donkeyofd00m

Hey, but isn't part of the fun going on the young-university line and having the exciting supprise that you have to take buses to the next station due to maitnance?

:)

Perhaps I'm being pedantic, but it seems moreso that proper comms infrastructure design and preventative maitnance plans is the problem

Whatsapp is a readily available and an accessible solution... one that is better than current comms infrastructure. A local maximum

I used to know a marketing specialist in Mexico who lived there her whole life. Apparently 90% of advertising for cheap consumer goods is done on TV and radio. <10% on websites or streaming services, since many choose not to use them or can't afford subscriptions

Not to say that there aren't beautiful, well developed global cities with wonderful people and opportunities there. Guadalajara and Mexico City are great and growing. I see the country in a state very similar to late 1800s indusdrial America; high inequality, poor low-skill workers rights and pay with backlash occuring, large government backed infrastructure projects, fairly patriarchal buisness elite (and corruption within the "boys club"), fairly absent middle class relative to other countries. Moreso two classes. "Well off, global citizen" or "making ends meet, live in my town for my whole life or move where the work goes"

Relying on a phone app seems like an unstable solution, as when the next budget cut comes, it could include scrapping the company phones in the case they were provided. Or downgrading data plans that are so slow that latency is too high. Wouldn't be a problem until the next accident

Or, if workers are underpaid (low-skill, non corporate in Mexico), selling provided company phones on the 2nd hand market for cash could be fairly common... lying and saying they still have them

Unless if Mexico further lowers it's gini coefficient... something I'm very optimistic with (but over decades) OR provides rudimentary smart phones (or even dated tech like pagers) for work, to me this whatsapp method seems as an easy means for middle managers just to save on their spending budgets. Unless there is middle management buy-in to further develop its usage in a stable way, it seems like a piecemeal (yet effective and creative) solution by the workers due to infrastructure neglect

For tests on prototype subsystems like a cooling system? Totally fair game

Live full production systems? Usually no one will be willing to risk the OSHA or ISO violations where critical failure affects safety. Or, if they do, that company won't last long

Sometimes I wish there was an archive of all the small tips like these

But other days I kind of like the piecemealed nature of sharing "tribal knowledge" when you bump shoulders with others

There is a book I recommend to alot. Mostly out of intrest/leisure

60 years with man and machine

A guy who started as a millwright in 1890. Was a touring magazine editor until the end of ww2

It's hard to find but it's a banger

For spesific methods (like jewelry making), there are pockets of web 2.0 vbullitin sites out there... kind of like hacker news

That jewelry site in question (i used it for metal casting knowledge)

https://www.ganoksin.com/

Absolutely. It's like viewing the source code of a launched CS product and become familiar all the python libraries they used

You start to hit the next threshold when you start to become a mad-max salvager. Fan motor controller is broken but the motor is fine? Salvage the motor, chuck the rest!

Lol sweet... so even you guys with highly dangerous stuff too

Hey, my favourite jank tip: an O ring blew but you don't have a replacement? Bubble gum works pretty well for a few days

Cool!

I work in R&D in heavy mfg

I find when people outside the "handy" diciplines (factory operations, industrial setting eng, skilled trades), they think mfg and engineered components are much more elegant than they really are

Perhaps things like apple, F1, dyson and defence distort that view. They do make their products with "spaceship" technologies. But it's critical to understand they are the exception, not the norm... plus... the treasuries and workforce they can utilize to pull it off

It's hilarious how products like Yeti, cammelback, premium razors are just permutation of very simple products (not knocking them one bit and great marketing). x2 the quality of standard products for x4 the price (and often that's just fine)

Usually products start out a little jank just like software. Red bull and lululemon come to mind. Start small leveraging available things, start local markets, scale from there. Just like FB with Harvard students

Hey man, actual Mech-E here. Also general mechanical hobbyist and handyman; not just one of those CAD guys

Just some quick things that may help you point you in the right direction. This is coming the "small scale hobbyist", not indusdrual profesional viewpoint:

-getting better and making actual projects come to fruition is actually a lot like CS. A lot. Somebody can spend all their time reading CS theory, textbooks, MITOWC, whatever. Their technical foundation will be strong, but will struggle when it comes to coding syntax and spesific program/firmware issues. Some get stuck in that mode and are paralyzed to take action

I'd honestly recommend dropping the mech-E textbooks to read just for reading's sake. It will fill you with generic knowledge but not a better builder. Instead I'd be thinking about "what do I want to build"? Kitchen knives? Custom pens? Automotive mods? It does not need to be something you make forever. Just something that seems fun now (just like the pet CS video game project)

Just like CS hacking (in the PG sense), THEN you will start to look up how it's done. Kitchen knives need metal forging? Okay, now its time to look up edu material for that. What tools are needed? Can I custom-make tools to get them cheaper? What edu material is out there for that… rinse and repeat

