Things are pretty much exactly the same as they've been for the last decade or so. At least, it feels that way. Maybe only half a decade. I wake up and go to work five days at a time. I come home and drown the rest of existence in the nectar of computers and video games. Sleep. Spend a small portion of the time I have away from work doing just enough to keep myself a 'functioning' adult. Rinse. Float my consciousness in the steam of a hot shower. Repeat.

This is Life. But is it Living?

Also, did you know you can subscribe to any write.as blog via RSS? I know RSS has been around for a long while, but I feel like a lot of people have forgotten about it or don't use it because they are used to 'following' or 'liking' various peoples content through the walled gardens of their social media of choice. Just copy a blog's URL and add it to your RSS reader of choice and you should be good to go. If you're on Android, I recommend Feeder.

Matt is the guy behind write.as! At this time, he's blogging about taking a train trip across the USA, but he also writes about write.as (go figure), the fediverse, and other fun, nerdy stuff. Mark! Silver writes about Linux and other tech goodness, and music!

inquiry writes about anything and everything. They're the one that made me think I'd share this list, as they've stated recently how much they are enjoying reading other write.as blogs. Thanks inquiry!

In the open is where news and information about what is happening with write.as is published. It's kind of like a peek behind the curtain. The first Transparency Report was published recently!

ConZervative was going to be more politically focused originally, at least from what I recall. It transformed into more of an everyday blog, updating with the latest goings-on of ConZervative's life. It's well written and very entertaining. It seems as though they are on a hiatus at the moment, but still well worth a read.

BobbyDraco is a photography blog! There's not a lot yet, as he is just getting started, but the photos so far have been impressive.

An open source user evolution is basically what it says on the box. It follows the growth, struggles, and successes of a new user in the world of open source software and technologies. Another fun, nerdy one.

A few years ago, while I was working retail, we needed a new keyboard for one of the work computers. We sold them, so we just opened one up and hooked it up. I remember it because even the limited amount of typing I did felt much better. I think the word I used for it at the time was 'crunchy.'

In the past 5 or so years, I've gotten into PC gaming. With it comes a lot of 'gaming' gear and peripherals. As your main input sources, keyboards and mice come up a lot. One 'easy upgrade to take your game to the next level' (insert additional marketese here) is a mechanical keyboard. I've never really given them much thought, as they are quite expensive for something that is definitely not going to turn my mediocre gaming skill into something anyone will envy.

I should specify, the keyboard from work was a 'normal' membrane keyboard. So what's the big difference between membrane and mechanical keyboards? Mainly how they work. Mechanical switches have moving parts, per key, that physically open and close a circuit on a circuit board thus telling your computer what button you pressed. Membrane keyboards have a rubber membrane that sits under the keys and over two plastic circuits. When you press down on a key, it pushes those two sheets together just enough to complete a circuit. The membrane and sheets cover the entire length of the keyboard. I said circuit a lot here, and these processes are kinda difficult to explain via text, so I'd recommend looking up some images to get a better idea of the differences. Membrane keyboards are pretty significantly lighter and cheaper to produce, and most keyboards you'll find today are membranes. At one point, I suspect all keyboards were mechanical. Now they seem to be mostly marketed to gamers.

However, I've recently come across the fact that mechanical keyboards are also a hobbyist thing. Why? I think it mostly comes down to the customization. With many mechanical keyboards, you can buy different keycap sets to change the look of a keyboard. People make their own keyboards from kits, buying PCBs, key switches, keycaps, housings, and custom cabling. There are different formats too, each a little different. At the center of it all is the switch, the piece that closes the circuits and makes for various typing experiences. You see, there are tons of different types of switches and they all vary just a little bit. There are three main types: clicky, tactile, and linear. Membrane keyboards are most similar to tactile. There is a little bit of a bump, or crunchiness, to the key when you press it. Clicky is similar, but also makes an audible clicking sound when you press them. Linear does not have the bump or the click and is just a smooth downward stroke. Like I said though, there are tons of switches. Some combine aspects of two types. Some are more tactile, more crunchy. Some are less. Some require a lot more oomph from your fingers, some are really 'soft' and don't take much to press down at all. People even go so far as to take these things apart and frankenstein their favorite bits together.

I found out about this insane little world over at r/MechanicalKeyboards. I knew immediately I'd started down the rabbit hole. I really recommend you check it out if you are even the least bit curious.

Since I started looking around there, I've been thinking about getting my own. I plan to get a 'hot-swappable' board, meaning you can change out the switches very easily, as opposed to having to desolder them. I am not ready for that yet. I am really hung up on what kind of switches to get through. I'd started to consider just not worrying about it and enjoying all the beautiful keyboards from afar. But a friend of mine got one similar to what I think I want, and I tried it over the weekend. And it is a substantially more pleasant typing experience. Be forewarned, mechanical keyboards are not cheap. But if you do a lot of typing, it might behoove you to take a look at them. I'm not saying you should go crazy, like some folks do, just consider that it's possible you could enjoy the physical act of typing.

I've been having a hard time lately, and I guess writing down my feelings and the things that are bothering me is scary, because it means they are real.

I'm not sure what more to say about this. But rereading this struck me. I guess what makes it so scary is that by writing down the things that worry you and bother you and seem to hang over your head is that you are literally physically manifesting those thoughts. And that really is scary. I suppose one could make the argument that it is much easier to destroy something that has a physical form than a thought.

I've just been feeling so down lately. I am trying to “keep my chin up” but honestly I don't know how I am getting through these days. Maybe I do have some hope for “tomorrow.”

I think... sometimes it doesn't matter how we get through, how we survive, just that we do. It doesn't matter if we know how or why; just that we make it. I'm thankful for whatever it is helping me through this malaise.

On that note, check on your friends. Not only the ones you don't talk to that much, or only see once in a while. Don't get me wrong, it's important to see how they are doing too, but even those you talk to and see on a regular basis may be going through something you can't see. And don't settle for “okay.” I say “okay” all the time and I rarely mean okay in a good way. Ask for details, be a little pushy. You don't have to have answers. Your friend likely doesn't want answers, they probably just want someone to care. Say something along the lines of, “That sucks, and I'm sorry you are going through that. If you ever need to talk about it, let me know.” Dont say that last bit if you don't actually mean it. That'll get you in trouble down the line.

As for me, I'm okay :P I'm not so bad that any of my friends need to worry about me. I'm very unhappy about a few things in my life right now, and I don't know how to fix them, and that is eating at me. And holy hell, this turned into a fair sized post. I hope you check in on a few of your friends, and I hope you (whoever you may be) have a fantastic day. Don't lose hope. Hold Fast.