barefootstache @barefootstache@qoto.org

#DailyBloggingChallenge (42/50)

Do you take supplements and are annoyed that some are not in gel capsules. Then just convert the tablets into capsules.

The safe way would be just to put the tablet into a capsule, especially if the dosage is in concern.

#DailyBloggingChallenge (41/50)

How to grow a handlebar mustache?

Off the back, not everyone has the genetic makeup to grow a handlebar mustache, and secondly lots don't have the patience to follow through.

Depending on one's age and genetics, one can expect anywhere from a month to a year's time to grow such a piece.

The maintenance and shaping starts once the tips start curling. On a regular basis one should stroke the facial hair in the desired direction. This will not only create the desired look, but will also remove any old and dead hair strands.

The stroking can be done with a fine tooth comb or it can be done by pinching the hair with one's thumb and index finger and pulling towards the direction of the form.

Some might need to create a more intense part in the middle, because their genetic make up grows hair there. In the initial phase use a comb and later one can continue with the finger method.

Until now it has been described how to shape it in the dry phase without any product, next will elaborate which products to use.

#mustache #styling #movember

#DailyBloggingChallenge (40/50)

How to wash a (baseball) cap?

All you need is a basin, water, some detergent, and the cap wanting to be washed.

1. Put the cap in the basin and add warm water. Then add some detergent and let it sit for a bit (ca 5min) before starting to scrub.
2. Empty the basin, add some more detergent, and scrub for ca 5min. Then fill the basin and let it soak for at least 5min.
3. Repeat step 2 until the water is not murky anymore.
4. Let the cap air dry.

The basin can be a bucket, the sink, or the tub.
Detergent options can be hand soap, shampoo, or baking soda. Any detergent that isn't too abrasive.
Scrubbing can be done with a brush or just using your fingers.

#cleaning

#DailyBloggingChallenge (39/50)

Goldenrod (Q212939) is currently in bloom and is ready for foraging. This is one of the key herbs to help combat the upcoming flu season.

Best to find the plants at least 50m away from any roadways. And cut them just below the last stems holding the flowers.

After the initial cut it is best to remove any extra foliage before laying out the flowers on sheets for drying. This is easier while the plant matter is still wet over later when it is dry.

Use screens or cardboard over metal sheets and have a breeze cycle frequently over it to reduce the chance of spoilage. This can also be done manually a couple times a day. Let them dry in a shaded area over direct sunlight.

#foraging #wildcrafting #goldenrod #herbalism

It has been brought to my attention that the statement

> Does the building have multiple entrances and each only have one doorbell and one mailbox, then it is a semidetached building.

is false.

Does the building only have two entrances, then it is a semidetached building.

Does the building have more than two entrances, then it is a terrace building.

For more concrete mapping of each unit, checkout the key `house` (https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:house)

#OpenStreetMap #StreetComplete

---

Thanks to @amapanda for pointing this mistake out.

#DailyBloggingChallenge (38/50)

One of the trickiest quests in #StreetComplete is the distinction between an apartment building or semidetached house or detached building.

If you are able to walk in front of each structure then it becomes almost trivial, though this luxury doesn't always exist, because the access can be gated. Thus one needs a clear telltale sign.

Does the building only have one doorbell and one mailbox, then it is a detached building.

Does the building have multiple entrances and each only have one doorbell and one mailbox, then it is a semidetached building. It can be that units of the semidetached building were mapped separately, then each unit is a house building.

Does the building entrance have more than one doorbell or more than one mailbox then it is an apartment building.

One thing that can speed up the process is getting familiar with the various doorbell and mailbox models.

Some doorbells might have two buttons, but one of them is just the light. Or it could be that one is a local business bell.

Some mailboxes might have an extra slot for newspapers or a local business.

An advanced additional info is counting the amount of street cabinets with the service being trash. This will have local discrepancies and should only be taken into consideration when the telltale signs failed.

#OpenStreetMap #tutorial

#DailyBloggingChallenge (37/50)

When programming with #R one thing that I am missing from #JavaScript in back tick notation. E.g.

```
const hello = 'Hello'

const world = 'World'

const helloWorld = `${hello}, ${world}!`
```

And by R with `paste0`

```
hello <- "Hello"

world <- "World"

helloWorld <- paste0(hello, ", ", world, "!")
```

#coding #programming

#DailyBloggingChallenge (36/50)

#TIL that parsing #RegEx via `sed` and pattern matching two different syntax variants are in use. The former requires a lot of escape character where as the latter doesn't.

Take for example

```
\([0-9]\{2\}\-\)\+\([0-9]\{2\}\)
```

which is the correct syntax when using `sed`, where as it won't work with pattern matching over `=~`. In such a case it would be

```
([0-9]{2}-)+([0-9]{2})
```

This cost me so much debugging fun.

