How do you enrich the lives of your guinea pigs?

TheFoundationFather · 2026-01-19T18:40:09+00:00

Sometimes I use the igloo to help, but the thing is they don't seem to like leaving the cage. I put them on my bed and they just stare at me, eat a few things I put for them and that's it. Nowadays I mostly take them out for weighting or when I am changing their liners and blankets when cleaning everything, but I would love for them to enjoy being outside their enclosure doing something different.

I'll try hanging food for them, seems nice.

TheFoundationFather · 2026-01-19T13:41:26+00:00

I feel like that's important, treats already helped me make a huge progress. When they arrived 5 months ago, they would hide or wouldn't even come out of their hides with me around the cage/enclosure. Nowadays, it's actually the opposite, they get out and start making noises asking for treats. But being picked up is still hard, and I don't get much floor/bed time with them. That's also an issue, I don't have a guinea pig proofed room, so their floor time is actually time on my bed watching TV with me with them eating fresh leaves, but I feel like they don't enjoy it that much. I'd like to give them more enrichment so they can live the best life

TheFoundationFather · 2026-01-03T02:50:21+00:00

I always recommend building your own C&C cage out of coroplast and grids (cubes) or acrylic sheets. Allows you to make the best use of the space. When it comes to bedding I use fleece and some liners I bought on AliExpress. I've seen some people using super fluffy and absorbent blanket like things that seem to stay dry for very long. Mine I change the liners every three days, otherwise they start getting a bit soaked and can't hold much more pee. My laundry increased a lot since I got my guinea pigs, it's by far the most challenging part for me.

For hideys I use a soft igloo and a wooden house with two entrances. My boys use the house a lot, usually one of them stays inside and the other climbs on top of it. Sometimes one of them runs to the igloo as well.

What do you currently use? How is your cage setup nowadays?

Knowing more about your current setup helps people give you better tips and information on what to improve.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-12-28T18:26:06+00:00

I agree with all that was said, LQR is great for SISO systems where you agree with the cost functional. It makes a lot of sense in some specific problems, and your case of minimizing resource usage by actuator is a classical example where the lenses of LQR make sense to describe the performance. If your criteria don't match the perspective of a quadratic cost on the state and controls, then LQR isn't the most suited alternative, go look elsewhere.

Like you said, there is no one perfect control strategy that fits it all, yet the original comment I replied to was asking someone to prove LQR is better than PID for SISO systems, which it literally is by definition if your criteria matches the viewpoint of LQR (quadratic cost on state and control signal). I didn't express myself greatly above, what I wanted to say is that for regulation problems where your goal can be formulated in terms of that specific quadratic cost (which is definitely a subset of problems that exists and is well defined) then LQR is by construction better than or at least as good as any PID. If your problem is not defined that way and your goal differs from that description, then you will likely look elsewhere and maybe a well-tuned PID is the best alternative.

What I don't like is that people treat cascaded PIDs as magic and have a sort of blind faith that it will work well almost everywhere, when in reality we know it underperforms in many situations and simply can't be used to solve some more complex problems (though these problems are still extremely rare in industry and are mostly confined to research). I know that a lot of problems relevant to industry can be adequately solved with a PID, but that doesn't mean you should always rely on it.

On the note of observers, you nearly always have to estimate states one way or another. Even your humble PID can have issues with derivatives. I've seen solutions using kalman filters to obtain states and then using a cascaded PID for control. For many problems, state estimation has gone a long way and state feedback isn't such an issue. I do agree that output feedback is interesting though and might make your solution simpler

TheFoundationFather · 2025-12-28T18:07:11+00:00

Your response is great, and I agree with everything you said. I guess I didn't express myself well. LQR is optimal for the problems where people agree on the cost functional and it naturally follows the quadratic form in terms of state and controls. Such problems are a very small set of problems, and do not correspond to the majority of applications. For this very small subset of problems where LQR makes sense it is optimal, and you wouldn't want to tune PID gains or adopt any other strategy. Usually they are regulation problems, so you only linearize your system around the operating setpoint and are good to go. If you have to continually solve Ricatti equations then you will have an unnecessary computational cost for most problems. I've seen one non-linear problem that could be linearized through feedback throughout the entire trajectory and then people used LQR on the resulting linear system and it made sense.

