveness during the revolution, and afterwards the ideology becomes firmly entrenched. In fact, communism does better at the latter, as it reterritorializes (to borrow a Landian term) far more effectively than democracy (which arguably can exist while doing very little of it, as it's usually the economic system within the democracy affecting that). Democracy is also inherently less stable by design, and makes mutable more of the machinery of governance (e.g., a populace can vote themselves towards communism from democracy, but the reverse often involves guns).

Regarding capitalism, which I've always thought of as less of an entity than Marxists do (I'd assert it's more a label for the natural order when you lack systems beyond basic security and property conventions, not an antonym of communism), I will very slightly align with a general notion that Marxism and other critiques of it hold, in one specific sense: Capitalism rewards winners, but by doing so, also creates (or reveals) losers. Those losers don't go away; they linger in a society. While they can try again, a subset of them will continue being losers in perpetuity. One potentially more useful critique of any societal structure (including communism) could be along the lines of what does a system do with its losers. Losers can be thought of as a problematic force, not dissimilar to any other a system might face, and takes energy and resources to address. Anyway, the simple fact that Marxism critiques capitalism doesn't bother me the way it bothers, say, ancaps. Though I think it's fundamentally flawed to varying degrees in almost every way, the modern political thinker could (and should) consider such critiques as a means of problem identification at the societal level, just as one proposing a nation in Antarctica should look to climatology to identify problems his nation will inevitably face. One bit of evidence in favor of this view is that everything I've said here about capitalism can apply equally to other multi-agent selection systems, like the dating market, horse racing, cult leaders, beauty contests, etc.

If I can say anything good about Marxism (at my current level of understanding) in isolation from any conception of communism, I would say that while Marxists and myself diverge greatly, we both acknowledge that there are certain effects of the market that at least have trade-offs. We'd probably disagree on the degree to which those are inevitable regardless of how much you move the pieces around, the extent to which extant phenomenon are a function of the market alone (versus a nexus of it and government, for example), and the nature and desirability of other models of distribution of power. I'll write more about this later. Here, I'm mainly focusing on it as a person who lives in a world where it will continue to exert downstream consequences. Even this is a huge topic. One takeaway is that when I speak with Marxists, perhaps there are some abstract areas of common ground upon which we can communicate, especially if we can keep the politics out of it.

Random aside: I can envision a serious academic paper about Marxism that proposes an isomorphism between Elliot Roger's manifesto and the Communist Manifesto. It's been awhile since I read it, but I recall Roger calling for the incels of the world to unite and proposing an "incel uprising", where the incels overthrow the Chads who controls access to Stacys (the means of copulation). After the successful revolution, the Stacys will then be rounded up into camps and access to them will be redistributed to the incels on an as-needed basis, leaving no Supreme Gentleman sexually frustrated. He proposes this would result in a more just world, free of the oppression of Chads and dating market forces.

8.8. [3/3] conclude deep-dive of NRx/Dark Enlightenment/Accelerationism

Not sure if this movement is effectively dead or dormant, though it's definitely past its recent peak in the early to mid 2010s. Already read several of them in the past, but wanted to read the remaining main primary texts, rounding out my deep-dive on the topic.

Though I noted some potential follow-ups here, unless some new developments arise in this thought-space (like a new book from Land), I'll probably call myself done on it. Reading politics of any form is mentally tiring, and pointlessly so, as I'll never be able to convert any conclusions to actions beyond the physical relocation I've already done and my self-imposed limitations on economic participation.

8.8.1. DONE read Unqualified Reservations

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-27 Fri 11:22]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-24 Thu 08:22]

Read some of this back when it was being produced, and found it very dense with interesting insights. Will skip the (now not) current events, poems, culture war stuff, and anything else that would ideally be filtered to put the good content in book form. https://www.unqualified-reservations.org/#archive

Some pre-read thoughts:

  • I'm more open than Moldbug to the notion that there's no panacea regarding human organizational structure. For example, evidence suggests that things like the bazaar model work for producing the more boring, grind-heavy FOSS. Meanwhile, problems amenable to centralized ideas, like language design, benefit from centrally controlled visions. I'd like to see a more comprehensive and scientific theory of human organization where one could reason about such things. Not sure what that would look like in much detail, but it's probably at least a life's work to bring together all of the mathematics and other knowledge necessary.
  • While Moldbug's arguments can be intellectually satisfying, I suspect a similar case could be made for an "accountable oligarchy", or even more preferably, an "accountable aristocracy". Certainly a complexity management case could be made for those over monarchy. These approaches aren't even incompatible with a CEO responsible for steering/coordination. This isn't far removed from a neocameralist notion, only slightly inverted with a board of stakeholders having more power overall than the CEO. In fact, I'd say this alludes to the really hard problem across any system: that of accountability, what it means, and how to implement it.
  • Ideally an ideology (especially one called "formalism") would establish base axioms, and argue that certain conclusions must follow from them. I haven't seen that pattern in his content so far, which isn't the same as saying it's not somewhere on UR or that such a thing couldn't be constructed. However, if that or something similar doesn't exist, then we're just left with a bunch of historical and though-provoking points–the basis from which we can derive hypotheses perhaps–but not a "complete" political theory. One could then compare formalism unfavorably to, say, anarcho-capitalism with its NAP, at least structurally.

Post-read thoughts:

  • Moldbug does make a few good points that need to be addressed by anyone defending a system. Those include things like having a clear accountability chain for any decisions (in contrast with the opposite common now); simple, universal acknowledgment of who's in charge; the ability to end allocation in non-productive areas; and corrective mechanisms.
  • Haven't fleshed out this thought, but I see room for error of focus here. It's likely there's other paths to get the results we want, such as imposing an intelligence/merit filter, instead of just worrying about what the graph topology of government looks like.
  • There seems to be a bias towards an orderly society, and that order needing to be imposed. Even if that's desirable, there's trade-offs, like reducing individual agency and bottom-up emergence of creative ideas. Maybe I missed it, but there doesn't seem much thinking of the cost/benefit analysis type.
  • Moldbug likes to think of himself as part of the logos (not as the rhetorical method, but as the body of rational thought of civilization), but given the majority of the writing's form and content, I'd say it's more a part of the discourse from which logos can arise. As such, I'd probably place him more in the ethos. You can go from ethos->praxis, but either of logos->praxis or logos+ethos->praxis is probably a better state of affairs. There's some element of pathos here too, further distancing him from the actual logos. That said, I don't think this is a hard categorization; it's more of an overall sense of the entire body of work, not to mention contingent upon my preferred definitions for the principles. Sadler dismisses Moldbug as simply repackaging very old ideas for an internet era and wrapping it in his own terminology. Though I'm not as well read in this field, I'm not sure I agree with the characterization, though it's certainly partly true. Even at worst, he's probably still at least worth a look, since those ideas aren't otherwise getting airtime presently and the sources have largely fallen into obscurity.
  • Regarding computer science, I'm generally in agreement with his commentary on the CS academic scene, including that it's not a science (I think it should be called "computation"). He likes to single out PLT as an example of its failures though, and I rather view that as one of the areas that CS does contribute (of course, there's plenty of noise there too). That's a big topic, but briefly, while it's true that academia's languages don't transfer over to industry, the concepts within them get field tested in obscure esolangs, then selectively enter reality via early adopters, then influence designers of practical languages.

Side note: A few years ago, Moldbug announced that he would soon publish a book called Gray Mirror of the Nihilistic Prince. Unlike UR, it was supposed to be forward looking, a kind of primer for whatever regime follows what we have now. Doesn't seem like that happened though, or maybe the effort was abandoned.

Only read about a third of this, which is enough to get Moldbug's worldview, I'd say. Reading the rest would just be for completionist points and I don't want to get bogged down in political theory for months. If I want to finish some day, can pick back up after his open letter to progressives. I also may want to just read his serialized content, like the previously mentioned, since those seem to be of more focused effort.

8.8.2. DONE read The Dark Enlightenment

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-30 Mon 21:36]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-27 Fri 11:25]

Will read this after UR, being derivative of it, reflect upon what parts of this I want to keep in the brain, if any. I've heard this has a more libertarian slat than UR and also that some consider it a manifesto of the movement.

https://www.thedarkenlightenment.com/the-dark-enlightenment-by-nick-land/

An okay read, and less scattered and noisy than UR. It's also unusually coherent for Land. The first third or so is more interesting and original, with the remainder mostly Moldbug exegesis. Unfortunately, that's about stuff I already read which seems to stand on its own well enough, so didn't benefit much from it. Not sure so much of the later content needed to be about race either. Seems a needless distraction to get into that in a document framing a political paradigm. Some call this DE's manifesto, but it's not quite focused enough for that, often being blog-like. Unlike what I'd heard beforehand, I wouldn't call this libertarian, except in the narrow Hoppean sense. In fact, it seems critical of their efforts, as Moldbug is.

This and UR being the most intellectually sound texts of this movement, while I'm still not on board, they have shifted my thinking slightly. One point, similar to Peter Thiel's realization, is that democracy and freedom are incompatible, at least given enough time (probably a couple generations at most). I'd qualify that this is only true in practice, not necessary in principle. Related to that, I'm also even more pessimistic of any reformist notions, like libertarianism. Of course, that might lead one to conclude that some form of accelerationism is the only viable alternative. I think it could be, but diverging from DE, I'd assert that l/acc is the only form likely to succeed any time soon. That's a problem for this movement, but I'd also add that there are other avenues, the most viable being waiting for and assisting in ideological convergence of corporate elite, then pursuing an incremental power grab from that angle. The main downside there is it's far less likely to install a regime of the ideological sort of any kind, but it's probably the best chance they have. This is unlikely to get much traction from UR adherents though, since Moldbug asserts that the capitalist class doesn't and can't hold political power (which he claims is actually held only by the media and academia, collectively called The Cathedral). This is probably the main problem I have with the UR reality model, as it's simply not true (and I can personally confirm as much). That deserves a more detailed write-up, but there's a lot of downstream issues that result from this false (or rather, inaccurate and incomplete) axiom.

Side note: I sense that in recent years, there's been a new current of anti-democratic thought from the left. Though of limited reach, DE/NRx subsumed some of those so inclined back in the 2000s, but those have long since been detached and I suspect didn't come back. Would be interested in some intellectual content of this caliber along those lines too, if I can find some. Slavoj Žižek is considered by some to be in this space, but not exactly what I had in mind. While he's definitely an accelerationist, I think his critique isn't quite focused in this direction and is more descriptive than prescriptive. Haven't not read him yet, I can't say for sure though.

8.8.3. CNCL maybe read Democracy: The God that Failed

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-10-30 Mon 21:40]

A 2001 book influential in the proto-thought that eventually became NRx (and the origin of the Hoppean snake meme). Consider whether I've had enough politics before reading. Already read part of this in excerpt form in another book, and previously canceled this. Probably will do that again, but keeping it here just in case, as this would be the next most sensible thing to read.

Will save this for later, once I have more spare sanity for such things. Been meaning to see the specifics of his political philosophy, beyond the bullet points, particularly the parts about cultural homogeneity. Can't do that now though, as I've had a full dose of politics for quite some time.

8.9. DONE develop philosophy reading list

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-11-01 Wed 09:11]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-11-01 Wed 08:45]

Given my desire to know whether chairs exist, I'd like a reading list of the remaining philosophy texts for this pass. This is mainly to avoid buying/starting any books that are less optimal for my goals, and to select the best fits within a category.

The list of remaining texts, ordered roughly by time:

  • Categories, Aristotle.
  • Topics, Aristotle.
  • Discourses, Epictetus.
  • Leviathan, Hobbes.
  • Critique of Pure Reason, Kant.
  • Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel.
  • The World as Will and Representation, Schopenhauer.
  • Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche.
  • Being and Time, Heidegger.
  • The Problems of Philosophy, Russell.
  • Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy, Russell.
  • Two Dogmas of Empiricism, Quine.
  • Simulacra and Simulation, Baudrillard.
  • Capitalist Realism, Fisher.
  • Fanged Noumena, Land.

Regarding reading order: Though I was going to skip this earlier, will group the Ancient Greek texts together and finish those first. Hegel is a multi-year project, so in parallel, I'll probably read Kant, then the analytic philosophy, also grouped. Will keep only one word salad text active, so will read Heidegger after Hegel. Then the rest, I'll read by interest. List is still open, of course, so will adjust accordingly as interest/disinterest fluctuates.

I'd probably say that Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Heidegger (in that order) fit into a sequence and goal, but it'll take so long to get through that set, I'll leave it ungrouped.

Some general notions for future efforts:

  • Marxist and neo-Marxist thought: Having read Hegel would provide the foundations for this. Might be too boring though, as this stuff tends to be torturous to read. Only gain here would be a deeper understanding of the subculture, and the useless ability to out-Marx Marxists. Could just read Das Kapital, Vol I.
  • Psychoanalysis: A lot of the critical theory thought intersects with this. Actively tried to avoid it so far, but could do a shallow dive on it. Not sure I'll get anything out of it, given most of this is a fire hose of pure pseudo-intellectual gibberish, so would have to be for entertainment only.
  • A more foundational pass of Western philosophy: This would be a focus on pre-Kantian thought, e.g., Hume, Locke, Leibniz, Descartes, etc. Far more useful than the above, and full of potentially life-changing insights.
  • None: Could call it good after this, maybe just reading the occasional text in hardcopy form for entertainment. Could use such time for more math/CS reading, or move onto the next topic I want to give myself a fake degree in.

8.10. CNCL read Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (2nd Ed.)

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-11-01 Wed 11:30]

I'd like to give all of Objectivism one final comprehensive study, then maybe write a critique of it. But, I haven't been able to find a PDF of this yet. I'll give it one more look, then give up on this one.

Canceling as part of a cleanup of philosophy texts. Don't currently have room for more Rand in my curriculum, though I may resurrect it later.

8.11. DONE read On Noise

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-11-02 Thu 20:39]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-11-02 Thu 19:53]

An essay by Schopenhauer on, well, noise. He once famously pushed a woman down a flight of stairs due to her creating a lot of noise, which was distracting him from his work. Unfortunately for him, he was taken to court and ordered to pay restitution to her for the remainder of his life. Later, he wrote this essay.

https://genius.com/Arthur-schopenhauer-on-noise-annotated

Always enjoy reading Schopenhauer, but he is truly a man of fervent zealousness. He could probably do with a dose of Stoicism, or perhaps a move out to the German countryside.

I think some people are particularly sensitive to sound-based distractions, myself included (which is why I read this). Thankfully, my current residence is pretty quiet, and I have sensory deprivation chamber of a basement. But, it might be a problem if I ever move back to civilization in my old age. My main plan for that situation is to just stay up all night and sleep during the day when possible.

8.12. STRT read The Phenomenology of Spirit

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-15 Sun 00:40]

Though I consider Hegelian dialectics epistemically flawed, I would still like to give this a read for historical reasons, some of the other content, general entertainment value, and as a personal challenge to myself. As a supplement, Gregory B. Sadler has a complete series on this book, called "Half Hour Hegel", started nearly 10 years ago, where he goes through the entire work in great detail. It's massive though, at 377 entries (~189 hours long in total) and just finished 10 days before this writing. Since I don't have the kind of bandwidth for such things as Sadler, will bail if I feel like I'm completely wasting my time. Use the Inwood translation if possible, with the Miller translation as a backup. These are pretty close, but having compared the two, I think Inwood has put a little more effort into precision.

Decided to grab the cheap Miller version in paperback, since that's what Sadler is using. If I want to make this something I read many times throughout life, I'll consider the Inwood hardcover later. Plan is to try to read each section, take a stab at thinking about what it means, then see what he has to say about it. I've done some of the prelude this way as a test run and it's been helpful to get used to Hegel's very particular way of writing (while at the same time being mindful not to internalize Sadler's take). Regarding my pre-read notions of the likelihood of bailing on this, one reason I think it's high is due to the fact that I'm reading Hegel almost entirely as pure entertainment, and not because I expect to add anything useful to my cognitive toolbox. I'll remain open to being surprised, but the summaries I've already read of the book seem devoid of much useful. So, if the entertainment value isn't there, will put the book back on the shelf for when I'm an old man stuck in a rocking chair.

2023-10-15: Started reading with the Sadler series as a supplement, as planned above. The Miller version has an analysis section in the back, which I'm also using. So, I'm first reading the text, trying to figure out what it means (maybe rereading it), checking the analysis, then watching Sadler's commentary. This multi-tier system should make for the greatest fidelity at parsing this notoriously (and needlessly) complex text. If I manage to do so, getting to the end will probably take years at my current rate of reading a few sections, then skipping a few days.

This book has been analyzed thoroughly over the centuries. While hopefully avoiding any well-trod ground, some reactions, notes, and critique:

  • At a high level, there's two main problems with this text: some of the worst obscurantist language in history and poorly defined base concepts. Though the former gets more attention, I think the latter is actually the bigger flaw. Pick any concept of Hegel's (e.g., Geist). It's impossible to give a concise, concrete, encompassing definition for it, without yourself wading into fuzzy language. Even if you think you have it nailed down, it's rather trivial to find counter-examples to whatever you might come up with. Then even if you ignored all of that, they're poorly selected as a base to begin one's reasoning from. If you like reason as much as Hegel does, the foundation of your system should be self-evident, atomic constructs, to the greatest degree possible. Reason can't be used to good effect if you make any errors in foundational categorization. In regards to Hegel's use of obscure language and complex sentence structure, many defenders claim this was necessary in order to work with the complex ideas at play. If we grant Hegel this, then that's only the case due to the issues described here. This is akin to writing a program with just a few do-everything classes and data structures. Any code within that program will be needlessly complex, error-prone, and impenetrable to outsiders. Academics whose focus is Hegel are the philosophical equivalent of legacy system programmers trying to compile an ancient, bloated, and poorly-architected codebase.
  • Tangential to this text is Hegel's last words, often cited as: "Only one man ever understood me, and he didn't understand me". My personal theory is that he was referring to Schopenhauer, whose criticism he must've been aware of. My suspicion is that the criticism was seen as valid by Hegel, but that the specifics of it were incorrect. That's because Hegel was indeed a bit of an intentional windbag for social reasons and he knew it, but also that he really was trying communicate his ideas while also being frustrated in actually doing so, for reasons cited above. I have no proof of this, of course, but it would perhaps explain a few things.

8.13. [2/4] read some ancient Greek philosophy

This is an effort to fill in some of my gaps on the foundations of Western philosophical thought.

8.13.1. DONE read Republic

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-12 Thu 09:49]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-02 Mon 22:39]

Plato's best known work. Thinking I'll probably get more out of reading this over any later works, despite being aware of a lot of its contents already. Will read the Project Gutenberg version, which has 40% of the books content dedicated to an intro/analysis (which I might read afterwards).

Turns out I already had the audiobook version of this, so listened to it while doing 3 trips to the airport in the past 2 weeks. Probably missed a few important bits as a result, so I may give it another pass in text form some years from now.

Very accessible. Can see why this is so popular. Its contents are well covered elsewhere, but I will note that (not knowing if this is true or not) its form makes me think this was intended as a set of persuasive arguments that may have been meant to effect some political influence in its day. It's not really trying to be super rigorous and cover all complexities–in fact, it's seems to intentionally gloss over them. It more introduces notions, backs them up with just enough intellectual rigor, and wraps it in an easily digestible package. Finally, not sure if this is a translation anomaly, but there's a lot of turns of phrase that survive to this day in English, making me suspect they entered the vernacular during the Age of Enlightenment's love affair with ancient Greece, and such philosophical texts becoming part of the academic canon around the same time.

One memorable bit from Book I, outside of the core topic, is when Cephalus is speaking to Socrates, telling him about a previous conversation about old age and the urges of youth with Sophocles who said, "most gladly have I escaped the thing of which you speak; I feel as if I had escaped from a mad and furious master". Cephalus then goes on to say, "For certainly old age has a great sense of calm and freedom; when the passions relax their hold, then, as Sophocles says, we are freed from the grasp not of one mad master only, but of many".

Regarding the aristocracy it proposes (that of the philosopher king, not the learned oligarchy as the term is commonly used today), worth remembering is that this version includes some major trade-offs that would be unpalatable today. Socrates asserts that such a society needs to view the lives of its citizens through the lens of how they contribute to the health of the city. In fact, many classes within will have their lives dedicated entirely as such, having all agency removed.

8.13.2. DONE reread Categories

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-11-04 Sat 23:19]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-11-01 Wed 21:35]

First book of the Organon, and foundational for Aristotelian logic. Read this many years ago, but did so rather quickly. I recall it being not particularly enlightening for the modern man literate in symbolic logic. I'm mainly interested in it as mental prep for Topics and for the reminder of where what we have now came from.

Online version: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/categories.html Also read: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-categories/

It's easy to take the formal logic we have now for granted, but it really did take thousands of years to develop it. This is a very primitive system of categorization–an unwieldy proto-formalism, but a better alternative to nothing. Some of the modern notions we use today are apparent here though. I also see this as a good reminder that we may still have a long way to go, especially if there was something fundamental we missed along the way. Another observation is that this linguistic prose approach to precision in things like terms and properties reminds me a lot of some later continental philosophy, e.g., various concepts like Substance and how it's described. I think Aristotle's approach retained more influence than I suspected earlier, at least among the non-mathematically inclined philosophers. By, say, the 18th century, it would've been possible to deal with things like this mathematically, but the tools would've been primitive, hard to work with, and one would probably have to construct a custom system for it. Instead, it may have made more sense to just attempt to formalize one's thoughts in words, covering the various aspects of a concept as best as one could. Might some day try reading something like Frege's mid-1800s philosophy of mathematics works on logic to see a mid-point example, though won't do that in this pass. Also worth looking into might be a comparison of the history of analytic math vs. the pure, as I recall once glancing at Napier's book on logorithms, which was written in the early 1600s. Obviously, history of math is a bit of a blind spot for me, since I've never approached the topic from that direction, or much cared who discovered what and when. Might reconsider that.

Anyway, a lot of the content specific to this book is various distinctions among properties that things can have, and some of them are rather arbitrary (e.g., whether a condition is permanent or temporary). That's what we have adverbs for, after all. So, I'm not sure how useful reading more of such stuff will be for me here in the present, at least for current goals. Topics is much larger, and if it's mostly like this, I might just read a little to get the gist before abandoning the effort. If I want to refer back to anything here, use a different version, as this one has a lot of annoying typos.

8.13.3. TODO read Topics

Fifth book of the Organon, selected due to being the most complete treatment of the ancient Greek version of dialectics.

Online version: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/topics.html

8.13.4. TODO read Epictetus: Discourses and Selected Writings

Selected this as my Stoicism text, though Aurelius' Meditations is by far more popular. I suspect Epictetus' influences, after Aurelius, were more pronounced than Seneca in Enlightenment Europe, plus I'm already familiar with the content of the more biographical Meditations. Stoicism's been a minor influence in my life, and it'd be nice to read a full primary text on it. Note that The Enchiridion is derived from the content here, so don't need to read that separately after this.

8.14. [/] shallow dive analytic philosophy

8.14.1. TODO read The Problems of Philosophy

Not really specific to the analytic school, but including it here due to the author and the fact that's its from the analytic perspective. This is often cited as a good intro book that covers the bounds of philosophical thought. Written by Russell in 1912 and supposedly very accessible and relevant today. If I like this, Russell also critiqued Hegel in his A History of Western Philosophy (1945), of which there is a nice Folio edition that I might want as a desk reference. Also relevant to my former line of work, and something I've thought a lot about, is Russell's book on human conflict, Why Men Fight.

8.14.2. TODO read Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy

An introduction to the modern philosophy of mathematics and mathematical logic. Includes the philosophical underpinnings of number theory, I think. Written after Principia Mathematica, potentially as an accessible version, as well as after the even earlier The Principles of Mathematics, where he introduced Russell's paradox.

8.14.3. TODO read Two Dogmas of Empiricism

Quine's 1951 paper attacking logical positivism, considered by some to be the most important text in 20th century philosophy.

8.15. [/] shallow dive critical theory

8.15.1. DONE read Exiting the Vampire Castle

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-25 Wed 08:12]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-23 Mon 09:45]

Read this Mark Fisher essay and some of the material surrounding it. While I don't care one way or the other whether the online left unites behind class consciousness, I do have a few reasons for looking into this:

  • Fisher has a lot of great terminology I might want to include in the lexicon.
  • Some say this (or more accurately, the response to it) was the catalyst for him committing suicide a few years later.
  • I'm deciding whether to read more of Fisher's works (beyond his uncredited contributions to CCRU). This is short, and is maybe a good intro to it.

Relevant content:

  • The essay itself, which is a copy from now defunct The North Star group blog.
  • A podcast Fisher did the next month.
  • Random other articles and posts on the web about it. Only taking a peek at a few of these, since they're rather predictable.

Ideas/lexicon additions:

  • Libidinal: I appreciate Fisher's metaphorical use of this term, labeling emotive, basal impulses as such. I've been using more words for the same thing, so will switch to this sometimes. Side note: this is actually from Lyotard's Libidinal Economy, exploring Freud's concept of the same name. For Lyotard, he uses the term similarly to encompass all forms of intensities and desires that circulate freely without being tethered to a certain ideological or metaphysical system.
  • Moralizing identarianism: There's been some Newspeak effort to restrict the definition of identarianism narrowly, but I prefer Fisher's more general use of the term. He goes further, proposing that identities don't even exist, only "desires, interests and identifications" do.
  • Without wading into the civil war on his side, I do like his notion of a person saying something, uh, naughty doesn't necessarily mean that said person is naughty. They just said a naughty thing and might need help to not turn that into being a naughty person. Such discourse could happen in an "atmosphere of comradeship and solidarity".
  • I like Fisher's conception of "essentializing" evil, which he connects with the above point, but stands alone well too. He didn't go into it from this angle, but I suspect there's something inherent about certain ideologies that they must have an enemy or at least an "other", without which they lose conceptual cohesiveness. There might even be a deep connection particular to the left with this essentialism and Hegel's dialectical method.
  • While briefly influential, said essay had the expected results. Essays don't convince vampires to reject vampirism; only impaling stakes into their black hearts do that. Fisher was already dealing with lifelong depression issues, having a very negative internal voice. I suspect he didn't have the internal fortitude to have that compounded in real life. I've often observed that this intellectual sphere is a dour, depressing, and miserable place to exist within. More generally, I'd observe that ambient, baseline reality (and perhaps simple existence) can already fray one's sanity given enough time. So, the last thing anyone's mental health needs is deep immersion in the Mexican standoff that was Twitter in the mid-2010s. Another factor is that Fisher, as characterized by many who knew him, was one of those who bore the burden of trying to effect change in society. I've long since concluded that such activity only feeds minds into the sanity grinder.
  • Fisher probably would say the opposite, but I suspect there's an argument to be made that what he might call the ruling class have more closely co-aligned interests, and as such, seem to exhibit "class solidarity" from the outside. I think this is a function of them having machinery of wealth generation, and can thus create new pies instead of capture from a fixed one. Meanwhile, the lower classes have both smaller total wealth to divvy up, require a larger percentage of their share to go to survival, and have little to no agency to increase the overall volume. As the mathematics drive them to compete with each other more directly and explicitly, this could be yet another inherent flaw in a lot of the concepts of implementation of Marxism. Would be interested in a study of coops to see if some quantized measure of such behavior is reduced therein.
  • In a 2014 lecture of the cancellation of the future, Fisher said about modern micro-stimuli, "no one is bored, everything is boring".

I enjoy Fisher's writing style, so I'll queue up his first short book, Capitalist Realism. I'm less interested in any critique of pop media, having spent all of undergrad surrounded by people who dedicated most of their free time to that, and that book seems devoid of it. I'm interested in hauntology, but Ghosts of My Life explores that topic almost exclusively through media critique, so I'll skip that for now.

8.15.2. TODO read Simulacra and Simulation

Baudrillard's foundational, post-structuralist text on symbols, reality, and the mechanism of detachment between the two in society. After surveying a vast amount of mid/late-century texts in this space, selected semiotics as the targeted sub-field, and this work within that as the most likely to be enlightening. It's also probably the one I've seen have the most influence of in various media. As semiotics, this is in a field distinct from critical theory. Including it here because of its influences upon the rest of the queued books in the group.

8.15.3. TODO read Capitalist Realism

Mark Fisher's first book, proposing what's probably his most important observation: that we can't even imagine an alternative to the current system. This fed into his later ideas, such as hauntology, the notion that "the future is canceled", and that cultural progress (mainly expressed through various forms of media) is and can likely only ever be stagnant from now on.

Preconceptions prior to reading: Since Fisher incorrectly labels the current system as "capitalism", this undermines a lot of his critique. A better model would include the observation that the vast majority of the world lives under a mixed economy, and it's that which we can imagine no alternative to. However, from there, perhaps much of the rest of his argument can hold. We can only imagine societies with central governments that regulate their economies to some degree (from, say, the degree it happens in the US to China). The few sclerotic exceptions to this rule, like remaining monarchies and communist states, serve more to demonstrate that the alternative is societal self-harm. All that said, I'm still reluctant to get on board with this concept except in the near term. The pressure to perform societal shifts historically builds up over many lifetimes, and the result is a function of culture, technology, and other many other factors. Doing it faster than that tends to result in disaster, both due to it being prematurely rushed and being designed instead of co-evolved (and ideally incrementally field-tested). The fact that "it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism", is evidence that it's largely "working" more than any current alternatives, just as alternatives to feudalism were inconceivable some 600 years ago. That's not to say that theorists don't have a role. The thought-space of alternatives is critical to knowing where to go when anything from minor adjustments to revolutions are necessary, and also is a factor in influencing how palatable a system is (e.g., classic feudalism, even if it was economically optimal right now, would still be incompatible with the West for ideological reasons). Along those lines, I would assert that Marx had his say, and that the degree to which a modern economy is socialist is in part a measure of how much sway his model holds over the minds composing an economic entity.

8.15.4. TODO read Fanged Noumena

Finally gave in and bought a hardcopy. It's probably a personal failing, but there's times when nothing but a psuedo-intellectual word salad will do. There's some real junk in here, but will skip that. Will take a while to get through, since I'll probably just read an essay on rare occasions. Probably should brush up on Deleuze-Guattarian schizoanalysis (just read a summary) and Kantian transcendental idealism before starting. Not entirely sure about this collection's contents, but I believe it all falls solidly within Land's leftist materialism era (read this elsewhere, though materialism might be wrong based on what I've read by Land). Will find out, I guess. Sadler, for one, once said that he found nothing here to add to his intellectual toolbox, and one would be better served going to the source on these ideas. Even if that were true, I find thinkers like Deleuze-Guattari utterly uninteresting, so I'd rather at least be entertained by Land's writing style if I'm going to read about those ideas. Seems I'd probably appreciate a collection from after this era more, but due to all the past amphetamines use plus a present day Twitter addiction, this is probably the best we'll get. Might still give his Xenosystems series a try later, even if I hate this. There's some talk about that maybe being a book too, so might wait for whatever he's planning for 2025 instead of reading the archive of it. Might not get around to finishing this until then anyway.

8.16. TODO read Storm of Steel

The memoir of Ernst Jünger, covering his time in the trenches in WWI. Considering this as something close to the other side of the anti-war theme within All Quiet on the Western Front, which I recently read and was somewhat unenthusiastic about. However, some read Storm of Steel also as an anti-war book, though my pre-read suspicion is that this is a retroactive interpretation in light of his later pro-peace stance in WWII. The avant-garde group Blood Axis and most others I've seen reference it over the years seem to think otherwise as well. Will give it a read and decide for myself.

8.17. TODO read Mein Kampf

Read a little of this long ago, and I got an impression it was a sad mix of vision (of various types, e.g., nationalism) and superficiality, the latter being its undoing. Would like to at least read most of the ideological Volume 2 to see what Hitler's criticisms of Marxism and liberalism are. There's also some debate as to the degree that starting WWII was inevitable due to it. Might skip the autobiographical Volume 1 as it's generally considered to be at least somewhat embellished. Also the complete work is 720 pages, so cutting that in half will save many evenings of reading.

8.18. TODO learn Greek alphabet

Already know most of these by osmosis, but often forget which letter is which. Maybe memorize the upper and lower case of all letters by manual writing practice. Will make reading certain math/science texts smoother in the future, so probably worth a weekend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_alphabet#Letters

8.19. TODO read The 48 Laws of Power

Supposedly a great book, that is said to give insight into how the pursuers of power behave, and recognizing when you're being power played. I can think of instances previously in life where this has occurred to a younger and more naive self. If I like this book, the author has another potentially interesting title, The 33 Strategies for War.

8.20. TODO read Physics of Space War

A 2020 whitepaper on space warfare by the Center for Space Policy and Strategy.

8.21. TODO read Leviathan

The 17th century book by Hobbes, taking the position of defense of civilization and civilized man. I consider this part of the great debate (originally between Hobbes and Rousseau) between civilization and the natural order, which has branched out into a multi-dimensional discourse. Having only read snippets of both, I'm probably more on Rousseau's side, so wanted to read this to get the full contrary perspective.

8.22. TODO read Priniciples of Finance

Maybe skim the OpenStax textbook of this name to fill in some gaps. https://openstax.org/details/books/principles-finance

8.23. [/] improve writing skill

8.23.1. TODO read The Deluxe Transitive Vampire

A grammar book on proper English usage. Will give this a read to ensure I'm not making any mistakes, and just to remind myself of the various categories of grammatical structure. Some of these, I've forgotten due to never thinking about it.

8.23.2. TODO find book on writing

Find a text on narrative crafting or some other higher order concept. There's a lot of junk out there in this category, so might take a dedicated effort. Perhaps there are established, good authors out there who have written about this. A little wary of doing this, since I don't want to impose any structural rigidity. Will ponder this before proceeding.

8.24. TODO read On Thermonuclear War

Having read about a third of this already, this seems worth reading for more than just entertainment value, despite being published in 1960. The book is infamous for its emotionally-detached analysis of data-driven projections of the results of nuclear war. Have hardcopy, so will read that.

