Why Would I Write

  • Antarctica, take me to

    Despite my dislike of the cold, for some reason I have Antarctica high on the places I’d like to visit before I die. I don’t know why.

    I know nothing about that place, except that it’s just covered in snow and that I’d probably freeze to death there. This morning, I saw a post on reddit about passwords on Antarctica and I was reminded of the place.

    Maybe it’s the fact that I know nothing about it that makes the idea of going there so compelling. Then again, I’d have no idea what I would do in Antarctica (did you know it’s spelled with a ‘c’ after ‘r’? I’m getting schooled by spell-checker). I mean, I’m not much of a wildlife person, my idea of entertainment usually involves screens or music (doubt I’d find much of either over there). I guess I’d be able to take nice photographs and visit research centers. Maybe spot some wildlife if I’m lucky. Perhaps I’ll encounter The Thing (wouldn’t be a bad place to die).

    I think I would also enjoy the fact that there aren’t many people there. It wouldn’t be crowded (oh god, I hate crowds) since not many people live there or visit the place. I think it would be nice to have a hot pot meal and finish it off with some nice belly warming alcohol. Mmhmm.

    Clicking on the first relevant link I saw on Google, it would cost me over RM25k for a nice week-long trip there.

    Not cheap at all, and definitely out of my budget for now. I would have to save up for it or find some alternative means of getting there. Time to do some research! Anybody with info, feel free to drop me a message. I’m real keen on visiting the place.

  • Vortex Core Update (and typing tests) [updated 7 January 2025]

    Vortex Core Update (and typing tests) [updated 7 January 2025]

    Update 7/1/25

    It seems like I’m getting a bit of traffic to this page, so I’ve added some links for those of you looking for Vortex Core firmware:

    Hope this helps!

    Just thought I’d post a small update since Vortex posted new firmware for the Core that enables custom remapping via its online layout editor. Thanks to it, I’ve got the keyboard bound to 99% the way I like it.

    My previous complaints about not being able to reassign the Fn1 keys and having too many unused keys rebindable have been solved. My only gripe is that I can’t move the default Fn key – I can only assign another key to work as Fn, so I now have two Fn keys instead of one. However, since it’s not that much of an issue I can live with it (I still hope they will fix it in a future update though).

    Currently, my Vortex Core has the following layout:

    For those of you interested in using this, here’s my layout file for you to flash onto your Core.

    On a side note, I’m done with 100% keyboards – I’ve replaced my full-sized SteelSeries Apex M500 at home with a Plum Nano 75. I wanted to give Topre clones a shot and the Plum Nano 75 seemed like a pretty good idea.

    For a Topre-clone, I would say it’s far from the stock experience of real Topre (comparing vs the HHKB). I bought the 45g dome version with additional 20g springs and it still feels linear as hell. I can’t imagine what the 35g dome version would be like. I might replace the domes in the future for more tactility, but I’ll stick with it stock for now. Typing on it sounds quite nice – it’s a very ‘ploppy’ sound. It’s hard to describe but you can check it out on my typing demo:

    I love its form-factor. The function row over a standard 60% body is perfect for keycap compatibility. The only thing that would make it better would be a HHKB-style bottom row, ala the Eve Meteor.

    I appreciated that the stabilizers came lubed with the board though. No rattle at all, and the build quality of the board was solid. The stock keycaps leave a lot to be desired (in terms of appearance). Fortunately, it has MX-compatible stems so I swapped them out with some Tai-Hao Black on White ABS keycaps (costar stabs were a pain in the ass though). The cable channel can be annoying if you unplug it often but since I’m leaving the board on my desktop at home, this isn’t an issue for me.

    I bought the non-Bluetooth, non-RGB version so I can’t comment about those features (who needs them anyway?) but overall, I’d say get the Plum 75 if you’re a fan of the form factor and intend on replacing the domes if you’re not a fan of linear typing experiences. Avoid it if you’re looking for an alternative to real Topre – get a real Topre keyboard instead.

    After recording the typing test for the Plum Nano 75 I decided that I would make typing test videos for my other keyboards as well, so if you’re interested in hearing how my other keyboards sound, here they are:

    HHKB Pro 2

    KBD Fans HHKB

    Vortex Core

  • Hair by Hair

    You know what else takes as long as waiting for your keyboard parts to arrive?

    Me growing a beard. Actually I think I’m going to receive all my keyboard parts before I grow a decent beard.
    It’s been a few months since I started using Minoxidil and I don’t think it’s making a big difference. However, I am only on my second bottle, so I didn’t really expect anything so soon. I definitely have noticed a few additional hairs on my face, but they are countable and I am still nowhere near being a poster-child for beard Instagram.

    Regardless, the journey must go on and I shall continue using Minoxidil until I run out of it. Here’s to a better beard future.

    On the other hand, the hair on my head has been growing quickly and is showing no signs of slowing down (woot). I am constantly being nagged by my mom to get a haircut though. I dread going back to the days of styling my hair every morning before going out. But I also don’t think I’d look good with a shaved head. Decisions, decisions.

    If only there was a way we could control where the hair grew on our bodies. Or at least swap our hair follicles. I’d probably trade away hair on my pubes and armpits for hair on my face. That would be a pretty good deal. I’ve probably got way too many pubic hairs.