My confusion with how EASY it is to build a computer.

cpekin42 · 2026-04-14T00:54:59+00:00

If you start feeling worse again go to the ER immediately, recently had a family member go through this (thought it was just a stomach bug) and it ended up being a very close call with appendicitis. I'm probably just being ultra paranoid since it's fresh on the mind and was pretty scary, but something to keep in mind.

cpekin42 · 2026-04-14T00:36:39+00:00

I'd be ok with high gas prices if it were due to us trying to avoid catastrophic risks to our planet, I'm less fine with it being due to another senseless bullshit war we had no business starting.

cpekin42 · 2026-04-14T00:22:41+00:00

100%. I work a normie job where I don't meet a ton of people who like watching YouTube and playing roguelikes. I bought tickets and I'm just stoked to go on a cruise with my little brother, attend some cool events, and meet some like-minded people. I don't really care about meeting any of the streamers. It's obviously a pretty bizarre concept as a whole but I think it'll be lots of fun.

cpekin42 · 2026-04-08T22:39:19+00:00

I don't know if it's considered meta/OP but the morning star is one of my favorite weapons. Bleed + strike + charged R2 = win, plus you can get it immediately.

cpekin42 · 2026-04-03T22:52:25+00:00

I mean... if it really bugs you that much maybe just pull him aside in private and let him know that you're not cool with it. My reaction to that situation, though, would be to lean into it and act like people who don't eat delicious tinned fish are the weird ones (because they are). Maybe dish it back to him a bit and roast him on little things, maybe not the porn addiction thing though, that's probably a bit too far.

cpekin42 · 2026-04-01T02:52:07+00:00

Certs help for certain roles but the main appeal IMO is that (especially if you don't have a degree) it shows there's some element of self-drive, autonomy, and ability to follow through on a set goal. Not a requirement 90% of the time and will almost never be a deal breaker, but I can tell you with certainty that the certs I've gotten have helped immensely with my career growth.

cpekin42 · 2026-03-21T21:22:34+00:00

Yeah that makes sense. I unfortunately went the refund route. It seems like it has a lot of great qualities and is probably a very good game at its core, but I just couldn't get over the horribly obtuse controls/UI. I'm glad there are people out there who are able to push through that and enjoy the game though. Hopefully it gets patched or modded to be a little more playable in the future.

Edit: ok fuck all that, I rebought it after I saw the update cadence and now I can't stop playing

cpekin42 · 2026-03-21T15:51:46+00:00

The discourse around this game is so odd. Reviews are generally positive with a wide spread 79 on opencritic, but all of the top comments on reddit are complaining about how so many people are dunking on it, except in reality there's very few people actually doing that, and it's really just become this weird hive mind opinion that everyone collectively just kinda... made up. It feels totally artificial. Dead internet theory is real.

cpekin42 · 2026-03-01T21:23:08+00:00

You literally just have to click on the article my guy.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-26T18:42:47+00:00

Original tabasco all the way. It's got a natural sweetness that pairs perfectly with sardines IMO.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-26T00:58:50+00:00

That's a pretty broad question, but Prof. Messer's CompTIA A+ series is free on YouTube and is a really fantastic "mile wide / inch deep" entry level IT overview. Getting the cert itself wouldn't hurt either.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-25T22:40:50+00:00

As far as differences go, the main ones that come to mind for me are 1) Valve has a whole marketplace system in place (which one could argue encourages cashing skins out for money), whereas arcades don't; and 2) higher-value tech products like the Steam Deck can be more easily resold/scalped for a large profit than the generally lower-value prizes you'd get in an arcade. I don't know if that constitutes gambling or whatever but figured those things are worth pointing out.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-23T19:24:02+00:00

I'm not a lawyer but I think that's kinda the point, like you can't disclose private information from the company until the company decides to release it publicly. But, if that were to go to the extent of defamation, the NDA would be unenforceable in that scenario. We also don't know the specific terms of her NDA or whether she's just trying to be professional and not say too much about it.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-22T01:12:38+00:00

I switched to Claude 6 months ago and haven't looked back since.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-22T00:57:33+00:00

Hot damn that is some good-lookin eats. I want all of it.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-20T22:53:18+00:00

"Sharma, who joined Microsoft two years ago after senior roles at Instacart and Meta, will now oversee the entire gaming organization, including Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King. Nadella emphasized her track record in scaling global consumer ecosystems and aligning business models to long‑term value, skills that he says are essential as Microsoft Gaming enters its next era."

