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Wednesday weblog: Toots ending 2024-10-09

| review, weblog

Here's what I've been posting on @sacha@social.sachachua.com:

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Wednesday weblog: Toots ending 2024-10-02

| review, weblog
Tech

  • Server upgrade 2024-10-01T19:34:35.535Z

    Okay, my VPS should now be on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Things I bumped into along the way:
    - Had to reinstall MySQL for some reason. Fortunately kept all the data, although I did need to recreate directories for logs and sockets.
    - Reinstalled my Docker images. Fortunately kept all the data on disk, so that was fine. Along the way, upgraded my mongo DB from 4.2 to 4.4 to 5 to 6 to 7.
    - Panicked when gotosocial was taking a while to start up, interrupted it and tried again, ended up with a partially-migrated database and worse problems. Fortunately had a backup of the db, so I restored and patiently waited.

  • Eleventy upgrade 2024-09-30T17:35:26.858Z

    I managed to get my blog upgraded from Eleventy 2 to Eleventy 3.0.0-alpha.20. find-dired and wdired were useful for finding all the .js files and turning them into .cjs.

  • Supernote colour template 2024-09-27T03:05:15.033Z

    I finally got around to checking if the #Supernote can handle colour templates despite only letting me draw in black, white, and two shades of gray. It keeps the colour in the export! That means I can make a template that uses a specific color to make a grid, which is then easy to strip out of it with Python. That saves me 3-6 taps and reduces friction even further. Looking forward to experimenting with that at the next opportunity.

  • Blog tweaks and other code - 2024-09-26T17:02:17.804Z

    A couple of little tweaks:

    - I re-added a "Random" link to my blog header, nudged by https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41647654
    - I added a sitemap.xml , so let's see if search engines pick stuff up
    - I wrote some code to move Org properties from a subtree to a parent
    - I changed my code for inserting the latest file from my Supernote A5X e-ink device into Org Mode to also recolor, recognize text, rename, and archive the file

  • Setting up hibernate 2024-09-26T00:08:50.365Z

    I followed the directions at https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2021/08/enable-hibernate-ubuntu-21-10/ to set up a swap partition and enable hibernate. Now I can pause whatever I'm doing in Linux in order to switch to Windows to play Minecraft Bedrock with the kiddo, and then switch back to Linux afterwards.

Life
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Wednesday weblog: Toots ending 2024-09-25: Emacs and tech

| review, weblog
Emacs:

  • Emacs community

    Looking at how the kiddo dives deeply into one interest and then moves on to another, and how she gets such satisfaction from sharing those interests with me, I think part of why #Emacs has been a long-lasting interest of mine is that it involves an endless space of novel possibilities that is entirely because of a wonderful community.

  • keyboard shortcuts

    I wonder if someone's already written a newbie-friendly #Emacs Customize-based interface for defining and saving keyboard shortcuts, function aliases, and other little things that could make it easier for people to make Emacs more comfortable for themselves.

  • org-src-lang-modes and web-mode

    I want my #Emacs #OrgMode `#+begin_export html ... #+end_export` blocks to open in web-mode, not html-mode. I customized `org-src-lang-modes` and now `org-edit-special` does the right thing. Yay Emacs!

  • beginner map

    I pulled together a bunch of beginner-oriented links from past #Emacs News and started mapping out topics. https://sachachua.com/web/beginner-map.html

  • consult-omni and Google searches

    I want to quickly look up and add links. [consult-omni](https://github.com/armindarvish/consult-omni) lets me search within #Emacs instead of switching to a web interface. After I set up consult-omni-google with a Google custom search engine and a JSON API key, I can call it with my shortcut: `M-g w`. Using `M-n` for future history pulls in the word at point. Then I can select a site and use Embark to insert with `C-. i` or copy with `C-. w`.

    My config: https://sachachua.com/dotemacs#consult-omni

Tech:

  • hibernate

    I followed the directions at https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2021/08/enable-hibernate-ubuntu-21-10/ to set up a swap partition and enable hibernate. Now I can pause whatever I'm doing in Linux in order to switch to Windows to play Minecraft Bedrock with the kiddo, and then switch back to Linux afterwards.

  • ffmpeg and fps

    I noticed out-of-sync subtitles when I used #ffmpeg to combine an animated gif with audio and subtitles. Turns out all I needed to do was to bump up the fps with the fps filter in order to get the video to play smoothly.