#bash

#DailyBloggingChallenge (35/50)

In #programming there is this consensus of don't touch a working process. That means that any alterations done to the process were deemed necessary because something of the process was not quite right, so it was broken.

Now this could be obviously things like not getting the expected result or the time needed to get the result is just taking to long or less obvious things like the code is ugly or it is developer unfriendly for debugging.

These broken changes is what makes oneself a better programmer in the long run and thus I am glad that I started my #bash programming experience initially without #chatgpt.

For example, initially JSON files were built line by line instead of via jq.

#DailyBloggingChallenge (34/50)

#ginger is a known remedy for an upset stomach as well as #peppermint. One can combine both a them in a #HerbalTea:

1. Grab a pint glass and make some boiling water to fill it.
2. Take a bulb of ginger and slice it up in small sticks and add it to the glass.
3. Add about 200ml of water to the glass and let it seep for 5min. Optionally add sweeteners at this stage like honey.
4. Next fill the rest of the glass and finally add the peppermint tea bag. Seep it to your desired strength.
5. Optionally add some lemon juice after taking out the tea bag.

The nice thing is that one gets to eat the ginger sticks while drinking the #tea.

#DailyBloggingChallenge (33/50)

One inconvenience of the summer heat is that foods and used tea spoils within a day. This means if one buys any fresh produce either one should have the fridge space to store it or eat it up latest by the next morning.

For tea the easiest work-a-round for lazy people is to use self filling tea bags over tea balls. Since when drinking the beverage from pint glasses, the annoyance of drinking with the tea bag still seeping (don't follow the practice of "steep for x minutes") will eventually make one remove it. And one removes the extra step of cleaning up the contents like one has will tea balls.

#tea #lazycooking #summer #spoil #lifeprotip

#DailyBloggingChallenge (32/50)

When comparing a standard text editor and #Vim in most simple day-to-day tasks, the standard text editor suffices. Though the main scenario where Vim shines is if one frequently needs to copy line-wise data.

It it so much faster to use the Vim command `"+yy` over selecting the whole line either HOME to SHIFT+END or END to SHIFT+HOME and then CTRL+C to get it to the clipboard.

For multi-line selection, both software complete the task similarly fast, unless one knows how many lines one will be selecting, then Vim wins again.

#NeoVim

#DailyBloggingChallenge (31/50)

I have been using #chatgpt for a couple months as a developers' tool. Although originally against the concept of such tools, I quickly realized that it will become an integral part of developing in the future.

The good thing about the tool is that it saves a lot of internetting though only if you already know what you are looking for. (As a beginner, video tutorials are still the better option.)

I have built a static website that was 80% generated from the tool, or compute data via #R in no time, or write #bash as if I was a pro.

Though on the flip side, I didn't learn much. I made one key mistake and that is that I #copypasta the code. If you are an expert in a field, then this is fine, but being a novice, this removes a concrete learning route. (This also falls inline with the reasoning behind this [challenge](https://qoto.org/@barefootstache/110743952822270245)).

Another downside is that the tool is many times quite dumb. You ask it to change one thing and all it does is change the intro but spit out the same result again.

Another factor is how up-to-date is the tool. While using ChatGPTv3 one quickly learns its barriers when asking about the latest versions of libraries, which don't exist in its dataset.

In the end, AI is here to stay, either you can learn how to use the technology or not.

#developer #coding #programming #learning

#DailyBloggingChallenge (30/50)

The "convenience factor" is how convenient is the task at hand that one will do it. This plays a major role when trying to start new habits and stop old habits.

If one wants to start a new habit, then one should try to make it as convenient as possible that it becomes a no brainer to continue with the change at hand. Whereas on the flip side, one would want to make it as inconvenient as possible to stop the old habit by putting many obstacles in the way that each further crossing is so much more painstaking than stopping there.

Social media is a typical habit that many want to reduce and lots just don't understand how. There are many apps out there that can give the social media app a limited period of time. Though quicker than not, one just uses the master password and continues on the addiction.

One step further would be to create a secondary account where the social media apps live. This is harder to circumvent, though once in this garden of entertainment it is hard to get back out.

Then one could try to put the social media apps on a completely different device. This like the last barrier will not alleviate the haven of entertainment. Though it will reduce the chance of getting there unless one is willing to constantly carry around two devices.

These are some examples of putting potential obstacles in the way without completely cutting off the source of enjoyment.

#habits #productivity

#DailyBloggingChallenge (29/50)

One of the biggest goldmines as a mapper is if a location has a brochure. As long as the license permits it, one could just use their map (if in existent) to add onto #OpenStreetMap. Though other attributes are also valuable that comes with, like the contact information. This saves the time at location to fill in all this data.

Brochures from malls are quite practical when indoor mapping. Though usually such malls also have a website. At that point it is questionable which one is more favorable.