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    1. What lesser-known alternative would you recommend as a substitute for something more popular?

      Anything goes: foods, software, products, bands, websites, appliances, movies, programming languages, travel destinations, etc. The point of this topic is twofold: To surface some interesting...

      Anything goes: foods, software, products, bands, websites, appliances, movies, programming languages, travel destinations, etc.

      The point of this topic is twofold:

      1. To surface some interesting alternatives that could use more exposure.
      2. To highlight some of the issues with the currently popular option(s).

      Let us know your best “more people should know about this!” swaps, and sell us on why they’re better than the well-known option.

      31 votes
    2. What's an atypical thing you do that you'd recommend to others?

      You do it, and it's against the grain -- outside the norm. But you like it, or think it's worthwhile. In fact, you'd recommend that more people do it, so that it can shift the grain or become the...

      You do it, and it's against the grain -- outside the norm.

      But you like it, or think it's worthwhile.

      In fact, you'd recommend that more people do it, so that it can shift the grain or become the norm.

      What is it, and why do you recommend it?

      63 votes
    3. Introductions | March 2025

      The previous introductions thread was waaaaay back in June of 2023, figured it might be time for a new one, eh? This is a place for new and existing users to post an introduction with a few fun...

      The previous introductions thread was waaaaay back in June of 2023, figured it might be time for a new one, eh?

      This is a place for new and existing users to post an introduction with a few fun facts about themselves. You will find the post box at the bottom the page. Maybe say "Hi!" to someone else you see while scrolling down?

      If you like, you can also write something about yourself in your profile. See "Edit your user bio" on the settings page. Anyone who clicks on your username will see it in your profile. (It appears on the right side of the page.)

      You can find out more about how to use Tildes in this topic: "New users: Ask your questions about Tildes here!.

      Some sample questions you *could* answer (but not required!)
      • How long have you been on Tildes? How did you find out about us?
      • How did you choose your username?
      • What are your interests? (This could be music, tech, art, video games, board games, books, anything!)
      • A/S/L (the standard old school intro for an old school kind of forum, but not required!, we value our pseudonymity around here!)
        • for those born post 1998: age/(sex|gender|identifier|pronouns)/location
          • Example: 27/nb trans woman (she/her)/USA or 54/M/USA or 907/Timelord/Gallifrey
        • You don't have to follow the structure, or include it at all!
      • What do you do? This could be in your spare time, for work, your passions.
      • Do you want other users to PM you from this thread?
      • Give us a fun fact or link, if there is anything to know about tilderinos, we value knowledge sharing!
      Here is a template if you need something to kickstart your intro
      **How long have you been on Tildes? How did you find out about us?**
      
      **How did you choose your username?** 
      
      **What are your interests?** 
      
      **A/S/L (age/(gender|pronouns|identifier)/location)**
      
      **What do you do? This could be in your spare time, for work, your passions.**
      
      **Do you want other users to PM/DM you from this thread?**
      
      **Give us a fun fact (or a link!)! If there is anything to know about tilderinos, it's that we value knowledge sharing!**
      
      
      51 votes
    4. Tildes Minecraft Survival

      Server host: tildes.nore.gg (Running Java 1.21.4) Bluemap: https://tildes.nore.gg Playtime Tracker: https://tildes.nore.gg/playtimes.html Tildes website extension (shows online status & location):...

      Server host: tildes.nore.gg (Running Java 1.21.4)
      Bluemap: https://tildes.nore.gg
      Playtime Tracker: https://tildes.nore.gg/playtimes.html
      Tildes website extension (shows online status & location): Firefox (Desktop and Android) - Chrome
      Verification site: https://verify.tildes.nore.gg
      Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TildesMC

      Plugins and Data Packs Data Packs:
      • Terralith - Overworld terrain upgrade
      • Nullscape - End terrain upgrade
      • Armor Statues [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • Bat Membranes [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • Cauldron Concrete [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • Husks Drop Sand [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • Mini Blocks [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • More Mob Heads [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • Player Head Drops [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • Silence Mobs [Vanilla Tweaks]
      • Wandering Trades [Vanilla Tweaks]

      Plugins:

      • Bluemap - Adds a live 3D web map
      • Clickable Links - Makes http URLs in chat clickable (only for registered players)
      • CoreProtect - Records all block/container/mob changes (Anyone can look up changes with /co inspect)
      • EasyArmorStands - GUI for editing armor stands
      • Hexnicks - Enables Tildes usernames to be displayed
      • LuckPerms - Locks down unregistered users
      • Nerfstick - Allows survival use of the minecraft:debug_stick item (requires admin to spawn in)
      • Rapid Leaf Decay - Increases the speed of leaf decay by 10x
      • WorldEdit - Used for occasional admin stuff
      • WorldGuard - Prevents unregistered users from changing anything in the world

      The server operates on a soft whitelist. Anyone can log in and walk around, but you need a Tildes account to gain build access.

