qwertfisch (u/qwertfisch)

qwertfisch commented on Mint Is Not TeX mint.ubavic.rs/... · Posted by u/ubavic

qwertfisch · 22 days ago

What about Typst? Looks to me as a valid TeX successor with a streamlined syntax and much better programming abilities without the limitations of 1977/1982.

Typst is on my list, I wanted to have a look at this year, but unfortunately no time and no need. Except for one letter every one or two years I did not use LaTeX since my diploma thesis.

qwertfisch commented on Quarter of American employees haven't taken a vacation day in the past year sherwood.news/personal-fi... · Posted by u/avonmach

_DeadFred_ · 2 months ago

In the US companies are not required to give unpaid vacation. Many working class people do not get any time off (unless it's unplanned 'downtime' or 'slack time' when the company basically soft lays people off during times of low need) in the US.

qwertfisch · 2 months ago

"unpaid vacation"? I was discussing about paid vacation, did you mean the same?

(Unpaid vacation should be a lesser problem, depending if a company will get by without your workforce for a time.)

If paid vacation really is not required in the US, how the hell do you get any vacation and recreation time? This is unhealthy and results in a lot of physical, mental and social degression.

qwertfisch commented on Quarter of American employees haven't taken a vacation day in the past year sherwood.news/personal-fi... · Posted by u/avonmach

_DeadFred_ · 2 months ago

A huge amount of those people working paycheck to paycheck don't have jobs that allow unpaid days off, let alone paid vacation days.

qwertfisch · 2 months ago

Quite sad to read this. In Germany paid days off are mandatory by law (four weeks per year). Most branches give additional paid days, up to two more weeks. You are required to take the statutory four weeks, usually until end of March the following year. Some employers have less restrictive rules so that you can save vacation days for up to two or three years.

Even for minimally paid jobs and/or short term jobs the same laws apply, and the vacation days will be accumulated.

qwertfisch commented on Advent of Code 2025: Number of puzzles reduce from 25 to 12 for the first time adventofcode.com/2025/abo... · Posted by u/vismit2000

KeplerBoy · 2 months ago

Then again who has the time in the latter half of December?

I completed AoC on time every day once and let's just say it wasn't a very pleasant experience. Very similar to sticking to a too ambitious, too rigid gym schedule. Still time well spent, but it sucks out all the joy.

qwertfisch · 2 months ago

I participated in the very first AoC and solved all problems, but the last 6 or 7 only way after Christmas, when I had more time, holidays, and I just wanted to complete the contest.

Then there was another AoC … and no, I didn’t solve all the problems, not even close. In most years I got 24 to 36 stars, 2018 and 2020 I did not participate.

Last year I was in a good place, wanted to practice a new programming language (Crystal). And I was determined to get every puzzle solved in 24 hours. And I did it, but for two or three puzzles it was oh so frustrating. With angry screams, searching help in the IRC, for two puzzles even not understanding for many hours how it works. And then at 1:52 AM (puzzles start at 6AM for me) I found the solution. It was liberating and gratifying, but at the same time so tiring and frustrating. The only reason I went along with was the overall goal, getting a permanent record of having solved every puzzle on the first day. And I am happy about it (in hindsight, it was the last opportunity for doing so with 25*2 puzzles), and now I never need or want to do it again.

Or do I? Only 12 days of trying to get solutions are much more possible.

qwertfisch commented on Schleswig-Holstein completes migration to open source email news.itsfoss.com/schleswi... · Posted by u/sebastian_z

Aldipower · 2 months ago

Schleswig-Holstein is even harder to pronounce then Massachusetts.

qwertfisch · 2 months ago

If you can read the phonetic alphabet, the pronunciation is given on both the German and English Wikipedia page for Schleswig-Holstein. But the English page gives an English variant, not the original (and correct) German pronunciation.

qwertfisch commented on Slow social media herman.bearblog.dev/slow-... · Posted by u/rishikeshs

baubino · 3 months ago

Reading someone’s life updates and watching their videos is not keeping up a connection though. It’s a parasocial relationship that makes us feel like there is a connection whereas an actual connection would require interaction between people. As you rightly noted, one of the main outcomes of the parasocial relationship is that it replaces real life interactions - you no longer have to ask people questions about their lives or figure out how to make conversation when you do see them; you can just reference their social media posts.

qwertfisch · 3 months ago

But if I had the possibility of being updated in someone’s life, or even just having a contact option, would help me evaluating if this relation is worth being kept or refreshed or terminated.

