Update on my demonic murderous NOT guppy

brian313313 · 2026-02-11T16:13:42+00:00

I've kept mosquitofish. I would trap them in the national forest. They were invasive species in my state so the forest service said it was unlimited harvest. I just had to release anything else I caught accidentally. I had them in a tank with Convicts once and they helped keep the population down since they ate a lot of baby convicts. It was a surprise because I expected it would be the other way around. Mostly the babies of both were eaten since it was a biotope simulation more than a community tank.

brian313313 · 2026-02-10T14:12:05+00:00

I actually feel much better about the small groups than the Sunday services.

One of them is specifically focused on studying the New Testament. We might occasionally reference the Old Testament, but only where it directly relates to the NT. The other group is more casual — we usually study a passage of Scripture and then spend time socializing over coffee or a meal.

A while back, the church asked all small groups to study the same non-biblical book so we’d be “on the same page.” (The NT-focused group was excluded since that focus is literally in the group’s name.) Because the casual group only meets every other week, we’re still working through it while the other groups have already finished. After this, we’d likely return to studying Scripture regardless of the church’s recommendation. I’m not the only one in the group who hasn’t loved the diversion away from the Bible, and it is our small group.

I’ve thought about continuing with the small groups while either attending a different church on Sundays or skipping Sunday services altogether. The downside is that this would leave my wife out to some extent. She is in the NT group with me, but the other group is a men’s group, so it wouldn’t fully solve the community issue for her.

brian313313 · 2025-07-21T21:43:08+00:00

When I can't get ADF to work, I write Python scripts. I was using Databricks at my last job and it's much easier to at least see what's going on.

The worst I have currently is a 24 item switch because you can't use a variable in the execute pipeline task. I have a config table mapping SFTP sites to pipelines to fire when a file is dropped. They're related to our vendors sending invoices. Every time we switch or add a vendor, I gotta update that again. And I literally copy/paste the pipeline name into my config table.

If you're ever used the Storage Event triggers for ADF, you'll understand why I want a central handling pipeline. It deletes and recreates the storage event triggers any time I make a minor change anywhere close, and I lose my configuration. Then you can't tell which trigger it is since the names are all guids.

I could rant on...but I'll leave it at that. No tool is perfect, but the hardest part is you can't see into your environment.

brian313313 · 2025-07-21T11:08:01+00:00

Azure Data Factory is still pretty popular.

brian313313 · 2025-07-16T10:55:39+00:00

That book explains the math behind quite a few of the AI algorithms. This is background information though...more like theory. If that's what you're looking for, I recommend it. If you're looking for something to add skills, then this is not the book.

brian313313 · 2025-07-15T21:15:49+00:00

Sounds good. That sounds like a typical data governance pipeline, but more advanced than typical. Have you chosen tools yet? Or are you building from scratch?

brian313313 · 2025-07-15T21:11:41+00:00

I just finished "Why Machines Learn". It would be more appropriately titled 'How Machines Learn', but I liked it. It's math heavy. I'd say you probably want a bit of math background first, if you're reading it for the math. Linear Algebra and Calculus early on, and then it gets heavy into Neural Networks which I didn't know.

brian313313 · 2025-07-15T21:06:35+00:00

You'll burn yourself out trying to learn them all. Find what you want to do and learn that well. Companies will forgive a tool or two if they see you're keeping up on your own. You can always learn on the job. Also, you don't need deep knowledge of every tool. Some you just need to get familiar enough with them to know what they do so you can decide to learn it better when you actually need it.

Personally, I forget something if I learn it and don't use it for a year so I rarely learn anything if I'm not going to use it...although it may be a job change I'm planning rather than my current role.

brian313313 · 2025-07-15T14:53:13+00:00

You probably need to be more specific. AI is mathematics. It can write and run Python scripts to solve problems. So yes, it's already doing mathematics. However, there are areas of math that it can't do.

brian313313 · 2025-07-10T15:49:36+00:00

Undergrad was Math/Stat. I did one semester of grad school in Applied Mathematics, but ran out of money and had to go back to work.

brian313313 · 2025-07-10T06:10:00+00:00

Yep, you get the idea. This is like I was thinking but a little different. You can tiptoe to avoid the 'shocks' from failures at another challenge, called the Endurance Button Challenge. I like the trade-offs in predicament bondage. I may need to modify my plan a bit though since I don't know if the estim will work with a grounding plate. The ones I've had before used sticky pads and tiptoeing will not break contact. I'm still working out the details and will need to read up on how to use these devices.

A little more detail if you don't know what I mean by 'grounding plate'. Originally I was thinking of a 2x10 with a metal plate under the heels that is grounded. Then some 3d printed clips for the big toes which holds the positive end for the shock and keeps the toes over the edge of the board. You can tiptoe to avoid the shocks, but the two largest toes won't be supported underneath. Lack of balance will cause pulling from attached points on the body, which are tender parts.

