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  • Hello Autumn! Recent favorites

    I don’t think I’ve ever done one of these posts on this blog, but I do enjoy a favorites round-up now and then. Now that September is here and it’s noticeably colder, I’d like to look back at some things that are bringing me joy in anticipation of the season getting even more cold and dreary. My list is going to be a little all over the place (since I don’t have any practice doing these things), but maybe in the future I’ll manage to keep it more locked in on the current season or maybe a theme. Who knows? Let’s just have a bit of fun with this!

    So here’s a short list of the things I’ve been thoroughly loving since the start of the season:

    • Japanese manicure kit. My sister got it for me on my birthday. I’m not a big fan of gel manicures. Not since that time when, instead of my regular nail tech, I got a newbie on her first day, who proceeded to injure all my fingers and give me a chemical burn. For a while I managed with minimal pampering and Essie nail polish. And now I get to have nice, natural, polished nails. It’s funny that this kit reminds me of a vintage manicure kit I saw once on TikTok. The main idea is that you polish your nails using some kind of paste and powder. The Japanese version has been patented, but I’m sure that with enough research I’ll find decent substitutes for the products. Sadly, whenever I look up the individual containers with the paste and powder to get spares, there’s always only one thing in stock, and I don’t fancy getting an entire kit again once I run out.
    • IQ puzzle game in a box. My sister got me this puzzle box a week ago, and I’m obsessed! It’s portable and very tactile – which I love – and there are at least 120 possible ways to fit or stack the puzzle pieces. Originally, my sister got the puzzle for herself but let me keep it and immediately proceeded to get two more for herself and our mother. I suggested that the next time they come over, we can pick a puzzle from the little booklet and compete to see who’ll complete it first. Don’t you just love a good puzzle?
    • Classical music live. Ever since moving to the countryside, I haven’t had much time to travel back and forth into the city. Then something happened, and the next thing I knew, I was back in Lviv. I decided not to waste that opportunity and organised a few cultural outings for my family. We went to the organ hall and listened to Bach, Vivaldi, Schubert, and my favorite Brahms. And this week we’re listening to a Japanese flute.
    • Dynasty on Netflix. Why is it so funny and almost unserious? Am I allowed to say that? It’s chockful of drama, but for whatever reason I can’t take this show seriously. Is it because it’s always so over-the-top and stretches the limits of how many plot twists one can fit into a single episode? Of course, it’s also very visually pleasing, and Elizabeth Gillies is fantastic as Fallon Carrington.

    Here’s what I’ve got for you today! Hope you enjoyed reading this list, and do share in the comments your own ideas of how to make this autumn more cosy.

    I’ll end this blog post with a TikTok video where I compiled a few clips from us seeing the Schubert-Brahms concert, performed by the Luhansk Symphony Orchestra, who are currently residing at the Lviv Organ Hall.

    @halyna.writes

    Happy Friday.

    ♬ original sound – Halyna

  • Today’s latest downgrade: What has AI done to Google search?

    Back in 2017, when I had my first serious blog, I used to pride myself on having decent organic traffic without really trying. In 2019, when I got my marketing job, I would share with my coworkers small tricks for using Google search to get valuable data. Now, in 2026 I can barely stand using Google. AI has ruined my experience and if I weren’t interested in maybe learning a bit of that AEO (answer engine optimization? really?), I would’ve turned off that feature long ago.

    Have you noticed that with the rabid push for everything AI-first, google search has become practically unusable? Or is it another trick to get us to train it by forcing ridiculous results that will put a saint into a state of rage? So you click on that tiny button and type up your ‘corrections’. You think to yourself that you’re doing something good for the community. But in reality you are providing free AI-training service to the companies who think that you drink too much water. Leave some for the data centers! Oh, why won’t anyone think of the data centers!

    Yes, that’s my experience, alright.

    The other day I was watching… What movie was it again? It was something on hoopla, probably. I’m just here trying to get the best use of my library card, and truth be told, I’ve been longing for a platform that streams more of the oldies and has a decent search feature.