8.25. INAC read Critique of Pure Reason

Kant's metaphysical text, discussing reason, rationalism, and his formulation of transcendental idealism. Said to be written mainly as a response to Hume's skepticism. Selected due to it being foundational to later German idealism and still being influential today. In addition to the already queued Land, Deleuze's Difference and Repetition was one of the attempts within that milieu to respond to this book. I view this as one of the main centuries-spanning threads through Western philosophy, with this being my entry-point to that.

8.26. INAC read The World as Will and Representation

Schopenhauer's central work on metaphysics, building on Kant's transcendental idealism. Selected as a counter to Hegel (his antithesis, he might say). Schopenhauer was the preeminent anti-Hegelian contemporary, and his works, perhaps unfairly, never got as popular, nor are they to this day. Since I disagree with almost all of Hegel's substantive concepts, it's worth giving the coterminous alternative its fair shake. Ideally, should read this after Critique of Pure Reason.

8.27. INAC read Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Read some of this in undergrad, but never finished. Should have the background to appreciate it more now. Selected this as my only Nietzsche text, since like most people, I'm already pretty familiar with his philosophical ideas. However, one thing I recently learned was the degree to which he was influenced by Schopenhauer, so I may want to wait until I read the latter first.

8.28. INAC read Being and Time

Heidegger's magnum opus of existentialist thought. Won't start this until at least finishing The Phenomenology of Spirit, since they occupy the same category of reading experience.

8.29. INAC read Science of Logic on nLab

This ties together a large part of the philosophy self-education and some math/CS topics I'm also interested in, making a connection from Hegel to homotopy type theory. Queuing this up as something I'll hopefully have the foundations for in many years. Might have to read Hegel's Science of Logic first. https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/Science%20of%20Logic

8.30. INAC [1/4] research naval warfare

8.30.1. CNCL Multinational Maritime Tactical Instructions and Procedures

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-08-25 Fri 15:13]

An unclassified version of the maritime volume of Allied Tactical Publication 1. Used for international maritime exercises like RIMPAC.

https://nso.nato.int/nso/nsdd/APdetails.html?APNo=2064&LA=EN

The global strategic situation for NATO has changed a lot since I queued this, so canceling.

8.30.2. INAC Naval Warfare, 1815-1914

A medium-length book covering the transition period from wooden sailing ships to modern steel. Focuses on the technology advances of the time and their implications on naval strategy/tactics. The reason I'm interested in this, apart from my affinity to surface warfare, is developing a mental model for the strategy/technology relationship in naval warfare. This should help formulate a realistic space combat model should I ever get to working on my related game ideas.

8.30.3. INAC The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783

I like naval history, though mainly starting at the Russo-Japanese war era. Despite being very old, this is still considered a classic and relevant to naval strategists to this day.

8.30.4. INAC Seapower: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century (2nd Ed.)

If this is lacking, switch to reading Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat (2nd Ed.), which I now have a copy of.

8.31. INAC read Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity

The recent and strangely obscure Metzinger book on self, consciousness, and related neuroscience. Supposedly empirically-based, though still a philosophical model. Was influential for one of my favorite hard scifi books, Blindsight. Was going to cancel this, as I've had it on the list for a long time, but might make sense as follow-up to my current philosophy subject pass. This is a massive tome, so might be too in the weeds for my interest level, though I could also see that not being the case, as these notions have an intersection with AI.

8.32. INAC [/] learn basic astrodynamics

I'll need some knowledge here at least in order to make a realistic space sim. Don't need to know everything though, so can do a selected topics study.

8.32.1. INAC read Fundamentals of Astrodynamics

Have a hard copy. Seems like a good intro, from what I've read.

8.32.2. INAC read Space Dynamics

Have a hard copy. Same content as Fundamentals of Astrodynamics, and worth reading if I still feel weak on it. This is an older book and supposedly not as good, however.

8.33. INAC learn basic Latin

Work through or maybe just skim Wheelock's Latin. I've learned a little Latin since scheduling this task, and I'm not sure I like how messy the language is. May cancel this. Instead of natural languages, learn Lojban first.

Plenty of Latin texts to practice on here: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com

8.34. INAC learn basic orbital mechanics (intro)

Get an outline understanding of this in order to properly play Rogue System. This is a sub-field of astrodynamics, which is on my list as something I want to properly learn thoroughly, so doing this has another side benefit.

Tasks:

Also watched a NASA educational film on the topic (which actually helped quite a bit). Note that orbital mechanics and astrodynamics are essentially the same thing. "Space dynamics", of which I have a book titled this, is a label used prior to the establishment of the field.

9. projects

9.1. STRT create pantheon of gods

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2017-04-17 Mon 23:37]

Think of a hierarchy (or maybe a non-hierarchical assemblage) of gods. This should be a completely original conception of what gods should represent. Historically, humans have created gods to represent things on a spectrum from the easily fathomable (natural phenomenon, animistic elements, ancestral lineage) to the mildly esoteric (simplistic, abstract concepts like virtues, vices, and other anthropomorphous qualities). Maybe create a page on the site for these when done.

Properties of my conception of a pantheon:

  • Properties of gods are based upon much higher-level abstractions.
  • There exists deep, n-ary connections between gods that goes beyond dichotomous polar-opposites.
  • The conceptual space they occupy is all-encompassing, in some large-scale manner, while also ignoring human-scale concerns.
  • They should also have symbolic expressions and appropriate names, preferably multiple of both.
  • Each has an intelligible, reified description, but also a true, maximally-esoteric description.
  • The pantheon has a canonical visualization in some obscure geometric or abstract polytope.

An example with 3 ternary subgroups:

  • god X: Equivalence, implication?
  • god Y: Composition and convergence. Cellular automata. Conceptually, influence and environment. The comonad.
  • god Z (Tensor): Path, direction, progression, state transition?
  • god P: Binding, conceptually of names, physically of constraint of movement, range, spectrum. The monad.
  • god Q: Boundary, spatial and conceptual. Surface. Knowing of things. Finitude. Shape. The group/category.
  • god R: Structure and structure-preserving transformation. The F-coalgebra.
  • god A: Indifference, both of nature and conscious entities. The nature of the universe. The machine.
  • god B: Cause and consequence. Determinism. Futility. Inevitability.
  • god C: Stochastic processes/systems, statelessness. Complexity, in reality. The Markov chain.

On the surface, sets are \(\{\{X, Y, Z\}, \{P, Q, R\}, \{A, B, C\}\}\), but also there is a deeper set definition of \(\{\{X, P, A\}, \{Y, Q, B\}, \{Z, R, C\}\}\).

Also pondering the idea of a unification entity, ostensibly representing some more fundamental abstraction of reality. The other gods would not then be discrete entities themselves, but rather eigenvalues of this entity when some structural transformation is applied. Alternatively, no central entity could exist, but the gods themselves could be eigenvalues of each other.

Names: Vok/Zvok, Mga, Attemyr, Horoz, Xolot/Xotl, Letaji.

Some ideas:

  • Maybe create a repo for this. Later I can add some Agda code once I get the math solidified.
  • Gods can be represented by type signatures and/or function definitions, with increasing complexity being increasingly accurate depictions of the God. Similar to the notarikon concept.

9.2. TODO think about games programming

I had hoped that by now, writing games in FPLs would be more plausible. The only movement on that front has been with the semi-FP Rust. What has changed is the games market in general; specifically, it's been flooded by garbage on all sides of the spectrum. Perhaps even more important is I'm finding modern software development less appealing. As this was part of my original plan of what to spend some of my retirement time on, it's worth thinking about whether those factors change the equation some. If so, I should redirect those energies elsewhere, but maybe they're not as bad as they seem and I'll be fine isolating myself to a niche.

9.3. TODO create duel-scheduling site

Call it something like demand-satisfaction.com. You enter your info, grievance, and the target of your challenge. This sends out an email to him, and he can click to accept. At that point, the duel flows to scheduling mode, where a date and seconds are chosen. The outcome of the duel is then posted for all to see. This could be a good practice site idea for doing some full-scale re-frame.

9.4. TODO rewrite game Commercial Angler

This could be a good sample project to do GUI programming in Clojure.

  • Rewrite in Clojure using seesaw or play-clj.
  • Consider using a deployable database for game data, like SQLite.
  • Add saving and custom characters.

I started this, but maybe start over using fn-fx. Also consider using EDN to store the data instead of CSV files. That would preclude the need for complex schema code.

9.5. TODO write game Suburban Lawn

Probably write this in Clojure. See sl.org for design doc.

Only spend a week or two making this, but actually try to make this game entertaining to play.

9.6. TODO write game Clock Watcher

A simple 2D game with the same visual style of the NES game Wall Street Kid, where you're a forgotten employee. Basically, a video game version of this story: http://shii.org/knows/American_Dream

Played in real time, the player has to endure 8 hours of pretending to be busy whenever the boss walks by (by alt-tabbing back to Excel), waiting for 5PM (a clock is visible to stare at), and putzing around with his computer to kill time. Status bar should show: Name, date, age, net worth.

Could be a good CLJS game.

9.7. TODO write game Trans-Neptunian Hermit

A space simulator taking place in Trans-Neptunian space, on and around Eris, Makemake, Haumea, Sedna, and the smaller objects in the Oort cloud and such.

This could either be a more serious and scientifically accurate resource management game, or possibly a more casual incremental game. Right now I just like the setting.

9.8. TODO write game Celebrity Stalker

An IF game about parasocial relationships. Though I've usually found this feature annoying, this is probably a good candidate for a one that has a running clock based on turns.

9.9. TODO write game Departure Lounge

A nursing home RPG or IF game. Probably good for a quick game, in which case the goal could be escape to the outside.

9.10. TODO write game The End is Near

A pre-apocalyptic concept game. The player starts as a normal suburbanite and at a randomized time in the future, the end of the world comes. Check the news and talk to NPCs to get a feel for what kind apocalypse is approaching and prepare accordingly. The goal is to prepare enough beforehand to survive, managing resources, property, etc. Game end judges your preparations based upon against the actual scenario (represented by a data structure) and scores you accordingly, with some text describing how your character fares. Can be done either as a console or web-based app.

A possible idea I had for this was that the cataclysm could be one of many dozens (with clues that improve the statistical odds of a particular event happening). The player could spend time collecting clues to get better odds on the event type, or just dedicate energy to preparing.

9.11. INAC consider web app ideas

Nothing too original here, but might be good practice for HAppS or Ring/Compojure. Keep accumulating ideas here and pick out the best ones later.

  • Something to auto-generate RSS-feeds from web-journal posts. Alternatively, something that aggregates post markup from a datasource into various presentation outlets (main listing, permalink listing, and RSS).
  • Some manner of comment-validator that tests the following captcha idea: A captcha, for example, could start with an alpha/beta/eta-reduction answer and build up λ expression complexity around it, then ask the user to reduce the expression and enter the answer before posts are accepted. Think of some other composable mathematical expressions along these lines, then randomly select an algorithm and generate a problem.
  • Auto-page creation based on a directory hierarchy. Every directory and sub-directory will be checked for the existence of a home.edn file. If found, a page will be generated based on the template file with the content markup inserted into it. If not found, it will just list directory contents if the server supports directory browsing. When a page is created, the sub-directories and any other EDN files will be listed on a navigation bar. These will go to auto-generated pages as well. The navigation will always include a top-level and possibly an up-one-level link. Looks like a project called "werc" already does something similar to this, written in rc shell.
  • Something to generate various system stats dynamically, so I don't have to paste this stuff in again when hardware or software gets updated.

9.12. INAC consider miscellaneous practice projects

Some ideas for a few practice projects of the ~3 day effort range. Break these into individual tasks if I choose to do any. Will keep this list going until I run out of ideas for awhile, then review.

  • An analog-style clock using vector graphics.
  • A parallel Sieve of Eratosthenes.
  • Use Delauney triangulation to convert a collection of circles into a graph.
  • Rewrite my l33t-speak converter (which I think I lost the source for) in elisp. This would make a superior converter than M-x studlify-region. Call this l33tify-region. I could also make one for dewdspeak (dewdify-region).
  • A market data research program that uses Pearson's correlation coefficient to detect related and inverse-related ETFs. This could actually be quite useful, since if one of these coefficients gets significantly out of line, it might be a promising trade to buy into a likely gap close.
  • A price prediction modeler using Weka. Locate a target equity that I want to predict the price of, and conjecture upon influencing/correlated equities.
  • Utility to find the polygon representing the convex hull of a set of points in 2D. Maybe also do in 3D. This is a solved problem, so do it in some esoteric language.

9.13. INAC [/] write game MV Rockzap

Still a long ways off from actually beginning to implement this, but current thoughts are to do this in Clojure, using some currently unknown combination of graphics libraries.

No one has yet seriously attempted to write a game anywhere nearly this involved in Clojure, so chance of failure is pretty high. But, not getting a finished product is fine by me too. If I'm confident I can get the major technical infrastructure in place, I'll start.

9.13.1. INAC read up on ShipBuilder

Just watch a video or something. Has a full collection of ship components.

9.14. INAC [/] write RPG in Emacs

Provided I get around to getting good with elisp, a good practice project might be to make a RPG in Emacs, which seems to not currently exist. Threading, display, and possibly macro-exploitation might be things to think about. Could look into how some of the simple games handle some of these issues. May want to consider transient, the interaction menu used by magit. May need one or more subprocesses to do non-blocking async (C-h f start-process).

9.14.1. INAC read An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp (3rd Ed.)

Available at C-h i d m Emacs Lisp. I don't really have any big ideas for my own modes in Emacs (except my game idea), so reading this isn't any emergency. However, even if I never do any serious elisp development, this will help some in debugging existing code and customizing. Seems to have been updated in 2009, so might be a little dated on the current direction of the language. I may wait until the next version comes out.

9.15. INAC write game Detroit in Ruins

A light/medium-complexity RPG game taking place in modern Detroit. Perhaps done in the MMORPG style (but still single player). Battle respawning monsters like raccoons, bears, feral dogs, inner city blacks, UAW members, squatter art students, social workers, prostitutes, arsonists, and community organizers. Collect gold, food stamps, syringes, scrap metal, copper wire, etc.

This idea isn't worth going all out on. So just use a pre-built isometric engine. I like this idea, but not sure I want to invest the effort for a game not very original in mechanics.

9.16. INAC write game Freedom Club

A life-simulator where the player plays as Theodore Kaczynksi in his shack in Montana. Mostly intentionally boring, but will have activities like:

  • Working on your manifesto.
  • A mail-bomb construction mini-goal.
  • Creating night soil from excrement.
  • Using a single shot .22 rifle to shoot rabbits, turtles, etc.
  • Raising turnips.
  • Managing supplies.
  • Getting water from a nearby stream.
  • Tons of hidden Easter eggs scattered around the game.
  • A user-filled or auto-filled diary.
  • Chasing away raccoons or other animals that try to steal your food.
  • Receiving a monthly check in the mail from your brother.
  • Encountering and being annoyed by urbanite glampers.

Game world will be bounded on all sides by industrial parks and suburban housing, but should include enough wilderness to spend hours roaming in.

See this interview, which mentions some of his daily activities.

9.17. INAC write game Turnip Farm

A farming sim, mostly involving raising turnips. Just a concept for a setting currently.

9.18. INAC write λ-calculus library in Clojure

Make a library that includes all the standard λ-calculus features, particularly λ reduction. I looked around to see if this was already a solved problem, and some guy did a very lacking version of this here.

9.19. INAC write game The Affairs of Men

Create a more formal design document in Org for this game and collect all of the various ideas I've accumulated there. Clean up/finish the preview page and concept art graphics.

Currently, I'm not too worried about coming up with a realistic plan for actually getting this project off the ground, since every time I've started writing code, I've just ended up tossing it a year later. So, the main goal now is to finish my self-directed languages study. At that point, I'm sure I'll have more permanent ideas about how to approach this problem.

I'm also not sure if a single person is capable of building a game of this magnitude, due to the art assets required. That's a concern that would have to be addressed before putting any more design work into it.

9.20. INAC write unnamed 2D Elite-clone, refactored

Concept in progress. See notes for Endless Sky.

9.21. INAC write GovSim

A multi-agent system that simulates different economic models. Will have to be detailed enough to simulate at least the majority of factors involved in centralized economy management and be back-testable to some precision. Should have end user configuration options for tweaking assumptions (like agent irrationality). Not sure if this is possible, but would be incredibly awesome if so. If it is, it's likely a huge effort that would require a lot of contributors.

There's an existing commercial product something like this, written in Scala. Maybe do some market research first.

9.22. INAC write game Chore Simulator

Make the most dreadful grind of a generic fantasy MMORPG ever. Only do this if I have assets and an isometric game architecture already in place. Will work on the idea some to see if I can fill out the details of how it will be an epic burden in every way. Might be a good idea for an intentional shovelware game.

9.23. INAC write book Bacha

Complete this book. Repo setup in BitBucket. Some content is done, but will restart this, if I decide to do it at all. I think I'm not entirely happy with how the outline and current content is playing out.

10. games

10.1. CNCL replay X3: Terran Conflict + Albion Prelude

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-08 Sun 18:33]

Revisit this and restart my pacifist run. I'm still a bit unenthusiastic about the X-series due to X:R, but I'll give this game another chance. I do somewhat suspect that I may have outgrown the series altogether though.

Docs:

Setup:

  • Install game from Steam.
  • Run the game from Steam once to do initial setup. This will also allow checking graphics settings (leave these default, and if performance is an issue later, decrease AA to 2x). Also setup the controller.
  • Install X3:AP bonus pack 5.1.0.0. Read bonus pack README PDF.
  • Install 3.2 non-Steam .exe.
  • Install plugin manager. Deselect Auto Updater.
  • Manually install PSCO1 Cockpit Mod 1.33AP. I have these as 14.cat and 14.dat.
  • Install Universal Best Buys/Sells Locator into plugin manager.
  • Install Universe Explorers. Requires AP Libraries. Install both into plugin manager. Also requires Community Plugin Configuration mod, which is already installed by default in the plugin manager.
  • Manually install transparent sidebar mod. Create a dds folder in the root game directory and copy the dds file into it.
  • Extract the MK3 Optimization mod and run the extraction exe against the addons directory.
  • Install (as an archive) Reduced Enemy Missiles mod. This reduces missiles to the X:R rate instead of the missile spam in AP.
  • Try no floating icons mod. This didn't work for AP, last I checked though. Maybe modify this mod myself? Some guy had a solution here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/201310/discussions/0/558751364352364986/
  • In regedit, modify the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Egosoft\X3AP\GameStarts value to ffff.
  • Set FOV to 80 for a 16:10 monitor. This is a reduction and ideally the FOV would be 100 or so, but this does get rid of the worst of the stretching.
  • Adjust in-game keybindings. Copy over old config for this.
  • Mods to consider later:
    • Anarkis Defense System, if I start using carriers.
    • ANCC Scramble, to scramble fighters.
    • Docking Lockup Fix, if the docking bug shows itself.
    • Terran Conflict plots 2.2a. Only do this after doing the AP plots, if I ever do them at all.

Switching to X3: Farnham's Legacy, a community-made addon completed in 2021.

10.2. DONE play Homeworld 1 Remastered

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-09 Mon 22:51]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-26 Mon 21:42]

Grabbed the remastered collection for $3.49 during GOG x-mas sale. Will give HW1 and later HW2 a final run in this form.

Notes:

  • Install the 2.3 Players Patch. Among other things, this fixes the mission scaling that can result in some unbalanced encounters (like mission 3 in HW1, where it becomes impossible to save all cryotrays). Set this to 0.6 to match the original HW1.
  • Place the DataWorkshopMODs directory in the HomeworldRM directory.
  • Copy one or more of the shortcuts and edit the pathing.
  • Probably want the Stance Buttons Order setting set to classic (this makes it ordered as Aggressive/Neutral/Evasive).
  • Unless doing a full salvage run, probably not worth bothering with capping until at least M4.
  • Might want to retire salvaged enemy carriers since they can't build stuff and add to scaling the same as a native carrier. Only exception is later on they can replace resource controllers.
  • M2: Stay away from enemy carrier and it will leave on its own when the other ships are destroyed.
  • M4: 8 salvage corvettes should be able to cap all the ion array frigates.
  • M5: Stage everything behind the mothership and sent a strike group to take out the enemy resourcing operation. This should trigger an assault on the mothership. The 2+ destroyers need 4 salvage corvettes each to cap. Depending on how they come in though, might be hard to time.
  • M9: Lure away the enemy ships with some scouts, then send bombers to attack the ghost ship. The enemy ships will auto-cap once finished salvaging.
  • M11: Position a group of salvage corvettes, then at the last minute issue the cap order on the heavy cruiser, making it less likely to attack them.
  • M13: If going the gravity generator route, will need at least 3. Much easier to just fly 5 interceptors high over the ecliptic to the office though.

Quite good and worth the price. They did a good job on this upgrade, including redoing all of the HW1 ships with their original designs instead of just copying the HW2 ships into HW1. Another big plus is the removal of fuel in HW1, which was a major annoyance and one of the main reasons I didn't replay it as often as I would have otherwise. All isn't perfect though:

  • The old HW1 engine handled formations better, e.g., you could create a wall of frigates and they would turn as one formation to face the enemy as it moved.
  • The old engine also tracked ballistics better, calculating every trajectory. The HW2 engine used for both games here just RNG rolls shots.
  • The game seems rather CPU intensive for what it's doing.
  • There's some annoying bugs introduced. Had one level refuse to load for awhile. Make multiple backup saves.
  • Number of salvage corvettes is limited to 14, making salvage-everything runs effectively impossible.

Overall, worth play again, but probably won't ever do another run. One thing I realized after playing was that it was that the "strategy" here is pretty thin. There's really only two things to do in HW1: know the gimmick for each level (if it has one), and be paying attention enough to rock-paper-scissors the enemy's forces. At least combat isn't as deathball-heavy here as in HW2.

10.3. DONE briefly play Diablo Immortal

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-13 Fri 00:05]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-10 Tue 19:49]

Will try out the desktop client for a bit, without buying anything of course. Was going to skip completely, but since it's F2P, will use this as a short break from my normal fare. Also never played a true mobile game before, so interested in current design trends.

Played a wizard char. Also very briefly tried a necromancer. Got to the early 40s on wizard, but the soft paywall was already creeping in. I could've probably grinded up to 60 doing bounties along the way to finish the campaign, but it'd just be more of the same, while watching the numbers get bigger.

Lots to dislike here, so just some main highlights:

  • Biggest gripe: The campaign is just a huge ad for the MTX system, disguised as a game. You can indeed play through it, but it's super shallow. On the other hand, once you get to end game, the game becomes indistinguishable from the majority of the modern mobile P2W games out there.
  • P2W hell. All the criticisms leveled against the game in this area are 100% true, so won't enumerate them here. Seems even the whales are in a horrible struggle though, and miserable as a result.
  • Gameplay is super repetitive and brain dead. It's also super twitchy and tiring to play.
  • Writing is garbage tier. Story is convoluted, makes little sense, and is best ignored/skipped as much as possible.
  • Perspective is too close in by at least 20%. Maybe a sensible choice for mobile, but not being able to see stuff until it's right in your face is annoying on desktop. Huge boss mobs also take up most of the screen and make it hard to move around them without clicking on them.
  • Along similar lines, the UI is unchanged from mobile, making for many annoyances. For example, in order to scroll lists, you have to click-drag.
  • Has a few annoying bugs still, even so long after launch. For example, it's a good thing I didn't waste time in the char customization, since it wiped my settings back to default later.
  • Having monsters drop health globes and having potions abstracted isn't a terrible idea for mobile, I guess. Not a mechanic I'd like in an RPG though. Also I think the plan for D4 is to do something similar. That alone (along with online-only, MTX, and other stuff) would make D4 a pass for me. Mana being replaced by cooldowns also removes many play style options.
  • Difficulty scales in a way where you either clobber mobs, or they clobber you. There's a very narrow band in-between where you can make up for deficiencies with slightly better play skill. This seems intentional as a soft-paywall.

All that said, this is pretty impressive for a mobile game in the graphics and polish department. I can also see the button-mashing action game types appreciating what they would consider a good flow of gameplay. Some of the early commentary said it could have been a good game if it had a complete shift in priorities, and I concur in that limited sense. Modern Blizzard just isn't that kind of company anymore though.

10.4. DONE play Homeworld 2 Remastered

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-18 Wed 08:50]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-10 Tue 13:06]

Might as well play this too, though I don't think much has changed here.

TODO: Check if non-moved gun platforms will carry over to next mission. If so, can be a good way to keep the mothership covered.

Haven't played this since the mid-2000s, but seems they only made minor tweaks here. Definitely not as good as either HW1 versions:

  • Still has that major annoyance of auto-jumping once objectives are complete, not allowing for fleet restructuring before dumping you right into the next level. Much prefer being able to take a breather before jumping into the action again. That's something I'll have to check before buying HW3.
  • All ships die way too fast in HW2, especially frigates.
  • Story is just okay. DoK did a good job of recapturing the feel, so it should've been possible with quality writing.

Some of these missions are a little frustrating, but was still worth replaying. Don't think I'll ever give it another run though.

10.5. DONE play Old Operating Theatre

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-18 Wed 14:54]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-18 Wed 14:40]

A web-based IF game, supposedly realistically depicting surgery in the 19th century. https://old-op-theatre.itch.io/the-old-operating-theatre

Super short and easy, but still an interesting glimpse into the period.

10.6. DONE setup X3: Farnham's Legacy

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-18 Wed 21:54]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-18 Wed 18:52]

Get a working modded setup for this. At least need cockpits and the UI mods.

Mods to consider:

Got my setup from X3AP working here, after a lot of pain. Followed the steps in that task, using the Plugin Manager to install some of the mods. However, it doesn't seem to actually launch the game without throwing a bunch of errors. Launching from the Steam shortcut works though, so doing that. There's still one error, but doesn't seem to affect anything. There's probably a better way to do all this.

Configured my preferred control scheme, and saved it as a custom profile. Skipped trying to get the shield mod in, since I won't need it for a pacifist run. Note that alt-tabbing doesn't seem to work. Pretty sure it used to.

Should be ready to play now, whenever I have the time for it.

10.7. CNCL play X3: Farnham's Legacy

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-23 Mon 19:20]

Maybe just do a custom start (which will have the story disabled) pacifist run. Be sure to set at least the Argon faction to a positive rep, so I can dock at their stations. Probably will want to do that for all core races. Try out the tutorial again too, to test out my config.

This archive of a pacifist guide has some tips: http://web.archive.org/web/20170716041308/https://circleofatlantis.com/games/X3/pacifist.html

Canceling this for now and going back to X3:AP. Reason is just having X3:FL installed only allows for the FL story starts and non-story custom start.

10.8. CNCL play Mindustry

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-23 Mon 19:47]

An open source tower defense Factorio-esque game, written in Java. https://github.com/Anuken/Mindustry

Skipping, since I don't want to install JDK 16+. It's possible to run multiple JDKs on the same system, but I'd rather not add the complexity to my dev stack.

10.9. DONE briefly try enchanter on EQ live

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-06 Mon 20:38]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-31 Tue 15:47]

Supposedly necro is the best solo class, but enc is my favorite EQ class.

Notes:

  • I'm on Firona Vie, so the standard toon language there is elvish. To train a language, go to the class trainer (there's one in Crescent Reach), buy a point in the language. Then get a merc, create a custom social action, fill it with 5 /g lines of text. Put that on the hotkey bar, and mash it until trained.
  • To auto-level swimming, go in some water, then hold forward and either left or right. Then click off the game client (only works in windowed mode). Toon should continue spinning around. Go do something else for a few hours.
  • To start the Reakash's Revenge quest, say "all clear" to her (after doing the pre-reqs).
  • Installed this map set: https://www.eqmaps.info/eq-map-files/
  • Go back to the guildmaster at least at level 20 to unlock additional skills, like dodge for casters.

Played for a bit (got to level 32), but suspending this for now do try EQEmu. Am still playing a Shaman with A- though, but doing that very casually.

10.10. CNCL consider Everquest on Linux

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-02-16 Thu 13:26]

Apparently it's possible to do this. Requires Lutris. Guide here. Give this a try, though I might still not use it since EQ benefits from a dual monitor setup some.

Canceling for now, since I'm playing on the local emulator. Would maybe consider again in the future, but I'm reminded now how much of timesink the mid-game and AAs are in EQ1 and that I don't have the bandwidth to solo through it. Also not crazy about giving DBG any money.

10.11. DONE setup EQEmu

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-26 Sun 17:26]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-06 Mon 20:38]

Had this running back in the late-2000s, but didn't really know much about EQ back then. Might actually enjoy the experience now. Note this only goes up to the Omens of War expansion (the 8th). Will probably play this as if it were a single-player p99. Might not stick with it though, since it's pretty hard to solo around the time of this expansion (2004), unless I can get the bots working nicely. If bots work, will try making a botgroup for playing an Enchanter with bots: warrior, rogue, cleric, wizard, bard.

If I stick with it, might run the server on the Linux workstation.

Try this guide: https://newagesoldier.com/everquest-single-player/

Setup notes:

  • Use ./OptionsEditor.exe to disable the new models if desired.
  • Type ^help for bot commands.
  • DB credentials are in install_variables.txt.
  • In eqemu_config.json, remove the default for the main loginserver (eq.something) and re-order them with local at the top.
  • To enable bots:
    • Change Bots:Enabled to true in rule_values.
    • Run eqemu_server.pl, then setup_bots.
  • Run with t_start_server_with_login_server.bat.
  • Confirm the eqhost.txt file has localhost in it before running.
  • Also run this SQL:

    -- Disable mob fleeing.
    UPDATE rule_values SET rule_value = 0 WHERE rule_name = 'Combat:FleeHPRatio';
    UPDATE rule_values SET rule_value = false WHERE rule_name = 'Combat:FleeGray';
    -- Maybe fix chat key match errors in UCS.
    UPDATE rule_values SET rule_value = false WHERE rule_name = 'Chat:EnableMailKeyIPVerification';
    -- Set max level to 85 (default 70).
    UPDATE rule_values SET rule_value = 85 WHERE rule_name = 'Character:MaxLevel';
    -- Allow XP up to 85 (default 68).
    UPDATE rule_values SET rule_value = 85 WHERE rule_name = 'Character:MaxExpLevel';
    
  • To look up mobs that drop an item, run:

    select * from items where name like 'book of ob%';  -- get ID, e.g., 14745.
    -- Use ID in this query.
    select l.* from lootdrop_entries le, lootdrop l where le.lootdrop_id = l.id and le.item_id = 14745;
    
  • Some GM notes:
    • Create a GM account and char, then run script t_set_gm_account.bat.
    • To create items, run #itemsearch and click the X to summon item wanted.
    • Use #movechar to move offline chars, and #summon for online ones.
    • #goto <charname> can teleport the GM to a char.
    • #findzone will list zones matching a search criteria.
    • #viewzoneloot will list all drops in a zone.
    • #list npcs <substring> to see if a particular mob is spawned.
    • #repop force to repop the current zone.

Bot notes:

  • ^botcreate warbot 1 2 0. Params are class race gender.
  • ^botspawn warbot
  • Class IDs: 1=Warrior, 2=Cleric, 3=Paladin, 4=Ranger, 5=Shadow Knight, 6=Druid, 7=Monk, 8=Bard, 9=Rogue, 10=Shaman, 11=Necromancer, 12=Wizard, 13=Magician, 14=Enchanter, 15=Beastmaster, 16=Berserker.
  • Race IDs: 1=Human. 2=Barbarian, 3=Euridite, 4=Wood Elf, 5=High Elf, 6=Dark Elf, 7=Half Elf, 8=Dwarf, 9=Troll, 10=Ogre, 11= Halfling, 12=Gnome, 128=Iksar, 130=Vah Shir, 330=Froglok.
  • Gender IDs: 0 = male, 1 = female.
  • Check usage for parameterized commands, e.g, ^botcreate usage.
  • Forum with bot info: https://www.eqemulator.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=676
  • Use ^itemwindow to see what the bots have equipped.

Personal rules:

  • Will play solo when possible, and failing that, with as few bots as possible.
  • Will cheat in a few impossible to get on my own items, but only after killing the mobs in question (like AC for jboots).
  • Will tele any place a wizard would be able to take me, though that may not be necessary depending on how the planar travel works in this version.
  • Since it would take forever to farm up all items for all bots, will allow duping of items just for them, but only once I successfully get the drop myself at least once. This will save days of camping stuff for them. Any player characters still have to get items on their own though.
  • Only up to 10-slot containers are supported here. To skip mule management, will sell most tradeskill items (mainly keeping gems). If I need mats later, which is unlikely, I'll spawn them.

Got this setup and not throwing runtime errors with a bunch of config tweaking. This is one of the better done server emulators, though it does still need a lot of work. EQ is a truly massive game though, so it's amazing as much is in it as it is.

Some thoughts after playing:

  • Though EQ is at its best when grouping with humans, there are some huge benefits to playing with bots possessing infinite patience, availability, and loyalty. Maining enchanter helps make up for how dumb they are too.
  • Main new feature I miss is the advanced loot window, since I could more easily AFK farm up AAs or faction.
  • What would make this perfect is having a repack available that better suits single group play. Ideal would be downgrading raid content to be doable with a single group of appropriate level. This should be possible with just DB queries, but I don't know enough of the internals of EQ to balance it myself.
  • Along those lines, the same reason I quit p99 is still present in this version, mainly with mobs power curve going up so much faster than players. It's not so bad around level 50, but even just the HP of mobs gets quite insane past that.
  • In order to less squander my finite life, I ended up making some concessions to the above rules. Namely, just giving the bots appropriate defiant gear (keeping the existing rules for the other slots).

Got enchanter up to 68 and did the first epic quest (which was horrible). Taking a break from it for awhile. Might be able to play some more, but there's going to be nothing to do once I hit max level.

