2024-12-10 TIL: Interview Success Strategies & Top Podcasts of 2024

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Interview Success in SV

I interviewed at six top companies in Silicon Valley in six days, and stumbled into six job offers

• Structured Preparation: Focus on coding problems, system design, and company-specific technologies. Use resources like LeetCode and HackerRank to practice.
• Daily Consistency: Dedicate regular time to solve problems and review core concepts.
• Mock Interviews: Simulate interviews to build confidence and refine communication.

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Top Charts of 2024

• Apple shares the most popular podcasts of 2024
• The above list of podcasts is available as an OPML file for your podcast player

After dropping Hamer at school, I felt guilty reading an article about programmers preparing for interviews—something I’d aspired to but never pursued. I later browsed Apple’s 2024 U.S. podcast rankings, adding episodes to Overcast for future listening.

I discovered my passport had expired and applied for renewal online, but the initial review failed. Concerned about needing to apply at my registered residence, I rushed to the Beijing Exit-Entry Administration Bureau. Thankfully, the staff resolved the issue on-site without an appointment and eased my anxiety.

In the afternoon, I worked on PopupManager issues. In the evening, I played badminton and admired Hamer’s self-motivation to study, a remarkable change from her younger years.

2024-12-09 TIL: Genie 2, Conventional Commits, and Playful Tech Terms

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Genie 2

• A revolutionary foundation world model by DeepMind that transforms single images into fully interactive 3D environments.
• Enables unlimited training scenarios for AI agents by generating diverse virtual worlds.

Large-Scale Foundation World Models vs. Large Language Models (LLMs)

• Purpose: Generate and simulate 3D environments vs. Understand and produce human-like text
• Training Data: Visual data like images and videos vs. Extensive text data
• Applications: Gaming, simulations, AI agent training vs. Chatbots, translation, content generation

Genie 2 vs. World Labs’ AI System

• Functionality: Transforms text or images into interactive 3D environments vs. Creates editable 3D scenes in a web browser.
• Technology: Latent diffusion model simulating physics and interactions vs. AI estimating 3D geometry for coherent, plausible scenes.
• Use Cases: AI training and rapid game prototyping vs. Immersive environment design for gaming and film.

Conventional Commits

A commit message standard that integrates seamlessly with SemVer.

• Types:
  • fix: Bug fix → triggers a PATCH version bump.
  • feat: New feature → triggers a MINOR version bump.
• Footer:
  • BREAKING CHANGE: API incompatibility → triggers a MAJOR version bump.

Cursor AI Review (Beta)

• The AI Review feature has transitioned to a “Bug Finder” tab, designed to identify potential bugs in your codebase.
• No longer included in subscriptions; costs may be high.

Mintlify

• A modern standard for creating beautiful, user-friendly public-facing documentation.
• Built to convert users while being easy to maintain.

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h-api

• A playful alteration of “happy” with a focus on APIs, expressing joy or enthusiasm about API development. Example: “I’m feeling h-api today!”

Fayre

• Fayre: An old English term for a fun gathering featuring local goods, akin to a fair or bazaar.

Lately, the sun has been rising later and later. This morning, Hamer didn’t wake up as early as she usually does. When I went to wake her, I noticed five or six little birds perched on the tree outside the window. The scene was so peaceful.

After dropping Hamer off at school, I stopped by Nanchengxiang to buy breakfast. Today’s breakfast was especially hearty, but in the end, we couldn’t finish it all. Later, I practiced English with Speak and tried out a theme I had created myself—it felt pretty effective.

I spent the day working efficiently using the Pomodoro method, and I completed the task of saving a Layer as a KmlTrack. It’s now basically done.

In the evening, I came home early. Although I didn’t do anything particularly special, just relaxing and spending time with my family made the simple moments feel especially fulfilling.

2024-12-08 TIL: Notre Dame and Bullpen

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Notre Dame

巴黎圣母院

• “Each day we have 20 difficulties. But it’s different when you work on a building that has a soul. Beauty makes everything easier.”

Bullpen

牛棚

• In baseball, the bullpen refers to the area where pitchers warm up before entering the game. It also symbolizes the team’s group of relief pitchers.
• Origin: The term comes from Major League Baseball, where a Bull Durham tobacco advertisement hung near the pitcher’s practice area.

Today, Xiaoyan took Hamer to Pop Land, fulfilling Hamer’s wish to visit again after getting a stamp there yesterday.

While they were out, I stayed home, finishing the 2023 World Baseball Classic final and watching highlights from other games. Feeling restless after spending most of the day indoors, I went for a refreshing walk.

In the evening, I picked them up and stopped by a crowded Christmas market at FLO. On the way home, the cold night air made the scooter ride feel especially freezing.

2024-12-07 TIL: Dental Health and Baseball Basics

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How do you make a great recruiting video?

Dia

• Your personal insertion cursor

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「六龄齿」

The first permanent molar, also known as the six-year molar, is the earliest permanent tooth to erupt, usually around age six.

• Located as the sixth tooth from the midline, it grows behind the last baby tooth.
• Importance of the First Permanent Molar: Longest-lasting tooth in life. Takes on the majority of chewing functions. Plays a key role in aligning the upper and lower dental arches and guiding other permanent teeth. Requires early protection through fissure sealant application to prevent damage.

Fissure Sealants

A highly effective method to prevent decay in the grooves of young permanent teeth.

• Involves applying a sealing material on the biting surface and grooves of molars to protect against bacteria and food buildup.
• Non-invasive, painless, and preserves natural tooth structure.
• The material hardens to form a protective barrier over deep grooves, preventing decay.

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A Pro Player Explains The Rules Of Baseball

The count matters

• Hitters don’t want to strike out
• Pitchers don’t want to walk hitters

Baseball Rules for Beginners

strike, ball, hit, foul ball, and fair ball

• 3 strike = out
• 4 ball = walk (batter advances to first base)
• 1 hit = walk
• foul ball, 0 or 1 strike counts as a strike, 2 strikes do not count as a strike.
• 1st base loaded fair play: Caught (Runner must return) or Dropped (Runner advances)

This morning, Hamer had a nosebleed, so I stayed with her until she felt calm. Later, we went to the basketball court, where she excitedly practiced her shots.

At noon, she cooked her favorite scallion oil noodles. After lunch and a quick nap, she attended dance class, then got a dental sealant, earning praise for her healthy teeth.

In the evening, Hamer cooked an upgraded noodle dish with sausage and shrimp, enjoying it immensely. Meanwhile, I reviewed baseball rules and watched the 2023 World Baseball Classic finals.

Excitingly, I also learned I’ll be speaking at the DS session—a thrilling first for me!

2024-12-06 TIL: DevToys, Cline

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DevToys

How DevToys became cross-platform and extensible

• The development of DevToys 2.0 involved exploring technologies like Uno Platform, .NET MAUI, and Avalonia, but issues with keyboard input and lack of Linux support led to choosing Blazor Hybrid.
• Blazor Hybrid framework allows a web-based UI with native .NET logic, reducing memory consumption and improving performance.
• The team aimed to maintain a native-like UI across platforms using CSS and Blazor web components, emulating Fluent UI on Windows, Aqua on macOS, and Yaru on Linux.

Cline

Cline vs Cursor

• As an IDE extension, Cline excels in deeply integrating with existing development environments. It functions as a versatile AI assistant, offering features such as file manipulation, terminal command execution, and browser automation.
• Cursor focuses on simplifying code writing and editing through natural language processing. It stands out with its predictive editing capabilities and unique support for backend code iteration.