Weekly Notes 17/2024

Today was election day here in Bengaluru. I voted against Fascism. After voting, Appa and I went to see Kammsandra Kere (lake). It was redone and inaugurated last year. The lake work seemed okay, but there was not even a single drop of water. I wonder if baragala (drought) has been declared in Bengaluru. I think we are in a drought.

IMD predicts decent rainfall this monsoon season (IMD Report, page 6, screenshot). But I doubt it will be. We have not gotten our regular summer showers yet, and the heat has not reduced. So, I don't see the lake filling up this season, either.

• The work week was hectic. I have closed almost all the work items with me, and I am happy about the progress. The weekend was a lazy one. I spent it mostly sleeping or caring for Uma, Echo, and Pathu. 
• Babies care about the quantity of time you spend with them as much as they care about quality. Both are a must. One can't replace the other. They can quickly identify if one is missing. It's the same with pets, especially dogs. Just being aware of this fact makes a lot of difference.
• Wherever I have designed a UI, I have done it mostly because I have been forced to. But I do love the design process. Recently, I started using the Pentop tool. It's a web-based, open-source design tool. I like it, and my designs have become a bit better.
• I have been trying out AppSmith for the last few days. It looks interesting. It's a FOSS project with a self-hosting option. Currently, I am using their hosted version to try things out. I have yet to form my opinion fully. Once I have something to say, I will blog here. For now, I like what I have seen. 
• We have a new public discussion email list for Friends of NMG. You can join the group if you are remotely interested in NMG, Micro Grants, or just looking to talk to interesting people. It's open, searchable and accessible. Please remember that all posts will be moderated. Be Nice.
• I fixed two bathroom health faucets this week as part of fixing broken things at home. Thanks to my father, I can do some plumbing and electrician work. It's so much easier to fix it yourself than calling someone. 
• I contributed some imagery to the panoramax project. It's like Street View but is open and free.
• Many think the role of primary caretaker (also called mother) or secondary caretaker (father) is based on gender. It confuses me a lot. I sometimes act like a mother and, at other times, like a father, so it's easier to call me a parent than a mother or father.