...just remember 2 things. 1, safety first. 2, a pretty drawing means nothing if you can't manufacture it to your desired specs

-honestly, drafting or 3D modelling, it's all fine. What's important is what allows you to implement your ideas and record them fastest. Also, right tools for the right job

I made a bench for my balcony. Just rough, imprecise measurements, knowing I'd make ad-hoc cuts to size when I had my material

For extreme lightweighted, funtion-over-form stuff or geometrically sensitive stuff, ya, CAD or FEA software will be needed

Just use whatever is appropriate and will allow you to achieve the results you want. Honestly, if you're not making F1 parts, drafting or CAD is fine

-your proto-prototyping is GREAT. This is exactly how you get started into this. Try something out on a small scale, see where you could improve with tooling, materials, methods and process, try again. Want to make a bronze casting? Try plaster casting first. You say you're lost, but you are ahead of 99% of people in all the damn makerspaces or home hobbyists. Trust me :)

-janky tools. Beautiful. For things that don't need to hit specifications (like firm +/- tolerances), this is one of my favourite things to do. I made an air extraction unit with a thrift shop electric leaf blower motor and some scrap hvac conduit. This is a crucially important skill IMO, as mechanical things get expensive. This allows you to go MUCH further with the money invested to try things out

-collecting weird stuff? Get some plastic bins. Lol. Out of sight out of mind

And last tip? When things around you break, try to fix them. That really starts to add to your "mechanical intuition". I'm pretty familiar with hvac, plumbing, general indusdrial fastners, air and fluid power systems. Next time your sink clogs up, don't call the plumber right off the bat. Explore tutorial videos to see if you would be comfortable doing it (and no problem of you're not; i am not with electronics). But at least you start to get very familiar with standard tools, parts, designs, etc. It's almost uncanny how similar many product classes are

It's funny. I was recently in a rut like yourself since 2020. Aibet younger, 28. Total 180 as of last month

I work a good stable engineering job (mech, not tech), but am very bored of it. I clock in and out on autopilot. Unengaged

I have many interests, but I don't DO many things in my spare time beyond reading or consuming passive entertainment

I broke up with my girlfriend maybe 6 months ago, probably waited way to long to do so out of fear of being alone. Been on a few dates, but just going through the motions seeing girls who liked me but I felt apathetic about

I have seldom but a few good friends. I usually never initiate any outing, just wait for invites to trickle down my way, trying my best to shield sense of insecurity in my social life

-

For some reason last month everything clicked like getting hit with a sack of potatoes. I just got rejected by a girl who I thought I was pretty interested in

On our last date, I tried flirting with her in a way which was bold for me and out of my usual comfort zone (not creepy), but it felt extremely natural and right to do at that moment. It's funny. I didn't care about being rejected one bit beyond minnor sexual frustration. My pride in my honest approach stayed and lingered. And if she does not see the value of what I'm proud in, fuck it, nice girl, but we probably just aren't a compatible match! Nothing lost

It's weird how the (my?) brain works that way, but my confidence and pride in myself shot up through the roof instantly after and has stayed. It reminded me of some very important things:

1. Social life, career and dating are all connected in the sense that REALLY it's not about others or externalities; you do need to make an active effort to bump shoulders with others, but the effort becomes easy if treated primarily as a self improvement exercise. Take any steps no matter how small to become someone you'd be proud of

I thought to myself for a year "dammit, I want a job in X new field, but have no idea how to network into it, it's so hard!". Stayed dormant out of fear. Fuck it. I realised "Hey, I made a good impression with multiple friend's parents at a wedding… they worked long careers in something unrelated, why not blitz general advice from them? Can't hurt". I started calling them; a few duds, but others are really good at giving me soft advice. Just with small general tips, it lowered the anxiety bar to take action so much… the small things do pile up and can make you freeze up! It made me realise "oh ya, this isn't a scarry insurmountable task, I CAN do this, it DOES make sense for me and I DO have value to provide"

2. You may think you're inferior to others because you don't have X or Y. I did. But I realised it's not HAVING X or Y which makes you confident and fufilled, it's PURSUING X or Y, and all of us have all the agency in the world to purse what you want

I have been telling myself for ages I want to join an improv comedy group. I already knew there was a place by me that gives lessons. Never signed up, because, I was scared to feel like a loser I guess. Fuck it. When that girl rejected me, I drove down there the next day, asked the guys behind the counter "alright, your website is confusing, tell me where to start, I'm signing up today". It starts next year. The act alone of pursuing my interests just shot my confidence up so much. I'm becoming a person I love again, and all it took was signing a form

3. You probably have a ton of great qualities in yourself, and probably have flaws just like everyone else too. But what people will sense is if you are focused on your qualities OR flaws. Be kind to yourself; you have a lot to offer, focus on bringing that to people

