SloMoMonday's recent activity
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
SloMoMonday Link ParentThanks for the kefir suggestion. I wanted to try it out first and found a whole sugar-free beverage section at my local grocer. Grabbed a handful and been trying them with the guys at work. There...Thanks for the kefir suggestion. I wanted to try it out first and found a whole sugar-free beverage section at my local grocer. Grabbed a handful and been trying them with the guys at work.
There was a few types of kefir and the flavored options just didn't sit well with any of us. There are a some really good (and expensive) locally made ones and one brand even sold brewing kits so I might give it a try. But for now, there's a filling and cheap type called Ayran that I can buy by the pack.
Also had a bottle of kombucha last night and I'm very much a fan. It's a complex flavor and I was slowly sipping it over half an hour instead of downing the bottle in a few gulps. Also, my kid hates it so there's no risk of loosing half my drink.
Still need to try the coconut waters, berry/herb infusions, the maple water and a few cans of random Korean and Japanese drinks. It all feels a bit more adult than concentrated sugar water and there's plenty of options to play with.
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
SloMoMonday Link ParentThat's a very interesting perspective and I actually took the opposite path to cutting down intake. Instead of attributing positive emotions with hunger, I began considering excess as bad. It...That's a very interesting perspective and I actually took the opposite path to cutting down intake.
Instead of attributing positive emotions with hunger, I began considering excess as bad. It started when we had a bit of a crunch period at work last June and my boss was happy to get whatever food we wanted. After a few weeks of going nuts, I started to see my new XL shirts were already small. That just made the idea of heavy foods sickening.
It worked with near everything but I couldn't get over the sugar block on my own.
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
SloMoMonday Link ParentBeen eyeing a soda maker for a while so I might get a cheap one to try. Might make a little game of trying and mixing flavors. The trigger time is weird because that's just after lunch and it...Been eyeing a soda maker for a while so I might get a cheap one to try. Might make a little game of trying and mixing flavors.
The trigger time is weird because that's just after lunch and it sneaks up on me in almost all situations. My wife and coworkers keep emergency skittles and because I can get a bit scattered when I get a craving.
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Comment on Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption? in ~health
SloMoMonday Link ParentThe delivery apps are probably my biggest weakness, particularly on the weekend. There's 2 really good bakeries, 3 Boba places and a dozen really good local spots. The fact that I had a mini...The delivery apps are probably my biggest weakness, particularly on the weekend. There's 2 really good bakeries, 3 Boba places and a dozen really good local spots.
The fact that I had a mini crisis when deleting them now kind of says a lot but it's a temptation off the table. -
Does anyone have experience or advice on cutting sugar consumption?
In the last year I've made significant progress in my relationship with food. A massive part of it was simply cutting down calories and a little more exercise. And so far it's been pretty good....
In the last year I've made significant progress in my relationship with food. A massive part of it was simply cutting down calories and a little more exercise. And so far it's been pretty good. I'm down around 13kg(30lb), I'm fitting in a lot of my older cloths and issues like back pain and sleep apnea are getting back in line.
But for a while I've hit a plateau and it's feeling like a bit of a regression. Looks like the big blocker is my sugar consumption. I can stave off the craving for most of the day, but at 2.30pm on the dot I can't help but reach for chocolate, soda or an ice cream. And then I keep reaching for them till the end of the day. It's been getting worse lately and that slipping feeling really sucks.
I've tried cold turkey, fruits, alternatives, gum and a few other strategies but they all never stick.
I'm curious if anyone else has managed to make the cut and if there's any tips and tricks that helped keep you consistent. It's one thing to clear out the house, but the stuff seems to be at arms reach at all times. And there's always the weird blackout time between "I should not eat that" and "why the hell did I eat that".
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Comment on Unpopular opinion: "Show don't tell" isn't always the best strategy in ~books
SloMoMonday LinkThe way I see literature (and art in general) is that all of the Rules are just ways to define creative tools. Most new writers don't start by knowing every technique available and fall into...The way I see literature (and art in general) is that all of the Rules are just ways to define creative tools. Most new writers don't start by knowing every technique available and fall into cycles unintuitive prose. So we look for common features in successful writing that can be easily applied to other work.
Some tools are foundational to good storytelling. Some authors will specialize in around a few techniques and refine their work around them. Sometimes you'd want to purposely break the rules to communicate unique ideas or perspectives.
"Show, don't tell" is a very interesting writing style because, like you say, it trusts the reader to be able to comprehend what is shown. It doesn't really work for lore dumps or world building simply because the perspective is from the outside looking in. But when telling a story, it's often from the perspective of someone already on the inside, telling you what's happening as they see it. It's simple with a more grounded setting because we sort of share the same reality as the story.
