Banazir's recent activity
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Comment on Historic voter turnout powered US Democrats’ blue wave in ~society
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentThanks! I think the appearance is mostly owed to the finish left by the oil quench, think of it like seasoning a cast iron pan. I was hoping that the end result would be functional, so I'd really...Thanks! I think the appearance is mostly owed to the finish left by the oil quench, think of it like seasoning a cast iron pan. I was hoping that the end result would be functional, so I'd really like to not relegate these to decorative use!
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentThese are pretty hefty scissors. The blades are 6.5" (165mm) long (measured along the edge when open as wide as possible), and full length is 10.5" (265 mm) long. At their thickest point, the...These are pretty hefty scissors. The blades are 6.5" (165mm) long (measured along the edge when open as wide as possible), and full length is 10.5" (265 mm) long. At their thickest point, the blades are 0.21" (5.5mm), which I definitely could have thinned down more. Given that most swords are no thicker than that, these have some real heft to them.
I was hoping that these could work as heavy-duty fabric shears, either for myself or as a gift for my mom. If I never get them to that point, they might still work as kitchen shears for tasks like breaking down a whole chicken. Of course they can still be a decorative item if all else fails, but I really like making functional pieces as well.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentThanks! I realized after making the post that the picture I had was from before any polishing/sharpening, so there's a bit less contrast than they have right now, but I definitely like how the...Thanks! I realized after making the post that the picture I had was from before any polishing/sharpening, so there's a bit less contrast than they have right now, but I definitely like how the appearance came out!
I re-sharpened the blades and the scissors work reasonably well on paper and cardboard, but anything that will fold easier than it cuts (like fabric) just twists between the blades. I also did some cold work by straightening the blades a bit and tightening the rivet, which reduced the gap without making them wobbly. More work is still needed, but I'm going for incremental improvements here so I'll take it!
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir LinkScissors I've had the idea to try making some scissors/shears (still don't know the difference) for a while now, so I took TiMaSoMo (at least the second half) as an opportunity to challenge...Scissors
I've had the idea to try making some scissors/shears (still don't know the difference) for a while now, so I took TiMaSoMo (at least the second half) as an opportunity to challenge myself. There are three reasons why this was a challenging project:
- Symmetry between the blades - I didn't quite get this perfect, there were flaws from the very beginning, but the blades were a close enough match to fit together.
- Heat treatment - this shouldn't be much different than heat treating any other blade, but I had to make sure that the blades were separate during the quench so I didn't accidentally create a larger mass where cooling would be slower. I also needed to submerge the scissors more completely so I could open/close them as they cooled, so the rivet wouldn't jam up the two sides.
- The rivet - I have always struggled with hinge rivets. I've made several pairs of tongs and all of them have crummy rivets, even when I use pre-made ones and a rivet header. This one was no exception - instead of pretty dome-headed rivets, I ended up with flattened heads on both sides in order to make the rivet tight.
With that explained, I present to you: rasp scissors! These are made from half of a farrier's rasp, the other half of which was used to make a knife for my brother as a wedding gift.
There unfortunately isn't much to see. I forgot to take pictures during the forging process, only remembering to get one picture after rough forging. Due to rivet issues, the blades fit slightly wrong and don't cut well. The tips snip nicely, but the blades are long enough that you lose leverage. I will be spending the next week or two slowly adjusting bit by bit to make these work. As it is, I don't feel that these are good enough to truly show off at the moment, but I may make a follow-up with a video if I get them to a working point.
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Comment on 2026 United States midterm elections megathread in ~society
Banazir Link ParentKansas hasn't had a Democrat senator for 94 years. We finally broke the streak!Kansas hasn't had a Democrat senator for 94 years. We finally broke the streak!
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Comment on Could we get a page dedicated to spirituality? in ~tildes
Banazir LinkOut of curiosity, what made you want to join Tildes? I just find it odd that you join a community and immediately ask for a change rather than engaging with the community as it is now. There has...Out of curiosity, what made you want to join Tildes?
I just find it odd that you join a community and immediately ask for a change rather than engaging with the community as it is now. There has to be something that drew you here. Like NotAFae said, it feels inauthentic, but moreso for the request itself rather than the way it is written.
Just come on in! The water's great, we don't bite, insert analogy here - whatever it is that pulled you in, connect with that!