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Turning 41; life as a 40-year-old

| yearly, review

2024-08-10-03 Life as a 40-year-old #annual #review
2024-08-10-03 Life as a 40-year-old #annual #review

Text from sketch

  • Cargo bike: I love the way the Load 75 makes it easy to go to playdates and on family adventures. A+ rides in it for quick trips or when she's tired of pedaling. I can tow her bike with the Bakkie bag. Glad to bike more.

    Since playdates are now 15 minutes away instead of 60, it's much easier to bring hot chocolate or popsicles to share. I used to bring store-bought popsicles, but now that the fruits are in, we've been making our own. (We've even gone fruit-picking!)

  • Crafts: I sewed a lot this year, from outdoor projects with Sunbrella fabric (covers for the awning, pizza oven, and grill) to handsewn drawstring bags and zippered pouches. I crocheted a few gifts, too.
  • Code: I automated more of EmacsConf and made a presentation about it–my first in years. In consulting, I wrote some code to support events, and I've even been able to write tests.
  • Curiosity: I've been slowly learning more about myself and us. I still worry, I still feel unsure, but this feels like a possible path.
  • Looking ahead: In some ways, it feels like we're taking two steps forward, one step back. Some things that were hard are now easier: cooking, sewing, reading together… Some things that were easy are now harder: playing with friends… I think we might be getting better at figuring out what works for us, though, so that's good. Looking forward to more experiments!
  • Topics: declarative language, co-regulation, nonviolent communication, competent/intuitive eating; testing and automation; Minecraft scripting; biking and exercise; working with what we've got

2024-08-10-04 40 by month #annual #review
2024-08-10-04 40 by month #annual #review

Text from sketch

40 by month

  • Aug 2023: ramp, etc.; swimming; pizza party; quilt, ukulele bag, grill cover; harvest
  • Sept: pizza parties; grade 2; consulting events
  • Oct: EmacsConf presentation prep; automation; tried cargo bikes; Mathalon medals; synchronous exemption
  • Nov: cargo bike!; skating
  • Dec: EmacsConf; one cat died; skating
  • Jan 2024: Tried livestreaming; lots of tweaks; Minecraft with cousins; consulting event
  • Feb: P52; Star Wars party; skating; other cat died; COVID booster
  • March: skirt, cloak, dress; rock-climbing; crepes; A+'s anxiety; maple syrup festival
  • April: first 3x3 comp; drawstring backpack, rose, journal cover, machine cover, 5-stone, basket; more decluttering
  • May: A+'s surgery; PS3 controllers & PC, PS Vita; cat carrier pad, skirt, poop emoji, vest pockets
  • June: strawberry picking; crochet gifts, swim skirt, flowers; big kid bed; homemade popsicles; garden
  • July: pouches; Pixel 8; swimming; blueberry & raspberry picking; bitter melon
  • Overall: cargo bike, crafts, automation, figuring things out
  • Next year: exploring more of our interests

Last year, I hoped to spend a lot of time playing outside with A+. Investing in a cargo bike has definitely helped with that, as we can more easily go on family bike adventures or head off to playdates. I've been learning more about playing inside with her as well, exploring Minecraft and figuring out how to work with the Minecraft Bedrock scripting API. This year A+ got into Star Wars and Harry Potter, so there's been lots and lots of reading, conversations, LEGO, Minecraft worlds, and pretend. I enjoy spending time with her. I think we're slowly starting to figure each other out.

We simplified the garden this year, and I feel like we've been able to water it more consistently. The bitter melon plants have been very productive, and the cherry tomatoes have been more than enough for our regular consumption.

If next year is much like this year (plus, of course, the things we'll experiment with and learn along the way), I think that'll be all right.

Blog posts

63 posts aside from Emacs News.

Sketches

59 sketches this year, down from 93 sketches the year before. I haven't made as much time to think through things.

Time

Category % 39 years % 40 years Diff % h/wk Diff h/wk
Business 1.8 3.4 1.6 5.7 2.7
Sleep 33.4 34.2 0.9 57.7 1.5
A- 39.6 40.0 0.5 67.5 0.8
Unpaid work 4.0 4.0 -0.1 6.7 -0.1
Personal 10.1 9.3 -0.8 15.7 -1.4
Discretionary 11.2 9.1 -2.1 15.3 -3.6

Even though I put a fair bit of work into documenting and automating more of EmacsConf (I put together a presentation this year, yay), I actually ended up spending a little less time on Emacs (-1.5 h/wk, averaging 5.3 h/wk) and other personal coding projects (-0.9h/wk, averaging 0.6 h/wk). That was probably because the previous year involved building a lot of infrastructure so that we could run multiple tracks, and this year was just about making it smoother so that we could run it with minimal prep. Things paying off!