10.12. CNCL play Elite for Emacs

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-02-26 Sun 21:32]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-26 Sun 21:25]

An elite clone, inside Emacs. Looks like saving might not be implemented though. Maybe try the option of running it in a container.

https://github.com/samisalkosuo/elite-for-emacs

Canceling. Appears to be broken. Can start the container and connect via web-based VNC, but the Emacs instance within it doesn't respond to input. Might be able to fix it, but the payoff here surely isn't worth the effort.

10.13. DONE play Martial Law

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-18 Sat 10:43]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-18 Sat 10:13]

A pixel art adventure game that was free on GOG. Will install on Linux.

Very short. Might be okay if longer with more to do.

10.14. DONE try out Ardenfall demo

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-04 Tue 21:51]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-24 Fri 22:11]

A Morrowind-esque RPG, currently in dev. Demo is out now to try.

Better than I thought it'd be. Will see what this looks like when/if it releases, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to be for me due to the gameplay being too simplified from a build and combat perspective. Even though this demo is very pre-alpha, it seems impossible to close the gap on Morrowind's depth, and I'd rather just play OpenMW. Does a lot of things right though and gives the player a lot of freedom. Can appreciate this on a conceptual level, at least.

10.15. DONE play Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-23 Sun 23:50]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-09 Sun 20:59]

Bought on GOG for $4.99. Doesn't run on Arch due to linker errors for libssl. Looks like it would probably run fine on Debian, but I'll just play it on Windows.

Will try a full party semi-casual run:

  • Sorcerer, Dragon Disciple, half-elf, NG.
  • Cleric, Priest of Lathander, human, LG.
  • Fighter/Thief, elf, TN.
  • Paladin, Cavalier, human, LG.
  • Ranger, Archer, elf, NG.
  • Bard, human, TN.

Kinda fun to play again, minus a few annoyances. Main downside to this title in its current form is that it crashes a lot. Saved my party as game name "1", if I want to export chars/items later.

Also have a level 4 item-twinked solo DD sorc run already setup on save "2". Ran this a bit into Ch.2 to test viability, and it should work. Here's one guy's take on the idea, though I'd probably merge a few of those concepts with my old sorc build. Mostly would leave out my enchantment stripping line, as IWD is more about fighting large mob groups than casters with spell sequencers.

10.16. DONE check in on FreeOrion

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-30 Sun 12:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-29 Sat 23:18]

Last tried in 2010 and it wasn't ready yet. Exists as community/freeorion package, so should have no problems playing it on Arch. aur/freeorion-git seems to not work at present for some reason; didn't look into it. Just giving this a look to see if it should be on the list of stuff to play later.

Looks playable. Don't have the bandwidth at present to fully check it out or even go through the tutorial though, so can't say for sure. Is promising enough to add it to the queue.

10.17. DONE briefly play Ultima III: Exodus

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-13 Tue 07:13]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-11 Sun 16:10]

I suppose the best version is on the NES, so will play that. I recall this being pretty clunky of an RPG though, so probably won't stick with it for long.

Notes:

  • To get to the alternate command window (which has options like transferring gold), open the normal command window with A, then hit Select.
  • In order to get XP, chars have to actually get kills. So, having a cleric and wizard nuke everything won't level up the other ones. Maybe a good party would be Paladin, Alchemist/Ranger, Cleric, Wizard. Alchemists and Rangers can still disarm traps, though not as good as a Thief.
  • See this guide for best items per class: https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Ultima_III:_Exodus/Characters

Yeah, this isn't much fun compared to extant alternatives. Considered buying this game back in the 80s, and probably would've had fun with it then though. Will consider this as something to play when not working. Use maps, to save myself a lot of misery if I do.

10.18. DONE setup Steam client on Arch

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-14 Fri 11:31]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-13 Thu 17:59]

Looks like it's in multilib/steam. Supposedly, I just need to install this and it works. Do so and survey game compatibility.

The majority of my small Steam library doesn't have Linux support. Notably, X3 does though, so might switch that to playing on Linux.

Also tried the streaming feature, which only sorta works. Video comes through, but is lower res and grainy. Sound doesn't work at all. Might still be okay for very specific (mostly retro) games. Since I already have to run the game on the Windows machine in order to stream it over the LAN, its usefulness is even further constrained.

10.19. DONE play clmystery

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-27 Thu 23:15]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-27 Thu 21:34]

A command line murder mystery game: https://github.com/veltman/clmystery

Done. Probably could've been much better than this. Solving was trivial by writing a quick function in Clojure to do the matching, then doing a few data lookups. In fact, I figured there had to be more to it and wasted some time looking around despite already having the answer.

10.20. DONE play Pathfinder: Kingmaker on Linux

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-28 Fri 21:53]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-29 Mon 15:48]

Will give this another try at some point, but on Linux. Got it working there, but the version is a bit behind the Windows install, so will probably lose save compatibility. Custom portraits are now on the Samba share too. Note that saved games go to: ~/.config/unity3d/Owlcat Games/Pathfinder Kingmaker.

Also made an HTML file to browse the portraits collection, which is in the root Portraits folder, file index.html. Import the ones I like by copying the numbered directory to the above path, under Portraits/.

Party:

  • Flasky: Main char, grenadier(20).
  • Summer: Merc, Sylvan sorcerer(20). Using Der Mentat's build, rather heavily modified. Leopard pet. Priorities are conjuration, DD, buffs, and CC, in that order.
  • Valerie: Using this rather complex tank build.
  • Amiri: Barb(1) -> Sacred Huntsmaster(13) -> THF(5) -> Barb(1). Smilodon pet.
  • Linzi: Buffer/controller build.
  • Tristian: Ecclesitheurge(20). Use Harrim until acquired.

Overall party strategy is Valerie on center front line, with Amiri and 2 pets keeping the flanks covered. Everyone else does ranged attacks, nukes, summons, debuffs, and CCs. Rather simple, but should be effective enough on normal difficulty as a first run. Not all that crazy about the built-in companion choices in this game. If I play again, will probably do a full custom party.

Will use this settlement guide, to spare myself playing building tetris: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1580642020

Notes:

  • Use the party formation option if party has pets to keep them on the flanks.
  • At higher mobility (maybe lvl 5), go back to Old Sycamore and check SW corner.
  • Around level 12 or so, come back to Old Sycamore to kill Viscount Smoulderburn.
  • Come back to capital city inn at higher level to open locked doors/chests.
  • When at higher PER, come back to find the path to Glade in the Wilderness.
  • Grab a pouch of feather tokens at Swamp Witch’s Hut. Should be able to get for free. Return it to Overgrown Pool.

Got stalled out again, so calling this run done. Got to Act 2: Troll Trouble this time. Nothing went too wrong with it though, so could pick it back up where I left off without restarting. There's probably a deeper analysis beyond my surface observations as to why this game is so dull and boring of an experience. Like, if you fixed a lot of the issues I've noticed, that would help, but I'm not sure it would fundamentally change things.

Not sure if I'll continue. The game is a huge timesink without much payoff. Probably will keep it in reserve for when not working.

10.21. DONE play Fallout 4

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-30 Wed 20:25]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-14 Fri 11:31]

Wasn't too excited about this entry and was going to skip it, but it does supposedly have at least some good content worth experiencing if it can be had for cheap. Grabbed GOTY edition on Steam Summer sale.

Notes:

  • If in first person, you can point at a wall and peek out around it while aiming.
  • Use v to free cam in VATS.
  • Pick up items around by holding e, rotate with <LMB> and <RMB>, change axis of rotation with <shift>, throw with r. Holding r longer will throw farther.
  • Can combine stashes of resources between settlements by getting the leader perk and assigning a settler as a caravan.

Select observations:

  • Scaling is a real problem in the game. The difficulty slider actually makes both you and enemies more bullet spongy. It's counter-intuitively more realistic to play on an easier setting, which makes both you and the enemy able to take less damage. Unfortunately, this means I can't play in survival mode.
  • Would prefer VATS actually paused time rather than just slow it.
  • Items feed into the build system, which sounds like a good idea, but changes the feel of the game to be partially about settlement management instead of being a lone wanderer of the wasteland. This can get really tedious and be a huge timesink too.
  • Has a lot of immersion-breaking mechanics/systems. An example is how Legendary enemies work, spawning based on chance like similar mini-bosses might in an ARPG. Those have a strange power called "mutating", that will fill up their HP once for no particular reason. These are super-broken at on normal+ difficulty, particularly at high level, taking hundreds or even thousands of rounds to kill.
  • Can only have one companion.
  • Tried some mods, but they didn't work for completely unknown reasons.
  • Dialog wheel is inconsistent regarding where stuff is in relation to its effects. For example, sometimes up branches the dialog, other times it is another normal response option. I suspect this seemed like a good idea on paper, but then often turned out not to work in practice. A big downside is it limits interactions to 4 responses, which is awkward in some situations.
  • Biggest complaint is the lack of variety in quests. They're all kill/loot quests. The only minor variation is you might have an NPC escort along the way. Only a few have anything close to a decent story to go along with it, but that tends to be told through terminal entries or logs, instead of integrated into gameplay.
  • DLCs:
    • Automatron: Decent. Adds a lot of content to the main map. Nothing amazing though.
    • Far Harbor: Really good. Lots of content, and a well done story, area, and characters.
    • Nuka-World: It's not necessary, but might want to do this DLC before the others, once you have a weapon that can take out the gauntlet boss and before you become a general in the Minutemen. Also note that some companions have a problem with choices here. Only played through the first part of this, so can't comment much on it.
    • Overall, these are better than previous FO expansions. They integrate better into the base game too, though it'd have been nicer if they would've extended the main map instead of being separate (just for the travel inconvenience).

Gameplay notes:

  • Always remove the fusion core from power armor parked at base. Also split up weapon/ammo for the alien blaster, or someone will start using it.
  • To assign a settler to a supply line, hit q after selecting them.
  • To squeeze objects into tight spots, build a small rug, put the object on that, then move the rug.
  • To move connected objects all at once, press and hold e to pick them all up.
  • There's a potentially run-ruining bug of using a Med-X while poisoned. Only use this before a fight (or not at all) to be safe.
  • To remove useless quest items from inventory, run player.showinventory to list the items, then player.removeitem <itemid>.
  • Can build a bobblehead stand, which is in furniture -> misc.
  • Getting started notes: For any future runs, try the Arcjet mission, letting Danse kill the infinite stream of synths for 10+ minutes to stock up on energy cells. To get this to work, it seems to help to run directly to the computer, then straight to the window. Can use the reward laser rifle with those cells, and/or buy the legendary pistol at the weapon shop in Diamond City. For armor, buying the two Wastelander's armor pieces is probably a good idea too.

Though inferior overall to FO:NV, once the game gets going, it can still be fun and is probably worth playing. Has some pretty good content, but a lot that is short of being as good as it could be. Probably could've skipped it without missing out many unique gaming experiences, but don't regret purchasing it. Since it uses the same engine as Skyrim and shares many mechanics, it fills the same niche with that game more than the other FO games. In that sense, I prefer FO4, even though Skyrim is arguably better crafted. Got a bit tired of it and quickly breezed through the main quest (siding with the Institute), so I missed a ton of side content. Might consider replaying it again some day, when I have a lot of free time. Maybe try a female main char (to get the other half of the PC dialog audio) who sides with the BoS next time.

10.22. CNCL consider Starfield

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:58]

Don't buy until the final version with any DLCs are out. Worth considering is whether I'm still in the market for a loop-centric gameplay experience akin to Skyrim/FO4. If so, this seems like a decent incarnation of that.

Seems a bit dull. Might still get a complete edition at some point, but that won't happen for a long time. Will forget about for now.

10.23. STRT play X3:AP

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-23 Mon 20:17]

Reinstall and play this. Should be able to keep both this and X3:FL installed, judging from the way the game directories are laid out. Will try doing a (small) subset of mission types compatible with being a pacifist this time, instead of ignoring them altogether.

Installing both worked. Found an old Nostalgic Argon start I had maybe played for around a week, so continuing that one. Had traded up to 100k credits and bought a Mercury.

Pacifist/no SETA run rules:

  • Maintain Harmless rating.
  • Shots/missiles fired must stay at 0 (requires not using repair laser).
  • 0 time saved with SETA. In fact, don't even install it on any ships to prevent accidents.
  • Will let hired UTs use turrets/drones for self-defense. More of a practical compromise here, since they'll otherwise die occasionally.

Notes:

10.24. TODO play Swarm

A programming game, written in Haskell. The game language is describe as a: "Simple yet powerful programming language based on the polymorphic lambda calculus + recursion, with a command monad for describing first-class imperative actions". The game is soliciting contributors, so might add it to my consider list for when not employed again.

https://github.com/swarm-game/swarm/

Notes:

  • Cloned to ~/src/haskell/swarm. Run with stack run. Still need to setup editor integration. Looks like I'll need lsp-mode for that. Will probably just manually load the swarm-mode.el file when I want to play.
  • Uses the brick terminal UI library to good effect.
  • Commands:
    • M-e: select inventory panel
    • M-t: select info panel
    • M-r: select REPL

10.25. TODO play Serpent in the Staglands

A retro RPG. Supposedly difficult with some unique mechanics. Bought on sale for $4.75 on GOG. Got this installed on Linux, so will play it there.

10.26. TODO play Underrail: Expedition

  • State STRT from "TODO" [2019-10-23 Wed 09:32]

An expansion to the base game that adds a side story line and some new progression. Grabbed on release for $7.

Created a pure psi build first, which is definitely an interesting class, but not quite my thing. Decided to switch to a chemical/energy pistol build, which ended up being more interesting. However, that run became bugged, so restarted with a chemical/energy pistol + temporal manipulation build on hard difficulty.

This is a pretty big expansion, worthy of extra cost. The main downside is the content itself is often a bit too straight-forward, lacking some of the more clever solutions often present in the main campaign.

Notes:

  • Unless this gets patched, be sure to always do the expansion area all at once so I don't end up with a blocked game again.
  • To meet Azif, be sure not to mention the general clue about the murder victim being bad at his job during the Meet Lenox quest.

I collected high end crafting materials for a crafting psi build, if I want to do another run at some point. This would also allow for interacting with the monolith/pillars. However, I'll definitely take a break for a few years to play other stuff and in case another expansion comes out.

2021-12-07: Newer versions of the base and expansion are available. Need to reinstall and start over. Sending back to TODO. Might switch back to crossbow for the next run.

10.27. TODO play Elona+ 2.07

Yet another free roguelike. This game likes the numpad for movement, so swap keyboards for playing it. Looks a bit sloppy though, so might skip altogether if I don't get around to it soon.

10.28. TODO play Star Ruler 2

A highly regarded large scale, space-based 4x. Try the open source version (which only excludes the music files). Buildable on Linux, but will probably try doing it in VS on Windows first. If I want to stick with it (which is unlikely), I'll try installing the various dependencies on Linux. https://github.com/BlindMindStudios/StarRuler2-Source

10.29. TODO play IVAN

Tried this some ~15 years ago, but it's been worked on much since then. There's a WASM version now, online here: https://attnam.github.io/ivan-050-wasm/

10.30. TODO play Omega

A roguelike created in the 80s and continually updated, at least to 2010. Available as aur/omega.

10.31. TODO consider OpenMW

Definitely wouldn't want to play through the game again in totality, but this overhaul might be worth looking into. A package is available on Arch: https://serif-7.github.io/posts/openmw/

10.32. TODO play Brogue Community Edition

A popular and more recent full-featured roguelike. For this game, 1.7.5 is conjectured to be the final official version. As such, the CE continues development while staying conservative about changes. This is a much simpler game than Nethack, so might not spend much time on it or keep it around. It also requires X to play.

https://github.com/tmewett/BrogueCE

10.33. TODO play Wizardry 8

Decided to skip 7 and go straight to 8. Grabbed on sale for $2.49.

Notes:

  • Hit Control+Alt when entering names to enable typing if not working.

10.34. TODO play The Magpie Takes the Train

A follow-up to the previous game, Alias. That was a full IF game, but this is a single room puzzle IF. Supposedly still good though.

https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=wfs8b2nphpeqrnaq

10.35. TODO play Rimworld: Royalty

A- bought this expansion, so might as well give it a run.

10.36. TODO play Factorio

Bought directly on their site, since it requires an account and serial registration there even if buying on GOG. Did some of the tutorials, but haven't actually started playing yet. Also look into the Arch package for this. Would rather play it on Linux, if possible.

10.37. TODO try the l1j bot in L1Login

Started, but never bothered finishing a bot for the game. Might still do that, but noticed someone did include a very basic one in a connector already. https://github.com/LineagePLUS/L1Login

10.38. INAC consider Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Seems like the best in this series so far, and probably worth getting. Need to give it a detailed look first though. As of release on GOG, it seems broken and unplayable. Give it at least a few months and check back later.

10.39. INAC play Dangerous Waters + RA 1.41

Probably one of the most involved sims ever made. Once I can spare several days to read the manual, I'll give this a try. Also read at least the Wikipedia articles on all weapons and platforms in the game.

The Reinforce Alert mod brings in a ton of new platforms, missions, and improves graphics all around.

Notes:

  • Update to 1.04.
  • Might want to flag the binary with -wantVSync. Try without it first.
  • Install RA 1.41.

10.40. INAC consider Orbiter 2016

I've played this over a decade ago, but didn't give it the time it deserved. Will give it another try since I'm into realistic space sims and orbital mechanics.

http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/

10.41. INAC play Silent Hunter 4

Will play missions to get used to the game, then eventually try to complete a 100% realism career until getting awarded the desk job. SH5 has also been out since 2010 and is now DRM-free. So, I might instead get that if I don't get to SH4 anytime soon. Not sure I'm in the market for any sub sims though, since there are better surface unit and fleet commander sims out now.

10.42. INAC play Disco Elysium (purchase)

Looks good. Been interested in the idea of a non-combat focused isometric RPG for awhile now. Will wait to see if there's expansions first though. There's been some business-side drama surrounding this game in 2022, so might skip it since I'm pretty sure I don't want any part of that.

10.43. INAC play Cold Waters (purchase)

A new sub-sim. Give this one until at least 2020 if they add some features hinted at, like the ability to play as Soviet units. Before purchasing, check on whether updates are going to GOG like they are to Steam.

10.44. INAC play Duskers (purchase)

A game about controlling robots in space, exploring derelicts. Currently $20. Will consider if it goes on sale. Was last priced at $10.

10.45. INAC play S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat + Anomaly + Gamma (purchase)

Supposedly the ultimate experience for this game is to get the base, then install the Anomaly mod, then the Gamma modpack. CoP is sometimes on sale for $4.99 on GOG. These mods are still in progress, and getting substantively better.

10.46. INAC play FreeOrion

Install on Arch: community/freeorion. Wiki at: https://www.freeorion.org/index.php/Main_Page

10.47. INAC consider Baldur's Gate 3 (purchase)

Released 2023-08-03. Worth noting is that it uses DnD 5e and is a Larian game. Like with DOS2, it's possible it might be a fine game, but just not for me. Give a careful look before buying. Would want to wait anyway, since there will be a lot of bugs in the non-EA content that will need patches. Since it's popular, it'll probably get expansions too.

10.48. INAC consider Jagged Alliance 3 (purchase)

This might finally be a worthy successor to JA2. Released on 2023-07-14. Last seen on sale for $30. Seems pretty good, but not as in-depth as modded JA2. Also lacks the wide array of mercs, though perhaps that will be expanded later. Main concern is that there are some complaints about imprecise mechanics and omniscient AI (mainly involving launched explosives). Will definitely hold off to see if things get rebalanced later.

10.49. INAC consider Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts (purchase)

Looks good, but wait until release or well afterwards.

https://www.dreadnoughts.ultimateadmiral.com/

10.50. INAC consider Alliance Space Guard (in development)

A hardcore space sim, similar to Rogue System in design goals. Looks great so far, but wait until actually done before buying. https://alliancespaceguard.com/

10.51. INAC consider Starsector (in development)

Looks like a promising 2D top-down space sim. Combat and nav happen on different maps and fleets can be built and controlled.

http://fractalsoftworks.com/

10.52. INAC consider Urban Strife (in development)

Of the modern JA2 clones, this looks the most promising. Check back in 2023 to see if it's out by then. Probably will skip since JA3 is in dev.

10.53. INAC consider Homeworld 3 (in development)

Looks great as of mid-2022. This is one I might pick up not too long after launch (planned H1 2023). Will still hold out a bit afterwards to ensure there's no major issues though. Only current complaint is I do prefer the mothership to be vertical (due to taking up less space on the main ecliptic of the map), but I can live with that.

10.54. INAC consider Soil (in development)

An indie game inspired by Homeworld. Not complete enough yet to consider purchasing. Might be a little too sloppy for my tastes, but worth a look. Check back in a couple years to see if it goes anywhere. https://www.indiedb.com/games/soil

10.55. INAC consider Terra Invicta (in development)

A unique story and somewhat unique concept. Might be good for a modern grand strategy experience, but also include a space development side.

10.56. INAC consider Gothic 1 remake (in development)

Might be in the market for this, since I liked the original. Will give it a look, at least. Might be out in 2023, but currently no set release date.

10.57. INAC consider Legends of Old (in development)

A single player RPG, heavily influenced by EQ. Looks very basic, but might turn out good too. Just announced in early 2023, so check back maybe in several years.

10.58. INAC consider Rule the Waves 3 (in development)

10.59. INAC consider The Wayward Realms (in development)

An attempt to recreate a modern Daggerfall-like experience, with a massive open world. Some of the devs are from Daggerfall and Arena. Probably a long way out, if it ever comes together. Maybe check back in 2025 or so.

11. home improvement/maintenance

11.1. [3/3] plant ornamental winter peppers

Instead of having so many useless houseplants, will try replacing some of them with ornamental peppers. These can then be nice to look at, but also create a small amount of food and be an occasional convenient source of a few fresh peppers. Ornamental peppers tend not to be super tasty, but supposedly black pearls are an exception. NuMex Easter are an unknown quantity in that regard.

Later results: Black pearls don't turn black with current indoor light levels, but are still a good ornamental plant that doesn't drop too many leaves/flowers. NuMex Easter grows super slow and better for really tiny pots.

11.1.1. DONE get bathroom pepper planter

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-11-04 Fri 10:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-28 Sun 18:10]

The idea here is to have a small, bushy pepper for the SE bathroom. I think a fully green one would look best here, so will try to raise a dense but medium-sized mini-Thai plant for it.

2022-08-29: Bought a low, circular planter.

2022-08-29: Started Thai pepper. Will xfer once it fills the cup it's in now. Then will leave it in the window for a month or two to get going.

2022-09-15: Transferred to pot. Will let him get filled out by the window before moving to bathroom.

Update: I have a mini-Thai in this now, since it randomly grew. It's doing quite well. Might swap it for a NuMex Easter later though and put the current pepper in a pot.

11.1.2. DONE get desk planters

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-11-04 Fri 10:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-27 Sat 14:31]

Select 2 square black planters for both desks. These will house decorative peppers, specifically black pearls for starters. If I can't keep this plant under control on the office desk, then maybe forget having a pepper there and putting one of the boring, do-nothing plants in the planter.

2022-08-27: Ordered a set of 2 ceramic planters, one smaller than the other. If these work out, might get more of the same for (some of) next year's NuMex Easter peppers.

2022-08-31: Received planters and black pearl seeds. Started 3 peppers in cells. If I get 3 seedlings, will put the extra in a plastic pot, let it hibernate for winter, then transfer outside in the Spring.

2022-09-12: Decided to put a snake plant in the small planter in the main office. The reason for that is only one of the black pearl seeds sprouted, so I'll put him in the larger planter. As an added benefit, putting the snake plant here will mean less inconvenient to clean mess from flowers.

2022-09-15: Transferred the only black pearl that sprouted to its pot. Started 2 new ones in the seedling tray to see if they come up.

Update: The black pearl is doing quite well in the big pot. Will try not trimming him for now, but if he goes over 12", I'll top him.

11.1.3. DONE get dinette table planter

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-19 Thu 11:03]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-09-02 Fri 00:04]

Vision here is to replace the Indian corn basket with a low, rectangular planter that will house the NuMex Easter peppers I'll start in mid-winter. Those colorful peppers will match the tablecloth currently on it.

2022-09-02: Couldn't find the size/shape I wanted new, so ordered a neutral-colored gray/brown Haeger Pottery #225 planter from eBay. These were made in the mid to late 20th century in Illinois. This one strikes me as probably 60s-70s, evidenced by the orange and puke green variants. Only downside here is no drainage, so will need to be careful with over-watering. It's shallow enough to stick a finger in though, so shouldn't be an issue. Might be a little crowded for 2 Easters too, so will probably stick with one and keep pruned to shape. Dimensions are 8"x5"x4". Cost with tax and shipping was $28.30. Buying these on eBay seems like a good idea, since there's tons of them for reasonable prices, apparently from estate sales.

2022-09-07: Arrived. Looks good. More of a brown/tan though.

2022-11-14: Started a few NuMex Easter seeds in cells.

2023-01-19: Put the largest of the 2 Easters in the planter. Put the much smaller one in a large starter cell. Might transfer that one to the low, wide pot that the 3rd Thai pepper plant is in, once I move that one outside. Not sure I'll put the planter on the dinette table though, at least in winter. Might leave it on the living room window sill.

11.2. DONE consider solar powered lamp

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-19 Thu 14:07]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-04 Wed 10:37]

Could use one of these during power outages. Find something that will produce low, diffuse light and last a long time on one charge. Probably some camping-related ones that would fit the bill.

The directly solar-powered ones that I could find are all Chinesium. So, instead ordered:

  • Anker PowerCore Solar 20000 18W power bank.
  • Fenix CL30R camping lantern.

Might be able to use the solar power bank to charge the lantern. The main known downside is that the bank is only single-panel, so will take weeks to charge in a window.

2023-01-19: All stuff received. Will see how well this stuff works out. Main open question is time to charge and whether window charging even works at all.

11.3. DONE get windows serviced

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-30 Mon 12:16]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-02 Wed 13:05]

Collect all window work to be done and get a windows contractor out to do everything. At least replace garage window, get broken tabs fixed, seal basement window, install missing screens, and fix all damaged window seals.

Do this in late spring or summer 2021. Window World in Winchester also sells Therma Tru front doors. Might be inclined to replace our doors and/or seal up the trim around it.

Master list of window work needed:

  • Replace garage window.
  • South basement window very occasionally leaks and can't be confidently opened/closed (not critical).
  • Replace east master bedroom window seal.
  • Fix/replace right dining area window broken tilt tab/clip (right).
  • Replace southern attic window screen.
  • Replace 2 missing screens on large kitchen windows.
  • Replace missing screen on eastern window of SE bathroom.
  • See if can replace commonly opened window screens with 4900 mesh size.
  • Fix leaky basement door.

2021-04-02: Looks like this place only does window replacements. Will just get the two windows (garage and basement) addressed then. They will replace doors too, but won't do anything about that right now. A sales guy will call back and give a quote. Need to measure both windows in the meantime. Once he calls back, I might ask about replacing the framing around the basement window too, since its slightly water damaged.

Measurements from the outside are 29"x62.25" (basement) and 39"x58.5" (garage).

2021-04-10: Never called back. Back to TODO status.

2022-09-18: Remeasured garage window. Dimensions are 37.5"x56.5" (inside) and 39"x58.5" (outside frame).

2022-11-02: Scheduled for Window World visit on 2022-11-07, just for measurements. A- managing this, but I have a few questions while they're here. Just doing garage window.

2022-11-07: They came and took measurements, but I was busy talking to a power company lady at the time, so didn't get to ask anything.

2023-01-30: Window replaced. New window is an AMI series 4000 double hung model 3001, size 37.375"x57". Looks good and is a professional job. Much better than what I could do on my own. This fixes the last obviously broken thing on the property.

11.4. DONE fix water leak

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-02 Thu 12:38]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-19 Thu 10:51]

Something in the mechanicals room is leaking water. Check on it when it runs the filter cycle at night to see if this is the cause. Might need to have it serviced, in which case can also get the media replaced.

Update: Found cause. It's the piping leading out of the pressure tank switch. There's a 3-way joint there that has a leaky seal. Must've just went bad this morning or last night. Looks like someone tried fixing this spot at some point in the past, but maybe did a sloppy job. Will call normal plumber to fix correctly. A- managing this. Can't think of anything else plumbing-related I'd want to do now, so will just fix this. Might ask for a rough estimate and options regarding shower replacement though.

2023-01-19: Repair scheduled for 2023-02-02 1030-1300.

2023-02-02: Fixed. They also replaced the pressure tank switch. Also asked about the shower estimate. For a tile or Onyx one, it'll cost about $4k.

11.5. DONE get mop bucket

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-28 Tue 19:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-25 Sat 19:24]

Had been using a cheap twist mop. This works, but when having to remove 12 buckets of water from the basement when a pipe burst, it damaged by hands pretty bad. Worth getting a proper one so this doesn't happen again in the future.

Got the smaller 31 liter one (I think) for $55. Seems pretty good.

11.6. DONE kill some rats in the chicken coop

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-28 Tue 09:34]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-05 Sun 11:05]

Need to thin out their population some, as they're eating most of the chickens' food. Strategy: Will put minimal food only on platform. That'll force them to go up there during the day to eat. Then use Contender with .22 barrel and subsonic rounds.

2023-03-10: Shot a few, but the weather hasn't been cooperating and don't want to get water in the Contender action. Camping them is also very boring. Added the roller/bucket trap instead. Also resetting the live trap multiple times a day.

2023-03-28: After murdering some 30-40 of them, they seem to have disappeared. Perhaps the remaining few moved out due to it being warmer now, or the cat finished them off. Haven't seen any evidence of them for the past several days, so calling this good for now. Due to how fast their population can explode, will still keep an eye on it.

11.7. CNCL consider rocket stove

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-03-30 Thu 13:34]

Had a long power outage and was able to stress test the transfer switch setup, which worked perfect. One thing missing during power outages is some way to cook food and heat water, which can eventually be an issue if the outage lasts long enough. Think about whether it's worth adding some kind of setup for doing this, like a rocket stove. A more primitive approach would be a 3-stone stove, which I could setup in the existing fire pit. For that, would just need to find 3 suitable rocks and ensure I have a metal pot that fits on it. The trade-off between the two would be the rocket stove is yet another thing to buy/own, versus the 3-stone stove, which is much less efficient. Open fire efficiency is said to be 10% vs. 90% for a rocket stove.

Might still skip altogether though, since it'd only be useful during extremely long outages (3+ days), and I probably won't want to use it anyway during the winter when outages are more likely.

Decided not to get.

11.8. DONE disconnect dryer buzzer

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-21 Fri 21:15]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-21 Fri 19:52]

It's needlessly loud. Test before putting everything back together.

Disconnected leads and wrapped in electrical tape. Seems to work.

11.9. CNCL build welding/table saw bench

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-05-03 Wed 15:01]

Had an idea to build a combined workbench that had a welding table on one side and space for my table saw on the other. The bench would be on casters. Considering having the local carpenter do this, since it's a more precision build than I might be capable of currently. Having the bench will make building various things like this much easier in the future. Will come up with a general design and see what he thinks about it.

Canceling this for now. Don't have bandwidth to be welding anything.

11.10. DONE solve pond watermeal problem

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-06 Sat 19:33]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-28 Fri 11:42]

Seems the ponds, especially the small one, are infested by watermeal. Was spraying Cutrine on them, but that seems to do nothing.

https://extension.psu.edu/duckweed-and-watermeal

One solution for that is physical removal by use of a surface skimmer. Will consider getting one of those, like this one: https://www.thepondguy.com/product/the-pond-guy-pondskim-debris-skimmer/

2023-04-28: Ordered item above. Side note: tried to use privacy.com card, but they'll only increase above the super low $150 limit if I use it a lot. That limits its usefulness, since I don't want to send normal purchases through it.

2023-05-03: Arrived. Too windy to use currently. Will try this weekend. Maybe bring a couple buckets of water and a latex glove along to clean it out when using.

2023-05-06: Tried it out. This sorta works. Two problems though are that it collects frogspawn and tadpoles, so can't do it in Spring at all. Next is it really does need all the gunk to be on one side. Will hang it up until mid next month at the earliest. But, I think it'll at least help if I factor those things in. Will proceed under that assumption rest of this year, and if the problem is still pretty bad, I'll consider adding some kind of treatment next year.

11.11. CNCL build DIY air filter

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-05-11 Thu 15:13]

Strap 2 HEPA filters to box fan on the intake side with bungee cord. Will be an eyesore, but apparently this works about as good as a pre-built one. Maybe I'll make this and just run it occasionally to filter the upstairs air.

Canceling. Any dust problem we have here, which is much less than any former abodes, should mostly fix itself once we have less cats.

11.12. DONE get faulty bonded pair line fixed

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-12 Mon 15:23]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-04 Sun 21:46]

One of the DSL lines is faulty about 90% of the time. Get an appointment to have it fixed. Probably needs a new module in the junction box.

2023-06-04: Tech visit scheduled for 2023-06-13, around noon.

2023-06-12: Service techs fixed early. Turns out it was an external problem, out on the main line or something. Supposedly the phone should work now too.

11.13. DONE replace SW shower

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-25 Fri 16:36]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-16 Tue 13:19]

Will replace fiberglass shower, which has damage and several issues, with an Onyx-walled one. Need on-site inspection and measurement. Some points to address:

  • Keep existing shower head and controls.
  • See if I can get the walls covered up to ceiling.
  • Discuss door options, and whether that can go to ceiling too.
  • Ensure door is at least 6' tall.
  • Would like internal, horizontal bar on back wall.
  • Ensure drain pipe is firmly affixed and won't leak.
  • Ask about drain cover options, if any.
  • If going fully enclosed, check if ceiling can be coated in some kind of waterproof substance.
  • Inquire whether house shifting can cause panels to dislodge.
  • Do this work with leaving open the option for a future full bathroom remodel.

Created a preferred design here, still thinking about colors: https://showerdesigner.onyxcollection.com/a83c9c50-853d-466f-a463-bb4b7f7ca73b

2023-05-16: Called to initiate. Will get scheduling call at some point.

