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This page presents an overview of all articles on the site with an indication of the state of each article. This page is definitely not intended for public viewing and it should be filtered to be hidden and difficult to access, but, if there has been an unfortunate error and you are here without permission, please close this page immediately. Thank you!

Floating Idea

Initial Draft

Inspirational Quotes - Miscellaneous TextThis is a mismatch of random quotes, ideas, and thoughts which have been picked up over the years from various books, images, videos, or just arbitrarily browsing the internet. Some of them are directly from their original author, but most have been adapted, combined, or completely modified to somewhat fit together, while still reflecting a version of the original message. There has been an attempt to group them into categories as life and learning, friendship and honesty, love and relationships, parenting and experiences, dreams and discipline, business and finances, politics and history, and then other and funny.
Philosophical Thinking - Industrial Society And Its FutureThese notes are based on the ideas and learnings from "The Unabomber Manifesto, Industrial Society And Its Future" by Theodore Kaczynski in 1995. The description of the book mentions: "The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. They have greatly increased the life-expectancy of those of us who live in advanced countries, but they have destabilized society, made life unfulfilling, subjected human beings to indignities, led to widespread psychological and physical suffering, and inflicted severe damage on the natural world. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation". The text was sent to The New York Times and The Washington Post by a person who called himself "FC" (Freedom Club) and was later identified as Theodore Kaczynski. It should be emphasized that Theodore Kaczynski has been convicted for conducting 16 bombings and 3 murders - these actions were not acceptable and should never be seen as acceptable in any form under any circumstances.
Exploratory Data Analysis - Banks BA900 Economic Returns[To be completed]. This project interfaced with the API provided by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to access the BA900 Reports submitted by financial institutions to the SARB. As accessing the data through the API is segmented by date and financial institution, the overall data was iteratively collected and stored as tables in a local database or as sheets in an XLSX file for all dates and financial institutions. An analysis was performed to explore, highlight, and compare interesting metrics for the most prominent financial institutions. The packages used in the project include Python with Pandas, Plotly, and ... .
General Programming - PythonPython is an interpreted language, where the Python interpreter runs a program by executing a single statement at a time.
Exploratory Data Analysis - Social Media Posting TimesThe time at which a post is made is often seen to be important in determining the resulting performance. The recommendations often range from posting when no one else is posting (and fewer users are typically online) to posting when most users are online (and everyone else is typically posting). However, from a rational perspective, it should be expected for the influence from this time to be inconsequentially minimal relative to the other factors which affect performance. These other factors, such as quality, format, relevance, audience, and industry, should be much more important. This should especially be true with regard to long-term performance, although short-term performance many be impacted by idiosyncratic influences. An analysis was performed for investigation of these ideas.
Exploratory Data Analysis - Social Media Posting LifecycleIt is expected for a post to have a lifecycle (in a similar sense to a half-life) starting at the point of publication until it becomes irrelevant or stale and is no longer served to an audience by the network. This lifecycle can be mapped by looking at a cumulative performance metric over time, such as impressions or engagement, where this metric will increase until it reaches a maximum after a sufficiently long period of time. By considering an aggregation of posts, the average or expected lifecycle of a post can then be defined in terms of the time since publication.

Under Review

Website Development - Eleventy Initial SetupEleventy is a static site generator and was created to be a JavaScript alternative to Jekyll. It offers a simple and minimal configuration, as well as the possibility for advanced customization options. It is also designed to work with an existing directory structure and can use multiple independent template engines, which aims to decouple the content from the static site generator and avoid holding the content hostage to the static site generator - although this is the intention of the project, these notes still avoid the specialized features and focus on uses which are generalized to always ensure the content is independent and transferable. The project was started and is maintained by Zach Leatherman.
Website Development - Eleventy CustomizationsIt is possible to extend the functionality of Eleventy through ... , while also employing other Node packages from the configuration file. This include the inclusion of using Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets (SASS), performing minification of ...text... file, creating a robots exclusion protocol, and creating a sitemap. Although primarily focussed on Eleventy, some of the other concepts, like may be applicable to web development in general.
Database Management - Structured Query Language With PostgreSQLStructured Query Language (SQL) is a standard language described by ISO/IEC 9075 for creating and working with databases stored in a set of tables. The actual implementations through database management systems use this standard language and usually add their own extensions for additional specifications. The most common implementations include PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, and SQLite, where PostgreSQL will be used as a reference, since it is a popular, versatile, and open source database (although most core functionality is shared). These notes rely on the ideas and learnings from the respective package documentations and "SQL For Data Analysis: Advanced Techniques For Transforming Data Into Insights", 1st Edition, by Cathy Tanimura in 2021.