      11 votes
    5. Fitness Weekly Discussion

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?

      1 vote
    6. Stremio is an impressive program

      This post will talk about piracy. I won't provide any links or direct instructions. That said, if a mod or admin thinks there is something inappropriate about talking about that stuff, feel free...

      This post will talk about piracy. I won't provide any links or direct instructions. That said, if a mod or admin thinks there is something inappropriate about talking about that stuff, feel free to mention this in the comments and I will remove any inappropriate details as soon as I can.

      Like many Latin Americans, I am a long-term pirate. I have pirated stuff with floppy disks, with CD-ROMs, through IRC, FTP, Kazaa, Napster, Soulseek, websites, and torrent. I have also purchased several illegal media from street vendors. The whole idea of traditional piracy is to get the files I want for me to own, which is why I made a Plex server for myself.

      Stremio is a challenge to all of this. It is much easier to setup than Plex and basically requires no maintenance. It is a program that allows me to stream video content from a variety of sources, legal or illegal. It took less than 30 minutes to set it up on my computer, and I know that it exists for both of my TVs. I am using it with the Torrentio addon.

      Stremio changed my viewing habits much in the same way paid streaming services did. I am more spontaneous in my choices. I have watched Doctor Who from 2005, ER, Tiny Toons Adventures, Animaniacs, The Twighlight Zone (original), The Magicians, Blackadder, and Falling Skies (alien TV show with Noah Wyle!). Playback sometimes takes a little while to start, but went it does it rarely stutters, even on old or less popular shows. A paid debrid service should improve on that. I am now considering removing most of our extremely expensive paid streaming services and replacing them with Stremio. Money is tight and, when added up, they make quite a dent on our budget!

      One bad thing about Stremio is that it is basically a leech. It does not seed the torrents. I am considering getting Real Debrid as it seemingly reduces the strain on torrents via caching.

      Right now, my only concern with changing everything to Stremio is that my wife will probably dislike choosing between multiple sources for an episode, and some episodes come with bad subtitles. That would require minimal effort to solve, but might still be too much for her.

      Anyway, I am very impressed by Stremio. It is so good, in fact, that I am half-jokingly worried about the police knocking on my door.

      Just kidding, that doesn't happen around here.

      44 votes
    7. What programming/technical projects have you been working on?

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's...

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's interesting about it? Are you having trouble with anything?

      4 votes
    8. Request recommendation: temp controlled teapot

      Hello, as the title implies, I am looking for a temp controlled teapot. I own an ember mug and have to say, it is one of my favorite purchases/splurges. For those that do not want to click on the...

      Hello, as the title implies, I am looking for a temp controlled teapot.

      I own an ember mug and have to say, it is one of my favorite purchases/splurges. For those that do not want to click on the link, this is a temperature controlled mug that holds a hot temp for liquids in a mug wirelessly. It does this with quite good precision IMO, have not whipped out a thermometer to check accuracy.

      I have been looking for some time for a teapot that could do the same. The requirements I have are that no plastic or otherwise health adverse heat volatile materials come into contact with the heated water, and I would like it to be a teapot, because I like the ritual of pouring the tea out of the pot. I want to be able to steep and pour the tea from the same temp controlled vessel(I don't mind heating water and then pouring it into the temp controlled teapot), so I'm not looking for a temp controlled kettle, necessarily.

      I think last time I looked I ended up on pages showing things like this set up, which I'm open to, but would like some guidance or reviews, if possible.

      Thank you!

      Bonus, what are your favorite mint teas or other teas that have a sensory experience outside of temp?

      EDIT: On the same website I linked, I forgot to direct people here. Has anyone ever used a teapot warmer like the ones on that website?

