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    1. How do Tildes users feel about an OP that takes part in their own thread?

      Bit of an odd question but one I'm becoming a little self conscious of. I posted a thread earlier today on ~LGBT asking people to share their experiences of coming out. Because it's a somewhat...

      Bit of an odd question but one I'm becoming a little self conscious of.

      I posted a thread earlier today on ~LGBT asking people to share their experiences of coming out. Because it's a somewhat sensitive topic and sharing your experiences can be a little vulnerable I've been taking part and interacting with everyone who's shared their experience.

      Im being sure to try and actually contribute, bring my perspective and continue the conversation, and importantly thank people for being open about something that can be difficult.

      My problem is that I worry that this is a habit I'm bringing over from Reddit that's perhaps not suitable for Tildes, but I'm not sure?

      I generally see it as a good thing when an OP takes active part in a discussion they started, but maybe it's more of a hindrance here?

      I'm not sure how I feel, and I'd like to get the opinions of other regular users on what would be appropriate?

      Edit: I should specify and make it clear in my case I'm talking about actively replying to most or all top level comments. Not necessarily replies but still a fair number. I worry about crossing a line into just contributing to noise.

      45 votes
    2. Are there any other simracing enthusiasts?

      Hey all, I will admit, one thing I will miss about the other site is having the strong simracing community. Have any other sim racers made the jump? I told myself I wouldn’t buy another F1 game...

      Hey all,

      I will admit, one thing I will miss about the other site is having the strong simracing community. Have any other sim racers made the jump?

      I told myself I wouldn’t buy another F1 game (hell, I partially got a PC to keep F1 22 alive with mods), but F1 23 looks like it’s a huge step better. Maybe that will be my last F1 game, lol.

      Otherwise, I find myself really only playing Assetto Corsa. I know other games are better at one thing or another, but AC just seems to have the best all-around. I play single player almost exclusively, so I want a decent AI and also be able to race everywhere they do IRL. For example, I hear the indycars are better in Automobilista 2, but AC has all the track mods, and I’m honestly having fun using AI apps to fix any kind of AI dumbness that occurs. Same with WEC- AC probably isn’t the best physics, but I have all the cars and the tracks.

      Any other sim racers here?

      21 votes
    3. Tasker issues with volume sync on new Pixel

      Hi all, first post so hope I do it right. I just read the Tasker post and thought I'd post a question/request here about it. On my old Samsung S21 I wrote a simple Tasker script that detected a...

      Hi all, first post so hope I do it right.

      I just read the Tasker post and thought I'd post a question/request here about it.

      On my old Samsung S21 I wrote a simple Tasker script that detected a change in volume on one of the sliders, eg Media, and then adjusted the others, IE System, Notification and Call, to match with a little check, ie %VOLM neq %VOLR.

      It worked fine in my Samsung but goes all over the place on my new Pixel!

      Has anyone else seen this or can post something that works on Pixels? Or maybe my scripts need some work!

      The trigger is variable set, IE VOLM, and the actions are to set the other 3 volumes to VOLM if they are not already set to that. And I have 4 of those, one for each variable.

      And advice appreciated!

      5 votes
    4. 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?

      46 votes
    5. What board games have you played this week (to 19th June)?

      It's been another week and I thought – if there's not too much protest – we could all talk about what we've been playing again. Personally I got in the one game of Hegemony at three players. I've...

      It's been another week and I thought – if there's not too much protest – we could all talk about what we've been playing again.

      Personally I got in the one game of Hegemony at three players. I've played it twice before at two, and adding the third player really took the tension up a notch.

      I played as the proletariat, which I think is the simplest class to play. Once again played no strikes or demonstrations, so I really think I might be missing a concept as it never seemed like a worthwhile pursuit. But it's really hard to predict how pulling any particular string in this game will resolve, so I think I'd just go for it in a subsequent game to see what happens.

      The capitalists, like in previous games, started very weak but by the last few rounds were raking in the points. I managed a very narrow victory of four or five points over the capitalists. Middle class, who had to take a loan mid-game, never really recovered and were twenty points behind. Fun game, I can see why it's popular.

