I don’t mind AI for coding assistance. Sometimes I am writing a function and it suggests basically what I was going to write anyways, then I just have to hit tab and move to the next section. Sometimes I use it to add comment descriptions to my functions so I don’t have to type it manually. Sometimes I use it to spitball ideas.

I think the trick is to use it as a tool to make yourself better, not to do the work for you.

Atari 2600. Got in a few years ago from my in laws. Still hook it up and play berzerk from time to time.

I disagree with my mah and old man a lot. But, when I was having hard times as a kid, giving them headaches and heartaches, and when I struggled as an adult they were there to tell me they loved me, hug me, feed me regardless of what I believed. They have always loved me unconditionally.

If it ain’t illegal. I’ll host it for them, no questions asked. If I ever needed anything, those are two people I know will be there every time, without fail. It’s the least I can do to try and pay them back, even if I know I never could.

I didn’t own this console when it was released, but I remember being totally enamored with it. I thought everything about it was just so cool. The boot screen, the console shape and look, the games on it. It was just so cool. I have since purchased one as an adult and it is one of my favorite consoles of all time. There is a timeline where this came out and competed against the ps1 and not the PS2 and we live in a world where Sega is in Sony’s place.

If that is the case, I would go with your favorite library of games, and if not that, then go with the console that has your favorite game. I recommend the NES not only because it has an amazing original library, but there are also still some small niche studios making games for the NES today and it is amazing what they have learned to squeeze out of that hardware.

My personal preference is NES -> Master System -> Atari due to the game libraries.

With that said, do you have any favorite games that are exclusive to either console? That might help make the decision. Are you able to gettl the games? I would argue without games to play, it probably isn’t worth it. Do you have the means and ability to repair or make needed upgrades? These systems are getting on in years and I find myself repairing my consoles more frequently as the years go on.

Host is Proxmox, with Ubuntu LTS VMs.

My daughter’s drawings are held on my fridge with old HDD magnets.

I think anyone can be too dumb for anything. Personally, there are many things that I feel like I am too dumb for. Specifically things that require artistic ability or emotional thinking. Even as a kid I find subjective topics completely baffling. I always loved math because I was either right or wrong, and I liked science because my hypothesis was some variation of right or wrong. Could I learn an instrument, sure, but by the time I get any good I could have gotten substantially better at something that clicks for me.

Don’t get me wrong, if you find it interesting and have passion for it, that could probably overcome what you are lacking with enough time.

I like making things. And coding had an overall lower cost of entry, and lower overall cost than wood working and making custom hardware projects. I still enjoy the other two, but when money is tight or I’m waiting on delivery of supplies, I work on coding projects.

This is one of my favorite GBA games. The controls are so good.

Over the last 5 years I have went from 50k to 90k. Same company, but recently got promoted to a new department.

I know a handful of languages and I think of them as tools. For example, a flathead screwdriver will work on a phillips screw head (In most cases with some outliers), but a phillips screwdriver might just be better for the job. Same with a wrench and a socket with a ratchet, etc.

When it comes to programming or scripting I approach it in the same way. If I am at work, and I need to automate something quick and dirty, no end user will need to use it, and it is just adjusting data or spitting data back at me, I am probably going to write it in Python.

Or, if I need to make something that an end user is going to interact with, I am probably going to spin up a web server and use the MERN stack to create that.

If I am working at home on a TUI for my favorite application, I am going to use Rust or Python

And if I working on a project that requires me to work with embedded systems, I am probably going to reach for C, maybe C++ depending on the support, and I have in a couple of instances needed to use Assembly.

All this to say, I think that if I had to use Python for all of these, I would be in trouble. Same as if I had to use C++ to accomplish all of the above. Could it be done? Sure. Do I want to do that? Not at all.

My modded PS1. It was the first hardware mod I ever did. It was a mess. It booted games sometimes, froze periodically. But, I would love to go back and fix the mod today and play some classics. I do have an unmodded ps1 mini with the attachment screen I have since purchased, but it just isn’t the same.

I work in a windows environment at work and my VMs regularly flag the infrastructure firewalls. So WSL is my easiest way to at least be able to partially work in my environment of choice.

I only use reddit in 2 places. At work, where I am looking for an answer to something, I am not logged in and blocking ads. And the other is at home when I am winding down for the night. I use third party apps because the first party app sucks. I will just stop scrolling at home where I am logged in and they are gathering my data. And I will avoid reddit for answers when I am at work in favor of other forums.

It took me about two years to end up in a scenario where I was able to demonstrate a bunch of knowledge that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. I’m at about 5.5 years at my current job and currently a Solution Architect. I have stayed where I am at because in the last 5 years I have gone up 30k in salary and my next job change in October will be another 10k. I don’t plan on leaving any time soon.