Akir's recent activity
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (November 2026) in ~health.mental
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Comment on CGA-2026-10 🕹️🏚️ 🦇👻 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Spooky Mansion Adventures in ~games
Akir LinkIm really disappointed I didn’t get to participate this month because I did want to play the games and give my commentary, but I got a bad episode of depression caused as a side effect of a...Im really disappointed I didn’t get to participate this month because I did want to play the games and give my commentary, but I got a bad episode of depression caused as a side effect of a medication I am still tapering off of, so I was never in a place to play them. The irony is that I actually did spend a lot of my time playing games but it was mostly minesweeper because it was the best way to make me stop thinking about things. Just hours and hours of it like a zombie.
Actually I’m a bit better now so I have graduated from minesweeper and have moved onto metroidvanias. I played and beat Castlevania Belmont’s Curse and Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. I’m not sure if they’re both short games or if I’m just still more depressed than I realize.
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Comment on Red light: Modern life has deprived us of it, which may be linked to diabetes, cancer, dementia in ~health
Akir Link ParentYou are right, I am being a bit harsh, but when looking at the big picture I’m generally correct. There are some specific claims that have had studies repeated and have moderate certainty as you...You are right, I am being a bit harsh, but when looking at the big picture I’m generally correct. There are some specific claims that have had studies repeated and have moderate certainty as you mentioned. But the problem when it comes to red light is that it’s being sold as the solution to literally everything when it may bring a little bit of small scale temporary relief to a few problems, which can generally all be duplicated by just going outside in the sun which we already know we need to do more of.
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Comment on Manifestos, fear, and ‘loser thinking’: inside Proton’s AI reckoning in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI wonder if @Protected may have meant Google’s founders, who are currently spending millions of dollars in California on a campaign to mislead its people into not taxing them and the other...I wonder if @Protected may have meant Google’s founders, who are currently spending millions of dollars in California on a campaign to mislead its people into not taxing them and the other billionaires in the state.
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Comment on Red light: Modern life has deprived us of it, which may be linked to diabetes, cancer, dementia in ~health
Akir Link ParentMost of the studies I have come across have pretty poor quality and very small sample sizes. But even if these studies were the best quality, they are all very preliminary. They aren’t established...Most of the studies I have come across have pretty poor quality and very small sample sizes. But even if these studies were the best quality, they are all very preliminary. They aren’t established science until they have been independently replicated at the very least.
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Comment on Red light: Modern life has deprived us of it, which may be linked to diabetes, cancer, dementia in ~health
Akir LinkHoo boy, this is some bad science reporting. Astonishingly bad science writing, actually. It seems like the author doesn't understand the electromagnetic spectrum at all because they seem to...Hoo boy, this is some bad science reporting. Astonishingly bad science writing, actually. It seems like the author doesn't understand the electromagnetic spectrum at all because they seem to constantly conflate red, infrared, and ultraviolet, and that's when they're not playing fast and loose with studies that are actually talking about daylight - full spectrum light, in other words.
The fact of the matter is that we don't understand the health benefits of red light therapy all that well yet, the studies are pretty low quality, and we pretty much have no clue how or why it actually works. There's so little research that we're barely certain that it works at all, and things are really confused because there's tons of people selling you on health products with dubious claims.
No matter what you do, don't install incandescent light bulbs in your house. That's just idiotic. They use up to ten times the energy of LED, and the majority of that just gets converted to heat. The state of California has outlawed the sale of most incandescent bulbs years ago and the federal government followed suite as of 2023. Apparently NewScientist is a British publication, but they've phased out incandescent bulbs in 2021, seemingly, so this advice seems even more baffling.
Argh, this is reminding me of the local radio station doing a funding drive by having a chiropractor selling red light therapy sessions to cure the floaters by keeping your eyes open during them. 😮💨
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Comment on I can kinda see why social media sites use divisive topics to solicit engagement in ~tech
Akir Link ParentThere is a really beautiful scene in Digger where the titular character is testifying in front of the EU (which in this case is really representative of all of the planet who isn’t the US) after a...There is a really beautiful scene in Digger where the titular character is testifying in front of the EU (which in this case is really representative of all of the planet who isn’t the US) after a massive life-extinguishing accident caused by his company. He gives a speech that, paraphrased goes like this:
“Well guys, I’d love to shut off my oil wells. Problem is, though, that YOU GUYS DON’T FUCKING WANT ME TO!”
He goes on for quite a while, jumping on tables and kicking people.
God if I haven’t loved and hated a scene so much in my life. Never have I seen something that called out so many people. Onviously it’s not just the leaders that it called out, but everyone in the world who wants everything that oil promises; the great riches and materials that only can come at the expense of our planet.
