Aether_Q

Life#

Happiness in Body, Mind, and Spirit#

• Catching the Idol
  On November 20th, I participated in the 14th China R Conference online for the first time and saw the live appearance of Yihui Xie, a well-known figure in the R community. He appeared very professional and gentle, and two things surprised me. First, the background of his video showed his home office, which was very simple with only a desk, a computer, a wooden chair, and four white walls, without any decorations or other things, unusually simple and plain. Second, unexpectedly but reasonably, he was very patient in the comments section, helping guests relieve their emotions in a way that was considerate and understanding. Miss Yuan Fan once mentioned her impression of him, summarizing it as "criticism without being gentle," and I would like to add "teaching without being sharp" 😊!

• Competition of a Hundred Flowers
  One of the major feelings I had from participating in the R conference was that I seemed to have returned to the eager and energetic student days, where everything was full of vitality. It felt like people were silently working in various directions that I had previously encountered. TidyVerse, the data analysis workflow mentioned by Yihui Xie, known as the Pure Land School of Joy, has gradually gained attention from the new generation of R users. In terms of visualization, interactive graphics and dynamic charts are becoming more popular among young people. In the field of big data, the deployment of traditional statistical learning methods on distributed systems has also entered the field of statisticians' vision (wake up, or else the computer people will dismantle our homes). There are countless examples like these. Most of the conference presentations will be shared on the official forum of "COS at the Statistical City" after obtaining the author's consent, and the video replays of each session will also be uploaded synchronously on "Bilibili at the Statistical City." Thumbs up 👍!

• Measuring the Outer Ring with a Wheel
  The most pleasant and leisurely time is the evening twilight. I took a ride around the outer ring of the university city during this beautiful time. On the left side, I passed by the gates of various universities, and on the right side, there were various families having picnics on the riverside lawns. I also encountered cycling teams and brave runners on the road, creating a fantastic atmosphere. I will work hard and strive to run around the outer ring as soon as possible 🏃‍, go for it!

• West Lake - All the Reasons to Go
  The book "In Search of the West Lake Dream" by Zhang Dai, which I ordered a few days ago, has finally arrived. I didn't feel like coding after returning from the bike ride, so it was a good time to stimulate my dull mind. There are countless introductions to this book online, so I won't go into details here. After all, when it comes to books, it's always better to read the original work with your own eyes. After reading the section "The Two Lakes of Ming and Sheng," I followed the author's train of thought and modified a few sentences to record my thoughts. The West Lake is beautiful on ordinary days, and Dong Yu's Three Surpluses are even more approachable. It can truly be said that it is everywhere in the right place at the right time. Now, with the addition of the talented people studying in Qiantang, the people have arrived, and all the reasons to go to West Lake are complete. I am looking forward to an opportunity 💖!

Image: Wood | Tower | Sky#

Capturing#

Programming and Cultivation#

From a discussion in a Telegram group for sharing programmer resources, I discovered an interesting book called "JavaScript Becomes Immortal" (《JavaScript 百炼成仙》). As the name suggests, the book tells the life journey of the protagonist Ye Xiaofan learning the martial arts secret book JavaScript in the style and plot of a fantasy online novel. After reading the first few chapters, I found that the book turns basic data structure knowledge into the internal strength and aura of a cultivator in a clever way. The process of the master teaching the disciple is the process of explaining the basic theoretical knowledge of JavaScript to the readers. What's interesting is that in one of the chapters, the martial arts tournament of the sect is actually the application of the knowledge taught earlier. It integrates the exercise examples from traditional textbooks into the martial arts competition, breaking down difficult problems step by step. The whole narrative process is like a network novel, with climax, development, turning points, and resolution, making it captivating and truly interesting 🎉!

In the simple first volume, the protagonist goes from being a beginner to entering the sect, cultivating internal strength, learning martial arts, and participating in martial arts competitions. It presents the introductory chapters of data structures, basic knowledge, and specific usage in traditional textbooks in a complete and orderly manner through storytelling. At the same time, it uses the cultivation system to reflect the syntax system of programming, making the reader's understanding of the syntax system of JavaScript more profound and vivid. At this point in the book, I feel that it is very well done, marvelous! As an old bookworm of online novels like me, it is truly a treasure worth reading!

