Thanks for this article! I'm currently writing my Bachelor thesis, designing a new API for an existing architecture is part of my project. I've been considering going with GraphQL instead of just overhauling the current REST API and this is a pretty good starting point.
Vegan for 2+ years here, went from daily meat eater to entirely plant-based overnight because I can't do slow transitions lol. I used to have some digestive issues that the plant-based diet did wonders for, heartburn and nausea used to be daily occurences and are pretty much completely gone now - likely due to cutting out dairy which appears to be the biggest offender for issues like these. It's been easier to keep a stable weight which is probably because eating plant-based kinda forces you to cut out a lot of junk and convenience food since they're not that widely available yet. On the other hand there are a lot of meat and milk/cheese replacements available nowadays that should make the transition a lot easier.
Expect some gastrointestinal discomfort in the beginning, especially if you consumed a lot of meat and dairy before. From what I understand your gut flora needs time to adjust to the new diet, and your body likely isn't used to the amount of fiber and plant-based proteins which can cause some bloating and other issues for the first couple weeks, but this subsides and goes back to normal if you keep at it. I second the suggestion of checking out local cuisines from cultures with a vegetarian history, I've found that especially Asian cuisine offers a lot of variety and flexibility.
As for the effects beyond diet itself, I went through a hardcore activism phase when I just made the switch (and pissed off everyone around me :D) - but I've found that no matter if you do it for ethical, environmental, or health reasons, people usually don't really want to hear about it anyway. Let others open up the conversation, and direct them towards further resources (like Netflix documentaries) if they show interest. Vegetarian and vegan jokes get pretty boring pretty quick, nowadays I don't even register them anymore lol.
Bottom line, and back to diet, don't be afraid to try new foods and dishes, and make it your goal to find out what works for you - some swear on whole-foods plant-based (check out Dr. Greger for some good resources on this) while others are fine with a "junk food vegan" diet. It would be a good idea to get your blood levels checked (as with any other dietary change), you might need to take some extra precautions for B12 (at least) and possibly Vitamin D and iron but supplements are cheap and easily available so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Take as much time as you need, you're already taking the right steps towards better health and a more sustainable diet.
We use Jitsi at work and have rooms that sort of emulate our shared office rooms. Sometimes there will be pair programming via screenshare, other times people just hang out in there and occasionally ask a question or talk about interesting and funny things they stumble across while working. Maybe you could suggest something like this to your coworkers?
It mostly depends on who you're aiming the website at. Recruiters? Researchers? Conference organizers? People who use your software? Those will all be looking for different things so make sure to show exactly what they want to see.
I took an extremely minimal approach: Single page, text-only, no CSS, just a short introduction and contact info. The page is PGP signed and includes a tiny easter egg that a techie might notice but is inconspicuous enough to everyone else (I really tried not to make it seem pretentious lol) - it's all about "show, don't tell". https://besa.uber.space/
Have you thought about going part-time, if that's a possibility at all? You might be able to do the exact same amount of work you do now, in less time, with the same pay you'd have working full-time somewhere else.
Other than that, since you work from home, maybe you could see if polyphasic sleep works for you. I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard good results from others.
I would also suggest getting your bloodwork done to rule out any hormonal issues or nutritional deficiencies that could cause or exacerbate your fatigue, if you haven't already. Taking B12 and Vitamin D supplements might also help.
Ultimately, I don't think you're as unproductive as you think you are, but it's always shitty to feel like you're not reaching your full potential. Be aware of the symptoms and consequences of over/underworking (burnout/boreout). Good luck!
Coming from someone who never did any coding (beyond assignments in class) during college and learned it within a month after starting my first real job, you'll have to take on the role of mentor for them. One of the things holding me back from learning programming earlier was having no real "entry point", it's easy to get the basics (syntax etc) down but when it comes to actually applying them, I've found it incredibly helpful to have someone I could ask my "stupid" questions. Teaching yourself new things is a skill that comes with time (imo) but when you don't even know what you're looking for, it can be very hard to find that info yourself - so having someone looking over your shoulder who knows things like "oh there's already a built-in function for that" etc is invaluable. You should also get acquainted with the XY problem: https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-x...
And I second the daily standup suggestion, if only to keep the ball rolling & so everyone keeps track of their progress.
Nobody is barred from learning online, they can request a meeting to discuss coding. As long as they plan the questions in advance and don't interrupt every 5 minutes for a new question.
But programming involves so many questions if you are staying. It would be best to let them learn documentation and let them read open source code.
If you want to spend 24/7 on teaching coding, you should have a different profession :)
