Edit About page

pages/about.md

@@ -16,14 +16,14 @@ Sometimes I enjoy writing and sharing my thoughts and experiences.
 ## Elsewhere
 
 - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/haothitran/) — Professional profile for work history and networking.
-- [Gitea](https://forge.haothitran.com/KlazHTT) (also mirrored to [GitHub](https://github.com/KlazHTT)) — Personal coding projects, , sporadically updated.
+- [Gitea](https://forge.haothitran.com/KlazHTT) (also mirrored to [GitHub](https://github.com/KlazHTT)) — Personal coding projects, sporadically updated.
-- [Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/klazhtt) — For streaming, usually games.
+- [Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/klazhtt) — For streaming my gameplay.
 
 ## Site
 This URL has been my online home for many years and acts as a central hub for my online identity, communication, and work.
 
 - Hosted on [Ghost](https://ghost.org/)(Pro) — An open-source blog and newsletter publishing platform.
 - Logo designed by [AIRA Studio](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aira-studio-902a37243/). Fancy.
-- Images and screenshots for games were either taken by myself or from media press kits.
+- Images and screenshots for games were either taken by myself or from media press kits put together by the game's developers and/or publishers.
 
 Any opinions posted here are my own and not representative of any of my employers (whether past, future, and/or present) or clients.