2023-05-17: Scheduled for 2023-05-23 1000-1300. Call got dropped half way through, but I think we're good.

2023-05-23: Measurement visit concluded. We agreed upon a full-height (96") shower with crown molding. Updated design above. Need to go into their store before 1600 some weekday and get color swatches and the estimate. Be sure to get on the plan that I want the full-height curb style. Once that's all done, I can schedule an install time.

2023-05-24: Went in and changed a few things on the order. Switched to standard 60x36" base size. Selected colors Tiramisu (walls), Safari (everything else). Switched base to medium height. Got estimate later, which was $8492.72. Thought it'd be considerably lower than that, so will sleep on it for a couple days.

2023-05-26: Was trying to remove the drywall work, but looks like that's required. That being the case, switched the corner caddy to a recessed one (tower). Also changed crown moulding to the small classic type. Paid the 30% down payment for it. Receipt in email in the form of an updated invoice with first payment noted. Lead time on supplies order is around 6 weeks.

2023-06-07: Install scheduled for 2023-08-22 and 2023-08-23.

Reminder: Get a drain screen for this, type determinate on the drain style. Also ask about whether this company will do water filter media replacement.

2023-08-02: Got phone message from yesterday, rescheduling the work to 2023-08-24 and 2023-08-25.

2023-08-24: Work commenced. Contractors noted that I probably would've preferred their sliding door offering, which is a 1/4" thick glass slab, which you can get in a super-tall size too. Also since I have a hinged door, I should be mindful of water spillage after using the shower and opening the door.

2023-08-25: Work complete. Looks great, and everything worked out pretty good.

11.14. DONE make baba ganoush

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-03 Sun 14:25]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-02 Sat 18:38]

Only thing I can think of as something to do with this year's huge eggplant haul.

Recipe:

  • Cut eggplants in half, put on oiled trays.
  • Bake at 425F for 25 min or so (probably longer for the larger ones).
  • Scoop out innards into bowl.
  • Add tahini, salt, lemon juice, minced garlic, vegan Greek yogurt, Aleppo pepper flakes, and sumac (optional).

Worked out nicely. Since we can't eat this much at once, froze over half the roasted eggplant. Will need another Greek yogurt when ready to make.

11.15. DONE make Tabasco sauce

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-21 Sat 12:48]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-21 Sat 12:02]

Will try two variants, one with ground cherries, and one an attempt to duplicate the commercial product, only non-fermented. This is just a small batch as an experiment. Outcome will determine whether I try to grow a large crop of Tabasco peppers in the future. Might still not though, since they seem to need a super long growing season (70% of pods are still green at end of season).

Tabasco sauce is very simple, just peppers, vinegar, and salt. Prep for doing both of these:

  • Throw peppers in pot.
  • Add cups of vinegar until they're mostly floating around.
  • Boil until very soft, which should be pretty quick, then let cool.
  • If I think there's too much vinegar after this, save in bowl to maybe re-add later (or use with ground cherries).
  • Run peppers through food processor, then pour through a mesh strainer.
  • Do the same for the ground cherries, though use less vinegar.
  • Add salt.
  • Mix to taste, adding vinegar if wanting a thin sauce.

Interesting results. Sauce ended up being way hotter than normal Tabasco sauce. Might be my peppers though, since they're brutally hot too. The Tabasco/ground cherry sauce seems to have worked as well. Will eat these for awhile and see what I think about them. Should be good for the winter when I want this flavor for dishes.

11.16. CNCL build 1020 tray holders

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:26]

Build 1020 tray holders from 1" poplar or teak (poplar is lighter and cheaper). Affix handles for easy carrying. This is similar to the idea I had. Planned bench should have room for them. Could also leave them there to put pots in when trays aren't in use, or for carrying random things around. Apply cherry stain to match speakers. Hold off on this for a bit, since I might eventually not want to do seed starting in the living room.

No longer need, since will be leaving the trays on the grow rack instead of in the living room.

11.17. [7/7] build welding setup

Will go stick. Motivation is to build frames, joints, and tool holders; fix things currently impossible to fix; and skills development. Have multiple project ideas. Should be able to keep complete setup under $1000. Won't do until not working again though, since I don't have time for this when employed.

Canceling this completely as part of a refactor/rebalance of inside/outside activity ratio. Basically, I'll be spending slightly more time inside than previously planned, reading books and such. Can always change my mind later. Leaving this info here instead of deleting, just in case.

There was a couple minor project ideas I had. If I want to do any of those still, I can take them to a nearby welding shop.

11.17.1. CNCL get selected welder

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:27]

Considering the Miller Thunderbolt 160 and Hobart Stickmate 160i. Both are made in China, and seem to be the same design. The Hobart is -$150, but the Miller probably has better resale value.

11.17.2. CNCL get welding table

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:27]

Considering the Miller welding table. It's kinda expensive for a China-made table though. Will think about it for a few months, or maybe just wait until steel prices go back to normal.

This could double as a precision pistol shooting table for use at arbitrary distances and other random tasks. Might grab one of these early for general non-welding use. Could also build one myself, shaped with an armrest extension, but that'd be difficult without heavier metal cutting tools.

11.17.3. CNCL get welding protective gear

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:27]

Need helmet and gloves at least. Try on a few helmets for fit at a store before buying.

11.17.4. CNCL get welding tools

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:27]

Will want some or all of:

  • Chipping hammer.
  • Wire brush.
  • Stick canister (maybe).
  • Wire disc for the angle grinder (maybe).
  • Clamps, or get ones with table. Maybe get a multi-angle magnetic one too.

11.17.5. CNCL get supplies

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:27]

Get at least one good all-around stick, like 6013. Also get some general purpose building material, at least enough for building frames.

11.17.6. CNCL consider metal cutting bandsaw

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:27]

Get a lower-end table-mount one of these, or something similar.

11.17.7. CNCL get 240V outlet installed

  • State "CNCL" from "INAC" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:27]

There's already one of these out in the garage, but it's near the breaker box. Get one near the welding area. Can use 120V in the meantime. Will hold off on this until I get a bench setup, since if I go portable, that might not be an issue.

11.18. DONE fix leak in new shower

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-11-01 Wed 11:43]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-20 Fri 12:45]

I checked under the new shower after install to ensure no leaks and thought we were good, but looks like there's one behind the side panel. This ruined a basement ceiling tile too, so replace that once I've confirmed the leak is fixed. Bumping this to highest priority.

2023-10-20: Called. They'll call back with scheduling. Important bit is that it's covered under the installation for the shower which has a 1 year warranty, should it be the case that it was the cause.

2023-10-23: Scheduled for 2023-11-01 0800-1100 (Weds).

2023-11-01: Leak fixed. Was a bad seal behind the new showerhead, as suspected. Unfortunately, plumber had to install a new access panel to get to it, but I guess I'm okay with that since now it's possible to service the new shower fixtures.

11.19. [5/5] do 2023 tree plan

11.19.1. DONE plant peach trees

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-10 Mon 17:44]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-08 Sat 14:06]

Get 4. Put them in a row or square beyond the small garden. Leave room for future trees in the same area.

Modified plan a bit. Bought 2 Elberta peach and 2 Fantasia apricot. The latter were swapped in due to availability at the local shop.

Done. Wrapped in a fencing square to save on fence cutting. These should hopefully only need 4 years in the fence.

11.19.2. DONE plant forsythia

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-07 Sun 11:29]

A- got one of these when getting the peach/apricots. Determine a good place for it and plant.

2023-05-07: Did this a month ago.

11.19.3. DONE get additional screening trees

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-07 Sun 13:40]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-07 Sun 11:30]

Amount TBD, pending 2022 planting results. Wait until at least Spring to ensure all the previous year's trees are still alive. Might still get 4 more either way, and put them in a grouping with the other screeners.

Just got one Thuja occidentalis and used to replace the dead tree on hill.

11.19.4. CNCL plant apple trees

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-01 Wed 16:51]

Might skip if none of the pecans die. Otherwise should have bandwidth for them.

I think all pecans are alive still.

11.19.5. CNCL check if 2nd redbud died

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-11-01 Wed 16:53]

Reminder to see if this tree is still alive or not. Will plan to replace if not.

I think this is dead, but will do a full survey next year.

11.20. [54/59] do 2023 garden

11.20.1. DONE get plant stands

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-08-29 Mon 18:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-08-29 Mon 05:42]

Since the flower bed can't really have flowers in it due to chickens and cats walking over part of it, get some metal plant stands for that area to put random things in. Low peppers, flowers, and herbs would be good candidates for such pots.

2 planters and stands purchased and setup. Nothing in them currently. Thinking about putting thyme and lemon thyme in them. Another option is "Ajuga, Chocolate Chip", which I'm thinking would be a good transfer to the flower bed itself too.

2022-08-29: Was going to buy 2 Ajuga, but they were out of stock. Instead, went through the seed collection and started a pot of lavender and chives. The downside here is that they'll have to wait until Spring to go outside. But, they're also more useful, particularly the chives.

Update: Chives never sprouted. Put 2x peppers and 1x lavender in planters.

11.20.2. DONE make garden plan

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-12 Thu 20:28]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-31 Mon 19:35]

2023 will be the year of pepper experimentation. Most other things are just holding pattern.

Non-pepper reminders:

  • Skipping all squash varieties again, including crookneck, in order to reset the beetles that attack those. Will start that up again in 2024. Also skip sunflower.
  • Since we're good on preserved tomato products, reduce tomato count to 4 slicer, 1 bro, and 1 double cherry.
  • Might build a corn wall in the East of the small garden, probably popcorn. Could do another on the West of the big garden.
  • Might consider a small eggplant if I have room.
  • Consider trying celery.
  • Skipping green beans this year, since the yellow bugs that live on them seem to be quite plentiful. Will start up again next year.

Pepper thoughts:

  • Just plant enough jalapeno and green pepper for kitchen use. 8 plants each should be more than enough. Pull any crosses, even though some are useful for stuffed peppers (we'll just have to make due with smaller normal jalapenos for this). Spread these apart from each other as much as possible. Note that these guys, especially the jalapenos, don't mind full sun as much as some others.
  • For cayenne, maybe do a half-row in the small garden in a shaded area. Pull any crosses here again. These are the ones I'd like to keep as pure strain as possible. Might even consider buying new seeds.
  • Random stuff that I don't care about that for can go in the raised bed, including MyThai.
  • Start all peppers maybe an extra 2 weeks earlier. Habanada need to start an extra month earlier, as do the MyThai.
  • Instead of trashing my indoor habaneros, try "wintering" them. Cut most of the branches off past the main forking and keep them in the basement in a dim area. Then I can plant these next year if they survive.

Consider getting some pepper seeds early (like in late 2022) from: https://chilepepperinstitute.ecwid.com/

Peppers I'm interested in are (mainly CPI, with exceptions noted):

  • Black Pearl: Will try this as a winter ornamental.
  • NuMex Easter: A small, ornamental pepper, good for indoors. Could put any extra in the raised bed.
  • NuMex Suave Orange: A low heat habanero that I might like more than Habanadas.
  • Tabasco: Lots of possibilities here, from sauces to powders. Will try 3-6 plants next year, while still getting enough to be worth processing. Unlikely to cross with anything else. Some questions regarding climate suitability though. If this goes well, will add to the retinue. There's also the NuMex NoBasco if I like this flavor in salads and such.
  • Sugar Rush Stripey: This one is from Etsy, but alternatively, could get CPI's Ají Limón.
  • Scotch Bonnet: An alternative to my Habanero line.
  • Bhut Jolokia (ghost peppers): A 1M SHU super-hot. Alternative is the 7 Pot Primo from: https://www.primospeppers.com/

Done. Decided to go for peanuts and mini eggplant (patio baby hybrid) as the new stuff. Okay with the eggplants being hybrid, since probably won't stick with them. If I have any extra space, will fill in some beets.

11.20.3. DONE order seeds

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-23 Mon 19:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-31 Mon 19:35]

For pepper seeds, consider getting those in late 2022. Consider resetting my cayenne seeds, which might be worth it if I can keep them more separated.

2022-10-31: Ordered sugar-rush stripey seeds from Etsy.

2022-11-04: Ordered NuMex Easter, Tabasco, and ghost pepper from CPI.

2022-11-06: Received stripey seeds.

2022-11-14: Received CPI seeds.

2023-01-13: Ordered peanut and eggplant.

2023-01-23: Received.

11.20.4. CNCL plant corn

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-01-30 Mon 12:26]

Should be able to plant this starting last week of April, or thereabouts.

Skipping corn this year.

11.20.5. DONE start peppers

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-11 Sat 20:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-16 Mon 15:10]

Start Habanada and MyThai in mid-Jan. Also start Stripey early. Do one tray of green and most of a tray of jalapeno. Start cayenne in early Feb.

2023-01-16: 9x Habanada, 6x MyThai, and 2x ghost started. Put my small NuMex Easter in the final cell.

2023-01-28: Started 6x habanada, 8x stripey, and 4x cayenne. The stripeys are 1 seed per cell, so replant any cells that don't sprout.

2023-02-11: Started 2 trays. One all green pepper. The other is 6x tabasco, 3x cayenne, and 9x jalapeno. That should do it for this year, unless I get a lot of failed sprouts.

11.20.6. DONE plant potatoes

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-19 Sun 17:18]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-19 Sun 15:29]

Ideally, plant in late April.

Went ahead and put these in early to see what happens. If they all die, will put something else there, like onions.

2023-05-25: Some didn't come up, but since a bag of red potatoes started growing roots in the basement, added them in the empty spots.

11.20.7. DONE check on grape training

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-02-22 Wed 17:09]

Make sure the main branch is going up the stick. Look into whether I should trim shoots when training.

Tied everything up.

11.20.8. DONE start tomatoes

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-02 Thu 20:57]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-02 Thu 12:33]

Start first week of March. 4 slicer, 1 bromato, 1 (2-group) cherry.

Done. Bromato is in the green pot.

11.20.9. DONE plant onions

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-03-02 Thu 20:58]

Plant these in mid-March, and stagger in two groups separated by 2 weeks.

Did this a couple weeks ago.

11.20.10. DONE fertilize gardens

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-25 Sat 18:04]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-25 Sat 15:04]

Focus on Western sides of both.

Done.

11.20.11. DONE till gardens

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-29 Wed 18:20]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-01 Wed 20:58]

Dig up all deep rocks on West end of big garden.

2023-03-21: Shoveling complete.

2023-03-29: Hoe/rake work complete. Removed many loads of rocks.

11.20.12. DONE start eggplants

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-04-07 Fri 13:06]

Forgot that I needed to start these inside. Might have to transplant late. But they only need 45 days outside, so shouldn't be a problem.

11.20.13. DONE fertilize all perennials/trees

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-01 Mon 13:23]

Last time I diluted this and I think it was too much fertilizer at once. Go back to just dumping the pellets around the plants. Maybe throw a bit on the western edge of both gardens too.

Done.

11.20.14. DONE direct plant seeds

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-04 Thu 16:55]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-03 Wed 16:29]

This just covers the first round. See last year's notes for tips.

2023-05-03: Planted carrot, cucumber, watermelon, cantaloupe. Only need to plant some radish still.

2023-05-04: Started some radishes in the raised bed. That'll be on-going, so will consider this task done.

11.20.15. DONE plant peanuts

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-05 Fri 16:42]

These need to go in right away, since they take 110-140 days to finish. Shell, soak in a jar for 1-2 days (they should have sprouts coming out by then), plant in 1-2" dirt with sprout down and ~4" spacing. Can plant a thick row, with peanut plants staggered next to each other in 2D.

2023-05-05: Planted. Only had enough for a double row. I did soak them for 2 days, but they might need 3 next time. Will see what happens.

11.20.16. DONE setup pea trellis and start first pea batch

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-06 Sat 19:35]

Will try to be more disciplined about tying these this time.

Done.

11.20.17. DONE plant tomatoes

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-06 Sat 19:35]

These got super tall again, so will just skip hardening. I suspect this was because the spring had an unusually high amount of cloudy days.

Done.

11.20.18. DONE buy cover crop seeds

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-08 Mon 17:40]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-27 Thu 13:43]

Burpee has Winter Rye Organic, so will get 2 packs of that. Should save some weeding, help keep the soil in good shape, and prevent wind/water erosion.

2023-05-04: Ordered a Sweet Alyssum 250 seed pack off Etsy. Rye covers the winter, but this is for bare spots during the year. Will keep in strips to keep the paths open.

2023-05-05: Received rye. These packs do seem to have a lot of seeds in them.

2023-05-08: Received Alyssum. Seed count is obviously less than promised.

11.20.19. DONE refactor desk plants

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-09 Tue 13:05]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-03 Wed 23:45]

Not enough light at the desk to grow peppers, so think about what I might want there. Could get 2 more square pots and put at least one of the houseplants that's fine with darkness in one. Then, I'll put the Haeger planter back on the kitchen window sill. Other one can go in office and small snake plant can go on bedroom desk. Will keep indoor pepper collection next to the window.

Some ideas:

  • Zamioculcas zamiifolia: Also called the "ZZ plant". Very low maintenance, doesn't need much water (like once every 2 weeks), and is fine with minimal light. Only downside is it'll eventually outgrow the pot. Cuttings can be propagated though.
  • Perperomia: Claimed by some to be the perfect desk plant. Can be propagated via cuttings.
  • Snake plant: Main benefit here is already have some.

2023-05-03: This seems like a good plan, so ordered 1 ZZ and a 2-pack of Perperomia (variegated version, I think) from Lowes. Also ordered 2x 6"x6" planters. Could put the smaller black pearl outside and put the extra Perperomia there. Distribution will be:

  • Office: Perperomia
  • Living room: Perperomia and ZZ
  • Bedroom: Snake

2023-05-09: Put everyone in their designated locations. ZZ is a little scrunched, but hopefully he'll spread out. Space for his roots is also a little constrained.

11.20.20. DONE get indoor pepper seeds

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-11 Thu 17:24]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-04 Thu 11:24]

Decide on indoor pepper plan for this year. Idea overall is to cycle on these varieties every year until I settle on ones that do well by the window, ideally without a lot of supplemental light in the fall/winter. Trying to optimize for ones with denser foliage, of sizes suitable for the pots they'll be in, and that don't generate piles of leaf/flower litter every day. Also would like an aesthetic pod/leaf color distribution.

2023-05-04: Here's how I envision the main window layout:

8" planters:

  • Black pearl: Already have.
  • Ghost: Already have. Over-wintering, so might leave in a plastic overflow pot. Will prune as needed to keep it smaller. Might be something wrong with this one though, so if it doesn't perk up, I'll toss it.

6" planters:

  • Quintisho: Green leaves; small, spherical, yellow pods.
  • NuMex Twilight: Green leaves, various color (yellow, red, purple) pods. Might need 8" later.
  • Medusa: Green leaves; long, dark, red pods. Might be able to do small.

4.5" planters:

  • Shu: Variegated leaf (white/green), Thai variant, red pods, hot. Try Uchu Cream if this doesn't pan out.
  • Mambo Yellow: Dark green leaves, medium yellow pods.
  • NuMex Easter: Will start another one of these with more light.

Considered, but didn't get: Santaka, Scotch Bonnet, Fish, Red Rocoto, Sedona Sun, Aji Charapita.

Ordered Shu, NuMex Twilight, Mambo Yellow, Medusa, and Quintisho. Will start a tray with 2-3 of each of these, once I get them all.

2023-05-11: Got all orders. Also got some free KS White Thai with the NuMex Twilight order, which I'll use outside next year.

2023-06-06: Decided ghost pepper was stunted, so moved him outside after hardening, after which he quickly died. Will still get at least one more 8" planter though.

11.20.21. DONE replace seed starting supplies

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-12 Fri 14:59]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-09 Tue 23:39]

Been using the big box store trays, which suck. Cells crack/split within 2 years, trays get holes I have to keep repairing, and all shed plastic bits everywhere. Since I intend to garden until I'm like 75. That's a lot of plastic junk and money wasted, so might as well get some stuff that will last.

Researched this a bit. Looks like I can get durable trays and lids, but not the actual cells themselves. There are 3.5" peat pots at gardeners.com, but those are $9 a set and single use, whereas I think I can get 4-5 years out of slightly better cells.

Decided to order from Greenhouse Megastore, which a lot of people like, and to stick with 3.5" cells:

  • 1x 10-pack of 1020 trays, mega heavy duty
  • 1x 5-pack of vented humidity domes
  • 12x 18-pack of normal 3.5" cells
  • 2x 18-pack of tall 3.5" cells
  • 1x 5-pack of normal black form trays

Will give this a try and cycle on it if needed, and/or add the peat pots later. Could also look into just putting small terracotta planters in the trays. Should be good with just this for maybe 15 years though, so I consider this problem solved for now. Also will still use my current trays as liners or for putting stuff outside. Got free shipping and found 15% discount code. Total with tax was $111.06.

2023-05-12: Got everything, which looks great, with one exception. Trays and cells are nice and thick, have more capacity, and will last way longer than the old ones. Might be good for life on all this stuff now, unless I want to change my system.

The disappointment was for the humidity domes. These don't fit with any combo of trays+cells from this vendor. They fit on just the trays themselves and on the old junk trays though, so I'll hang onto them for now. Might make sense if you're doing a full dirt-only tray, like for lettuce, or for a flat set of mini-cells to raise everything early in all at once.

Update: Had idea to still use the humidity domes. Take the cells I want to germinate then place 2 rows of them in the middle of a tray. The dome should then fit over them fine. Can then take off the dome and bottom water for awhile.

11.20.22. DONE replace coffee table planters

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-15 Mon 15:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-06 Sat 16:14]

Will get 2 8" and 1 6" ceramic in black/brown. Fertilize liberally while transferring.

2023-05-06: Ordered planters and a pack of planter coasters of various sizes.

2023-05-15: Transferred plants to new planters. Looks good, but not sure the snake plants are doing that great. Added some fertilizer.

11.20.23. DONE get Spanish moss

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-16 Tue 12:35]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-10 Wed 01:17]

Get some of this for the coffee table plants, succulents, and certain indoor peppers. If this works out nice, get a few more bags later at Lowes.

2023-05-10: Ordered 2 bags.

2023-05-16: Tried this out. Looks good, but is messy to get out of the bag.

11.20.24. DONE get better grow light

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-16 Tue 12:41]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-06 Sat 16:23]

Need to do something, since some tomatoes grew 4' tall this year. Two options considered:

  • Arm-based setup: Cheaper and less intrusive, but might have issues with placement.
  • Constructing an overhead frame: Will have to build something, but can then hang lights directly overhead. Bulky and might be kinda ugly.

Will go with the former first, since I only need it for a couple months per year. Cost was ~$27. These are LED, so will only consume 10W when running. Also has a timer, which I'll set for 12hrs/day. Will test it on my 2023 indoor pepper batch.

2023-05-09: Received. Good build quality and all, but needs a longer cord. Also was hoping it was brighter. Unlikely to be enough of a game changer on its own. Ordered USB type A extension cord for it.

Usage notes: Power button will turn on all lights, then turn off one at a time. To use the timer, wait until the start time you want it to activate, then cycle through the modes. One of the buttons will light up to correspond with the active mode.

Will hold off on further decisions until I get final window bench. I suspect a mount will be necessary at some point. Maybe look at these 4' T5 variants: https://www.gardeners.com/buy/grow-lights-and-stands/grow-light-fixtures-bulbs/

2023-05-16: Got USB extension, which works. Can now reach anywhere on bench.

11.20.25. DONE order folding A-frames

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-16 Tue 20:36]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-13 Sat 14:15]

Will grab these on sale currently. Use with cucumbers this year, and for gourds next year. Also grabbed some gourd seeds, which might be a little late, but will try anyway. The birdhouse ones are out of stock, unfortunately. Will plant one mound each of mini gourds and goose neck. Seeds should be good for many years, so might as well use the 25% sale when I can.

2023-05-14: Ordered, hopefully in time to use, since getting cucumber sprouts now.

2023-05-16: Received. Looks good and folds pretty compact. Just having cucumbers on one side this time, but might put them on both next time. Could also add more there later this year.

11.20.26. DONE plant some gourds

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-17 Wed 18:20]

Have seeds for mini and goose neck, so pick a spot for a maybe 3 of each.

Planted. Will need to thin, since they're space-constrained.

11.20.27. DONE harden peppers

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-18 Thu 12:21]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-05 Fri 10:09]

Use the truck bed method, which seems to work best. Give them a full week of adjusting, minus any rain/skipped days.

2023-05-05: Starting.

2023-05-18: Looks like they've been ready for a couple days now. In retrospect, need to start hardening much sooner. Also got some sun scalding on first trip out. First couple exposures should only be during sunset or with full clouds. Then put them out in direct light for super short at first, like 15 min, increasing 15 min/day.

11.20.28. DONE start indoor peppers

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-19 Fri 08:03]

Start as soon as growing space cleared. Use new trays. Note which ones work out and which don't (either for not liking the growing conditions or being inappropriate shape/size/structure for indoors). Will leave in cells until the leaves start touching their neighbors.

1 tray, consisting of:

  • 3x Quintisho
  • 3x NuMex Easter
  • 3x NuMex Twilight
  • 3x Medusa
  • 3x Shu
  • 3x Mambo Yellow

Will keep up to 3 Mambo, Medusa, and Easter, but probably less. Rest will only keep 1, with the remainder going outside. For each variety, assuming all 3 sprout, do: normal/unhardened, pruned/unhardened, pruned/hardened, in that order. Will keep 2 trays and transfer 3rd sprouts over to the other, keeping them outside on sunny days so they grow quicker.

2023-05-19: Decided to overplant all cells with 3-4 seeds, with the reasoning that if I can't get savable seeds from any of these, I'm fine with not growing them again. Only have leftovers from Easter and Twilight. Will note any germination or early stage anomalies.

11.20.29. DONE plant peppers

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-19 Fri 18:45]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-05 Fri 10:08]

Put tomato trellises on Tabasco. Single surviving ghost pepper will have to stay inside until next year.

2023-05-05: Planted 2x Thai in flower bed pots. Planted 2x habanero in small garden. Put one of the black pearls in small garden.

2023-05-14: Decided to plant NuMex Easters outside in raised bed. Planted 5 of the healthiest looking peppers, in hardening success test.

2023-05-15: Test peppers look good, so planting one tray per day.

2023-05-19: Done. Also changed mind about ghost pepper and just put him in raised bed. Will start over with a new one if I want to grow one over winter.

11.20.30. DONE replace cat grass planters

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-20 Sat 14:06]
  • State "STRT" from "DONE" [2023-05-16 Tue 20:36]
  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-13 Sat 13:45]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-08 Mon 15:54]

Currently using junk plastic containers. Already have one nice one that would work, but need two to keep the cycle up. Will still use plastic for downstairs.

2023-05-08: Bought another Haeger Pottery #225. Will start hardening the NuMex Easter peppers in it to go outside.

2023-05-13: Got new one which looks good.

2023-05-16: Reopening since got a final one for the downstairs cat.

2023-05-20: Got new one which looks good.

11.20.31. DONE mulch grapes

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-22 Mon 20:25]

Will try adding mulch to grapes to get them to grow more. Thinking is that it could be the surrounding grass that's slurping up all their resources.

Done. Also did blueberries and blackberries.

11.20.32. DONE plant luffa seeds

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-23 Tue 08:36]

Got some from local farmer. Will try planting a few in the big garden.

Planted 5 seeds. Soaked them for 3 days, but they didn't seem to be doing anything, so not sure this will pan out.

2023-05-30: 2 sprouted so far, so seems to work.

11.20.33. DONE plant eggplants

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-30 Tue 16:50]

Not sure about hardening, so will do at least a few days.

All planted. Looks like they benefiting from some hardening, but don't need as much as peppers.

11.20.34. CNCL put something in flower bed containers

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-06-08 Thu 21:24]

Peppers currently in them will die when it frosts, so put something else in them, or at least get a plan for next year.

Some ideas:

  • Heuchera: Okay with shade.
  • Sedum: Doesn't mind neglect, but likes a lot of light.
  • Hellebore: Likes shade in summer, but more light in winter.
  • Pansies: Probably would do fine, and are technically perennial, but usually treated as annual for various reasons. Could be a companion to other plants though.
  • Rosemary: Had one that survived fine for many years outside, so should work and be useful. Shops sell rather large and established plants of these.

Leaning towards a 2 pack of rosemary plants next spring, leaving the dead peppers in there over winter. Add task for next year when sure.

Decided that I like the peppers in there for now, so will grow 2 more for that purpose. Might also migrate the lavender in the 3rd one into the ground and put another pepper there. That being the case, will start 3 plants in the 6" plastic planters for such purposes later this year.

11.20.35. DONE build grow light system

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-10 Sat 15:28]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-31 Wed 11:20]

Have the bandwidth for building a proper seed starting setup. No reason to put this off, since it'll be of benefit every year hereafter. Reasons for doing:

  • Get seed starting out of the living room, which will just be for indoor plants and ornamental peppers. Also can leave fan in bedroom.
  • Reduce the number of months needed to start seedlings, and providing them with better light to not get so tall.
  • Make hardening less of a shock. Seems no matter what I do with current setup, they drop most of their leaves once transplanted.
  • Can save money on this by not having to worry about matching living room aesthetics.
  • Open up options of growing other stuff, like microgreens, lettuce, etc.

Setup will only be active for 2.5-3 months while starting stuff indoors, and in storage otherwise. Will still use the clip-on light arm when I only have one tray, or for overflow.

Common options:

  • 48" wide, 3-tier, wire shelf from Amazon. Put protectors on legs, then will put this on top of the 2 current tables acting as the plant bench. Can put next to window or next to dresser in master bedroom. Alternatively, can still put in living room, but in corner (unlikely, since the light will be unpleasant, but this would give some "free" extra spill-over to other plants). Update: Found a 5-tier one of better quality for a lower price at Lowes. Need to measure though; might be too big to move around. Also found a nicer looking, but more expensive, 3-tier one on Home Depot.
  • 5' runner/floor protector to go under everything, since it'll be on a carpeted surface. Probably will try without the first year, since the tables will still be there.
  • Get timer later, once this is all setup.

Light options:

  • 2x 4' T5 grow lights. Get a full set of extra bulbs and note the bulb type. See last year entry for some ideas. Get the extra bulbs on Amazon, where they're significantly cheaper. Swap in one of the cheaper ones in each 2-bulb fixture, in case they're not as bright.
  • 2x 4' LED grow lights. Trade-off is they last longer, but cost more upfront. Probably will last my lifetime. Consider the Spider Farmer SF600. Also lighter and easier to move to normal plant bench later if I want some supplemental winter light.

2023-05-31: Decided to go LED. LEDs are just a better solution overall, and will make up the difference in cost with a single year of power use. Ordered 2x SF600. Will think a little more about shelving and wait until these arrive so I can determine hanging options.

2023-06-08: Received lights. These look great and have an adjustable wire hanging system. Should work fine with whatever kind of shelf I want to get, though I'll need to install hooks if I get a wood one.

2023-06-08: Decided to order a 4-tier wired shelf with casters from Lowes for $140. Can wheel it out from the wall to clean. Also comes with liners and the shelf heights are adjustable. Only downside is it'll be a little cumbersome to move back downstairs when done using each year.

2023-06-10: Complete. Looks great, at least from a functional perspective. Discovered I can just skip assembling the upper half and then it'll be a 3-tier, if I space the shelves about 15" apart. Might leave it this way, unless tall plants need more space. Currently testing on my tray of indoor peppers.

2023-06-21: Also added outlet timer, which should control both lights if they're plugged in. Have an extra one for any future lights for the living room.

11.20.36. DONE plant Ajuga in flower bed

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-10 Sat 21:21]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-27 Thu 13:43]

Had an idea to put Ajuga, Chocolate Chip plants in the flower bed to provide some year round cover. Downside is it might displace the mint. If that happens, I might just switch to having that in the raised bed. Might also get tramped to death by the ducks. Will just get one as a test run.

2023-04-27: Ordered 1 live plant for $9.99.

2023-05-05: Plant arrived in good condition. Instructions say to plant right away, but I'll hold off and raise it indoors for awhile first, since the chickens will just trample it at current size. Will put some large rocks around it to keep them off.

2023-06-10: Planted.

11.20.37. DONE fertilize peppers

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-06-11 Sun 16:32]

Adding one round of this. Try doing it a week or two after they start their main flowering.

Did this a little early, since some of them seem stunted. Will do another round at least, maybe in a month.

11.20.38. DONE get indoor pepper planters

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-12 Mon 15:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-19 Fri 05:50]

Once I have a good idea what peppers will be indoors, get black or black/brown ceramic planters for them. Might start with a 4/2/2 approach, where I get 4 4.5", 2 6", and 2 8". Then can promote plants to larger planters and add any larger ones as needed. Might also get some small terracotta pots for pepper plant gifts.

2023-05-19: Hard to find the kind of dark colored, glazed, ceramic planters I had in mind. Found some that might work, so ordered one of each size as test.

2023-05-26: Received first batch and they look good, but in the 2-planter box, the large one came smashed. Doing a return/replacement on that before buying any more. The small one that came intact looks good though. Only caveat there is it's about 5.5" and not 4.5" as advertised.

2023-06-01: Since I still wanted 4.5" ones, found 4x of acceptable color on Etsy for pretty cheap. Left in cart overnight and got 10% discount.

2023-06-05: Returned the replacement planters too, as they were also smashed.

2023-06-06: Ordered 2 planter coaster packs. Should be good on these now. Also ordered another 5.5". Thinking 2 of those should be good for the peppers that are just slightly too big for the 4.5". Will probably still want at least 2x 6" and 1x 8".

2023-06-07: Received the 4x 4.5" ones. These are actually really nice, especially since they were under $12/ea.

2023-06-08: Ordered 2x 6" planters that should match the 4.5" ones. Also got a 10" one that I may use for this instead of an 8" one, or for A-'s spider plant. Defaulting to the latter. If that happens, will order an 8".

