Hacker News: bashmelek

New comment by bashmelek in "Introduction to Nintendo DS Programming"

bashmelek — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:40:45 +0000

I have an old 3DS. Does anyone know if would these techniques, including the Slot-1 devices, also apply? I would like to try this out.

My only hesitation is the firmware update—-I simply prefer to keep my devices without changes like that.

New comment by bashmelek in "How to stop being boring"

bashmelek — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:51:39 +0000

Being shy, small, and sensitive as a kid, I feel like I could have been particularly susceptible to censoring myself. I felt shame very easily, but a large portion of this came from a handful of loud close minded people around me and bullies. As an adult I know the rules better and can better identify when someone reacts unduly to some quality of mine. That, and I keep better company now—other adults.

I would not go so far as the article suggests, as to be polarizing; I take it as them just going a little hyperbolic in their point. Just I want to be a bit more accepting of myself as well as others. And some people will still dislike me no matter how much I try to hide my personality. Those people are not worth it

New comment by bashmelek in "A simulation where life unfolds in real time"

bashmelek — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:16:49 +0000

Could you link the Reddit post? I’ve been interested in this kind of idea and how these systems work but never knew how to begin

New comment by bashmelek in "How I learned Vulkan and wrote a small game engine with it (2024)"

bashmelek — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 15:43:52 +0000

I followed tutorials for Vulkan. I liked vk-guide, until it updated to the latest version. People said the newer SDL is so much better, but I honestly had more fun and got things done back with Renderpasses.

I personally have just been building off of tutorials. But notwithstanding all of the boilerplate code, the enjoyability of a code base can be vastly different.

The most fun I’ve ever had coding, and still do at times, is with WebGL. I just based it off of the Mozilla tutorial and went from there. WebGLFundamentals has good articles…but to be honest I do not love their code

New comment by bashmelek in "How to stay sane in a world that rewards insanity"

bashmelek — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:17:05 +0000

I like the Bible too. It is unfortunate but not unexpected that it set off such a firestorm in the replies.

I would even go so far to say that even nonbelievers would find much value in it, just reading at least the top stories and passages the Old and New Testaments. These are foundational cultural texts that bridge centuries of peoples. And if you are a nonbeliever who wants to read beyond the popular well known parts, please do! But read with a mind to connect with others, not divide.

There are other good things to read too. Plato, Shakespeare, the Chinese Classics, Greek Mythology, folktales. Things that people share with those around them as well as their ancestors

New comment by bashmelek in "Being poor vs. being broke"

bashmelek — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 19:27:06 +0000

I live comfortably in the United States. I consider myself middle class. I worry about my job and increasing costs. But I’m okay.

I do feel like that we really could end global poverty if we tried, and that people like me ought to contribute.

New comment by bashmelek in "Abandoned by Humans, Forsaken by Nature: The Plight of Pigeons (2024)"

bashmelek — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 18:07:37 +0000

I used to see pigeons everywhere as a kid. Now they are very rare. I like these animals and many others, and I wish TFA went more into what can be done.

New comment by bashmelek in "From web developer to database developer in 10 years"

bashmelek — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 15:28:48 +0000

Even when I was still in school and looking for internships I could feel this. In CS we learned more about compilers and operating systems, but companies wanted web developers, so IT and IS had a big edge. I did game programming on my own time, so companies would recommend interning with a game company. It was frustrating.

I’ve been working in web development for many years now. It’s okay. I still don’t know what I want to be in the future. I still don’t feel like a “real dev”. But still do some side learning. I’m happy it worked for the writer, and I hope it does for you too.

New comment by bashmelek in "No Socials November"

bashmelek — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:07:24 +0000

I ask everyone to never stop creating, never stop sharing. And when your friend shares, appreciate it, for what it is, that it is theirs, that they did it, and that it is them.

Draw, play an instrument, paint, write a poem, sing, cook, shoot hoops, talk about books over coffee. Be personal.

