Ravings of an Undead Cheese Minion

It's the dark time of year in Utah. The sky is filled with fog. There are no stars. The trees are dead, and the ground is white and brown. The air quality is terrible. There is no more birdsong. Outside, it's freezing, which means that indoors it's boiling.  I know that I need to get out of here soon. I was happy when in California for Thanksgiving, being with family -- then when I returned to Utah, everything came crashing back down. All the spark in me has died out. I feel like a hollow shell, with nothing but a black void within.  I made the mistake of checking my DreamWorks chats since I haven't been removed yet. I won't be removed for another 2 weeks. I saw all the pictures from the Trolls wrap party. Everyone was so happy, and it broke me all over again. That was my only movie and I might never get to work on another one, because of stupid outsourcing to Canada.  But here’s my name for proof I guess. I wanted to finish my career there at DWA, or stay until I t

Mark Directory As -> Sources Root do this for the src  folder source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13157815/why-does-intellij-idea-suddenly-not-recognize-tests-in-test-folder-anymore 

We waited so many years for Visual Studio for Mac so we didn't have to boot into a Windows partition, and now they're discontinuing it? How long has it even been live for, like a year? Lmao, screw Microsoft for doing that. 

Finally figured this out through a lot of googling -- you hit Mode and then Adjust. Then you can easily scroll through the 4 US time zones it supports.  And it is usable again after being stuck in my closet for who knows how long! 

 

Constantly iterating until it's right. Condensing so I'm only attacking one CS course and project at a time. With EE, it will be 1-2 at a time. Coursework is getting organized elsewhere. The goal is to finish the majority of it by EOY 2024.   [ WARM - UPS ] Technical warm-ups: Cybersecurity Creative warm-ups: write a sentence, browse Inkblot [ FITNESS ]  Lifting Running GET READY FOR DAY, BREAKFAST [ DIGITAL ART ] Artwork Warm-ups: 2 poses, hands/feet, faces, anime, anthro Drawabox Current 2D course: Intro to Art and Drawing 50% rule: Digital painting in Photoshop Current 3D course: Intro to Animation Pipeline 50% rule: 3D art in Maya or Blender [ CS - 1 ] Computer Science Warm-Ups Cracking the Coding Interview, DSA, and Leetcode.  [ CG - 1 ] Computer Graphics Warm-Ups: Shaders, whatever current course we're on Computer Graphics via Master's Thesis [ MUSIC ] LUNCH BREAK, PLW Music: Clarinet, singing, piano [ CG - 2 ] Computer Graphics: More thesis work -- Finish thesis

I have long had an issue where I couldn't properly timebox my coding, because a massive bug would appear and suck out hours and hours. My debugging would bleed into subsequent timeboxes.  This would lead to issues like: scrambling to finish animation homework because I spent 20 hours fixing a systems programming bug. In the end, the lab is still turned in late, AND the art sucks and is ALSO late.  The issue is different for self-paced courses or readings. It just causes zero progress the moment I get stuck, like where I'm at in khan academy. And I was stuck on some simple priority queue stuff for months in an attempt to timebox my DSA review.  So, what is the possible solution to this? When the timebox is hit, don't go more than 20-30 minutes over. If you are stuck on debug bleed, then you do not fully understand the issue, and what is going on in general. As a result, you need to stop, leave some notes for your restart of understanding the logic of what you need to do, and

May as well start on the New Year's stuff right now.  Other than generic stuff like "be x minutes early everywhere" because I suck at being on time, all new year's resolutions will fall under these 10 categories:  Lifting Running Digital Art Computer Science Music Graphics and Games Industrial Controls / Theme Park Design Cybersecurity  Reading, Languages, and Writing Imagination and Visualization  Each focus area will be worked on daily.  Will update once I've selected actual objectives and  an autopiloted sequence that will allow me to achieve them. Thankfully, most of my sequences are already organized in Asana, Trello, and Obsidian. 

 [ WARM - UPS ] Technical warm-ups: Cybersecurity Creative warm-ups: write a sentence, browse Inkblot [ FITNESS ]  Lifting Running GET READY FOR DAY, BREAKFAST [ DIGITAL ART ] Artwork Warm-ups: 2 poses, hands/feet, faces, anime, anthro Drawabox Current 2D tutorial 50% rule: Digital painting in Photoshop Current 3D tutorial 50% rule: 3D art in Maya or Blender [ CS - 1 ] Computer Science Review: Study of formal CS Computer Science Interview Prep: Cracking the Coding Interview, DSA, and Leetcode.  [ CG - 1 ] Computer Graphics Study  Shaders, Graphics CodeX, Digital painting algorithms  Open source: Moonray, Krita, Blender Computer Graphics via Master's Thesis [ MUSIC ] LUNCH BREAK, PLW Music: Clarinet, singing, piano [ CG - 2 ] Computer Graphics: More thesis work -- Finish thesis ASAP Game Development  [ INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS ] Industrial Controls: Warm-up with Duolingo math. Then: ECE, ME, Embedded, PLCs/Scada, Math/Physics.  Theme Park Design AFTERNOON BREAK (3:00 WALK) [ CS - 2 ] Com