      14 votes
    9. What is the optimal way to convert an RPG book to a text format?

      An RPG book is a book containing the rules and setting for a tabletop RPG game. Like Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Worlds Without Number, Star Trek Adventures, etc. The fact that they are...

      An RPG book is a book containing the rules and setting for a tabletop RPG game. Like Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Worlds Without Number, Star Trek Adventures, etc.


      The fact that they are rarely in text format always puts me off reading RPG books. I don't want to diminish the importance of art, but importing printed RPG books is prohibitively expensive, and reading huge PDFs on a laptop is not a good experience for me.

      I also find it unpleasant to navigate the complicated design of these books. They're distracting.

      I have a 6.8" Kindle Paperwhite but reading RPG PDFs on it is awful. RPG books have lots of art and complicated layouts. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to make an RPG into text. I was seriously considering just copying the text and converting it to markdown myself (it doesn't need to be markdown, just something that I can convert into a format my Kindle understands) when I remembered chatGPT.

      Copying the text and asking GPT to make it into markdown worked okay, but it missed the tables. Sending an image of a page worked pretty well, so I think AI is the way here. But I am not a GPT subscriber and I bet I'll hit a limit at some point. Also, instead of sending pages individually, I would prefer to send the PDF and get the result in text. Even if there were limitations (like only 10 pages in one go), it would be an improvement.

      In any case, using chatGPT will be much better than doing it by hand. But is there an AI or other kind of PDF service that is better suited for that task, so I can reduce the amount of manual input?

      8 votes
    10. Do you have games that you play (almost) exclusively?

      I was reading the recent post about strategy games, and I'm still astonished to see for how many hours (at least hundreds, often 1000+) people are playing these. I'm guessing that in these cases,...

      I was reading the recent post about strategy games, and I'm still astonished to see for how many hours (at least hundreds, often 1000+) people are playing these. I'm guessing that in these cases, all your gaming time is exclusively taken by that single game.

      So, do you have (or did you have) games, or series, like that? Do you play solo or multi? What compels you to spend so much time on a single game? How do you feel about it?

      38 votes
    11. Megathread: April Fools' Day 2025 on the internet

      Over the next day or so, the internet will be filled with jokes, pranks, fake "announcements" from companies, fun interactive activities, games, and so on. A lot of these can be quite clever and...

      Over the next day or so, the internet will be filled with jokes, pranks, fake "announcements" from companies, fun interactive activities, games, and so on. A lot of these can be quite clever and interesting so I think posting about them in general is fine, but in the interest of preventing them from completely taking over Tildes, let's try to keep as many of them restricted to this thread as possible. Ideally, a separate top-level comment for each individual item would be good.

      If something particularly discussion-worthy comes up (like an ARG or activity that a lot of people want to talk about), a separate thread is reasonable, but please make sure it has the "april fools day" tag. That way, if anyone wants to avoid seeing the April Fools' Day threads, they can use the topic tag filters and filter that tag out.

      I'm going to use the "official" styling for this topic (that's usually only for ~tildes.official topics) to make it stand out more to try to encourage people to notice it. If you notice people making individual topics for April Fools' Day things that don't really warrant their own topic, please (nicely) encourage them to delete and post in here instead.

      109 votes
    12. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

      Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

      8 votes
    13. You get to choose your favorite director's next project. What is it, and why?

      I think about this from time to time. Good directors often switch gears. They abandon beloved themes, franchises, or entire genres. Sometimes they become producers for the series they initiated...

      I think about this from time to time. Good directors often switch gears. They abandon beloved themes, franchises, or entire genres. Sometimes they become producers for the series they initiated and the quality takes a dip. In any event, for whatever reason, talented movie directors sometimes decide to dedicate their careers to something we are not as fond of. Perhaps you read a book that would be perfect for them! This post is an opportunity to put them on the right track! (in our imaginations at least...)

      26 votes
    14. Considering going with an ambidextrous mouse if anyone has recommendations

      My current mouse is a Logitech Lightspeed G502, it works fine and aside from double click issue which I brought to a store to fix, no issues with it but it was my friend's prior mouse before he...