Reading your post, I see a few things. In "the good" section, you mention many negatives. Severe procrastination, some savings from "that one time before when you were so much more cool than today", age as a negative. Dude, that stuff is fine! Everyone procrastinates sometimes, people have high and low points, people age. But telling yourself you're a severe procrastinator gives you an unconscious excuse to not make baby steps towards the life you want to live. Saying you're 43 unconsciously tells you you're too late in life to qualify for love or a good career. You're NOT. You're only too old once you're dead. Seriously

From your post, I can see you're a caring as fuck guy (moving countries to help your dad… like, you really cared!), intellectually smart and curious (post undergrad degree, posting in HN), very self observant. You may think that's small. No. Don't discount that. It's great. It's fine to speak about areas you want to improve with peers, but remember, you ARE capable and can do so

If you ever think you're lacking some qualities which you can achieve through action and are insecure about, just remind yourself of points 1 and 2. You can be proud of yourself today, and proud-er-er tomorrow with action

4. Don't be afraid to say no to things that don't feel right, don't be afraid to ask for what you want

I turned down some of the girls I was seeing before who I didn't care much about. As soon as I did, I noticed my mental bandwidth, focus and confidence rose. I know who I am, what I want… very nice girls, but I want more than nice on paper or would bring social validation. I CAN be selective. I'm worth it. With what I can offer, why settle for less

I recently went into a university psychology study for a girl I haven't spoken to since undergrad just for fun (we are all nerds here, studies are fun). Doing the study, I realised she is pretty cute, enough for me in the past to be scared to talk to her. Hmmm. Decided to ask her out over email once she gave me the study results like it was 1999. I was a little scared; I thought "oh no, do I look like a creepy weirdo? Does she think I did this study just to ask her out? She must have a boyfriend". She didn't. It worked. I'm seeing her this week. And if it didn't, I just wouldn't hear back from her while I'm still working on myself! Nothing to lose!

5. Peers help in so many ways. Humans are social and accountability is infectious. If you can choose between doing something you'd want alone (apply for job posting on linkedin) or with peers (message someone at X firm who posted that job on linkedin),try to always pursue the social option when apropreate. Always be pursuing new connections, as many opportunities in all categories in life can come from unpredictable connections. You will also develop commodore and be less lonely

6. Don't beat yourself up if you make mistakes or slip up, it's okay to have downtime after taking a shot at a step to make you happy. Be kind to yourself. I make mistakes everyday, but I don't lose anything with trying. When you get a few bites with progress, the confidence starts to snowball and your desires become much more clear

Sorry for the length, but I hope some of this will help. You got this. Feel free to reach out if you want to shoot the shit about whatever

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk

I've been here fairly recently since the heavy covid years. I've been making good progress out of this, but I've still got a ways to go

The way I looked at it was that I was in a local maximum of wellbeing. Less than I wanted to feel, but feeling "trapped" to do anything about it as any deviation from the comfort zone required me to leave that local maximum for a bit... even if there were higher heights beyond it

Social, romantic, career... all was just "not great but manageable". Good for today, but a sense of dread staying in the same place for years

I started just getting involved in any activity to improve the areas important to myself of for "I always wanted to do this" leisure. I wanted to volenteer teaching kids math... reached out to my network, and I was flexible enough to pivot volenteering for a schoolteacher running for political office. I knew I would feel exhaused doing so. And, the first little while I absolutely was

But, I find lots of truth in the quote "if you want something done, give it to a busy person". With small pockets for rest and relaxation accounted for, you'd be supprised what you can accomplish with your free time

Once I was volenteering, it was almost uncanny how I noticed I started going on many more meaningful dates, good prospective job interviews and strengthening/growing my social circles after a few months. Less time, but way more accomplished than when I was doing nothing. It was almost like I overcame the inertia of staying stagnant

"Oh, I have a date coming up tomorrow but I'm on the campaign trail now? No time to wallow or procrastinate about cleaning my apparment; I only have the time once I get back tonight. I'll do it without thinking"... that's how I noticed my prespective shifted durring that time

Things improved from there. Since my election has been over and I no longer contribute to the party, I've noticed myself slipping back into the inertia of inaction. I'm literally on my computer now researching to join a comedy club and volenteer in education for real this time

If I'd recommend anything from my annacdotal experience, just focus on joining some club for leisure, exercise, professional or "higher purpose" reasons... anything really. Some community. Even if it's just a weekly dog walk with a friend. Perhaps my own personal taste/annacdote, I found things social in nature pushed me further and had more accountability to not let the group down (i.e, a workout class with peers worked much better than a 1on1 personal trainer). The peer support and different prespectives help you get out of your head/thought loops. You will be exhaused the first month or two. However, once you stabilize, I noticed that my proactivity to carve out a more meaningul and plesant life started to snowball

I agree with all the health/hygiene comments here too. I just found that the "top down" approach with activity gave me the motivation to establish the habbit. The "bottom up" methods made those habbits fizzle out after a month