Mostly Harmless

The elements of this site are from the novel series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

A Sagittarius born in 1992, I have many unconventional ideas that don’t quite match my current age. Whether online or offline, I’m not great at debating with strangers (almost no one admits they’re wrong to strangers on the internet) but love to “ramble nonsense” with acquaintances.

My main profession is as a front-end engineer. Since quitting my accounting job in Foshan in September 2015 and moving to Beijing to work in front-end development, I’ve been in the internet industry for 7 years (as of 2022).

Of course, my journey in front-end and even computer science didn’t start in 2015. During university, I often attended classes at the School of Software, so I have a basic understanding of foundational computer science courses like algorithms and data structures.

I love the internet and coding, so during my four years in college, I studied front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, Photoshop, JavaScript, jQuery, and Bootstrap—essential skills for a “page-maker.” I paid particular attention to JavaScript and the then-nascent NodeJS.

In school, I experimented with Grunt, NodeJS, and AngularJS. I realized that to deeply understand a language, one must know its Good Parts and Bad Parts to compare it with others. To deepen my understanding, I also spent my spare time learning the syntax and principles of C, VB, C#, Java, and Android—all without neglecting my major coursework.

During university, I joined the campus web club and the CERT club. When the seniors found out I wasn’t a computer science major, they kindly helped me learn many fundamental concepts in the field, greatly aiding my self-study journey. I even won a team third prize in the school’s software design competition as a front-end developer—for which I’m very grateful.

Through continuous learning, I discovered my fascination with the deeper principles of computing: memory allocation, binary, network protocols, compilation, CPU architecture, database fundamentals, data transmission, and other low-level computer science topics. To fill these gaps, I’ve been using NetEase’s University Computer Science course series and related books.

Though I primarily work on web applications, I’m deeply interested in native apps and dream of one day creating desktop/mobile applications used by millions. That’s why I’m also drawn to frameworks like Electron, React Native, and Flutter.

Currently, my main focus is JavaScript/TypeScript. I enjoy using technology to solve real-life problems, such as writing Chrome extensions or AppleScript scripts to automate tasks. I advocate for high-efficiency work and aim to become a full-stack engineer (with a focus on tooling).

Though I’m nearly 30, with over five years left until 35, I still love wild, chaotic imagination—something my wife often teases me about. Under the pressure of buying a house, however, my imagination has become somewhat restrained.

Hobbies

• Skateboarding: longboarding as a commute tool
• Sharing things: Personal blog (domestic), Personal blog (international)
• Organizing my computer, phone, and desktop into neat categories
• Sci-fi novels (domestic and international): I’ve read all of Liu Cixin’s works, and my favorite author is Asimov
• Beautiful things

Games I Play

PC Games

• Several I can’t remember the names of
• Red Alert
• Half-Life 2 (my gateway game)
• Civilization V

Mobile Games

• Several I can’t remember (mostly single-player games before Honor of Kings)
• Honor of Kings
• League of Legends: Wild Rift: Marksman, Diamond IV (no ranked, just ARAM)

Console Games

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Animal Crossing
• God of War 4
• Detroit: Become Human
• It Takes Two
• Mario Kart 8 multiplayer (games are more fun with friends)

Books I’m Reading

• Several I can’t recall
• The Three-Body Problem
• The Gods Themselves
• The End of Eternity
• Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
• Mao: A Biography
• 1587, A Year of No Significance
• The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
• Selected Works of Mao Zedong
• He Changed China
• The Details of Rule of Law

Shows I’m Watching

With My Wife:

• Several I can’t remember
• Doraemon
• Nirvana in Fire
• The Cliff
• The Undercover
• I Will Find You a Better Home
• Moment in Peking
• The Grand Mansion Gate
• I Am Yu Qiushui
• Kangxi Dynasty
• Empresses in the Palace (Nth rewatch)
• iPartment 2
• My Own Swordsman (Nth rewatch, N > 10—dinner viewing)
• Ranking of Kings
• Crayon Shin-chan
• The Legend of Xiaozhuang
• Nothing Gold Can Stay

On My Own:

• Naruto

• Dr. Stone

• Rick and Morty

• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (anime)

• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Part 7) (Read the beginning but couldn’t get past the lack of Stand users; almost gave up)

• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean (Anime)

• Devilman (Anime)

• One-Punch Man (Manga)

Personal Electronics

• MacBook Pro 2015 15’ Mid (Sold)

• iMac 2017 21.5’ Dedicated GPU 256G Family shared (Taken over by my wife)

• iPad Pro 2017 64G 10.5’ (Gifted to my dad)

• Apple Pencil (1st gen, gifted to my dad)

• iPhone 7 128G (Gifted to my dad)

• iPhone X 64G (Gifted to my mother-in-law)

• iPhone XS Max 256G (Sold)

• MacBook Pro 2017 13’ 8G 1.4G HZ 2020 M1 16G (Company-issued)

• Mac Studio 2022 M1 Max 64G

• iPad Pro 2021 256G M1 Edition

• Apple Pencil 2nd Gen (Family shared; my wife has an iPad Pro 2020)

• Apple TV 2021 4K 32G Edition (Hong Kong version)

• Sony 65X90J 4K TV (China mainland version)

• iPhone 11 Pro Max 256G

• Apple Watch 5

• AirPods 2

• Canon 600D

• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM DSLR Standard Prime Lens

• Canon Zoom Lens (Forgot the model)

• Switch (2019 later)

• PS5 China Mainland Edition + Dual Controllers

Peripherals

• HHKB Professional2 Type S White (Home use)

• HHKB Professional2 (Office use)

• Razer DeathAdder

• Apple Magic Mouse 2

• Dell U2518D 2K Monitor (Sold)

• ViewSonic VX2780-4K-HDU Monitor

• iQunix E-Stand Laptop Stand

• Fview W1 Wireless Charger

• Sony SRS-X88 Bluetooth Speaker

• Sony 100ABN Headphones

• Sony MDR 1000X

• Sony PS5 Controller Charging Dock

• NetGear R6300V2 Router (Bought as a cheap import from Taobao; signal was weak even nearby, no longer in use)

• ZTE Cheap Router (Forgot the model; came with China Unicom broadband, low latency for gaming)

• NanoPi R4S

Special Notice

This blog represents personal opinions only and does not reflect the views or stance of any company. Please refrain from overinterpreting.

WeChat Official Account Name: Just Rambling

WeChat Official Account: CoderXheldon

Contact me via email: c1006044256[at]gmail.com

Telegram Group: https://t.me/xheldon_saloon