I shifted much of that time to consulting (+ 2.8h/wk, averaging 5.6 h/wk), which let me help with some of my clients' time-sensitive project ideas. It's nice being able to take the time to write tests for my prototypes, which makes it easier to use little snippets of time without worrying too much about breaking things.

I think I'll be spending more time with A+ instead of less. I'll keep my expectations for focused time low so that I can enjoy this time with her. This is the time to do it!

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Turning 40: a review of the last decade

| life, review

10 years ago, I wrote that I was on the threshold of even more changes and two wildly different paths, and that I was looking forward to learning, sharing, and scaling. Here's how that worked out:

  • Learning: I've been learning a ton about myself, life, and the people and resources around us, and skills that make our lives better. Drawing my thoughts out has been really helpful for untangling them. I haven't focused on tech as much, but sometimes I make little improvements here and there so that I can make the most of my limited screentime.
  • Sharing: Parenting's been keeping me too busy to create lots of focused resources. I'm not too worried about this, though, since lots of other people are making cool stuff for Emacs.
  • Scaling: Emacs News has been a really time-efficient way for me to help out with the Emacs community, and all the automation I've built around EmacsConf lets me squeeze it into the time I have. For consulting, I've been able to help other people learn by answering quick questions, and I continue to have fun making the client's crazy ideas happen.

Wow, 2013 to 2023 brought a lot of big changes to my life.

2023-08-13-03 Life in my thirties #review #longterm #life #decade.png
2023-08-13-03 Life in my thirties #review #longterm #life #decade.png

Text from sketch

Life in my thirties

Big changes:

  • Parenting:
    • I approached or hit my limits more than I used to, but that's part of what I signed up for, and it's a good opportunity to learn and grow.
      • Next: more patience, empathy, curiosity, and love
    • I have a deeper appreciation of W- and the people and resources available.
      • Next: use the inspiration to keep growing
  • COVID-19:
    • I have a deeper appreciation of W- and the people and resources available.
  • Consulting:
    • I have fun creatively solving challenges
    • Next: scale up by helping others learn
  • Emacs News, EmacsConf:
    • I found ways to help out even with the constraints on my attention. The Emacs community is thriving, and I enjoy being part of it.
    • Next: tinker & share more
  • Hobbies:
    • I'm more comfortable making things, growing things, preserving things.
    • Next: learn more skills, practise, organize

Looking ahead to my forties:

  • Parenting: From 7 years old to 17 years old is a ton of growth! This is the payoff from the last decade's setup, and the setup for decades to come.
  • As A+ becomes more independent, I'll have more time and energy for my own things. I want to work on the interests I share with W- as well as my own stuff: cooking, gardening, sewing, crafting, …

2023-02-14-01 30 to 34 #yearly #review
2023-02-14-01 30 to 34 #yearly #review
2023-02-14-02 35 to 39 #yearly #review
2023-02-14-02 35 to 39 #yearly #review

Text from sketch
  • 30 (2013-14): lots of drawing & writing, Hacklab, Emacs Chats, Google Helpouts, Frugal FIRE, self-publishing, trip to PH
  • 31: slow days, helped with new Hacklab, high-profile consulting project, sewing, laser cutter, Canadian citizenship
  • 32: library hackathon, A+! Sleep disruption, microphthalmia, lots of appointments, Emacs News, basement tiles, sewing for A+
  • 33: House projects, Royal Ontario Museum, conformer, lost shell, walking & talking, Learning Tower, cooking, Healthy Babies Healthy Children, trip to PH, de Quervain's
  • 34: Checking off medical questions, music, my dad died, dental surgery for A+, little books, city resources for kids, lots of trips to PH, babysitter experiments, bike trailer
  • 35 (2018-19): Why? more books, journal, Planet Emacslife, more consulting during the day, playdates, EarlyON, NL, PH, cousins
  • 36: EmacsConf, ReactJS, Docker, COVID lockdowns, tobogganing, gardening, Heroica, library card, allowance
  • 37: virtual school, exemption, reading, garden cage, sewing, steno, Pride & Prejudice, 11ty, Numberblocks
  • 38: cubing, Cinderella dress, pressure canning, glasses for A+, outside, house tweaks, skating, cursive, COVID vax, SuperNote, friend group, playdates, lemonade stand
  • 39: EmacsConf streaming, being outside, virtual grade 1, homework, learning to trust A+, semi-unschool, more cubing, swimming, Minecraft

Parenting will probably take up most of my forties. I think the biggest thing I need to practice is calm, appreciative curiosity: not letting my worries or reactions or shoulds get in the way of being present, enjoying what's there, and helping figure things out together. It's tough, but it's what I signed up for, and that skill will also come in handy as I learn to deal with aging and world weirdness.

