Martin Kollie


# Model Naming Explained

You've browsed the Ollama homepage and are unsure of which model to download. There are a bunch of options: Like should you get the q4_K_M or fp16? What does this all mean?

Luckily most models follow a similar naming convention. For example, let's look at a Llama model series:

llama3.3-70b-instruct-q4_K_M
model name - number of parameters - fine-tuned type - quantization type

## Parameters
This is the 70b model which means 70 billion, which is an indication of the capacity and complexity of the model. Higher numbers typically perform better but also require better hardware.

## Instruction Model
An instruction model is a type of large language model that has been fine-tuned to closely follow instructions or prompts given by the user. If you want to chat with it like ChatGPT, then an instruct model is probably the best choice.

## Quantization Type
Quantization is used to compress the model. There are different levels to it. Q4 stands for 4-bit quantization. It's a good balance between performance and accuracy.

Some types explained:
- **fp16** - is full precision 16-bit floating point. This is the least compressed and highest quality, hence the massive file size.
- **q** - refers to the quantization levels.
- This model has q2 all the way to q8. Higher levels require more memory.
- **Suffixes**:
    - *0 or 1* - uniform quantization
    - *K* - refers to the quantization method K-quant
    - (*_S*, *_M*, *_L*) Small, Medium or Large - Block size (small: low memory usage, lower precision)


If not specified, it's usually **q4_K_M** by default.

Quantization is similar to watching a 1080p video vs. a 720p video vs. 480p. You are making tradeoffs between quality (resolution) vs. size/accuracy.

Higher quantization can give you better results but may require more computing power. For most use cases, you want to go for q4_K_M, which offers a good balance between performance and accuracy. This is also the default quantization for most models.

Here's a table with what the values mean:

<table class="overflow-x-hidden">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Category</th>
      <th>Size</th>
      <th>Quantization Method</th>
      <th>Quality Impact</th>
      <th>Recommendation</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Q2_K</td>
      <td>smallest</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>extreme quality loss</td>
      <td>Not Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q3_K/Q3_K_M</td>
      <td>very small</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>very high quality loss</td>
      <td>Not Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q3_K_S</td>
      <td>very small</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>very high quality loss</td>
      <td>Not Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q4_0</td>
      <td>small</td>
      <td>Uniform</td>
      <td>very high quality loss</td>
      <td>prefer using Q3_K_M</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q4_1</td>
      <td>small</td>
      <td>Uniform</td>
      <td>substantial quality loss</td>
      <td>prefer using Q3_K_L</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q4_K_S</td>
      <td>small</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>significant quality loss</td>
      <td>Not Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q4_K/Q4_K_M</td>
      <td>medium</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>balanced quality</td>
      <td>Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q5_0</td>
      <td>medium</td>
      <td>Uniform</td>
      <td>balanced quality</td>
      <td>prefer using Q4_K_M</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q5_1</td>
      <td>medium</td>
      <td>Uniform</td>
      <td>low quality loss</td>
      <td>prefer using Q5_K_M</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q5_K_S</td>
      <td>large</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>low quality loss</td>
      <td>Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q5_K/Q5_K_M</td>
      <td>large</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>very low quality loss</td>
      <td>Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q6_K</td>
      <td>very large</td>
      <td>K-quant</td>
      <td>extremely low quality loss</td>
      <td>Not Specified</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Q8_0</td>
      <td>very large</td>
      <td>Uniform</td>
      <td>extremely low quality loss</td>
      <td>Not Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>F16/FP16</td>
      <td>extremely large</td>
      <td>N/A</td>
      <td>virtually no quality loss</td>
      <td>Not Recommended</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>F32/FP32</td>
      <td>absolutely huge</td>
      <td>N/A</td>
      <td>lossless</td>
      <td>Not Recommended</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

[LLAMA.cpp Github reference](https://github.com/ggerganov/llama.cpp/blob/5f6e0c0dff1e7a89331e6b25eca9a9fd71324069/examples/make-ggml.py#L16C1-L37C51)


## Now you should be able to tell

deepseek-r1:70b-llama-distill-q4_K_M

Oooh, that's the **DeepSeek R1 70 billion parameter model distilled** into Llama with q4 K-quantization of a medium size which offers a good balance between performance and accuracy.


technology

LLM Naming Explained (What do the options mean?)