      So what have you all managed to get played this week?

      20 votes
    6. Favorite "cozy" games?

      I'm a HUGE lifestyle sim player. I've played Animal Crossing since Wild World came out on the DS. I've put waaaay too much time into the Sims. Stardew Valley is my absolute favorite farming sim. I...

      I'm a HUGE lifestyle sim player. I've played Animal Crossing since Wild World came out on the DS. I've put waaaay too much time into the Sims. Stardew Valley is my absolute favorite farming sim.

      I just decided to buy Kingdoms and Castles Complete Edition because it's on sale. What other games should I check out? I have a Switch and Mac ecosystem for my games.

      48 votes
    7. Movies that everyone likes (e.g. Shawshank redemption)?

      What's a guaranteed hit, not everyone's favorite, but anyone can enjoy? (i.e. maybe not 9 or 10, but no ratings below a 6) Shawshank redemption is my #1 pick. Others up there i think would be the...

      What's a guaranteed hit, not everyone's favorite, but anyone can enjoy? (i.e. maybe not 9 or 10, but no ratings below a 6)

      Shawshank redemption is my #1 pick. Others up there i think would be the Sandlot & The prestige.

      32 votes
    8. I wanna hear your music!

      I was told by the overlords that this was the way to ask permission to hear you! I wanna share, discover, and enjoy your personal music. I’ll add myself and some other projects to the bottom of...

      I was told by the overlords that this was the way to ask permission to hear you! I wanna share, discover, and enjoy your personal music. I’ll add myself and some other projects to the bottom of this post, but I truly only want to hear you.

      https://jlawson.bandcamp.com/album/visions

      https://jeakams.bandcamp.com/

      https://on.soundcloud.com/VkPckGcot1Xt9mjA7

      Much love,
      Jeakams

      30 votes
    9. What is your favorite board or card game for seven or more players?

      I'm looking for some games I can play with my team at work as part of our next team building event. We're 7 people, so finding a game that can seat everyone is challenging (and we don't want to...

      I'm looking for some games I can play with my team at work as part of our next team building event. We're 7 people, so finding a game that can seat everyone is challenging (and we don't want to split tables in this case).

      My favorite board game is 7 wonders, which obviously is perfect except for the fact that it's pretty rules heavy and my team is mostly not boardgamers, so will probably be overwhelmed.

      Cards against Humanity was also mentioned but is probably not PG enough for a work event.

      What would you play?

      22 votes
    10. Redditors of Tildes, which subreddits are you missing the most during the blackout?

      I am really struggling without r/selfhosted. I truly believe it is, by far, the best community for self-hosters that I have come across. What I am missing most of all is, whenever I search for...

      I am really struggling without r/selfhosted. I truly believe it is, by far, the best community for self-hosters that I have come across. What I am missing most of all is, whenever I search for questions to self-hosting problems - especially for smaller projects - the answers are nearly always found within posts on that sub.

      At least with things like programming, there is stackoverflow and a bunch of other small communities.

      I'm going to end up going to Discord to find my solutions, which is the next big community. But it means having to go on there and ask the question (that has probably been asked hundreds of times before), rather than just searching the issue.

      198 votes
    11. Photographers, what are your opinions and thoughts on watermarking your work?

      Personally I find it annoying when someone watermarks their photos, but I have a hard time justifying that annoyance when, not only are they entitled to attempt preventing people from stealing...

      Personally I find it annoying when someone watermarks their photos, but I have a hard time justifying that annoyance when, not only are they entitled to attempt preventing people from stealing their work, they are entitled to do whatever the hell they want, categorically.

      I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience with the topic, especially if it helps me understand and be more accepting of photographers who watermark or digitally sign their work.

      8 votes
    12. Pay-per-use VPS recommendations

      I'm currently stuck in a hospital waiting room for probably the rest of the day, so brought my tablet along in the hopes of still being able to get a bit of work done. Plan was to use Termux to...

