view
Goodbye Microsoft OneDrive
I was an early adopter of MS OneDrive and never had any concern with it. Until a few days ago.
It was the first time I needed to download a folder containing files, since I did not have OneDrive synchronised with the machine's storage; it's not my main machine.
And OneDrive had NO option to download a folder as-is when connecting to it via the browser (nor through the app – which I installed to check).
OneDrive would always try to compress the folder into a zip format while downloading. There was no other alternative aside from downloading the file one at a time.
Even on very high broadband speed, the effective download time amounted to 120'something kb/s. This translated to hours for my download.
And nearing the end of the download, it FAILED and I had to redo it. To avoid another fail, I ended up downloading in pieces.
Oddly enough, if using the OneDrive Windows app, it will queue up the downloads, i.e. ONLY one download at a time. It cannot do something as simple as simultaneous downloads. Seriously. Doing it from the browser, it acts like typical browser download, except for the really slow zipping while downloading part.
My take on this is that I cannot rely on Microsoft OneDrive to be my online storage. Goodbye OneDrive.
view
Learning to add video
I am not a video person. In the past few days I have been working on adding a demo video onto my project's landing page. And I learned a few things.
Creation
Initially there was a part of the video where I wanted to obscure the user logging into the system. This led me down the rabbit hole of choosing a video editor that I can understand and use in a short time. I found a couple of video editors that I was able to use: one is commercial and the other is kdenlive.
I got something working in both, but changed my mind about showing the login screen, so I dropped that section.
And without the need to obscure part of the screen, I found out I could just use Quick Time Player. It has only basic editing capability, but it gets the job done for now.
Streaming
I wanted to get this up and running fast and the fastest way is to use third-party. I tried YouTube and the process was smooth. Nice.
The downside was that I could not figure out how to make the video showing in portrait shape, which is less ideal for my specific purpose. So next I tried Tiktok. Wow, the process is easy with Tiktok. Fantastically easy.
In manual testing, the website felt okay, although the video div was lagging, but everything else was as snappy as usual. So I went into the weekend feeling relieved.
Performance
Come Monday, I was working on something unrelated and clicked on Google Page Speed Insights not expecting anything. To my surprise, I found out the landing page performance had dropped by a wide margin.
Aargh. The script tag that came with Tiktok embed seemed to be the main culprit in a landing page that, so far, has zero JS.
I don't think it is a huge deal at this stage of the project, but decided to investigate hosting the video myself.
I thought about Cloudinary – they have a generous free tier which is ideal for a starter. And then I remembered I looked at imagekit.io in the past and it turns out they just started beta offering for video.
I gave imagekit a spin and was able to host the video on imagekit and embed it on my landing page.
I deployed it and then checked Google Page Speed Insights again. And the landing page is back in good standing. 👍🏽
view
Comparing cloud
I update my cloud providers global footprint comparison from time-to-time. For this update, I remove Heroku and add OVH. So the current cloud providers that I track are: Alibaba, AWS, Azure, Digital Ocean, Fly, Google Cloud, Linode, OVH, Tencent, UpCloud, and Vultr.
If you want feature comparison, then this post is not for you. See part 1 for background.
f: Future location, as of 08 Feb 2022
Don't get too excited about the 'future location' plan. It can take years before it is available.
Sources: – Alibaba Cloud – AWS – Azure – Digital Ocean – Fly – Google Cloud – Linode – OVH – Tencent Cloud – UpCloud – Vultr
I hope this is useful for you.
-
Note: You should check a data-driven analysis by Cal Paterson – Where's the fastest place to put my server? How much does it matter?
view
On running
Did you make a resolution to start running? Or have you always wanted to and kept it off? Let me share my lessons learned. Maybe useful for you.
But please consult a qualified doctor to check that running is suitable for you. And keep in mind that everyone IS different. What works for me may not work as well for you, so apply with caution.
-
It is never too late to start. Start gently and short and then increase over time.
Pay attention to how you run. To make running sustainable, you need to get into the habit of running style that minimises pain. Everyone is unique, so you need to invest time to figure out your running style that minimises your pain.
The running style that you grew up with may not be suitable anymore and it is difficult to change style. But if your running style causes pain, you need to change it.
Running shoes that fit your running style will help. The shoes do not need to be expensive as long as they are shoes for running, not for a different sport.
There are two pains: pain when running and pain after the run. Pain is different from sore. Pain is to be avoided, but sore is at times unavoidable.
If you have no sore whatsoever after a run, there is a chance you did not push yourself enough. If you want to improve, you want to push yourself.
Your sore level will gradually change for the better, if you run regularly. In the beginning the sore is intense and may take days to dissipate. If you run regularly, the sore eventually will lessen and disappear quicker.
If you desire to run further and push yourself regularly, your body can potentially run further. But push gently and gradually. Do not rush: increase your distance over time.
You must hydrate yourself properly.
Regularity is important, but you do not need absolute precision. Pick a schedule and try to stick with it. Moving it a day early or a day later is alright. For example, you decide to run once a week every Saturday. Running on Friday or Sunday, if you cannot do Saturday on a given week is no big deal, as long as you run.
There may be circumstances that you cannot run for a period. Running again after a hiatus will give you a lot of sore. It is normal. Do not let that stop you from returning to your regular schedule and getting back into shape.
Running is a mental / psychological exercise as much as a physical exercise. Pick a personal objective to stay motivated to run regularly.
And even if you do not feel motivated at all, run anyway.
view
Your CV does not define you
“I want to celebrate the rest of us. People like me who do not have a perfect track record within the same firm or industry. Those who were not afraid to change careers because they followed their passion or quit that toxic work environment because they value their mental health. Those with a sidetracked career because they had to take care of a family member / significant other that fell ill. Those who took the leap to find themselves and explore what this earth has to offer. People who take the time to discover new hobbies or study new things just for the sheer curiosity of it. The ones that got fired or keep getting overlooked for that promotion.
...
Your CV does not define you. It does not define your worth, your life experiences, and it most definitely does not define your future.”