Wow, I finally did it after 4 years of trying. Longest attempt before this was about [60 days](/blog/10k-steps-everyday-for-60-days). It took many attempts. I've walked 10k steps every day for 365 days in a row. One day missed means the whole streak resets. I've gained so many benefits: improved sleep, improved mood, calves, 6-pack.

Why walk 10k steps? It's recommended. Why is it recommended? Well it's because 10K sounded good when they were marketing a pedometer made in Japan in the 60s. But it turns out it's the perfect amount of steps to walk. I started the challenge in June 2023.

## Splits

Sometimes, I walk all 10k at once, and sometimes I like to do 3k in the morning and 7k in the evening. It takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes to walk 10k steps, so I need to plan each day accordingly. For me, that's about 700 calories burned.

## Tracking

I got my first fitness tracker in 2018 and have been wearing one ever since. My Fitbit Charge 2 lasted from 2018 to 2023 then it broke. I then decided to get an Apple Watch to replace it. I used an app to transfer all my steps from Fitbit to Apple Health which worked quite smoothly.

* I track all my steps using a Fitbit & Apple Watch. (I also tried to do the daily move goals of 800 calories which I have a streak of 380 days.)
* Apple Watch doesn't give you streak info, so I used StepsApp for streak tracking.

Apple Watch has this feature called Move rings. I've closed all rings so far since I got it. It also has monthly challenges; some of them were quite brutal. They are like "walk 8.6km 14 times this month." Which means that's around 12k steps instead of 10k steps.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last year I set a goal for myself to walk 10k steps every day for a year without missing a day. <br>Today I completed it. <a href="https://t.co/QKCB0V0ZTW">pic.twitter.com/QKCB0V0ZTW</a></p>&mdash; Martin (@martkoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/martkoll/status/1800678755196895722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2024</a></blockquote>

## Benefits

I've walked after dinner which helps digestion. I've walked in the morning which helps you wake up. 

It's also:
* Good for thinking through things
* Better sleep
* More energy throughout the day
* Lose fat. I've lost a lot of fat. It's my only form of cardio and I managed to get a 6 pack just from walking.
* I also started going to the gym 3x a week in September 2023.


## Shoe Review

I've gone through a lot of shoes. I've walked in flat soles and running shoes. Flat soles are good for strengthening feet. Running shoes make it seem very effortless, but I think they run out of mileage very quickly.

* Vans Men's Atwood Trainers
* New Balance Men's 500v1 Core Trainers
* Under Armour Men's UA Surge 3 Running Shoes
* Nike Pegasus
* Nike Pegasus Goretex

Under Armour Men's UA Surge 3 Running Shoes are cheap running shoes and messed up my feet the most. I don't recommend them; they offer little support.

When it's raining my favorites are Nike Pegasus Goretex. (Shoutout to Ben from Acquired Podcast who recommended them in a podcast). They're really good at keeping your feet dry when it's raining.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Listening to the <a href="https://twitter.com/AcquiredFM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AcquiredFM</a> Nike episode just really made me buy a pair of Nike running shoes. (I prev used to get Adidas.) <a href="https://t.co/1MNVxFLmeQ">pic.twitter.com/1MNVxFLmeQ</a></p>&mdash; Martin (@martkoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/martkoll/status/1717629128784986511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2023</a></blockquote>

<div class="flex justify-between gap-2">
<figure width="100%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2024-06-04-10000-steps-for-a-year/liked-tweet-shoes.png" alt="Tiktok results" >
<figcaption class="mt-1 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 font-light text-sm">Shoutout to Ben from Acquired Podcast who recommended them in podcast</figcaption>
</figure>

</div>

I loved the New Balance shoes the most, but they got caught in a treadmill while I was running and they ripped. They have the perfect balance and have a wide toe box which is good.