      I'm currently stuck in a hospital waiting room for probably the rest of the day, so brought my tablet along in the hopes of still being able to get a bit of work done. Plan was to use Termux to ssh into my home computer, but realized too late that this tablet's ssh key hasn't been authorized yet (it's pretty new), so that's a no-go.

      Does anyone have recommendations for a good VPS host that charges only for the time you're using it? The day could still be salvaged if I could get into a fresh linux box that can run docker. The only pay-as-you-go VPS I've ever used is Amazon EC2, which is fine, but I'm hoping there are better options that are a little less cumbersome to spin up and tear down.

      5 votes
    13. Focused music listening/appreciation projects

      Many of us listen to whatever music strikes our mood, but there are some out there who, in addition to mood, listen to and appreciate music in focused listening projects. It could be a discography...

      Many of us listen to whatever music strikes our mood, but there are some out there who, in addition to mood, listen to and appreciate music in focused listening projects. It could be a discography of an artist you want to finish, or it could be listening to all the top 10 albums from each year. There's really no end to the listening projects we get ourselves involved in. I'd like to open a discussion about this.

      I've been involved in a number of listening/appreciation projects over the years. For example, even though half the year hasn't elapsed, I've already finished my 2023 Listening Challenge, in which I listened to 50 albums on a variety of criteria.

      Right now I'm discog diving some of my favorite artists, and the experience has really opened my ears to the lesser-known avenues of exploration. I've completed so many already, satisfying my urge to always be doing something goal-oriented. Right now, for example, I'm listening to The Musings of Miles as part of my Miles Davis discog dive.

      So what are you into project-wise? Please share your experiences!

      15 votes
    14. How do you feel about eBooks and eBook readers?

      eBooks and eBook readers feel a little stagnant at the moment. No significant increases in tech, the storefronts are stagnant and locked down with DRM, and it just isn't really an exciting field....

      eBooks and eBook readers feel a little stagnant at the moment. No significant increases in tech, the storefronts are stagnant and locked down with DRM, and it just isn't really an exciting field.

      That said, I love my Kindle Paperwhite because it lets me get English books for cheaper (I live in Japan) and it lets me carry them around.

      Do you use an eBook reader? Do you read eBooks on a standard tablet or phone? Or are you married to paper?

      76 votes
    15. Is there a good microprocessor with 24-bit addressing?

      The original IBM 360 had a 24-bit address space. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/360 Microprocessors of the golden age of home computing (Apple ][, TRS-80, Commodore 64, CP/M machines...

      The original IBM 360 had a 24-bit address space.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/360

      Microprocessors of the golden age of home computing (Apple ][, TRS-80, Commodore 64, CP/M machines based on the 8080 and Z80) usually had a 16-bit address space, the 8086/8088 was a bit of an exception because it had a segmentation scheme to access 1 MB. (People thought it was awkward but I liked programming it in assembly language and Turbo Pascal) I remember the PDP-11 minicomputer having a 16-bit address space for user programs as well, the machine as a whole could be a lot bigger but an individual logged into it had access to a virtual "home computer" that ran BASIC and all.

      24-bit was a natural evolution and by the late 1980s you started to see 24-bit chips like the 80286 (PC AT) the 65C816 (Apple IIgs, Ninteno SNES), the eZ80 and such. Even the bigger AVR8 processors (I love AVR8 assembly) can have more than 64kb of program memory (flash, read-only in operation) so they use 24-bit addresses for program memory.

      In my mind we never saw a product of this generation that really took advantage of the address space, the 80286 in particular was called "brain damaged" by Bill Gates and operating systems struggled to exploit it. My take is that most of the chips of that generation were flawed in one way or another and were pretty quickly washed away by 32-bit machines when they became affordable in the early 1990s.

      For an example of the difficulties, there is this project to make a retrocomputer that is a bit better than anything we had in the 1980s,

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oYcu43N-lw

      they are using the 65C816 but not taking advantage of the 24-bit nature. Instead there is a simple bank switching scheme which I think they thought would be easier to program and probably faster. The 65C816 just doesn't have enough registers and addressing modes for it to be really easy to work with far pointers.