Of course, although this book can quickly develop readers' basic knowledge and interest in JavaScript, to learn related knowledge in a more systematic and comprehensive way, it is necessary to read some advanced techniques in the field of programming after finishing this book and cultivate the interest. At the same time, one must work hard and practice diligently. Just like what the author wrote when Ye Xiaofan entered the sect:

In programming, the key lies in accumulation, not talent. Although talent is important, it is not enough without effort. Therefore, even if your talent is ordinary, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can still achieve success!

Sign Language and Braille#

During lunch break, I watched the October anime "The King's Ranking" and felt a sudden urge - "Hey, buddy, are you going to learn sign language or not?!?" Yes, I must learn!! On the subway ride home in the evening, I met a blind friend and remembered that there is Braille in my GitHub profile. The desire to learn Braille also ignited in me. I found two good resources, the "Zhi Le APP" and the "Chinese Braille Digital Platform." I also recommended them to Comrade Yang, who was very interested. Let's learn together 😊!

Observations#

Visiting the Park, Surprised#

The first time I went to the zoo,
It should also be the last time in my life.
I originally wanted to seek spiritual massage,
But upon entering, I was shocked to find cages and chains everywhere.
Goodbye, zoo!

Reflections#

Many Hobbies, Fear of Too Little Persistence#

At the end of the month, I continued reading "JavaScript Becomes Immortal" in the library. Since this is my first systematic exposure to JavaScript, I started to feel more and more confused when it came to discussing JQuery and Vue. However, what's interesting is that the way of manipulating events in JS reminded me of something - on November 20th, I mentioned seeing a library written in Python on Bilibili that automatically locates the screen based on image information. At that time, I thought about helping pyy, who is tormented by taking screenshots every day, by creating an automatic screenshot function. Today, when I was feeling overwhelmed by "JavaScript," I suddenly remembered that I had tried to do this on my phone using Tasker before, but it was not successful. Of course, where you fall is where you get up. So I started researching how to use shell commands in Tasker to simulate clicks and save screenshots. Once I focused on studying it, I found that it was actually quite simple. The logic of the four elements - "Profile," "Task," "Scene," and "Variable" - is also clear and concise. This software is like "Xposed" and "Storage Space Isolation." I first encountered it two or three years ago, and at that time, I felt completely lost and didn't know how to use it or what it was for. But today, armed with specific questions and some accumulated knowledge, I spent time and effort exploring its principles and found that once you understand it, it becomes easy. At this moment, I can't help but marvel at how amazing these tools are and how ingenious the authors' implementation methods are!

This also reminded me of my previous plans. Looking back at those plans, the practice up to now, and my current true feelings, I have some thoughts - let go of the fear of learning too many things but not being proficient enough! Now, looking back, what I'm really afraid of is not the abundance of knowledge but the lack of practice and persistence. I have reduced the number of things I want to learn to only three or two, but I don't see any improvement in my time allocation and learning progress. Don't be like those parents who, when they see their children not doing well in their studies, start finding excuses. Look back at your true intentions, keep reaching out to these strange and interesting fields that you have always wanted to explore, and feel the different implementations and the thoughts behind the authors. Isn't this what I have always wanted? So don't be afraid of getting lost in the chaos, continue to explore bravely, hobbies and persistence, I have the hobbies, what I lack now is persistence. Don't make excuses anymore, face yourself, my youth!

For myself, my true intention is to observe the world with curious eyes, and my goal is to have a clear understanding in my heart. The missing part in between is practice and persistence! I have always been worried and hesitant, always afraid of being scattered and not focused, but when I question my true intentions, most of the time it is not because of being scattered that I am not focused. It's not that I have too few hobbies that makes persistence easier. For me, it seems that I don't fear having too many hobbies, but rather I fear having too little persistence. Let's strive for it!