      My current mouse is a Logitech Lightspeed G502, it works fine and aside from double click issue which I brought to a store to fix, no issues with it but it was my friend's prior mouse before he upgraded to a newer model.
      As for why I want an ambidextrous mouse, on the rare occasions I want to use my left hand to navigate instead of right.
      I used to use a chinese MMO mouse that honestly was not bad but its software was fairly garbage(Rebranded Red Dragon mouse iirc) so I don't mind Chinese mice as clearly being a brand name mouse doesn't mean much, just want something that is good and lasts a while, since I'm not that big on mice.

      I want these qualities in a mouse.

      • Works wired and with a 2.4GHz dongle
      • Either rechargeable batteries or replaceable works
      • High DPI
      • Not a "lightweight" mouse
      • Has a few programmable buttons
      • On chip storage for programmed buttons/DPI/etc
      • Available worldwide

      Bluetooth as a 3rd option would be neat but not something I'm looking for in particular.

      Rechargeable batteries are supposed to provide better longevity afaik, but the buttons or the mouse itself will probably die before the battery.

      I use 8200 DPI on my current mouse pretty much in both games and in desktop... with mouse acceleration,

      I only lower it on the rare occasions I use something like GIMP.

      Not a fan of these perforated light mice or super light mice, I used to put weights in my previous wired Chinese mouse but I'm using the G502 without weights currently. I am willing to compromise on this if there are no options however.

      On the G502 I only use 2 buttons regularly, and they are to switch to the left or right virtual desktop, the rest of the buttons have a function but they get rarely used (Except Windows+Tab to show all virtual desktops).

      On chip storage is good when I switch platforms (e.g. PC/Windows, SteamDeck or Linux, Mac) and in case I want to completely drop Windows and not worry about needing software for the programmable buttons to work.

      Worldwide availability because I don't live in the US or most parts of Europe.

      Not aware if Logitech has a mouse that does all what I need, the free scrolling wheel is cool and gets used, but they got a history of switches that die too fast.

      7 votes
    15. Hey parents, how many of you read vs. tell stories before bedtime for your kids?

      My son loves reading time before bed, but he’s only 3.5 so the books have mostly been picture books until now. Lately though he’s been getting more into stories with plots and an extended...

      My son loves reading time before bed, but he’s only 3.5 so the books have mostly been picture books until now. Lately though he’s been getting more into stories with plots and an extended narrative, but entirely in the form of movies. There aren’t a lot of kid’s books to go around with the sorts of dramatic stories he likes, they’re more like “caterpillar eats food” and “train engine climbs a hill with grit and determination” type stuff. And whenever I’ve tried to have him just lay down and listen to me read a story without any pictures to stare at he has absolutely no interest. He really likes having pretty visuals to look at.

      I know when I was a small child these sorts of board/picture books weren’t really a thing in India. The pre-sleep ritual was usually “storytime” instead, where my parents would tell us stories. I’m a little bit concerned that my kid has been so accustomed to always having visual cues presented to him that it’s stunting his imagination a bit, like failing to exercise his capacity to visualize ideas and concepts for himself without being anchored by some artist’s depiction.

      So I’m curious to hear from other parents or caregivers/educators (@kfwyre?). Did you find there was a natural transition point between going from picture books to telling/reading stories? Was there any sort of work you had to do to enable it? Are there “exercises” I can work on to help my son exercise his imagination? I have been working with him to have him tell me stories about his day, which he does pretty well. But his stories are always quite grounded and he’s usually telling me what he’s actually done and seen. When my nephews and nieces were his age they tended to spin out a lot of random stories that pretty obviously did not happen, and I assume this is because they had more experience being told stories themselves rather than just factual reporting about the happenings around them.

      24 votes
    16. Graduated and moving to an apartment in a major city in the US, advice/tips?

      I graduated in the spring and spent the last few months at home with family. I'm hoping to find an apartment/job in a major US city working as a legal assistant or paralegal. I've never rented...

      I graduated in the spring and spent the last few months at home with family. I'm hoping to find an apartment/job in a major US city working as a legal assistant or paralegal.

      I've never rented before, so I have questions, but due to circumstances related to the ones pushing me away from staying at home any longer, I don't have any parents or older siblings to ask for help, so I'm hoping to crowdsource wisdom here. I have specific questions, but also happy to hear any general advice for someone renting an apartment for the first time.

