New Monitor 中

The cover photo shows my new Dell U2723QE monitor in my study. A simple setup with a great result—happiness levels have definitely increased.

Record the down-to-earth trending technologies seen every week, and publish them here after screening. If you find it good, you can follow this weekly to get update notifications.

About the monitor in the cover photo

I was previously developing on just my laptop, but I added a monitor and a screen bar last weekend. It’s fantastic! Having everything over a single USB-C cable for both charging and display is very convenient. A good monitor can truly boost a programmer’s happiness.

For monitor selection: since I mostly only use it at home during weekends or early mornings, I didn’t go for an Apple Studio Display (though I highly recommend it if you work from home). I chose the Dell U2723QE for its 4K 27-inch display, slim bezels, and cost-effectiveness. The experience is excellent—clean and sharp. LG’s monitors are also worth a look.

For accessories: I initially wanted a monitor arm and considered the AOC AM400P in Space Gray, but my desk has a sloped edge and couldn’t accommodate it, so I had to return it. I ended up using a 3cm thick book as a base, which worked perfectly for the height.

Second accessory: A Xiaomi A6 USB-C USB4 braided cable. Supporting 40Gbps and 8K 60Hz video, it’s more refined and easier to hide than the original Dell cable.

Third accessory (a game-changer): A screen bar. it’s one of those things you don’t think you need until you have it. I got the Xiaomi 1S, which comes with a sleek wireless dial. it eliminates screen reflection and lights up the keyboard—perfect for immersive coding. If you have the budget, BenQ’s is 5x more expensive but even better.

Frame0: A minimalist free product sketching tool
https://frame0.app/
I highly recommend engineers learn product sketching to quickly visualize ideas. I used to use Excalidraw, but Frame0 is more specialized and free. Give it a try.

APPLORE: Discover and explore app icons
https://app.uiboy.com/
A fellow designer, Viggo, used Cursor to build APPLORE. it’s great for searching for app icon images or exploring new apps by release date. check it out.

Keyviz: Open-source real-time key/mouse input visualizer
https://mularahul.github.io/keyviz/
If you need to show your keystrokes during a demo, try Keyviz. it’s open-source and cross-platform. Mac users can also try KeyCastr.

Technical Learning

State of AI Report - 2024
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GmZmoWOa2O92BPrncRcTKa15xvQGhq7g4I4hJSNlC0M/edit#slide=id.g309a25a756d_0_85
The latest State of AI Report (October) is a must-read. bookmark it for later.

Just Looking Around

“Don’t Trust Your Instincts” - Reading Notes

I recently finished “Don’t Trust Your Instincts.” It’s a quick afternoon read that uses data to explain life aspects like dating, parenting, wealth, entrepreneurship, luck, appearance, and happiness. Here are some interesting takeaways.

Dating & Relationships

  1. If you’re happy while single, you’ll likely be happy in a relationship.
  2. The attributes people compete for in dating markets don’t necessarily lead to long-term happiness. Predicting relationship happiness is extremely difficult.
  3. The most important personality traits in a partner are life satisfaction, secure attachment, conscientiousness, and a growth mindset.
  4. Appearance matters significantly—especially height for men. Racial bias is also very evident in dating markets.
  5. Income impacts dating performance, especially for men.
  6. A “cool” profession is more attractive to women than a boring but high-paying one.
  7. focus on finding partners among those who aren’t hyper-competitive but have strong psychological resilience.

Parenting

  1. Parents’ influence on a child’s overall development is surprisingly small (assuming no abuse). You should focus more on who your child interacts with—that’s the key factor.
  2. Scholarship rates for college sports vary wildly. Choosing less “saturated” sports can be a better strategy.
  3. Some sports are heavily tied to genetics (like basketball), while others (baseball, football) are less so. Equestrian and diving are minimally affected by genetics.

Wealth

  1. Building wealth based purely on a salary is extremely rare. Almost all wealthy people own their own businesses.
  2. Wealth creation varies by industry. Most wealthy people own profitable enterprises.
  3. Maintaining profit margins is crucial; avoid price competition. price competition continues until profits hit zero. Stay away from construction contracting, residential building, auto repair, and personal services if you want to grow truly wealthy.
  4. The best fields for entrepreneurship are where large companies allow regional monopolies. Top sectors: Real Estate, Investment, Auto Dealerships, Independent Creative, Market Research.
  5. Three questions to ask for your career: 1. Do I own my business? 2. Can I avoid ruthless price competition? 3. Can I avoid being crushed by global giants?

Entrepreneurship

  1. entrepreneurship isn’t just for the young. The average age of firm founders is 41.9. A 60-year-old founder is 3x more likely to build a profitable business than a 30-year-old.
  2. “Outsiders” don’t necessarily have an advantage. Deep industry knowledge is a major asset for entrepreneurs.
  3. Founders who were in the top 0.1% of their field’s income before starting up have the highest success rates.
  4. Be patient. spend years learning industry details, prove your value as a high-paid employee, build a network, and then start your business in middle age.

Luck

  1. Sam Altman: Success = Idea x Product x Execution x Team x Luck (where luck is a random number from 0 to 10,000).
  2. Jim Collins: Successful companies aren’t luckier; they just utilize the luck they get better.
  3. In fields where performance is hard to judge:
    • The Mona Lisa Effect: Unpredictable events drive success (it was just another painting for 114 years until it was stolen in 1911 and headlines made it famous).
    • The Da Vinci Effect: Prior success breeds more success; people pay more for established names.
  4. Springsteen’s Law: Travel around and find your luck (showing work everywhere to increase surface area).
  5. Picasso’s Law: Prolific creators have more chances to get lucky. try often in dating and job hunting too.

Happiness

  1. There’s a strong link between appearance and impressions. Small tweaks (lighting, smile, hair, beard) matter. Use AI to test different styles.
  2. Peak-End Rule: We judge experiences based on the peak (best/worst) and the end, not the average duration.
  3. Don’t instinctively decline things just because they seem high-effort if they can bring happiness.
  4. “Everything is great but nobody is happy.” Money has little impact on happiness after a certain point. Our minds are limited by failing to focus on the present.
  5. Work pain relief: Music, WFH, working with friends.
  6. The happiest times are with partners and friends (chosen people). Solitude is generally happier than interacting with weak ties.
  7. Social media can make us unhappy—it ranks lowest for happiness among leisure activities.
  8. Losing hurts 2x more than winning feels good for sports fans.
  9. Nature, sun, and scenery change our mood, but they’re not enough—you need the right people too.
  10. Happiness ranking: 1. Sex, 2. Theater/Concerts, 3. Exhibits/Museums, 4. Sports, 5. Gardening, 6. Singing.
  11. Least happy: 1. Sickness, 2. Work/Study, 3. Caregiving, 4. Waiting/Queuing, 5. Admin/Financial.
Buy me a coke 🥤
Published at: 2024/10/21
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