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Grease nipple

The other problem with hyperfocus is that along with not controlling when it happens, we also can’t control what we’re hyperfocusing on.

I failed university because I spent the first 2 weeks making a Minecraft mod. University was more important and also very interesting, but I just couldn’t stop.
I’m still pretty proud of the mod though.

The correct answer is sleep. Brain will disagree with that too.

My 94yo friend is still going strong. His advice is to keep moving. Even just going for a short walk does more than you realise.

Look after your eyes, ears, and back, and always wear the recommended protective gear. People who say you look stupid using the correct technique or wearing protective gear will either die first, or regret their decision after it’s too late to do anything about it.

Most of all, learn from other peoples mistakes. You don’t have enough time or luck to make them all yourself.

My house has a landline phone connected to the internet modem via a VoIP box. My entire house has battery backup so the modem, router, and phones stay on during a blackout, but the equipment my modem talks to (I’m assuming somewhere on the street) does not have a battery backup, so the phones are still useless in a blackout.

If you intend to install both, install Windows first. It has a habit of overwriting other bootloaders.

When you install Linux second, it should install a bootloader that will let you choose which OS to boot each time you turn on the computer.

Always backup data you care about. Installing an OS carries some risk of data loss.

House insulation.

I live in Australia where the minimum insulation required by law is a long way below inadequate, and many cheap contractors go below the minimum because it’s so hard to prosecute them.

I already had solar and a house battery, so the next obvious step was replacing the insulation. With my already very low electricity bills I cant say that it literally paid for itself (although it would have without the solar and battery), but it has made the house so much more comfortable. On some summer days, the AC would be using 7kW and barely keeping the inside temperature down to 30°C/85°F. Now it uses 3-5kW and the whole house stays comfortable.

Also, finding and patching the massive gaps from the previous “landlord special” house extension made a huge difference to the temperature of that room, and explained how lizards had managed to get inside.

I’m using an old thinkpad with Ubuntu Server as the OS. Almost any OS will do, but Ubuntu server has a single button to install docker during the OS install, so it’s easy.

I’m using docker compose instead of docker so that I can look at and update any scripts, and don’t have to remember anything. For the file sharing, I’m currently upgrading from Samba to Copyparty - the best software I have seen in a long time.

I’m also using WireGuard and Syncthing to duplicate the storage to an identical laptop in a family member’s house, rsync for weekly backups, and calendar reminders to do a monthly offline backup (automated with a script except for remembering to connect and disconnect the external drive).

I doubt you need all of this, but an old laptop with docker has so many options that you might start adding more stuff just because you can. I’ve also added HomeAssistant, Immich, and even a Factorio server to the same laptop using docker.

Cat on my lap. Warning - catchy song.

If it was just a screen, general purpose processor, and customisable OS then I’d have one already.

I don’t feel like paying a monthly subscription fee for a product to lie to me every time I ask a question, and relay everything I do back to a company who will sell my personal data to anyone.

I love my Pebble watch and enjoy playing with new tech. If a company like Pebble can make one without the spyware, bloatware, and AI, then I’ll probably get one.

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Diagnosed as an adult

My parents tried punishments and rewards to get me to do my homework. Neither worked. They never considered that I was telling the truth when I said “I can’t do that”. No matter how hard I tried, there were some simple things that I just couldn’t do. (I did get an apology as an adult when they finally had the missing information).

On the other hand, I was so good at the other subjects that I didn’t have to study or even try until I got to higher education, then I didn’t know how and failed badly.

Diagnosing early can help with getting access to medication later in life. Medication can be helpful with controlling focus, but be aware that children often don’t have the vocabulary to tell you that the medication has uncomfortable sides effects, so you’ll need to be aware of them (and consult a professional - not just a random internet person).

ADHD isn’t an attention deficit disorder, it’s an attention regulation disorder. Hyperfocus is just as common as a lack of focus, and it’s not possible to force a hyperfocus or even direct it on the correct task. It is possible to do a task that’s different from the current hyperfocus, but it takes a lot of energy.

Be aware of burnout, work with the ADHD not against it where possible, but keep in mind that sometimes things are just going to be difficult.

You seem to care, and know where to ask for help. You’ll do fine.

Edit: I would love to give you tips for how to get daily tasks done, but my partner still has to remind me to eat some days. If you ever find out, please let me know.

I guess this is the last kick I needed to buy a new phone and move away from Google permanently.

If you have money, slow self-closing doors.

Clippy never sold your data or demanded a subscription fee for something you already bought. Clippy just tried to help.

The clippy movement is not about clippy as a program, but as an idea that companies need to be held accountable, and that we will hold them accountable.
If a company tries to make a feature a paid subscription after you paid for the product, or releases and update that removes your privacy, we will be watching and we will hold them accountable.

Companies can lie to one person or hide changes from a few people, but they can’t handle all of us. Samsung has already reversed their added subscription fee for a smart TV as a result of community action.

I don’t care about gender. If you want to identify as a man or a woman, then you’re free to do that. If you want to identify as something else, that doesn’t bother me.

But if you want to take someone’s rights away because of who they are and not for what they’ve done, then I’m against your ideals.

If you call me a feminist for that, then I’ll happily accept that title too.

It’s like complaining that your glass is spitting water back after it’s full and you keep pouring water in. What else did you think would happen?

If you want to dip your feet in without making any permanent decisions, try using a virtual machine or a live USB.

The virtual machine is effectively no risk but slightly slower. The live USB gives you a more realistic experience (except for boot times) but it is possible to erase your data if you miss the several warning messages and press the “I know what I’m doing, proceed anyway” button.

If you feel like Linux could work but you’re not ready to fully commit, you can dualboot. I had both Windows and Linux for 2-3 years before I was comfortable enough to not boot Windows.

My personal preference is Linux Mint because it looks and feels very similar to Windows (I’m currently running LMDE). Any distro with KDE should also feel fairly familiar. Bazzite is more designed around gaming, but should still be adequate for most of your needs. It does have the reputation of being unbreakable.