      So my question is, if I am a hobbyist who wants to revive the 24-bit generation and I want to have easy access to a 16MB address space, is there some CPU better that doesn't suck? I'd be happy with a CPU that doesn't have virtual memory or other facilities for an advanced operating system (write everything in "real mode") but something that supports an OS would be interesting too. Any ideas?

      7 votes
    16. 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?

      14 votes
    17. Battlebit Remastered is the most fun I've had with a new game all year

      A little indie game made by three people is currently the 11th most played game on steam. 64k players playing at the time of writing, just 10k behind Activision's Modern Warfare 2. Anyone else...

      A little indie game made by three people is currently the 11th most played game on steam.
      64k players playing at the time of writing, just 10k behind Activision's Modern Warfare 2.

      Anyone else having a great time in BattleBit?

      26 votes
    18. Any theatre creatives in the house?

      Any stage actors, agents, designers, directors, managers, playwrights, producers, stage managers, etc. in the house? What are you working on right now? How's it going? Sincerely, A fellow theatre...

      Any stage actors, agents, designers, directors, managers, playwrights, producers, stage managers, etc. in the house?

      What are you working on right now? How's it going?

      Sincerely,
      A fellow theatre person

      24 votes
    19. How do/did your pets save you?

      I haven't seen a post talking about or sharing pets on Tildes yet. My pets are a huge part of my life, and I'm sure others are the same way. Tell their stories, and post some pictures! Lily was my...

      I haven't seen a post talking about or sharing pets on Tildes yet. My pets are a huge part of my life, and I'm sure others are the same way. Tell their stories, and post some pictures!

      Lily was my wife and I's first pet. We got her at an adoption event, and she was a wonderful animal. Unfortunately, she did not like getting a lot less attention when we had kids. It got to the point where we gave her up to a new home because she was violent with our children. She needed lots of attention, and we couldn't do that for her, she found an only-cat home and is much happier.

      Solo was our second pet, and the old man of the house, being now 10 years old with FIV. My MIL fed the neighborhood cats before they moved, and we noticed this guy in terrible condition. He had no chip, and it looks like no home for a while. My wife originally said we would keep him until he got better, then we would put him up for adoption. Instead, we decided to keep him. At night he comes upstairs and lays on me before bed, purring heavily. Best anti-anxiety medicine ever!

      Aurora is our newest addition to our family. She's a total goofball and brings joy and silliness to our home. even though she's a Husky, she doesn't "talk" much, but all the other melodrama is still there. She always wants to hold my hand as a sign of affection, and wants all the love all the time, just like she gives. She helps me stick to my running regiment being my running buddy, and has done noticeable wonders for my mental health, something both my parents and siblings have told me.

      23 votes
    20. How are you reacting to the current climate in the product design and UX space?

      I have been a product designer and experience architect since before “UX” even meant anything. I’ve never wanted for work, and I’ve always been confident in my skills as a leader both on the...

      I have been a product designer and experience architect since before “UX” even meant anything.

      I’ve never wanted for work, and I’ve always been confident in my skills as a leader both on the product and business strategy side.

      But especially recently, I’ve started to feel some tremors I’ve never felt before:

      1. A massive amount of young talent has flooded the industry via UX programs and boot camps - and much of them are quite talented!
      2. Layoffs have further upped the available workers
      3. AI and Automation have made good designers even more efficient, and even inexperienced designers can now move at the speed of light.

      I also have some personal situations at play:

      1. I took the last few years to launch and grow my own product business - scaling that eventually to an exit. So I’ve been out of the “product designer” game a bit - as I’ve been immersed in everything that comes with being a founder and startup growth.
      2. I now have a family - I can’t grind as hard as I used to.

      All this gives me some qualms about the ability to find work in the future.

      With an industry now flooded in talent, and AI that commodifies and democratizes UI design - making it easier than ever to spit out good design - is there job security for product designers the next few years?

      What does that look like? How will pay be affected? Where will the opportunity be?

      14 votes
    21. Any Tasker users around?

