Akir's recent activity

  1. Comment on What is something you're holding together? in ~talk

    Akir
    Link Parent
    It still amazes me how the dinky little “couldn’t afford EverQuest” mmorpg from my childhood is still around somehow.

    It still amazes me how the dinky little “couldn’t afford EverQuest” mmorpg from my childhood is still around somehow.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on What is something you're holding together? in ~talk

    Akir
    Link Parent
    That just reminded me to go check out the website I used to maintain for the company I worked at. Nope, it’s been well over a year and still zero updates. Feels good man.

    That just reminded me to go check out the website I used to maintain for the company I worked at.

    Nope, it’s been well over a year and still zero updates.

    Feels good man.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on Project Hail Mary - Discussion thread in ~movies

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Yeah, thats the thing I really appreciate about it more than anything else, I think. It’s a movie that is effectively about optimism. Aggressive optimism. The entire movie is “gee, I hope this...

    Yeah, thats the thing I really appreciate about it more than anything else, I think. It’s a movie that is effectively about optimism. Aggressive optimism. The entire movie is “gee, I hope this works”… and then it does!

    2 votes

  4. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Akir
    Link
    I randomly decided to watch Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and boy am I happy I started it! It’s been a while since I have seen a Studio Xebec space opera and this might easily be my favorite so...

    I randomly decided to watch Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and boy am I happy I started it! It’s been a while since I have seen a Studio Xebec space opera and this might easily be my favorite so far. It seems clear to me that the artists making it really loved what they were doing because it’s so incredibly full of these really beautifully composed pieces of art. There was a point at around episode 5 or so when it pans up to this beautiful mural in the background and immediately puts up another display in it. Episode 9 has a story mechanic where they read an old story that is supposed to mirror the events of the main story, and it’s accompanied by these beautiful illustrations. There’s a lot of nostalgia in the style they use but it does a fantastic job of standing by itself.

    One aspect of the production that surprises me is the CG. It feels just a bit dated but only because it’s not using selected framerates like modern productions do. In stills it’s actually pretty incredible looking because instead of trying to imitate cell animation it’s trying to look more like the airbrush or watercolor key art of the past. The ship itself exudes aesthetic beauty. Admittedly Analyzer looks pretty crap though. Especially when in motion.

    But damn, the direction and writing just hit perfectly. At one point the crew are making their last calls to earth and these extremely short conversations are making me tear up. Heck, most episodes manage that!

    Frankly I am amazed that I never gave this series a shot. It’s something I have always meant to but never got around to it.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Yeah, the rice is not as good. Just acceptable. Which, to be fair, is all I usually need.

    Yeah, the rice is not as good. Just acceptable. Which, to be fair, is all I usually need.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Cuckoo ones look really nice. The only reasons why I haven't bought one is that I had already bought my zojiroushi by the time they became available in the US, and also I don't appreciate my...

    Cuckoo ones look really nice. The only reasons why I haven't bought one is that I had already bought my zojiroushi by the time they became available in the US, and also I don't appreciate my appliances questioning my sanity.

  7. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    The zojiroushi has trained me to always use the measuring cup that comes with it, because it comes with two measuring cups that are tied with the lines on the bowl which tell you how much water...

    The zojiroushi has trained me to always use the measuring cup that comes with it, because it comes with two measuring cups that are tied with the lines on the bowl which tell you how much water should be in the bowl. Honestly, when you’re making rice, the ratio is more than half the battle! For pressure cookers it’s 1:1 because it’s sealed. Vented lids need more water because the water evaporates during cooking.

    Did you know you can also cook rice like pasta? I don’t do it that way, though, because I’m not a philistine. /s

    1 vote

  8. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I wonder if you and @phoenixrises might simply be adding too much water? For the instant pot the ratio of water to rice should be 1:1. There’s two other things that you should check if you want to...

    I wonder if you and @phoenixrises might simply be adding too much water? For the instant pot the ratio of water to rice should be 1:1.

    There’s two other things that you should check if you want to give it another chance.

    • make sure the rice is level under the water or it will be unevenly cooked

    • rice has a 10-minute natural release. Letting it go full-natural makes it a bit gummier than if you vent it on time.

    Either way it still won’t be quite as good as Zojuroushi rice but it shouldn’t be bad.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    It does. At least on the brown rice setting.

    It does. At least on the brown rice setting.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Yeah, it does degrade. Any teflon cookware is temporary. You can buy a replacement from them but it's kind of expensive.

    Yeah, it does degrade. Any teflon cookware is temporary. You can buy a replacement from them but it's kind of expensive.

    6 votes

  11. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Literally just 1:1 rice to water. Select the brown rice setting and when it beeps it's ready to eat.

    Literally just 1:1 rice to water. Select the brown rice setting and when it beeps it's ready to eat.

  12. Comment on Can we talk about rice cookers? in ~food

    Akir
    Link
    Buy this specific model if you can. There are fancier ones on the market but they're honestly overkill and the premium isn't worth it. This particular one is recommended by America's Test Kitchen...

    Buy this specific model if you can.

    There are fancier ones on the market but they're honestly overkill and the premium isn't worth it. This particular one is recommended by America's Test Kitchen and I've had it for over a decade so I can personally endorse it. It makes perfect rice each and every time. The company is insanely reliable and they sell replacement parts in the rare event you were to break one of the parts, which I assume is because a bomb went off in your home. Or maybe you just accidentally lost the paddle holder when you were cleaning it, I guess. I can't find out exactly when they first released this model, but the earliest I can find is 2005, so it's essentially timeless at this point.

