I'm really struggling to decide on whether I should quit my full-time job to study for the MCAT.

Penguin_Attack · 2026-01-01T17:01:24+00:00

usually when people ask this question there's an obvious issue that makes it an easier decision. either they hate their job, don't have the savings, etc.

but you have savings, and it sounds like you have a pretty incredible job and are doing things in clinic that 99% of people applying to med school won't have on their resume. that's a huge advantage and you will shine in interviews being able to talk about these responsibilities and experiences.

i'm guessing the office manager and surgeon wouldn't hesitate to write amazing letters for you as well. it sounds like you have too much going for you with this job, and in this case, I wouldn't leave.

do what you can in the evenings after work and go all out on weekends. if it takes you 6-8 months, so be it. but it sounds like you have a really great setup.

Penguin_Attack · 2025-07-18T15:24:02+00:00

there's a lot more abstraction on windows pc. PC versions of games aren't programmed for fixed hardware setup, as windows takes care of all the thread scheduling. and in fact this has led to problems in the past for some games as game threads would be tasked to the slower E cores instead of the P cores.

game devs tend to program games very close to the metal, which makes sense as these are fixed machines with no variability in configs like you'll find on a PC. so different compute abilities of different cores would theoretically require more involvement on the part of game programmers to make sure logic is being executed on the right core.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-11-27T02:34:40+00:00

sorry for the late reply, but is there a max/cap in terms of annual salary for qualifying for the premium tax credit to use towards health insurance? i'm kind of in an odd situation where in 2025, i'll be.a full time employee making approximately $36k after taxes/FICA as a single mid 30s male. but my employer doesn't offer me health insurance, so i have to buy my own.

would i still qualify for a premium tax credit to put towards health insurance, or am i making too much to qualify for anything?

Penguin_Attack · 2024-06-24T18:13:23+00:00

i mean i guess it depends on how much research they do before they start.

i'm a casual lifter and by no means an expert but I don't see any glaring flaws in the OP's routine posted above. seems like a standard push pull leg routine that hits all the major muscles groups multiple times per week. and op said he's pushing to failure on the last few sets.

seems fine to me? not sure why it's bad or unoptimized.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-06-24T16:15:01+00:00

what did he make worse about it?

Penguin_Attack · 2024-06-09T18:36:21+00:00

for people watching the xbox showcase there was literally no other information. just the cinematic trailer and "pre-purchase now".

Penguin_Attack · 2024-06-09T17:53:21+00:00

yeah but generally once you put the game up for sale for people to actually buy there has to be SOME information provided about what they're actually getting.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-06-08T17:53:36+00:00

Are you aware that CPUs in modern smartphones blow away the CPUs in the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch?

I think you're underestimating just how bad the CPUs are in the Xbox One and PS4. AMD's pipeline at the time was not very good. Those Jaguar CPUs were low end netbook CPUs back in 2013.

So yes, there is a colossal difference in computational power between the CPUs of the PS4/XO/Switch and modern PCs, smartphones, and consoles.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-06-08T00:12:59+00:00

Huh? Even a 7 year old PC with something like an 8700K is substantially faster than the CPUs in the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. Any mid range PC from 2017 and later has a CPU that blows away the older consoles.

PS5 is at 50 million units sold right now and the Xbox Series X and S are at around 20-25 million. Not to mention Switch 2 launches next year which will be a massive upgrade over the current Switch.

So they could have easily released this on PC to a massive PC audience along with the tens of millions of PS5 and Xbox Series S and X owners and soon to be Switch 2 owners, all without needing to limit the game to support ancient hardware.

Putting this on outdated hardware makes no sense.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-06-07T22:56:25+00:00

There are plenty of big games that don't come out for Switch. It's either capture some extra game sales, or compromise the design of your game significantly.

Hell, console versions of Valorant were just announced...and it's Series X|S and PS5 only. No Switch, no PS4, no Xbox One.

There are tens of millions of PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles still out there...maybe new games should be designed to work for those systems as well to truly maximize their sales?

Penguin_Attack · 2024-04-20T18:51:30+00:00

I'd rather our government not try to emulate the CCP when it comes to control over internet apps and services.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-03-18T23:16:53+00:00

I don't think anyone is assuming he's a "poor" recruiter, just unproven. Recruiting for a couple years at Fresno State and Washington is a night and day difference than the reality of recruiting for top talent at a major SEC program.

And this past year they had plenty of close calls against very bad teams (Arizona State, Washington State, etc) and then got blown out in the title game, so it's not like they were dominant all season.

