I used to use ChatGPT and Copilot, but then I stopped because they sucked too bad to justify the price. I spun up an Ollama instance on my server but I almost never use that either because it sucks really bad. I integrated it into my Home Assistant instance and it sucks so bad that when I ask it to simply turn off a light, it only succeeds about 1 in 5 times.

Everything else can be looked up on Google

I think that there actually is value to rote and memorization. Adding more knowledge to your head expands the possibilities for what thoughts you’re able to have in a way that outsourcing to Google never could. My best example is GPS navigation vs mental mapping. A while ago, I stopped using GPS during my drives, instead spending some time to look over the map and memorize the directions before I set out. Since I started doing this, I have a much clearer mental map of the places I drive through. I can use my mental map to plan efficient outings, since I have a good idea of what places are close together and when/how to take alternate routes to avoid traffic.

The other problem with leaving things to Google is that it makes you less self-reliant and diminishes your ability to unplug from the internet and think and act in the real world. Sure you can use Google Translate, but actually learning a foreign language allows you to participate in conversations, appreciate jokes, and see the world through the lens of the relationships baked into another language (e.g. you see sparks and fireworks as “fire-flowers” because you know the words hibana and hanabi).

Also, analogies and examples form an important underpinning for critical thinking. And the best way to seed a student’s mind with examples is to make them read a lot.

Logarithmic scales are notorious for hiding spikes.

I bought 96 gigs of DDR3 for my server in December 2022. It cost $118.76; less than $1.24 per gig.

I do have brunch with my kids every day, but why would I say “data” during it? We’re still on Spock.

Should have known from the fact that the spine says “Quantum Entanglement”. This is the set my son was given. Looks like he actually has published a few more since then, but nothing Linux-related (yet). We love them!

NO WAY! They’ve got an LFS one now?!? My son got a bunch of them for his baby shower two years ago, and he’s been like super into them since he was like 15-18 months old. I highly recommend Bayesian Statistics; it explains the concept more clearly than any stats or data science class I’ve taken. His favorites are Optical Physics (because he’s into rainbows), Bayesian Statistics (because he likes cookies), and Quantum Computing (because he likes the word “data”, probably because he hears me say it in work meetings).

It’s certainly odd but my wife doesn’t mind it because she just makes me operate it 😅

Finally got sick of the FireTV so I plugged a mini PC into a dumb TV. It’s kinda sad to have to use a keyboard instead of a controller, but it was a minor tradeoff for a much better experience.

I really don’t know what it’s like in China because I’ve never been there. I know some people who are from China but they’ve never really talked about anything other than visiting their families. All I hear comes from the US propaganda machine, so I can’t really have an informed opinion. This is probably how it should be for like 95% of Americans. We don’t need to have an opinion about everything ffs.

I use Minimalist Phone Launcher with network access disabled. I know there are libre alternatives out there, but I didn’t like them as much, and I desperately needed a digital detox.

Aegis works perfectly. My university used Duo and then Okta, and both worked. I was unable to get Authy to work, though.

My laptop is Mint and it’s never given me audio issues. My gaming rig is Nobara and the only audio issue I’ve had with it is that I forgot to switch the output to the TV.

She independently discovered it haha. I sit her down on the couch next to me while I’m working, and she constantly flops over. It drives me nuts! I would let her just do her thing, but she’s got pretty bad reflux and even just a minute or two of tummy time within like 2 hours of having a bottle will make her ralph.

The other day, I had to get up for a minute or two, and I left her on the couch. My better judgment kicked in and I pushed an ottoman next to the couch to block the space she usually tries to launch into. This is what I came back to see:

I checked out Lapce and I like it a lot, but I can’t really live without my Jupyter Notebook extension 😕

That’s the main reason I jumped on them. I’ve seen an increasing trend of people selling old computers with the RAM and HDDs taken out

My wife taught my son English uppercase letters, so I’ve been teaching him Greek lowercases. I can’t help but feel proud every time he says “pi”

In the past, I’ve used Adguard Home, and I liked it. When I tried to my Adguard server as the DNS for my router, though, my WFH corporate VPN wouldn’t connect, so there’s that. Granted, I was using it to remove ads, but people seem to like it for parental controls too.

I saw a deal for a pair of mini PCs with decent specs on eBay right after I got my annual bonus, so I jumped on it because I want to do the same thing for my kids. May be jumping the gun a bit…my son just learned the alphabet (uppercase only) and my daughter just learned how to flop off the couch head-first.

I self-host Gitea! Not your server, not your data.