The Monday after playing, I will look over my next hymn assignments and play them once each, alongside my normal practice routine.  The Tuesday after playing, I will set aside an entire hour to drill myself on these pieces (though maybe the first 10-15 minutes will be spent on clarinet, voice, warmups, and other piano things) Probably the Thursday (?) after playing (TBD), I will figure out a church building I can go to in order to practice on a real piano.  Once I feel about 85% confident, I will simply play them through daily until the next playing assignment Sunday arrives. Maybe I will have 1 or 2 more hour-long sessions.  This way, I am not cramming. Will iterate and improve. 

Just going to keep revising this until it's optimal.  Technical warm-ups: Cybersecurity Creative warm-ups: write a sentence, browse Inkblot WE GO JIM  or whatever the zoomers are saying now  Lifting Running GET READY FOR DAY, BREAKFAST Artwork Computer Science Review: Study of formal CS Computer Science Interview Prep: Practical CS. Cracking the Coding Interview, DSA, and Leetcode.  Computer Graphics Study (Including open-source graphics projects: Moonray, Krita, Blender) Computer Graphics via Master's Thesis LUNCH BREAK, PLW Music: Clarinet, singing, piano Computer Graphics: More thesis work -- Finish thesis ASAP Game Development  Industrial Controls: Warm-up with Duolingo math. Then: ECE, ME, Embedded, PLCs/Scada, Math/Physics.  AFTERNOON BREAK (3:00 WALK) Computer Science: Applied topics. Work on website, ideas for freelancing, and our sequence of CERTS, special topics, and PERSONAL PROJECTS. Current: Excel. Next: Mobile apps, mainframe, QA, etc. Writing: Include reading, an

I've never kept a Duolingo streak for longer than maybe 5 days. The owl is hunting me, and will probably brutally murder me and my entire family once he finds me.  However, I try to use it for Spanish and Japanese. I've done coursework in Spanish. Not so for Japanese.  I tried the music and math apps today. Took like 5 minutes to do a lesson in both. The music was basically quizzing me on where C and D are, so I'm not sure I'll get more out of this than I would from Open Music Theory, but it can't hurt either.  The math was just basic multiplication. Am I really going to drill myself on basic math as someone who has completed an entire math minor?  Well, I restarted Khan Academy from basic counting a while ago, planning on going all the way through ODEs to review before pivoting to Susan Rigetti's guide on undergraduate level math (which will hopefully provide the foundation I need for topics like control theory, advanced computer graphics, and mathematical cryp

Finally sticking to my high-level schedule and paring things down enough so I'm not working on too  many things at the same time. I did pretty well today, EXCEPT... I started at 9:30 AM instead of 8 AM.  I did NOT get to my evening gaming and game development session.  I did NOT write enough for NaNoWriMo, but I did write. Winning this month is unlikely, but I will keep going for it anyway.  Could've done a bit more thesis work.  The evening pentesting and IT session did not happen.  Trello board hasn't been touched.  Some mosquito tasks have been skipped: Amazon returns (hope the window hasn't passed), need a haircut, etc. Otherwise, actually did pretty decently. 

I am someone who likes to have a zillion failsafes in place.  Tier 1:  The best positions for me to apply for are research within computer graphics for Fortune 500 companies . Stable, high-paying, remote-friendly.  Tier 2:  I am also qualified for full-stack web development as well as technical artist positions that are more technical than artistic , such as tools programming. For the former, I am not current with my JavaScript frameworks. If I do the Odin Project, I'll get a review of JavaScript and Rails. If I follow that up with Full Stack Open, I will finally know React, probably just in time for 50 new frameworks to pop up.  I'd rather stay out of web though. Additionally, other non-web software engineering positions will open up especially if I get AWS certified, etc. I could gun for FAANG, but I don't think I want to. Graphics programming is an option, but I would need some additional projects to beef up my CV. And Leetcode. So much Leetcode.  QA, UI/UX are also at t