New comment by bashmelek in "Programmer in Wonderland"

bashmelek — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 19:51:12 +0000

I do often feel like a Lost Programmer.

C# is my Blub. I use Visual Studio (and not Visual Studio Code). I also use some T-SQL and JavaScript, and sometimes C++ on the weekends. In all of these, my understanding is still rather shallow. And for my day job, and most of my hobbies, it works.

But there is a definite next level I haven’t pierced, the level of “real programmers”. I want to understand the code I see on GitHub, even contribute. I want to be capable of more. But it is hard when I can’t even tell what I’m seeing, when I’m just trying to Make It.

New comment by bashmelek in "A simple habit that saves my evenings"

bashmelek — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 02:23:02 +0000

For me, my real day starts after work is over. That is when the meaningful part happens. And if I am going to accomplish much that night, I need to arrive home knowing exactly what I need to start with, and do it. This is similar to Paul Graham’s saying that the people who get things done wake up knowing the one thing they need to do. Trouble with my evenings, though, is that my commute home and usage of the restroom have a way of draining all of my motivation and energy.

New comment by bashmelek in "US cities pay too much for buses"

bashmelek — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 02:20:09 +0000

I think a bigger problem is that, with urban sprawl, it makes it hard to service enough people with public transportation.

New comment by bashmelek in "We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness"

bashmelek — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 14:16:07 +0000

I really appreciate your last point. An AI that can improve one’s social skills, má good matches, facilitate human connection and relationships, could be great

New comment by bashmelek in "I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains"

bashmelek — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 22:35:37 +0000

I do like learning things, but I wish I could retain better. Abandoning hobbies has set me back in that way, making it harder to pick up more advanced interests. It feels like lost time. I have needed to restart instruments and various maths several times. Perhaps a proper system based on spaced repetition could help, but organization is a hurdle

New comment by bashmelek in "What's going on with gene therapies?"

bashmelek — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 21:01:59 +0000

I have been curious if it would be possible to create a business around pet-genetics as a means to improve the underlying technology without having to be overly concerned about the human factor…granted there will still be ethical restraints of a sort

New comment by bashmelek in "Inside the box: Everything I did with an Arduino starter kit"

bashmelek — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:58:14 +0000

The official arduino starter kit teaches some beginner level information, but it is very rudimentary. It is really hard to penetrate the next level of electronics—electronic engineers will stress the importance of precise calculations where previously I was just used to putting together whatever components I had from a kit, with few caveats.

It was not until I tried buying extra transistors that I realized I didn’t understand anything—-and this was after taking the Georgia Tech introduction to electronics free online course. Suddenly there were data sheets and graphs, and not to mention prices. The Build Your PCB course I found myself similarly in over my head, as it felt geared towards EE’s. But I learned about KiCAD. Maybe I will give Ben Eater another try

New comment by bashmelek in "How “The Great Gatsby” took over high school"

bashmelek — Wed, 14 May 2025 21:39:49 +0000

I think maybe it isn’t all or nothing here. Reading about something outside of one’s familiarity can really expand what is relatable to a student, with the help of an instructor to fill in context and use things to which the student can relate to help them grasp the ideas in the text.

New comment by bashmelek in "Librarians are dangerous"

bashmelek — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 05:54:31 +0000

I respect what libraries do, yet the past few times I went to my local library I couldn’t find anything I was looking for—and these were well regarded and well known books. I get that they want to stock things people read, but I am a person who wants older books, and I think part of the library’s responsibility should include such books.

New comment by bashmelek in "Why is Good Friday called Good Friday?"

bashmelek — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 18:51:11 +0000

A lot of these things come from folk practices that the Church would permit but then direct towards something acceptable.

New comment by bashmelek in "The Mensa Reading List for Grades 9-12"

bashmelek — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 14:33:43 +0000

The cultural canon in the USA will lean towards that. I will say that, if we are to suggest more global reading, concrete examples are always welcome! I would of course recommend Journey to the West. Even among the Four Great Classical Novels it has huge lasting influence