Software Projects - Software ProjectsThis is a catalogue of some software projects I have been able to complete and document. The projects usually include general programming with ... (OpenCV, ...) and JavaScript; data science with exploratory data analysis (using NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly), ... , and ... ; frontend and static website development with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Eleventy, and Jekyll; and other miscellaneous packages, such as creating basic JavaScript applications, ... , and ... .
Finances And Investing - Elements Of InvestingThis summary is based on the ideas and learnings from "The Elements Of Investing, Easy Lessons For Every Investor", 10th Anniversary Edition, by Burton Malkiel and Charles Ellis in 2020. The description of the book mentions: "Investors today are bombarded with conflicting advice about how to handle the increasingly volatile stock market - from pronouncements of the death of diversification to the supposed virtues of cryptocurrencies, investors can be forgiven for being thoroughly confused". The authors go on to deliver short and straightforward lessons in the rules and principles needed to mitigate risk and realize long-term success for investments. Overall, the premise of the book is structured around six elements of investing: save, index, diversify, avoid blunders, keep it simple, and troubled times. The authors present understandable information.
Finances And Investing - Understanding Margin RequirementsWhen implementing strategies for mutliple periods, it can be useful to consider leverage in margin accounts, where the leverage is accessed through a margin loan from the broker. With most brokers, a margin loan is available through Regulation T Margin for most investors or Portfolio Margin above a certain net worth. The potential benefits of using leverage are explored through lifecycle investing and, if used correctly, present the opportunity to decrease the overall risk during accumulation. As an alternative to margin loans, box spreads are mentioned which make it possible to borrow directly from the market instead of a broker. However, it is a perfectly acceptable and rational choice to avoid the possible disaster from leverage and simply perform regular contributions without further complications.
Finances And Investing - Lifecycle Investing Across TimeThese notes are primarily based on the ideas and learnings from "Lifecycle Investing: A New, Safe, And Audacious Way To Improve Performance Of Retirement Portfolios", 1st Edition, by Ian Ayres and Barry Nalebuff in 2010. The description of the book mentions: "Diversification provides a well-known way of getting a free lunch, where, by spreading money across different kinds of investments, investors can earn the same return with lower risk (or a much higher return for the same amount of risk). There is an additional form of diversification which can be considered for an investor to diversify their portfolio over time. By using leveraging when young, investors can substantially reduce overall risk while improving their returns". There is clear evidence to the proposed strategy, although there are also possible concerns around real implementation, and it is as spectacular as learning about the Efficient Market Hypothesis.
Finances And Investing - Safe Withdrawal Rates...
Finances And Investing - Money Theory Definitions...
University Projects - Supersonic Flow PropertiesAn investigation was conducted using a supersonic blowdown wind tunnel to determine the half-angle of an oblique shock wave for fixed cones with half-angles of 20°. The range of Mach numbers considered was between 2.5 and 3.3. The cone specimen was seen to be pitching in the test section and the upper and lower half-angles had to be considered separately. The obtained experimental data showed that, as Mach number increased from 2.5 to 3.3, the oblique shock wave half-angle decreased from 42.2° to 33.0° for the upper half-angle of 16.8°, while the oblique shock wave half-angle decreased from 45.7° to 33.7° for the cone lower half-angle of 23.2°. This experimental data was compared to the theoretical predictions from the Theta-Beta-Mach relation, in an attempt to warrant the applicability of the theoretical model and accuracy of its approximation. Subsequently, it was seen that almost all the points were satisfactorily in agreement, when considering the uncertainties present in the experiment, except for the measurements at the Mach numbers of 3.0 and 3.3 for the cone lower half-angle, which should be tested again to examine the repeatability in the values. It should be noted that the largest source of uncertainty and error was from the schlieren visualization, which led to the uncertainty of the experimental half-angles being ±1.6°. Overall, the experiment was accepted as successful given its standard.
General Programming - Basic Git Version ControlGit is a distributed version control system which tracks changes in a set of files. Its goals include speed and efficiency, data integrity, and support for non-linear workflows. It was originally created by Linux Torvalds in 2005 for the development of the Linux Kernel. As a distributed version control system, every directory using Git is a full-fledged repository, with complete history and full version-tracking abilities, which is independent of network access or a central server. These notes rely on the ideas and learnings from the Git documentation and "Pro Git", 2nd Edition, by Scott Chacon, Ben Straub, and various other contributors. Git is free and open-source software distributed under the GPLv2.0-only licence.
Basic JavaScript App - Multi-Stage Fitness TestStandalone. ...
Basic JavaScript App - Multi-Stage Fitness Test...