But damn, it’s pretty obvious that things like gambling and social media are hurting us more than they are helping us.
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Comment on How do you handle being around other people? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentYeah, no. That’s not real. Things are not as hard as you think they are. I’ve also had to deal with cycles of depression and social anxiety, and so that’s why I’m confidently telling you to...Yeah, no. That’s not real. Things are not as hard as you think they are. I’ve also had to deal with cycles of depression and social anxiety, and so that’s why I’m confidently telling you to distrust the metaphorical voices in your head that are saying these things. In fact, I am on a drug that has caused me to be on one of those cycles right now, and unfortunately it will be a few weeks to be able to ween off of it. So I very much empathize with you!
Honestly you might be surprised at how many times you get random people talking to you at the grocery store if you are open to it yourself. Your body language really makes a difference. When I am having a good day and I’m loose, I get people - women most often - initiating small talk with me. One day I had a lovely chat with one of the workers at a local market about a stray cat who lives in the area. And where I live, bowling alleys and arcades are also having a resurgence. I had a play date with a friend at one about a month ago, in which we rented out one of its karaoke rooms and belted off very off-key tunes.
And if you are having such a hard time meeting people offline? Meet them online first, then meet them somewhere offline. Find a good coffee spot - usually it’s not hard to find someplace better than Starbucks, and you’ve got a place that’s an instant draw to meet someone at. I’ve got a place that has a pour-over coffee that’s so good that adding milk and sugar actually ruins it, and that usually gets people intrigued.
The thing about depression and social anxiety that sucks the most is that if you want to get out of them, you have to do the things that they make you want to avoid; you have to go out and see people and do things. Otherwise things tend to get worse.
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Comment on How do you handle being around other people? in ~talk
Akir LinkI swear at least 80% of all of society's problems seem to be traceable in some way to people not being able to figure out how to make friends as adults, and the remaining 20% is just the stuff I...I swear at least 80% of all of society's problems seem to be traceable in some way to people not being able to figure out how to make friends as adults, and the remaining 20% is just the stuff I haven't finished mapping out yet. One of these days I will write a how-to manual.
In short:
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Define what it is that you want in a friend.
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Be aware that the vast majority of people on this earth won't be your friend, and be OK with that fact.
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Openly tell people what it is that you want. That includes potential friends and the people you already know. Network!
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Work on it, constantly and consistently.
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Build on the relationships you do have, and don't feel afraid to start new ones.
Signed, an ex-loaner
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Comment on What do you watch on Nebula? in ~hobbies
Akir Link ParentOh my god, so many political ads! The one good thing I have gotten about it is discovering that if I block the mid-roll political ads it tends to skip them altogether. It doesn't tend to work for...Oh my god, so many political ads!
The one good thing I have gotten about it is discovering that if I block the mid-roll political ads it tends to skip them altogether. It doesn't tend to work for the starting ones, though.
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Comment on Maybe I hate technology in ~tech
Akir Link ParentIt’s the intent that matters. The intent of a general campaign is general enrichment. The intent of an advertisement is to make money. There is a very clear line in the sand. Perhaps the better...It’s the intent that matters. The intent of a general campaign is general enrichment. The intent of an advertisement is to make money. There is a very clear line in the sand.
Perhaps the better term would be “commercial”, which would be clear since it is short for “commercial advertisement”.
I'll also admit that I'm so fully entrenched in a capitalist society and mindset that I might have some level of blindness or bias to this type of thinking. In a truly "free" economy maybe my entire mindset doesn't make sense?
Ironically I deleted a joke about this before I wrote my earlier response! But yeah, I do think that might be part of it. Its a rare thing to be able to reflect on oneself to see the limitations of one’s thinking, and I know it’s something I still bump into from time to time.
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Comment on Maybe I hate technology in ~tech
Akir Link Parent@Grayscail noted that it would be campaigning. And while they noted that it would be similar to advertising, I would argue that if it’s significant enough to be given a different name that it is...@Grayscail noted that it would be campaigning. And while they noted that it would be similar to advertising, I would argue that if it’s significant enough to be given a different name that it is significant. Advertising has campaigns but the difference is that the beneficiary is obscured - they promise to make your life better when the company selling you the product is the one getting the better end of the bargain. If I am campaigning you to read my book it is going to be because I genuinely believe it will make your life better. We’d still have PSAs telling us to eat healthy and exercise. Campaigning, in other words, would be for the public, collective good, instead of tools for wealth aggregation.