But I'd argue it also works well in more fanciful stories because the reader is instantly thrown into a new world. They get to speculate and then discover the rules and it adds to the experience.
And as a writer, you need to guide the reader into the space and organically introduce ideas. So this method needs to be done in conjunction with other techniques. For example: Fish out of water, master and apprentice and children/childhood flashbacks are all plot devices that can be used to show people being told a story. There's plenty of stories and series that ramp up the complexity and by the end, you could probably inhabit that fantasy world with that cumulative knowledge.
But like you've probably noticed, there are stories that have not aged well or assume too much of the reader. However, I think it's fair to expect authors to write for their current audience. It's a bit presumptuous to assume a work of speculative fiction will be relevant even a few decades into the future. And the stories that do survive the ages tend to be inherently timeless but also undergo a lot of modernization. I doubt my copy of Homer's works are one to one retellings. But many of the core narratives, themes and ideas can still be understood all this time later.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SloMoMonday Link ParentMy wife is similarly interested in the game and it's pretty interesting since she's normally drawn to more narrative and cinematic titles. I think it was my whole ghost cat saga that grabbed her...My wife is similarly interested in the game and it's pretty interesting since she's normally drawn to more narrative and cinematic titles. I think it was my whole ghost cat saga that grabbed her attention because I was making it much harder than it needed to be.
But it's an incredible package and I'd discribe it as a game made for people who already understand the language of video games. There's so many little design decisions and little nods that is making a good majority of my experience intuitive and satisfying. I also seem to stumble into hidden mechanics long before I should and that has made some puzzles laughably easy.
I made it to the credit roll and seeing reviewers play time, it feels like I'm missing quite a bit. Will give it a bit of a break and jump in later.
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Comment on The unpunished: How extremists took over Israel (gifted link) in ~misc
SloMoMonday Link ParentIt's unfathomable just how stacked the deck is against the Palestinian people. Hell, even if there was a complete regime change to a fully sympathetic administration, there is no meaningful road...It's unfathomable just how stacked the deck is against the Palestinian people. Hell, even if there was a complete regime change to a fully sympathetic administration, there is no meaningful road to a Palestinian state.
There's no real global Islamic identity to leverage and beside middle eastern countries being exceptionally xenophobic, the global Muslim population is effectively impotent while the Saudis are aligned Israeli. Most local Muslim communities are plaged with politics and infighting and if a group takes a united stance against Saudis interests, they can easily be denied access to pilgrimage. And the Arabs really don't care beyond their borders. Like I remember a Dubai influcer telling people to pray for Palestine from their Superyacht. There's also rumors that outspoken opponents to the war are being denied Hajj visas but even that speculation is enough to temper peoples desire to help.
On top of that, the pro-Isreal PR machine is incredible at staying on message. Any mainstream channel covering a story has a considerable bias and public forums are immediately brigaded with the same handful of talking points. It's also one of the few bipartisan positions. No ammount of student protests and campaigning will change the governments course for the next decade at least.
And the worst part is that there's a pessimistic, conspiratorial part of me that believes none of the politics and ideology really matters and it would have happened regardless of who's in power. All that part of me sees is a false flag where a government kills a few hundred civilians and tens of thousands of foreigners to grab some prime land and build a fancy new port.
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Comment on I am worthless, I couldn't write a good article or draft to save my life in ~creative
SloMoMonday LinkDon't be hard on yourself. Hell, you just wrote a post snapshotting your situation, history, desires and insecurities. That little work resonated with peoples feelings and it was enough to move...Don't be hard on yourself. Hell, you just wrote a post snapshotting your situation, history, desires and insecurities. That little work resonated with peoples feelings and it was enough to move them to take action and respond. You put a part of yourself out there because you wanted to, which is more than a lot of people can say. So keep that up.
When it comes to actually writing and developing ideas, there a lot of strategies and techniques to call on. It just requires time and practice to figure out what works for you. But like a lot of people say, the one thing that always works is to write as much as possible. My personal favorite technique is to just say what I see.
Discribe what people are doing, their appearance, thier expressions. Then go a step beyond and imagine their thoughts and motivations. Then paint a story around that. Doesn't need to be some ground breaking work of fiction or even have to be published. You're just training your brain to construct narratives.
Beyond that, try to difine what you want to say and figure out how you manifest those ideas. Some people speak out thier thoughts and make sure to record it. Other people use post-it's or white boards to organize thier thinking. Other people need prompts and templates to jump start their creativity.