    One thing to be aware of, though, is that it takes longer to make rice with this than most others. Let me assure you that it is worth the wait. The rice I cook in this is somehow sweeter and the texture has that lightly toothsome quality instead of turning things into mush. The wait is especially bad for brown rice, which I swear takes more than an hour!

    It's also not going to have a steamer tray with it. I don't think this is a huge problem though, since the long cook times will make mushy veggies. If you only need to steam veggies I typically do that in a pan with a bit of water and a lid, which gets the job done much quicker.

    If you really want a machine that does a bunch of things, get an Instant Pot. It won't make rice as good, but it'll make good enough rice very quickly. I actually use mine to make brown rice more often than I do the zojiroushi because of this. I'll recommend the Instant Pot Pro 6QT because it has one killer feature: a removable inner pot with silicon handles that you can use in your stove or oven. There are newer models in this series but they are all "smart cookers" which is something to avoid in my house.

    35 votes

  13. Comment on Solar oven/cooking in ~food

  14. Comment on Solar oven/cooking in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I remember when I was a kid in my father's electronics repair shop, we would take the screens from rear projection TVs and put them out in the sun. Fun fact about them: they're actually linear...

    I remember when I was a kid in my father's electronics repair shop, we would take the screens from rear projection TVs and put them out in the sun. Fun fact about them: they're actually linear fresnel lenses that are used to redirect the side-pointing light towards the viewer. I actually learned recently that linear fresnel lenses were also used in some early LCD panels before the time of LED backlighting.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Ottawa's big bet on world's largest cricket farm ran into a simple problem: the 'yuck factor' in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Food monocultures are bad, yes, but "plants" are not a monoculture by definition. It's an entire classification that contains hundreds of thousands of species. There are many kinds of plants, for...

    Food monocultures are bad, yes, but "plants" are not a monoculture by definition. It's an entire classification that contains hundreds of thousands of species. There are many kinds of plants, for instance, that are edible but have not been cultivated for commercial purposes. Plants are also the primary creators of ecosystems, so while specific plants may not be tenable in some areas due to climate change, others may end up flourishing.

    Beans are not the only source of protein. Grains and seeds are also high in protein, for instance. Legumes just have a higher ratio of protein to other macros. In fact, every plant has some degree of protein in it; proteins are, after all, necessary for life.

    6 votes

  16. Comment on Ottawa's big bet on world's largest cricket farm ran into a simple problem: the 'yuck factor' in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    So apparently Wikipedia has an article on Spiders Georg, and it has this choice quote: Keep things classy, Wikipedia editors.

    So apparently Wikipedia has an article on Spiders Georg, and it has this choice quote:

    In August 2023, Business Insider referred to Donald Trump as the "'Spiders Georg' of world leaders", as his indictments on 91 felony counts yielded the statistic that the average number of felony charges per U.S. president was two.[8]

    Keep things classy, Wikipedia editors.

    11 votes

  17. Comment on Fan-translation projects - thirty-three years of history in ~games

    Akir
    Link
    Oh my god, Xenon got a translation? I have to play it for no reason other than the Ryu Umemoto soundtrack.

    Oh my god, Xenon got a translation? I have to play it for no reason other than the Ryu Umemoto soundtrack.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Ottawa's big bet on world's largest cricket farm ran into a simple problem: the 'yuck factor' in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    Just in case you haven’t heard of this, the most common reason why people get gassy with beans of any type is simply because they are not well adapted to eating fiber. There are other reasons why...

    Just in case you haven’t heard of this, the most common reason why people get gassy with beans of any type is simply because they are not well adapted to eating fiber. There are other reasons why beans can make you gassy, but it’s always good to check your fiber intake. There are a lot of tiny things where having good fiber intake improves your health, largely because of your gut microbiome.

    6 votes

  19. Comment on Ottawa's big bet on world's largest cricket farm ran into a simple problem: the 'yuck factor' in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    It’s so bizarre when I see this because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the origin of this joke, a passing quip by Stuart Ashen. It’s strange that it’s part of the social fabric now.

    It’s so bizarre when I see this because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the origin of this joke, a passing quip by Stuart Ashen. It’s strange that it’s part of the social fabric now.

    5 votes

  20. Comment on Ottawa's big bet on world's largest cricket farm ran into a simple problem: the 'yuck factor' in ~food

    Akir
    Link Parent
    I’m really talking more specifically about the concept of bugs as a replacement to meat as a protein source. Contrary to the current fad, we in the western world do not have a problem with protein...

    I’m really talking more specifically about the concept of bugs as a replacement to meat as a protein source. Contrary to the current fad, we in the western world do not have a problem with protein intake. Protein deficiency is relatively rare, and if anything we eat too much protein. Resiliency is also not a problem; we create enough food to feed the world and most of the reasons why people starve tend to have political reasons behind them.

    The problem with meat is that we eat too much of it, and while cow meat for bug meat will lessen the impact, it’s a much worse option than cutting out the middleman and eating the protein directly from plants. The fact that we eat meat at all is also cultural, so why is it better to move culture towards bugs than simply away from meat?

    9 votes