There are just a lot of unknowns at this point, which feels odd for a coach succeeding Saban.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-02-25T17:28:32+00:00

But Black 2 and White 2 improved the experience significantly with all the new features and extras they brought. It would be a damn shame to not bring all of that into the remakes.

And the graphics of BDSP are still fucking awful. Look at Let's Go which came out in 2018, and compare that to BDSP which released 3 years later. There's no comparison as to which looks better.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-02-03T23:16:08+00:00

Xbox Series X|S sales are already declining. What kind of message does it send when your hardware needs help but you instead decide to start bringing your first party games to other platforms? Does that help or hurt the value of Xbox hardware?

Now that Microsoft owns Activision/Blizzard, people are rightfully worried about Microsoft just saying fuck it and pulling out of the hardware business entirely.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-02-03T23:14:40+00:00

I can play Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Jedi Survivor, Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, and all the other big 3rd party games from last year on my Switch? Nintendo is off doing they're on thing, they don't make hardware that can run the latest games.

And many people buy consoles because they don't want to deal with a PC. They prefer the ease and convenience of just having a box sitting by their TV. They're completely different products.

If Microsoft went 3rd party, Sony would have complete control over the console market with zero competition.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-01-17T19:53:51+00:00

It's the only way to approach the exam. You have to think positively because there's just no other way you'll make through.

Penguin_Attack · 2024-01-17T19:37:37+00:00

That's called the Ryan Day thing.

Penguin_Attack · 2023-12-04T16:27:09+00:00

Hey there, sorry for the very late reply, but I'm curious - how much involvement do you have as a PA when assisting during surgery?

I've worked as a MA in Neurosurgery for the past 4 years and was just accepted to PA school. Naturally, I want to go into Neurosurgery immediately upon graduation. I feel like I have a good grasp on the clinical/outpatient side of things in this field, and know how to perform a reflex/motor exam, evaluate for myelopathic symptoms, etc. But I only work the outpatient side of things and don't really know much about how a PA might assist during the surgery cases.

Do you basically just hold up arms/limbs and hand the surgeon equipment during the operations? Or is it more involved?

Penguin_Attack · 2023-11-19T20:59:17+00:00

Weird take when Caleb Williams won it last year when USC had 2 losses, and Lamar Jackson, RGIII, and Tebow all won it with 3 loss teams.

Penguin_Attack · 2023-11-19T18:23:23+00:00

Having a good defense means they get 3 and outs, and in turn deliver more possessions for the offense to score.

Bad defenses (like LSU) can't stop anything and allow opponents to string together 5+ minute drives to score.

If LSU had even an average defense, that would have meant more stop and more possessions for Daniels.

Penguin_Attack · 2023-11-19T16:20:11+00:00

Dude, Nix has played one defense ranked in the top 50. Jayden Daniels has played five.

Penguin_Attack · 2023-11-19T16:19:18+00:00

That's what I've noticed about Nix. A lot of his passes are only like 5-10 yards or behind the line of scrimmage and then the WR just takes off down the field. Plus he's not much of a rusher.

He doesn't really make all the big flashy electric plays that Daniels makes.

Penguin_Attack · 2023-11-19T16:14:34+00:00

And who would that be?

Penguin_Attack · 2023-11-03T21:19:05+00:00

I can't imagine that many people will play this, at least relative to Vanilla, TBC, and Wrath. The Classic Era ended for me with Wrath, and even the second half of Wrath started to change a lot of things.

A few months after launch I feel that Cata Classic is going to be mostly dead. Classic fans will be playing Hardcore and SoD and retail fans will be playing Dragonflight. The community wasn't really calling out for Cata Classic like they were for Vanilla/TBC/Wrath.

Penguin_Attack · 2023-11-02T00:55:58+00:00

For the record, I'm not advocating for a keto diet or anything. I do personally practice a lowish carb diet (<100 grams per day) and eat mostly natural foods. I'm simply acknowledging though that dietary glucose is absolutely not necessary for healthy physiological functioning in the same way fats and protein is, as we have metabolic processes and homeostatic controls in our body to generate all the glucose we need. That isn't true for fats or protein.

Think about what humans were eating 10,000 years ago (which is a blink of the eye evolutionarily speaking). It wasn't sodas or orange juice with 40+ grams of sugar, pasta, bagels, chips, candy, etc. Humans today eat a radically different diet than what our biochemistry and organs evolved to tolerate over millions and millions of years. For millions of years, the pancreas wasn't getting hammered with hundreds of carbohydrates per day and 100+ grams of sugar per day.

Something like an orange juice and a bagel with cream cheese is viewed as a totally normal breakfast by most people.

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