## Walk Review

**Pain**  
The first 2 months or so were hard. My ankles started to hurt around day 300. It's okay now at day 320. It didn't take me out, just took time to get used to it. Sometimes you get sick. I've had 3 colds in this period. I still managed to walk. It actually helped ease symptoms. It's very easy now.

**Near misses**  
I've almost missed my steps a couple of times. I had to run to get them before midnight.

**Walking paths**  
I usually walk to a destination and back. I find it easier rather than doing laps as you may be tempted to go home. I found it easiest when I had a destination to go to e.g. post office, supermarket, etc. Whenever I needed to go somewhere I would just plan it as the walking route.

**Treadmill**  
I've tried doing 5k steps on the treadmill which can be quite boring. I like the outdoors.

**Update April 2025:** I'm now on about day 650+. Let's see if I can do 1000 days.

lifestyle

I Walked 10K Steps Every Day for a Year



I've walked at least 10,000 steps every day for 60 days straight. At a leisurely pace, it takes around 90 minutes to complete the 10,000 steps. Sometimes it's spread throughout the day, and sometimes I do them all at once.

Some days, I didn't feel like walking, but I did it anyway. The hardest step is often leaving the house. Once outside, it's easy.

In 2018, I purchased a FitBit Charge 2, a fitness tracker you wear on your wrist that tracks your sleep, heart rate, steps, and exercise, and makes it very easy to be fit through gamification. Since I've purchased it, I've gotten a lot more active.

I've been on-and-off and noticed that when I'm active, I feel better. I find it easiest to walk every day and maintain a streak.

## Why I Walk
I started actively trying to reach 10,000 steps in 2020 during the pandemic. I found it immensely helpful. At the start, my legs and feet used to ache every night, but now I've built muscle, and I can do it with ease.

There is now a metric for the amount of exercise I do. It is important to find one thing to be consistent in. Every time I stay consistent, I notice benefits: more focus, clearer thoughts, and better sleep. I've also noticed that I don't get exhausted on inclines anymore.

## What I've Learned
I've tried walking with music, with podcasts, and without anything. I find that walking with no music is really good for self-reflection.

In the morning, it makes a huge difference. I've listened to Andrew Huberman's podcast, and he mentioned that going for a walk in sunlight shortly after waking provides a natural, consistent energy boost that does not diminish over time. Essentially, it can be as effective as coffee.

This month marks my longest streak of 60 consistent days. Not too bad. I'm going to keep going.

**Update:** I've lost the streak but started a new one and [manage to do it for over a year](/blog/10k-steps-every-day-for-a-year).


I Walked 10,000 Steps Every Day for 60 Days


## Introduction

I filmed a short-form video to promote my tech startup, <a href="https://tintage.com" target="_blank">Tintage</a>. It took a couple of tries to get it right, and I'm going to share my process and what I learned.

## How to Get a Ton of Views on TikTok?

To get views, your video must be promoted by the algorithm, which looks at:

- Viewer retention
- Engagement
- Likes and shares

TikTok provides these metrics, which can be used to improve your future videos.

## Filming the Video

Sound quality > Lighting > Camera quality

People won't continue to watch if they can't hear what you're saying.

Being on a tight budget means I don't have fancy lighting equipment or a camera. So, I decided to film in my car with my iPhone 7. I chose my car as it provides a good acoustic environment and natural light. I also taped my microphone to the steering wheel for better audio.

## Version 1: The First Attempt

I attempted to keep the video engaging. The first few seconds are the most important.
Despite my efforts, the first version didn't perform well.

I started it with a hook:

"Do you want a rare username?"

Looking at the statistics, this helped keep people watching, as the average view duration was **5.5** seconds.

It seems like TikTok stops promoting it on the "For You Page" after 24 hours.

<div class="flex justify-between gap-2">
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-11.png?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
<figcaption class="mt-1 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 font-light text-sm">Results for the first video</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-12.png?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
</figure>
</div>

At the end of the day, it ended with around **67 views**, **2 likes**, and **0 shares** (the two likes were from myself :p). That's no good.

