Biweekly update 2019-12-24; Christmas, *sighs*
Too late, I know. I just didn't have any time for writing the update, so it will be a bit shorter than usually.
tinySelf progress
I am trying to return to tinySelf, but I didn't get much free time and when I've got some, I've spent it on other projects. I hope that I can allocate some time during the Christmas.
Object wiki update
There is slow but steady progress. I've refactored the mindmaps several times, and I am now almost ready to return to programming.
Blog updates
I've updated static generator for the blog, so the URL's are now much shorter and arguably also prettier. For example:
http://blog.rfox.eu/Bystroushaak%20s%20blog/English%20section/Weekly%20updates/Biweekly%20update%202019%2012%2008%20Projects%20and%20work%20organ.html
got abbreviated to:
http://blog.rfox.eu/en/Weekly_updates/Biweekly_update_2019_12_08_Projects_and_work_organ.html
Bystroushaak%20s%20blog prefix was removed, English%20section (and Czech%20section) was shortened to en (cz) and all spaces or %20 space encoding got converted to _.
All of this was just artifacts from the notion.so HTML export. Code is kinda hacky, as I've finished in the 3:30 AM, but it works. Old URL's should be correctly 301 redirected to new ones.
I've also implemented sidebar on each page, which should move to the end of the page, if there is not enough space vertically (smaller displays or mobile). Sidebar contains list of last five blogposts and a link to complete changelog.
Speaking of 📰Changelog, it got converted from ugly notion table to nicer list in reverse order, so the newest changes are on the top.
Two weeks after the changes, I can say, that it got the bounce rate down to 65% (23.6% improvement) and it increased the average session duration to 1 minute and 12 seconds, which is 39.7% improvement.
Side bar will need some improvements, because hiding mechanism hides it too soon on narrower displays, but I think I can call it success so far. I think that I'll add some kind of "social buttons" and discussion next time.
Book report
I've finished Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks, and I didn't like it at all. I mean I like the Culture books, but this one was just boring.
Writing
I've published random note 🗒Sunburst for PyCharm / Idea, because it took me some time to create it. I've also added some old articles and Graveyard section to the Czech part of this blog. Specifically:
Also I've visited small particle accelerator hidden in old underground shelter, so I am working on blogpost about the visit. Expect a lot of pictures.
Activity board
Activity board is now mostly finished (see the progress here: 🗒️Activity board). I want to add other stuff, like switches and diode, basket made from the wire I'll solder together, box with little compartments used for pills, but it won't change that much.
I've presented it to my daughter and it was received well. So I guess that this is success? I really enjoyed making this, so I am thinking about my next physical project.
Christmas
I've realized that I hate Christmas. The older I am, more and more idiotic it all feels. Stressed people going crazy over some bullshit holidays. Gifts and the necessity to give them, usually to people who don't need anything and can and do buy everything they want. The pessimism of receiving all the crap that I don't need. Usually made of plastic, that was just wasted. I end up giving large part of what I get to other people. And wrapping paper. Wrapping paper! I really hate it. It gives me depression.
Imagine all the industrial pipeline necessary to produce it and deliver it to you. Everything from the oil pumps to refineries supplying fuel for hard machinery that cuts down the trees required to make papers. All the chemical processes to make it white.
Who ever thinks about paints? I know that paper is easily recyclable, but what do they do with the layers of paints? And what is it made of?
And then it is all made, all the energy is put into it, and it is delivered to the shop where you buy it and wrap your gifts in it. And it looks nice, but fuck, it is all torn away next day and thrown into garbage. Its like small metaphor for the human life.
Anyway. I just hate this shit. I went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Monday, and they were playing "Christmas music". People felt edgy, showing badly hidden aggression on the surface. And the music was really shitty, so shitty that it made me think about it. About the meme propagation and about the filter in the collective unconsciousness, that defines what is Christmas music and what not. This is evolution in real time, that leads to picking more and more patterns that sound christmassy, and then replicating them into stuff that is more and more horrible with each iteration.
I like to give gifts and to make other people happy, but this feels more and more like collective insanity. I've decided that I'll give people just the stuff they'll have some use for, but I've resigned even to this and give basically consumables and books this year. And I've decided to be selfish and just tell everyone "no" and try to evade demands for my presence and attention. I'll just try to do something productive and maybe relax a little. We'll see how it plays itself.
Random stuff
I really like this channel:
Random HTML comment wisdom found when I was looking for floating sidebar tutorials. Sadly I can't find where.
<body>
<!--
...
s, . .s
ss, . .. .ss
'SsSs, .. . .sSsS'
sSs'sSs, . . .sSs'sSs
sSs 'sSs, ... .sSs' sSs
sS, 'sSs, .sSs' .Ss
'Ss 'sSs, .sSs' sS'
... sSs ' .sSs' sSs ...
. sSs .sSs' .., sSs .
. .. sS, .sSs' . 'sSs, .Ss . ..
.. . 'Ss .Ss' . 'sSs. '' .. .
. . sSs ' . 'sSs, . .
... .sS.'sSs . .. 'sSs, ...
.sSs' sS, ..... .Ss 'sSs,
.sSs' 'Ss . sS' 'sSs,
.sSs' sSs . sSs 'sSs,
.sSs'____________________________ sSs ______________'sSs,
.sSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS'.Ss SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSs,
... sS'
sSs sSs
sSs sSs
sS, .Ss
'Ss sS'
sSs sSs
sSsSs
sSs
s
YOU ARE YOUR OWN GOD.
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
MAKE THE MOST OF IT.
-->
<a href="#main">Skip to content</a>
