Weekly Report #50 - Strolling in the Temple of Heaven, Rediscovering Reading, and Feynman Learning Method

Preface#

weekly_review_20231122

This article is a record and reflection on the week from 2023-11-13 to 2023-11-21.

There were many discussions and development work this week, which was considered to be in a normal pace. Most of the time was occupied by work, studying, and additional reading, but there was also a sense of fulfillment. Because I wanted to read more books in the evenings, I hurriedly finished watching several TV dramas and anime. I went for a walk in the Temple of Heaven Park on the weekend and enjoyed a delicious mushroom hot pot in the evening. I taught a 4-hour Solidity Bootcamp on OpenBuild, and the preparation process was quite interesting. Next week, I will participate in a podcast recording and participate in the 2023 Podcast Festival, which I am looking forward to. There are many interesting things happening.

Strolling in the Temple of Heaven#

Autumn in Beijing is short, but it is probably the only good season of the year. It is slightly cool but does not require layering thick clothes, making it perfect for strolling.

Before leaving, my senior sister suddenly told me not to bring a camera and added, "Every time I bring a camera, I don't feel as relaxed and leisurely." I was stunned for a moment, and it's true. After developing the habit of recording, I tend to think more about taking pictures or writing down happy or interesting moments. Sometimes, I neglect to enjoy the beauty of the present. It's like when I went to Anaya, I walked on the beach and took pictures at every scenic spot because it was getting dark. I wanted to quickly capture the moments. As a result, I spent a long time at each spot. Although I finally got some good photos, I did lose the feeling of "strolling," and the 55mm focal length of the camera increased the sense of distance.

This time, I didn't have any specific purpose, just to take a walk. I followed the park visitors to practice Tai Chi, competed to throw pine cones into a circle made of grass, and watched several colorful chicks running around/mating in the woods. Although I don't consider myself someone who is particularly close to natural scenery and I prefer street photography with specific themes, leisurely strolling with people still brought me many surprises. It relieved some of the recent tension and anxiety, and time seemed to slow down.

Later, I ate at a Yunnan mushroom hot pot restaurant called "Tang Ba Shi," which I have been reminiscing about for a long time. Highly recommended!

Rediscovering Reading#

Recently, I spent more time watching or rewatching TV dramas during dinner and after dinner. Dramas like "Reply 1988," "Nirvana in Fire," and "Prison Playbook" were enjoyable but made time slip away quickly. So I decided to concentrate on finishing them and not start any new dramas, but instead, I rediscovered reading.

I read a lot of books last year, accompanied by my Kindle during my daily commute. Although the environment was harsh, I enjoyed it. Sometimes, I could finish 1-2 books in a week. However, in the past six months, I no longer needed to commute, and I lost the mood for reading to some extent. I mainly read some technical books. These past few nights, I started reading again and found that I could enjoy it once more. It may not be possible to complete my reading plan for the year, but rediscovering the joy of reading is a greater reward.

The first books I finished were "Building A Second Brain" and "The PARA Method." The latter is a supplement to the former. Both books are about personal knowledge management. The former focuses more on concepts and methodologies, while the latter provides more specific practical methods. Since it leans towards tools and practices, reading it was not difficult. However, it did provide some additional insights into my current system that uses Logseq + Readwise + Heptabase.

A colleague in the group mentioned "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind." I remembered reading this book and "Homo Deus" a few years ago. Personally, I am not as fond of this type of grand narrative as I am of literary works. However, this series written by the author is rare and has always been very appealing to me. I am considering revisiting it. However, I happened to see "A Brief History of Today" on my bookshelf, so I decided to finish reading it first and read the first few chapters.

Feynman Learning Method#

Recently, I participated in a course called "[OpenBuild Bootcamp] Solidity from Beginner to Mastery" and was responsible for two sessions. Since it was after work and on weekends, I used the Chinese version of the training materials I used in a workshop in Chiang Mai.

