OMG! I still have my DataLink watch somewhere. I remember thinking it was amazing and showing off all the phone numbers I’d programmed into it.

Will your code work with any flashing LED? Or does it need special hardware?

I like it. As others have said, it is a rebadged Mulvad. When I got it, Mozilla was slightly cheaper. The apps for Linux work well and the speed seems decent.

I think you’ve answered your own question - be less meticulous. Oh, and memorise less.

A good programmer knows where their knowledge boundaries are. For example, if you’re working in JavaScript, you probably don’t need to know bit-shifting.

A good programmer doesn’t know every feature; they know where to go to find that information. They know how to read the manual of an unfamiliar feature.

The most important thing you can do is do practical work. Build a website. Try new things. Look up how to implement something and then do it yourself. Find a project that interests you - like building your own website - that’ll stave off the fatigue.

You don’t need to memorise how to implement a linked-list - you need experience in building.

Good luck.

But you’re fine with WiFi providers doing the same?

There is no difference. You have a SIM with a unique ID. It connects to the network with that ID.

I suppose you could pay cash for a pre-pay SIM and then top it up by paying cash for vouchers. That would make it hard (but not impossible) to link you to the SIM.

But it depends on your threat model. From who are you trying to protect your privacy?

Yes, it is not possible for a USB-C charger to deliver too much power to a device. You should be able to use any USB-C device with any charger - with three caveats.

Firstly, not all USB-C chargers will go up to the maximum limit of your device. If you have a 5v 2A charger supplying 10Watts - that’s going to take a long time to fill your device.

Secondly, not all USB-C devices support all possible charging profiles. So you may have a charger which can give one device 65W but not another.

Thirdly, the cable matters. A cheap £1 cable isn’t going to be able to to charge at maximum power. Get a cable which is specified for the job.

Here’s my review of a USB-C charger which experienced these problems - https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2020/06/review-ylpower-87w-usb-c-charger-msh-87pd/

In the UK, you can use Curve. That gives you a physical or virtual card which proxies your existing Visa / MasterCards (not Amex).

But it doesn’t have an NFC app you can use on Android. As far as I can tell, there are no other virtual NFC payment apps.

And, of course, it doesn’t really improve your privacy posture. Your bank still knows who you spent with - as does Curve.

If you want a free fiver, you can use my Curve referral link - http://curve.app/join#D4MK9ZKN

I loved teaching Scratch. And I’ve written about DRAKON - https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/04/why-arent-there-more-visual-programming-languages-an-ode-to-drakon/

I think they’re useful for building algorithms. But the tools themselves aren’t powerful enough for anything too complicated. I hope that changes though!