balooga's recent activity

  1. Comment on Shrinking number of free news outlets in ~talk

    balooga
    Link
    It’s not a perfect solution but if you’re comfortable with circumvention technologies I recommend Bypass Paywalls Clean. It’s frequently updated and uses a variety of techniques to get around soft...

    It’s not a perfect solution but if you’re comfortable with circumvention technologies I recommend Bypass Paywalls Clean. It’s frequently updated and uses a variety of techniques to get around soft paywalls on a ton of sites. Unfortunately it was chased from GitLab and GitHub by DMCA takedowns, and now resides at this Russian site which is out of reach of American law but also gives it the appearance of being rather sketchy. Also there are now a couple hoops to jump through to install it, since the browser extension stores refuse to distribute it.

    I’ve been using it for years and I trust magnolia1234 who has been tirelessly maintaining it through all the ups and downs. It works quite well. Obviously use your own discretion and do the necessary due diligence before installing it for yourself.

    4 votes
  2. Comment on New ‘Star Trek’ movie in works at Paramount from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) in ~movies

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Well said. The Orville was everything I could want a modern Star Trek to be, once it wriggled out of Fox’s expectations for it to be a stupid Family Guy style parody show. Those two seasons in...

    Well said. The Orville was everything I could want a modern Star Trek to be, once it wriggled out of Fox’s expectations for it to be a stupid Family Guy style parody show. Those two seasons in particular were criminally underrated.

    4 votes
  3. Comment on New ‘Star Trek’ movie in works at Paramount from Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) in ~movies

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Hasbro Presents: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: A Forgotten Realms Story: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

    Hasbro Presents: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: A Forgotten Realms Story: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

    7 votes
  4. Comment on Danish man convicted of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the social media site Reddit in ~tech

    balooga
    Link
    I can’t get behind the idea that decontextualizing a movie scene is somehow a violation of anyone’s rights or a form of abuse against the actors in that scene. A film is fundamentally a recording,...

    I can’t get behind the idea that decontextualizing a movie scene is somehow a violation of anyone’s rights or a form of abuse against the actors in that scene. A film is fundamentally a recording, and that’s just the nature of the beast. People have been wearing out certain portions of videotape from excessive rewinds since the VHS era. Was that a crime against moral rights? Performers and studios can’t dictate how a movie is supposed to be watched, or how pure the audience’s thoughts are as they watch it.

    I get that the “real crime” here (or at least the more widely recognized infraction) is copyright violation. Personally I think that’s a crock too, but the story should at least be centered around that. All this talk of lecherous men making actors uncomfortable just confuses the issue.

    20 votes
  5. Comment on Enthusiasts bond twelve 56K modems together to set dial-up broadband records in ~tech

    balooga
    Link
    Can anybody elucidate this part for me? Were these modems connecting over VOIP?

    with an ISP that supports digital modems

    Can anybody elucidate this part for me? Were these modems connecting over VOIP?

    1 vote
  6. Comment on Marty Supreme | Official trailer in ~movies

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Ah, interesting. I wasn’t getting that feeling from the trailer. I mean, the premise is outlandish but it seems to be played totally seriously, at least in my eyes.

    Ah, interesting. I wasn’t getting that feeling from the trailer. I mean, the premise is outlandish but it seems to be played totally seriously, at least in my eyes.

    1 vote
  7. Comment on Marty Supreme | Official trailer in ~movies

    balooga
    Link
    The trailer looks good! Not sure why this is tagged as comedy though. Also I’m not tripping over myself to finance Gwyneth Paltrow (though at this point I suppose she’s got enough fuck-you money...

    The trailer looks good! Not sure why this is tagged as comedy though. Also I’m not tripping over myself to finance Gwyneth Paltrow (though at this point I suppose she’s got enough fuck-you money to be uncancelable).

    1 vote
  8. Comment on Toy Story 5 | Teaser Trailer in ~movies

    balooga
    Link Parent
    I really don’t like when Pixar takes on sequels, and I’m typically annoyed when numbers larger than 3 start showing up in titles, but credit where it’s due for Pixar continuing to push the...

    I really don’t like when Pixar takes on sequels, and I’m typically annoyed when numbers larger than 3 start showing up in titles, but credit where it’s due for Pixar continuing to push the technical envelope. Have you seen this video about the camera lens simulation in Toy Story 4? That film stands out to me as being one of the most technically gorgeous animated works I’ve ever seen.

