Silbern's recent activity
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Comment on Time to decolonise the internet in ~tech
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Comment on Time to decolonise the internet in ~tech
Silbern LinkI really don't agree with the author. The US didn't colonize the internet, it was its birthplace for a huge part of it, and a significant chunk of it was invented or developed here (like with a...I really don't agree with the author. The US didn't colonize the internet, it was its birthplace for a huge part of it, and a significant chunk of it was invented or developed here (like with a lot of the tech industry). It would make as much sense to accuse Japan of colonizing the video game industry, because of its (alongside the US') overwhelming dominance of it. And for his concern about facing racism in the UK, it's hardly going to get better if the internet becomes less global and connected and we all retreat into our own bubbles. For the situations he mentioned as downsides, I think it's also worth pointing out the upsides of a connected internet as well - the US produces an enormous range of content, from entertainment to educational, that tons of people outside the US enjoy. Many Americans and foreigners have become friends through sharing the same spaces and interacting (I have several I met this way), and the US' massive software industry and the free software movement helped to connect the rest of the world much faster than if they had to develop their own version of all of our technology.
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Comment on US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania have tested positive for coronavirus in ~health
Silbern (edited )Link ParentHah, this is my life living in Hawaii :) all of the news on the mainland happens overnight here, so we typically wake up with a huge torrent of stuff to catch up on, and then nothing happens...Hah, this is my life living in Hawaii :) all of the news on the mainland happens overnight here, so we typically wake up with a huge torrent of stuff to catch up on, and then nothing happens throughout most of the day. I typically stop checking my email around 10 or 11, because if I don't, that's when all the morning newsletters start going out and it's too easy to get sucked into reading everything and still be up at 3AM.
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Comment on Why some people change their wallpaper/profile picture more than others ? in ~talk
Silbern Link ParentEh man, I'm not judging here. You're welcome to use whatever you like, different strokes for different folks right? And if you really do have an old computer and you feel like it makes a...Eh man, I'm not judging here. You're welcome to use whatever you like, different strokes for different folks right? And if you really do have an old computer and you feel like it makes a difference, then by all means. I'm genuinely just not really sure of an application where it would work fine with 512MB free, but wouldn't work with 501MB free, for example. I have a ThinkPad from 2007 with only 3GB (used to be 2), but I can't recall a single time where I could've ever stopped it from swapping to disk if I didn't have a background picture, vs if I did. The applications that do it, like a modern version of Firefox or LibreOffice, take up way too much to care about a single digit number increase, and it doesn't even come close to filling up otherwise, you really don't need 3GB for running a basic TDE desktop and your typical productivity stuff like an email client, music player, text editor, some widgets, etc.
If it were that near the margins, you can typically tweak your swappiness value and make it more conservative for example, which will effectively free up a little more space without changing anything about the user experience. I love old hardware and I'm not judging you for using it at all, just a little sketch on a situation where such a small change would give any noticeable extra performance. If you've encountered one though, I'm all up for hearing about it, and how you discovered it?
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Comment on File Syncing Software in 2020 in ~comp
Silbern LinkSyncing data between a bunch of different devices kinda sucks atm. My Uni's Google Drive is great because it's unlimited in size, but it's really slow and takes forever to upload stuff to, and...Syncing data between a bunch of different devices kinda sucks atm. My Uni's Google Drive is great because it's unlimited in size, but it's really slow and takes forever to upload stuff to, and it's difficult to access since clients are few and all (including Google's) are pretty terrible. DropBox is a lot better, but it's pretty expensive for the space you get. Bitorrent Sync is awesome once it gets working, but it's cumbersome everytime you want to add a different folder and you need to have the space on every device to hold your data, which isn't ideal when it comes to 250+GB music collections for instance.
The best solution I've found so far, as silly as it seems, is is simply running an FTP server with basic authentication on my workstation with its own 4TB HDD. On my local network, the lack of secure authentication is fine since it's shielded from the internet, and it has a ton of advantages. It's super fast because of how simple the protocol is, clients for it exist on pretty much every device and it can often be really well integrated (by mounting it as a folder natively for instance), and it's trivial to allow other people access to it as well, since I just need to give them their own account and folder permissions. Once I figure out how to VPN into my system from the outside, I'll be able to access it from anywhere, and I can use some encrypted ZIP backups of it every now and then to my Google Drive folder for a poor man's backup solution.