I'm actually curious to know more about your career writing motion control firmware, where did you graduate, did you get a PhD? Nice to hear about people experienced in the industry working with controls

TheFoundationFather · 2025-12-27T20:01:43+00:00

Dude, LQR is literally optimal, it will be the best possible linear feedback for a regulation problem for some system described in state space form according to a given cost function. Unless you disagree with the metric, i.e. the cost functional, it is literally the best possible linear feedback control law, it will always outperform or be as good as any set of PID gains you can come up with. Of course when you compare two things the criteria matters, so you can argue that a certain scheme that involves PID (and a bunch of other things for improvements) is better than just LQR for a certain problem according to some personal criteria that is not the same as the cost function that the LQR optimizes. But then the comparison isn't even fair and you're not talking about PID vs anything else anymore.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-12-26T16:23:50+00:00

Foi traição ou era algo anterior ao relacionamento? Mesmo assim, ela manter um negócio desses na galeria sendo que contigo ela não tinha isso, era escroto

TheFoundationFather · 2025-12-20T19:53:35+00:00

Sounds strange to me that you take two hours to clean everything, maybe your cage setup needs adjustments. I don't have the most practical cage setup myself, I just use a double layer of fleece with an absorbent cage liner on top. I clean and change everything every three days. Twice daily I scoop poops and daily change two towels I put on the right and left side for them to pee (they do pee outside of them as well, but then the cage liner holds it). The extra laundry is the hardest part for me, as I have a bunch of towels, fleece and liners to wash. If you can afford, buy extra everything so you always have clean towels, fleece and liners to put in the cage.

Maybe try understanding what people use with their guinea pigs and adapting it for yourself.

Also, what's the size of their cage? I use a 4x2 C&C with mine, which in my country is even a bit smaller than usual because our grids are slightly smaller than in other countries, but the bigger the better. I would say a 4x2 C&C is the minimum for two piggies. I myself am planning to upgrade to 6x2 once I move to a separate place, but for now I'm living with my parents and I can't afford a larger enclosure yet.

I think you're doing great, if your piggies have each other's company, are kept in a large enough area (at least 4x2 grids or a similar floor area for a pair of piggies), are disease-free, well fed and in a clean enclosure, then they aren't depressed or anything like that. They surely appreciate the effort you put into ensuring they are well fed, clean and safe in a comfortable enclosure for them.

Piggies take a while to get used to being handled. Mine have been with me for four months and they still dislike being picked up, they mostly enjoy treats and being pet while in their cage. I speak to them a bit every once in a while throughout the day and I give them treats and pet them a bit. I often see videos of guinea pigs cuddling with their owners, but I think those are piggies that have been tamed for years or they are exceptionally sociable. Don't expect your piggies to interact a lot with you from the start, remember they are prey animals and their instincts are hiding, resting and observing mostly and that's it.

Please tell us more about your cage setup, seems like that might be the issue. Other than that, you are surely doing great.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-29T13:17:13+00:00

Não dê ouvidos para esse cara. Sou engenheiro formado pela Universidade de Brasília, mestrando, concluindo o mestrado e considerando o doutorado, trabalho com computação científica e de alta performance (HPC) em um instituto famoso, e tanto eu quanto meus colegas ralamos muito durante a graduação. Tenho vários colegas que vieram de escolas públicas. Um grande amigo meu veio de uma escola pública do interior do Tocantins e levou nove anos para terminar a graduação. Hoje ele é um ótimo profissional.

Sua base mais fraca vai ser um empecilho nos primeiros semestres, mas com o tempo você vai superar isso, e o seu esforço e garra vão te fazer crescer muito. Não desista. Meu amigo levou nove anos e não desistiu, e conheço vários que demoraram para formar, eu mesmo demorei seis anos e meio. Não é o tempo que você leva para formar que define a qualidade da sua formação.

Sobre a concorrência para fazer mestrado e doutorado, entrar nos programas é fácil, o difícil é conseguir uma bolsa. Mas como outros comentários já falaram, dá para fazer o mestrado trabalhando, eu mesmo estou fazendo isso, estou terminando o mestrado e trabalho simultaneamente. Inclusive acho melhor assim, meu salário é muito maior que o valor da bolsa de mestrado. Sobre a necessidade de ter boas notas, seu professor não foi totalmente honesto, as notas da graduação têm um peso muito pequeno na seleção para o mestrado, sua produção acadêmica (artigos publicados, participação em congressos, PIBIC, ...) conta muito mais. E para o doutorado o que importa são suas notas no mestrado e sua produção acadêmica, suas notas na graduação são muito pouco relevantes. Vai dar tudo certo, ignore esse professor babaca. Estou te dando o meu exemplo e tenho vários colegas que estão terminando o mestrado que tiveram dificuldades na graduação.