pages/using.md

@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+---
+layout: page
+title: Using
+permalink: /using
+---
+
+Here is a list of notable equipment and tools I use. The purpose of this list is to remind myself to be intentional about the things that I surround myself with and utilize on a daily basis.
+
+Last reviewed: 2024-09-20
+
+## Hardware
+
+### Devices  
+- **Computer**: Custom-built desktop machine (*Built in 2024*)
+  - CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7900X3D 4.2GHz 8-Core
+  - GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB
+  - RAM: 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-6000
+- **Phone**: iPhone 11 (*Purchased in 2019*)
+- **E-reader**: Kobo Clara (*Purchased in 2023*)
+
+### Workspace
+- **Desk**: Custom-built sit-stand desk (*Built in 2022*)
+  - Tabletop: Custom walnut tabletop (54" length x 30" width x 1-1/2" thick with rounded corners) from [Atelier East-End Mtl](https://eastendmtl.com/)
+  - Legs: Apex Pro from [Deskhaus](https://desk.haus/)
+- **Chair**: Herman Miller Aeron (*Purchased in 2023*)
+  - Add-on: Headrest for Aeron Chair from [Atlas Headrest](https://atlasheadrest.com/)
+  - If the Aeron did not exist, I would have purchased the Embody.
+
+### Peripherals
+- **Monitors**: Using a stacked dual-screen setup
+  - 34" 21:9 IPS 180Hz (*Purchased in 2022*)
+  - 24" 16:9 IPS 60Hz (*Purchased in 2020*)
+- **Keyboard**: Custom mechanical keyboard *(Built in 2024*)
+  - PCB: [Wooting 60HE](https://wooting.io/wooting-60he) (*Purchased in 2023*)
+  - Case: Tofu60 Redux
+  - Switches: Geon Raw HE (50g, factory lubed)
+  - Keycaps: PBTfans X-Ray set designed by [Mod Musings](https://www.modmusings.com/)
+- **Mice**:
+  - Logitech G PRO X Superlight 2 (*Gifted in 2023*)
+  - Logitech G604 (Purchased in 2020) — Used exclusively for playing FFXIV because that game has way too many short cooldowns to be mapping only on the keyboard.
+  - Logitech MX Master 2S (*Purchased in 2021*) — Used exclusively for work purposes.
+- **Microphone setup**:
+  - Audio interface: Elgato Wave XLR (*Purchased in 2022*)
+  - Microphone: Audio Technica AT2035 (*Purchased in 2018*)
+  - Boom arm: RODE PSA1 (*Purchased in 2017*)
+- **Headphone setup**:
+  - Headphone DAC/Amplifer: FiiO K5 Pro (*Purchased in 2024*)
+  - Headphones:
+    - Recently, I purchased a bunch of IEMs that were on sale at [Linsoul](https://www.linsoul.com/) and am currently using whatever I open first. Turns out I prefer using IEMs over headphones.
+    - Previously, I used the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones (from 2014⁠–2024) until it died.
+  - Speakers: Kanto YU2 (*Purchased in 2023*)
+
+## Software
+
+### General
+- **Operating system**: [Fedora](https://fedoraproject.org/) KDE
+  - In 2024, I switched over to using Linux on my personal computer. Surprisingly, the transition has been smooth sailing with some minor audio/video issues that were easy to fix. 
+  - Alternatives I've tried: Arch Linux, Solus, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Windows 11/10/8/XP/1998, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, etc.
+- **Browser**: [Mozilla Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/firefox)
+  - Hardened for my daily usage.
+  - Sometimes I use [Brave](https://brave.com/) if I need to use a Chromium-based browser.
+- **Password Manager**: [Bitwarden](https://bitwarden.com/)
+- **RSS feed reader**: [CommaFeed](https://www.commafeed.com/)
+
+### Communications
+- **Email**: [ProtonMail](https://proton.me/mail)
+  - Using a custom domain for your email makes it easier to switch email providers.
+  - Alternatives I've tried: Fastmail, Gmail, Hotmail
+- **Chat**: [Discord](https://discord.com/)
+  - I don't like how reliant gamers have become on Discord functioning.
+  - However, I also don't miss the days of having to install Ventrilo, Mumble, TeamSpeak, Skype, RaidCall, Curse Voice, etc. on your computer because different teams and friend groups used different voice programs.
+
+### Productivity
+- **Calendar**: [ProtonCalendar](https://proton.me/calendar)
+- **Notes**: [Capacities](https://capacities.io/)
+  - I've tried and used an unbelieveable number of note-taking applications over the years.
+  - Capacities has been the only app that has made sense to me in terms of linking relavant notes together. It also checks the boxes for features that I am looking for in a note-taking application.
+  - Alternatives I've tried: Obsidian, Logseq, Standard Notes, BookStack, Joblin, Notion, Simple Note, TiddlyWiki, GitBook, Notational Velocity, Evernote, OneNote, etc.
+- **Kanban**: Trello
+  - Currently considering: [WeKan](https://wekan.github.io/), [Planka](https://planka.app/)
+  - I want to move towards using an open source platform.
+- **Budgeting**: You Need A Budget
+  - I like budgeting using the envelope system.
+
+### Development
+- **Font**: Hack Nerd Font
+- **Theme**: [Ayu](https://github.com/ayu-theme) Dark
+- **Tabs**: 2 spaces
+- **Terminal emulator**: Konsole
+  - It comes with the KDE desktop environment.
+  - I don't use the terminal enough to develop a personal preference.
+- **Editor**: Visual Studio Code
+  - It works and does what I need it to do out-of-the-box.
+  - Alternatives I've tried: Neovim, Sublime Text, Atom, Brackets, Notepad++, Notepad, etc.
+- **Repository**: [Gitea](https://about.gitea.com/)
+  - Currently, I am using a self-hosted Gitea to store my project repositories.
+  - Also using GitHub to mirror my project repositories.
+
+## Paid Subscriptions and Services
+
+Here are online subscriptions and services that I pay for:
+
+| Services                                | Annual USD | Monthly USD | Monthly CAD (approx.) |
+| --------------------------------------- | ---------: | ----------: | --------------------: |
+| Bitwarden                               |     $10.00 |       $0.83 |
+| Hover (for 3x domain names)             |     $54.97 |       $4.58 |
+| Proton (Mail Plus)                      |     $47.88 |       $3.99 |
+| Discord (Nitro Basic)                   |     $35.88 |       $2.99 |
+| PikaPods (for hosting web apps)         |     $84.00 |       $7.00 |
+| Ghost(Pro) (for managing this website!) |    $108.00 |       $9.00 |
+| You Need A Budget                       |    $109.00 |       $9.08 |
+| Video streaming (various)               |    $180.00 |      $15.00 |
+| Totals                                  |            |             |
+
+For PikaPods, I have a couple web apps deployed using their managed services:
+- [Gitea](https://gitea.com/) for my personal project repositories.
+- [CommaFeed](https://github.com/Athou/commafeed/) for reading RSS feeds.
+- [Navidrome](https://www.navidrome.org/) as my personal music streaming service.
+- [Umami](https://umami.is/) for collecting and analyzing visitor metrics.
+
+For video streaming, I rotate through a number of services and only subscribe for a month at a time to watch what I want. In some months, I don't have an active subcription running, so this number is a little inflated.
+
+For 2025:
+- I intend to stop using YNAB because its subscription cost has significantly increased over the years and no longer feels worth it to me. Currently, considering using [Actual](https://actualbudget.com/) which would slightly increase my PikaPod costs for an additional managed web app.
+- Consider whether Ghost(Pro) is worth it.

posts/2024-09-15_cloudpunk.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ tags: gaming
 
 ![](/images/cloudpunk_title.png)
 
-> A neon-noir story in a rain-drenched cyberpunk metropolis. It’s your first night on the job working for the Cloudpunk delivery service. Two rules: Don’t miss a delivery and don’t ask what’s in the package.
+> *A neon-noir story in a rain-drenched cyberpunk metropolis. It’s your first night on the job working for the Cloudpunk delivery service. Two rules: Don’t miss a delivery and don’t ask what’s in the package.*
 
 ![](/images/cloudpunk_01.png)
 
@@ -28,4 +28,4 @@ I think if the developers increased the walking speed, then most of my frustrati
 
 ![](/images/cloudpunk_03.png)
 
-Overall, the game has a great vibe that I would drive through again. I was pleasantly surprised by the super chill experience.
+Overall, the game has a great vibe that I wouldn't mind driving through again. I was pleasantly surprised by the super chill experience.