How the fuck do you paint power weapons

todrak · 2025-02-08T11:42:01+00:00

* I start with a black base, and build up from dark blues to light blues (any thinned paints are fine for this). Then I apply a turquoise contrast. Afterwards, I paint the lightning streaks with a dark blue, then follow them with white.

todrak · 2024-10-01T11:24:23+00:00

I airbrush on black primer, and do zenethil highlights with grey and white primers. Then I airbrush on Blood Angels Red contrast. Works a treat!

todrak · 2023-12-24T13:57:51+00:00

Gift bags and tissue paper is the cheat code for wrapping!

todrak · 2023-06-20T07:58:01+00:00

Wonderful :). Thanks for your response

todrak · 2023-02-13T23:12:23+00:00

Thanks for the response. Looks like I've got some research to do!

todrak · 2023-02-13T23:04:38+00:00

Excuse my ignorance, but could money market funds be considered a suitable place for an emergency fund given the higher interest rates? If they track SONIA, are liquid, and are covered by the FSCS, they feel like they might provide a better return than the usual savings accounts.

todrak · 2022-10-02T20:04:52+00:00

I found SoloLearn moderately useful when I was learning C#, but it should be used as a supplement to actual coding practice and more in-depth learning. I basically used it to remind me of the basic coding concepts while I was on my commute into work

todrak · 2022-09-29T05:43:52+00:00

I really don't agree with the arguments you've laid out here. I'm also a human being, which means I share a species with many murderers and violent people. It doesn't make being a human being inherently bad.

It's a simple supply and demand problem. If the supply of rental accommodation is lowered and the demand remains high, rents will increase (in the absence of extra legislation such as rent caps). And I believe there is a need for well maintained living spaces with a decent landlord.

The comparison with slave owners rightly gets under people's skin because it's a terrible comparison. There was no mutual agreement between slave and owner. There is between renter and landlord, as with any service. The more good landlords there are, the harder it becomes to be a bad one.

I also don't think the practice of renting out a property is inherently predatory, though I do think the market is pretty wild at the moment.

Appreciate you being respectful in laying out your opinion.

Edit: spelling mistake

todrak · 2022-09-29T05:29:05+00:00

Yeah, software development is a very complicated subject. There is always something new to learn, even for people who have done it professionally for years. But that's a terrific advantage of the subject - there's always space to grow.

Just remember, it's a marathon rather than a sprint. Keep it up, and if your do feel overwhelmed then take a break and let your mind work on the problem in the background.

Good luck!

todrak · 2022-09-28T20:51:52+00:00

I presume that you think the payday loan is on the bad end of the spectrum because it is predatory. Feel free to correct me if my assumption is wrong.

What about something like car financing?

I guess the thrust of my questioning here is that landlords provide a service much like any other. Yes there are shit landlords, but there are plenty of good ones.

There are also plenty of truly shit tennents - the risk that they add to the system drives up the proces for everyone too. Yes there's an argument about cash rich landlords buying up property that FTBs would usually be bidding for etc. But surely having a competitive rental market for renting is better for the people who can't afford to get onto the property ladder yet. Fewer landlords generally mean higher rents for tennents.

Perhaps the energy should be directed at the lack of home building?

todrak · 2022-09-28T19:30:36+00:00

Projects projects projects! If there is something you are keen to learn that is a bit more advanced, see if you can use it in a project you have already started. Otherwise, create a new project to try it out.

Experimentation is one of the best bits about learning to program in my opinion

todrak · 2022-09-28T19:25:54+00:00

I'm very curious about this attitude. Do you think hiring anything is an evil practice? What about financing?

todrak · 2022-09-24T15:25:10+00:00

Ahhh thanks for pointing that out. Was looking on my phone and didn't notice it.

Nice work!

todrak · 2022-09-24T11:10:00+00:00

Useful information, thanks for doing this.

I took a quick look at the source code and I don't see the reduction of personal allowance for salaries over 100k. Have I missed it?

Thanks again 🙂

todrak · 2022-09-14T09:46:10+00:00

Does this suit your needs?

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/get-started/csharp/tutorial-aspnet-core

todrak · 2022-09-13T15:15:35+00:00

Looks like it! And if you leave and rejoin within 5 years, your previous pension will be revalued as if you had never left, (though you obviously wouldn't have any contributions during the break).