## Version 2: Re-editing the Video

I re-edited the video to make it more interesting. I added B-roll footage, captions, and cut out the boring parts.
I also added music (produced by myself) and a bunch of sound effects: swooshes, dings, and ca-chings to emphasize the points.
Half-way through the video, I stopped the music and added reverb to emphasize the point that "It is more than just a link in bio site".

I then looked at the analytics of the TikTok and discovered that the average view duration was **5.5 seconds**.

At this timestamp, I was explaining what it was:

"Tintage allows you to create your own page for yourself or for your business."

The part must've been boring, so I cut out that entire segment. It's understandable; viewers probably thought, "Ugh, I've seen this before."

<div class="flex justify-between gap-2">
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-21.jpg?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
<figcaption class="mt-1 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 font-light text-sm">Results for the second video</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-22.jpg?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
</figure>
</div>

At the end of the day, it gained **320 views**, **8 likes**, and **0 shares** before the views finally stopped.

**All Techniques I Used**

* Use a hook to keep people watching.
* Use text to engage the viewer.
* Make sure something interesting is always happening on the screen to re-engage attention.

## Version 3: Final Attempt

The next day, I reduced the video from **23.3 seconds** to **19.6 seconds** by cutting out the part at 6.7s, which is when people stopped watching.

Now, before I share the final result, let's compare it to the previous videos:

Video 1: **67 views**, **2 likes**, **0 shares**, **5.5 seconds** average watch time

Video 2: **320 views**, **8 likes**, **0 shares**, **6.7 seconds** average watch time

Video 3: **370 views**, **32 likes**, **2 shares**, **7.2 seconds** average watch time

Here are the results after posting it:

<div class="flex w-50">
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-3.jpg?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" width="50%" >
<figcaption class="mt-1 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 font-light text-sm">Results for the third video</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>

It's an improvement as the average viewer duration increased, but it is still disappointing.

## Instagram Reels

Instagram recently released a new feature called Reels. It's basically a TikTok clone. I decided to post it there and see what happens. I <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd9sB7rFtrY/" target="_blank">posted</a> it to Instagram Reels and gained **18.8k views** and **643 likes**.

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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cd9sB7rFtrY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Tintage – Sell From Your Bio (@tintagehq)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>



Marketing

How I used TikTok Retention Stats to Increase Views


**Tintage**: Your All-In-One Platform for Online Presence and Sales

Tintage revolutionizes how you establish your online presence, sell digital products, and collect payments from your audience. In an era where time spent on platforms surpasses browser usage and social media profiles are limited to a single link, Tintage understands the value of that prime real estate.

**What is Tintage?**

Tintage is more than just a platform; it's your digital storefront, tailor-made for the social media age. It empowers you to:

- **Link in Bio**: Showcase all your links on one page with our 'Link in bio' functionality.
- **Integrated Online Store**: Comes with a comprehensive solution for order management and a dashboard for tracking.
- **Customization**: Brand your store exactly the way you want.

With Tintage, you get a personalized store page where you can list and sell your products. Accepting payments is seamless and secure, with options like Card payments, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

**Why Choose Tintage?**

I’m developing Tintage because I realized the need for a straightforward, quick solution to set up an online shop and community. It shouldn't take a week to launch your digital presence. With Tintage, anyone can set up a site in minutes, list their products and services, and start earning.

Tintage offers a direct sales approach, setting it apart from typical digital marketplaces. It's not just a selling platform; it's also a tool for influencers and content creators to share affiliate links and connect their digital profiles.

As of now, I’ve developed both an app and a web app from scratch, ready to welcome users and entirely bootstrapped.

**How Does Tintage Stand Out?**

Comparing Tintage with platforms like Shopify, eBay, Depop, and Etsy:

- **Increased Sales**: We make it easy for your customers to purchase items.
- **No Competing Products**: Unlike other marketplaces, we won’t recommend your competitors' products to your customers.
- **Ease of Use**: Get started right from your phone.
- **Full Branding and Customization**: Make your store truly yours.
- **Custom Shipping Rates**: Set shipping rates that work for you.

