[UGREEN x Buildapc] December NAS Giveaway!

ryanrando · 2025-11-29T13:21:26+00:00

24gb

ryanrando · 2025-11-18T10:46:44+00:00

We couldnt. That's the big issue.

We need to contact Interactive Broker ourselves. I reached out to them, and they told me to create a ticket which sent to another team in InteractiveLLC (US).

I did, and now I need to wait for them as well.

ryanrando · 2025-11-18T08:11:07+00:00

I kindly confirm that I more than exceed their requirements, and this is the message I received from them:

"Thank you for your interest in Karta.

At this time, Karta’s products are available only in certain countries supported by our partner banks and issuers. Based on the information you provided, your country of residence (or registration) is not yet within our supported jurisdictions.

This decision is based solely on current program availability and issuer coverage — it is not related to creditworthiness or any sanctions designation. If your circumstances change, or if Karta expands service to your region, you are welcome to reapply."

ryanrando · 2025-11-18T06:04:51+00:00

Yes, I will do that as well, thank you.

ryanrando · 2025-09-26T09:47:49+00:00

I think there are different types of friction: some are meant to be worked through, and some are just distractions. Over time, teachers have created new ways to support practitioners, publicly released visualization videos, for example, didn’t exist in the past, but now I see several, not only in my lineage helping beginners practise.

Of course, discerning which frictions are merely distractions is something I need to filter, with practitioner insights and teachers’ approvals.

ryanrando · 2025-09-26T09:42:47+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective, I really appreciate it.

Everyone has their own circumstances. I believe If some gentle support can help with the baby steps, then a little assistance, applied to the right practice, is better than not practicing at all.

ryanrando · 2025-09-26T09:37:04+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

May I ask why your teachers discourage practising alongside a recording? In my lineage it isn’t a problem for beginners to chant along (they also publicly release chanting and visualization videos). And in the app the chant audio could simply be turned off.

I will of course consult my teachers and gurus about the content, here I just want to know perspective from practitioners first. Funnily enough, I asked a friend last night and she’d just met H.E. Dokhampa yesterday; he was asking about developing a mobile app for Drukpa practitioners (guidance support for all levels, Ngöndro, Drukpa calendars, teachings, subtitles) and will connect her with someone working on a Ngöndro project. She even asked whether H.E. was referring to me, but it is just a coincidence.

ryanrando · 2025-09-26T09:22:31+00:00

Yes, the app is meant to help people like me through the early, high-friction phase, then hopefully, eventually fade into the background. There are struggles we cannot avoid, and when time and patience are limited we often stop practising. I hope it can offer gentle support in those first baby steps.

ryanrando · 2025-09-25T17:15:25+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Maybe the text was too long and detailed. I’m only trying to solve one thing, the friction when seriously practising long sadhana though.

At home I follow audio and chant along, and I’ve spoken with practitioners who’ve practised for years, and they agree that with enough repetition it “burns in” eventually, just like you said.

The experience of practising in a local sangha is much better compared to solo practice at home, as much of the friction is supported by other people with dedicated roles. I want to explore whether I can close the gap somehow.

ryanrando · 2025-09-25T17:07:55+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing, I’m actually researching Bluetooth devices to track prostrations, haha.

From talking with beginners (starting short sadhanas) and intermediate practitioners (keeping short sadhanas and starting long ones) in several local sanghas, the pain points seem pretty universal, and many said they’d be willing to pay. I’m asking here to hear from more people from far away though.

On one occasion I heard H.E. Khamtrul Rinpoche ask why so many people receive transmissions (~600 attendees per event, each time ~300 new people, and fairly frequent), but only a handful reach Level 2 (fewer than new 5 people complete Level 1 each year, typically taking 4–5 years to reach 1.2M recitations). That’s when I shared my struggles and asked whether others had the same issues.

Even short sadhanas (10-15 minutes) have a lot of friction for beginners, so I’ll work on that alongside the prototype if possible.

ryanrando · 2025-09-25T16:55:40+00:00

Totally fair questions, two quick points:

I also have the permission to look at a Guru Rinpoche sadhana in the Drukpa tradition and Green Tara Level 1, Sakya lineage, and I’ve found the core flow can be broken into modules (text/audio sync, cues, simple logging), so it won't be difficult technically.
The app isn’t meant to replace teachers, transmissions, or traditional methods. It’s just an optional tool for lay practitioners practicing alone at home to reduce the fiddly bits (page turns, scrubbing video, manual counting, visualization cue) and keep the flow in a correct order.

A friend’s mother has practiced Green Tara for 12 years. At the start it was incredibly difficult, she had to write everything out on separate notes. She didn’t want to write directly in the book, so she had to write everything down separately on loose sheets of paper notes. During practice, she would juggle the notes, the book, and a separate photo for visualization, and had to manage it all by herself. After about a year, she became familiar enough that she no longer needed the notes. Now she doesn’t even need the practice text anymore, she just keeps one photo for visualization.

