About the Author
Last update : 6/3/2025
Personal intro
First, lemme list some things about me:
- Somehow careful enough not to drop devices 90% of the time, yet occasionally clumsy enough to drop other stuff - pry tools, ballpoint pens, typos.
- A pessimistic man in his 20s
The word "man" above may refer to either human or male. Definitely the former tho.
- Totally not lazy, just not easily inspired
- Might have too many hobbies to the point they clash with everything
- Tries to embrace pragmatism in life as much as possible (while trying to avoid as much bad stuff as possible)
- La Weeblist (a.k.a. the entertainment stuff I've "consoomed")
- Contact infos
- Frequently(?) Asked Questions
- Open source vs proprietary
- Personal archive of Ryo's article about piracy (which mostly shares my opinion on piracy)
Then, here's the list of shit I like:
- Gundam, & by extension, GunPla. Mainly SEED, but also 00 - I like their Gundam designs. Universal Century's cool too, up to Unicorn's era. Don't get me started on Build Fighters series, that shit's story is too cheesy (but at least there's some good ones, such as Lightning Gundam).
- Games, mainly offline ones (I particularly like action, adventure, racing, RPG, and visual novel). The only online game I could stand is Fate/Grand Order, mostly due to the obscenely rich character roster & storyline. Though at some point I felt that it was too much (the compromises I had to deal with in return for being able to play FGO), so I ended up quitting (and went back in again thanks to some unwanted influence).
- The Fate series (nasuverse). No matter where you start, you're getting spoilers of something at some point, so start wherever you like (or start with the Fate/Stay Night visual novel & spend hundreds of hours reading a visual novel).
- Simple & easy to use software. I prefer open source, but closed source is fine as long as it doesn't phone home.
- Reading stuff - that got me stuck in Fate/GO and Rainstorms in July.
And, on the flip side, here's the list of things I abhor:
- Tobacco products like cigars, cigarettes, etc.. They smell like toxic shit & causes a shit-ton of issues (such as health, financials, ethics, etc.).
- Privacy-hostile software, regardless whether they're proprietary / not. Admittedly, a good chunk of these privacy-hostile stuff are proprietary, but then again...
- Onions - not the T.O.R. onion, but the edible onion. Applies to chives, leeks, scallions, & shallots too; but somehow not garlic.
- Shit music played in public areas.
- Streaming media, such as Netflix & Spotify.
- DRM (digital rights/restriction management). I also mentioned Netflix & Spotify above, so let me link Stallman's article regarding Netflix & Spotify.
- Social media, particularly dis-social media like Fashebook, Twatter, Instaounce. This unfortunately means I am probably going to remain absent from the Fediverse.
- Game cheats - sure, it's probably fun to play with cheats. However, there's no glory in winning games with them. That's something I discovered long ago, back when I was playing Mario Kart on a DS with cheats. Initially, I enjoyed the win, but I felt unsatisfied at the same time, as if I'm unfairly steamrolling through what should and/or could have been a challenge. As for framerate cheats... let's just say that I'd probably use it, though only for specific cases like Test Drive Unlimited in PSP (where the framerate is hardcapped to 20FPS).
TL;DR : I'm not cool with using cheats (except framerate cheats if necessary), though I'm not opposed to its development.
- Cellphones. It all started with me starting to really like Android in the Oreo era (which eventually led me to the Poco F1), flashing ROMs starting with Pie (all just to make Fate/GO work on the F1, which initially didn't in MIUI because I forgot to disable USB debugging), getting serious about it in A10 (losing AppOps but getting a proper theme customization in return), and beginning to hate it in A12 with Material "Papa Goolag WILL not let you theme" You, and really hating it with A13 finally combining keyboard vibration with navbar & app drawer.
The dates on the site uses the DD-MM-YYYY format.
My devices
Here are the list of the devices I'm using, along with their current functions & what they're currently running. It mostly mirrors my old cellphone list, but with the previously mentioned additions, in addition to their live/dead status.
Currently active cellphones :
Currently active computers :
- Lenovo Thinkpad T470
Currently used for working on the site, as my daily driver PC.
Artix Linux with stock BIOS/UEFI
- Lenovo Thinkpad X270
Currently used to battle-test some newfangled fork of the AME script.
Windows 10 "Pro" 2004 (with said AME script); with stock BIOS/UEFI
- Lenovo Thinkpad X220
Artix Linux with modded stock BIOS/UEFI
The Switch "ecosystem" :
- Nintendo Switch V2
Since Skyline isn't fully convincing for me at the moment, I decided to get my own Switch (and leave the OLED Switch to the sibling who brought it from Japan). The soldered USB-C port sucks.
