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mattalbie

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mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
Newspapers feel they have an obligation to report what our representatives say, good or bad, but they also have editorials that comment on that reporting. In some cases (like The Economist) reporting and commentary are mixed together. Most newspapers believe their editorials, and how they report the news are critical to holding government accountable, and one of their missions.

I see flagging messages and banning as Twitter (and really all online platforms) version of an editorial.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
That’s a good idea. Thanks!
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
I do this but include the symlink command in the document. That way all the links become one copy and paste.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
The answer on StackExhange is very good, but misses the history of why 4:3 exists in the first place, which had a great deal to do with mechanical reasons. This is well explained on Wikipedia's entry on the Academy ratio[1].

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_ratio

The evolution of aspect ratios---4:3, Cinemascope, Anamorphic, 70mm, etc.---is fascinating. There's a constant trade-off between aesthetic and technical requirements with a lot of really cool innovations for the time.

For my money the most interesting format is anamorphic[2].

2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_format
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
I read ‘The Lord of the Rings’ for the first time this year. Highly recommend.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
It was worth it for me.

I spend lots of time learning the tools I use for work (database systems, departmental protocols, client interactions) and having a better personal productivity tool is at the center of everything I do. It's worth months of heavy investment in the long run.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
This is also what org-mode[0] does.

My files are 'logbook', 'life', 'project-1', 'project-2', etc. At any time I can hit a key and capture an idea/meeting to any of those places, and as I'm taking notes I can mark anything as a todo and schedule/deadline them. In the 'agenda' I can see a single overview of all my todo items, and my schedule, from all my notes.

I've tried a lot of systems (paper, apps, cli notes, etc) and org-mode clicks in a way nothing else has for me.

[0]: https://orgmode.org
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
Fantastic. Very useful and I have a lot of trust in the company sticking around.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
If you're a subscriber they do full-text search and archiving.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
Lots of terminal based stuff but particularly fzf.

Also Mimestream, a Gmail client.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
A History of the Crusades by Steven Runcimen.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
Fantastic book! But yes, Incredibly dense, but easy to read. Feels like 5 years of research is packed into each chapter (which I suppose is true).

But so worth it. I think about a concept from that book at least every week.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
As someone who lives in California, I can't imagine there being that much snow on the ground.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
The best piece of advice I ever heard was "all you need is less".

For me, simply doing less stuff, but being more "intentional" or "mindful" or whatever you want to call it, is the key. For example, I used to have magazine subscriptions, RSS feeds, piles of books, hobbies and side projects, and tons of stuff I wanted to do or places I wanted to travel. Those things, which were entirely elective, added to the overall burden of feeling like I couldn't keep up.

As I've aged I've also switched from "this is what I want to accomplish" to "this is how I want to spend my time". I do a lot more reading, staring into the distance, joking around, etc.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
33 is a great age to have a kid (if you want them, and if you're in a position to do so). I had to wait (long story) until 37 and there's part of me that regrets it a little bit. There's a real benefit that comes from upending your whole life (there are, of course, other ways to do this) and having your priorities radically realigned (obviously, though, not for everyone).

If you have money to put away, get a financial planner and start saving money. The end of your career is coming up sooner than you think.

Take care of your body. In my late 30s I started to notice little things with my joints, muscles, etc. that made me think "oh, I guess I'm getting old now".

More generally, if you're not on the path you want to be on, change it. Over the last few years I'd had a strange feeling come over me: "Whatever person I want to become, if I don't become them in the next few years then I never will." Which, if the thought hadn't arrived uninvited into my mind I don't know I would have ever agreed with. The simpler version is "When are you going to become the person you want to be?" (or, "get right with yourself"). I hope the answer isn't "in my 50s or 60s".

Read more books, spend less time on computers/internet/TV.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
As a manager, I would say tell your manager about your struggles. Or tell someone who is in a position to ask you what you think in those meetings.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
Are you reading the book? Do you like it?
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
It’s a very minor point but this article makes it sound like the generic term for a union buster is Pinkerton agent. Pinkerton is a private company who does security work these days, but has a long history of doing exactly this. Fascinating Wikipedia read if you’re curious.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_(detective_agency)
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
Totally in the same boat. I’ve taken to sometimes doing a fake commute walking around the block before I start work.
mattalbie
·6 lat temu·discuss
People tire of politics when (they feel) the conversation becomes unconvincing, pedantic, or monotonus. That doesn't mean those people have the wrong attitude, it means the argument is not compelling.