      Some relevant context:

      • Studio apartment is nonnegotiable. I don't know anyone I trust enough to be my roommate. If that weren't enough, I'm one of the only people still wearing a mask and trying not to get COVID, so it's gotta be a studio for me to be able to relax.
      • I'm looking for a walkable neighborhood and good public transit in addition to affordability, so really looking at Chicago and Philly right now.
      • I love to cook, but I know studios often have really lackluster kitchens. Hoping to find one with a usable amount of counterspace.

      Those questions I had:

      1. If you offer to pay a landlord the cost of the lease in full, is it typical for the landlord to waive the requirement that you provide proof of employment, or if you asked them to waive that, would they be likely to say yes? I would really like to take some time off, and coming home was intended to be that, but toxic family means I've just been stressed the whole time, so being able to get a place without needing a job right off the bat would be a fantastic setup to make sure this new start goes well. (If I save up part-time earnings for the next 2-3 months, I'll have enough to pay a lease on a $1200 studio in full, furnish it with the necessities, and feed myself.)

      2. Recently I realized that when apartments are listed as unfurnished, that means no bed or mattress either. (I kind of see now why futons are a thing.) How do people usually address this issue? Do you buy a mattress and bed frame with the expectation that you'll take it with you whenever you move out to the next apartment?

      3. Since I don't live in the city I'll be moving to, I most likely won't be able to see the apartment in person before committing. Any particular ideas on how I could handle this or what I should be wary of? I've heard of services where you can pay someone to show up to a tour and video call you so you can follow along (https://www.gandertour.com/). $50 doesn't seem too steep, but I don't know if that specific service is trustworthy, or if there's a cheaper or simpler way to deal with this.

      Those are my questions, and like I said above, any advice not 100% related to these questions is welcome too!

      38 votes
    17. What would your past self say about your current self?

      What would your past self(intentionally vague) say about your current self(also intentionally vague)? my own answer My past self would be surprised by the following: I am both less black and white...

      What would your past self(intentionally vague) say about your current self(also intentionally vague)?

      my own answer

      My past self would be surprised by the following:

      I am both less black and white and more black and white thinking than I used to be.
      I no longer put as heavy of an emphasis on Science being the only way to explain things.
      I have chosen to have less reliance on external validation.
      I burned out and hit at least two rock bottoms, and still have not fully recovered from them.
      I am pansexual and have at least grey thoughts about monogamy.
      I am more spiritual.
      I struggle socially (not in making friends, but how much anxiety or exhaustion I have around it)
      I am disabled.
      I can no longer travel or do physical activities that were a large part of my life.
      Experiencing pain that is constant and chronic.
      I would mourn so many things at such young an age.
      My family would become disconnected.
      I would have a much better relationship with my dad, but not my mom.
      I would live in a non-high density or HCOL area.
      I would consider a career outside of lawyer, psychiatrist, or scientist.
      Difficulty reading or learning.
      Commitment issues.
      Losing some of my best friends or other partners.
      I am neurodivergent (though that is only because the terminology did not exist at the time).
      Not being able to solve all problems or get myself out of everything, a drop in self-reliance, see burnout.
      Liking children and desiring to be a mentor or some sort of male au-pair.
      No longer like drinking, but do enjoy cannabis, ketamine, and LSD.

      My past self would not be surprised by:
      Still a perfectionist
      Still argumentative
      Still a clown and silly
      Enjoyment of philosophy and law
      Holding out to not have a car for decades only to be saddled with a lemon.
      Constant boredom and a need to know "why" or learn something new or otherwise seek out novelty and stimulation.
      Don't know what to do in life. Want to be a constant traveler and learner.
      Still hate cars.
      Still have a pretension and elitist problem.
      Struggle with self-love and self-worth, probably self-compassion too.
      Overly generous.
      Overly forgiving.
      Lover of showers and baths.
      Foodie despite hating the word and being anosmic. Becoming anosmic for two years and counting should be on the surprised list.
      I learn best by visual instruction as well as hands on.

      My current self, for the most part, likes itself in a way that I hadn't experienced for a long time. It's like my body took a break for ten years, deciding it hated itself and wanted constant improvement, all the while being its own worst critic and never really cheering it on. My current self is turning away from this mindset, and it feels great to have a more optimistic and self-satisfying life, but I just wish my physical body had not taken such a toll over the last few years.

      Look forward to hearing others' thoughts.

      27 votes