Exploratory Data Analysis - 3-Factor Asset Pricing AnalysisBased on their rational definitions, factors can be seen as proxies for the characteristics of equities and other assets which explain performance and provide premiums due to a relative risk. With the Fama-French 3-Factor Model for asset pricing, these risk factors consider aspects of market beta, market capitalization, and book-to-market equity (operating profitability, change in investment assets, and recent performance momentum were excluded from this analysis). The data is accessed from the online library provided by Kenneth French, which highlights returns relevant to the research into asset pricing models from Eugene Fama and Kenneth French. As accessing the data through the online library is segmented by type, the overall data was iteratively collected and stored as variables in a PKL file or as sheets in an XLSX file for all relevant types. An exploratory analysis was performed to show the distributions, time-varying characteristics, and interactions affecting realized returns of the data. The primary packages used in the project include Python with Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Urllib, and Pickle.
Exploratory Data Analysis - 5-Factor Asset Pricing ComponentsSeparated into components, factors can be seen as proxies for characteristics of equities and other assets which explain performance and provide premiums due to a relative risk. With the Fama-French 5-Factor Model for asset pricing, these risk factors consider aspects of market beta, market capitalization, book-to-market equity, operating profitability, and change in investment assets (recent performance momentum was excluded from this analysis). The data is accessed from the online library provided by Kenneth French, which highlights returns relevant to the research into asset pricing models from Eugene Fama and Kenneth French. As accessing the data through the online library is segmented by type, the overall data was iteratively collected and stored as variables in a PKL file or as sheets in an XLSX file for all relevant types. An exploratory analysis was performed to show the distributions, time-varying characteristics, and correlations of the data. The primary packages used in the project include Python with Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Urllib, and Pickle.
Exploratory Data Analysis - 5-Factor Asset Pricing PortfoliosEvaluating the varying effects on portfolios with target segmentations, factors can be seen as proxies for the characteristics of equities and other assets which explain performance and provide premiums due to a relative risk. With the Fama-French 5-Factor Model for asset pricing, these risk factors consider aspects of market beta, market capitalization, book-to-market equity, operating profitability, and change in investment assets (recent performance momentum was excluded from this analysis). The data is accessed from the online library provided by Kenneth French, which highlights returns relevant to the research into asset pricing models from Eugene Fama and Kenneth French. As accessing the data through the online library is segmented by type, the overall data was iteratively collected and stored as variables in a PKL file or as sheets in an XLSX file for all relevant types. An exploratory analysis was performed to show the distributions, time-varying characteristics, and interactions affecting realized returns of the data. The primary packages used in the project include Python with Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Urllib, and Pickle.
Custom Font Design - Square Orbits HeadingThis font is a work in progress with many iterations to come. The origination backstory was to be used in the logo for this website with a design which aims to create an informal display typography which stands out while remaining consistent across the letters. Currently, the developed letters include "A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F", "G", "H", "I", "J", "K", "L", "M", "N", "O", "P", "Q", "R", "S", "T", "U", "V", "W", "X", "Y", and "Z" (identical lowercase and uppercase letters). For other characters, Noto Sans Bold is used as the default replacement. With regard to next steps, the glyphs and advancements have been selected, but the kerning between letters has not been set (going to take a bit of time unfortunately).
Data Science - IPython Interpreter And Jupyter NotebooksAs Python is an interpreted language, it is required for an interpreter to run a program by executing a single statement at a time. IPython is an interpreter designed for both interactive computing and software development, while encouraging an execute-explore workflow instead of the typical edit-compile-run workflow of other programming languages. In addition, it provides directly integrated access to the shell and filesystem of the operating system (removing the need to switch between the current session and terminal). Juypter is an initiative to design language-agnostic interactive computing tools and allows for IPython to be used as a kernel for using Python with Jupyter. With regard to data analysis, IPython and Jupyter are essential in allowing for efficient exploration, interaction, testing, debugging, and iteration. These notes rely on the ideas and learnings from the respective package documentations, "Python For Data Analysis: Data Wrangling With Pandas, NumPy, And Jupyter", 3rd Edition, by Wes McKinney (creator and developer of Pandas) in 2022, and "Python Data Science Handbook: Essential Tools For Working With Data", 2nd Edition, by Jake VanderPlas in 2022.
Data Science - Pandas Exploratory Data AnalysisData analysis is the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modelling data with the goal of discovering useful information and informing conclusions to support decision-making. This involves applying inferential statistical analyses and creating visualizations in order to interpret the results and summarize the main characteristics of the data. The typical information and conclusions extracted from the data include interactions, patterns, and anomalies. These notes rely on the ideas and learnings from the respective package documentations, "Python For Data Analysis: Data Wrangling With Pandas, NumPy, And Jupyter", 3rd Edition, by Wes McKinney (creator and developer of Pandas) in 2022, and "Python Data Science Handbook: Essential Tools For Working With Data", 2nd Edition, by Jake VanderPlas in 2022.
General Programming - Distributed Git Workflows...