      I just recently joined Tildes (absolutely loving it so far, by the way) and also recently left Reddit. r/Tasker will probably be the hardest for me to let go of since I'm an avid Tasker fan/user,...

      I just recently joined Tildes (absolutely loving it so far, by the way) and also recently left Reddit.

      r/Tasker will probably be the hardest for me to let go of since I'm an avid Tasker fan/user, so I'm just trying to gauge the audience for that type of discussion and topics here on Tildes.

      I'm not as big of a power user in phone automation as I would like to become but I'm fairly savvy and am learning more all the time.

      15 votes
    22. Any writers in here?

      My absolute favorite sub even before getting defaulted was writingprompts. Basically people posted a prompt to spark an idea, and everyone would type up little stories. It's be cool to see some...

      My absolute favorite sub even before getting defaulted was writingprompts. Basically people posted a prompt to spark an idea, and everyone would type up little stories. It's be cool to see some stories here so if you guys wanna try it, let's make Top Level Replies restricted to prompts, Second Level Replies the stories, and Third nested can just be the comments.

      I'll post a prompt to get started, and a reply (I emailed these to myself back in 2015 so I don't have the username on hand). Don't be shy! And for any non-prompt replies just post a reply to the comment I made below for just that.

      PS: Luna_Lovewell if you somehow find this please come back and write just a few more :]

      15 votes
    23. COM+ alternatives in 2023?

      We are small company and have utilized COM+ on the server for the last 20 years. Strictly Windows and all LAN based communication. We are rewriting in c#. What are some alternatives that I can...

      We are small company and have utilized COM+ on the server for the last 20 years. Strictly Windows and all LAN based communication. We are rewriting in c#. What are some alternatives that I can look in to that may be better in terms of speed or management for COM+?

      7 votes
    24. What are your favorite sports, how they're different from other sports, and what do you like about them?

      Here, I am asking you to talk about the sports you love. They may be either obscure or popular and well-known. What is their place in your life? Have you practiced those sports, or are you simply...

      Here, I am asking you to talk about the sports you love. They may be either obscure or popular and well-known. What is their place in your life? Have you practiced those sports, or are you simply a fan and an expectator? What people don't get about the sport you love? What are some common misconceptions you would like to dispel? How would you convince someone to learn more about those sports?

      15 votes
    25. Slush Idea Bin

      Here's something I want to try, a sort of here's an idea thread for things you want to write down or think that are a good idea, but have no intention of exploring. All top level posts should be...

      Here's something I want to try, a sort of here's an idea thread for things you want to write down or think that are a good idea, but have no intention of exploring. All top level posts should be similar to shower thoughts in spontaneity, but allow you to further explore them should you choose to. Effectively, it's an Adopt a Thought!

      22 votes
    26. What was your favorite older social media site/app? What did you like or dislike?

      +1 for slashdot, mainly because of intelligent topics and conversations about science, technology, scifi, games and all that fun stuff. Community participation and quality discourse made it...

      +1 for slashdot, mainly because of intelligent topics and conversations about science, technology, scifi, games and all that fun stuff. Community participation and quality discourse made it interesting.

      Everything on popular social media "out there" now is about click bait and sound bites, even comments and replies. Posts (and communities) are reduced to nothing more than grabbing a few seconds of attention.

      69 votes
    27. What are your easiest vegan meals?

      I specifically say "easiest" not "best", because sometimes we're tired after work and just want a five/ten minute thing. I'm currently eating a bowl of my easiest salad, consisting of: Ingredients...

      I specifically say "easiest" not "best", because sometimes we're tired after work and just want a five/ten minute thing.

      I'm currently eating a bowl of my easiest salad, consisting of:

      Ingredients
      Can of chickpeas
      Bunch of roquette (aragula for the Americans here)
      Couple of handfuls of green beans
      Couple of tomatoes
      Alfalfa if you have it

      Dressing
      2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
      Olive oil
      Swish of red wine vinegar (white wine vinegar would work as well, as would balsamic probably)
      Salt/pepper
      Lemon juice
      Dried dill (optional)

      Looks like a lot, but if you have the ingredients it's super easy.