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Comment on Why some people change their wallpaper/profile picture more than others ? in ~talk
Silbern Link Parent(Different person than above) I don't know that you would really be changing anything though. For example, on OSX, the "solid color" backgrounds are 128x128 jpgs iirc, and they're initialized and...(Different person than above)
I don't know that you would really be changing anything though. For example, on OSX, the "solid color" backgrounds are 128x128 jpgs iirc, and they're initialized and tiled like any other picture is, which includes any safety handlers and stuff. The initialization process is also likely only run once; once a jpg or png has been decoded, I'm almost certain that it's stored as a pixmap and simply drawn first before the other windows are drawn on top (that's how Linux traditionally does it). Even if it's stored as a completely uncompressed 24bit RGB pixmap, assuming your monitor is a standard 1920x1080 display, that comes out to about 50MB worth of data. Assuming your computer has 8GB of RAM, you're only losing 0.625% of RAM vs if you could somehow completely disable any form of background rendering.
If you have an older computer, the difference can be quite a bit bigger - an 800x600x24 bit buffer would be about 11MB, on a 256MB system, that's a 4.5% loss - but I don't know if there's much you could do with an extra 5% of RAM you couldn't do with less. Especially if the OS unloads the background layer when memory gets tight, I know Android does this since my Epic 4G often reloads the wallpaper when quitting the more memory intensive apps.
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Comment on Why some people change their wallpaper/profile picture more than others ? in ~talk
Silbern LinkIt kind of varies. I used to change my backgrounds pretty frequently, but these days I find myself a lot more reserved about doing it. I'm generally very pro-customization and I like to make all...It kind of varies. I used to change my backgrounds pretty frequently, but these days I find myself a lot more reserved about doing it. I'm generally very pro-customization and I like to make all of my devices / accounts / anything I control different from the default, like it's my way of stamping my identity on it. But I think I've gotten so used to my customizations now, that the idea of changing them just feels kinda weird. If I had an analogy, it's kind of like a bedroom - I have my special picture frames and plants and mementos, but once I've set it up, it seems like it's meant to be that way.
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Comment on Testing a new method (CSS custom properties) for the site themes - please report any issues you notice in ~tildes.official
Silbern Link ParentYou might be surprised. I don't know exactly how BlackBerry does it, but on Android (and iOS), many browsers are just reskins on the same OS backend. However, there are some like the full versions...You might be surprised. I don't know exactly how BlackBerry does it, but on Android (and iOS), many browsers are just reskins on the same OS backend. However, there are some like the full versions of Opera (which I'm using), or Firefox, that actually bundle not only their own engine, but an entire network and TLS stack too. It's actually how my Android still works with Tildes at all, since it has extremely strict TLS 1.2 compliance settings, and Google for whatever reason didn't enable TLS 1.2 support by default until 5.0. If you have some spare time, you may wanna poke around - it's very well possible there's one out there, or if not, the compatibility layer should support an old version of Opera or maybe even Firefox, since it's apparently compatible up to API level 18 (Jelly Bean 4.3 iirc).
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Comment on Which is arguably the best phone for ROMs? in ~tech
Silbern LinkIf the primary concern is ROM support, then I'd definitely say one of the earlier Pixels, though the 3A probably has pretty decent support now. Lots of people own them, Google makes their phones...If the primary concern is ROM support, then I'd definitely say one of the earlier Pixels, though the 3A probably has pretty decent support now. Lots of people own them, Google makes their phones pretty dev friendly, and the people who make ROMs often like techier devices (back when Nexus was a thing). Galaxy S has historically also been a safe het, partially due to the sheer number of people that own them.
In terms of best total support on a phone, I believe the all time record belongs to the Samsung Galaxy S2, released in 2011. Iirc, it can run everything from Gingerbread (Android 2.3) to Android 10. Absolutely insane in the world of smartphones, this thing literally runs a more modern version of Android than many phones in 2017 and 2018 that never got custom ROMs can.