General Programming - Continuous Integration Continuous Delivery...
Data Science - NumPy Multi-Dimensional ComputationsNumPy offers the capabilities to define multi-dimensional arrays, along with a large collection of mathematical operations and algorithms to work with these arrays. The core functionality is its data structure and methods for manipulation, which act as an efficient and flexible container to be utilized when analysing data sets. Various packages build on the functionality of NumPy for applications in specialized domains, such as Pandas and Statsmodels for data analysis, TensorFlow and PyTorch for deep learning, and OpenCV for image processing. These notes rely on the ideas and learnings from the respective package documentations, "Python For Data Analysis: Data Wrangling With Pandas, NumPy, And Jupyter", 3rd Edition, by Wes McKinney (creator and developer of Pandas) in 2022, and "Python Data Science Handbook: Essential Tools For Working With Data", 2nd Edition, by Jake VanderPlas in 2022.
Data Science - Data Visualization Approaches...
Data Science - Using Python For Data Science...
Finances And Investing - Multi-Currency Portfolio TrackerWhen considering a holistic view of finances, it can be useful to track a portfolio of securities with consideration for and consolidation of multiple account types. Moreover, as a currency is simply a unit of measure, the program is specifically designed to be compatible with a range of reference currencies (which are easily extendible), use any of these currencies when providing inputs for cash and investments, and provide aggregated results in any of these currencies. The project initially began as a spreadsheet, but shifted into an object-oriented program for more complex operations. The next steps include adding forecasting capabilities for planning and then safe withdrawal rate simulations for retirement. The primary packages used in the project include Python with Numpy, Pandas, Plotly, ... , and Pickle. It should be noted that all of the data presented is artificial for a demonstration of the functionality.
Data Science - Basic Approach And Process OverviewTo gain an initial understanding, an exploratory data analysis can be performed as a preliminary approach which involves interrogating, visualizing, and summarizing the main characteristics of a set of data to gain insights and identify patterns or trends. For forecasting, model can then be built using machine learning, which is a branch of artificial intelligence and computer science focussing on the use and development of data and algorithms to form a model to make prediction. Creating a model involves using a training (estimating the parameters of the machine learning method) and testing (evaluating the performance on unseen data) datasets to create an algorithm and validate the accuracy of the algorithm. ...
System Configuration - Configuration For Debian With KDEAs a personal preference, Debian is used in combination with KDE for a stable, reliable, and configurable experience. Debian Testing is specifically used for packages which are updated frequently while remaining secure without the risk of accidentally breaking the system. The notable applications (and their relevant add-ons and extensions) installed on the system include Firefox, Inkscape, GIMP, Blender, VLC, VSCodium, Foliate, and several other useful packages. The other distributions which have been considered before settling on Debian include Ubuntu, KDE Neon, Solus, Ubuntu Budgie, Pop!_OS, and Manjaro (still need to try distributions using Fedora Linux and OpenSUSE), while the other desktop environments which have been considered before settling on KDE include GNOME, Budgie, and XFCE.
System Configuration - Visual Studio Code For DevelopmentVisual Studio Code is a source-code editor made by Microsoft with the Electron Framework (for Node.js web applications running on the Blink layout engine). Some of the prominent features include support for debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and embedded Git. It can be used for a variety of programming languages, including C, C#, C++, Fortran, Go, Java, PHP, JavaScript, Node.js, HTML, CSS, Python, Rust, Julia, and MATLAB. Additional extensions and functionality can be installed through the VS Code Marketplace. An alternative to Visual Studio Code is VSCodium, which is a community-driven and freely-licensed binary distribution of the open-source repository from which Visual Studio Code is also built. VSCodium avoids the proprietary licence which is applied to Visual Studio Code after it is built and any telemetry or tracking which may be sent to Microsoft, but an alternate central repository needs to be used for extensions, such as Open VSX which acts as an open-source registry for extensions.
Finances And Investing - An Efficient Market StoryAn investment increases in value, as there is an expected return resulting from a compensated risk. In an efficient market and when properly measured, this relationship between expected return and risk is expected to be proportional, where it is assumed that the current valuations within the market are already correct for bonds, equities, commodities, or any other asset based on their expected future valuations. It is possible to systematically identify factors in order to target a certain level of risk, although this will result in a reduction of diversification.
Google Cloud - Hosting Personal Email Server...
Travelling Diaries - Travelling Diaries...
Urban Cities - London, England, United Kingdom...
Urban Cities - Brighton, England, United Kingdom...
Social Network - Social NetworkIt is far better to live with regret from mistakes we have made than to die with regret from never having tried, because, one day, we will look back on our lives and try to find a way to forgive ourselves for all of the things which we did not become. This is a duplication of http://social.edwardrycroft.com/.