2023-06-10: 10" arrived, but was claimed for spider plant. Will still need 1 8" then.

2023-06-12: Got coasters, 5.5" planter, and 2x 6" planters. All look good. Calling this done for now, though I might add an 8" later if needed.

11.20.39. DONE get additional indoor pepper seeds

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-13 Tue 18:06]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-08 Thu 10:12]

Looks like quintisho and mambo yellow were both duds, with 0 sprouting. Okay with this happening for quintisho, which it turns out grow to 2'. Will move some of my next year choices forward to replace those, as I don't want to waste a year not trying out a full spread. The others in the same tray worked fine, so I think it's not my fault. However, will try soaking bought seeds in a wet paper towel for half a day before planting next time.

Getting:

  • Moruga Satan: Will transfer outside next year. Since this will be constrained a bit, will want to remove excess pods and only keep max of 5 or so active. Selected this as my first and probably only super-hot. I guess everyone needs to grow one of these at some point, but I'm not particularly interested in this side of the hobby. Also considered the 7-Pot Slimer. If I can get decent a harvest from it outside next year, might try making powder on the deck with it.
  • Hot pops: Should be fine in a 4.5". Not tasty, so will have to be really interesting otherwise to keep.
  • Yellow salsa: Very similar to mambo yellow. Should be fine in a 4.5". I think these are the same as Salsa XP Yellow. One site says these aren't good for eating. If this doesn't work out, will later replace with NuMex Thanksgiving or Memorial Day.

2023-06-08: Ordered all seeds. Tempted to add purple flash, but don't really have the room for more currently.

Updated indoor planter plan (assuming all sprout):

  • 4.5": 1 each of medusa, Shu, hot pops, and yellow salsa.
  • 5.5": Easter, twilight.
  • 6": Satan, MyThai.
  • Terracotta 4.5" for gifts: medusa, Shu, hot pops, salsa.
  • Pruning: Everything in 5.5" and above. Prune the Satan as soon as it forks its main Y, a couple of nodes down. Maybe also clear out a few top leaves and bottom leaves, so the new growth can get light. Then remove the rest of the big leaves once the new ones get started.

2023-06-12: Started Moruga Satan (3x seeds) in one cell. Pre-soaked for a bit.

2023-06-13: Received and started hot pops and yellow salsa. Still have 4 yellow salsa seeds left over.

2023-06-14: Gave up on the helmet head Shu, and replaced with a MyThai. Had idea to try that as an indoor, though it'll probably need pruning. Might put that in a 6", and move the Satan to an 8" or 10" (maybe a plastic planter, since it'll go outside next year for sure). Updated plan above. Also seems the medusa is trending smaller, so might not put them in 5.5".

2023-06-20: Updated plan above again to account for preliminary results. Both Easter and twilight seem to get pretty big quick, if given enough light. Have 2 pruned ones, which I'll put in the 5.5". Put one of each in a single outside planter.

11.20.40. DONE plant Sweet Alyssum

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-06-19 Mon 18:42]

Also known as Lobularia maritima. Once the main rush of weeds are done, sow seeds directly into ground in unused row space.

2023-06-19: Planted between carrot and peanut rows, along with A-'s ground cherries. Kinda disappointed with seed amount here, so not expecting much. Won't bother with this in the future, unless I want to start them indoors (which I don't have room for).

2023-07-26: So, these did sprout nicely and actually look really nice. Changed my mind about them as a result. Will get the huge pack of seeds from Burpee next time.

11.20.41. DONE consider transplanting lavender

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-06-20 Tue 15:45]

Once the catnip dies, maybe put this in the flower bed, then put any spare ornamental peppers I don't want into that planter.

Did early.

11.20.42. DONE start second pea batch

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-06-23 Fri 17:34]

Probably late June, since will only do 2.

Done.

11.20.43. CNCL consider getting drying tray

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-06-26 Mon 14:47]

For drying seeds and protecting the window sill while doing so. Get one or more small, low height bowls/plates. A sushi plate would be another option.

Decided not to get. Sushi plate is probably the closest, but not really the right shape. Will just save some lids from pickle jars or similar.

11.20.44. CNCL add stakes to eggplants

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-07-06 Thu 11:32]

Reminder to do this once they're about 6" tall or so.

Calling this a fail on the eggplant front. Need a different variety, since this one gets murdered by pests, despite my efforts to keep them under control. Might still get a few fruits, but the plants are probably permanently stunted.

11.20.45. DONE consider starting ancient pepper tree

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-05 Sat 13:42]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-22 Thu 10:32]

Was thinking about growing an indoor tree on a stand, but might want to do that with a pepper instead and keep it alive for as long as possible.

Downsides:

  • There's some indoor trees that are good at being low light, but I'll need some supplemental light for the pepper. Probably one grow bulb in a nearby lamp on a timer, in addition to any ambient light, would be enough though.
  • Leaf/flower litter.
  • Higher fertilization requirements. Probably will want to completely redo the soil once a year.
  • Can get weak later in life, and no longer able to send out new shoots from the main nodes.

Upsides:

  • Super cheap.
  • Produces food.
  • Arguably more interesting to look at.
  • Provides another seed source, if I keep a useful outside variety.
  • Can always ditch plant if not working out or quickly restart.

Thinking I'd probably want something with large, red or dark pods, and large leaves, ideally medium heat. Some options:

  • CGN 21500: Less hot than Habanero, supposedly handles containers better, and more interesting color. Could try crossing it with a Habanada. Note that CGN stands for "Centre for Genetics Resources, Netherlands".
  • Machu Picchu: Longer than normal Chinense, low/medium heat, very dark pods.
  • Pimenta Puma Dark: Unsure of heat, but has some at least. Dark large leaves. Might be a top pick among these, except that it's 300-500k SHU.
  • BIH Jolokia Black: Probably too hot, but looks good.

2023-06-22: Ordered 10" planter and CGN 21500 seeds. In addition to regular pruning, I'll do a major foliage prune and majority soil swap every year or so. Might replace my outside habaneros with this too, since it looks more useful on paper. Will start one CGN 21500 while I have the grow setup out, and decide whether to put in planter, or put the Satan in temporarily.

Have some reservations though, like this being a Chinense variety similar to habanero, which has a bad habit of dropping a lot of leaves and wanting to form a wide top canopy. One the other hand, most of the old indoor peppers I see online are Chinense. Some say that C. baccatum varieties do better, but they might not be keeping them more than 1 year. Here's some backup ideas:

  • Sugar rush stripey: Could even bring one in after running it through the overwinter procedure. Might not be as stemmy as the others here.
  • Aji White Fantasy: Cited as an excellent indoor producer. 10-15k SHU. Can get tall though, so would need careful pruning. Kinda boring foliage-wise though.
  • Aji Lemon drop (Aji Limon): Hotter than the white fantasy at 30-50k.
  • Sugar Rush Cream: A very low heat sugar rush, maybe around 5k.
  • Count Dracula: Was interested in this for outside, but could try it indoors too. Might be a good 6" planter option.
  • KS Lingria: Probably more useful than many of the others listed here, if I can get seeds that have the later properties of this variant. Lots of unknowns here though.

2023-07-01: Started 3 CGN 21500 seeds in a cell.

2023-08-05: Plant growing nicely, but has thrips, so will probably have to start over.

11.20.46. CNCL collect indoor pepper results

  • State "CNCL" from "STRT" [2023-08-05 Sat 13:41]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-29 Thu 12:26]

Once I have all/most of these fruiting, collect some thoughts on how the varieties worked out, whether I want more/less indoor peppers overall, pruning/not pruning results, and which I might want to replace/deprecate next spring or sooner.

Varieties:

  • Black pearl: Great ornamental overall. Upsides: Easy to keep shaped, looks pretty good, almost never drops leaves, pods stay good for a medium time. Downsides: likes an 8" planter, doesn't get black leaves/pods with window light, bland taste, generates slightly more flowers than I'd like, need to harvest pods with scissors to avoid breaking branches. Would like to start over sometime with an early pruned version or trim this one back and refresh soil. Black Onyx might be a good replacement for this, and be a little more optimal for inside.
  • Medusa: Can either prune or not, it seems. Does well in a 4.5", but could probably do a little better in a 5.5".
  • Shu: Easy to have get too much light (perhaps like other variegated peppers). Needs pruning to remain compact. Seems naturally unhealthy, with all examples having issues. Leaf color here isn't great and looks like a sick plant. Might still be a keeper though, due to liking low light.
  • NuMex Easter: Grows more compact than Twilight, and responds better to pruning. Produces a good spread of pods and generally looks great. Looks okay not pruned, but won't grow pods as evenly.
  • NuMex Twilight: One shaped nicely with pruning, but then dropped most flowers. Other not pruned one grew rather tall and lanky. Doesn't seem to produce many pods in either case, growing exactly one at each branching point, and a smaller cluster at end nodes.
  • KS White Thai: Had various issues. Grows well at first, but probably should be an outside pepper. Leaves kept getting wilted and falling off, even on new shoots.
  • MyThai F3: Noticed this variety is still unstable, so can't infer too much. My indoor example, however, responded well to pruning and seems to need it to stay compact. Needs 6" planter, at least.
  • Hot pops: Grew two, pruned taller one. That one bushed out nicely and quickly flowered.
  • Yellow Salsa: Had some several issues, though one grew nicely not pruned.
  • Moruga Satan: Wants to grow huge. Nice plant, but not a good indoor choice.
  • CGN 21500:

General thoughts/observations:

  • Keepers so far:
    • Best: Easter, medusa.
    • Okay: Black pearl, Shu, yellow salsa.
  • End goal: Eventually settle on 4-5 varieties, keeping some around for multiple years. Ideal picks should balance aesthetics, pod life, lack of mess, and usefulness as food. Would like some that do well in small containers, and maybe 1 or 2 varieties in larger.
  • Transfer sprouts out of their cells a bit early, like once they get their first or second true leaf pairs. By then, it should be obvious which plants are healthier. Especially when moving to a smaller planter, this allows for perfect centering. Not as critical for moving to large planters.
  • Variegated leaves look better in pictures than in real life, where they can appear as unhealthy leaves. Plants with them seem to prefer less light, which can be a useful feature.

Considering putting the KS White Thai, MyThai, and Twilight outside, and starting early with some of the seeds slated for next year.

2023-08-05: Discovered I have a thrip infestation. This negates some of the results here, since many of the issues can't be blamed on the plant or other conditions. In fact, it seems I've had the problem for quite a long time without noticing it, at least since last year. I suspect it's due to hardening off peppers and bringing them in/out. Will keep those segregated from now on.

11.20.47. CNCL consider moving some indoor peppers outside

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-08-05 Sat 13:27]

Currently late 2023-07, so last chance to move any indoor peppers I don't want to keep inside over winter. Any moved outside now should still have a good chance to produce some pods.

Considering:

  • KS White Thai: Can't tell what went wrong with this one. Might've not liked being pruned so early, or just doesn't like the 6" planter size.
  • MyThai: Possibly same issue as above.
  • Twilight: Looks nice as a plant, but refuses to grow any pods, dropping all flowers. I know from my outside one that it grows more like a normal, outside variety.
  • Black Pearl: Leaves are getting papery and either needs to go outside or get trimmed with a soil refresh. If I'd shaped it properly and fertilized it earlier, and I suspect it'd still be doing fine now.
  • Easter in temp planter: This one looks great, but don't want to use this planter indoors.

Would possibly replace those with:

  • KS White Thai -> KS Starrling
  • MyThai -> aji charapita peach
  • Black Pearl -> Santaka
  • Twilight -> Black Onyx or temp planter Easter

Canceling my plan due to the thrip problem on indoor peppers. Will migrate whatever looks like it'll survive outside, save seeds from any viable pods, then completely start over.

11.20.48. DONE make cayenne ristra

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-19 Sat 14:29]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-20 Sun 00:22]

Get a large needle and crochet thread, then try making one or more of these. Can hang them around the kitchen or on the porch. If I like this idea, can grow some of the larger Spanish/Basque peppers for the same purpose the following year.

2023-07-03: Got crochet thread. A- had some needles of varying sizes, so should be good there.

2023-08-19: Made one and it looks pretty good. It can get tangled up while constructing it, and it seems to work better if you push all peppers into their final position as you go. Might help to have it hanging off something while assembling.

Probably will make another one later once I have more peppers. However, I think it'd work better with normal cayennes (instead of my thicker-walled variant). Will keep an eye on these to see if they rot on the string. Might try it on Aleppo peppers if I can get enough of those in future years.

11.20.49. CNCL consider growing microgreens

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-09-05 Tue 13:25]

Since I have a good lighting setup now, it's worth at least trying this out. Assuming I like eating these, this would be quite profitable, as microgreens are rather expensive. Some of them should be left in the dark for much of the growing too, saving some energy costs. Can also grow these fine in the basement.

I think the only supplies I would need are seeds and some of these trays: https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/collections/trays-flats/products/1020-shallow-tray

Might also want a water spray bottle and the "performance organics" version of my current potting soil. Should be able to soak seeds (amount depending on seed type) for overnight, 1 cup or so of soil per 1020 tray, put under humidity hood, then grow under light for a few days.

Need to do more research on this topic, to confirm the above and get some ideas of what to grow.

This is a good idea, will revisit it when I have more free time.

11.20.50. CNCL start flower bed peppers

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-09-10 Sun 09:22]

These are more useful than alternatives, since they provide some food while the garden peppers are still growing. The mini-Thais this year looked great, but currently thinking for next year I want larger, bushy Thais with longer, red peppers. Like this year, want to time these to be producing as they go outside. Start around 2023-09.

The list:

  • MyThai: Will try raising one of these in a 6" plastic planter.
  • Santaka: Will need to do an early CPI order.
  • Takanotsume: Same as above. I think these are less SHU than Santaka.

This is partly an experiment too. Another dimension I want to optimize for is leaving the peppers on the plant for a long time. MyThai might be optimal for that, while I suspect the others are thin walled and will dry quickly. If that happens, might consider some of the jalapeno variants for the next round (which I'm considering focusing on in 2025 anyway).

Canceled for this year. Will start later, such that their first batch of peppers are formed outside. Ideal timing would be putting them out as soon as they start flowering.

Some results from 2023:

  • Guests really appreciated looking at the Twilight/Easter mix, so will probably do something similar next year.
  • Moruga Satan actually worked okay here, but should start it earlier if I want to do this again. Appreciates the sunnier spot. Might grow another one of these next time, or a CGN 21500.
  • A 4th planter and stand here might be a good idea too.

11.20.51. DONE build trellis for blackberries

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-14 Thu 21:33]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-14 Thu 17:32]

These are getting too big for simple sticks. Get 4 stakes and build an enclosure for them. 2-3 levels of wire should do it. Put in place first, then use drill to create wire holes. Consider pruning afterwards to keep it around the size of trellis.

Done. Just used one wire wrap up high, which seems to be suitable for it's current size/shape. Will add another later if needed.

11.20.52. DONE tear down trellises

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-21 Thu 09:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-02 Sat 13:24]

Also tear down cucumber trellis.

2023-09-10: Removed some, but left cucumber trellises, since there's a chance it'll still produce a few more. Also left part of the pea trellis, since a volunteer tomato is using it.

2023-09-21: Done.

11.20.53. DONE harvest peanuts

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-10-29 Sun 11:47]

Supposed to take 120 days, but some have said 140, or when the leaves turn yellow. Dig up with the garden fork, and leave to dry for a couple weeks. Will keep a large supply for seed, and roast any left over.

2023-10-16: Checked and there's still some peanuts not fully grown, so will leave in for another couple weeks.

2023-10-29: Harvested. Will let dry for awhile. Should be able to eat over half of these.

11.20.54. DONE try overwintering peppers

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:22]

Mainly interested in this as an experiment, since it could open up the possibility of growing some of the longer production varieties that are often hard to time. Have spare plastic planters, so could try overwintering 2 or more peppers in the basement. Spray them down with neem oil and spinosad soap before bringing in. Want to at least try one Chinense and one Annuum, though Chinense varieties are probably the most useful for doing this with. While some overwintered plants will die no matter what, this experiment is more about whether the process is particularly inconvenient. Candidates: mini-Thai, habanero, Shu (in flower bed), CGN 21500, Tabasco.

Decided to just overwinter a Shu and a CGN 21500.

11.20.55. STRT save seeds

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-10 Thu 10:57]

Save:

  • [X] Cherry Tomato
  • [X] Tomato
  • [X] Bromato
  • [X] Jalapeno
  • [X] Cayenne
  • [X] Snow peas
  • [X] Black pearl
  • [X] MyThai
  • [X] Medusa
  • [X] Green pepper
  • [X] Cantaloupe
  • [X] Watermelon
  • [X] Stripey
  • [X] Habanada
  • [X] Habanero
  • [X] Hot pops
  • [ ] Easter
  • [ ] Tabasco
  • [ ] White Thai
  • [ ] Twilight
  • [ ] Yellow salsa
  • [ ] Peanut
  • [ ] Luffa
  • [ ] Potato

11.20.56. STRT restart indoor peppers

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-11 Mon 12:49]

Restarting due to thrip problem. Do this in the Fall after I have seeds for everything, also waiting at least 1.5 months between moving everything outside. Come up with a completely new plan for what goes in which planter.

In order to mitigate this problem in the future, will do the following:

  • Pour boiling water on all potting soil used.
  • Start peppers in batches, max 3 at a time. Living room will be the "clean" area, once peppers are in their final pots and ready to come out from the grow light, do a few rounds of checking on them to ensure they don't have any pests.

Preliminary plan (might not end up having seeds for all of these):

  • 10": CGN 21500
  • 8": Aji charipita peach
  • 2x 6": Tangerine dream, KS Starrling
  • 2x 5.5": Easter, black onyx
  • 4x 4.5": Medusa, hot pops, Shu, yellow salsa
  • low bowl: Shu

2023-09-11: Started. Stuck to the above plan, minus the Shu and hot pops, so will have 2x 4.5" planters left. Should be able to harvest hot pops seeds from the current survivor, but those aren't ready yet. Shu is unlikely to produce pods before frost, so will probably just do 2x hot pops in that event. All seeds were vendor-sourced, minus the Medusa. Only did one cell of each, so might have to redo some as I didn't soak any. If these pan out, could have certain indoor peppers ready to eat in late 2023-12.

2023-09-24: Restarted yellow salsa, tangerine dream due to non-sprouting. Out of seeds now for the former, until I can harvest some from the plant outside.

2023-10-22: Easter, Medusa, yellow salsa, KS Starrling, Aji charipita peach, and CGN 21500 are all successfully started. Either didn't have seeds, or had start failures for the rest.

2023-10-23: Started and restarted remaining, minus Shu: black onyx, hot pops, tangerine dream.

11.20.57. STRT collect 2023 analyses

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-23 Sat 09:09]

Instead of maxing output, this year's focus is a combination of trying to solve some recurring problems, trying out potential improvements, running many low-cost experiments, and rounding out learning about peppers.

Some things noticed:

  • Started tomatoes a couple weeks too early. Need to keep a better eye on their water needs. They also need more light. Try starting them in tall cells next time so I can blast them with light directly as soon as they sprout.
  • Get fan out and have a gentle breeze on all plants, especially when young.
  • Switched to the popsicle stick method for labeling cells. Makes it easier to not mix them up. Sticks will degrade, but by then the cell should be ready to plant.
  • Start hardening peppers even earlier on any still, warm day. Increased light indoors will make this go easier too. If I can keep tomatoes compact, can do with them too.
  • Use liquid fertilizer towards the latter third of raising seedlings indoors. Put granule fertilizer in ground when planting outside.
  • Plant tomatoes a bit deeper, up to the first leaf set.
  • Preserving multiple volunteer tomatoes can get me a lot of no-effort extra plants. These seem to produce fruit later too, which can help after the indoor-started plants are basically dead.
  • Sugar rush and Tabasco peppers could use a tomato cage. Speaking of these, sugar rush seems to have some issues in this environment, and both grow pods that only start becoming ripe right very late in the season. They might not be good choices for this location unless I can get them more of a head start.

11.20.58. TODO harvest potatoes

Should be one cluster in the center of the watermelons, and a few clusters around the south side of the small garden. Then there's the red ones I planted later in the NE small garden, in the top of the 2nd and 3rd rows from the E side.

11.20.59. TODO plant winter cover crop

Do a full coverage planting around early 2023-10. Don't want these to go to seed, so this should be a good timing for shoveling under in 2024-03. Cover crop + mulching is probably a bad combo, so will only do one of these after trying both.

11.21. [8/11] do 2023 wood stove tasks

11.21.1. DONE cut 2022/2023 winter rounds

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-20 Mon 19:15]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-26 Sat 16:43]

Fill up the rest of the wood shed, plus a full cord outside of it. Will add more later, but that should be a good enough start. Plan this year is to burn 2 large rounds per day, and only use pre-cut for filler.

2022-11-27: Started. Will need 10-15 rounds of this.

2022-12-13: Going good. Was worried that the oil wasn't feeding, but seems it was just a dull blade. I noticed the all-in-one sharpener doesn't file down the raker (I think it's called) in one direction, so going over that manually with a file helps. Will alternate between blade sharpening and cutting until I have enough for winter. Note that according to Wikipedia, cutting frozen wood will dull a chain faster, so will try to do this when it's above freezing, though that might not be possible always this time since I waited too long to get started on this. Will try to be less lazy next year.

2023-02-20: Got enough to get through the year, so calling this good.

11.21.2. DONE shut down wood stove

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-03-05 Sun 11:05]

Burn the other bottle of creosote cleaner before doing so.

Done.

11.21.3. DONE clean wood stove

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-26 Sun 22:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-26 Sun 17:00]

Will just do a basic cleaning here, since the service will do a full clean.

Done.

11.21.4. DONE get professional cleaning

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-16 Tue 11:47]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-10 Wed 11:36]

Get the M- wood stove service in to do the flue cleaning and maybe whatever else is needed.

2023-05-10: Scheduled for 2023-05-16 1100 (Tues). Be sure to ask what he thinks about the gasket coming off, and if the tape kind is better.

2023-05-16: Done. Guy says that I definitely want to stick with the gasket type I have, so will put that spare one on. If that has problems again, will get the larger variant.

11.21.5. DONE buy bottles of creosote remover

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-23 Tue 11:38]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-19 Fri 05:49]

Get 4 bottles, use 2 at beginning of season, 2 at end. Cleaner guy recommends brand "Cre-Away". Try using the nozzle thing to spray it around, instead of dumping it in like last time.

2023-05-23: Received. Added note to use.

11.21.6. DONE replace gasket

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-05 Tue 17:51]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-04 Sun 14:54]

This was replaced, but didn't stay in place after a couple weeks. Redo this with extra glue. Get another spare one to keep on standby.

2023-06-04: Removed old gasket.

2023-07-23: Half-applied new one.

2023-09-05: New one seems to be holding up, so calling this good.

11.21.7. DONE order wood

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-28 Sat 13:54]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-26 Wed 15:05]

Will need 2 loads.

2023-07-26: Ordered. Will get call back on delivery time.

2023-07-28: Got first load.

2023-08-05: Stacked.

2023-10-16: Ordered. Will get call back on delivery time.

2023-10-17: Got order. Cost went up and is now $782. Should find an alternative source in the future (or just cut half of it myself).

2023-10-28: Everything stacked and cleaned up. Shed completely full.

11.21.8. DONE clean flue

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:23]

Looks like I'll have to continue doing this myself. Will try chipping at the creosote with the digging iron.

Done. Removed some of the old creosote as planned, but could use another pass next year.

11.21.9. TODO cut 2023/2024 rounds

Will just keep these separate, outside the wood shed, and continue cutting logs for the first half of winter or so.

11.21.10. TODO turn on wood stove

Use full Cre-Away bottle at each of: start, a week later, a few weeks before shutdown, and during final few days.

11.21.11. TODO get flue cap

Need an 8" one. Try to get at Lowes, so I can more easily return it if it doesn't fit.

11.22. [5/11] do 2023 minor repairs

11.22.1. DONE fix roof trim wind damage

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-18 Sat 16:01]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-18 Sat 15:00]

On 2023-02-17, a windstorm damaged some of the roof trim. Should be accessible from the deck roof, so will climb up there and try to do that.

Reattached with 3 nails instead of the 1 that was there. Should be good now.

11.22.2. DONE spread gravel on driveway

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-03-17 Fri 07:17]

Use up most of the remaining pile.

Done. Saved some for redoing the wood shed.

11.22.3. DONE unclog SW shower drain

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-06 Tue 17:18]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-06 Tue 17:00]

Noticed water doesn't run down as quickly, and starts filling up the base during a shower.

Fixed. For this kind of drain, to remove the cover, grab on to it with a pair of pliers, then pry up on one of the slots with a flathead screwdriver and pull up on the pliers at the same time. This kind of drain can benefit from a screen insert, but since I'm replacing the shower in 2-3 months, I won't bother for now.

Also inspected the broken fiberglass shell while I had this off. It is indeed broken pretty irrevocably. Since I was messing around in here, check downstairs under the shower after I use it next, just in case.

Update: Confirmed as fixed with no leaks after using.

11.22.4. DONE fix microwave handle

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-12 Mon 10:12]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-31 Wed 18:19]

Plastic part that the screw was anchored into broke.

Ordered a tube of metal epoxy. Will try to remove inside door cover, fill the handle with epoxy, then screw the holding screw back in.

2023-06-10: Applied as instructions say. Use gloves when handling this stuff next time. If this holds for a few days, will call it good. If not, will reapply, let dry first, then insert screw.

Also noticed that some of the microwave's quirks (like turning on a bit when you close the door) are worse now, so might be time to replace it soon anyway.

2023-06-12: Seems to be holding, so calling this fixed.

11.22.5. CNCL fix lower latch on small garage door

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-09-11 Mon 13:27]

To some investigation to see what's causing this to not catch.

Doesn't seem possible without removing a lot of metal.

11.22.6. TODO put rock on pond pipe

Find a large flat rock to replace the plastic bucket + rock combo. Plastic buckets eventually degrade after about 5 years, it seems.

11.22.7. TODO fix gap in siding

The vinyl siding gap above the outside power outlet returned. Figure out how to reposition these on my own and fix that. First need to order a siding removal tool in order to unhook and reset the piece.

11.22.8. TODO fix cuts in vinyl flooring

Get the Cal-Flor Multi-Surface repair kit and use on the kitchen floor. There's at least 3 cuts.

2021-04-15: Received kit. Can do this whenever now.

11.22.9. TODO patch up basement ceiling

Bought some plastic sheeting from Lowes. Use this to cover the removed sections. While at it, address the corner near the stairs. Utility closet also needs fixed up.

11.22.10. TODO replace caulking (round 3)

There's still some lower-priority areas that could use new caulk. Will need a fresh tube of it to complete this. Might save this as a winter job.

  • [ ] Redo the entire area around the SE bathtub.
  • [ ] Redo inside of the SW shower door.
  • [ ] Redo around basement bathtub.

11.22.11. TODO fix moulding behind bed

Measure this and see if I already own pieces to cover this spot. Will need to move bed frame to work on this.

11.23. [4/8] do 2023 cleaning

11.23.1. DONE clear ATV trails

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-02-20 Mon 19:14]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-02-13 Mon 17:47]

Lots of trees fell down in the forest, with more than a few blocking the trail. Chainsaw these and harvest wood from the non-pine ones.

2023-02-13: Did about half of the first blockage, which is 4 or 5 trees.

2023-02-20: Finished.

11.23.2. DONE take down deer feeder

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-03-10 Fri 11:06]

Inspect this first to see if I might want to use it if someone gives us more uncleaned field corn.

Turns out this was just a random metal pipe that was welded on the top and hung up as a shooting target for some reason. Definitely a strange (and not safe) choice.

11.23.3. DONE clear ATV trails (again)

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-23 Tue 19:15]

An old, dead tree fell, taking down some neighbors. Should be able to harvest some firewood from this.

Done and collected 2 Mule loads of firewood. Saved some smaller branches in a pile that I can go cut up later if I have the time.

11.23.4. DONE clean siding

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-30 Mon 22:25]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-13 Wed 13:23]

Should be able to get away with doing this without the ladder this year.

2023-09-13: Cleaned what I could reach, but could use a finishing touch. Or not, since I got the worst of it already.

Update: Never got around to finishing this, so calling it good for the year. Will add another cleaning task next year probably, depending on how it looks.

11.23.5. TODO clean/test water jet nozzles

Downstairs tub has some complex water jet system that we never used. Take those out and clean them, then test the system to see if it works.

11.23.6. TODO dismantle smaller tree stand

This one's pretty junky, and broken anyway, so might as well tear it down and let the tree heal up. This is also poorly built and nailed directly into the tree, so would want to remove it either way.

11.23.7. TODO pressure wash screens

I hosed these previously, but the pressure washing could get them even cleaner.

11.23.8. TODO cleanup old fencing

There's a tangled mess of this down by the pond overflow stream. Needs to be done in winter, so might do this in Fall 2022.

11.24. [0/4] redo large garden fencing

Can start this in Fall, or even earlier for some of the prep work. Will have to think about what I'm going to do about the fencing sections. Might conjoin them into one long piece and wrap it the whole way around.

11.24.1. STRT get supplies

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-12-02 Fri 18:14]

Already have most stuff, just need gate boards, 3 fence rolls, and a single post, I think. Try to get 4" gate boards this time. Might as well get a second post to replace the address marker later too.

2022-12-02: Ordered. Decided to stick with the same board size for the gate. Got 2 of the 4x4" posts. Ordered 2 fence rolls to start. Will probably need another at some point, but since they're rather pricey, will hope that I don't need it.

11.24.2. TODO tear down fencing

11.24.3. TODO install new fence

11.24.4. TODO build large garden gate

11.25. [0/2] do 2024 tree plan

11.25.1. STRT mulch fruit trees

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-27 Sat 22:17]

Will start mulching all fruit trees this year, getting some mulch bags whenever I'm at Lowes or anywhere else that sells them. Will probably need about 1 2lb bag per 2 trees. Some of these are definitely in what's sometimes called a stunted state, so hoping this will solve that problem.

2023-06-06: Did all 9 trees by small garden and berry plants within. Some thoughts so far:

  • Seems to be necessary to really fully de-weed, pulling as much out by the roots as possible. Otherwise, some stuff will still come through the mulch.
  • A good combo is the normal, finer mulch for a base around the plant, then use the wood chips on top. Sometimes the former is cheaper.
  • Will place garbage bags or landscape fabric weighted with rocks around the base of some of the stuff I did early on, to help kill the weeds. Will leave those on for a few weeks, then move them to new plants.

11.25.2. TODO replace dead trees

Survey these to see what should be replaced. Should know by May. Replace with some apple trees.

11.26. TODO upgrade heat pump and/or install electric heat element

Call T- and see if I can get one of the newer heat pump models that are more efficient have a higher coefficient of performance. Failing that, consider supplementing the current one with an electric heat element and get it serviced (mainly to ensure the refrigerant is topped off or replaced). Might want the heat element either way. Also see if it's possible to get a concrete slab installed that will keep the unit level.

This will make heating in the house significantly less insecure, as a wood stove failure wouldn't leave us unheated. Could still use the wood stove while it lasts if desired, but only for a smaller range of cold months (not sure about this since the water in the tank would freeze).

11.27. TODO mount flintlock on wall

Rifle is about 60" in overall length and 10lbs. Some options:

  • Professionally made live-edge mounting board: There's one shop that sells these online. Could also inquire about it at the local wood working place.
  • Live edge self-made: Buy a slab of appropriate size, finish, and put hooks on that. Then mount full board on wall, maybe with D-rings.
  • Two-piece self-made: Same general design as fishing rod holder, though with more rounded edges and metal hooks.
  • Direct mount: Mount the hooks directly into the studs and then hang rifle on that. Would have to have the studs in the right place.

11.28. TODO build struts for new dinette table

Get some 1.5" black screws. Cut boards to length, route a section from each to clear the leg attachment brackets, stain/finish, then affix to table. This should hopefully take out any remaining wobble.

11.29. TODO get short 1" pipe section

For future removal of the submersible pump from the well, get a ~6-12" section of 1" pipe with both ends threaded. This will only cost a few dollars and save any hassle in 15 years when it needs to be replaced again. This is due to the mount for the adapter being at a slight angle towards the house, making screwing in the T-handle difficult. Maybe also get a connector piece since it'll need a female end on the part where the T-handle goes into.

While buying pipe, get a ~2' one of 2" or so for use with wrenches and breaker bars.

11.30. TODO transfer boat title

Sign VA title over to myself, then go to local title business and transfer the title to a current WV one. Check if there's any boat property tax prior to doing so.

11.31. TODO touch up upstairs paint

Go to the local hardware store and get some color swatches to see if I can match the 1 kitchen, 1 foyer, and 2 living room colors. Then get small paint cans of each color to repair the paint.

11.32. TODO consider mid-view or non-screen sliding door

Could get one of these to replace existing screen door(s) to see if that solves the water infiltration issue on the downstairs basement door. Could be the cheapest solution. Not sure if such things are available, but worth looking. Could also call Window World.

11.33. TODO consider CSI DROP filter system

Bathroom remodeling contractors suggest replacing our filter system with something like this. More generally, they suggested that we get a consultation for our water quality and a filter system installed that would address its issues. Might want to redo the system altogether instead of replacing the filter media of the existing system, as he suggests its poor performance is due to mismatch between system and local water issues. While doing so, we can rearrange the pressure tank and filter system placement to be more accessible.

For the DROP system, I might not be interested in its smart home features, due to complexity, future software support, and power outages. Needs research.

Would also be interested in having the water directed to the water hydrant outside not be filtered at all.

11.34. TODO restock catfish in pond

According to local biologist, the catfish won't reproduce in ponds. I think they did here some, since many people have been fishing them up and eating them over the years, and I've seen smaller (and therefore probably younger ones). However, I think they may not be present anymore, so a restock is probably a good idea. Get 10-12 from the local fish supplier in the Spring.