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Comment on The Results of the Actual Unofficial 2020 Tildes Census in ~tildes
Silbern LinkThe ethnicity results really killed me. "White", "white", "Caucasion", "caucasion, "causcasion" "European", "european", "white British". The autogenerated results from the form are literally...The ethnicity results really killed me. "White", "white", "Caucasion", "caucasion, "causcasion" "European", "european", "white British". The autogenerated results from the form are literally Asian, Mixed, and 8 different ways to say white 😂 I look flrward to picking through the results in more detail later, thanks for publishing them! :)
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Comment on The Results of the Actual Unofficial 2020 Tildes Census in ~tildes
Silbern Link ParentIf it counts, I used to live in Japan, though I'm not Japanese myself. Had Tildes started a year earlier, there'd be two people writing from Japan :DIf it counts, I used to live in Japan, though I'm not Japanese myself. Had Tildes started a year earlier, there'd be two people writing from Japan :D
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Comment on Why do computers running Windows get progressively slower over time? in ~tech
Silbern Link ParentI haven't dealt with it since Windows 7 in 2014, but I think it's as slow as ever, defragging is unfortunately not very fast haha. The amount of fragmentation does have a great influence on the...I haven't dealt with it since Windows 7 in 2014, but I think it's as slow as ever, defragging is unfortunately not very fast haha. The amount of fragmentation does have a great influence on the time, but a 1TB HDD with only 10% capacity can probably be finished in under an hour, I'd guess. If you're concerned about it, just have it run for a night while you sleep - if she usually shuts her computer off, just make sure it's turned on and working away. You probably don't have too much fragmentation at 10% usage unless it's very old, as NTFS like to keep some space between files when it's available, so the performance gains may not be a lot, but they're free with minimal risks.
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Comment on Why do computers running Windows get progressively slower over time? in ~tech
Silbern LinkIt doesn't hold up so much today, but the biggest problem in the past used to be hard disk defragmentation. By default, there's a scheduled task in Windows to defrag your HDDs every Wednesday at...It doesn't hold up so much today, but the biggest problem in the past used to be hard disk defragmentation. By default, there's a scheduled task in Windows to defrag your HDDs every Wednesday at 3am (local time), but lots of people shut their computers off overnight when not in use, or have this task disabled (my uni's lab computers for example). Over the years, as you download more and more things, this leads to the disk becoming increasingly fragmented, and on an HDD where the biggest weakness is already slow access times, it makes just about any task using IO experience significant bottlenecks. Just compare a completely fresh, never before been defragmented install of Windows on an HDD, to right after you run the defragmenter, on the same setup. It'll be night and day, 100%.
This slowdown doesn't appear if you use an SSD though, as SSDs have the same access time regardless, and I haven't seen the same degradation in performance. If it still persists on your setup, it's likely because one of the programs you've installed is chewing up a bunch of resources in the background. Try sorting your running programs by RAM, IO, or CPU usage, and see if there's something that's using a lot. Windows Defender is a common one, it has a nasty habit of getting stuck and continuously rescanning a single folder, as does the Indexing service.
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Comment on Wisdom teeth recovery tips? in ~health
Silbern Link ParentThank you for the recommendation about Excedrin! I think I'll try to grab some tomorrow and see how it goes. So far I'm just on ibuprofen and soon maybe acetaminophen, and it's working okay,...Thank you for the recommendation about Excedrin! I think I'll try to grab some tomorrow and see how it goes. So far I'm just on ibuprofen and soon maybe acetaminophen, and it's working okay, though the roots are quite sore...
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Comment on Wisdom teeth recovery tips? in ~health
Silbern Link ParentYeah sleeping is my biggest concern, I'm not the best at it, especially when I can't use my usual aid (chamomile tea) because it interferes with clotting. The numbing agents are starting to wear...Yeah sleeping is my biggest concern, I'm not the best at it, especially when I can't use my usual aid (chamomile tea) because it interferes with clotting. The numbing agents are starting to wear off, but the pain isn't too bad so far. Really dreading Friday and Saturday when the swelling reaches is worst.
And does that mean you were born with 8 wisdom teeth? That definitely sucks, to need them all removed :(
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Wisdom teeth recovery tips?
Hey everyone. Today, i had my wisdom teeth removed (two of them anyway), and I currently sitting here with am ice pack pressed against my face trying to type with one hand. I wad wondering, if any...
