smoontjes's recent activity
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Comment on Tiny electric trucks are coming to a bike lane near you in ~transport
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Comment on Vast coin collection of Danish butter magnate L.E. Bruun is set to finally go on sale a century after his death, and could fetch up to $72 million in ~humanities.history
smoontjes Link"He collects collections" - that's a whole other level of wealth. Very cool, thanks for posting!"He collects collections" - that's a whole other level of wealth.
Very cool, thanks for posting!
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Comment on I find myself intimidated by the Bear community in ~lgbt
smoontjes Link ParentWell, maybe I do still have some advice - just thought I didn't as I'm not a bear. But I can definitely speak about social anxiety, and the key to overthinking things is to stop thinking. Like...Well, maybe I do still have some advice - just thought I didn't as I'm not a bear. But I can definitely speak about social anxiety, and the key to overthinking things is to stop thinking.
Like @Akir says, just go.
It sounds like such a stupid thing to say but it has helped me in the past, so maybe it will help you too? Now I still have many days where I can't leave my apartment, even ones where I won't open the curtains because I feel so anxious that I have to shut out the world or I can't get my mind to relax. But on better days, I try to literally ignore my thoughts and do things anyway, because I know my brain is lying to me and my the trains of thought I have are not representative of reality - it sounds like you know this too. So exposure therapy is the best way to work on social anxiety. You really have to rip the bandaid off, get it over with, get out there - there's a first time for everything, and the first time is going to by far be the most anxiety inducing one.
I bet going to an event in the bear community for the first time gives you the same level of anxiety as the first day of school, a new semester, or a new job - where you'd also meet a ton of new people all at once. But your brain has somehow reinforced this idea in your head that the bear community is to be scared of even though it's not - but I remember from therapy and psychoeducation that anxiety makes us scared of things equal to the fight or flight response on a physical level, so we (you and I) end up in avoidance behavior to an large extent.
I guess I just feel like I won’t fit in with a queer community like that because I was never properly exposed to it. I show up to one of these events and what? Announce that I’m here to see all the bears?
Maybe not the last part, but yes, you could literally say something like that. There's nothing wrong with being relatively open about feeling nervous as it's your first time at a queer event - everybody there is going to be understanding of it, because they too had their first time when coming out. And you also won't be the only one who grew up in places without a gay scene. Don't be brutally honest about it of course, and maybe phrase it in different ways, but you definitely could say things along the lines of what you did in your post above: "almost all of my life I've lived in smaller locals that lacked any real gay scene". It's intimidating when you don't know a single soul, yes, but everybody is going to be able to relate to the things you say, how you feel about it, and probably understand it too! And since it sounds like you have a real social media presence, maybe a simple post would suffice? I bet someone would be very willing to take you under their wing if you just commented "never been to [bar/whatever], looks fun! Anyone wanna show me around?"
and yes I know this entire comment is deeply ironic because I wouldn't be able to take my own advice lol - it is so much easier said than done
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Comment on GPT-4o in ~tech
smoontjes LinkSo we are basically living the movie Her now? https://youtu.be/GV01B5kVsC0?t=80So we are basically living the movie Her now?
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Comment on Turtle tanks, "cope cages" and modified vehicles in Ukraine - Purpose, evolution and effectiveness in ~transport
smoontjes LinkInformative, interesting, and entertaining as always - the latter only because of the way he uses language and all the little jabs and jokes he throws in. I laughed at him dubbing the turtle tank...Informative, interesting, and entertaining as always - the latter only because of the way he uses language and all the little jabs and jokes he throws in. I laughed at him dubbing the turtle tank a "assault shed" and the cope cages "emotional support armor"
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Comment on I find myself intimidated by the Bear community in ~lgbt
smoontjes LinkI have little advice to give but just wanted to comment that this is so relatable - just replace "bear community" with "lesbian community". All the way down to the fear that the focus is on...I have little advice to give but just wanted to comment that this is so relatable - just replace "bear community" with "lesbian community". All the way down to the fear that the focus is on partying, drinking, and sex. I have been out for years, almost all my friends are even queer, but I am still anxious about participating in the local community. So yeah, you have my empathy.