Other Assortments - Other AssortmentsThese are other graphic collections, literature writings, media broadcasts, software projects, practical snippets, learning articles, cooking recipes, travelling diaries, sports exercises, and other random things which were not seen to be satisfactory to be listed under the primary categories. They have been included here for archiving and secondary interest if anyone is curious enough to inquire.
Practical Snippets - Practical Snippets...
Behavioural Economics - Thinking, Fast And Slow...
Behavioural Economics - Wisdom Of Crowds...
Home Server Setup - Syncthing File Synchronization...
Home Server Setup - Pi-Hole Network-Wide Protection...
Home Server Setup - AdGuard Network-Wide Protection...
Home Server Setup - Git Repository Configuration...
Smart Watches - Custom Watch Faces For Wear OSAfter struggling to find a watch face which was satisfactory, several watch faces were personally developed for the desired appearance and functionality using Watch Face Studio from Samsung. The relevant criteria include creating an aesthetic and minimal design (with a focus on symmetry), disguising the bezel to fit the design (and case), considering the impact on battery life, providing shortcuts for launching applications (such as stopwatch and maps), and showing an overview of important metrics (such as step count and heart rate). If designed successfully, almost all of the common actions should be visible or easily accessible directly from the watch face. Although the Samsung Watch 4 was specifically considered, the watch faces are compatible with any smartwatch running Wear OS 3 (although more suitable for round watch faces).
Static Websites - Eleventy Custom Configuration...
Static Websites - Hosting Deloyment To GitLab...
Static Websites - Progressive Web Applications...
Static Websites - Webpage Password Protection...
System Configuration - Miscellaneous Tools And Scripts...

Everything Else To Sort

Final Completed

Orbits - HomeA private repository to share thoughts and ideas around a variety of random things. Please check out the About page for more information. This website is still under initial development and migration from bits and pieces scattered across the universe. It is intended to be a private repository to share thoughts and ideas on many random things with the topics ranging from software development to do-it-yourself projects to digital art to health and nutrition to finances and investing. Some content is established enough to be viewed, but a lot of content is still in progress, in the incorrect format, or requires further editing. The updates are being continuously and frequently added, but there is a lot of work needed to bring it to a satisfactory state. Hopefully a more acceptable baseline can be reached with the next few months of additions.
Profile Meta Information - About / Contribute / ContactThis website is intended to be a private repository to share thoughts and ideas on many random things. The topics range from software development to do-it-yourself projects to digital art to health and nutrition to finances and investing. Please read the full disclaimer below before continuing to use this website. Have a great day and go on an adventure!
Inspirational Quotes - Thoughts And IdeasThis is a special compendium of various thoughts and ideas which have been personally expressive over the years. The majority of the ideas behind the images have inspiration from a variety of stories, poems, or songs. The images are also mostly associated with themes around life, love, and friendship - feelings which really matter at the end of the day. Some images were intended to be about or for specific things. The newest images are first with the oldest images last.
Rendered Animations - Beginner TutorialsThis is a simple collection of the result of some tutorials which were followed while learning some of the very basics of Blender. Most of the tutorials were videos on YouTube from Polygon Runway, Blender Guru, CG Boost, CG Geek, Ian Hubert, CGMatter, and various other amazing creators. A personal touch has been applied to most iterations and some post-processing was usually performed in GIMP, Krita, or Inkscape for some iterations.
Finances And Investing - Bogleheads' Guide To InvestingThis summary is based on the ideas and learnings from "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing", 2nd Edition, by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf in 2014. The description of the book mentions: "Investing can be simple, but it's certainly not simplistic. Over the course of twenty years, the followers of John C. Bogle have evolved from a loose association of investors to a major force with the largest and most active non-commercial financial forum on the internet. You will learn how to craft your own investment strategy using the proven methods which have worked for thousands of investors and how to choose a sound financial lifestyle and diversify your portfolio; start early, invest regularly, and know what you are buying; preserve your buying power while keeping costs and taxes low; and throw out the advice promoted by Wall Street which leads to investment failure. Their trusted advice has been brewed and distilled into an easy-to-use, need-to-know, no frills guide to building up financial well-being". The authors deliver on this with suitable advice.
Finances And Investing - Bogleheads' Guide To The 3-Fund PortfolioThis summary is based on the ideas and learnings from "Bogleheads' Guide To The 3-Fund Portfolio", 1st Edition, by Taylor Larimore in 2018. The description of the book mentions: "Investing does not need to be complicated. This all-indexed portfolio contains over 15,000 worldwide securities, in just 3 easily-managed funds, which has outperformed the vast majority of both professional and amateur investors. For a new investor or an experienced investor who wants to simplify and improve their portfolio, this is a short and easy-to-read guide to show how that is possible". The author accurately portrays this and it reliably serves as the ideal philosophy for most investors (although the reasons are not discussed).