Hey everyone. Today, i had my wisdom teeth removed (two of them anyway), and I currently sitting here with am ice pack pressed against my face trying to type with one hand. I wad wondering, if any Tilderinos with dental experience or who had there teeth removed, have any tips for surviving they next week? I've heard the see one and third day are the worst, is that true?
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Comment on Climate change will force a new American migration - Life is becoming increasingly untenable in the hardest-hit areas, which could cause millions of people to relocate in ~enviro
Silbern Link ParentDefinitely, yeah. I'm originally from New Hampshire, which I personally loved the climate of, but my mom in particular hated it, for a variety of reasons, but mainly because of her mild arthritis...Definitely, yeah. I'm originally from New Hampshire, which I personally loved the climate of, but my mom in particular hated it, for a variety of reasons, but mainly because of her mild arthritis and because wet cold is extremely unpleasant to her. Currently we live in Hawaii, which I also love, but she likes it especially because she doesn't have any kind of pain or stiffness and she never needs to worry about freezing rain or sudden snowstorms. It's 84F all year long, just the precipitation that varies between the dry and rainy seasons. She would take living in the desert long before moving back to NH, because from her perspective it's not really comfortable to go outside in NH in the winter either.
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Comment on Testing a new method (CSS custom properties) for the site themes - please report any issues you notice in ~tildes.official
Silbern Link ParentAre there perhaps other browsers on Blackberry that might work? Or if BB supports APKs, my version of Opera supports all the way back to at least Android 4.2.2 (since that's what I'm using), and I...Are there perhaps other browsers on Blackberry that might work? Or if BB supports APKs, my version of Opera supports all the way back to at least Android 4.2.2 (since that's what I'm using), and I can link it to you from APKmirror if you'd like.
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Comment on Testing a new method (CSS custom properties) for the site themes - please report any issues you notice in ~tildes.official
Silbern Link ParentThey you so much Deimos! I really appreciate it. I can confirm that after toggling the theme to a different one and back, I once again have a usable dark mode. There are a few inconsistencies I...They you so much Deimos! I really appreciate it. I can confirm that after toggling the theme to a different one and back, I once again have a usable dark mode. There are a few inconsistencies I can spot right away - the most prominent is the top of the site being a shade of gray instead of black - but it doesn't hamper usability in thr slightest. I'll keep an eye out for any breaking changes and let you know. Thanks once again, I know supporting legacy stuff can be kinda a pain, but it's really great to be able to continue reading Tildes even on this old thing. :)
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Comment on Testing a new method (CSS custom properties) for the site themes - please report any issues you notice in ~tildes.official
Silbern Link ParentIt works perfectly! Here's how it looks now, and it's exactly the same as to how it worked before the change, just that the background was black :)It works perfectly! Here's how it looks now, and it's exactly the same as to how it worked before the change, just that the background was black :)
I've absolutely lived outside the US, in Japan and Germany for several years. Combine my time living in Hawaii, and I've probably spent a fair bit over half my life living as a minority, albeit it a generally well privileged minority in countries that themselves are pretty well off. Travelling a lot gave me an appreciation for the world outside my own country's borders, and I made it a point to engage in the local country's media to the best I could when I lived there.
But I don't agree with the sentiment that US media being popular is tantamount to imperialism or colonialism. Those refer to active exploitation, and for sure, the US has plenty of that in our history, in our treatment of slaves, the Native Americans, the indigenous people of Hawaii. But being incredibly successful at making TV shows, or having paved the way to a global internet, particularly when foreigners often go out of their way to consume American content, isn't a sign of abuse.
If video games aren't widespread enough, would Japanese anime in the specific field of Cartoons (a sub field of TV) count? It's incredibly dominant and a major source of Japan exporting its culture worldwide. Lots of Americans, Canadians, Koreans, French, etc. Enjoy it, and in the US, it's given our own cartoon industry some competition, particularly more adult cartoons that fight for the audience share. But I don't see how the people that consume anime would be any better off if they didn't watch it and stuck only to shows made in the US, in the same vein that Latin Americans (where Japanese anime and American cartoons are also relatively popular) would be better off if they refused to watch non-Latin American made shows.
But I have a feeling I'm not properly grasping your viewpoint. Would it be okay for you provide me a detailed example perhaps, to help me better understand?