Akir's recent activity
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Comment on Do I need dating apps? (same-sex, a bit of ace) in ~life
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Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
Akir Link ParentI honestly think that for many schools, they do these textbook deals as a way of outsourcing their curriculum development. You need to buy the overpriced book with the code because it means that...I honestly think that for many schools, they do these textbook deals as a way of outsourcing their curriculum development. You need to buy the overpriced book with the code because it means that they don't have to pay their professors to stay on the bleeding edge or to spend the time it would take to develop their courses properly. My community college was basically in bed with Cengage, to the point where they offered a subscription package so you wouldn't have to buy books at all except a few outliers.
That being said, with a professor-written textbook, it still feels unethical to charge students for that. That should be part of tuition.
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Comment on Valve is working on Proton for ARM processors in ~games
Akir Link ParentThat would be problematic since I use Rosetta 2 for some VMs I use sparingly. Going back to simple emulation would be painful.That would be problematic since I use Rosetta 2 for some VMs I use sparingly. Going back to simple emulation would be painful.
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Comment on Ring camera is getting more and more annoying in ~tech
Akir (edited )Link ParentEdit: I wanted a better answer so I asked Claude. Apparently their TVs and Fire TV sticks do not have Sidewalk functionality. I still maintain that what Amazon is doing is pretty damn evil, though.Nobody knows! It's all encrypted and nobody's broken it yet to my knowledge. We're not good enough to know what's going on in Amazon's secret internet, you see.Edit: I wanted a better answer so I asked Claude. Apparently their TVs and Fire TV sticks do not have Sidewalk functionality.
I still maintain that what Amazon is doing is pretty damn evil, though.
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Comment on Have you played with bubbles recently? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentIs there a secret ingredient? All I’ve ever used for homemade bubble mixture is dishsoap and water.Is there a secret ingredient? All I’ve ever used for homemade bubble mixture is dishsoap and water.
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Comment on Have you played with bubbles recently? in ~talk
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Have you played with bubbles recently?
Seriously! My husband brought me a tiny little bubble wand he got as a party favor and it somehow has managed to provide me with hours of entertainment. It's kind of perfect for me because it gets...
Seriously!
My husband brought me a tiny little bubble wand he got as a party favor and it somehow has managed to provide me with hours of entertainment. It's kind of perfect for me because it gets me to stop thinking about all the shit I'm worried about and instead get out of my head. Here's some fun things to do if you're looking for a fun time.
Games you can play with bubbles
Bubble catcher
Catch bubbles with the wand. Try to get it directly in the loop for maximum fun.
Bubble bouncing
If you've made small enough bubbles, you can use a bubble you've caught to bounce other bubbles with! I notice that
Bubble multiplication
Catching a bubble on your wand re-establishes the surface area needed to blow bubbles with! Turn one bubble into 20!
Your homework
Go buy some bubbles and report back so I don't feel like a crazy person.
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Comment on Spaceballs: The New One coming to theaters April 23, 2027 in ~movies
Akir Link ParentIt doesn’t seem to have Nick Kroll in it, which is enough to make me cautiously optimistic. He’s got a particular style I really dislike.It doesn’t seem to have Nick Kroll in it, which is enough to make me cautiously optimistic. He’s got a particular style I really dislike.
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Comment on Ring camera is getting more and more annoying in ~tech
Akir LinkRing was always evil. They have just progressed to a level of evil you no longer find acceptable. Fun fact: ring cameras are part of a handful of other Amazon accessories that are part of...Ring was always evil. They have just progressed to a level of evil you no longer find acceptable.
Fun fact: ring cameras are part of a handful of other Amazon accessories that are part of Sidewalk, a secret private ad-hoc wireless network that Amazon controls! And yes, it’s enabled by default weather or not you know what it is, and yes, it is tunneling information from external devices through your internet connection!
Amazon is the devil, folks. Drive them away from your homes.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Akir LinkI just got done with a physical therapy appointment. The good news is that I don’t have anything wrong with me but some of my shoulder muscles and stabilizers around there are very weak. These are...I just got done with a physical therapy appointment. The good news is that I don’t have anything wrong with me but some of my shoulder muscles and stabilizers around there are very weak. These are probably a big reason why I injured my shoulder in the past. You know, alongside the terrible form I had to deal with.