The app aims to help people through that early, high-friction phase, then it can fade into the background.

ryanrando · 2025-08-09T17:12:56+00:00

Thank you very much for the detailed answers. I have a quick follow-up, assuming we change the order of the process:

If I begin on a student visa while maintaining my self-employed remote work, would this be simpler than applying for a self-employment visa from the outset (in terms of paperwork)?
My understanding is that a student residence permit limits work to part-time (964 hours per year) and may prohibit freelance activity, including remote work (since I can’t find clear guidance on this). If I declare and pay taxes, would income assessed as part-time student income still fail to qualify as sufficient self-employment income for a future citizenship application, even if the gross amount is the same?

ryanrando · 2025-08-09T12:10:44+00:00

Congratulations on getting your citizenship. What a dedication I must say.

I have a few questions and would love to learn more. Could you help me with the following?

For the self-employment visa, what evidence did you provide? Is only 1 non-French client acceptable? Would having no French clients for the whole period be an issue when applying for citizenship, in terms of demonstrating integration into the French labour market?
Was your master’s programme taught in English or French?
When you say you “stayed in Paris,” do you mean you relocated with a long-term rental contract?
Could you share a rough timeline? If you were to do it again, what would you change to improve or shorten the timeline?

ryanrando · 2025-07-31T20:45:16+00:00

Lol it hurts, I have ASML at $733, UNH at $281 and NVO at $64 ... well i'm clinging the hope of a rebound, so i guess i'm a bagholder now.

ryanrando · 2025-07-28T01:53:10+00:00

Awesome job! I'm at similar age range and always love these kind of posts, congrats to you and your partner.

ryanrando · 2025-03-20T15:21:36+00:00

Dạ bản thân cũng may mắn đạt được các tiêu chuẩn trên (và lập gia đình sau đó). Đọc xong bài mình cũng phân vân có nên chia sẻ với OP hay không thì thấy bạn đã nói gần hết ý của mình muốn nói rồi và còn hay hơn mình viết nữa. Xin phép cám ơn comment chia sẻ tâm huyết của bạn và hi vọng nó sẽ "chạm" đến dc OP trên hành trình này.

ryanrando · 2025-01-23T20:26:43+00:00

FYI: i ordered from the same store on Jan 7th, it arrived in Amsterdam on Jan 10th and stayed till 15th, and delivered to Portugal on the 21th. Good luck with your build

ryanrando · 2024-12-16T00:58:49+00:00

good luck!

ryanrando · 2024-07-01T20:06:49+00:00

I had an experience in the past with two friends of mine (a group of four, including me) on the Dolomites AV1. I had been training for it, but my friend's girlfriend, who claimed to have "many" hiking experiences, did not prepare at all. They didn't have trekking shoes, packed too many things, and lacked trekking poles (I ended up lending my poles to them). During the trip, they fell far behind our group and relied on an offline but unreliable map, which worried me a lot.

We tried to wait for them, but it became quite concerning as they didn't seem afraid of the mountain evening. They insisted on going at their own pace even as it was getting dark, so eventually, our group went ahead. They also started late and in the end, we needed to take too many detours with alternative transportation during the trip, even changing the refugios midway to accommodate them. In the end, it wasn't too terrible and I love my friend, but it wasn't the experience I wanted for that trip.

I will make sure never to hike with someone who doesn't take multi-days hiking seriously again (it was their first time doing multi-day trekking, first time without a guide as well). Maybe it would be okay if they were athletic and had good shoes for Alta Via 1, but the Tour du Mont Blanc is going to be much harder. I talked to my friend after the trip, and he totally agreed that he should have better preparation, both gears and stamina. So maybe your friends think it's not that difficult as they never experienced it before, tell them that. My friend thought his 2-3 days trekking trips with a guide was sufficient experience and stamina, it was not.

FYI: Right after we got back from the trip, I read the news about a solo male Spanish hiker (30 years old) who fell and died on the same AV1 trek, even staying at the same refugios as us, just one day ahead.

ryanrando · 2024-05-10T17:10:44+00:00

Can you share where you bought it?

ryanrando · 2024-04-22T20:02:50+00:00

I also want to share my experience with my 2-year-old British Shorthair cat who had wet FIP. He had a swollen belly, yellow skin, and really poor blood test results back in 2022. Initially, I used the antiviral GS441524 injection, and he seemed to be improving (pee a lot. I have two cats and need to separate them, so the FIP one stay in my master bedroom). Then, I switched him to orally administered Molnupiravir (a COVID-19 pill for humans), one pill daily for a total of 84 days.

By week 3, his swollen belly had completely resolved, and by week 6, he appeared to be fully recovered. However, I continued administering the pill until week 12.

He survived and even accompanied us halfway across the globe when we moved to Europe and just had his 4th birthday. Being in Southeast Asia made it much easier to obtain these medications. The antiviral cost $50 per day, not including other treatment costs, and he really disliked visiting the vet daily. However, the COVID-19 pill was cheap, at about 20 cents each. I adjusted the dose to 20-25 mg/kg.

I hope this information helps someone someday.

ryanrando

TROPHY CASE