- Ipega PG-SW006 Joycon
Shared stuff :
- The Housemates
- Me / Bob
- Me / Lukas
- Poco X3 Pro (6/128).
Left for... experiments. After Lukas obtained a 8/256 variant.
- ASUS ROG Strix G531GD ‐ Windows 10 "Pro" 2004, tuned up to disable forced updates; with stock BIOS/UEFI (shared between the 3 of us like it's a home computer)
- Samsung Galaxy A50S
Brought back from death by Bob's suggestion (and me replacing its battery & charging port), with Lukas setting it up for YouTube downloads (and Aurora Store for those FGO split apks) afterwards. Any of us wanting to download it carries it for the day, but must move our downloads (except for all Aurora Store downloads, it stays in the device until a newer version comes) to our own personal computers (not the "home computer") by the end of the day and leave the A50S.
- Sir Ed
- Poco X3 NFC - BaikalOS 13.3 8/9/2024 (with 5/8/2024 security patch); 4.14.316 stock kernel
Used to be Bob's until he traded it away to Lukas, and mine before it's Bob's. And now it's Ed's after Lukas crashed in a WMMT6RR VS (or something like that).
Other peripherals (a.k.a. the rest of my so-called "ecosystem") :
- 7hz Salnotes Zero (x2; 1 currently deployed with Kinera Celest Jimo 3.5mm cable with full media controls)
The mic/media module looks kinda like Moondrop Chu's & chin slider is too loose. That's probably my only nitpicks on the original cable, which has since been replaced by Kinera Celest Jimo following an accident that literally halved said cable.
- Anker Powerline+ USB-C to USB-A 3.0 (0.9m)
A decent USB-C to USB-A cable for everyday purposes (cellphone charging, USB debugging, data transfer).
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X (with aftermarket cable that supports mic & media controls and a Brainwavz earpad)
Obtained by trading in my CalyxOS-infested Pixel 3 to Bob, who regretted buying the M50X out of hype. So far, it's kinda profitable for both of us - he gets a performant (albeit restrictive) FGO cellphone (eventually he moved his FGO stuff back to his OP3T); while I get a decent (but underwhelming) wired over-ear headphone (and a fixed up X220).
- E-YOOSO Z94 98% Mechanical Keyboard (red switch)
Bob claimed my Rexus KX-5... just in time for me to get hesoyam'd for this one. (I mean, it just so happens that I got enough of a bonus that I can afford to cut some of my disposable income on this keyboard).
- j5create JUCX01 USB-C to USB-C
Pretty much the best (according to personal anecdote about it lasting for upwards of 3 years) USB-C to USB-C cable I've ever used (mostly thanks to a positive review from some USB C reviewer in Google+ / the botnet named after a rainforest), dating back to 2018 (and still charging my USB-C devices).
- Sandisk microSD cards
- 64GB Sandisk Ultra microSD (without A1) to store stuff for testing; formatted in exFAT to test out AetherSX2 before it lands on my X3P.
- 256GB Sandisk High Endurance microSD for my daily driving (mostly storing music, some console games for emulators, and setup files) on the X3P; came in exFAT.
- 256GB Sandisk Extreme microSD
It got wonky soon after it was formatted from FAT32 to exFAT, refusing to work with my devices if half full. 31/10/2023 update : File-related issue, reformatted & works again. exFAT support is all over the place on Android.
- Sandisk Dual Drive OTG (64GB)
- Sony DualSense with Dobe phone clamp
Mostly used as an external controller for playing emulators using the X3P, though occasionally used alongside DS4Windows for playing some Windows games. The Dobe clamp is a bit janky in terms of build quality (and also prevents mounting phone coolers), but works fine for keeping the X3P & DualSense together (the weight balance is biased toward the X3P); while the controller works finely (mostly when plugged in to X3P with a C-to-C cable, though the headphone needs to be plugged in the X3P's jack after the controller or there will be no audio).
- UGREEN USB-A / USB-C 2-in-1 microSD/SD card reader
- Ultimate Power TC108 Elite
Kinda like my old RAVPower charger, but trades in 2 USB-A ports for another USB-C port that pumps out 100W on its own, or 60W if both USB-C ports are used at the same time. The blue LED can be disturbingly bright at bedtime.
- Razer DeathAdder Essential
Razer's entry-grade mouse. Works finely on Linux & Windows (and Android, especially when TWRP on Pixel 3 isn't responding to touch input), although it'll prompt to install Razer Synapse (only once, AFAICR) on the latter if it's plugged in while the PC is online.