Finances And Investing - Become Your Own Financial AdvisorThis summary is based on the ideas and learnings from "Become Your Own Financial Advisor: The Real Secrets To Becoming Financially Independent", 1st Edition, by Warren Ingram in 2013. The description of the book mentions: "A step-by-step guide to financial peace of mind - financial freedom is possible for everyone. Money plays a role in nearly every aspect of our lives and, yet, very few of us know how to save, where to invest, and how to avoid money troubles. A range of topics are covered from saving, investing, debt management, and buying a house to common blunders to avoid". Overall, it is a basic attempt with honest intentions, but some content is opinion and objectively incorrect.
Finances And Investing - How To Make Your First MillionThis summary is based on the ideas and learnings from "How To Make Your First Million", 1st Edition, by Warren Ingram in 2016-09. The description of the book mentions: "A simple and easy-to-follow guide which shows various methods of how to make money and reach financial freedom. Sadly, very few people ever get to a stage where they are able to live off the income from their savings and investments. This book provides real examples of ordinary people who have reached their financial goals in their own unique way and offers practical ways of setting goals and keeping motivated to achieve them". Overall, it is a basic attempt with honest intentions, but some content is objectively incorrect.
Finances And Investing - Behaviour GapThis summary is based on the ideas and learnings from "The Behaviour Gap: Simple Ways To Stop Doing Dumb Things With Money", 1st Edition, by Carl Richards in 2012. The description of the book mentions: "Why do we lose money? It is easy to blame the economy or financial markets, but the real trouble lies in the decisions we make by letting emotion get in the way of smart financial decisions. This distance between what we should do and what we actually do is the behaviour gap. The aim is to help avoid the tendency to buy high and sell low; avoid the pitfalls of generic financial advice; invest assets, time, and energy more wisely; quit spending money and time on things that do not matter; identify real financial goals; start meaningful conversations about money; simplify financial life; and stop losing money". Along with uncovering detrimental behaviour, the author highlights that it is never too late to make a fresh financial start.
Exploratory Data Analysis - Small Annual Return DifferencesA small improvement or deterioration in annual return can make a significant difference over long time periods. As a realistic example, this concept can be applied to retirement accounts in South Africa. Despite the almost universal recommendation from the majority of financial advisors and media personalities, a retirement account may not be the most effective option for investments in South Africa. Unfortunately and disappointingly, it seems that these financial advisors and media personalities often make generalized statements based on their anecdotal opinions and without evidence to back up their statements (although this is not unexpected from the disreputable behaviour of the majority of the financial industry seeking to enrich themselves rather than their clients, while a very small minority continue to try their best to maintain a fiduciary duty). With consideration of the evidence for whether retirement accounts are rational in South Africa, it becomes apparent that, in most circumstance, a retirement account should not be recommended for the majority of people, especially for young people with a long time horizon who are uncertain of their future goals.
Finances And Investing - Psychology Of MoneyThese notes are primarily based on the ideas and learnings from "The Psychology Of Money: Timeless Lessons On Wealth, Greed, And Happiness", 1st Edition, by Morgan Housel in 2020. The description of the book mentions: "Money - investing, personal finance, and business decisions - is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do, but in the real world people do not make financial decisions on a spreadsheet, but rather they make them at the dinner table or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together". The author shares short stories which explore the strange ways people think about money. Overall, the premise of the book is made clear from the beginning and can be summarized as "doing well with money has a little to do with how smart you are and a lot to do with how you behave". There is some subjectivity with regard to some of the presented ideas, such as the critic of the idea of diversification across time from Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres. Other concepts, many of which are often neglected, are presented for further thought and consideration.
Finances And Investing - Guide To Factor-Based InvestingThese notes are primarily based on the ideas and learnings from "Your Complete Guide To Factor-Based Investing, The Way Smart Money Invests Today", 1st Edition, by Andrew Berkin and Larry Swedroe in 2016. The description of the book mentions: "There are hundreds of exhibits in the investment factor zoo, so it is difficult to see which ones are actually worth time and money. This brings a thorough yet still jargon-free and accessible guide to applying the most valuable quantitative and evidence-based approaches to outperforming the market: factor investing - a journey through the land of academic research and an extensive review of its quest to uncover the secret of successful investing". The authors describe unique criteria and characteristics in the definition of a factor as persistent, pervasive, robust, investible and intuitive. Overall, the premise of the book is structured to remain objective and provide reputable evidence for all the claims put forward with citations for further reference.