I use idea "blocks" and have "bins" to sort out different story elements. In practice that's folders of settings, themes, plots and characters and I like to mix and match them. It works for me writing narrative for games or world building. I don't find it suitable for traditional text storytelling but I'm not particularly interested in that.
But I the end, just keep making thing. Publish it. Get feedback. Even if it's bad, it's still more than what most people do.
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Comment on EA is looking at putting in-game ads in AAA games — 'We'll be very thoughtful as we move into that,' says CEO in ~games
SloMoMonday LinkThere's plenty of games with incredibly in-your-face ads. You could argue that Alan Wake 1 was an elaborate Duracell ad, Monster Energy is the official drink of post-apocalyptic American postal...There's plenty of games with incredibly in-your-face ads. You could argue that Alan Wake 1 was an elaborate Duracell ad, Monster Energy is the official drink of post-apocalyptic American postal services and there was even a Burnout game with Obama election signs. Like the article says, people don't really mind when the ad is thoughtfully placed and it's understandable when that money likely went to development.
But seeing that AAA studios can already afford development and the bean counters will never actually play the game, I'm curious what their thoughtful considerations are. What are advertisers are willing to pay for subtle background placement vs a main menu banner or full loading screens. Which advertiser are willing to pay premium for exposure young and impressionable audiences? How much of the experience can be compromised before it affects overall revenue?
Judging by the almost oppressive escalation of YouTube and mobile marketing, I really hope players keep pushing back against this idea.
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Comment on Kendrick Lamar - Meet the Grahams (2024) in ~music
SloMoMonday Link ParentI'm not even a rap/hip hop fan but this was an experience that got me to learn about the history and people around it. And from the outside, any way it goes does not paint Drake in a good light,...I'm not even a rap/hip hop fan but this was an experience that got me to learn about the history and people around it.
And from the outside, any way it goes does not paint Drake in a good light, especially if we take him at his word on the last song. Because it looks like he's been fishing for drama to hype up a potential rap album. Then JCole stepped out and Kendrick Lamar, who really dislikes him, was not responding.
So if he fabricated all this really vile conspiracy just to air out Kendricks dirty laundry; it doesn't help the image of him being a lieing manipulator or that the idea of being a sex pest is so believable. Like in 6.16 Kendrick implied that he was ready to be exposed but he could sleep easy because it's for the greater good. And Drake was inviting all of it.
Personally, I don't think that it's staged by Drake. Like maybe the secret daughter thing was a plant, he was instantly ready to adress that. But it was just secondary to the crusade against him. I don't think anyone was ready for personalized family letters and an amazing club song calling him a pedophile. Even if it's not true, Drakes son will still hear that and can hold it over him. He'll likely get A Minor, FAN and OVHoe cries for the rest of his life. It'll take considerable brand rehabilitation to close any big deals, let alone signing new artists and he this saga did not net him any new supporters. Also the man at the end of The Heart did not sound to me like he was celebrating a successful long con.
The assault claim killed the respect I developed for Kendrick and I hope it's addressed. But he resented Drake enough to his reputation on the line. But if he was baited into this, the guy would be justified in keeping this up. Drake is not short of flaws and I found Kendrick battle raps from almost a decade ago. He has the ammo and ability make good on the Drake hate album threat. So right now I'm just looking forward to what happens next.
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Comment on Is TV advertising still relevant? Does anybody under 60 even watch traditional TV anymore? in ~tv
SloMoMonday LinkThe current ad model makes TV unwatchable for me and the last time I was subjected to broadcast/satellite programming, it felt like they packed a 15min volley of AI generated ad copy for every 10...The current ad model makes TV unwatchable for me and the last time I was subjected to broadcast/satellite programming, it felt like they packed a 15min volley of AI generated ad copy for every 10 seconds of show.
I used to love cleaver advertising. All the way through to the late 2000s I'd follow the industry news and trends. Still catch myself humming some of the big jingles and repeating old catch phrases. It was good balance of programming to ads and there used to be legitimate competition between brands and agencies. Because we don't allow direct comparative ads here (like the coke vs. Pepsi challenge) people would need to get creative with one-upping the competition.
So please forgive me while I nerd out about a fun part of South African advertising history:
Back in the late 1980s, a guy dozed off behind the wheel of his Mercedes. He was driving along Chapman's Peak Drive, a winding scenic drive where you're on a narrow strip between a cliff and the ocean. Thankfully the man did not go into the water and survived with barely a scratch. This miraculous fortune was attributed to two things: he was wearing a seat belt and he was driving a Merc.
Of course Mercedes made this story the subject of an ad campaign. A one minute recreation of the incident, showcasing the protection you will have in such an event. Wildly successful ad and made for fun water cooler talk.