It's been a good ten years. Looking forward to seeing what we can make of the next ten.

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Turning 40; life as a 39-year-old

| review, yearly

2023-08-10-03 Life as a 39-year-old - summary #yearly #review
2023-08-10-03 Life as a 39-year-old - summary #yearly #review

Last year, I figured that life as a 39-year-old would be about adapting to grade 1 and A-'s developing capabilities, and hoped to continue spending time outside.

We successfully navigated virtual grade 1, turning in the required homework every day. We mostly treated homework as practice in emotional regulation and figuring out how to work with our brains. A+ liked it when I took on the role of grousing about homework, broke it up into sections followed by Minecraft segments, translated the math homework into Cantonese, or set timers. Sometimes it was challenging to get through the work, but it helped to point out that homework was a way for us to stay out of in-person classes. I hope we'll be able to have a similar arrangement in virtual grade 2 next year.

Friendships were a big priority for us. We took advantage of our exemption from synchronous learning to spend most weekday afternoons playing with friends at nearby parks, even through winter. The kids loved playing dress-up, dolls, and kitchen, and they had plenty of special moments together. I like the grown-ups in the group, too, and we've been putting our heads together trying to help the kids learn about friendships and fun.

Thanks to A+'s friendships, we've been exploring lots of new interests. We let her explore Minecraft this year because many of her friends play it. She's really taken to it, and I'm slowly learning to have fun with it as well. I even set up Minecraft Realms Plus subscriptions so that we could play with A+'s cousins. Fortunately, it hasn't completely taken over our lives. Friends were also good reasons to go skating in winter and swimming in summer. (We started braving outdoor pools.)

A+ continues to be a bookworm, yay! She's watched a good number of videos and followed up with lots of book tie-ins, particularly around Minecraft and Disney Descendants. I'm learning not to worry too much about her eyesight and let her enjoy it, with the occasional reminder to check in with her body in between books.

As a result of A+'s growing independence when reading on her own and when playing with other kids, I've found a little time here and there to work on my own things. I wrote some code to recolor my Supernote sketches and extract the text, and that helped me write about more of my thoughts. I managed to figure out how to run multiple tracks for EmacsConf, which was awesome. I often bring hand-sewing projects to playdates so that I can work on them while chatting with the other grown-ups. I set up the sewing machine in the living room, and that made it easier for me to work on dresses, skirts, and even some outdoor covers.

I've been able to tend to the garden almost every day. I'm getting more comfortable starting seeds, propagating cuttings, and rescuing tomato branches. We grew lots more bitter melon and cherry tomatoes this year. The potatoes were interesting to experiment with, although that might be something I'll get from the grocery store going forward. I enjoyed eating lettuce, radishes, and beans from the garden. People have been stopping to take pictures of the zinnias, and the kids had fun making flower crowns with the marigolds.

I've been drawing daily moments on my SuperNote A5X as part of our bedtime routine. A+ likes to flip back through them, and they've made my monthly review process easier. I'm looking forward to building up a good archive of them.

It's been a good year for learning more about the world and learning more about ourselves. Thanks to all that practice dealing with homework and interactions, I've learned that I lean more towards sharing reflections and offering carrots rather than using sticks. I'm getting more comfortable with the idea that I can't just tell A+ everything. Some things she just has to experiment with for herself. I'm looking forward to getting better at keeping the long-term goal in mind without also catastrophizing and worrying too much about long-term effects. W-'s really good at thinking through things, and I'm glad I get to learn from his wisdom.

Let's see what next year is like. I hope we can work out a similar arrangement with A+'s virtual grade 2 teachers so that we can spend the afternoons outside. I'm looking forward to exploring more projects and developing more skills as she plays or reads. When she wants to spend time with me, I'd like to get better at playing with her, and Minecraft seems like a good avenue for that. Onward!