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Comment on Second attempt: Is there a decent brand of USB-c earphones that wont break after 2-3 years but also doesnt cost hundreds of dollars? in ~music
Banazir LinkI believe this is a feature, not a bug. There's a lot of hidden gesture controls that you can only learn by stumbling on them, at which point your phone might give you a pop-up explaining what...if I turned the phone over on my lap, the YouTube video I was listening to would stop
I believe this is a feature, not a bug. There's a lot of hidden gesture controls that you can only learn by stumbling on them, at which point your phone might give you a pop-up explaining what happened. I know I can reject calls like that and I think pausing music is another option. If the pause is tied into the media player, then it would also pause a Youtube video.
I can't find anything that confirms this, but I think I've had similar interactions so I think it's intentional.
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Comment on Manifestos, fear, and ‘loser thinking’: inside Proton’s AI reckoning in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentI'd argue that they market themselves toward privacy more than security. Yes, you need security to implement privacy, but their brand definitely pushes the privacy angle more.high priest of security
I'd argue that they market themselves toward privacy more than security. Yes, you need security to implement privacy, but their brand definitely pushes the privacy angle more.
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Comment on Manifestos, fear, and ‘loser thinking’: inside Proton’s AI reckoning in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentI'm in basically the same position as you, just minus a couple of years. I only really use Proton Drive when I want to share a large file and don't want someone to deal with my abysmal residential...I'm in basically the same position as you, just minus a couple of years. I only really use Proton Drive when I want to share a large file and don't want someone to deal with my abysmal residential upload speeds. My wife and I both use Proton, I was about to switch us from two individual plans to a single Duo plan, but I definitely want to hold off on that now.
I'll be interested to see what you choose to switch to. Mail and calendar matter most to me, if I really need to send files I can make people use my Nextcloud.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Final Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir LinkThe scissors have been riveted together and heat-treated, although that turns out to be premature. The blades don't make good contact so the scissors are non-functional, they just look cool. I can...The scissors have been riveted together and heat-treated, although that turns out to be premature. The blades don't make good contact so the scissors are non-functional, they just look cool. I can try to fix them cold, but the gap is pretty wide and I think I'm better off re-introducing the necessary curve with heat. Then I'll re-treat the blades and hope I don't mess them up a second time.
If the fix-up goes well, then I'll polish the blades a bit so they slide more smoothly and get pictures for the showcase!
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Comment on Proton to ‘re-interview’ staff about AI to see who gets to keep their job in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentI haven't seen enough evidence so say that Proton is right-wing. The founder is more left-wing than social media portrays.I haven't seen enough evidence so say that Proton is right-wing. The founder is more left-wing than social media portrays.
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Comment on How is your current TTRPG campaign going? in ~games.tabletop
Banazir LinkWhich one? I'm still playing board games weekly with my coworkers, which is mainly Frosthaven with an occasional D&D one-shot (with recurring characters) thrown in. Last D&D session (a few months...Which one?
I'm still playing board games weekly with my coworkers, which is mainly Frosthaven with an occasional D&D one-shot (with recurring characters) thrown in. Last D&D session (a few months back) involved my character catching sight of the man responsible for her family's deaths, and I forced the DM to give him some very hasty retreat options. As a result, I got a +1 bowstring and a good story lead.
My online campaign, Descent into Avernus, has been taking longer breaks than intended so we've been going slowly. As far as I can tell though, we're going to Hell during this Saturday's session! I'm playing a Paladin in that one, so I'm sure I'll be fine.
Finally, the in-person campaign that my friends and I have been playing for the last 4.5 years reached its conclusion a week ago. We min-maxed the hell out of the fight against the BBEG's lieutenant the session prior, which led to an unsatisfying encounter, but I explicitly said "I don't want to min-max this" to my minmaxy friend and it led to a much better session overall. I'm sad to see the characters wrapped up and move on, but also somewhat relieved. I've complained about this group several times, since everyone has ADHD and uses that as an excuse to not pay close attention. Between that and not knowing basic mechanics of how their characters work, I just think this group is ill-suited to long-form games with more complex rulesets like D&D - even though one of them is absolutely obsessed with theorycrafting cool characters and homebrew additions.
So that's where I stand - one slow-moving campaign sprinkled into Frosthaven, one prewritten module that gets bogged down with international scheduling conflicts, and one padded shackle that I am now free from.
