As a CPA I can attest Excel is really useful for financial data analysis and problem solving. It takes time to learn, and there are limitations to manage, but when you know what you’re doing it really gets out of your way so you can focus your attention on the work product instead of the tool.

On how I got efficient, when I started my career I tried to optimize any task I had to perform repetitively, and after 3 years everything was pretty fast. After that I tried to optimize one process every month, and now I have a pool of ideas to pull from when problem solving.

Formal testing no, I could tell the case plate would get hot and my understanding is when the thermal mass stabilizes at a temp the fan would run as normal, so this adds a bit more mass but in a way that’s easier for the heat to passively dissipate

Nothing noticeable the heatsink weighs 15.5 grams

To me calls are more about efficiency, I prefer to have a call and talk through a complex issue for 15 min instead of needing 5+ back and forth emails over an afternoon to get everyone on the same page.

There’s a thermal tape layer that came on the heatsink, stuck to the aluminum sheet that makes contact with the main board. It’s not as efficient as the LTT custom one I got the idea from but it does work! And no, it doesn’t fit in the case anymore

The “front page” experience of seeing general news I should be aware of is getting better but it’s harder to find active niche communities as expected, and I wish there was combined or less fracturing with communities, like having to choose whether to follow technology@lemmy.ml or @lemmy.world since I would assume they’re somewhat redundant

The heat sink stays cooler than just the case plate since the fins dissipate better and the fin area has less contact surface when you do, can leave my fingers on it for 10-15 seconds vs the plate at 3-5 seconds, but with that said I have to purposefully reach for it, my hand never makes contact with it on accident