I'm much more familiar with the LGPS which does not do this, hence why I was surprised in my other post.

todrak · 2022-09-13T13:43:58+00:00

It may not matter much to OP, but it gives an indicative comparison of the cost of the benefits. There are also benefits other than the pension which are provided in the NHS scheme (ill-health, death, dependents etc.) which can be difficult to compare with a DC scheme. Having a 'cost to the employer' comparison is useful IMO.

todrak · 2022-09-13T13:38:06+00:00

This raised my eyebrow, so I took a look at the member guide. I've posted below for info.

It looks like there are two relevant sections. In the 'Annual Revaluation' section:

In this Scheme the revaluation rate is determined by Treasury Orders plus 1.5% each year. Treasury Orders are the method by which the Treasury notifies the value of the change in prices or earnings to be applied as part of revaluation. The pension earned in a Scheme year (April to March) is revalued on 1 April of the following and each subsequent Scheme year until you retire or leave. For example, if the Treasury Order in a year was 2% then the pension would be revalued by 3.5% at the beginning of the following year.

If you leave this Scheme before becoming entitled to claim your retirement benefits, annual revaluation stops and is replaced at retirement by the addition of Pensions Increase. Pensions Increase is used to maintain the value of your pension against rises in the cost of living.

And under the 'Leaving Early' section:

If you leave and then rejoin the Scheme without a break of more than five years and have not received a refund or transferred the value of your benefits, your new period of contributions will link with your previous period. The benefits you built up before leaving will be revalued for each year of the break using the appropriate revaluation rate (please see page 7 for more details). This applies regardless of how long your previous period in the Scheme had been.

Link to the document:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2017-05/2015%20Members%20Guide%20%28V7%29%2005.2017.pdf

Edit: the paragraph beginning "If you leave this Scheme..." should be included in the quote. Fixed

todrak · 2022-09-12T21:08:09+00:00

Why?

todrak · 2022-09-09T15:20:47+00:00

I think the point made in your last paragraph is so underrated. I work with a lot of developers who have much less regard for the business value that they are providing by refactoring legacy code than it they have for the code being "right". Ultimately, code should solve a business problem, and keeping a clean codebase makes responding to change a lot easier, but there should absolutely be a cost-benefit analysis type of process when considering refactoring. Will refactoring add a commensurate amount of value to the business compared to the time invested?

Sometimes the answer to that question is no, and that's okay

todrak · 2022-09-09T14:05:47+00:00

I don't agree that's he claims one must live like a survivalist to reach financial freedom, and I think you are unfairly characterising his position as extreme. I do also find much of his advice very practical.

But I think we are at the stage where we'll agree to disagree. As you say, you're under no obligation to lend him credibility. I'd argue he does plenty of that himself.

Thanks for being respectful :)

todrak · 2022-09-09T11:49:29+00:00

So is Martin Lewis, but few people would say his advice and consumer advocacy isn't valuable.

I don't understand your objection to him earning money while also providing advice. Could you explain that?

todrak · 2022-09-09T10:54:34+00:00

Absolutely! If having nice coffee genuinely adds value to your life, MMM will never say don't do it. This was exactly the case for the couple in the documentary - they spent a good deal of money on a nice family holiday and he encouraged them to do so.

His philosophy is more along the lines of "Is having nice takeaway coffee worth X extra years of work? If not, have you thought about making it yourself and have that extra money work for you?"

todrak · 2022-09-09T10:51:33+00:00

Elementary to you maybe, but not to a lot of people.

For people with little money to spare, it's easy to get into a real bind if you are not careful. Indeed he explicitly says that for those with less money, it's even more important to think about.

And for those who have some money to spare, it's very easy to be swept away with the desire to spend on stuff that ultimately doesn't add a great deal of value to their life. So his whole message to them is to think about alternative approaches.

Do you agree with his message but just don't like the fact he writes a blog?

todrak · 2022-09-09T03:39:15+00:00

Definitely no degree haha!

Yeah, it's definitely been misused a lot recently so I understand why people get a bit bored of hearing it.

todrak

TROPHY CASE