    I’m not convinced that we need a Toy Story 5, just as I wasn’t that we needed a 4 (or a 3 before that), but I’m gratified that the artists are doing their thing to make it look spectacular. By all rights it could be a cheap money grab but these are good signs that it won’t.

    12 votes
  9. Comment on Who can name the bigger number? in ~science

    balooga
    Link Parent
    I think it was Milton Sirotta who spelled it wrong.

    I think it was Milton Sirotta who spelled it wrong.

    2 votes
  10. Comment on The Doobie Brothers: Tiny Desk Concert (2025) in ~music

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Are you… me…?? lol

    Are you… me…?? lol

    1 vote
  11. Comment on The Doobie Brothers: Tiny Desk Concert (2025) in ~music

    balooga
    Link Parent
    That’s funny, I would describe the Doobie Brothers in exactly the same way. My dad was absolutely nuts for these guys. And I’ve come to know a lot of their songs through osmosis as well.

    This is one of my father's all-time favorite bands

    That’s funny, I would describe the Doobie Brothers in exactly the same way. My dad was absolutely nuts for these guys. And I’ve come to know a lot of their songs through osmosis as well.

    1 vote
  12. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 27 in ~society

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Christ, what an asshole.

    Christ, what an asshole.

    5 votes
  13. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 27 in ~society

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Christ, what an asshole.

    Christ, what an asshole.

    3 votes
  14. Comment on US President Donald Trump admin’s racist Halo memes are ‘a new level of dehumanization of immigrants’ in ~society

    balooga
    Link
    Christ, what an asshole.

    Christ, what an asshole.

    8 votes
  15. Comment on Is there a postman alternative without the bloat? in ~tech

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Shhh, we don’t talk about Bruno.

    Shhh, we don’t talk about Bruno.

    1 vote
  16. Comment on First shape found that can’t pass through itself in ~science

    balooga
    Link
    Interesting! Is there any practical application for either the noperthedron or the software they're using?

    Interesting! Is there any practical application for either the noperthedron or the software they're using?

    4 votes
  17. Comment on US President Donald Trump has begun demolishing the east wing of the White House, without approval in ~society

    balooga
    Link Parent
    It really all boils down to this. That is the most outrageous ruling I’ve ever heard of, and the implications of it are terrible. I don’t believe there is any way for it to be overturned, because...

    The supreme court has already ruled that the president can't be prosecuted for any official act he takes.

    It really all boils down to this. That is the most outrageous ruling I’ve ever heard of, and the implications of it are terrible. I don’t believe there is any way for it to be overturned, because SCOTUS is unaccountable. It feels like that was a blind spot in the founders’ system of checks and balances. I wonder if a constitutional amendment could be proposed to allow voters to reverse bad precedent or something.

    14 votes
  18. Comment on Swedish fisherman digging for worms stumbles upon cache of silver coins, beads, rings and pendants dating to the 12th century in ~humanities.history

    balooga
    Link Parent
    Awesome investigation, thanks for that!

    Awesome investigation, thanks for that!

    4 votes
  19. Comment on Swedish fisherman digging for worms stumbles upon cache of silver coins, beads, rings and pendants dating to the 12th century in ~humanities.history

    balooga
    Link
    They’d better compensate him! Maybe it’s the American in me showing but if I found a cache like that I don’t think turning it over to the state would ever enter my head as a possibility. All the...

    Sweden’s National Heritage Board will now determine whether the finder will be compensated for turning over his discovery to the state.

    They’d better compensate him! Maybe it’s the American in me showing but if I found a cache like that I don’t think turning it over to the state would ever enter my head as a possibility. All the more so if I was a laborer like a fisherman.

    Of course, as an American my odds of stumbling upon 12th century silver coins in my backyard are effectively zero, so I guess it’s a moot point.

    14 votes
  20. Comment on The same-name club made up entirely of Shirleys is dying out in ~life

    balooga
    Link Parent
    I did the same thing! This was back in 2006 or so. I have a common last name but my first is unusual. For all its problems, Facebook offered a never-before-possible way to find and connect with a...

    Before I deleted facebook I was in a group for people with my same first and last name.

    I did the same thing! This was back in 2006 or so. I have a common last name but my first is unusual. For all its problems, Facebook offered a never-before-possible way to find and connect with a bunch of us who shared the same full name from around the world. Not that we did anything meaningful with it but the novelty was cool.

    3 votes