As of today all comments on all of my websites* will no longer use Disqus. I will be using the built in Squarespace system. For reason why see: https://notes.ayushsharma.in/2017/09/im-killing-disqus-comments-on-my-blog-heres-why
Tom Out!
Podcasting Setup 2017
In which I discuss my podcasting setup and how I expect it to change…
I've recently started podcasting. I have two podcasts:
- Hat of Many Things where I discuss random topics with my friend Mike.
- Dr Wilko's Campaign for Better Beverages where I make cocktails 'on air'.
It's been a fun learning curve so I'm going to try and distil what I've learned into this post and also create a snapshot of my current setup.
Toggl: 5 Months of Time Tracking
In which I find out what I do all the time...
Since we have just passed the midpoint of the year and I have had a Toggl account for just over 6 months I thought it was time I tried to analyse how I spend my time at work. In this post I'm going to be looking at overall working hours and travel.
I have 20 weeks of full data (though I was on holiday for one week)...
Seoul Searching
Or How I Learnt To Stop Worrying And Enjoy My Job
So you may have noticed that my last post about my working life and PhD was back in 2014. My last proper post tagged as 'PhD' was about tables in LaTeX. I didn't even make a post about my graduation!
Suffice to say I did graduate and finally get to wear the fancy robes:
Teavent 2016: Christmas Day!
Teavent 2016: Playing Catch-up and the Final Teas?
'Gingerbread' Stollen
Teavent 2016: 7 & 8
Teavent 2016: Tea with a Vengeance
Teavent 2016: 3 Wise Teas
In which I belatedly start on my advent calendar...
Let me spin you a tale, dear Reader, of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and stock control. Don't worry it isn't that boring. I was sadly on a last minute business trip last week which means I missed the opportunity to purchase an advent calendar. I figured that I would be able to get an interesting and different one in the States but alas I was wrong. I also figured that I would be able to pick up a discounted one in a UK supermarket on the 2nd after I landed but alas Tesco's stock control meant they didn't even have an awful one left!
I had basically resigned myself to not finding one this year.
Language Immersion: Changing Your Environment
In which I walk you through changing the language settings on all the things!
In an attempt to improve my German I wanted to switch the default language of websites and software I use. Also a friend had just switrched their Facebook over for the same reason and I wanted to give that a whirl. Here's how to do that for some common websites/programs.
Reaper's Bones II: Purple Brightfang
In which I finally start painting my Reaper's Bones Kickstarter models...
This isn't a step-by-step painting guide just a few pics of my first dragon model. I went for a purple colour scheme as it is a present for someone who loves the colour purple.
This is the optional Brightfang dragon model from the Reaper's Bones II Kickstarter.
WASD V2 104-Key Custom Mechanical Keyboard
In which I receive my keyboard...
In my previous post I discussed designing my shiny new keyboard. Now that it has arrived it's time to review my first month with it.
Fluffy Anschluss: Prelude to War
Does Wilko Dream of Galactic Fleets?
In which I get hooked on strategic galactic space battles...
The Game
The original Neptune's Pride took the gaming world by storm 3 years ago. The sequel is now out and if you want to try it out head on over to Iron Helmet Games to start playing now for free!
It's a long-term, epic, space game where your fleets take hours to arrive at distant stars. This grand strategy game is reminiscent of Diplomacy where the gameplay is very simple and a large part of the fun comes from diplomatic relations with other players. In short this game is one of the most refined forms of nerd-crack I have ever encountered. I do love it so.
Building a Better Keyboard
In which I order a mechanical keyboard...
I've started noticing a bit of back pain recently and couldn't put my finger on the cause until I received an email talking about proper posture. I duly sorted out my desk so my work laptop is on a pile of books at the correct height. Then I realised I could not use the keyboard effectively any-more :/
The answer was obvious - order a new keyboard!
Site Move in Progress
I've had a lot of headaches recently with WordPress failing on my blog and was already in the process of moving everything into one place on SquareSpace. With the recent complete failure of my WordPress theme (and several back-end issues) I have decided to initiate the transfer immediately.
As the WordPress import is not perfect some posts will have issues I will be manually fixing in the next few weeks. If there is an issue a quick comment using the new Disqus system will bring it to my attention. Thank you for your patience!
Tom Out!
Arcadia Quest and Reaper's Bones II Unboxing
In which I unbox some shiny models...
I'm getting back into painting in a big way. What better way that with two Kickstarter's worth of goodies!
Arcadia Quest
I'm painting the minis from Arcadia Quest for a friend. Just look at all the shiny chibi goodness!
Pictures after the jump!
Preparing for Bayesian Mathematics in Python
In which I run through setting up a Python environment on Windows...
I'm going to preface this post by saying I'm not breaking any new ground here. As is often the case, though, a beginner wanting to set-up an environment to do this will have to go to multiple websites to collect this info so I'm going to distil it into one post.
I am going to talk about Python 2.7 as currently it has the most support for libraries. This method should work equally well for Python 3 but I have not tested this.
Inbox By Gmail: Thoughts and Tricks
In which I review the new Inbox by Gmail...
Currently Inbox is invite only. You can apply for an invite at www.google.com/inbox or get a friend to invite you.