The graveyard (dead / given up stuff) :
- Asus Zenfone 6 2019 (ZS630KL / I01WD)
The OG pocketbox, until it was given up as spare parts due to its unreliability.
- BlackShark FunCooler BR11
Mostly used to cool down cellphones when charging and/or gaming, hooked up to some from-the-box USB cable. Cannot be attached if the cellphone is docked to DualSense with phone clamp.
- Google Pixel XL
Once used as the clearnet communications device (proprietary soydev stuff that I don't link to my personals), until its death by inability to find replacement display.
- Google Pixel 3 - official LineageOS 19.1 12/9/2023
I should also add that this Pixel 3 is actually the Japanese model, with the normally noisy camera. 18/12/2023 Update : Bob destroyed it, giving what's left of it to me with one clear message : "Do whatever you want with it as long as I never get to see you, let alone anyone in the room with another Pixel phone". Fortunately he didn't ask for anything else. Guess he won't mind seeing its carcass displayed "proudly" then.
- Khastadio ESW-01
Obtained it as replacement of Moondrop Chu after I threw out my currently useless X3N to Bob (who returned from his business trip with a bunch of these). So far, for its size, it sounds neat, though there's quite the cable noise (not as apparent when worn like the Moondrop Chu). I'm also not a big fan of the I-plug, since it interferes with landscape grip the most (depending on the phone's headphone jack placement). 8/9/2023 Update : ded.
- LG V30 (US998) - Havoc OS by supremmotu (28/11/2020 build); 4.4.153 stock kernel
The V30 is considered dead-ended thanks to developers chasing Sisyphean masochism in the most Herculean fashion possible by rushing towards the latest crap Android. That said, I gave it one last hurrah by reverting it back to the good old A10 (first RR, then Havoc) from the uncomfortable coffin of A13 it used to be in.
- Moondrop Chu (with mic)
For something that costs as much as a quarter of my Sennheiser Momentum (or somewhere around the Hammerhead V2's price at the place I got them), I somehow liked it better. Build quality is only slightly worse than the Momentum (owing to a fiddly earhook & lack of strain relief at the y-splitter; not to mention a lack of interchangeable cables that Chi-Fi fans consider unacceptable), but the audio, fit, and noise isolation seals the deal for me, making the Chu my newest daily driver... at least for now. Let's just hope it lasts longer than just 2 years.
8/9/2023 update : Just as I thought it died (or at least the left bud), turns out it's alive. Not that it matters much since I traded it in (plus a few bucks) for 2 pairs of 7hz Salnotes Zero.
- OnePlus 3T - Official LineageOS 18.1 5/3/2024; 3.18.124 stock kernel
- RAVPower 60W 5-port USB wall charger with USB-C
Decent charger for cellphone, but not so much for laptops; which usually asks for &#ge;45W (the USB-C port on the RAVPower can only supply up to 45W, and only if it uses that one port). Traded in for the Ultimate Power TC108 Elite.
- Razer Hammerhead Pro V2
It's not a bad in-ear headphone, if you can ignore the gaudy green cable, subpar buttons, & questionable noise isolation. 2/7/2022 Update : It died. Not going to be missed.
- Rexus Heroic RX-KX5 mechanical keyboard (w/brown switch)
Lost it to Bob in the same bet that took my OP6 away. Yes, it's my least lucky gamble of the year (2023?).
- Sennheiser Momentum Wired In-ear G
Pretty much my primary in-ear of choice... until I tried out Moondrop Chu. Decent sound & buttons (although the buttons may not work on Android if you got the i variant); and a rather pleasant red/black accent (if you didn't get the chrome version; the chrome version seem more stealthy).
- Sony Xperia XZ1 (AU SOV36; sealed bootloader)
In theory, the XZ1 has a good potential of reaching at least #3. However, due to the sealed bootloader, I cannot give the XZ1 any kind of modifications. In conclusion, it's useless for me, so I gave it up as spare parts. 1/4/2023 Update : Just remembered that I actually soft-bricked the SOV36 board by trying to invert navbar with ADB & not being able to reset it.
- Xiaomi Mi A1
The 2nd device I've modded, now dead. Rest in bits, you won't be missed.
- Xiaomi Mi A2
Yes, turns out I have an unfortunate habit of destroying phones, particularly those with my SIM card (which ended up in Bob's hands, otherwise he'd get his business trips since he lost his original SIM card & didn't have time to restore it). Turns out SD660 isn't as performant as I liked.
Current & tentative device wishlist :
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