But seriously, what IS vibe coding?

Legitimately one of my favourite YouTube channels. Tech deep dives (generally on extremely esoteric topics), sarcasm, and interesting insights.

What emulators do you recommend? I have an S23 but am about to try swapping it for a Fairphone running e/OS

To be honest - that’s probably the dream setup. The challenge is that android games seem to all be low-effort ad delivery systems.

My happiest place is turn-based strategy and RPGs. XCOM, Total War: Warhammer, anything Baldur’s Gate, 4Xs that sort of stuff.

I have several hundred hours killing time on Unciv on Android. Mindustry is fun but cramped. Polybridge was great until I finished it.

I had a decent PC back in the day (I grew up in the era of building my own water cooling systems) but as a casual gamer I can’t wrap my head around around modern graphics card prices and I rather be able to play on the sofa for five minutes while I wait to pull something from the oven.

I’m old.

Joysticks need to be replaced again, battery life is becoming tragic so that needs replacing too. Any time I pick it up at this point, the battery is dead.

Biggest issue to be honest is that I want a bigger screen and that isn’t the device’s fault.

I’m going to order a whack of parts from ifixit and spruce it back up for those Nintendo exclusive hankerings.

There’s a SteamOS version too, right?

Huh, I thought it was just me that did that - I just assumed everyone else was so much more disciplined than me…

The blog post is an incredible read.

My partner and I backcountry ski, iceclimb etc. One of the reasons we went with the Ioniq 5 was that we can sleep in the back and use the heat pump to keep us warm.

We recently did a weeklong ski trip with it. We drove from from Golden, BC back to Calgary, AB (250km/150mi) in -16C (3F) and used 70% of a charge. One day on that trip, we were backcountry skiing in similar weather and the car sat outside in that weather for 8 hours. No loss of battery.

One of the unexpected features I really enjoy is that I never pump gas in the cold any more. I programmed my work schedule and the car pre-warms for my commute. I get home, plug the car in, and it’s always ready to go.

I live in Alberta where most of our power comes from natural gas. I’m also an emissions and sustainability engineer. I did the math on environmental payback for an EV where I live and the EV is WILDLY better for the environment despite the power potentially coming from fossil fuels.

If you tell me roughly where you live I can calculate emissions per kilometre/mile including the energy that goes into manufacturing the vehicle.

There’s absolutely jurisdictions where EVs don’t make much difference - but most places they do.

(large scale power generation is pretty effecient and most jurisdictions have some renewables in the mix. A car’s gas engine is much lower efficiency most places)

I still don’t get the butane reference? (kidding)

Totally agree.

I sure wouldn’t say ‘all’. The first years of your mortgage you are paying the bank more in interest than you are knocking off the principal.

A $300k home with 20% down and an interest rate of 3.5% on a 25 year amortization schedule will see the buyer paying $8k in interest versus $6k towards the principal at the start. Over the course of the mortgage, the $300k home will cost $420k thanks to the $120k in interest the bank takes.

I’m okay as long as I don’t doom scroll too much.

I’m Canadian and middle aged. I was braced for a rough Trump 2.0, but the last month has truly exceeded expectations for suck. Our country is under economic attack by our biggest trading partner. Human rights and trying to help and support each other are suddenly considered bad things. Our window to address climate change is snapping shut as our leaders around the world move in the wrong direction. I’m feeling really good about my decision to not have kids at least.

On the plus side, my sick cat is responding to treatment, and my partner and I have just set up a nursery - we’re going to start fostering wee kiddos whose families are going through rough spots. I’ve got some financial flexibility so I’m treating myself to a stack of coffee gift cards each week that I hand out to folks who look like they could use it. Sorta makes my day to be able to make sure someone unhoused gets a warm drink and some food.

My (large) fridge hasn’t even pulled 1kWh today. Modern fridges are impressively efficient.

I’m steadily electrifying my life - and adding solar panels as I go.

Solar is already super modular and if you package the panels, then you rob the consumer of the ability to pick a panel that works for them (physical size for example, but where you live will also have a big impact on capacity requirements). Also, solar panels have a lifespan that exceeds most consumer appliances. I just replaced a ten year old stove but my solar panels have a 25 year warranty. The replacement cadence is very different.

Yea, I’ve looked at that. The issue is when I break it - and I always break my phones. I wouldn’t be able to quickly fix my phone because I’d need to order the parts via a shipping forwarder. I use my phone for work and going a couple of weeks without a device isn’t viable.

Rich white dudes have great health insurance.

The SECOND Fairphone starts shipping to Canada, I’ll buy one…

I tackle this two ways.

I ensure that I have a progress pride bracelet, pin, or other clearly visible symbol of allieship on me at all times. I also have prominently displayed safe space signage around my office. There should be zero ambiguity of my support - my hope is that this both makes 2SLGBTQIA+ and any other marginalized individuals feel welcome around me, and I also find it reduces inappropriate jokes or comments from the broader organization. People KNOW that I will make a stink if they are assholes. I try to ensure a safe bubble around me.

The other thing I do is try to make it clear to my team that I care about them as people - they aren’t cogs in a machine.

Ultimately, it’s up to my team members to decide if talking with me will help or hurt. I just try to make sure that my door is wide open.