I seem to be quite enthusiastic about participating in education and sharing activities. It is also the practice of the Feynman Learning Method, which is based on the following principle:

When you are preparing to learn new knowledge, you must stand in the position of the teacher and assume that you are explaining this knowledge to others.

Therefore, especially when I am still in the learning stage myself, I cherish the opportunity to share and teach. Last May, I gave a technical presentation for Chainlink, wrote several blog posts, and became a mentor in Chiang Mai. I also participated in a workshop, which gave me a more solid grasp of the core concepts compared to before.

Speaking of my learning path for Solidity, I have watched all three Solidity tutorials by Patrick Collins on YouTube, each lasting several tens of hours.

The first one was the Brownie (Python) version, which I watched in June 2021 when I returned from Hong Kong to Shenzhen for quarantine. At that time, I didn't understand many concepts and didn't have much practical experience. I just felt that the syntax for writing tests in Python was simpler, so I abandoned Truffle, which I had used for my graduation project. I roughly went through it in about a month to prepare for several contract development job interviews. After that, I didn't use it much because I started working on consortium chains.

The second one was the Hardhat (JavaScript) version, which I watched in May 2022 when I was in home isolation. At that time, I already had a good understanding of contracts and had written many practical ones, so it was more of a consolidation. It took me about half a month, and I also wrote several blog articles. Patrick himself noticed and contacted me, which led to many subsequent opportunities.

The most recent one I just finished watching is the Foundry (Solidity) version. I have already worked on several projects using Solidity, so I am familiar with most of the concepts. However, it took me nearly two to three months to finish watching it, and I skipped some parts. I feel that as I write fewer technical blog posts, my focus and learning state have declined significantly. I need to pick it up again 😢

Interesting Things and Items#

Podcast Festival#

This week, I had the opportunity to record a podcast, and this program will participate in the "2023 Technology Podcast Festival." There are other podcasts that I really like, such as "Feng Yan Feng Yu," "Beyond Code," "Jin Jin Le Dao," and "Kernel Panic." Last year, I listened to various topics from this event, and I didn't expect to have the opportunity to participate this year. It's quite amazing.

Inputs#

Although most interesting inputs are automatically synchronized in the "Yu's Life" Telegram channel, I will list some of them here. It feels more like a newsletter.

Books#

Building a Second Brain: The methods mentioned in the article have already been learned and practiced through other blogs. I was more interested in understanding the author's mindset and practical methods. It is more theoretical.
The PARA Method: Compared to "Building a Second Brain," this book is more concise and easy to read. It focuses more on practical methods. It provides significant references for my current system of using multiple platforms and the flow of information between PARA categories.
A Brief History of Today: The last book in the trilogy.
Uniswap V2 Book | RareSkills: I have always wanted to learn more about Uniswap.
ZK Book | RareSkills: I want to learn about ZK.

Articles#

Videos#

Anime#

PLUTO (Manga), an anime about robots and humans that I stumbled upon on Netflix. I have always been interested in this genre. I finished watching it during lunch breaks and weekends. It is about hatred and love, with a grand theme of "hatred leads to no results" and a heroic protagonist group. However, what impressed me the most was the love between the law enforcement robot and his wife, as well as the love between Gesicht and Helena. Choosing to remember is already the most difficult and great choice for them.
Spy x Family Season 2: Aniya is awesome!

TV Shows#

Prison Playbook: Directed by the same person as "Reply 1988," this drama is my choice for relaxation after dinner. It is funny and has its own style. Although it is also a male protagonist-centered script, it presents a group of characters that I really like. Many supporting roles leave a deep impression, even if they have few appearances. I also appreciate that the drama does not deliberately beautify human nature. For example, there is a drug addict who immediately starts using drugs again after being released from prison. It also does not pursue a kind of perfection, such as the male protagonist who did not win in his first comeback race. It showcases the diversity and growth of people.

Music#

Nidome no Hatsukoi by KO-SUKE