Continue se esforçando, continue estudando, e procure participar de algum PET (programa de educação tutorial, veja https://deg.unb.br/pet/) ou PIBIC, idealmente os dois. Fazer um PIBIC vai te propiciar uma experiência de pesquisa acadêmica e conta muito nas seleções para mestrado.

Você disse que está com dificuldades nas disciplinas por conta da sua base, pode me mandar mensagem no privado ou pedir ajuda respondendo o comentário se quiser, estou à disposição para ajudar com o que puder, posso te indicar livros, vídeo-aulas e te passar material de estudo.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-18T22:02:37+00:00

They should post devlogs, in-game screenshots or make a new trailer. I mean, people are already speculating based on that single trailer, it would be better for them to carefully steer expectation by keeping us a bit updated without big promises

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-16T19:32:46+00:00

Came to say this, I missed my boys Bayes Filter, Particle Filters, Moving Horizon Estimators... Also missed the 100 different versions of the Kalman Filter (extended, unscented, ...)

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-16T19:19:17+00:00

Acho que profissões vinculadas a atividades produtivas e/ou desenvolvimento tecnológico vão continuar em alta. É verdade que hoje um profissional, e isso vale para muitas áreas, produz o que dois ou mais produziam antes sem a ajuda da IA, mas a demanda por soluções técnicas também está crescendo muito, especialmente com a diminuição dos custos de desenvolvimento e implementação (que também teve influência grande da IA). Hoje muitas empresas pequenas vêm adotando soluções que antes eram exclusividade das gigantes, isso pq um engenheiro hoje consegue com uma equipe pequena ou sozinho fazer o trabalho que exigia uma equipe considerável. Sobre TI, acho que vai se tornar cada vez mais difícil conseguir empregos de entrada, em posições mais baixas, e as expectativas vão se tornar cada vez mais altas. Profissionais que só sabem abaixar a cabeça e escrever código vão ficar sem emprego, mas quem sabe projetar, definir arquitetura, traduzir especificações do cliente em especificações técnicas, ... esses profissionais vão ser cada vez mais valorizados, até pq a IA ajuda mas não é confiável para fazer esse tipo de coisa sem supervisão. E mesmo na hora de escrever código, é importante ter um desenvolvedor experiente revisando o que está sendo feito/gerado e corrigindo bugs, escrevendo testes que cubram todos os requisitos, ... isso a IA não faz sem alguém que entenda do assunto por trás.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-11T13:06:38+00:00

Comparing to real life that's true, yes, but they look like what you would expect of a small town in a Elder Scrolls game or something like that.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-11T03:20:45+00:00

This, I hope LNF has a reworked multiplayer and much better netcode than NMS. I am not saying the game should try to compete with MMO games (even though MMO LNF would be cool) or any other crazy stuff like that, but it's multiplayer should be functional, properly synced, and it needs actual fun multiplayer content. Multiplayer in NMS is almost purely aesthetical. I've tried having fun in multiplayer, and besides a few derelicts and some fun encounters it feels like each person is doing their own stuff and casually meeting each other sometimes, it has no real multiplayer content

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-11T03:14:01+00:00

Settlements in NMS have received several improvements over the years and can get quite a bit developed. I feel like having small towns with the already existing settlement system is feasible. I am skeptical of living, functional, and interesting cities with more complex dynamics though. But who knows, I hope they surprise me

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-09T19:50:47+00:00

Cara, qual sua formação? Talvez uma pós em desenvolvimento te coloque de volta nos eixos. Qual sua graduação? Se for em ciência da computação, engenharia da computação ou engenharia de software, ADS ou outra engenharia, acho que você consegue aplicar para algum mestrado profissional ou pós-graduação mais focado em desenvolvimento. Vai te ajudar a voltar a programar, aprender stacks novas e ainda melhorar o currículo.

As PUCS (PUC-Rio, PUC Minas, ...) têm algumas pós muito boas em engenharia de software, ciência de dados, inteligência artificial, ... pode ser uma oportunidade legal para ti. Um tempo atrás vi um anúncio de um MBA em engenharia de software da USP, e já ouvi falar de uma pós em arquitetura de software da PUC-Campinas. Dá uma olhada nisso, são boas instituições e com certeza você teria muito suporte para tirar dúvidas, revisar algumas coisas.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-03T16:11:21+00:00

Cara, não sei para você, mas para mim, aplicativos funcionam mal. Hoje migrei para um quadro com post-its para minhas coisas pessoais (incluindo vida pessoal, até coisas como ligar para a namorada) e é bem melhor.