### How Does It Work?

1. [Create and customize](https://tintage.com) your store page. Choose your title, description, and background color.
2. Add your products. Define the price, title, description, stock levels, upload images, and set shipping rates.
3. Connect your bank account to receive payments directly through Stripe.
4. Share your unique link with your audience or customers, and start selling.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Alright. I need to finish this thing. I&#39;m building a platform called Tintage which I started about 3 months ago. I&#39;ll start tweeting progress updates from now. The goal is to launch by the end of the year. I&#39;ve got 1 week from now.</p>&mdash; Martin (@martkoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/martkoll/status/1341914392808615937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2020</a></blockquote>




<div style="position: relative; padding-top: 56.25%;">
    <iframe style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" 
        src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f4VJd1PPGaA?si=MGh2m8ZAvkHQ4rG7" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>

Startup

Introducing Tintage


As a programmer, the keyboard you use is important. Having the right keyboard can greatly improve your productivity.

Back in 2013, the keyboard I had at the time was a generic Logitech. I read online about mechanical keyboards and about how great they are.

The different types of switches:
- **Blue** - Tactile, clicky - Good for typing and gaming.
- **Brown** - Tactile, non-clicky.
- **Red** - Clicky.

Mechanical keyboards cost significantly more than regular keyboards. I discovered the [/r/MechanicalKeyboards](https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards) subreddit. For my usage, I needed blue switches. I spent weeks searching for the best mechanical keyboards. Then, I saw Razer was doing a sale.

I managed to get my first mechanical keyboard, the Razer Blade Blackwidow Ultimate, at the Razer sale for quite a steal. When I got the keyboard, I was amazed at how clicky and responsive the keyboard is. It comes with extra function keys and backlighting. My WPM (words per minute) improved greatly. I headed onto [Typeracer](https://play.typeracer.com) and won a couple of matches. Also, it is excellent for gaming. The first game I played with it was Bioshock Infinite.

Maintenance was another chore you have to do when you own a mechanical keyboard. The spacing between keys allows crumbs and dirt to fall through and build up. Cleaning it was easy; I watched a quick tutorial online. Simply pull all the keys off and soak them in water, then clean the inside with cotton swabs. And you’re done (if you remember to put the keys back in the right order).

In 2015, I made the switch to Mac. I decided to get a MacBook Pro when I started university (sorry, PC) and have been using macOS as my primary operating system ever since. I hooked up my two monitors to my laptop and bought an Apple Keyboard.

I’ve been alternating between the Apple Keyboard and the Razer Black Widow. At first, I was a bit annoyed at the default keyboard mapping: Alt being mapped to Option and Ctrl being mapped to Command. I decided to remap them by swapping the keys in keyboard preferences. Perfect, now I was still missing something.

**Apple Keyboard vs. MacBook Pro 2015 Keyboard**

There is a noticeable difference between the two keyboards. The keyboard on the MacBook Pro feels a lot mushier, whereas the keys on the Apple keyboard are more tactile.


2025	Tintage - Fast Motion Graphics tintage.com Fastest way to create motion graphics
	Health Exporter - Fast Apple Health Export App Store Fastest way to create motion graphics
	Tintage Advertising - Find Sponsors tintage.com/find-sponsors Find places to advertise your business
2024	SoundRoster (Coming soon) soundroster.com Music sharing and discovery
2023	Tintage iOS Inactive Download on the App Store Online Store Builder App
2020	TikCharts tikcharts.com TikTok Music Charts
	Default App Manager Get it on Google Play Set and clear default Android apps
2019	GANSketch Inactive Watch Video In-browser AI-powered drawing
2017	Retro Notes Get it on Google Play Windows 95 Style note taking app for Android
2012	Desk Dock Inactive Get it on Google Play Dock for Android (My First App)

Projects

2025

Tintage - Fast Motion Graphics

Health Exporter - Fast Apple Health Export

Tintage Advertising - Find Sponsors

2024

SoundRoster (Coming soon)

2023

Tintage iOS Inactive

2020

TikCharts

Default App Manager

2019

GANSketch Inactive

2017

Retro Notes

2012

Desk Dock Inactive

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