Fast forward a few weeks and this ad appears on prime time TV, in near the same spot that the Mercedes ad would play. Same road, same lighting; but it's a BMW driving along. And the moment the car is supposed to go over the edge, it doesn't. "Because you'd want a car... that can beat the bends."
Fast forward 30 years and I'm subjected to 4 different spots betting sites flashing big numbers on the screen for 100 seconds, t's and c's apply.
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Comment on What does “going with your gut” feel like to you? How did you learn to “trust your gut”? in ~talk
SloMoMonday LinkThe way I always interpreted it is that gut feelings are just your subconscious jumping to conclusions. It's working constantly to unpack minute details, emotions, knowledge and interactions to...The way I always interpreted it is that gut feelings are just your subconscious jumping to conclusions. It's working constantly to unpack minute details, emotions, knowledge and interactions to make a ton of connections. But they're not always logical connections and you can't tell if they're all good or not.
Like my mom didn't study botany or had any formal training in landscaping. But doing it for twenty years, she had really good hunches on what worked and what didn't. On the other hand, maybe there was a character you deeply dislike who looks or acts in a certain way. Seeing those traits in real life might automatically shape your perceptions of a stranger.
So maybe be a little introspective about your intuitions. If you have a strong gut reaction to something, dig into that feeling. Is it rational? Is it coming from a place of knowledge or ignorance? Does it even impact your life? In what situations does the result reliably match your expectations?
It's like any other tool and knowing how and when it works is the only way to figure out how and when to use it. There'll probably be situations where it's spot on, times when it's a good guide and occasions to bury it and focus on the facts.
That being said, don't only rely on intuition, especially if you have the luxury of time.
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Comment on ‘Red One’ down: How Dwayne Johnson’s tardiness led to a $250 million runaway production in ~movies
SloMoMonday LinkIt feels like if celebrities don't cycle out of the spotlight and then diversify their brand, the general public eventually hits a point of apathy. Dwayne Johnson has been in everyone's faces for...It feels like if celebrities don't cycle out of the spotlight and then diversify their brand, the general public eventually hits a point of apathy. Dwayne Johnson has been in everyone's faces for over a decade and the cracks started to show with the whole Vin Diesel beef. The stories like this have been around for a while but his movies were making enough money that the PR spin was worth it. But he just kept going all in on his Disney-safe persona and every one of his roles became the exact same character. Black Adam was that critical point where everyone sort of agreed that we don't want to deal with The Rock for a bit.
I've noticed it happen with the Kardashians craze tanking after the Kanye/Pete Davidson drama and even the Taylor Swift hype seems to have soured after the Grammys and Superbowl were hijacked by the artist. Now there's some weird diss track thing going on and a few of the casual fans I know seem completely uninterested.
Feels like Mr Beast and Ryan Reynolds are creeping on that limit as well and I'm curious what the tipping point could be.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SloMoMonday (edited )LinkGot into the Hades 2 technical test and it ran flawlessly on the Steam Deck for my dozen runs. I know that it's a limited release of a fraction of the game so I'm not going to speak about story...Got into the Hades 2 technical test and it ran flawlessly on the Steam Deck for my dozen runs. I know that it's a limited release of a fraction of the game so I'm not going to speak about story and levels.
But the gameplay is still fluid and responsive with rich environments and soundscapes. At first it feels very similar to the original, until you realize that Mel is far less durable and a little slower than Zagrius (I love the names but don't ask me to spell any of them). But you make up for it with a lot more tools and toys.
The boons are still great with a lot of returning faces, some borderline OP new abilities and a little fanservice moment when you meet one of the original gods. On that note the characters are still a ton of fun. Haven't yet seen the big bad but the writing glosses over the mythologicaly accurate drama and goes for an almost cozy family dynamic. I can't get over just how excited the gods get when you call and everyone trys to be the cool uncle/auntie. It's engaging writing and voice work and I'm never uninterested in a character, even if the boon sucks.
Also, my wife was pretty excited that "the unreasonably hot people" game was back but disappointed that most of her best boys were nowhere to be seen.
I do have a lot of reservations but it's all balance that will likely work out through early access. Difficulty seems way off for a returning, high heat player and that seems to clash with the way they seem to be telling the story. Not a fan of the pick-10 upgrade card thing and resource game with tool limits. Some glaring imbalance with boon synergy and the moon ultimate powers seems interesting but half baked.
In the end, it does seem like a solid game and it's still too early to say if it holds up to the original. I am split if I want to see more follow ups to the stidios other games. I love the Bastion, Transistor and even Pyre (#3 best sport game for me) worlds, but I think their strong point was to always go to new in interesting places with each title.