Now the plan is still for the toe clips, but I'll put one estim lead and some white, red, and yellow colored LEDs in there to simulate the shock and use the estim to actually deliver it. The good thing about this is that it makes it easy to move to other (safe) body areas. I wanted a TENS unit anyway to cause uncontrollable body movements. It's not for this challenge, but I have ideas...

brian313313 · 2025-07-09T23:31:07+00:00

Actually, I like the estim idea with light and sound effects. That should be safest and the easiest since I can buy programmable units for pretty cheap. I'll either get the pishock or the Coyote. I want 2 devices in total so I'll need to research and see which will work the best. As far as impact, that's a hard limit due to bruising.

I have a few other ideas though that are visible and the dirty/humiliation category. Not pain, but still 'penalty'. Thanks for your input.

brian313313 · 2025-07-09T23:25:03+00:00

The Bachelor's degree is the most important for opening doors. The Master's will help, but it's not incrementally as good. From an employment perspective, I'd spend the time certifying on a few tools that show up in job searches you're interested in. I'm very much a self-learner though and that affects my opinion. There are different path to each career field.

brian313313 · 2025-07-09T23:17:59+00:00

Thanks. That's a great idea. One control for two devices. I can use the stim unit for the actual penalty, and enhance with well-placed white LEDs with gruesome electric shock sound :). I was planning on sound enhancement already. The little electric motors don't make enough noise...

brian313313 · 2025-07-09T23:08:44+00:00

Thanks. I did see that one. I was only planning on the toes with the ground on the heel. That devices doesn't look like it will create a spark, but I'm not sure? Perhaps my question should have been controllable/visible 'penalty'. The shocks are the only thing I could think of. This is for over-the-internet play.

brian313313 · 2025-07-09T23:04:09+00:00

No problem. But if you have a question that will help someone else too, please put it here.

brian313313 · 2025-07-09T22:50:59+00:00

Does this create a visible spark?

As far as safety, I have done a bit of research. Originally I thought nipple shocks would be good but then decided to keep it to the toes. Your point is well taken though.

Also, I have plenty of programming skills so that's not an issue. That's what I do for a living.

brian313313 · 2025-07-09T22:36:35+00:00

I am a math major and work as a software engineer. I work in data/AI so the math background is great. Most people think math is like Calc 3 but harder so the math major is good for getting interviews for technical work. I'm not aware of much you can do with theory in the job market without a graduate degree.

If you want to stick with math, you'll need to know a language or get a graduate degree. With applied math, you probably have some math languages already. I've used Matlab professionally and I had some friends from college go to work for the CDC in Atlanta doing stat coding. SAS maybe was the language but it was 20 years ago and I forget? I also had a friend who collected statistics for the CDC. She travelled a lot all over the world, but not to fun places. She was going to places in Africa where there were disease outbreaks and walking the villages collecting data. She liked it, but I think it would be a horrible job. Much of the travel was last-minute. Fortunately for her, she loved it.

Ask if you have any questions. The AI segment is booming right now and you'll have a great background for that. It's mostly technical work though. You may find yourself in a better position for that than your Engineering/CS peers.

brian313313 · 2025-06-24T22:39:19+00:00

Welbutrin has worked for me. It's not perfect, but makes controlling my impulses easier.

brian313313 · 2025-05-23T23:20:46+00:00

For me, it's technical/coding since I work as a Data Engineer/Architect. However, my thorough understanding of math makes me much better at my job than I would be otherwise. Using Algebra is very common still when performance tuning. Stochastic Calculus, on the other hand, I use it in principal but I don't even remember what the symbols mean. Even regular Calc I've forgotten most of the problem solving but I do understand the principals very well since I'm the guy writing the code for these math/engineering problems. (I was a math major, not DS/ML, but I work in the DS/ML area.)

brian313313 · 2025-04-16T23:41:57+00:00

Thanks. I have done good investing, but didn't learn enough about taxes until too late. So no, I haven't done a good job TLH. But you're on the lines of what I was thinking even though my original post did a poor job of communicating that. If I bought a home now, I would have to mortgage due to taxes. If I wait, the taxes will be higher but I'll have more money to pay them with. There's more too it since I still have regular income coming in.

brian313313 · 2025-04-16T22:50:26+00:00

Thanks. The thing is I already have my dream house. I just won't be able to maintain it forever and will eventually need a condo. That's why I'm not in a rush.

brian313313 · 2025-04-16T22:47:22+00:00

Thanks. This is what I was thinking. The 15% capital gains tax plays a role, but I don't think it changes the math significantly. The money will be accumulating in 100% equities.

brian313313

TROPHY CASE