So of course now I have daily exercises to help fix them, and of course they have to be the most awkward ones possible. 😑
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Comment on What's a battle that nobody knows you're fighting? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI assume you’re young. Growing up means gaining independence. And independence means telling people to fuck off. 😎 That doesn’t necessarily mean cutting them out of course, but the path to...I assume you’re young. Growing up means gaining independence. And independence means telling people to fuck off. 😎
That doesn’t necessarily mean cutting them out of course, but the path to happiness requires you to advocate for yourself. Fortunately that is a lot more nuanced and complex a topic than anyone can fully convey. The more you move forward the more you will figure it out. And, hey, at least now you know you have one more person rooting for you!
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Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
Akir Link ParentI have a dream of starting a political party that has three goals: One big - one might call it beautiful - bill which will effectively undo most of the negative changes in law since Trump took...I have a dream of starting a political party that has three goals:
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One big - one might call it beautiful - bill which will effectively undo most of the negative changes in law since Trump took office. Especially the stupid shit the Supreme Court has been doing.
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Another bill - hopefully as a constitutional amendment - that will limit the power of the executive office dramatically. If I could figure out how to prevent presidents from unilaterally starting wars I would do that too.
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Extreme progressive taxation to kill the current concept of the billionaire and make the lower classes more stable.
Sadly it isn’t going to happen. Even more sadly I have many more demands of government.
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Comment on What's a battle that nobody knows you're fighting? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentYou didn’t outright say it but you left some hints so I will just outright ask; are you trying to imply you’re some flavor of queer? If so I have lots of experience in all of those feelings. In...You didn’t outright say it but you left some hints so I will just outright ask; are you trying to imply you’re some flavor of queer? If so I have lots of experience in all of those feelings.
In regards to feeling like you will never have a partner I like to put things this way; the world is secretly full of freaks. Your local clergy? They are kinky as hell. So no matter how weird or unattractive you think you are, there are people who are attracted to you. They just can’t let you know for a variety of reasons. You’re sexy even if nobody’s told you that yet.
Unfortunately the more you feel like you’ll never find a partner the more likely it is to become true. But obviously you can’t just stop feeling things; you have to work your way through them. Ultimately you’re already on a good path if you are seeing a therapist about it. If you really are queer, though, I would highly suggest getting some help finding a therapist who ideally is that same flavor of queer or has a great deal of experience with that audience, as they will be able to pick up on a lot of nuance that might be missed out on. Generic advice can only go so far.
I had felt that way for the greater part of a decade before I met my partner so if you want to DM me to let things off your chest, feel free.
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Comment on What's a battle that nobody knows you're fighting? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI appreciate the gesture. In reality though, after sitting and thinking about it for a while, I decided that my reasons for not telling my sister about it were dumb. Im going to call her when she...I appreciate the gesture. In reality though, after sitting and thinking about it for a while, I decided that my reasons for not telling my sister about it were dumb. Im going to call her when she wakes up later today.
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Comment on An insight into looksmaxxxing/blackpill "ideology" in ~life
Akir Link ParentPeople talking in a bar are often motivated by looking for hot people, but not always and most importantly not exclusively. Beyond that, there’s an important aspect of real world networking that...People talking in a bar are often motivated by looking for hot people, but not always and most importantly not exclusively. Beyond that, there’s an important aspect of real world networking that you’re missing; stickiness. If you start talking to someone in a bar and they’re not completely repulsive, you’ll likely keep talking to them and treat them like a person. Online a person can just see “oh, they’re fat”, block them, and effectively remove themselves from reality before ever giving them a chance.
I think we’re also using the gender gap in a very different way. When I use the term, I’m referring to a difference in lived experience. Young men in particular tend to just not understand how women work or why they do the things they do.
I do get your frustration though. I’m gay, and have always been, so as an outsider some of the things I see young straight people doing in regards to dating seem insane.