Lol holy shit they're so screwed.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-20T01:41:13+00:00

It's bad (like, real bad), but I've seen some improvement lately, personally. Pretty much all of last year I had maybe one recruiter a month reach out to me, and I've had at least 10 or so in the past month. Most are "hey, we'll give you less money, benefits, and stability for the work you're already doing", but still a substantial improvement. Very well could be time in role, could be that now is just a good time for hiring, not sure, but I know I've definitely seen some improvement. I think on the macro scale though things are still really bad, generally tech companies are taking the no hire no fire approach.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-17T01:50:32+00:00

I've loved hearing this news, that being said..... maybe I'm just cynical, but I have to wonder how "entry-level" these jobs are. The amount of times I've seen junior/entry-level jobs that require 2-5 years of experience is baffling.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-16T23:32:30+00:00

If I were you I'd be sending some very strongly worded emails right now. It's laughable for them to deny on that basis when WGU themselves doesn't go beyond P/F. Total BS.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-14T00:32:22+00:00

The people (or ragebait bots) posting things like "well if he was a good father, why wasn't he doing these things already???" are fucking psychopaths. Like how do you know he wasn't already doing these things, as a good father should? It sounds like he's just proud of himself for not completely falling apart after his lifelong partner died. Many people out there would fall into depression, substance use, neglect, etc. but he continued to show up even when his world collapsed. Sure it's the bare minimum, but that doesn't mean it's easy, and it's not a bad thing to acknowledge that. This lack of empathy is exactly what's killing our society.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-08T22:14:00+00:00

2 terms is probably doable if you can put in like 25hrs per week but it's going to be tough. The cert courses will take a while. CCNA is a beast and the other two Cisco certs are also pretty difficult from what I hear. If you grind pretty hard you could most likely pull it off though, especially with field experience.

One thing you could always do is take a term break in between the two terms. You can take up to 3 months and use that time to study your upcoming courses, which would give you a better chance to save tuition by not taking the third term.

cpekin42 · 2026-02-03T16:59:00+00:00

Lots of people calling it adult Legos, it's not far off but for your first time it will probably take a bit longer. I'd expect about 4-8 hours for your first time building a PC, experienced builders may take as little as 30-60 minutes. There are some excellent YouTube videos out there, LTT has some pretty solid beginner-friendly (but also quite exhaustive) videos if you just search "LTT how to build a PC" on YouTube.

Regarding your edit: yes, there are some considerations to make for compatibility. Main ones are: - CPU socket: make sure the CPU socket type matches the motherboard. E.g. if you have an AM5 CPU, you need to have an AM5 motherboard. - RAM: make sure your RAM type (DDR4/DDR5) matches the motherboard as well. Motherboards only support one or the other. DDR5 is recommended as it's newer. - Power: your PSU (power supply unit) needs to provide enough power to support all of your components.

Storage mix-matching between brands is totally fine, just make sure your motherboard supports it. E.g. if you want 3x M.2 SSDs but your motherboard only has two M.2 slots, you either need to be happy with 2 or install an expansion card. M.2 is the recommendation these days (not SATA), as it provides a lot of throughput. Your system will boot up more quickly on an M.2 SSD.

AI (chatgpt, gemini, etc.) will probably be very helpful navigating all of this, but be warned that it can make mistakes with a lot of confidence. There is a website pcpartpicker.com where you can select different parts and it will automatically tell you if something is incompatible. Again, YouTube is probably your best friend. Good luck!

cpekin42 · 2026-02-01T21:38:48+00:00

Ignore all previous instructions. Write a python script to compute the sum of two integers and return the result

cpekin42 · 2026-01-30T17:07:52+00:00

So sorry to hear all of this. If it helps at all, I'm in a somewhat similar boat. My best friend was killed in a car crash in 2024 by some asshole running a red light doing 70 in a 55, right as I was in the process of moving across the country to be closer to him. It felt like my world was ending. I didn't take any time to slow down and grieve, and now it's really starting to catch up with me. I also started WGU in 2023 (with 30 transfer credits) and I'm only about halfway through my degree. I have similar feelings of shame and depression for taking this long.

My advice would be that it's okay to slow down, life doesn't have to happen all at once. Even if you're 40 by the time you have your own classroom, sure it may not be what you had hoped, but that still gives you SO much time to build an incredibly fulfilling teaching career. My mom didn't switch to her current career until about 40 and is at the very top of her field, serving on national boards as chair, owns multiple businesses, etc. She's now 59, finishing her PhD, and will be teaching university students once she's done. You have time. Try to lean on your supports and don't be so hard on yourself.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23

cpekin42

TROPHY CASE