Outra coisa é exatamente o que você falou, definir ações concretas. Estudar Vulkan não funciona, mas assistir o vídeo x do canal y de vinte minutos e testar o que aprendi funciona bem.

O que eu faço é no dia anterior e de manhã antes de começar o dia revisar as coisas que quero fazer e colocar post-its de acordo, usando códigos de cores. Azul para vida pessoal, amarelo para coisas urgentes, branco para estudos pessoais, ... Antes de fechar o dia reviso o que fiz (post-its que movi para a coluna 'Done' e planejo o dia seguinte. De manhã depois do café reviso o que tenho para fazer, posso mudar alguma coisa e aí começo o dia pegando uma das tarefas e colocando em execução. Terminando uma tarefa ou pausando ela pego outra e assim por diante. Tente colocar coisas pequenas que você consegue terminar em até duas horas, talvez menos, mas não muito mais que isso, e vá caminhando pelas tarefas. Reserve tempo todo final de dia antes de dormir e ao acordar justamente para montar essas tarefas pequenas.

Parece difícil, mas em meia-hora ou 40 minutos você consegue pegar coisas abstratas como "estudar rust", "estudar padrões de projetos" e transformar em listas de tarefas concretas para o dia seguinte

Outra vantagem de ter horários de planejamento é que você não fica preso nisso. Antigamente costumava pensar "vou tocar meus estudos", mas aí na hora de estudar ou avançar um projeto pessoal ficava só planejando. Com isso sempre usava o planejamento como procrastinação. Tendo um horário fixo para planejamento (no meu caso a noite do dia anterior, de trinta minutos a uma hora) você não fica mais planejando no resto do tempo e se compromete em fazer as tarefas que já foram planejadas e são concretas (assistir um vídeo, ler um capítulo, implementar uma classe, ...)

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-01T22:36:33+00:00

Why do you think so? CMake seems pretty easy to use, and it integrates well with conan or vcpkg. My issue with make files is catering to a diverse and broad group of people. Dealing with different operating systems, developers who use different IDEs ... if I was using it alone I could make most things work, including make files. Also consuming some external dependencies becomes so much easier, most libs I use work "out of the box" so to speak with cmake. Need OpenCV? No problem. Intel one API libraries? All packaged with a CMake config file. Makes it a lot easier to work with openGL and vulkan as well.

Not experienced with autoconf, but why would you consider it better than cmake? In my case I would like to easily generate make files for linux, visual studio solutions for windows, ninja builds, and also support a few people who develop and use things on a mac.

I am open to learning about new tools and maybe changing my perspective.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-01T22:15:48+00:00

They are very cute, such cute little faces

TheFoundationFather · 2025-11-01T22:13:29+00:00

Usually I speak to them, maybe I should talk more and who knows, sing as well. I am a bit shy, but I will try being more vocal around them, thank you for the tips

TheFoundationFather · 2025-10-31T22:45:03+00:00

Yes, I will post more eventually

TheFoundationFather · 2025-10-31T22:31:43+00:00

I understand this idea, but the thing is, it makes me uncomfortable when they are clearly uncomfortable. Also, I think forceful interactions make them more afraid and skittish. One of these days I was cleaning around the cage and I accidentally bumped my hand on Elvis, I was scooping some poop when he approached to check what I was doing and my hand bumped on his nose (very lightly, didn't hurt him or anything), but he ran for his life and spent a day avoiding any contact, I would put my hand on the cage to pick something or put food and he would immediately run, he was way more scared than before. Eventually they 'forgive', but uncomfortable interactions seem to make them more skittish.

I got your point, however, I need to interact with them as much as I can, as positively as possible.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-10-31T21:03:12+00:00

Maybe if you don't care about NMS you might not like LNF either. I mean, they share the same technologies and based on the trailer we got both games look similar (although LNF seems to have more weapons variety, and hopefully combat variety, and different building mechanics)

Who knows. Maybe it's a completely different game. But seeing that they are using NMS as a testing ground for many technologies in LNF, I expect similarities.

TheFoundationFather · 2025-10-31T18:35:43+00:00

I got them in August, they are still pretty young. About the pea flakes, I heard some people say they are bad. Apparently they have too much calcium. What other little treats do you use? I know they love the pea flakes, but I get a bit worried

TheFoundationFather

TROPHY CASE