2023-08-09-04 Life as a 39-year-old by month #yearly #review
2023-08-09-04 Life as a 39-year-old by month #yearly #review

Text from sketch

Life as a 39-year-old

  • Aug 2022: Recoloring sketches, connect the dots, library script
  • Sept: Eye checkup ok, new scleral shell, EmacsConf sched, porch railing
  • Oct: Wonder Woman, OpenAI whisper, OBS in the cloud
  • Nov: Snowman, Ethernet, EmacsConf prep
  • Dec: Emacs Conf tracks, skating, campfire
  • Jan 2023: Twiddler, skating, forts
  • Feb: Party for A+! Skating, sledding
  • March: Minecraft, Mineclone, atropine, glasses, tooth extraction, taking turns
  • April: Minecraft caving, laptops, garden
  • May: Minecraft Realms, cavity, booster seat, loose tooth, sewing during playdates
  • June: finished grade 1! biking farther, Minecraft worlds
  • July: swimming, pizza, sewing covers

Compared to when I was 38:

  • Stopped/reduced: LEGO Technic, house organization, cubing
  • Continued: outside time, SuperNote drawing
  • Started/increased: Minecraft, videos, playdates incl. 1-on-1, skating, swimming, container gardening, EmacsConf

40:

  • Stopping/reducing: worrying
  • Continuing: outside time, play, moments, drawing, crafts, garden, EmacsConf, consulting
  • Starting/increasing: playing with A+

Sketches

93 sketches this year versus 43 sketches during the previous year.

Blog posts

104 posts this year versus 96 the previous year. I didn't do as many weekly reviews, so this was more learning and sharing. Yay!

Time

Category % 38 years % 39 years Diff % h/wk Diff h/wk
Discretionary - Productive 6.4 9.8 3.4 16.4 5.7
Personal 7.3 10.1 2.8 17.0 4.7
Discretionary - Family 0.5 0.9 0.5 1.6 0.8
Business - Build 0.2 0.1 -0.1 0.2 -0.1
Discretionary - Social 0.1 0.0 -0.1 0.0 -0.1
Business - Earn 2.0 1.6 -0.3 2.7 -0.6
Discretionary - Play 1.0 0.4 -0.6 0.8 -1.0
Unpaid work 4.6 4.0 -0.6 6.7 -1.0
Sleep 35.7 33.4 -2.3 56.1 -3.9
A- 42.3 39.6 -2.7 66.5 -4.6

Less childcare, because sometimes she's lost in a book and I can do something else like sewing, drawing, coding. Less sleep because I've been setting an alarm so that I can water the garden before I wake up A+. W-'s been doing more of the cooking because we're often out at playdates, although sometimes I shift things around so that I cook lunch. I feel good about how our days generally go, especially when we're out for playdates.

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Monthly review: May 2023

| monthly, review

2023-06-04-05 May 2023 #monthly #review.png
2023-06-04-05 May 2023 #monthly #review.png

Text from the sketch

cavity - lost tooth - booster seat - bike - Realms - splash - sewing - garden

June: More of everything! Dealing with the heat, playing outside.

  • Growing bigger: A- bravely got a cavity filled under nitrous oxide. She also lost her first tooth the regular way. She grew big enough to a use a booster seat in the car. She got a 20" bike with gears, and started getting used to it. Still a little wobbly and we walk up and down slopes, but she'll get there.
  • Having fun: We set up Minecraft Realms Plus so that we could all play with my sister and her kids. Fun! Adventure & creativity. Splash pads! I replaced the top of A-'s splash gown and it's good for another year. Lots of play dates! Popsicle season.

  • Making time for my own hobbies: I started hand-sewing during playdates. It's slow, but at least I'm making progress! I sewed on some lace that A- asked for. and now I'm working on a hat.

    Moved the plants into the garden. Whee! It's lots of fun watching things grow and learning how to eat them.

2023-05-02-03 Moments starting 2023-04-21 #moment.png
2023-05-02-03 Moments starting 2023-04-21 #moment.png
2023-05-03-01 Moments starting 2023-05-03 #moment.png
2023-05-03-01 Moments starting 2023-05-03 #moment.png
2023-05-15-10 Moments starting 2023-05-15 #moment.png
2023-05-15-10 Moments starting 2023-05-15 #moment.png
2023-05-27-02 Moments starting 2023-05-27 #moment.png
2023-05-27-02 Moments starting 2023-05-27 #moment.png

Blog posts

Sketches

Time

Category Previous month % This month % Diff % h/wk Diff h/wk
Business 1.9 3.8 1.9 6.6 3.2
Discretionary - Productive 3.0 4.9 1.9 8.5 3.2
Unpaid work 2.8 2.9 0.1 5.0 0.2
Discretionary - Social 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
A- 44.2 44.1 -0.1 76.6 -0.1
Discretionary - Play 0.4 0.2 -0.2 0.3 -0.3
Discretionary - Family 2.6 1.6 -1.1 2.7 -1.8
Personal 10.4 9.3 -1.0 16.2 -1.8
Sleep 34.9 33.4 -1.5 57.9 -2.6
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