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Comment on The cycling revolution in Paris continues: Bicycle use now exceeds car use in ~transport
SloMoMonday Link ParentCyclist aggression often comes down to poor planning, infrastructure and rules (and that's not including the weirdos who hate everything else on the road). For example, I nearly hit a cyclist the...Cyclist aggression often comes down to poor planning, infrastructure and rules (and that's not including the weirdos who hate everything else on the road). For example, I nearly hit a cyclist the other day and if I were in an SUV or pickup, it could have been much worse. But the situation was a perfect storm.
Street parking on a popular road was removed for a painted bike lane. Businesses resorted to using the bike lane as drop-off/pickup zones. That creates high risk situations where two car lanes and cyclists all need to coordinate around a massive delivery vehicle at high traffic times. And it wasn't helped when the giant truck, my tiny Toyota and the cyclist all had very different views of the situation and ideas on what needed to happen.
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Comment on Reddit, AI spam bots explore new ways to show ads in your feed in ~tech
SloMoMonday (edited )Link ParentIt was a growing group of adults with families, clinging to the hope that someone figures out how to host a regular table. Think the last actual meet was boardgames before Christmas 2019. Group...It was a growing group of adults with families, clinging to the hope that someone figures out how to host a regular table. Think the last actual meet was boardgames before Christmas 2019. Group wasn't the biggest loss but the memes were fun.
As for WhatsApp, I know Apple
message app is the main text system in the States, but whatsapp is almost the everything app here. Like Musk just wants what South African WhatsApp is and toxic broadcast communication was the worst path to get there. It feels like WhatsApp is a few APIs away from becoming WeChat here and it will take a monumental impact to dislodge it from anyones life.I'm just mad that the goalposts have been moved so far back that now I'm fine with Mark Zuckerberg personally reading every one of my messages sent on his single app that governs my life, so long as he gets hes pet AI out of my face.
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Comment on Reddit, AI spam bots explore new ways to show ads in your feed in ~tech
SloMoMonday Link ParentFor a while our small lfg WhatsApp group was swarmed with spam/scam bots. And the ads look like a paid service because they link to unrelated and very niche Etsy, Amazon and ebay offers, depending...For a while our small lfg WhatsApp group was swarmed with spam/scam bots. And the ads look like a paid service because they link to unrelated and very niche Etsy, Amazon and ebay offers, depending on the conversation. Custom drone parts, rare TCG packs, DIY kits, entire RPG gaming tables.
Looks like the MO was that every few hours it'd look at the current conversation, cross reference with their product list, one of its identities would engage a with generic statements (often hinting that they have a solution), then droping a link and recommendation after after someone asks.
Some guys got suspicious when most links would not ship here and figured out how to reliably bait it. But the admins could not keep up and just shut the whole thing down.
In unrelated news, WhatsApp has just decided to force Meta AI front and center on all it's users for no good reason. I'd happily switch if all my work, family, community and friends were not there. Seriously, my muscle memory is scuffed because search results now return dumb AI queries to the top of the search box.
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Comment on Cartoons such as Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, or Avatar? in ~tv
SloMoMonday LinkStar vs Evil does calm down on the "random" humor as the plot ramps up and the character needs to grow up. Unfortunately, it's a case of "it gets good by season 3". A lot of my favorite western...Star vs Evil does calm down on the "random" humor as the plot ramps up and the character needs to grow up. Unfortunately, it's a case of "it gets good by season 3".
A lot of my favorite western animations are already mentioned so some anime recommendations I give to everyone are:
Spy x Family - A cold war, Mr/Mrs Smith story where the kid, dog and babysitter are all wrapped up in it.
Violet Evergarden - Post WW2 drama about a child soldier finding herself by working as a typist. A little more anthology but you track the characters development over 5 years. Can be on the nose at times but it's beautifully animated and I ugly cried at times.
A Place Further than the Universe - A grounded school adventure about kids wanting to go to Antarctica and figuring out how to do it.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End - Fairly new but quickly moving up my favorites list. the story begins at the end of a decade long debenture to kill the demon king. And we immediately skip 50+ years to where the heros die happy and peacefully, save for the immortal elf who figures out a little too late how important those relationships were. This comic sums it up best.
It took a while to consciously recognize how it had become an unhealthy dependency again. I did manage to cut it significantly over the holiday period when I knew it would be an issue. But I just needed half a glass of soda after a meal. Then it was a little treat before bed. And a little pick me up when work got stressful. And next thing I know, I've got three boxes of lemon cream cookies that will not last the week.