Nicolas Ventura

As of 17 February 2026, there have been 83 posts published.

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Maximize Luggage Space

16 February 2026 I can't find it now, but there was once an airline that measured carryon luggage a really interesting way to provide more flexibility. Basically, you measure the length, width, and height of your luggage and add them up all together. That total length could not exceed a certain length in order to be carried on the flight. So, how could you maximize your luggage space? Read more

Speed of Transit to Work

10 February 2026 A while ago, I wrote about how long it took me to take public transit to work compared to driving. Since then, Clipper cards (the payment method for transit in the Bay Area) have rolled out their 2.0 upgrade, which makes inter-agency transfers significantly cheaper, or even free. On the other hand, the bridge toll for driving has increased every year. Let's compare this again, with an interesting twist. On the ride to work, the weather was clear and sunny. On the ride home, it was raining. How much does poor weather conditions affect a commute in the Bay Area? You're about to find out. Read more

Switching from npm to Bun

28 January 2026 When I first heard of Bun, I thought, "it's just another one of the hundreds of JavaScript frameworks out there." And it is, sort of. So why is there so much hype? At least, relatively. If you're not a computer nerd, you probably think I'm talking about rolls of bread. It does have a fun name. Read more

How to Wake Up and Focus

18 January 2026 Many times, I find myself having a lot to do an simply not doing it. In fact, the more things that I have to do, the more I procrastinate, leading to just more things to catch up on. But once I get into the "flow state", my mind is so sharp and concentrated, and that's one of the best feelings. I don't get why my brain just doesn't want to get into the flow state on its own. I have my own tricks and I've done some a bit of online research to try to find out how to kick myself into gear. Read more

Flight Booking

17 January 2026 When you book a flight, you receive a 6-or-so digit confirmation number that is used to check in before boarding. You can also use the confirmation number to modify your flight details such as changing your seat, requesting upgrades, and even cancel your flight completely. The airline puts no effort into hiding this code. In fact, if you want to share your itinerary, your confirmation code will be right on the email or calendar event! Being able to modify your flight with just the confirmation code is a really unsafe practice that I think travelers ought to be able to opt-out of. Read more

nicfv Wrapped 2025

14 January 2026 Happy belated new year! Similar to my 2024 wrapped, let's recap on some of my achievements for 2025, another big year. Read more

Sugar Rush

09 January 2026 For Christmas, my girlfriend and I received a lot of gifts, most of them containing chocolate. Enough to give a man diabeetus or make your dentist cry. But just how much chocolate was it? Read more

Electricity Subscription

07 January 2026 Starting in March 2026, to comply with CA AB 205, all California residential utility companies will charge their customers (so, everyone that lives in the state) a Base Services Charge, including PG&E, my utility company. This base services charge is $24 per month per household (less for low-income customers) but PG&E claims that this will lower the cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour. But does this change actually save their customers money, or will it incentivize saving energy? Read more

New Year, New Website

03 January 2026 Happy 2026! It's been a long time since I've made a post here; but fear not. I have brought back my New Year's resolution of making one post per week for the year of 2026. You might notice that things are looking different around here. That's because I have moved off of mkdocs and set up a new static site generator with the goal of a simple, clean UI. Read more

Brownie Crust Ratio

03 October 2025 Do you like brownie crust? Or do you prefer the amazing, gooey, chocolatey "guts" of the brownie? There's only one right answer. But in case you're a crazy person, this guide will also help you to determine the optimal shape for your brownie pan. Read more