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Comment on An insight into looksmaxxxing/blackpill "ideology" in ~life
Akir Link ParentYears ago I was on a site called okcupid which had a matching algorithm that was based on answering personality quiz like questions that helped to match people based on their values and what they...Years ago I was on a site called okcupid which had a matching algorithm that was based on answering personality quiz like questions that helped to match people based on their values and what they want in a partner. You could answer both for yourself and for what you would like your partner to answer.
Then tinder came along and you get a picture and are immediately able to tell the system you like or dislike them based on their first impression, which is more often than not just how they look.
Honestly though I kind of view this as part of a greater trend of not being willing to take the time to understand people who are even vaguely different from oneself. The gender gap is real, sadly.
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Comment on Which Linux distro do you use, and why? in ~tech
Akir Link ParentIs Bazzite an official Fedora project? I thought it was just built on top of their immutable distro foundation.Is Bazzite an official Fedora project? I thought it was just built on top of their immutable distro foundation.
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Comment on Which Linux distro do you use, and why? in ~tech
Akir Link ParentDebian feels more today like Ubuntu did back in the days before snaps and heavy commercialization. It’s just straightforward and simple to use with common-sense defaults, and getting it to run...Debian feels more today like Ubuntu did back in the days before snaps and heavy commercialization. It’s just straightforward and simple to use with common-sense defaults, and getting it to run with whatever DE you want is pretty simple to do.
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Comment on What's a battle that nobody knows you're fighting? in ~talk
Akir LinkI actually have a big one but there are many many reasons why I can’t discuss it here, the top of which is that it can hurt someone I love dearly. I do want someone to talk to about it. For what...I actually have a big one but there are many many reasons why I can’t discuss it here, the top of which is that it can hurt someone I love dearly.
I do want someone to talk to about it. For what it’s worth, I am doing a pretty good job of resolving my feelings on it and hopefully sometime soon I will be able to make a plan to resolve it. Tomorrow I actually will have someone to talk to about it but they will not likely be able to give me the kind of support I am really looking for.
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Comment on How are we all feeling about piracy these days? in ~movies
Akir LinkI mostly don’t pirate. The one big exception is textbooks. Fuck textbook publishers so much. Right now my university is supposed to offer only freely accessible educational sources, but they kind...I mostly don’t pirate. The one big exception is textbooks. Fuck textbook publishers so much.
Right now my university is supposed to offer only freely accessible educational sources, but they kind of cheat by offering access to a database service which has the full texts of books. It’s the worst experience I can imagine. You can only log in with a cookie that you have to spend a hundred different clicks to get into, and the cookie has an extremely short TTL; if I leave to poop, by the time I am back I will have been logged out. The reader doesn’t keep track of what page you are on, either. And then there are a ton of tiny annoyances. We have to find the book by searching for the titles (because of course direct linking doesn’t work! MORE STEPS!), and if you search the books will have all the terms highlighted. Can you imagine how shitty it is to read a book where every instance of the word “the”, “and” and “a” are highlighted?
Every time you open a book you will be assaulted by a sidebar that gives you a single paragraph AI summary of the entire book - something that is not only useless in general, but redundant because the curriculum already describes the reading. You can’t close it until the page fully loads, which can take a while sometimes. For a while it was defaulting to displaying the book reflowed, which was always bad because it got rid of the page numbers I needed for the reading assignment and also because it often mangled the formatting in fun interesting ways. At least that seems to have been rolled back.
Their reader actively taught me to never directly quote sources because if I attempted to copy text it would automatically insert a reference immediately after what it was I was copying, which of course is incompatible not only with my assignment requirements, but every assignment requirement I can imagine getting from any institution. But it wouldn’t matter anyways because of course I would be logged out automatically before I had the chance to write the lead-in for it.
There’s a million papercuts that are pushing me towards giving up my degree and honestly this reader is one of the major ones.
I’ve actually come to disagree with being the best version of yourself. YMMV, of course; but I have realized that showing your flaws upfront does a lot to filter out the noise and time wasters.