 Because the last post ended up being venty, here we go:  Cybersecurity Warm-ups: write a sentence, browse Inkblot  Lifting Running GET READY FOR DAY, BREAKFAST Artwork Computer Science Review  Computer Science Interview Prep: Cracking the Coding Interview, DSA, and Leetcode  Computer Graphics Study (Including open-source graphics projects: Moonray, Krita, Blender) Computer Graphics via Master's Thesis LUNCH BREAK Music: Clarinet, singing, piano More thesis work Game Development  Industrial Controls: ECE, ME, Embedded, PLCs/Scada, Math/Physics AFTERNOON BREAK (3:00 WALK) Computer Science: Work on website, ideas for freelancing, and our sequence of CERTS and PERSONAL PROJECTS. This also includes special topics that I think I can get through quickly, such as QA and a quick review of Excel. The idea is that as I upskill I will gradually be able to apply for more and more jobs -- a wider variety.  Writing: Include Reading, Language Study Apply for jobs while listening to some music. I

I hate applying for jobs. So far, 19 applied, 5 rejections.  2 of them were jobs I wrote extensive cover letters for and was at least somewhat excited about, so screw both of them.  I spent forever  describing to Daktronics about how I was equally interested in computer hardware, software, and graphics, as well as what I was doing to self-learn electronics and low-level programming, only to get a generic rejection email. Seriously, I wanted  to dive into the assembly! I was super excited about this company, but nope. Even better, I could've just been at DreamWorks until I retired, I loved  that job, but no, I have to go through all this crap for the 500th time. I don't want  to work anywhere else. I thought companies wanted longevity.  Anyway, I'm sure I'm going to see 500 gajilion of these boring-ass, depressing auto-responses:  Ugh. Gross. I hate the guessing game of figuring out what these companies want.  Anyway, here's what I am going to do every day:  Cybersec

behold a green screen shader 

(Jessie and James slap their Pokémon back to normal) Jessie: Snap out of it! James: Get over it! Jessie: Are you going to let show business beat you? James: Or are you going to beat it? Jessie: It's a very long climb up the stairway to stardom. James: And there's no elevator. Jessie: But you'll never reach the top unless you keep on climbing. James: It may mean years of rejection, but, if you keep on trying, you may just see your name up in lights someday. (Arbok and Weezing are touched) Jessie: Hey, watch out, world! Because these are the stars of tomorrow! Meowth: Or the day after. https://poohadventures.fandom.com/wiki/Lights,_Camera,_Quack-tion/(Transcript)

One of the first videos (https://www.ctrlpaint.com/videos/unplugged-pencils-and-erasers) references a previous video lesson AND homework assignment about drawing cell phones .  There is no previous video lesson that contained a homework assignment, or drawing cell phones. I think  this might be why I petered out last time I tried CtrlPaint. Either that, or I started it over the summer, and then I started school and started getting owned by my CS classes -- i.e. I didn't finish (and let's be real, tablets without screens are a horrendous way to learn and should not be recommended to anyone). I can't remember.  I am going to make a list of homework assignments in CtrlPaint and put them here, then eventually put them on my website.  1. Cell phones thing?  2. Cell phones WITH BLUE PENCIL ??? (will modify as I go along lol)

I wish employers would still do this: Give me ONE job.  Let me stay there for at LEAST 5 years. Ideally 40.  Let me be buried in code and numbers all day... And I will never leave.  Until I'm dead in the ground.  I hate instability. I hate job hopping. I hate change. What do I love? Learning, pushing myself to excel daily, and becoming the best coder, artist, and writer the world has ever seen. WITHOUT moving companies!! Considering the instability of all my fields of interest - SWE, cybersecurity, animation, gaming, theme parks - it might be better to go into business for myself. See if my writing, art, or game and app dev takes off. For theme park design, I'd design my rides virtually, and propose them to someone as a proof of concept. This would still be stressful -- my dad is a business owner, I've seen it firsthand -- but I also can't lay off myself. I will always have that job, even if no money is coming in currently. It will still be mine. It can't be taken a

 This week's assignments (by Saturday): - Pixar in a Box: Hair science - Voronoi algorithm: Finish pseudocode completely. (Most important) - By Nov 6 finish "Moth-Bitten Library" for Drawtober, which I'm doing in November now, trying to build a bank for Thanksgiving.  - Finish Sketch with Asia, do one CtrlPaint lesson - Write a green screen shader - Get down piano pieces for church - Submit for writing group 318  - Start NaNoWriMo (gonna do it with Eternisummer) so get the 1667 words/day. read first as a warm-up.  - Week 1 of Intro to EE course on Edx - Fortune Quest -- finish writing for it.  - I want to work on a video game concurrently with some other software project. Decide the first one.  - clarinet: fully play through all concert pieces 1x - maya: finish chair model - Data structures (interview prep): finish priority queue and make a list of the core ones we want basically memorized. I need to not just implement them, but also be able to explain how they work o