Update: Also get some grass carp. These will supposedly eat some of the algae.

11.35. INAC [2/14] do 2024 garden

11.35.1. DONE collect gourd ideas

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-09 Tue 09:26]

Been meaning to try growing some of these. Will make bird houses out of, and/or bird feeders. Should only need 2-3 plants of each type. These will also make for good gifts.

Will go with swan neck and bird house gourds for the first year. Swan neck might work as kitchen cabinet decorations. Then next time, I'll do the small variety, as something that can sit around on shelves.

Will use A-frames for these. Might get additional ones if I find they're super useful for cucumbers too.

Prep: Pick gourds, wipe down the outside with bleach. Then store them in the basement over winter, next to the dehumidifier. In the spring, move to the shed shelves. Should be able to rattle them once they're good. Then wipe them down with a scouring pad or sandpaper, and apply a light stain and polyurethane/spray lacquer finish.

For birdhouses, make a 1.5" hole. Make some 1.25" ones for other birds. Sand around hole. Leave some of the papery pulp in there, which birds will use. Drill small hole in bottom for drainage, and another on top to run a cord through.

Update: Due to availability, doing goose neck and mixed mini gourds in 2023. Will do birdhouse in 2024.

11.35.2. DONE collect jalapeno variant list

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-09 Sun 12:02]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-25 Sun 18:07]

In 2025, will plant a spread of different jalapeno variants to determine which 1-3 varieties I want to keep around. Collect a list of possibilities here, and choose 5 or 6 top choices. Should be worth doing, since we use more of these than any other pepper. While the ones we grow currently are excellent, they tend to be smaller and sometimes too hot for certain dishes. Might also move one or more of these into 2024 if I'm particularly interested.

Varieties, ordered by interest:

  • My normal "Early" Jalapeno: Will need this for comparison.
  • Gigante: Largest variant, though some say they're more lacking in flavor while others disagree and think they're great.
  • Tangerine Dream: Super low heat, supposedly tasty, and sometimes used as an ornamental.
  • Fresno pepper: Unique flavor, very popular, slightly hotter, thinner walls, and matures faster.
  • CPI color variants: CPI has 3 of these in various colors. There's also a "spice mix", which is an assortment that might be more convenient for testing purposes.
  • Ghostly jalapeno: A cross with the bhut jolokia. Reports vary on heat, so unknown on that front. Alternative: Lemon Ghostly. Might be a good indoor, but will probably skip otherwise since I don't need more medium-heat peppers.

This is a good enough list. Might just do the first 4 of these, but will think about it.

Side note: Aji Guyana might be a good mild option in this heat range if I want a baccatum. Might try that in 2025.

Update: Decided to stick with my normal Jalapenos and the tangerine dream.

11.35.3. STRT make garden plan

  • State "STRT" from "INAC" [2023-06-15 Thu 09:18]

Preliminary thoughts:

  • Overall, would like to grow less immediately edible stuff. Would prefer to stick with at least 50% meal replacement shakes during the summer. That means less melons, cantaloupes, eggplants, etc.
  • 3 trays of peppers:
    • Early peppers: Habanada (9), Yellow Biquinho (3), Tabasco (2), and CGN 21500 (4) started 3rd week Feb, in tall cells.
    • Normal peppers: Green (6), jalapeno (6), sugar rush red (1), cayenne (5). Start first week Mar.
    • Weird stuff: Takanotsume (2), Santaka (2), MyThai (2), serrano (1), pepperoncini (3), KS white Thai (2), Aleppo pepper (6). Start first week Mar.
  • 1 tray of other stuff, started second week Mar:
    • 6 tomatoes in tall cells.
    • 6 eggplants.
    • 3 Rezha.
    • 2 solar flare.
    • 1 aji charapita peach.
  • 2 weeks before peppers go out, consider starting 1-2 additional trays of misc Annuum under humidity hoods. Maybe some additional jalapeno, cayenne, pepperoncini, Rezha, solar flare, poblano, and various Thai.
  • One row corn.
  • For White Thai, note that KS himself says that the best time to eat them is when they're white/purple, just prior to turning orange/red.
  • Will split peppers between both gardens to reduce likelihood of cross-pollination. Then all of the experimental one-offs will go in the raised bed.
  • For the pepperoncini experiment, if I get enough, maybe can some using the refrigerator method.
  • If I grow Solar Flare, be sure to pick early buds off, or it'll get stunted.
  • Might want to start a few Capsicum Flexuosum in a corner of one of the gardens. These are hardy peppers that can survive down to -15F. Downsides are that they're very small pods and can't self-fertilize. Choose a spot that I won't grow any vine plants in. Note that the seller of these claims they can need up to 6 weeks to germinate and suggests thoroughly soaking them.

11.35.4. STRT buy seeds

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-13 Tue 12:27]

Order in Dec or Jan.

  • [X] eBay: Rezha, pepperoncini, aji charapita peach, Aleppo pepper.
  • [X] Etsy: CGN 21500, Santaka, Takanotsume, KS Starrling, Hanjiao 3 Solar Flare, Capsicum Flexuosum.
  • [X] Grocery store: Buy a few serrano peppers and collect seeds.
  • [X] Texas Hot Peppers: Count Dracula, black onyx, tangerine dream, yellow biquinho.
  • [ ] Burpee: jalapeno, green pepper, cayenne, large gourd, heirloom eggplant, chard, 2x cucumber A-frame, french radish, red cabbage, Alyssum.
  • [ ] Forgotten Heirlooms: Sweet Moruga, Uchu Cream x CM x Peter, Dream Catcher F5, Hot Palette Variegated.

2023-06-25: Saved some serrano and poblano seeds from grocery store. Probably won't use the latter, but leaving option open. Note that a poblano will need a support cage.

2023-06-27: Finished grabbing several of the seeds I definitely want to grow from random vendors.

2023-07-14: Decided to swap Lingria (due to not being sure whether the available variant was the low heat version I wanted) for KS Starrling (this variant should be low/no heat, though it's worth noting that some of the ones out there are normal Thai levels). It's said online this is a cross between KS White Thai and Lingria, but I'm not so sure about that. Some of the pods in pictures look reminiscent of Aji varieties.

2023-07-18: Tried some Aleppo pepper and really liked it, so found and bought seed pack.

2023-07-21: Decided to order some Capsicum Flexuosum.

2023-07-27: Ordered Count Dracula, black onyx, tangerine dream, yellow biquinho from Texas Hot Peppers. Not sure I'll use all of these, but might as well keep them as options.

2023-08-03: Received Texas Hot Peppers order. They were quite generous with the freebies. Got African Pequin yellow, Thai bird's eye, and Grappoli d'Invero tomato. Might try the tomato and bird's eye (instead of Twilight).

11.35.5. INAC make indoor pepper plan

Replace any ones I no longer want to keep indoors. Ordered by interest:

  • Candlelight mutant: If I want a ferny pepper. Uchu Cream x CM x Peter is current favorite, I think. Start several, since the mutant gene doesn't always express.
  • KS Lingria: Possible ornamental that's also very tasty and a mild Thai. KS White Thai x Sangria. https://texashotpeppers.net/products/ks-lingria
  • Aji Charapita Peach: Possibly hot or not at all (reports vary, or maybe there's 2 variants out there). A very long-growing plant. Might be a candidate to keep alive for many years. KS kept one trimmed for awhile, to good effect.
  • Black Onyx: Might be worth trying as a black pearl replacement. Leaves in pics are 100% black, so might do better indoors.
  • Tangerine Dream: Mild 3" orange pods, but plant stays under 18". Might save for my 2025 jalapeno experiments and/or grow outside first.
  • Santaka: Should be perfect stir fry pepper. Can compactify by pruning the shoots that come out of clusters. Probably better outside, but would be nice to have it for food purposes.
  • Dream Catcher F5: Variant from Forgotten Heirlooms, which should have more purple leaves.

Update: Already got everything here (or their replacement), minus the Dream Catcher and CL mutant.

11.35.6. INAC make flower bed pepper plan

Might want to get some seeds just for this. Start them in deep cells, earlier than the others. I like the idea of 1 tall pepper + 2 short ones, so will do that in all planters. Will keep things pruned a bit more though, to prevent them from overcrowding each other.

With a CPI order:

  • Planter 1: CGN 21500, Easter, Halloween.
  • Planter 2: Twilight, Easter, Centennial
  • Planter 3: Twilight (or Dream Catcher), Halloween, Memorial Day

With currently owned seeds:

  • Planter 1: CGN 21500, Easter, mini-Thai (or Thai bird's eye).
  • Planter 2: Twilight, Easter, tangerine dream
  • Planter 3: MyThai (or Dream Catcher), Medusa, yellow salsa
  • Planter 4 (if added): Solar flare, black onyx, black princess.

11.35.7. INAC collect tomato variant list

Will consider doing some tomato variations in 2024. Will have to spread these out to prevent cross pollination. Still want to keep it to 6 total plants though.

11.35.8. INAC till garden

Do early (at least by early Mar) to till under cover crop.

11.35.9. INAC fertilize garden

Check local garden shop to see what kind of fertilizer they have and get a truckload of it. If that doesn't work out, try adding many Black Kow bags from Lowe's. In 2023, these were under $6/each. Will just do this once to get the clay under control, and try collecting leaf mulch from then on.

Update: Talked to local shop and they sell mushroom dirt for $40 per tractor scoop, which is much cheaper. Will go that route. Thinking maybe 5 scoops. Till first, spread this around, then do a light tilling and mixing with the garden hoe.

11.35.10. INAC try mulching garden

3 free options the property provides:

  • Grass clippings, when grass isn't going to seed.
  • Fallen leaves, run through the lawnmower.
  • Pine needles.

Will start building up a mulch layer in the spring, which will probably take more than this year. Might be able to skip tilling in the future due to this. Will start in small garden first. In future years, will try digging a hole to bury as many leaves as possible in the fall.

11.35.11. INAC buy 1 grape plant

Looks like there's one grape casualty, so get a replacement, preferably a larger one so it doesn't take years to catch up. Local garden shop sells these usually.

11.35.12. INAC start peppers

Follow plan detailed above. Use humidity lids instead of wrapping trays. Use fan occasionally once full trays sprout.

11.35.13. INAC start other veggies tray

Follow plan detailed above.

11.35.14. INAC start indoor peppers

Depending on how things are working out for current peppers, either keep those going or transfer unwanted ones outside and add a few.

11.35.15. INAC start Capsicum Flexuosum

Start after the rest of the trays go outside to save space.

11.35.16. INAC consider additional table top grow light

Probably will need something extra for the bench, though I'll hold off until I get a semi-final setup on the bench, which is likely not until 2024. Maybe get this and paint base black: https://aerogarden.com/grow-lights/trio-grow-light.html

The tabletop is a taller light though, so might want that.

11.36. INAC replace deck lattice

First take some measurements to ensure correct sizing. Get new lattice panels and bracing boards, pull existing lattice, cut new pieces to same size as old ones, apply deck finish to new lattice and boards, pressure wash support posts, apply finish to posts, install new lattice and boards. Might need trailer for hauling all stuff. Might do this one section at a time. Take pictures of existing mounting system for reference just in case. This is a reasonably large job and will want to set aside multiple days for it.

Need at least:

  • 8 lattice sections.
  • 6 3/4x6 boards.
  • 14 5/8x5/4 8' appearance boards.

The 3/4x6 boards aren't currently in stock at the nearby Lowes, so keep an eye out for those or grab elsewhere when available. Ideally them matching the thickness of the 5/8 thin appearance boards would be better, or the other way around.

11.37. INAC convert duck house to cat house

Since the duck I built this for got eaten by eagles, it no longer serves any purpose in the chicken run. Remove it from there and maybe replace the roof with a wood one. Consider adding a floor or assemble a cardboard box for the same purpose. Put this in the wood shed and see if the outside cats would like to sleep in it. Then I can get rid of their old sleeping box once I clear the wood out from on top of it.

Grabbed and removed the roof, but I'll hold off on doing anything with it for now. If I want to make a cat house out of it, that will have to wait until the wood shed is empty. There's a possibility I may want to return it to duck use with a new roof, depending on what we do with the bird situation.

11.38. INAC refinish burn barrel

If I have spare wood stove paint, use it on this. Sand off all rust and old paint first.

11.39. INAC replace missing garage lights

Not necessary, but might as well populate the missing 2 lights. These are 2-pin ones and measure 48"x1.25", I think.

11.40. INAC install key holder

Centralize key storage by mounting the key holder we already have on the wall somewhere. This should either go in the foyer or next to the front door.

11.41. INAC build garden hod

Get some kind of durable netting and wood pieces for this. Be sure to countersink any inward-facing screws/bolts. Make handle able to be rotated down for storage.

11.42. INAC refinish boat

Decide whether to completely redo it, just do the bottom hull and inside, or nothing at all. Order some Duralux aluminum boat paint that acts as both primer and paint. Available from Home Depot, but need to have delivered. Use this to repaint aluminum hull. Sand until metal is shiny. Scruff it with a medium pad (maybe just use some steel wool). Apply a layer of epoxy primer then a single stage or base/clear coat of poly enamel. For colors, thinking something more classically nautical instead of the camo paint job it has now. Maybe a blue/gray combo.

11.43. INAC get upstairs rooms repainted

Plan has been to at least do living room, kitchen, and foyer. Need to determine color choice. I might be inclined to leave things as-is though, provided we can do touch up certain spots.

11.44. INAC install kitchen backsplash

This will protect the wall from splashes and is a cheap way to increase perceived value (I think). Easy to install. Leaning towards this one: https://www.art3d.com/designs/a17024-self-adhesive-backsplash-tiles-for-kitchen-6-pieces-peel-n-stick-tile-5.8-sq.ft/

Also get some kind of trim strip for this, so it doesn't just end.

Decided to do this after repainting the kitchen, so this is a ways out.

11.45. INAC get water filter media replaced

This needs to be done every 10 or so years, depending on usage. Since it's never been done, probably should do it in 2022, which will be 10. Involves removing the tank and dumping, so a bit labor intensive and probably will run many hundreds of dollars. Unit model is E-1500.

11.46. INAC rebuild raised beds

Idea for better-constructed raised beds: For each, get 8x 8' 2x8 boards. Mitre these with 45° angles. Paint these with deck finish or use composite deck boards (e.g. Trex). Cut 4x 24" pieces of aluminum angle iron and for each board attachment point, drill two holes. Stack these during drilling to save measurement time. Attach boards with deck screws. Fill with more dirt from higher side of garden or some loamy soil harvested from some spot around the property (like the forest bed). Since this is 2' high, 6' posts should allow for 4' fencing with just a little overhang on top.

Alternative idea: Do the same as above for boards. Then for each bed, get 8x 8' 2x2 pressure treated posts. Cut 4 to 7' and screw boards to 8x8' frame with 6" protruding on the bottom. Then mitre the other 4 and make a top frame from those. Affix 4' fencing above the board line in discrete 8' segments, wired-attached with notches in the posts. Cut off excess post height on top. I think I like this option better for raised beds that need fencing.

This would make for a raised bed that would probably last 30+ years. Holding off on this for now since it would mean redoing the strawberry patch and being okay with having to restart it. Could do this if the soil starts looking a bit depleted there. For the other raised bed, could do this any time and might do so once lumber prices go back down. Might be a good winter project.

Related ideas:

  • Could conjoin the two beds, to save on materials. The path between the beds doesn't do anything since they have to be fenced in. Downsides are that I'd have to commit to doing both at the same time and might get some spillover with certain plants.
  • Could add a hinged door the frame option, but this would increase material costs by a good bit and would need to be smaller than the side it's on, limiting dumping material in here from the Mule bed.
  • A 8" high version of this could replace the current flower bed on the north side of the house. Would make it easier to raise things like ginger, onions, and radishes.

11.47. INAC build Pi CO2 monitor

Non-junk CO2 monitors are like $200+. Should be able to hook up an SCD30 sensor module to the GPIO and write a simple Python script for it.

11.48. INAC consider security camera setup

Currently thinking about the Wyze outdoor cameras, with one in front and one in back. These supposedly can save to SD card. Need to do more research before buying anything though and think about where exactly I would mount them. Mostly doing this to track wild animal patterns around the house, so not a high priority. Ideally, would like solution that pairs with a solar panel and battery, since don't really have many outside accessible outlets.

12. stuff

12.1. DONE stockpile light work gloves

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-03 Fri 23:36]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-01 Wed 21:52]

A pack of 12 seems to last about 5-6 years. So, will get 3 of those, which should cover the rest of life if I also later stockpile the heavier gloves and stick to using them for more destructive work.

Another inflation hedge complete.

12.2. DONE make speaker stands

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-21 Sun 20:52]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-08 Mon 22:25]

Measure and cut some blocks of oak for speaker stands. May leave them rough cut or lightly sanded with a poly coat, since they'll be stabbed by the metal speaker spikes. Put adhesive pads on bottom. Found speaker spikes, which are in a box in the bottom right desk drawer. Dimensions: 13" length x 11" tapering to 8.5" width x 6" height. It's hard to be very precise with a chainsaw, so if the taper is too much of a pain, just do straight 10.5". Do cross-cuts first. Test one sized block in place before doing the 2nd or any finishing.

Update: A- made a good point that doing this might not be a good idea. Many of the outdoor logs have boring beetles and other such things in them. Possibly bringing those into the house with all the wood around is needlessly risky. Will have to buy thinner slabs as a result.

2023-05-08: Ordered black walnut slabs. These are intended for making your own cutting boards and the like. Will probably have to cut to length. Will get some adhesive feet for them. Also ordered felt pads for it. Might stain and/or lacquer, depending on what they look like.

2023-05-20: Received. Looks good. Decided to stain.

2023-05-21: Project complete. Turned out great. Setup looks better with the spikes on it and can slide them out for cleaning more easily now.

12.3. CNCL consider Light Phone II

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-05-23 Tue 15:07]

Should be able to use this if I just do a SIM swap with my normal phone. Not sure I want to though, so think about it some.

This is a good product and all, but not worth the effort to switch when I already have a decent minimal phone and barely use it as is.

12.4. CNCL build monitor stand

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-05-25 Thu 15:52]

Replace the computer case I'm using as a monitor stand with one I build myself from wood. Already bought the project board for it. Could either build this exactly the size of the monitor's stand or wide enough for the keyboard to go under. Also bought some 1" poplar square dowels I might use for this.

Update: Having a different desk incoming for this location, so holding off on this. Might use an arm instead.

New desk will support arm mounting, so will go that route instead.

12.5. DONE get outside work hat

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-26 Fri 15:58]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-19 Fri 05:53]

Could use something to keep from getting sunburned.

Trying a bucket hat with string to see if that works for me.

Received and fits perfect. This one's black though, so might get a light colored one later if it's too hot this summer.

2023-06-29: Seems to be working out good, so got a dark green one for wearing in summer, though I'm not sure that'll help much with heat. The black one is bearable to wear too though, so not too worried about it. These seem pretty durable, so while it's a risk not being able to find a fitting hat later, will try making these 2 last for the rest of my life.

12.6. [4/4] refactor deck furniture

Optional effort, but will solve 2 problems:

  • The table and chairs are always blowing over during wind storms.
  • The chairs' fabric components, even under the deck roof, do eventually wear out and get gross.

In addition to addressing those problems, the deck setup looks slightly better now too.

12.6.1. DONE get deck table

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-05 Fri 11:56]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-26 Wed 16:07]

Need to keep this around or under 3'x3', but still large enough for the cat dishes. Will get this from Lowes, since the Amish-made one of similar build is too large (4'x4').

Ordered. Bought the Trex polywood table of dimensions 37.5"x37.5"x29" in color "Tree House", which is a medium brown. Weight is 69lbs. Supposedly will take a bit longer to ship, with estimated delivery of around 2023-06-12. Cost was $584 + tax.

2023-05-05: Table received and assembled. Luckily, I had an appropriate hex bit for my impact driver, since doing it by hand would've been wrist murder. Finished product looks perfect, and is -1 wind problem.

12.6.2. DONE get rid of old deck table

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-21 Sun 18:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-16 Tue 13:10]

Too wobbly for utility use, so don't want it around. Maybe someone at A-'s work will take.

2023-05-17: Claimed, but need to drop off. Turns out it doesn't fold like I thought it might.

2023-05-21: Item given to A-'s coworker, M-.

12.6.3. DONE get cat dish holder

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-07 Wed 12:36]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-02 Tue 12:03]

This is usually the first thing that blows off in a strong gust.

2023-05-02: Ordered an Amish made dish set and holder for $27. Should keep stuff in place, but might want to make some mods to it when it shows up, like adding swiveling tabs to keep the dishes in place or another layer of finish. For the tabs, cut some metal pieces off the junk siding sections.

Update: While ordering other stuff, asked rep about this order. Looks like it won't arrive until 2023-10.

2023-06-07: Arrived early. Looks good and probably fine without mods. A- wants to get another one, since it looks good inside too.

2023-07-15: Second item arrived, which also looks good.

12.6.4. DONE get deck chairs

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-24 Mon 13:07]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-27 Thu 12:35]

Will get this with the next Amish furniture order. Will put side chair in garage to occasionally use for shooting or pest hunting. One side chair will be replaced by one of the current front chairs. The other can go in the basement for use around the back door, like for shelling corn, peas, etc.

2023-04-27: Ordered 2 Amish made chairs, called Malibu Poly Arm Chair. Two tone color, as a combination of "Weatherwood" and "Tudor Brown", with the latter hopefully being somewhat close to the table.

2023-07-24: Arrived. Looks good.

12.7. DONE replace keychain Victorinox

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-23 Mon 14:20]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-18 Wed 17:28]

TSA stole the one I had, so need a new one. Will replace A-'s broken one too while at it.

Done. Old one had missing tweezers and toothpick, so replacing it isn't a total waste.

12.8. DONE get back brace

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-23 Mon 22:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-17 Tue 17:29]

Want to try using this when moving wood, pulling weeds in the garden, or doing any other activity involving stooping/lifting. Have a history of back problems in the family, so a cheap item like this could easily pay off long term. Plus, I need a functioning back, or I can't really provide for myself on this property and will have to move back to civilization. That's a pretty large downside, and this is cheap insurance.

Received and tried out while stacking wood. This does help a lot. Was able to stack twice as much as normal without any back issues. Will definitely wear regularly from now on. In case I need to replace it, the item I got is the BraceAbility Industrial Work Back Brace, size L. It's a little pricey for what it is, but seems to be worth it. Main downside is that it takes a bit of effort to get it on properly.

12.9. [4/4] do 2023 vehicle maintenance

12.9.1. DONE fix check engine light

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-17 Tue 23:15]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-14 Sat 13:13]

According to the manual, being solid means it's an issue in the emission control system, but could be anything. First noticed this lit on the morning of 2023-01-14.

2023-01-16: Dropped off.

2023-01-17: Fixed, supposedly. Tech thinks it needed a spark plug replacement, so did that. Total cost: $556.91

12.9.2. DONE get oil change

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-09 Sat 14:28]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-05 Tue 09:48]

Previous was on 2022-12-27, so do this around 2023-07 or so.

Scheduled for 2023-09-09 0800.

2023-09-09: Done. Note that coupon (which is usually available on their site) saves around $20. Also should get tires replaced next time.

12.9.3. DONE get yearly inspection

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-10-26 Thu 12:59]

Next time, do this early in the month. Doing this earlier means I have time to fix anything if there's an issue. Go at 0730 so I can get it in before normal work begins.

Note for the future: Starting in 2024, state inspections will be 2 year, saving some money and a lot of time/hassle. So, next one I get will be that way.

12.9.4. DONE fix check engine light

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-27 Fri 19:00]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-26 Thu 09:27]

Randomly came on 2023-10-26 morning. Scheduled appointment for 2023-10-27 0815.

Problem was a bad spark plug on cylinder 1 (I think). Was replaced under warranty, thus costing $0 total, since all were previously replaced about 9 months ago. This was best possible outcome, though it still wasted a half day.

12.10. STRT replace laundry baskets

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-28 Sat 20:14]

A- wanted to do this, so we'll get 2. Will give current ones back to M-, who can probably use them.

Ordered, from amishbaskets.com:

  • Extra Large, with liner and lid, for A-.
  • Medium, with liner, for myself.

12.11. [16/17] refactor living room furniture

Upgrade the living room's aesthetics and achieve local Diderot unity. Goal is to have at least one nicely appointed room in the house, with the rest staying utilitarian. Do this in a few passes ensure decor sync and no expensive mistakes.

12.11.1. DONE ponder which items to replace

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-11-20 Sun 22:27]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-16 Wed 10:29]

Dimensions (WxDxH) comparison for pieces being replaced:

Item Current dimensions New dimensions
Couch 77x38x40 77x38x38.5
Chair ?? 32x38x38.5
Desk 48x24x28.5 65x30x31
Coffee table 50x30x20 48x24x17
End table 24x28x28 22x24x21

Decided to skip the coffee table and end table for now, until I can see the dimensions on the couch/chair arms and such.

The targeted desk model should have enough overhang to attach an arm mount to. I can put the chair on max height and have the 27" monitor at eye level and further from the face in that case. This will also have enough desk space to put a second dock here, and I can use this as an alternate work space, though it'll need a KB/mouse swap. Will put the old desk in the bedroom as writing desk.

12.11.2. DONE move desk to bedroom

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-04-22 Sat 21:04]

Do this before delivery. Leave NUC running, but without any peripherals until new desk is in place.

Looks good in new spot.

12.11.3. DONE get furniture

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-04-25 Tue 12:51]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-20 Sun 22:28]

Will probably be a 6 month lead time. Since these are super-heavy items, will get them for in-house delivery. Unless I do a bed replacement later, this should be the only order requiring that. Couch might be a tight squeeze in the door, but looking at the frame shape, it should be possible to thread it in.

2022-11-20: Ordered couch, chair, and desk. Upholstery fabric is style 29-9 Chicago. Wood finish is the same as the chairs ordered last time, Carbon (FCC 50240). Note that emails from this domain went into spam.

2023-04-20: Delivery scheduled for 2023-04-25 1100-1300.

2023-04-25: Stuff showed up. ~5 months from order, so not too bad. Looks good too, just as imagined. Huge upgrade to living room aesthetics/functionality. Might go ahead and do another order shortly for some of the other stuff I was considering.

12.11.4. DONE collect future ideas

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-07 Sun 22:00]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-02 Tue 22:43]

Room shaping up, so have some ideas for finishing the job:

  • Get a 72" bench for the main window to put plants on. Order a vinyl table cover from Amazon and cut it to size. Found one 24" height x 24" depth, which is perfect.
  • Wood office chair. Eyeing Elliot one with low back, maybe with Mission-style lift option. Can get same fabric as couch.
  • Amish-style floor and table lamps (also available from realamish.com). Will need lamp shades. For the floor ones, might just use the current ones.
  • Plant stand, 30" (available from realamish.com). Put downstairs spider plant on this. Alternatively, a ficus or rubber tree would work on a lower stand.
  • Wood crate style record holder. Can occupy some unused surface space and make use of the records otherwise doing nothing in the attic. Check record collection though, as I might not have enough to bother.
  • More for the deck, but this pet bowl holder (maybe with an extra poly coat): https://www.dutchcrafters.com/Amish-Cat-Dish/p/71214
  • Tissue box holder.
  • Apart from the wall-hanger, might want some light wall complements. Might alternatively reserve the space for framed photo collections. Another option would be sound dampeners to improve room acoustics. Could also mount recurve bow.
  • A- suggests a bookshelf with doors, swapping corner chair to be next to desk. Could do this instead of the plant stand. Could put records on it too.
  • A- suggests maybe moving current recliner downstairs, tossing old one there now, and getting matching wooden one. Unfortunately, they don't make one exactly matching the Bow Arm style.

Since it's cheap to do so, ordered the two easy things: cat dish and tissue box holder. Cost was ~$27 each.

Thinking I'll almost definitely do the top 3 items. Bookshelf is a strong maybe. Might table lamp early, but I'll wait for my existing order before doing the others. Will call the furniture good after this, at least for many years.

12.11.5. DONE get rid of old couch

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-13 Sat 13:48]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-28 Fri 11:48]

Wait until new couch is in place, just in case. Once that happens, try selling this for $100 on CL. If no takers, list for free.

Decided to just list for free. There's a lot of furniture for sale on CL and this would be cheaper, but don't feel like having people come over to look at it.

2023-04-28: Listed. Will give it a couple weeks, if no takers by then, will do early dump run. Might also swap it with downstairs one instead and toss that.

2023-05-10: Pulled listing, due to CL fail, including a no-show.

2023-05-13: Got this removed, finally.

12.11.6. DONE consider serving board

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-05-17 Wed 12:02]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-12 Fri 09:16]

Not exactly living room, but visible from it. Get a large, live edge one for the dining area. Maybe 18" length and 9-12" width.

Ordered a live edge black walnut one marketed as a Charcuterie board, with black, square handles and of the above dimensions. Total was $115.

2023-05-17: Received. Looks great and matches everything perfect. Came with free cheese knife and board treatment.

12.11.7. CNCL consider live edge slices for coffee table

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-05-17 Wed 13:02]

Instead of the cork plant coasters, maybe get some wood (probably black walnut) slices for them to sit on. Wait until new planters are in place to see how the current arrangement works out first.

Canceling for now, since the current setup looks pretty good. This is still a good idea, and might come back to it. However, there's higher priority stuff.

12.11.8. CNCL get last round of main furniture

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-05-23 Tue 13:11]

Will do this round and forget about furniture for a couple years. Consider:

  • Office chair: They removed the matching fabric type, so get black leather.
  • Plant bench: 72" length.
  • Bookshelf (probably): 67" height (4 shelves), 2 doors, no drawer (or 3+drawer). Can put unused ceramic planters in empty space (bottom shelf, probably). Ask about how light option works.
  • Recliner (maybe): Currently discussing whether to get. Could also do later.

New idea:

  • Office chair and plant bench, as above.
  • Printer stand: Same height as desk, but can put the spider plant or a ficus tree on it instead of printer. Can use in office for printer if that doesn't work out.
  • Recliner: Still maybe. Can skip in-house delivery if not.

(Yet another) new idea, splitting the order due to different vendors:

  • First order:
    • Office chair: Omni.
    • Printer stand: Churchill Mission.
  • Second order:
    • TV stand: Barn floor. Used as plant bench.
    • Recliner (maybe).

Decided to execute the first part of this now. Splitting this into two tasks.

12.11.9. CNCL get rid of old coffee and end table

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-05-23 Tue 14:41]

Will consider putting these downstairs, but also might just get rid of them. Might be worth taking to local auction house, along with extra dresser. If I get rid of dresser, maybe wood glue the casters back on. Could also just drop off all of these things at Goodwill.

Decided to keep for rec room for now, with the vision there to make it more living room like for awhile. If we get a better idea for what to do with that room later, will reopen.

12.11.10. DONE get table lamp

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-02 Fri 14:08]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-08 Mon 22:55]

For end table next to sofa. Thought about going log-style with this, but will stick with the Mission theme. Went with this one: https://www.logcabinrustics.com/montana-woodworks-amish-table-lamp-mwhclp.html

Site was a bit janky, and had to hax0r item into cart. Total was $155. Not 100% sure this will look good there, but will give it a shot. This needs a lampshade. Will try it with my bedroom lampshade first before ordering anything.

2023-05-23: Shipped pretty quick. Update: Shipped to wrong address (the vendor's address, who forwarded it to me).

2023-05-30: Received. Had to fix some of the metal parts bent in shipping. If I want to get more matching lamps later, buy directly from Montana Woodworks. Looks good, I suppose. Could see this maybe worth refinishing in dark walnut, but I'll hold off on that until the rest of the living room's done. Ordered a 16" semi-bell shaped, faux leather shade, which I think will match the other lamps in the room.

2023-06-02: Received shade. Wasn't too sure about the whole setup with the other shade, but this came together nicely in the end. Final result is a definite upgrade.

12.11.11. DONE get coffee and end tables

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-07-24 Mon 13:07]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-04-27 Thu 12:32]

Since the previous order went so well, decided to replace more stuff. Use this hardware:

  • Drawer handles: D925-BL
  • Vertical cabinet handles: D924-BL

2023-04-27: Ordered. Bought enclosed coffee table and open end table, Elliot mission style. Note that the finish name changed to "Carbon". Also ordered 2 deck chairs, tracked separately. Got the white glove delivery due to the coffee table likely being super heavy. Total with tax and delivery was $2686.60. Lead time on longest items said to be 3-5 months.

Update: CC account keeps getting locked when trying to use this. Sent check instead, which will delay start by a week or so.

2023-05-03: Got receipt, so I guess the lead time clock starts now.

2023-07-08: Delivery scheduled for 2023-07-11 1500-1800. Moved current coffee and end tables to rec room.

2023-07-11: Looks like they screwed up, so target is 2023-07-20 for delivery now.

2023-07-24: Received all items. Looks good.

12.11.12. DONE get bottle of furniture cat spray for recliner

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-07-25 Tue 15:47]

See if this can keep Stripey from attacking this item. Would improve living room a bit, since wouldn't need to cover it.

Got one and it works, but need to keep reapplying all the time. Stripey will also just attack the areas not sprayed too.

12.11.13. CNCL consider throw rug under new coffee table

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-07-26 Wed 12:22]

ChatGPT suggests this as a location for a rug in a hardwood floor living room. Will wait until everything else is in place. Maybe get something in a darker, reddish brown, or something that matches the couch/chair upholstery.

Would like to try this at some point, but would rather not worry about it right now. Finding a matching carpet of the right size seems like it'll be a pain.

12.11.14. DONE get office chair and printer stand

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-21 Mon 09:18]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-24 Wed 10:30]

Order the following. Sales rep says I can get them in Carbon (FC 50240) finish, but I'll need to coordinate that with them so they know to tell the builders.

  • Office chair: Omni.
  • Printer stand: Churchill Mission.

Site seems broken currently though, so will have to call in the order.