For what it's worth, it sounds to me like your problem is more about anxiety and less to do with the specific community? And it also seems to me that you are overthinking it a lot (I would know, because I do the same thing)
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Comment on This YouTuber has been uploading Half-Life 3 ‘updates’ every day for over six years in ~games
smoontjes Link ParentI guess that's the downside to Valve's business model. I mean, I guess it's for the better? Because the alternative would - I assume - be something like EA or Ubisoft who would be on Half-Life 15...I guess that's the downside to Valve's business model. I mean, I guess it's for the better? Because the alternative would - I assume - be something like EA or Ubisoft who would be on Half-Life 15 by now
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Comment on Chinese police officers will soon be on patrol in Hungary in ~news
smoontjes Link ParentActually worrisome. My limited understanding is that China's belt and road initiative is not an equal partnership with the countries that participate in it. Instead, China puts these countries...Actually worrisome.
My limited understanding is that China's belt and road initiative is not an equal partnership with the countries that participate in it. Instead, China puts these countries into debt which gives it power over those states - like we're talking beyond soft power at that point. The mining operations that China has going on in Africa for example are highly problematic for those countries' populations and I would not be surprised if in the near future, some of them become so reliant on Chinese loans etc. that they become directly dependent, maybe even to the extent that they approach vassal state territory.
Again, I am not an expert in any way so take this with a grain of salt/as an opinion. And I'm sure the EU would be able to stop that, but it is very worrisome. China and EU was for a time more of a trade thing, but in the last decade or so (?), many in the EU are starting to seem them as a rival. See the 5G stuff in the UK or the thing about Huawei spying in Germany as an example of countries (and their populations) becoming very cautious of China.
It is not quite seen as an enemy yet, like the US does, where there is also talk about it being a cold war between the two. But it is a rival to the EU and Hungary doing this is problematic to say the least. However it helps Orban stay in power which is his only goal.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
smoontjes Link ParentThanks! If you really mean it that you love it, I can only recommend getting into it yourself. Cross stitching is super easy to learn!Thanks! If you really mean it that you love it, I can only recommend getting into it yourself. Cross stitching is super easy to learn!
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
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Comment on From Tildes to Reddit to Mastodon - the current state of "Text Rich" social networks on the Interwebs in ~tech
smoontjes Link ParentOnly to make line go up.. eternal growth and profits..there’s no reason to pursue it
Only to make line go up.. eternal growth and profits..
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Comment on From Tildes to Reddit to Mastodon - the current state of "Text Rich" social networks on the Interwebs in ~tech
smoontjes Link ParentAgreed that it is no longer representative of reddit as a whole, but there are somehow still good text-focused subreddits but that is of course only because of individual moderator teams,...Agreed that it is no longer representative of reddit as a whole, but there are somehow still good text-focused subreddits but that is of course only because of individual moderator teams, r/CredibleDefense being my best example. r/WeddingShaming is also hilarious, and there are quite a few subs similar to that with a lot of text rich stories and discussions etc.
There are also some really good mental health subs that are text posts only as well, r/BPD is very helpful at times for example. Other than that though, yeah, it's very few and far between. You really do have to go looking these days to find the good ones - often times very small communities with less than a couple thousand subscribers, like fan subs for niche book series, and creative subs usually have good vibes, although now we're talking image based like r/CrossStitch.
I will say though, I still find plenty of great discussions under image and video posts. Other social media still isn't anywhere close to the quality of the comment sections on reddit - ignoring the tiktokyfied front page type of subs of course.
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Comment on I'm curious how people on here stay politically engaged and aware while maintaining mental health? in ~life
smoontjes (edited )LinkI don't have the patience for watching/listening to news unless it's experts going in depth with analysis etc., something that only happens maybe once or twice a week in one single news program....I don't have the patience for watching/listening to news unless it's experts going in depth with analysis etc., something that only happens maybe once or twice a week in one single news program.
What I do is skim the headlines for the day to stay informed. Most of it is pointless, meaningless, or unimportant - and if someone does grab my attention, I'll check it out, mostly if it's about stuff that I'm already interested in. I follow more or less everything this way, but I really don't have the capacity to keep up with all the news of suffering in our world. Zeroing in on I/P is understandable as it's a big deal on especially social media, but examine why you feel guilty for not following it. Do you also feel guilty for not keeping up with the fighting in Myanmar? The starvation in Sudan? The natural disaster in Brazil? Probably not - and you shouldn't. Too much shit happens all the time around the world for me to keep up with, like it's literally impossible to not go insane if you always empathise with every human that is currently suffering.
I have to say though that I would highly recommend taking a break, cold turkey. Once you remove yourself from consuming so much news (1 hour + 3 podcasts is a lot), you'll realize that most of it really doesn't matter. It is very rare that there are actual breaking news, even though everything gets called it these days. I am willing to bet that 99% of the updates on for example I/P on your podcasts and CBC are likely to be very small in the bigger context, and more or less insignificant.