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Comment on Developers are using AI to strip ads and tracking from smart TVs in ~tech
Akir Link ParentThe creation of laws and threats of violence, same as alwaysThe creation of laws and threats of violence, same as always
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Comment on Electronic Arts to cut 400 jobs, shut down BioWare in ~games
Akir Link ParentIt’s the EA tradition, after all. Same thing that kills every EA studio.It’s the EA tradition, after all. Same thing that kills every EA studio.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (October 2026) in ~health.mental
Akir Link ParentI’ve come to the realization that I have actual depression. It’s not too much of a bad deal this time around though because it actually has a simple cause: it’s a side effect of a medication I am...I’ve come to the realization that I have actual depression.
It’s not too much of a bad deal this time around though because it actually has a simple cause: it’s a side effect of a medication I am taking. Unfortunately it’s not a medication I can simply stop taking; I have to ween myself off of it over the course of a month.
I have a history of depression so I am turning back to some of those strategies to manage it. Unfortunately that means I am zombie mode Akir for a while.
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Comment on #YesAllMen #NotAllMen #MaybeSomeMen How to be better? in ~life.men
Akir LinkGay man here. My experience with sexism is different from yours because I’m not part of the in crowd. I only get to see the worst of it when people forget that I’m not in it, and while I have been...Gay man here.
My experience with sexism is different from yours because I’m not part of the in crowd. I only get to see the worst of it when people forget that I’m not in it, and while I have been “straight-acting” enough to see it, I know I haven’t seen the worst of it. And what I do know is that when straight men talk about having sex with women they rarely ever talk about them in a way that brings up simple things like respect or even consent.
So if you want to be proactive in the fight against sexism, just do the things that women keep asking you to do. When you see people talking about women like they’re meat, when you see people making dirty jokes that reduce them to objects, cut them off and let them know they are being an asshole and that you will not tolerate that level of disrespect, and if you ever see them treating a woman that way you will take steps to intervene.
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Comment on Non-queer men of Tildes: PLEASE consider before commenting on ~life.women and ~lgbt without careful consideration. We are losing members over this issue. in ~tildes
Akir Link ParentOur federal government is fascist at this point and barely bothering to hiding it. Conservative is practically a euphemism.Our federal government is fascist at this point and barely bothering to hiding it. Conservative is practically a euphemism.
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Comment on Developers are using AI to strip ads and tracking from smart TVs in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI’m all in on this. I’m sick of a world in which tech corporations have so much control over us. If our governments refuse to legislate proactively why not use the anarchy to our benefit? But who...I’m all in on this. I’m sick of a world in which tech corporations have so much control over us. If our governments refuse to legislate proactively why not use the anarchy to our benefit?
But who am I kidding? The government will protect the corpos because they will pay them the bribes they love so much.
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Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
Akir LinkJesus fucking Christ. I hadn’t watched this because I have been depressed and I’ve seen that this is long and probably difficult to watch. So this morning I watch and I see that Google added...Jesus fucking Christ.
I hadn’t watched this because I have been depressed and I’ve seen that this is long and probably difficult to watch. So this morning I watch and I see that Google added Gemini to YouTube and so I get the summary and I see the “rape kit” and go hear her talk about that. I couldn’t watch any more than that.
I’ve got a friend who’s a revolutionary communist. I can totally see why it’s appealing to say “let’s just overthrow the government and get rid of the bad people so we can fix things”. But what do you do when everyone around you is “the bad people”? And worse - what do you do if they are bad and you just don’t know because you haven’t seen them with power yet. From my perspective as a man, maybe that’s why women are getting the short end of the stick; women are perceived as being powerless, thus they are mistreated, to put things lightly.
What I do know is that I’m tired of injustice and wanton cruelty. It feels today that all of the people, organizations, and structures that existed to fight for social justice have died, are dying, are diminished, or are kneecapped in some way or another.
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Comment on Zach Bryan - Lies ft. Lana Del Rey (2026) in ~music
Akir LinkI wonder if labeling this country is hurting the reception to this? Much like pretty much all modern country genre music, it doesn’t sound much like country music to me, it sounds like a regular...I wonder if labeling this country is hurting the reception to this? Much like pretty much all modern country genre music, it doesn’t sound much like country music to me, it sounds like a regular ballad.
It’s a shame, because it’s a beautiful and haunting bittersweet song.
Following up on my last post, tapering off on my medications has caused my depression to back off. As of tonight I will be taking one pill per night as opposed to the four I was taking before, so I’m on the last leg before completely discontinuing it.
I kind of doubt that I will be completely depression-free after it’s over. I kind of feel that people who have had depression never really get 100% away from it even if they aren’t suffering from it anymore, given my history of non-drug-induced depression. So I’m trying to view this period as a sort of mental housekeeping opportunity; it’s here to let me feel a lot of the negative emotions I would have otherwise been better at repressing and forcing me to address them.
One thing I am looking forward to is having energy again. I have not been to the gym since I started taking this medication. My body is kind of killing me and although I was taking it for my health I can now see it was doing much more harm than good.