Finances And Investing - Additional Factor-Based InvestingThese notes are a continuation of the notes primarily based on the ideas and leanings from "Your Complete Guide To Factor-Based Investing, The Way Smart Money Invests Today", 1st Edition, by Andrew Berkin and Larry Swedroe in 2016. Other additional considerations are presented, such as reasonable expectations around the performance of factors in the future and expanded definitions of several factors. Moreover, as with the factors which were previously mentioned for equities, asset pricing models have been created using factors which are relevant to the relationship of risk within bonds. As before, there needs to be the establishment of unique criteria and characteristics in the definition of a factor as persistent, pervasive, robust, investible and intuitive. Other miscellaneous points are further considered.
Finances And Investing - Understanding Capital MarketsWhen studying markets, it is necessary to explore and understand their basic workings. These notes are based on ideas which were collected while learning about finances and investing. A focus is applied to the Efficient Market Hypothesis and underlying relationship between risk and return. Other points are discussed, such as the irrationality of selecting individual securities or trying to time the market based on forecasts due to the arithmetic of active management. The underlying research was recognized and uncovered with contributions from Louis Bachelier, Paul Samuelson, William Sharpe, and Eugene Fama with many additions from other proponents. As initially observed by Louis Bachelier in 1900, "past, present, and even discounted future events are reflected in market prices, but often show no apparent relation to price changes" (as would be expected if the current price of a security is related to currently available information and changes in the current price of the security are only related to the unexpected outcomes of future events).
Finances And Investing - Financial Analysis IntroductionFinancial analysis is related the evaluation of the financial capacity and suitability of a business and potential opportunities. This involves considering types of accounting and various accounting principles with an importance placed on the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement with regard to an overall business and its projects, budgets, and other related transactions. The insights gained from these documents provide an indication of the financial state of a business and areas in which it may be struggling or excelling. In addition, an indication of performance can be calculated based on various metrics with regard to whether the business is stable, solvent, liquid, and profitability, such that these metrics can be compared against other similar businesses or historic performance. From a broad perspective, financial analysis is used to evaluate economic trends, set financial policy, build long-term plans for economic activity, and identify projects for investment. These notes were compiled while completing a basic course on financial analysis.
Basic JavaScript App - Noughts And CrossesStandalone. Noughts And Crosses, also known as Tic-Tac-Toe, is a simple game with two players taking turns to mark the spaces in a 3-by-3 grid with X's and O's. The player who succeeds in placing 3 of their marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row is the winner - if neither of the players succeeds, then the game is drawn. This project is a basic implementation of the game with manual input from each player until the game is finished or reset to the original board.
Basic JavaScript App - Noughts And CrossesNoughts And Crosses, also known as Tic-Tac-Toe, is a simple game with two players taking turns to mark the spaces in a 3-by-3 grid with X's and O's. The player who succeeds in placing 3 of their marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row is the winner - if neither of the players succeeds, then the game is drawn. This project is a basic implementation of the game with manual input from each player until the game is finished or reset to the original board.
Basic JavaScript App - Pomodoro TimerStandalone. Pomodoro Timers are designed to be used as part of the Pomodoro Technique, which is a time management method aimed at breaking work into set intervals separated by breaks (each interval is known as a Pomodoro (which means "tomato" in Italian)). The overall purpose for time management is to reduce inefficiencies and effects of internal and external interruptions of focus. Traditionally, when it was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, a mechanical kitchen timer was used with the intervals having a length of 25 minutes and short breaks of 5 minutes. This project is a basic implementation of a Pomodoro Timer which can be customized with a variable length for intervals and breaks.
Basic JavaScript App - Pomodoro TimerPomodoro Timers are designed to be used as part of the Pomodoro Technique, which is a time management method aimed at breaking work into set intervals separated by breaks (each interval is known as a Pomodoro (which means "tomato" in Italian)). The overall purpose for time management is to reduce inefficiencies and effects of internal and external interruptions of focus. Traditionally, when it was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, a mechanical kitchen timer was used with the intervals having a length of 25 minutes and short breaks of 5 minutes. This project is a basic implementation of a Pomodoro Timer which can be customized with a variable length for intervals and breaks.
Contemporary Photography - Animal And Plant LifeThe exhibited graphics include photos and videos portraying animal and plant life, such as wildlife, insects, sea creatures, indigenous species, and blossoming flowers. The graphics were captured in a variety of environments ranging between nature reserves, hiking trails, suburban gardens, and ocean reefs. In most cases, the graphics were taken using a mid-range camera or phone with minimal post-processing, corrections, and adjustments being performed in Darktable or GIMP (quality has been reduced for online viewing). The newest images are first with the oldest images last.