If you think back to just a couple of years ago, what news do you remember? Probably not every single detail of everything that was on the news. Honestly, a 5 minute overview per day ought to be enough to stay sufficiently informed - very few people need to actually know every movement of every day of everything. "Israel dropped more bombs today" or "Hamas did this and said that" really doesn't have any value to know. Think of it like a historical event where there will be a couple of important days, but most days are by themselves entirely unimportant in the grand scheme.
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Comment on I'm curious how people on here stay politically engaged and aware while maintaining mental health? in ~life
smoontjes Link ParentWas gonna say that, glad someone else beat me to it. There is nothing "only" about a full hour of news and 3 separate podcasts! That probably puts you in at least the 90th percentile in terms of...An hour of cable news and 30-60 minutes of news podcasts every day is a LOT of news, my friend. I really don't think you'll be substantially less informed if you reduce that to like, one of those podcasts, every other day.
Was gonna say that, glad someone else beat me to it. There is nothing "only" about a full hour of news and 3 separate podcasts! That probably puts you in at least the 90th percentile in terms of news consumption, it is a lot
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentJust watched it. That's one of the oldest tv episodes I've ever seen so that was kind of fun, it felt almost like a stage play. Pretty interesting concepts too, so thanks for recommending it!Just watched it. That's one of the oldest tv episodes I've ever seen so that was kind of fun, it felt almost like a stage play. Pretty interesting concepts too, so thanks for recommending it!
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Comment on China’s vanishing Muslims: Undercover in the most dystopian place in the world in ~humanities
smoontjes LinkSome supplemental viewing: China - Surveillance state or way of the future? | DW Documentary I'd recommend just watching the first 7 minutes, then jump to about 19:40 - or even all the way to the...Some supplemental viewing: China - Surveillance state or way of the future? | DW Documentary
I'd recommend just watching the first 7 minutes, then jump to about 19:40 - or even all the way to the 33 minute mark if you only want to see more about Xinjiang and the Uyghurs. Notably though, they confirm all the things (and more) from the Vice documentary, but some of the rest of it is a sanitized look as Chinese authorities themselves chose to show the majority of what is in this documentary.
It's gripping, nonetheless, the way the surveillance works. If "The Brain" is able to discover that someone isn't wearing a mask or a construction helmet, properly disposing of trash, not parking within the lines, even discern between Han Chinese and ethnic minorities like the Uyghur.. what else can it be trained to do? The potential for abuse in an authoritarian country is frightening.
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Comment on China’s vanishing Muslims: Undercover in the most dystopian place in the world in ~humanities
smoontjes LinkA very disturbing but also interesting and important look into what it's actually like to live in a police state. Video focuses on the reeducation camps and Uyghur genocide of course, but most...A very disturbing but also interesting and important look into what it's actually like to live in a police state.
Video focuses on the reeducation camps and Uyghur genocide of course, but most people already know about that - what I found especially intriguing here is the "security" aspect:
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The journalist gets followed around by detectives 24/7
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Police checking documents
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Every civilian afraid to speak their mind
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CCTV everywhere
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Police everywhere
And more. Some truly extreme stuff.
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China’s vanishing Muslims: Undercover in the most dystopian place in the world
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Comment on Weekly Israel-Hamas war megathread - week of May 6 in ~news
smoontjes LinkThis is old news but I personally missed it, so I wanted to share here:This is old news but I personally missed it, so I wanted to share here:
More damage than Dresden
The Financial Times did a statistical analysis that compared Gaza to the Allied bombing campaign over Germany during the Second World War.
Three cities in Germany were effectively destroyed from the air during that war: Cologne, Hamburg and Dresden. In Hamburg and Dresden, a mix of high explosives and incendiary bombs created the notorious "firestorm" conditions that caused streets to melt.
Data analyzed by Scher and Van Den Hoek shows that by Dec. 5, the percentage of Gaza's buildings that had been damaged or destroyed already had surpassed the destruction in Cologne and Dresden, and was approaching the level of Hamburg.
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentWhen you put it like that, I suppose The Wire (and Sopranos?) is an outlier - like, extremely so - when comparing shows from back then!When you put it like that, I suppose The Wire (and Sopranos?) is an outlier - like, extremely so - when comparing shows from back then!
I live in Denmark and while larger-than-bicycle vehicles can be annoying, there's plenty of space and I highly doubt this new "truck" is gonna take over and invade like that.
Just saw this for example lol, dude is transporting an entire cabinet on his cargo bike - so from someone in a country with some of the world's best bicycle infrastructure.. it's no big deal, and when it happens, it's a rarity.