Example: I was an employee with my first fulltime job for nearly ten years. After I quit the job I instantly lost contact to all people. I would have needed to actually go the company building to chat with them (or calling at work), which I didn’t because it was Covid time. But on XING (LinkedIn-like platform for Germany) one former colleague left his private phone number for me, and I messaged him (after some years, because I was in a depressive phase), and now we meet every two or three months.

So it’s not about voyerism for me but keeping contact or at least give me some hints if any relation might be worth pursuing. I don’t want (or need) people in my list just for being a watcher of their life.

qwertfisch commented on Seedship – Text-Based Game philome.la/johnayliff/see... · Posted by u/ntnbr

qwertfisch · 3 months ago

Spoilers?

„The colonists lay the foundation of a democracy, but it proves vulnerable to corruption and wealthy individuals become a de facto ruling class.“

Seems like nothing changed.

qwertfisch commented on Everything from 1991 Radio Shack ad I now do with my phone (2014) trendingbuffalo.com/life/... · Posted by u/vinnyglennon

nancyminusone · 3 months ago

>(2014)

Here in 2025, I'm thinking of things my phone could do in 2014 that it can't do now: SD card, removable battery, headphone jack, ir blaster, less ads, less surveillance, easier to install third party apps

Besides the camera, almost nothing else has been an improvement.

qwertfisch · 3 months ago

My phone is from 2019 and already lacks removable battery (but this doesn’t matter in reality) and IR blaster. I regularly look for possible replacement phones and only see, that there is no advancement anymore, except for having more CPU power and maybe a little bit better cameras.

Instead phones are - bigger, though still no more pixels, which means less DPI), - thicker, resulting from more battery power, which I would not need to use if they would integrate better power saving CPU/GPUs – also I don’t play on the phone, - therefore much heavier, - lack headphone jack - lack SD card slot (but the built-in storage is sufficient enough) - are increasingly more bloated with software than cannot be deactivated or removes phone features if done so

And all phones are the same with the same disadvantages. There’s no variaty like e.g. on the car market.

qwertfisch commented on What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them? · Posted by u/ekusiadadus

qwertfisch · 4 months ago

I was in Paris some years ago, and it surprised me that a jug of water for drinking was free on every table. Of course if you wanted any other beverage you’d pay for it, but just quenching your thirst was free.

In Germany water is not free, but instead another income for restaurants. Also it needs a law (only since 2001) that the cheapest beverage must be non-alcoholic. (Yet water could be more expensive than beer, as long as e.g. apple juice costs equal or less.)

qwertfisch commented on What services or apps did you see abroad and wonder: why don't we have them? · Posted by u/ekusiadadus

tyleo · 4 months ago

Most mailboxes have a little plastic flag on a hinge you flip up to mark that you have outgoing mail. The process is is generally:

1. Remove all mail from the mailbox

2. Place outgoing mail in the mailbox

3. Raise the outgoing mail flag

4. Carrier will empty the box and file outgoing mail during the next delivery before putting new mail in the box

Edit: here is a good example of a mailbox with that red flag https://www.amazon.com/Step2-541200-MailMaster-Mailbox-Black...

qwertfisch · 4 months ago

Wow, I always had the impression the red flag is set by the mail carrier to indicate for the house owner (particularly in rural areas) that new mail is inside the box. (Hence it would save the owner a trip for checking.)

But this way around it makes a lot more sense.