Basic JavaScript App - Simple SlideshowsStandalone. A slideshow allows for transitioning between graphics to display those within a collection with controls for the location within the set through forward and backward arrows or position indicators. This is commonly used for presentations and can help with compact formatting to reduce the space occupied by similar or related graphics. Although usually used for images or videos, these graphics may include any elements which are designed to rotate in a carousel. It can also be useful to have multiple slideshows for display on a single webpage, as well as generalizing the implementation for each slideshow to operate independently without specific configuration (most other examples only allow for a single slideshow or are specifically set for multiple slideshows with direct dependence on the arrangement).
Basic JavaScript App - Simple SlideshowsA slideshow allows for transitioning between graphics to display those within a collection with controls for the location within the set through forward and backward arrows or position indicators. This is commonly used for presentations and can help with compact formatting to reduce the space occupied by similar or related graphics. Although usually used for images or videos, these graphics may include any elements which are designed to rotate in a carousel. It can also be useful to have multiple slideshows for display on a single webpage, as well as generalizing the implementation for each slideshow to operate independently without specific configuration (most other examples only allow for a single slideshow or are specifically set for multiple slideshows with direct dependence on the arrangement).
Basic JavaScript App - So Cards CarouselStandalone. So Cards are a curated set of deep conversation starters to help skip the small talk and spark a genuine connection. This project is a basic implementation to imitate the way in which So Cards are used, but it is not related to the actual creative rights of So Cards. In other words, although this idea was inspired by So Cards, it is generally applicable and intended to be relevant for any deck of cards or collection of consecutive prompts. Without any of the additional intricacies, this is essentially a simple carousel or slideshow within the selected deck or collection, where the navigation allows for transitioning forwards, backwards, to a specific input, or to a random index. The game can be quite inspirational.
Basic JavaScript App - So Cards CarouselStandalone. Noughts And Crosses, also known as Tic-Tac-Toe, is a simple game with two players taking turns to mark the spaces in a 3-by-3 grid with X's and O's. The player who succeeds in placing 3 of their marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row is the winner - if neither of the players succeeds, then the game is drawn. This project is a basic implementation of the game with manual input from each player until the game is finished or reset to the original board.
Basic JavaScript App - So Cards CarouselSo Cards are a curated set of deep conversation starters to help skip the small talk and spark a genuine connection. This project is a basic implementation to imitate the way in which So Cards are used, but it is not related to the actual creative rights of So Cards. In other words, although this idea was inspired by So Cards, it is generally applicable and intended to be relevant for any deck of cards or collection of consecutive prompts. Without any of the additional intricacies, this is essentially a simple carousel or slideshow within the selected deck or collection, where the navigation allows for transitioning forwards, backwards, to a specific input, or to a random index. The game can be quite inspirational.
Basic JavaScript App - Compound Returns CalculatorStandalone. A compounded return refers to the process where the earnings generated by an investment are reinvested and themselves generate additional earnings over time, which leads to exponential growth due to the effect of returns on both the initial principal and accumulated earnings. Depending on what is being compounded and given enough time, this has been described the "most powerful force in the universe" (often attributed to Albert Einstein). At the end of the day, those who understand it will earn it and those who do not understand it will pay it (although it is not a zero-sum game).
Basic JavaScript App - Compound Returns CalculatorA compounded return refers to the process where the earnings generated by an investment are reinvested and themselves generate additional earnings over time, which leads to exponential growth due to the effect of returns on both the initial principal and accumulated earnings. Depending on what is being compounded and given enough time, this has been described the "most powerful force in the universe" (often attributed to Albert Einstein). At the end of the day, those who understand it will earn it and those who do not understand it will pay it (although it is not a zero-sum game).
Orbits - Site AdministrationThis page presents an overview of all articles on the site with an indication of the state of each article. This page is definitely not intended for public viewing and it should be filtered to be hidden and difficult to access, but, if there has been an unfortunate error and you are here without permission, please close this page immediately. Thank you!
Graphic Collections - Graphic CollectionsWhen I have time, I enjoy playing around with Inkscape, GIMP, Blender, and Krita (although I really only know the basics). This is usually in the form of inspirational quotes, renderings of animations, photos with surreal effects, photos of random things, wallpapers which are abstract, and posters with infographics. The ideas for many of the graphics come from various books, images, videos, or just arbitrarily browsing the internet. The collection is a bit limited and I hope to expand it in the future when I have more time and I am able to improve my skills in digital art - it will be a long journey.
Learning Articles - Learning ArticlesThese are a few articles which are primarily made up of my notes when learning something new, performing research on a topic, investigating a situation, summarizing an event, and looking at other miscellaneous things. There is always one more thing to learn and it builds like compound interest. As it has been said, the capacity to learn is a gift, ability to learn is a skill, and willingness to learn is a choice - almost everyone can do it, but not many will do it. The contents of the articles often borrow from many other resources (which are probably more helpful for direct reference). In many ways, my writing is simply a way of organizing my reading.