2023-05-24: Ordered over phone. Total was $2437.05. Was able to get free shipping and 5% off on stand. Expected delivery in 2023-09. They say they'll email updates a month out or so.

2023-08-21: Received. Looks good. Only very minor caveat is that while the chair is the right tone, it's a little lighter than I'd like. However, if you squint a bit, it blends in fine. Don't think it'll be an issue. It is quite comfortable, reinforces correct posture, and not designed to accommodate super wide individuals like most modern office chairs.

12.11.15. DONE check if records fit on printer stand

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-09-20 Wed 11:14]

Could do two things at the same time: skip getting the record crate, and make use of some existing items for decoration purpose. See if these fit here, and if so, select the ones that I want to keep here. Consider tossing the remainder or selling them on eBay, since I'll probably never get another turntable. Maybe put records on the bottom, with the adjustable shelf high up for small items.

These fit and look good. Will stick with that. Put them on top with (currently) one of the gourds from the garden on bottom.

12.11.16. DONE get plant bench

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-19 Thu 21:04]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-07-26 Wed 12:23]

At least want the 70" TV stand for plant bench duty. Will hold off on this for a bit since also considering recliner and final deck chair for side door, though I'll probably just get the stand. Done buying/replacing shazbot for awhile after this one's done.

2023-07-25: Inquired about finish.

2023-07-26: Ordered over phone. Got this with Carbon finish, though it might still not be a perfect match due to being red oak instead of white oak. Decided to just get the bench and nothing else, with the intention being we'll live with this setup for awhile and decide whether anything else needs replacing. Probably looking at 2023-11 or 2023-12 delivery. Will research and order a cover of some kind before it gets here.

2023-10-12: Delivery scheduled for 2023-10-19 1700-2100.

2023-10-19: Looks good. Now just need a cover for it, and will be good.

12.11.17. STRT get table runner for plant bench

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-29 Sun 11:46]

Need something waterproof to go under planters. Will get one and if I like it, can get shorter versions of the same to go on the dinette table and printer stand.

12.12. [4/7] do 2023 firearms refactor

12.12.1. DONE consign some milsurps (round 4)

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2022-12-13 Tue 23:47]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-07-13 Wed 13:07]

Consign the C96. Decided to split this off into a round 4 since it has to go overnight air anyway. Confirmed local shop will do shipping, so get this started when ready. Once this is gone, will reevaluate collection and decide what else, if anything, to get rid of.

2022-07-13: Started consignment process. Since the stripper clips are reproductions, will just toss them.

2022-07-20: Forms ready to go. Will ship out on some Thursday.

2022-07-28: Shipped, I think. Might check on it next week. They also do consignments there, with only a 10% commission.

2022-08-08: RIAC confirmed receipt.

2022-08-20: Got letter stating it would be in the 2022-12 premier auction.

2022-12-13: Sold for exactly the same price paid, so got out of it with -15%. Fine with that since I'm overall up, but if I had been able to sort out the shipping last year, I'd probably have made a bit on this one too.

12.12.2. DONE consider wall-hanger flintlock

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-05 Mon 16:27]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-21 Sun 21:06]

A more "useful" collectible than the ones that sit in the safe as it can be employed as a living room decoration. With the furniture refactor, I think it'll match the decor. Would want a contemporary flintlock in Pennsylvania long rifle style, ideally in .45 cal. or under. Many very high quality examples were made in the late 20th century. If acquired, would install hooks on the wall above couch and mount it there, and put a period-correct powder horn to go with it. Only caveat is I'd want no brass on it, since that doesn't match the living room decor. Also considered getting an original black powder rifle of some US military historical significance, but since it's unsecured on the wall, that's probably not a good idea. Might be willing to consider parting with my Arisaka if I get this.

2023-05-04: Bought powder horn for super cheap (~$27, I think). This looks really amazing. Looks good as a decoration, even if I don't get the rifle.

2023-05-06: Put a bid in on one. Note: this has single phase double set triggers. This means that the back trigger is a set trigger, but that pulling it is required before using the front trigger. "Double phase" would allow the front to be pulled without setting, only at a heavier pull.

2023-05-21: Won auction for $3k (from a $3.5k max bid).

2023-05-23: Got call. Total with tax and shipping is $3608.37. Sent check same day.

2023-06-05: Received. Seems great, based on what I know about flintlocks. Will queue up a task for mounting, though probably won't get to that for some time.

12.12.3. DONE consider G43 IWB holster

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-05 Thu 20:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-17 Sun 09:08]

Since I lost some weight, size 32 pants have some room for an IWB. G43 in my OWB works pretty good, but prints bad without a jacket. Might want to add a belt specific for this, since I don't think my Crosstac will accommodate IWB (could get another, larger one too).

Maybe get the QVO "Discreet" as a first attempt, probably with the 1.5" monoblock clip or 1.75" dual thin clips.

Two other options, if I want the Crossbreed-style (but in kydex):

2023-09-17: Ordered QVO Discreet with 10% discount code. R- strongly suggests the latter two options. He's probably right, but will try the QVO first and see how that goes. Worth seeing if I can use the less bulky option, I think. Got with the dual Tacware 5-hole clips to hopefully add a cant to it. Configured with high sweat guard. Otherwise everything basic, and just in plain black kydex. Probably won't stick with it, but might as well try AIWB with this as well.

2023-10-05: Arrived. Works pretty good. Will definitely want a different belt though, as my normal leather belt is too floppy for a smooth draw. I think the single larger clip would've worked fine too, and might have been easier to get over the belt. Will stick with this for awhile, and if that becomes an issue, might try the light Vedder holster in such a config.

12.12.4. DONE get carry belt

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-23 Mon 20:36]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-19 Thu 21:45]

QVO IWB holster for G43 seems promising. Will try one of these to see if I can get a completely solid setup. If this works out, will make this my primary carry until around mid-Spring. Also, take the G43 out back for some practice, since it's been awhile since I've used it.

Consider:

2023-10-19: Ordered the Vedder leather belt, size 32. Got for 20% off. Total with tax and shipping was $61.34.

2023-10-23: Received. Looks great. Pretty stiff though, so will need to wear it in a bit before using.

12.12.5. STRT order Cooper Model 51

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-11-15 Mon 16:22]

Place an order for a Model 21 or 51 in 300 BLK with 18" barrel, threaded w/ cap, Neidner steel butt plate, standard sling studs, blued Talley bases, 30mm quick release Talley rings, and 13.75" LOP. Then one of these combos:

  • 51 Custom Classic: Quarter rib w/ sight, and jeweled bolt. Kahles K16i SM1. MSRP: 4175 (base) + (100 + 220 + 190 + 35 + 145 = 690) (common options) + (950 + 175) (combo options) + 2000 (scope) = $7990.
  • 21 Classic: Fluted barrel. Leupold VX-5HD 2-10x42mm. Skip the quick release rings here for -$20. MSRP: 3025 + 670 + 185 + 900 = $4780.
  • 51 Classic: Quarter rib w/ sight. Leupold VX-6HD 1-6x24mm. MSRP: 3025 + 690 + 950 + 1400 = $6065.

Some items to inquire about when ordering:

  • Custom barrel length.
  • Default LOP and whether that'd change with steel butt plate.
  • Type of quarter rib sights and whether bases block them or scope will hit.
  • Inquire about default twist rate (custom costs extra). 1-7 or 1-8 would be fine.
  • Have them set trigger to 2lb.
  • Push feed? 3 lug? 700-style bolt? Disassembly?
  • Need thread pitch 5/8x24.
  • Maybe get extra mag for 51.
  • 51 doesn't list 300 BLK currently. Still available?

Maybe do this in late 2021. Review everything a few times before committing and decide on which build.

Notes:

  • If I get the Kahles, lens covers are available at Area 419.
  • For Leupold LPVO, get the version on OP or Amazon that includes the covers.

2021-11-15: Ordered the Model 51 Custom Classic option, as detailed above. Only change was got a 14" LOP. Moved deposit over to this order. Almost all questions resolved, except the thread pitch used, since the barrel profile is .590" (or something close to that). Should receive an email about that to confirm what the story is there. The local distributor for Cooper also sells Kahles, so might get one of those from there too, once the rifle arrives.

2021-11-16: Got call from L-. Looks like due to barrel taper, Cooper will set thread pitch to 1/2"-28. Checked my adapters and this should be fine, though I'll have to keep in mind to switch those for just this rifle. Next step is to await email with wood selection pictures.

2023-01-19: Called to check on it. Looks like Nighthawk bought Cooper, so there's some question about whether they'll build existing orders in Montana or Arkansas. Sounds like they probably haven't even started on it though. Press release on the Cooper site seems to suggest the factory move will indeed take place, meaning who knows how long it'll be until I get my order. L- might give me a call back he said, so maybe I'll ask about timelines and whether I should switch back to getting a ParkWest Arms SD-10 instead, or just forgetting about it.

12.12.6. STRT re-sight in Jackson Squirrel

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-11-20 Sat 14:26]

Redo the sight-in process. Look through ammo collection and zero it for whatever I have most of for now, assuming that ammo groups well. Will wait until after RFE to do this.

2021-11-20: Problem: with this scope, the gun's shooting maybe 20 MOA to the right outside of the range of adjustment. Sometimes this is called "bottoming out" a scope. Since I had it zeroed with the other scope, I can rule out the rifle and mount. Will take off scope and redo everything, then laser bore sight it, before trying again. Also check the manual just in case.

2021-12-06: Fiddled with the Leupold, and I'm pretty sure it's out of spec. Swapping the Vortex back on lets me easily zero into the bore sight laser, but that's impossible with the Leupold. Will try sending it back in for warranty repair/adjustment. In the meantime, I put the Vortex back on and will re-sight in with that.

12.12.7. TODO try to get Leupold warranty service

See if they'll look at the new rimfire scope and fix/replace it. Will first try flipping it over in the mount, just to be sure.

12.13. [7/9] sell/get rid of stuff

12.13.1. DONE give away door frame sheets

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-19 Thu 17:10]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-11-16 Wed 14:10]

Have 2 packs of aluminum sheets for door frames.

Posted on CL free. A- managing.

Had a few nibbles, but didn't move. Will move this to cold storage in the garage rafters with the other long stuff and leave it there forever. Next property owner 40 years from now can do something with it if he wants.

Archived in the garage rafters. Turns out these boxes have wood trim pieces. Might be able to use that for doing a door/floor trim at some point, so more worth keeping now.

12.13.2. DONE do dump run

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-13 Sat 13:48]

Take:

  • Old couch, if not taken by then
  • Tire found in woods
  • Some large boxes that aren't worth cutting up
  • Old pillow

Done, but couldn't fit everything in this load, so will do the next one a little early. Got rid of the important stuff though.

12.13.3. DONE give away nursery pots

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-13 Sat 13:49]

Have accumulated a lot of these. I think the local garden shop reuses them and might be willing to take.

They like getting these back, it turns out.

12.13.4. DONE give away TV stand

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-25 Thu 21:16]

A- coworker wants.

Given to B-.

12.13.5. DONE give away spare rod

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-05-25 Thu 21:16]

I think someone wants this. So, give it away next time they're around. If that doesn't happen, put in auction pile. Can also just give to Goodwill if I only have just this item.

Given to B- same time as TV stand.

12.13.6. DONE get rid of bicycle

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-06-05 Mon 16:14]

Maybe donate to Goodwill.

Neighbor's son's wife took for their oldest daughter.

12.13.7. DONE get rid of antique dresser

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-09-03 Sun 18:12]

Check around to see if someone wants, if not, can drop off at Goodwill.

A-'s coworker B- found someone on FB that wanted it. Said person was the daughter of two of A-'s other coworkers, or something like that.

12.13.8. TODO donate extra t-shirts

Have at least a few that A-'s ex-employer gave me that are too large. Donate these to Goodwill next time I'm in the area.

12.13.9. TODO sell scope base .30 Herrett barrel

Will think about this a bit, but pretty sure I'd rather part with it. I'll keep the irons one and if I end up wanting to use the chambering a lot, I'll get a custom barrel with threading. This one being unthreaded (and having a fixed front sight making threading more troublesome) makes it of limited utility.

One thought: Selling both could fund a .218 Bee custom barrel, which would be more useful. Will have to think about this a bit, since I'll probably want to include the brass and dies with the scope base barrel.

12.14. STRT stockpile socks

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-06-14 Tue 12:39]

Try out some cheaper dress socks and see if they can last long enough to be worth the added replacement expense. Will start with the Amazon branded ones first. This will take awhile since I'll need to wear them long enough get a feel for the wear-out curve. Keep an eye on the elastic too, which is always a problem with the cheaper ones.

2022-06-14: Ordered 5 pack of Amazon branded ones. The black ones weren't in stock, so got a brown/gray pack.

Update: These are just okay, nothing special. They're also a little tight around the toes. Won't buy any more of these.

2022-11-01: Ordered 4 Merino wool from Allen Edmonds, on sale for ~$16/each. Would've gotten more, but the pattern I prefer wasn't in stock.

2022-11-30: These AE socks are pretty nice, but are the thick kind. Can wear them in winter, but still need the thin dress socks.

2023-05-23: Grabbed 3x AE dress socks, which is all that was in stock during 25% off sale. However, these are XL sized, which will be a good test to see if I prefer that size more. Still a lot of sock buying to go.

2023-06-14: Grabbed another 8x. Should get me caught up with currently used ones. If I can find another sale, can start actually stockpiling again.

12.15. STRT get tea kettle

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-11-04 Sat 21:53]

Was thinking this would be better for tea than using the microwave multiple more times a day, as those are all flimsy and inevitably break now. Ordered the Chantel 1.8l one for ~$35. Also replacing broken soup ladle with steel OXO one. Hopefully, both of these will last for the rest of life.

12.16. TODO stockpile heavy work gloves

Figure out which one I purchased last and get ~5 pairs.

12.17. TODO consider RFID blocking wallet

Will need to replace wallet in a few years anyway, so might as well get one that blocks RFID. 5.11 has a nice one, but look at alternatives too.

12.18. [/] do 2023 handloading tasks

Don't really have time for this currently, might do nothing here this year.

12.18.1. TODO test chronograph (again)

This works, but didn't get a reading last time and was focused on sight-in. Try just sending a few different types of rounds through it and maybe some arrows.

12.18.2. TODO test .30 Herrett barrel

Create 2 min charge, 130gr rounds and test them in the irons barrell. Look for signs of headspace issues. I'll also order some new brass for this if I decide to keep the chambering. Might get some 150gr spire points if so.

Side note: The .30 Herrett cartridge is a perfectly balanced, viable hunting round for a 10" Contender and has a lot of flexibility in load development. My one and only gripe is probably the fact that it headspaces off the shoulder despite being a rimmed cartridge. Supersonic 300 BLK would be a clear winner, were that not rimless. I figure I need some handloading practice with it to make a clear determination on its future in the lineup. One possibility if I decide not to keep it is to get a custom, threaded .218 Bee barrel, swap the scope on that, put the MatchDot back on the 300 BLK, and sell both .30 Herrett barrels.

12.19. BLCK filter/buy work shirts

  • State "BLCK" from "STRT" [2023-05-23 Tue 14:49]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2022-10-10 Mon 09:52]

Go through all my work shirts and toss all the worn out ones. Depending on how many are left after this, I may replace with a few plain white or gray shirts. Will get a few sweaters to match them while I'm at it. Preferred shirt size for a under-worn dress shirt is 15 1/2.

2022-10-10: Designated plain white one for tossing. Replaced with 2 slim fit fine cotton, size 15h by 34. Ordered 1 extra black cotton sweater, size S, to compliment that. Was going to go cashmere, but that wasn't on sale, unlike the -50% for the cotton. Total was $157.35. Keeping old shirt for size comparison until the new ones show up. Will decide if I want to do anything about other colors after trying these on.

2022-10-16: Received shirts. Will keep. Tossed old white one. Sweater is thicker than my other one, giving me two good options for warmth settings. In the future, I think I'll go with 15h35 sizing though, just to get a little extra sleeve length. Still need to filter remaining and get some gray ones.

Update: Putting on hold until weight loss plan complete. Will also use any deprecated shirts for outside work.

13. personal improvement/maintenance

13.1. DONE close extraneous account

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-01-21 Sat 17:52]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-01-21 Sat 10:01]

Tried this in 2022-11, but they didn't close it. Go in and try again.

Will go on 2023-01-21, then meet up with DC friends in RTC.

2023-01-21: They said it was indeed closed, and showed the status to prove such. Will just ignore any future mailings.

13.2. DONE do taxes

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-03-27 Mon 21:28]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-03-27 Mon 19:55]

Seems the government still exists (for now), so do by late 2023-03.

Completed in record time, but only due to having everything ready ahead of time. Seems my trust holdings aren't a headache anymore too.

13.3. DONE start workout routine

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-06-10 Sat 10:23]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-10 Wed 08:08]

Already doing this intermittently. Will do this in the morning before showering.

2023-05-10: Starting 2/wk, Thu/Mon. Will up to Mon/Wed/Fri in Fall.

2023-06-10: Been sticking with this, so calling the task of starting it good. Noticing some promising results so far. Will reevaluate at EoY.

13.4. DONE consider stannous fluoride toothpaste

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-15 Tue 15:08]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-08 Tue 10:46]

Stannous flouride is an alternative to the normal sodium fluoride. Supposedly does a better job at preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Might want to use this in the evening, and stick with the normal stuff otherwise. Oral-B Pro-Expert is one of the varieties that has this. Main downside is it's rather expensive by comparison.

Ordered a tube of Oral-B Pro-Expert.

2023-08-15: Received and been using as planned. Will have to use for awhile to see if I notice any difference.

13.5. [3/3] get WV CHL

13.5.1. DONE do CHL training course

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-06-17 Sat 12:04]

Not needed in WV, but since we live on the border, would alleviate some concerns about going across it, particularly when not planning to. Hadn't bothered until now, but since DNR police officer that lives nearby is running class, might as well go.

One thing learned: When shooting pistol for accuracy, try having a loose grip with dominant hand, and let the supporting hand focus on support. This lets the trigger finger float more and less likely to apply force in unintended directions.

13.5.2. DONE get form notarized

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-08-31 Thu 16:36]

Can do this for free at the local bank.

13.5.3. DONE submit CHL form

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-08 Fri 18:49]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-31 Thu 16:36]

Do this after birthday, in case it's tied to that (as it is in some states). I think I can just go into the county sheriffs office with the form. Follow the instructions here: https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/wv-gun-laws/

Got everything submitted at local Sheriff's office. Will receive CHL in mail in ~2 weeks. Note that CHL good for 5 years, in case I want to go through the hassle again later.

2023-09-08: Received CHL. Paper license is in 2023 folder.

13.6. DONE reconsider electric toothbrush

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-09-11 Mon 11:25]

Had one, was great, but then lost it in a move. Might want one for evening use, then otherwise use the boar hair.

A- had an extra Oral-B Smart 1500, so using that. Have 2 brush heads. Tried and it works pretty good.

13.7. DONE check if still/actually lactose intolerant

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-05 Thu 21:12]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-02 Mon 21:12]

I noticed I had digestive system issues in my late teens and early 20s. Since my father is lactose intolerant, I experimented with excluding milk products from my diet and it seemed to fix it. However, I'd still occasionally have issues, though significantly less often. I noticed while doing my weight loss plan that if I have a consistent diet of smaller quantities (meal replacement for lunch and a smaller dinner), it never happens.

Hypothesis: Maybe I'm not actually lactose intolerant, and the reason this somewhat helped was that I was simply consuming less food, particularly "heavy" foods, e.g., pizza. Alternatively, I might have some other kind of food allergy that I only rarely consume (and that avoiding milk products caused me to consume less of), but not a problem with lactose.

Motivation: I'd actually like to drink milk if possible, for health reasons. Milk is generally recognized as the best source of absorbable calcium, and I'd like to keep my skeleton healthy (have a family history of back problems). It'd also be nice to save money by not buying fake cheese products for certain dishes. I'd probably still get it for certain dishes though, and take advantage of the fact that it stores longer.

Method: Buy a Brie cheese wheel and a carton of whole milk. First try eating 1/4 of the cheese. If that works okay, try 1/2 of it. If still no issues are noticed, try a glass of milk each day for a few days. Keep everything else consistent and don't eat any unusual foods otherwise.

Caveat: If my suspicions turn out to be correct, I'll have to be careful about adding high-calorie foods to the diet, which lactose tolerance would open up many of. Basically, I shouldn't change anything about it except for replacing fake cheese with real, and if I want to add a glass of milk per day, eating less other stuff.

2023-10-02: First round of cheese eaten with no issues.

2023-10-03: Half a cheese wheel eaten with no issues. Later same day drank a full glass of milk, with similar results. Me not being lactose intolerant is looking likely, as I'm pretty sure someone who was lactose intolerant would be suffering from such a large dose. I'm actually rather surprised that I've been having zero issues at all, since I'd have guessed that my microbiome would be completely maladjusted to it at least.

2023-10-05: Experiment complete. Confirmed my suspicions. My enterocytes have been producing lactase all this time. After thinking about it some, will add 2-3 glasses of milk to the diet per week. Will default to whole milk when I can get it. Will cut down on dinner portions on those days to compensate.

Of course, the question remains what food or eating activity is causing the occasional intestinal distress. Current plan is to run a few more one-off experiments to rule out specific foods. If I still can't figure it out, I'll get one of those food allergy tests done. I think you can do those via mail-in.

13.8. CNCL consider PCN

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-10-10 Tue 03:25]

Research expenses and prospectus.

Fundamentals iffy. Can't draw any conclusions on that front. More importantly, passes some, but not all of the algorithmic checks.

13.9. DONE mod priority queue heuristic

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-16 Mon 00:56]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-06-13 Tue 21:32]

Part of my previous prioritization heuristic could be summed up as, "If I can do it in 5 minutes, better to just do it immediately since the overhead of tracking is more than just doing it." That works pretty good, and should probably still be followed. However, if that always has priority, then it's easy to spend a lot of energy doing little things and not have enough left over to do the bigger stuff. A better primary one might be, "Do the hard thing first, when I have the most energy." Once that's done, I can use the remaining energy for the little stuff, much of which is just maintenance tasks. Arguably, this is probably a pretty major change, and can get a lot of the long term tasks here moving. Will try running with this for awhile, and note if any adjustments are necessary.

Worth expanding upon is what "do the hard thing" means. For non-time critical tasks, it means to make progress on them, which fits in with my operational philosophy of making small amounts of substantive progress that accumulates over years. Otherwise, like for work, it means actually getting said things done, usually as decomposed and scheduled into sub-tasks in my Org docs. I noticed I have a productivity schedule similar to some of the GTD and Pomodoro technique practitioners out there, where I have 3 main productivity periods (morning, late afternoon, and evening), though I don't do things like decompose them into time boxes. Part of this plan is to tackle those hard things at the beginning of those periods, tapering off to less productive activities as energy wanes.

Been doing this for a few months, with good results. Will want to keep it going when retired from work again. Will have to think about whether I need another pass on motivation or some related topic, but since this is just about the heuristic itself, this task can be safely closed. I'm convinced this is a better GTD algorithm than I was previously using. Of course, will dynamically counterbalance this against downsides related to the Zeigarnik Effect–that being the memory-consuming nature of those small open tasks.

13.10. CNCL consider LQD

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-10-19 Thu 07:36]

Thinking about setting up a bond-focused sub-fund within the fixed-income portfolio. Might want this in it. Also look at Vanguard bond ETFs.

Decided just to keep parking stuff in D- and E-, which have been solid fixed income for me for some time now. In fact, sometimes I think I should just put everything there and nearly double my after-tax income. The rest of this section of the portfolio has underperformed it.

13.11. DONE improve deep reading skill

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-24 Tue 16:45]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-24 Tue 15:23]

When I was in college, I had peak reading skill. It's still pretty high (I'd guess 80%), due to reading a lot of long-form prose, but it could be better, and even better than at my previous peak. Symptoms are that I'll catch myself sometimes reading something dense and realize that I'm unknowingly flipping over to fast-scan mode. I hypothesize that I developed this habit due to reading massive quantity of short-form content with high noise:content ratio. Another cause is technical documentation, where one is often looking for a specific answer within a lot of docs. I noticed this in particular when reading Hegel and other long-winded continental philosophers. Though Hegel is particularly hard to understand by anyone, but when I'd force myself to reread a piece of text wherein the above phenomenon manifested, I could then extract meaning as normal.

So, assuming this is a problem, how to fix it? First, some rules/guidelines:

  • Increase avoidance of all video, social media, forums, etc.: I need to get out of a few patterns where I view such content regularly, particularly HN. HN does have a lot of value for staying current in tech, so it's a tough one. Will see if I can just check it max once a day or so, and if that's still a problem, I'll add a task here with some workarounds (e.g., blocking it on GUI browser and only using it on w3m, or maybe blocking it altogether so I can only see the links via aggregator and not read comments).
  • Especially avoid video: Video is harder to avoid now due to so much info being encoded in it. Unfortunately, it's the most neuron-scrambling form of media, and probably the cause of the popcorn brain epidemic. Some things I can do:
    • Unless I need some info for an immediate problem, save the links and watch stuff at the end of the day, when I probably wouldn't be particularly productive anyway. I suspect I'll lose the motivation to watch a lot of said stuff by then.
    • Set a hard limit to 1 hr/day. If I group stuff up for later, it should be easy to track this.
  • Slow down: Read content more slowly, even if it doesn't completely deserve it. If something is crappy enough that speed-reading is the only way it makes sense to consume, skip it.
  • Try to get more "in the zone": Avid readers of classic literature often describe "living" in the text they're reading, and I somewhat do this too, but not really to the extent they seem to be describing. I think this can maybe even work for (some) math/science texts too. Will put some effort into it on this front.
  • Try to read less books in parallel: I just closed 2, but as of this morning I had 8 active things I was reading. No reason to do that. Keep to 3-4 max.
  • I'd been using the low tier reading detailed above for filler, like if I'm sitting at the table eating something. Will try to read whatever ebook I have active at the time instead.
  • I may (very) selectively relax my heuristic on rereading texts. I do this rarely, as I generally favor having a stream of new stuff with the idea that I'll get the most out of that. However, another approach is to read something quickly once, then reread it for full content transfer. Along those lines, there's a few great novels I've already read that I may revisit.

Before I do anything beyond the generally sensible points above, consider that maybe I really should have multiple reading styles, and that I should focus on being able to switch modes more smoothly. It's simply the case that for most of the text out there, it doesn't need deep reading to be maximally useful. I can try to target more dense content, but I still need the skill to fast scan docs.

Given all that, I'll just start with this and check back later to see if I think this needs another pass. There's some great works out there that I can use as a good measure to see whether this has improved, e.g., Proust, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, etc. However, I'm already reading Hegel now and have a few similar classics queued up, so will use those.

13.12. [6/9] refactor meal replacement use

Soylent works for my intended goals, but there's room for improvement. It's a significant portion of my food intake, so worth optimizing.

Overall goals:

  • Find a full meal replacement bar of ~400kcal.
  • Figure out which powder or mix of powders I want to use.
  • Survey some of the other new products in the industry.

13.12.1. CNCL try Sans Meal bar

  • State "CNCL" from "TODO" [2023-08-15 Tue 18:38]

Yet another meal replacement bar. 390kcal. Price might be a bit more sustainable for regular use. https://sansmealbar.com/

Skipping after researching it some. This isn't a meal replacement bar in the vein of Soylent. It's a standard protein bar, like those sold in grocery stores. Also has eggs. Probably an okay protein bar, but I'm not in the market for that.

13.12.2. DONE try Huel

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-21 Mon 14:18]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-05 Sat 11:01]

Now available on Amazon at the same price as the site, so easy to give a try. Will do a side-by-side comparison with Soylent to see if I prefer one over the other.

Ordered some of the unsweetened/unflavored basic powder and the vanilla-flavored protein.

2023-08-11: Tried a few doses of unflavored Huel. Seems good.

There's a lot of comparisons already out there, but my analysis without reading those is:

  • Supposedly Huel has 1/3 sugar content of Soylent, and the sugary flavor of the latter is probably my main complaint of the product. The 50/50 mix tones that down to manageable levels, but I might experiment a bit to lower it a little more.
  • Huel has less processed ingredients, and is probably the main reason it doesn't have Soylent's perfect FDA-recommended balance of vitamins.
  • Huel has an oat flour taste to it, along with detectable flavors of some of the other ingredients. This is pretty neutral, like eating oatmeal would be.
  • Texture-wise, Huel is very flour-like and will clump somewhat in a low-water paste (my preferred way of eating it). It'll also stick to the teeth a bit. The 50/50 mix helps with this problem.
  • Like with Soylent, going from not eating it at all to a full dose of Huel resulted in stomach cramps for me.

Since this is working out, ordered some of the other products I wanted to try, namely the Daily Greens, protein bar, and normal bar. Note that the greens are on subscription now, so cancel/change that later if desired.

2023-08-15: Received order, but will hold off trying the Daily Greens until I finish the current bag. Not sure I'll stick with it either way though, since it's only 15oz.

Normal bar is pretty good, but only 200kcal, meaning it would cost $4.66 for a 400kcal meal. The protein bar is $6.94/meal. Might be a potential option for travel, if the Plenny Bar doesn't work out.

2023-08-21: Tried the protein bar, which is pretty good, though A- doesn't like it as much. Might get a different flavor next time.

Plan, updated per results here: Will switch to 50/50 Huel/Soylent mix as primary, occasional use of daily greens. Will hold off on ordering more bars until I try Plenny Bars, though I might not either way.

Queuing Huel Black for later.

13.12.3. DONE try Plenny Bar

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-08-24 Thu 10:25]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-16 Wed 10:47]

Another meal replacement bar, but in the desired 400kcal size. Price isn't bad at $3.39/bar, though it's much less than that for EU customers. Will pay more for a 1 time order though, since I don't see a subscription management section in the account UI. https://us.jimmyjoy.com/products/plenny-bar

Ordered 24 bars (2 boxes) of the salted caramel.

Tried a couple of these. They're quite good and of decent size. They also solve the "compressed powder" feel you get from the others, and are less dry. Only downside is their sweetness, making their overall experience a little too close to a candy bar. They used to offer a pizza-flavored bar, which supposedly had a tomato flavor to it. Would be interested in that if they ever bring it back. Overall, will stick with these as my main bar, though I'm not sure how many bars I'll be consuming in general. Will probably just order 5-6 boxes whenever the supply gets low. Europe gets a few more flavors than are available in the US currently, including some I'd be interested in. Will keep an eye out for those being available here.

13.12.4. DONE try Huel Hot & Savory meals

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-09-20 Wed 09:23]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-16 Sat 20:03]

These are meal replacements, but in the form of a powdery mix and some kind of actual food, like pasta. Might be a good option for me, since I'm eating mainly from home anyway. Worth trying to see if the slight additional work and price is worth it.

Scheduled next Huel subscription delivery to include 1 each of Chick'n & Mushroom Pasta, Spicy Indian Curry, and Thai Green Curry.

Prep notes:

  • Shake bag to mix contents up.
  • Put 2 scoops in bowl for 400kcal.
  • Add 0.84cup (6.75 fl oz.) of water, stir, and cover with plate.
  • Microwave on high for 1.5min, stir, microwave again for 1min.

These are really good. Will stick with this product line for the foreseeable future. I think they'll serve 2 roles: light 400kcal lunches and replacing some dinners with 600-800kcal doses. Of the 3 tried, Chick'n & Mushroom Pasta was the best. Adding some fresh hot peppers to them worked too. Will try some of the other pasta-based variants next time. Will be maintaining a Huel subscription for at least these then.

13.12.5. DONE consider Rootana, Kachava, and/or LyfeFuel

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-02 Mon 08:50]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-09-27 Wed 12:50]

Of the many Soylent/Huel alternatives, Rootana stands out for not using any artificial sweeteners, and supposedly has a much reduced sweetness taste (though still some from natural stevia). Rather expensive at $3.21/400kcal, so not sure if it's worth it.

Kachava seems focused on checking the boxes health nuts care about. The domestic version also uses monkfruit, so might qualify as having natural sweetener too. Very expensive at $4/meal (which is only 240kcal), probably due to having half the carbs. Might be interested in it for being lower calorie while losing weight. Nutritional benefits are rather unbalanced though, so wouldn't want to make this a primary powder.

LyfeFuel is pretty close to Kachava, but has even less calories. They also have a 210kcal bar, for $40/10bars. For powder, prices are the same as Kachava.

Could just eat bars from the other brands tried so far for these prices and skip the powder inconvenience altogether. Would have to be sold on the flavor and/or ingredients to make it worth it. Still, might try a bag of one or more. Another way of thinking about Kachava and LyfeFuel are they're not really meal-replacement shakes, while still being "complete nutrition shakes". However, adding calories is always trivial (e.g., by eating some bread).

2023-08-22: Ordered one bag of Kachava, matcha flavor. Bought on Amazon, for $70, just for the one bag. Will set aside once received, trying it in a couple months once garden season is over. Also want to use this bag exclusively (for just lunch) when I do, to see if the digestive enzyme additions do anything noticeable. Decided to try this one for convenience of ordering, and in hopes that its flavor is less sweet. Of these here, it also best addresses the criticism that the mainstream meal replacement shakes are highly processed, though that still applies here somewhat. Not sure about the validity of this, but I do notice that, especially with Soylent, the energy seems to get delivered to the body pretty quick. If Kachava can even that out some, that'd make a strong case for switching to it.

If I decide to add a subscription, try to use the $15 off deal on the link on their subreddit.

2023-09-28: Started use. Will completely use up the full bag before ordering any more. Currently powder use is maybe every other day at most, so will stick with that here.

2023-10-02: Finished bag. Not sure if I feel any different. Anyway, current plan is to add a subscription to this and use it maybe 25% of the time, or so. It'd be a bit pricey for 100% use, and I have a large stock of other powder I'd want to use anyway. Also, I don't want to get too married to Kachava, since this price range seems like it'd make the long-term prospects of the business questionable.