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Comment on Polyphia - LET THERE BE LIGHT (2026) in ~music
Banazir Link ParentWe saw them a couple years back, can't remember the opening groups though. "So many notes played" sounds right.We saw them a couple years back, can't remember the opening groups though. "So many notes played" sounds right.
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Comment on How do you handle being around other people? in ~life
Banazir Link ParentI'm generally pretty introverted and can hit mental limits from hanging out with certain groups of people too much (depends on how much I have to manage them, like my old ADHD-plagued D&D group)....I'm generally pretty introverted and can hit mental limits from hanging out with certain groups of people too much (depends on how much I have to manage them, like my old ADHD-plagued D&D group). However, I also have groups of friends that leave me feeling relaxed and recharged. The latter set of groups are the ones that introverts need to find, but it takes effort and luck.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentThat's a fair point. My dad has always had a decent dust collection system, so airborne sawdust isn't something I really think about much. I definitely wouldn't have kept a mask on at that age!That's a fair point. My dad has always had a decent dust collection system, so airborne sawdust isn't something I really think about much. I definitely wouldn't have kept a mask on at that age!
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir LinkI followed up on last week's decision to change my project and I've committed to making shears/scissors (I'm still not sure of the difference). The handles have been forged out (although there's a...I followed up on last week's decision to change my project and I've committed to making shears/scissors (I'm still not sure of the difference). The handles have been forged out (although there's a crack in one that I'm not sure about), the blades have been drawn out to their final shape, and the holes for the rivet have been punched. I've done a bit of file work on the blades to smooth and flatten the inside face, but one rivet hole protrudes a bit more than I realized so there's almost 1/8" (3mm) between the blades that will have to be solved with more heat.
So my plan for this week is to flatten the rivet hole, true up the blades so they sit flat against each other, and fix up the handles before riveting the two halves together. When everything is fit nicely, I can quench the blades like a knife (leaving the handles "soft") and temper for a hard edge. I'm not sure if that's a weekend thing, since Saturday is filled with Halloween festivities and Sunday is our anniversary, but the forge work needed should be minimal so it might fit in a weekday evening. If all goes well, these will be done before next check-in, let alone before the end of the month!
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentAs someone whose dad has done woodworking for as long as I can remember (he started when he was in high school), some of my earliest memories are in the garage-turned-shop that my dad was using. I...As someone whose dad has done woodworking for as long as I can remember (he started when he was in high school), some of my earliest memories are in the garage-turned-shop that my dad was using. I still remember getting to press the button to turn on the table saw when I was 3 or 4. Orbital sanders are (generally) safe enough for kids to be around, have him "help" by holding fresh pads or checking the surface to see if it's smooth. Give him an experience to enjoy!
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Comment on PHP warns it plans to release two emergency patches imminently in ~comp
Banazir LinkAs far as I can tell my Nextcloud server hadn't been hit yet, but it's been shut off for now. I'm suddenly really glad I did my pre-bed tildes scroll.As far as I can tell my Nextcloud server hadn't been hit yet, but it's been shut off for now. I'm suddenly really glad I did my pre-bed tildes scroll.
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Comment on What can be done about Linux being slopified? in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentWe're actively seeing this happen in real time. Our president's cabinet from his first term almost unilaterally said he is unfit for office. His vanity and willingness to side with whoever panders...XYZ politician will both destroy everything if elected and also super stupid.
We're actively seeing this happen in real time. Our president's cabinet from his first term almost unilaterally said he is unfit for office. His vanity and willingness to side with whoever panders to him temporarily make him extremely manipulable. And yet he is also constantly signing EOs that are harmful to the environment and to institutions that have stood for decades.
AI is both a grievous threat to human employment and is also useless slop generators.
It can be both. If the output is bad but the people who make decisions don't have the experience to know it is bad, they won't care. They simply accept the faster output as a good sign and use it as a reason to reduce jobs.
In both cases you have people without relevant experience at the helm, and those who will see the actual consequences are those with the experience that the leaders need. This isn't a logical contradiction, it's the Peter Principle and Dunning-Krueger at the top.
I've never heard anyone claim this. Protests generally have two goals:
Protests work in between election cycles. They are an action to take in addition to voting, not instead of. They can be used to motivate people to vote, but a lot of them are done with so much time until the next election that they are unlikely to influence people in that way. The whole point of a protest is that you show that there is a group of people who disagree with the current course of action and would like to see change, which will ideally make the people in government more aware of what the people want.