    So, anyway… There was this one character who showed up in the ‘present day’ sequence, as if commenting on the things from the past, which were the actual story… Virgin Suicides! That’s what I was watching. So, I decided to google if that character was an addict, because at some point it seemed as if he was staying at some institution? And Google AI started explaining to me what is an ‘adult trip’, followed by another answer that was actually relevant…

    Of course, I didn’t think to grab a screenshot then and AI knows better now. But you must have noticed yourself, that if previously you could have a little trust in the algorithm as long as you put in the right keywords, but now you have to keep retyping your request and cater to the artificial ‘intelligence’ to help it help you.

    It’s called ‘prompt engineering’ and it’s a valuable skill in the modern workspace. I’m just wondering how does it make AI actually ‘intelligent’ if it can barely grasp the things that the old primitive google search had no trouble dealing with. I don’t want google to be a smart ass and explain to me the meaning of the search phrase that I put in quotation marks. I want it to give me web pages where that exact phrasing is used. I already know what it means. I do this to check frequency of use!

    Here’s another example! I started reading a book and came across a very odd phrase which seemed almost like some long forgotten idiom. I asked google and it said that it’s commonly used in literary translations and works of fiction. I add quotation marks. Ta-da! Two search results both mentioning the book I was reading. What is ‘common’ anyway?

    Now that I have all this typed up and ready to hit publish… I’m starting to regret using my government name for the domain name. Especially now that I’ve started a new career in tech… What if any of my coworkers see this and… gasp!.. I’m bashing AI! So, for disclaimer, this is a work of fiction and all events, incidents, and opinions are the products of the author’s imagination. If that’s not convincing enough, all this is just ragebait for engagement (and maybe a little organic traffic? please?).

    I think, that If we really want to have an informed opinion on AI, I’d suggest waiting for Erin Brockovich to complete her investigation first. And while we’re at it, let’s get some more research done on whether or not frequent AI use may cause permanent cognitive decline.

    This blog post won’t have any ‘moral to the story’ or witty conclusion. It’s just an observation on the current state of AI. And what have you noticed?

  • Career change later in life? Now is the time!

    I’m currently undergoing an intensive training course with prospects of employment in the IT industry. Well, this was supposed to be my career path five years ago, before it got derailed by marketing. Now, it feels like I’m finally back on track and ready for a big change. You know how they say that no one wants to hire you after you’re past the age of 35? That’s neither true, nor representing of the current reality. I’ve experienced it. I’ve seen it happen in my immediate community. I see it brought up in career talk all the time. And now I’d like to add my two cents into the discussion.

    (more…)

  • Returning to my Instagram art account… or something like that

    I’ve had this account for longer than I can remember. I feel kinda bad for changing the username a few times. It was back when I wasn’t too sure about what to do with my art and writing. I was trying to keep things separate, and then throwing everything in one pot. I simply couldn’t decide.

    And now I’m kinda trying something again. I haven’t decided what’s the purpose of this art account. I mean… other than a place to post my art experiments until I can figure out what I’m doing.

    So here it is.


  • Shy efficiency will get you accused of cheating

    Sadly, this is something I’ve been dealing with constantly throughout my life.

    I remember in the third year of university I had this practical course… I’m not even sure what we were doing exactly. I can’t remember. But usually the class dynamics would go like this:

    1. Professor assistant explains a new topic
    2. Asks if the class understands the material
    3. Whoever doesn’t understand the material, goes up to the blackboard and solves examples with PA’s help
    4. We do practical assignments on our own time
    5. Submit reports
    6. In the final exam you solve a few equations

    That pretty much was the entire scope of the class. So, imagine my surprise, when after completing the course and getting my excellent grade, it was reported back to me by other students, that the PA was going around all the other groups telling them the magnificent story of how I redeemed myself after she thought I was a cheater.

    You see… only those who had trouble understanding the material, were told to solve equations in front of the class. I never did. So I completed my assignments and submitted reports. During the final exam, the PA asked me to sit right in front of her and do the task in my notebook, while two other students were doing theirs on the blackboard. She gave me the assignment and turned away to help another student.

    Two minutes later, she turned back to me and said: “Why aren’t you doing the assignment?”

    To which I replied: “I’m done.”

    I walked out of that auditorium having no idea that anything was happening behind the scenes. In the meantime, the PA would tell anyone who cared to listen, that she assumed I was dumb and paid for all my reports. And of course, I “surprised” her by actually solving the damn equation in under two minutes while sitting in front of her, while she was helping her star student who was confused in front of the blackboard.

    Take what you want from this story.