13.12.6. DONE organize meal replacement plan

  • State "DONE" from "TODO" [2023-10-31 Tue 19:20]

After I've tried all the meal replacement products on the list, try to organize the ones I want to keep using into a sensible plan, minimizing cost and subscriptions. Include a plan for how much of each to stockpile, and for using up stock of deprecated products. Probably will dedicate a couple shelves to it in the basement.

What I'll be sticking with, which will influence how much to stock up on:

  • Powder: 75% Huel/Soylent mix, 25% Kachava.
  • Bar: Plenny Bar.
  • Other products: Huel Hot & Savory.

Still have to finish the Huel Black and try the Daily Greens, but currently assuming I won't want to include those. Huel hoarding will come last anyway, so plenty of time to change mind.

13.12.7. STRT try Huel Black

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-02 Mon 12:10]

Already have a bag, but queuing this since I want to finish currently opened bags first. Will try straight and mixed with Soylent original. Only comes flavored, of which I bought vanilla. As I generally prefer unflavored (or at least, non-candy flavored), current thinking is this will be a limiting factor.

Pretty good. Probably more palatable than normal Huel, and would likely use this as my primary if it was unflavored. The vanilla is pretty mild though. Might consider this as a replacement for plain Soylent powder once that runs out, for mixing with normal Huel, thus alleviating my need for an additional subscription. Black is $2.50/meal vs. $2.21/meal for normal Huel, so not too different. Currently, normal Soylent is $1.91/meal, but I think its downsides make the upgrade worth it.

13.12.8. STRT stock up on meal replacement food

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-31 Tue 19:18]

Using the decided upon plan, get at least one shelf of products stocked up (not including A-'s drinks). Already have many boxes of original Soylent powder, so good on that front. Will revisit the idea of doing the Huel/Soylent mix once that's used up. Try to get this stockpile built in 4-5 months.

At least get this:

  • [ ] 10+ boxes of Plenny Bars, most in salted caramel. Would get more, but hoping by the time we eat these, some of the other flavors will be available.
  • [ ] 6+ bags of Huel Unflavored & Unsweetened.
  • [ ] 10+ bags of Huel Hot & Savory, in various flavors.
  • [ ] 10+ bags of Kachava.
  • [ ] 6 cases of Soylent bottles for A-.
  • [ ] Suspend Kachava, and Jimmy Joy subscription. Keep Huel active for the Hot & Savory, suspending if it gets to 15 or so bags.

This should be enough for at least 1.5-2 years.

2023-10-31: Doing just one extra of these at a time. Starting Plenny Bar hoard. Be sure to cancel subscription in 2 months.

13.12.9. TODO try Huel Daily Greens

Have 2 bags of this. Already tasted and seems way too sweet, but want to go 100% on this for awhile to fully judge it. Since I'm maintaining a Huel subscription, it'd be no added inconvenience to work it into the routine.

13.13. [6/9] do retirement planning pass

Now is a good time to do some planning on all aspects of early retirement. Previous semi-retirement stints were done with no plan, and the results, while not necessarily bad, weren't great either. Results expected from this effort are: coming up with a general plan when to do so, what I'll do with my time, what the financials will look like, and moving a few liquid assets around. The This should serve a higher-level goal to capture the most of the remaining time I have left on the planet, particularly the near-term years, while balancing that against probabilities for negative outcomes.

13.13.1. DONE assess post-retirement goals/plan

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-16 Mon 00:31]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-12 Thu 23:34]

It's prudent to have a plan for the experience side of this, even if I never use it (or more accurately, don't use it until enough time has passed such that it needs refactoring). In such a case, it can still provide a base for this course of action to compare against.

Retirement, though voluntary in my case, comes for us all eventually. I'd done a lot unstructured thinking about it, starting even before achieving FI, and have put those ideas into action twice with mixed results (the first round was a bit of a mess, the second pretty good, but still somewhat sub-optimal). I have enough empirical data that I can combine with additional thinking such that a solid plan should be possible, though some trade-offs will still be inevitable.

Some downsides to minimize or avoid:

  • Conversational outlets: Very limited due to location. Even working remote doesn't provide as much as I'd like. I'd like to have some outlet always around to externalize thoughts, field test ideas and their presentation, and provide a stream of new ideas that I miss due to my strict input filtering.
  • Motivation: A job provides an always-present impetus to make daily progress. Will need some external substitute for that, a strict system that I stick to, or some deep reflection with a plan to mutate my default nature in this regard. I had some okay motivation last time, but it was probably 50% of what it is while employed. That was a marked improvement over the first attempt, where I had nearly zero.
  • Cash flow: I've checked every FIRE calculator and they all agree I have a 0% chance of running out of funds, even with some very pessimistic parameters. However, there's something psychologically satisfying about staying in the green. Additional buffer never hurts either, as it's always possible to make a large mistake or experience an unexpected, major event (or series of them).
  • Skills rot: There's no comparison to writing code for 8hrs/day for keeping up and expanding the skills. I have another notion to reexamine my relationship with SE, but I'll assume I want to not let any skills degrade currently.

Approaches to resolve the above:

  • Conversational outlets:
    • Collude with A- to focus on slightly overlapping things and sync up on them regularly. Perhaps we can teach each other whatever the other is learning.
    • Start blogging regularly.
    • Be more active in select IRC channels.
    • Post more on forums like HN.
    • Look around for some in-person activities in nearby cities within driving distance, maybe even in the DC metro area.
    • Generally try to be more outgoing and friendly.
  • Motivation:
    • Come up with a fixed daily schedule. Leaning towards staying up at least half the night, with that being study/deep focus time. Then, I'll be awake part of the day, splitting that time between physical activities, productive output work, interacting with the outside world, and recreation.
    • Try taking night classes at nearby colleges. Will try one on creative writing first. This should provide the occasional dose of externally-imposed schedule. Could also try online classes if I run out of local options.
  • Cash flow: Will do some subset of these.
    • Be okay with current returns on investments and consider that my income going forward.
    • Manage financial properties more closely to see if I can squeeze more return and growth out of them. Write more financial data analytics (Granger causality being a set of them I'd particularly like to write).
    • Convert some assets into a fixed income vehicle, like a lifetime annuity. Research this topic extensively first. Added task.
    • Will still keep options open for future employment opportunities. Been meaning to do a deep analysis on what that should look like. This also contributes to motivation, since I'll dedicate some time to remaining employable until around 55-60.
    • Factor in the possibility of monetizing any large-scale efforts I undertake.
  • Skills rot:
    • Some of the above should help with this.
    • Either join an existing open source project, or start one or more new ones.
    • After my immediate post-work break, always be working on something in the tech space every day.
    • Instead of resting on my laurels, designate a spare laptop or desktop system to experimental setups. Also spend time learning/integrating some of the tech that a purist may not appreciate (e.g., containers, proprietary cloud tech, select frameworks, etc.). On the language front, go ahead and learn Rust. Will put this group secondary to my currently planned areas of focus.

Additional goals:

  • Always have one large-effort project active, like writing a book or software, or learning something that requires full-time attention.
  • Put a little more energy into maintaining health.
  • Go on occasional vacation somewhere (probably only within US or Canada), with perhaps one more distant trip per year, and a few day trips to someplace new.
  • Try to upgrade default mood to be genuinely content. I think I'd be close to that without any effort, but years of government work have left me with some lingering, ambient cynicism. Maybe I can excise that.
  • Will actively ignore locals, minus a few of the saner neighbors. Though I have a major goal here of being less socially isolated, reject/avoid interactions with anyone with mental health issues or negative externalities.
  • Will max out on providing as much of our needs as possible through labor and the property's resources (e.g., cutting wood, gardening, canning, etc.).
  • Stop using nicotine gum. Cut back on caffeine use, only allowing the occasional tea/coffee when I need to stay awake for a drive or similar, and maybe iced tea in the summer.

Other random observations:

  • I noticed that my spending was about optimal last time, so just stick with that. Keep it to around $12k/yr for necessities. Annualizing the occasional large expense (vehicle, repairs, etc.) and adding that should keep it under $25k/yr total in 2023 dollars.
  • A proto-thought: I used to think that my most notable skill was writing code. However, this isn't too uncommon, and I've definitely met many programmers much better at it than me. I'll consider closing that gap. However, something else I'm good at which is even more rare might be my combined proclivity and enthusiasm for designing a curriculum for and then deep-diving a subject to get a targeted level of competence in it, incrementally repeating on new topics until I've accumulated a massive repository of knowledge across a wide range of interesting subjects. I'd like to do some additional thinking of how I can leverage that to open up some unique opportunities that are impossible for most of humanity.
  • My immediate post-retirement workflow worked pretty good last time, so will generally keep it. I'll target 3-4 months of detox, where I'll mainly read up on whatever non-technical topics I'm interested in at the time, along with just taking it easy for awhile. Then, the rest of this plan here will kick in.

This plan is a good start and rather comprehensive. Will execute on this if things go such a way in the near future, then reevaluate. In the unlikely event that I'm still working in a couple years, will dust this off and refactor it.

13.13.2. DONE research annuities

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-16 Mon 23:33]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-16 Mon 21:15]

Only know the basics about this financial product, so rectify that and consider whether I want one in the portfolio. I could see it being rather psychologically comforting to have a fixed income that covers expenses plus extras, then any other returns and principles would just be an added bonus. The FIRE types hate annuities for some reason, probably due to fees (though SPIAs avoid most of that). Could also buy a deferred annuity that starts at 65, if I think I can make it comfortably until then. I've read $2k/mo usually costs about $350k, which seems pretty good (6.8% ARR), if one can get that for life. Might only apply if 65 and with no remaining balance passed on. Can also wait until 50+ to get one to see which way inflation is headed. My current broker offers these, so check out their offerings.

Main options:

  • 20 year fixed SPIA: Would get me to SS/IRA income, and payout 150%+ of initial investment. Example: $400k = $2604/mo * 12 = 31248/yr. Might want this since I'm pretty sure I could put a lot of this income right back into personally-managed investments. With dividends from the remainder and any further money made, should have enough to buy anything I might want, including vehicles. One reason to do this is that inflation will eat up some of this in 20 years, but not a full remaining lifetime's worth. At 65, I'll have savings accrued from this income and elsewhere, the previously mentioned assets, and potentially be ready for a house downgrade too. ARR is 7.8% of initial payment (which I don't get back, of course).
  • Life fixed SPIA: Similar to above, but payouts persist for life. Example: $400k = $2001/mo * 12 = 24012/yr. Inflation will probably turn this into $500/mo actual (or worse) by EoL, but would result in more income past 65. On the other hand, if I can live below means with the 20 year fixed, I can maybe buy another annuity at 65 with whatever I have (maybe even sticking all my money in one), at a new baseline. ARR is 6%.

Notes:

  • The main variable to consider between these two main options is whether I think interest rates are at a high. I'm thinking they are, but I'm not sure, of course.
  • Regarding whether to get an annuity at all, there's also systemic risk, but that could go either way. A market collapse would wipe out a lot of my portfolio, but an inflationary debt spiral will negate my income. I think a market collapse is probably more likely in 20 years, but again, I'm not sure. Of course, both could happen too, but then I'd still rather have the annuity.
  • Since I'd be paying for it in post-tax dollars (called a non-qualified annuity), I should only be taxed on a portion of every payment. In the case of the 20 year fixed, that would mean paying normal income tax on 624960 - 400000 = 224960. If I don't have other income, that wouldn't be too bad spread out over 20 years, probably removing some 10% or so, reducing income by around $1k/yr after standard deduction. It would be rather bad if I am making my normal income on top of it though.
  • WV charges an extra 1% income tax on annuities. I suspect this might be for the full income. The State Guaranty Association also has backs up to $250k in the event of failure of the issuing company. Getting one from USAA would alleviate any concerns on that front though.

Conclusions:

  • I'm leaning slightly towards the 20 year fixed. I should be able to save at least $10k/yr from that, redirecting it back into investments (and getting returns on those too). Then I should barely need to touch my liquid balance; it would just be there for a serious emergency and a couple large buys.
  • Don't buy one of these until I'm reasonably sure I'm done working, mainly for tax reasons. However, I still might want to do it if I think interest rates will drop soon (the market thinks they will; my best guess here is by mid 2024). Then, I'd only lose a few thousand in taxes per year at worst.
  • These annual incomes don't sound that great, but with no mortgage and very low other fixed expenses, it can easily be equivalent to a standard American father's 6-figure income after his expenses.
  • Minus illiquid assets (like IRAs, house, physical property, locked-in bonds, etc.), I would ideally want at least another $300k to cover 3 new vehicles, medical expenses, and large house repairs.
  • Given the above, I'm feeling pretty good about the idea. $400k sounds like a good target amount too, since I don't want everything in this strategy (despite it being comparatively safe).
  • If I wanted to power-game this plan with a near-term retirement, I could get all of the large sticker house work done soon, start a vehicle fund, and then go ahead and retire when ready, buying this annuity in Spring 2024.
  • Another option is to work several more years and save up an annuity fund, then do the same as above, and buy a $700-800k life SPIA, which should lock in >$4.5k/mo.
  • Yet another option: Do the near-term retirement+annuity plan, then take a year or two off and think about whether I want to work more. If so, I'll take the tax hit and all of that new income will go into rebuilding my self-managed investment account, returning me to where I am now + annuity.
  • Example semi-pessimistic 65 scenario, in today dollars: Annuity expires, illiquids remain untouched, I've saved $200k from annuity income and managed to keep it adjusted for inflation at least, have $100k left over in other near cash funds I retired with. Now I still am $1M+ in net worth and can buy a pretty generous life annuity (paying even more than this one), and with the other income, should be even better off than I will be for 45-65.
  • Worst case scenario: Annuity expires, have $0 in other near-cash (and have been living just off the annuity income), still have illiquids. Then I'm probably no longer a millionaire (in today dollars), but SS+IRAs should be about the same income amount as this is, which I'll have been accustomed to by then. Can still convert IRAs to a life annuity, if I want to (and I probably would in this situation).
  • Both the above scenarios are pretty far on the bad end of the probability cone though, so I suspect I'll have way more funds than needed.
  • Can also move the start date out to the next year I don't work for tax reasons. Will increase monthly payout a little. Above 20 yr example would be $2691/mo if starting 2025-01-01 instead of $2604/mo on 2023-10-16 (about +$20k by expiration). Not sure the math is too beneficial on that, since I could easily make more investing any near-term excess.
  • Also checked the SS calculator, and I should qualify for max payouts, currently around $3.7k/mo. So if I can survive on this, not worried about post-65.
  • Instead of doing this, could get bonds or bond ETFs (which I already have to some extent), allowing me to get slightly less income from the same money but I'd retain the principle. Of course, the whole point of this exercise is to turn this balance into a locked-in, fixed income that shows up in my bank account every month. The cost of that luxury is the delta between these two overall amounts at the end of 20 years.
  • Overall, this sets me up for maintaining current lifestyle (with some added float). Since I bought the house, I've probably been running at about $30k/yr annualized, but that includes a ton of one-time large purchases (vehicles, house upgrades, repairs, furniture, etc.). Current baseline is about $1.5k/mo, but even that includes a lot of fluff. The mathematical reality is that my current net worth doesn't really support a lavish lifestyle if I never work again, despite looking large on paper. I'm okay with that and need to be if really want to stop working at current age, though I still have the option to return to work if I change my mind. In that sense, it doesn't really change much, even if this ends up being a suboptimal decision. I recently decided that I definitely don't want to be working a job past 50 no matter what, so that puts a cap on how much income will ever contribute to my situation. If I do this, come up with a general budget for the 20 year period, like when to buy cars, roof replacement, etc.

I feel relatively informed about the annuities I might be interested in, so calling this research done. Will call broker to see what they say about some things. Adding task.

13.13.3. DONE inquire about specific annuity products

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-17 Tue 14:11]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-17 Tue 11:23]

Will still need to do plenty of thinking and modeling before going for it, but am interested in the 20 year fixed SPIA. Call broker and inquire about:

  • Whether the estimator numbers are accurate.
  • What the process for getting one looks like.
  • How a COLA (probably +2%) would change the numbers. I think I don't want this, as I'll invest excess to cover it, but still worth checking.
  • Which specific insurance companies and products will cover my needs.
  • Confirm my understanding of tax implications. Ask if I get a yearly tax form specific to this.
  • Whether the monthly deposit can go directly to my checking account.
  • Whether I can just sell some holdings and get $400k in cash in my account, then buy it with that.
  • What the variable annuity version of what I'm looking for would look like.
  • Will also explain my situation and see if their rep thinks this is crazy.
  • The estimator includes beneficiaries for the 20 year fixed. What would the numbers look like without that feature (assuming it's available)?
  • Fees.

Call notes:

  • There's a pre-59.5 penalty. Doesn't apply to the life annuity. Penalty is 10% to the earnings part of the income. So, I'd lose that for the first 3/4 of the term.
  • Fees are built into the what the payout is, at least for an SPIA.
  • Could skip the beneficiaries for life only and probably the 20 year fixed.
  • COLA is better for life annuity, and will normalize if the inflation assumptions hold around 13 years in.
  • Process would be to call back with my full financial info, get quotes. Then I'll call back later with the money in account and start application process. Can specify account I want money to go to.
  • Forgot to ask how filing taxes would work. Will do that next time.
  • Given the above, the life annuity is looking less unattractive. Would want COLA and no beneficiary for that. Also, this wouldn't be much income at first (probably under current expenditure), but provided I can close the gap with other income, should be a good stopgap. Also, I get way more income overall this way, and could compensate for any shortfalls with other funds. Would like to see the numbers for such.
  • Call fixed income team on main brokerage line to explore option of a fixed income bond portfolio. I think the benefits there would be: can get money out if needed, will get remaining balance back, can do this for 5-15 years (like until 59.5), can still buy annuity later. Main downsides are: no guaranteed income and full market exposure with the entire portfolio. However, they might have an option for me using treasuries, muni bonds, or similar. I have some concerns about the ladder being rebalanced regularly though.
  • Another 2-5 years of income would really make the math here more favorable, but that's also sacrificing the best of my remaining years. It's hard to imagine I won't grab some additional income in 20 years though. Ideally, I'd be more amenable to doing that in my mid-50s or so. Will add task to do some serious retirement timing thinking.
  • Inflation example: If there's 200% inflation by the time I'm 65. Might end up being very poor income-wise. Inflation makes me think the 20 year or COLA life makes the most sense. In fact, I won't even consider the non-COLA life.

Main options:

  • Could buy lifetime COLA annuity now, then continue working until ready to retire, thus deferring the decision. Some benefits of that:
    • Doesn't close any doors. Can try living off the annuity amount and banking everything else as a trial run.
    • In the interim period, can get remaining large purchases taken care of (or at least funded).
    • Initial payouts will be much lower, so shouldn't affect taxes much if still working.
    • Avoids the 10% penalty.
  • Could do the same, but with a deferred. 5 years adds about +25%, 10 years +50%. In other words, covering the near term years is rather expensive.
  • Could do the same, but with the 20-year.
    • Inflation hedge here is the intent to reinvest unused income and lean on my remaining liquid assets. This is a decent plan, and I can get a better annuity deal later as well.

Conclusions:

  • Would want to see numbers for:
    • COLA life fixed SPIA
    • 20 year fixed SPIA
  • Ask about the above tax effects.

13.13.4. DONE ponder retirement timing consequences

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-19 Thu 11:59]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-17 Tue 16:22]

The main decision calculus here is trading remaining "good" years for added financial security. In annuity terms, it seems the trade-off (with nothing changing from as of this writing) would be (very roughly) 1 year = +$700/mo for 20 year annuity, or +$500/mo lifetime. When looked at that way, +2 years of work seems like a good idea. I probably wouldn't annuitize most additional funds, but it's a convenient way of thinking about it. Currently leaning towards some compromise, just to take the current edge off the numbers. Won't decide here. This is just to enumerate options.

Timing options:

  • Very soon (~0.5 years): 20 year annuity makes the most sense here, if I want one at all. Will switch over to a fixed income lifestyle immediately.
    • Pros: Immediate freedom to the max extent a man can have in the US today, options remain fully open for future income.
    • Cons: A few known large expenses are incoming (roof, filter, heat pump, new vehicle) and it'd be nice to pay those forward, fixed income is a little tighter, higher likelihood of dipping into other investments.
  • Medium term (1-2 years): COLA life probably makes the most sense here, pushing off the initial buy-in 0.5-1 year. Then I can get a bond ladder or personally manage the remainder I have by the end. If on the low end of this, I'll probably just split it in half. Will have to keep an eye on interest rates to determine buy time; might be able to push it out farther.
  • Long term (5 years): Probably would do the bond ladder for this, or a deferred. Don't see this as a plausible option really, since it squanders the remaining good years I have. It really makes for a comfortable retirement though. Still worth noting, since it might effectively end up this way if I did the Very Soon option and then got some more income later on (like in my 50s). Could end up doubling my fixed income.
  • Punt option 1: Do nothing and keep working. Decide later.
  • Punt option 2: Get bond ladder and keep working. Decide later.

Conclusions:

  • No matter what, will wait to see if A-'s SSDI works out, since that might affect planning. Side note: this is only about $10.9k/yr currently.
  • When I settle on one of these, need to make a list of fixed income lifestyle changeover steps (e.g., get rid of backup internet, downgrade phone service, etc.).
  • I played the career pretty good, and was even optimal at periods, but a few critical decisions done differently would've bought me more flexibility now. Not worth dwelling on, of course, but it is a fact of reality for everyone who faces this transition at some point. Also can't complain, since the median net worth in the US at 65 is $265k.

Will proceed under the expectations that I'll continue on current path for the next 6 months at least, then reevaluate. Doing this is helpful though, since if something changes before then, I know what the consequences are.

13.13.5. DONE restructure holdings

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-19 Thu 12:41]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-19 Thu 09:06]

In the interim, will restructure my current self-managed holdings, divesting from some energy, commercial real estate, and other markets. Probably will just start the divesting part of it for now, since I want to time things for tax reasons. Those funds will move over to the income funds. Also, revisit that part of the portfolio, since some of these aren't super performers.

Did a pass on this. Will revisit in a couple weeks, and maybe move more stuff around. There's some individual equities I definitely want to divest from still (particularly consumer discretionary), but the remaining are supported by high dividend yield at current price. Still want to kill some of the losers before EoY for tax reasons though. Added task to remind myself of that. Currently my income portion of the portfolio is around half fixed income funds (that include ROC), and the rest at lower yields but with capital gain potential (and those mostly have done so since purchase). Also, the fixed income funds have fixed returns, so in a high interest environment, I suspect there is downward pressure on price. If I think rates will go down, now's a good time to load up. Anyway, I'm pretty committed to this strategy near term, since I've got ~86% of holdings in the income portfolio.

I'm also seriously considering just doing this as an alternative to the annuity/bond ladder strategy, maybe at least until 59.5. I could take 50% of dividends as income, reinvest the remainder, then buy an annuity with it at that age. This has a lot of advantages:

  • Unlike an annuity, I get my money back at the end, and it should even grow in the meantime. If I can simply retain the bulk of the inflation-adjusted purchasing power of it (say, over 70%), I'll be set for a care-free 65+ life. Ideally the balance will still grow though, as it has in the past.
  • Covert to annuity later: If desired, can then still buy a life annuity with all/some of it, having massive income. Could even get it a little early, like around 55 or so. Like if I retired today, I'd just need to live frugally (which is about my current expenditure) for 10 years if I wanted to be maximally safe.
  • No downsides to extra job income in the meantime.
  • Almost completely liquid.
  • Reliable price floor for D-, since the fund will buy shares around $9.xx. Conversely, if I want to sell shares, this ceilings around $11. There's only been 2 anomalies that broke this pattern in recent decades.

Downsides:

  • Income doesn't just show up in my bank account. Have to manually manage it.
  • Income funds like this cover the gap with ROC, which is what you'd want for fixed income, of course. But ROC means you're paying 20% dividend tax on that percentage too. There's been payments which have been 100% ROC. It'd be a perfect product if that amount was considered non-qualified.

Note that the monthly return curve for an annuity goes up by a lot past 55, e.g., taking a $400k life annuity at 45 = $2k, but the same if I was 55 = $2.2k. Not much different. However, if one was 65, it would be $2.6k. 60 = $2.4k. So, trying to get higher returns by adding 10 years of age doesn't get you far if you're younger. Might as well just take it when it makes sense to switch over, or maybe wait until 60 when the higher returns kick in. Might write some code at some point to map out the cross-over point, given various expected returns from the current portfolio.

Also note that D- and E- increases were under the assumption that the current inflation surge will reduce somewhat. If it's looking like that won't happen, move them over to the income+growth side. Will rethink that in 6-12 months. Either way, this was mostly a cash->shares transaction, so it's better here than elsewhere.

As of 2023-10-19, I only have $989 in cash in my main brokerage account, so check back in half a year to see what the actual income is. I can calculate it, but seeing the real number will help.

13.13.6. DONE research Medicaid nursing home

  • State "DONE" from "STRT" [2023-10-20 Fri 21:46]
  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-10-20 Fri 20:22]

I think this is where old people that only have SS end up. Look into this to see if I want to avoid this fate at all costs. Maybe it is worth collecting more money to stay out of such a thing. Might make more sense to not burn my last $500k, since I think this is enough to upgrade to something much nicer. This is also potentially a good reason to wait the max time to take SS, even though on average it's better to take it earliest. Really have no strategy for this at present, so worth looking into.

Took a very shallow look into this. This is a complicated topic, that deserves a full deep-dive later. Some random points:

  • There's spend down rules about assets before you can go on Medicaid at all. The nursing home industry is very efficient at draining your funds quite quickly. At a certain point (around $123k currently), then you can qualify. Then the remainder of your assets are spent until you have nothing, where your SS payout is taken and you're given $50/mo. Note that some things aren't covered, so that remainder will have to pay for anything else needed.
  • I can get long-term care insurance that covers in-home and nursing home care. Some recommend doing this at 60 or maybe older if in good health.
  • Average time spent in a nursing home is 2.4yrs.
  • There's a 5-year look back period, so moving assets to someone else in that period will disqualify an applicant for Medicaid.
  • Seems the low end nursing homes are all double occupancy per room.

Looks like nursing home is a bad idea except for the very EoL when about to die very soon. Will eventually have to come up with a plan to stay out of one for as long as possible. Ideally, will never go to one at all and just die at home.

13.13.7. TODO research bond ladders

Learn more about this before talking to broker. This seems like a good option if I want to preserve my capital to convert to an annuity later (thus getting a larger income at that time). Could do this until 59.5.

13.13.8. TODO inquire about bond ladders

I'm leaning against this, but should get some numbers for comparison purposes. Will call broker and see what they say.

Questions:

  • To what degree is this investment liquid?
  • Can I manage/track the investment on my broker portal?
  • Can I start it as a reinvest version, then randomly switch it to withdrawal mode?

13.13.9. TODO divest from most remaining loser equities

Most of these are remnants from my swing trading days that were still paying out well and so I ended up keeping them. Only 13% of the portfolio with my main broker is in these (including remaining winners). Thankfully, these are only losers in price, since all of them have been paying high yields in the interim. However, in retrospect, I didn't outsmart the market on this side of the portfolio. Would've done better in ITOT or similar, with much less hassle.

Anyway, I cashed out my big winners this year, so now's the time to dump these, mainly for tax reasons. Target cutting the percentage in half. Can keep a couple of the lower value holdings around if I feel like gambling. Some of these are consumer adjacent, so they might come back if interest rates go down. Might gamble with the health care stock, which I think the dividend will support at current price. Also generally bullish on that industry.

13.14. STRT lose weight using Soylent and gnuplot

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-05-03 Wed 10:56]

Weighed self and I'm back to where I was in 2017. Making this my primary health focus starting now. Probably main thing I can do to improve QoL. Looking at last decade's data, best I got was 191 on 2015-10-07. Will try to beat that. Existing gnuplot script should work, so just resetting the data file.

Plan:

  • Skip lunch or eat Soylent.
  • Normal dinner, but try for 2/3 or 3/4 previous portion.
  • During summer, will switch to eating garden veggies for lunch/snacks exclusively.
  • Buy zero snacks of any kind.
  • 2/wk weight bench use, 3/wk in winter.

Current goal is 184 lbs, achieved by mid-2024 (~433 days, or almost 62 weeks). -36 lbs = -2000+ kcal/wk. Will try for -1 lb/wk though (-3500 kcal/wk).

Positive feedback sub-goals:

  • [X] Lose 5 lbs gained since starting current job.
  • [X] Lose 10 lbs, getting to needing belt with size 33 pants.
  • [X] Lose 10 lbs, getting to needing belt with size 32 pants.
  • [ ] Lose 11 lbs, getting to average BMI range.

2023-05-17: Milestone 1 achieved, though this is always the easiest. Feel better already though.

2023-06-14: Milestone 2 achieved. Feel better than I have in a couple years. So far the weight came off pretty easy, but it'll be much harder from this point. Been eating Soylent (original powder) for most lunches (minus weekends) so far, but might temporarily switch to the protein drink if I get stuck later. Decided to try to avoid going no-lunch for overall health reasons, mainly ensuring proper nutrient coverage.

2023-08-13: Milestone 3 achieved. Feel (and look) even better than before. Since the garden is producing, switched to small lunch salads of whatever is available, interspersed with a 50/50 Huel/Soylent mix. Also quit eating full lunches on weekends. Seem to have a good system to complete this task, so will proceed accordingly. On track to finish this task much earlier than expected, probably before EoY.

Confident that I identified the main culprits: overall portion sizes, and consuming snacks that my body couldn't use the energy from. Too much caloric intake (often called CICO) isn't a huge revelation, but it's worth noting such that the problem doesn't return.

2023-10-02: Static progress for 2 months due to eating larger lunches of garden veggies most days. I'm okay with this, since it's probably healthier to have a tactical pause. Also now know exactly how much to eat to maintain weight. Restarting on 100% meal replacement lunches as of today. Should still be able to make this goal EoY, though it might be close.

13.15. STRT improve posture

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2021-02-09 Tue 08:27]

Time to go no-slouch. Apart from the obvious, I suspect improving posture would have a lot of additional side benefits. This plan is to simply force myself to only sit ergonomically correct whenever using the computer and to consciously always walk fully upright. Will also add squats to weight lifting regimen. Will try this for 3-4 months and reevaluate. Might also grab an office stool to force compliance.

2021-11-12: Definitely helped, but will shift to going 100% on this for 2022.

2023-05-24: Thought I was doing good, but noticed myself slouching a bit in a couple 3rd party pics. Decided to order a less comfortable office chair to help.

2023-08-21: New chair definitely enforces posture correctness, though not sure I can sit in it all day due to being such a hard surface. Will try it for awhile, and consider maybe one day getting another one for the office.

13.16. STRT try 1 year of minoxidil

  • State "STRT" from "TODO" [2023-08-15 Tue 15:05]

Would like to thicken up the hair a bit to open up some hairstyles changes. Supposedly this works, but requires indefinite use to support any added hair. Will try it for 1 year and evaluate whether any progress is worth maintaining. Might be worth doing for my remaining middle age and quitting at ~70, since it's only $80/6mo for the 5% foam. Supposedly will take at least 4 months for results to show.

13.17. TODO research Medicare

Will have to know this eventually. Maybe do a first pass on it, then fill in the details later (since they'll change by then). Read the current year publication of "Medicare and You" on: https://www.medicare.gov/publications

13.18. TODO run food reaction experiments

Will maintain a nominal baseline, then mega-dose on one specific food type during dinner to see if it causes any issues. If it doesn't, will move on to the next. If it does, will run the experiment a couple more times to confirm. As I can safely rule out the things I regularly eat in large quantities already, will do experiments on the foods I only occasionally consume. This approach seems like it should work, but I probably won't be able to do anything about smaller ingredients like cooking oils. If all of these experiments come back negative, will look into getting a food allergy test.

Experiments:

  • [ ] Onions
  • [ ] Chickpeas
  • [ ] Olives

13.19. TODO upgrade will save

Noticed I could use better resistance in the area of impulse control. This mainly manifests as not being able to have snacks and other tasty items in the house without eventually eating them faster than I should. I'm sure that's a result of a deeper brain wiring flaw though, and is probably having negative consequences elsewhere in life. I suspect I'd probably be fine 100 years ago, but current year world is full of instant-access predatory products of all kinds. The kind of iron will one would need to be immune to constant assault along these lines is almost superhuman. Anyone building resistance will probably end up with weird workarounds, but if it's possible to buff the base stat, that'd be better than one-off solutions.

Plan to fix is to buy a bunch of my favorite (max DC) stuff I normally can't resist, leave it in plain sight, and power through leaving it untouched. Identify and delete whatever thought patterns are causing such poor performance in this area.

13.20. TODO get credit report

Apparently free to get once a year from AnnualCreditReport.com. Might as well do that and see if there's any fake accounts. This didn't work when I last tried, so give it a try again later.

13.21. TODO consider concierge primary care doctor

This is also called "direct primary care". Due to the way health care has, uh, evolved in the US, I might want to pay the extra $1-15k/yr for this kind of service, instead of trying to personally navigate the system myself. Supposedly will triage problems, get access, keep me out of the hospital/ER, and cut through red tape.

Worth considering for when I don't have employer-provided health care later. Main downside is this is usually purchased in addition to (ideally, a Cadillac) health care plan. I'm thinking one of the main benefits to doing this while at the same time going commando is the concierge could help navigate costs, prevent needless tests, and waste less of my time/sanity. Health-dependent, I might also want to just shelve this idea until I get Medicare. The thinking there is this could improve QoL in old age and keep me out of the garbage-tier, life-dominating medical experience most Americans live through.

Maybe just survey the market for this and understand what I'd be getting. Might still opt out of this altogether, as originally planned.

There's one near here in Winchester, VA. Cost for under 50 is $75/mo. House visits are available, but probably wouldn't be for how far out I am. https://www.smartypantsmedicine.com