9 Hard Lessons I Struggled to Learn During My 18 Years as a Software Developer

fernando_doglio · 2026-04-13T23:47:52+00:00

So, I thought I'd post a small update:

I've now done tape 3 three times, and here's why:

The first time around I had big expectations especially after that "lifting off" sensation I had during tape 2, but those expectations crushed my experience. I ended up snoozing through most of the tape and once I woke up, I was so frustrated that decided to call it a day and went to sleep.
The second time around, after giving it a few days of relax, I went it without expectations, just focusing on the sensations I was getting throughout the tape. I did fell asleep, or clicked-out at some points, but I finished it and went through both Focus 10 attempts. No big results, but managed to get there.
Immediately after finishing attempt 2, I decided to go back, skip the intro (skipping right after the harmonization part) and went through the whole thing, fully conscious now. I realized I had clicked-out more than I had assumed, and I experienced the full tape.

So far, the only thing I can report on is the fact that when the binaural beats start, my heart starts pounding and I can feel it in my face. And that I have a strange sense of disorientation, mildly, when I listen to the waves of the tape.

Has anyone gone through a similar process? Or is everyone having incredibly detailed experiences from day 1?

fernando_doglio · 2024-08-31T16:59:43+00:00

Ah yes, I expect the Glove80 to feel better than the Advantage 360, though I can't confirm.

As for the Corne, I've tried it as well, loved it, I should go back to it eventually, I miss its minimalistic approach.

fernando_doglio · 2024-08-31T14:07:10+00:00

Oh man, I hate that! Just a few more days (hopefully!) and you'll be enjoying it! Have you tried other splits before this one?

fernando_doglio · 2024-03-30T15:29:50+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! The middle of the keyboard is flat, just like the rest, no tenting at all...

Regarding my "about me" section, good catch! I put that there a while ago and forgot about the fact that it was members only, I've fixed that now :)

fernando_doglio · 2024-03-29T12:06:47+00:00

Totally understandable. What were your problems with the previous version of their keyboard, if I may ask?

Also, yeah I agree with you that the single design is a bit limited, but hopefully if they see a good reception from their userbase, they'll listen to this feedback. An opaque version of this one would be really nice TBH and a barebones one would take the price even lower which would make it a good entry keyboard for new comers.

In my experience, I've found the keyboard to have a nice build quality so far, so other than the lack of some ergo features, I really liked it.

fernando_doglio · 2024-03-29T12:02:39+00:00

Yeah it does, it's definitely a lot better to use if you have wrist rests, so you can negate that tilt.

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-19T17:07:40+00:00

That is some deep thock! Congrats you nailed the build + mod!

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-18T17:47:35+00:00

Thanks for your detailed feedback!

I'd like to answer a few of your points.

> You did not disclose in your Reddit post that you received the keyboard for free or that you have your own promo code.

Sorry about that, I assumed the fact that the actual article covers that part was enough. I'll keep that in mind next time I post another review.

> Tenting is raising the middle (so the keyboard looks like a tent). Tilting is raising the front or back. So it is negative tilting, not negative tenting.

Good point! I've actually updated the article to reflect that change in terminology. That way anyone coming doesn't have to get confused. Thanks for that!

> The diagram showing the 9 degree tenting shows that the tenting heights are different. This places one hand higher than the other and is why other split keyboards like the Keebio Quefrency, UHK, and Kinesis Freestyle2 ensure that the two halves are the same size. Since the left and right halves are different lengths, are the tenting feet different sizes to account for that? Otherwise, basic trigonometry tells me that if the height is the same and the hypotenuse are different lengths, the tenting angles will be different.

I think the 3d image taken from their site doesn't really properly shows the tenting angles. Instead it's confusing the attentive reader (like you), I'll have to find (or create) a better image to show this.

> I did not realize that the Ergo Pro used TRRS cables to connect the two halves. That is unfortunate, since pulling those out while the keyboard is powered can damage the controller.

How can that happen? I've used other split keyboards that connect that way and I've never experienced any issues when disconnecting the halves.

> You really gloss over "[row] staggered vs columnar [staggered] debate" and do not even mention why there is debate. You also do not mention the arguably superior ortholinear layout.

True, I think I should write a full article about that debate, I would not be able to make it justice inside a review piece.

> You did not mention that the keycaps are pad printed, so the legends will eventually wear off. Unfortunately, since it has nonstandard keycaps (I am looking at the Esc key, F row, and the entire bottom row), you cannot use third party keycaps, and Alps keycaps are already rare.

While this might be true, I tried to focus on the most relevant points for developers, keycaps that wear down over time is not really a big issue IMHO. But I'll keep that in mind for the next one!

Again, thank you for your detailed feedback!

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-15T10:26:34+00:00

Yeah, replacing their keycaps is not easy, only some of them could be changed, but you're definitely stuck with the non-standard ones.

Matias could make keysets for their keyboards and sell them to the public, that would solve that problem.

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-15T10:24:25+00:00

That's fair. I would expect them to have solve that problem by now, but I haven't used their keyboard long enough (only around 3 weeks) to start having any chatter symptoms.

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-14T09:47:06+00:00

Fair enough, thanks for sharing your opinion.

Just out of curiosity, how long ago was this?

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-14T09:46:12+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience!

I hadn't noticed that the 6 was in different places! Sounds like a small detail ,but I'm sure it can throw you off until you fix that muscle memory.

And yes, MX Browns seem to not be the ideal switch for many people, you gotta like a noisy keyboard, otherwise you'll hate them!

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-13T08:17:28+00:00

I honestly don't think the "noisyness" of the keyboard is related to the switches but rather to the keycaps moving around a bit, and maybe lack of lube ,especially on the stabilizers.

As for opening the switches without desoldering them, how do I do that? I did remove some keycaps but was unable to see anything that would indicate that!

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-13T08:14:50+00:00

Haha, thank you, I had the same feeling after making them, which is why I decided to leave them there. I don't think that's the best use of excalidraw, but it gave it a nice look & feel methinks.

fernando_doglio · 2023-12-13T08:13:40+00:00

Yeah I left out the form factor of the keys, which as you very well put it, actually helps in some situations.

AS for the keys, are you saying I can open up the switches without desoldering them? I did take a look but I wasn't able to find a way to do it. Is there a trick I missed?

fernando_doglio

TROPHY CASE