      1. Drain the chickpeas, put in a bowl, add all the dressing stuff.
      2. Stir, and also maybe mash some of the chickpeas for texture (I just use a fork and do both at the same time)
      3. Roughly chop up the tomatoes and green beans, add them and the roquette/alfalfa to the chickpeas, then eat.
        Takes like five minutes.

      What are yours? I am so so often lazy and hungry. I need easy recipes.

      45 votes
    28. A brief thought on “prestigious” employers and “career downgrades”

      I currently work for a “prestigious” company (you’ve heard the name) and have for a few years now. As a college student, my peers, friends, and my parents friends kept telling me how jealous they...

      I currently work for a “prestigious” company (you’ve heard the name) and have for a few years now. As a college student, my peers, friends, and my parents friends kept telling me how jealous they were of me for getting into such a great company.

      I am quickly finding out that the “prestige” this company has was in reality really great marketing and that I do not particularly enjoy working there. I work way too much (12 hour days, 5am - 5pm are not uncommon) and I don’t like the toxic culture. It makes me anxious and depressed.

      Is it really worth it? Should I apply to the local government jobs that pay $20k less but offer actual pensions (not 401k), are chill (my friend does Azure/AWS trainings and scrolls Reddit, and 40 hours a week if that? Everyone I bring this up to says it’s a total career downgrade and a bad idea.

      43 votes
    29. Anchor text at the top to reply without scrolling?

      Edit — thanks to all who replied and educated me on this. I thought I'd do this rather than pollute the thread with single thank you posts while I learn the ropes here. Hi, I'm brand new here so...

      Edit — thanks to all who replied and educated me on this. I thought I'd do this rather than pollute the thread with single thank you posts while I learn the ropes here.


      Hi,

      I'm brand new here so this could well be answered and I'm just being stupid. Very probable tbh!

      I'm on a macbook and iphone and one thing I noticed was it's a bit of a trek scrolling down to comment. Not that I've done that much.

      Now I love, really love, the lightweight and speedy nature of this site (and incidentally looking forward to brushing up on my Markdown) and am hoping that with the influx feature bloat doesn't happen but would a small anchor text link somewhere up top be in order to quickly get to the comment field?

      Let me know how idiotic I am and why or.. if I'm lucky.. how much of a genius I am!

      Thanks,

      Rodney

      6 votes
    30. Just One's "land mine" cards

      My friends and I have been striving for the perfect score of 13 in Just One, and there's almost always one or two cards which make it seemingly impossible unless you're very lucky. Just One if...

      My friends and I have been striving for the perfect score of 13 in Just One, and there's almost always one or two cards which make it seemingly impossible unless you're very lucky.

      Just One if you're unfamiliar, is a game where your teammate wants to guess a word -- and you each independently give a one-word clue, "Donkey", "Dreamworks", "Ogre". If two or more players write the same word, all those clues get hidden -- so your clues can't be too obvious.

      The words vary absurdly in difficulty from words like "Wine" and "Snake" where you can basically break the game by listing wines and snakes -- to words like "Mexico" and "Strawberry" where you can come at them from a few directions. ...But about 10% of the words are things like "Grotto", "Couscous" and "Ramses" where honestly, you could possibly sit down with someone for 30 minutes describing them in excruciating detail, and they might still not come up with those particular words. Could you describe "Couscous" to your 10-year-old nephew who lives on Chick-fil-A and Mcdonalds? Could you disambiguate a "Grotto" from a cave, cavern, bunker or lair? Sometimes it's a vocabulary thing but more often, it's just words with a lot of synonyms.

      I call these "land mine" cards and I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this phenomenon. Have any of you gotten a perfect score in Just One? If so did you randomly dodge these land mines or did you overcome them with a really perfect clue?

      5 votes
    31. How can an operations manager break into tech?

      I'm a few years out of college and just landed my first "career" job last fall as an operations manager at a non-tech company. I enjoy the work and am learning a lot, but the work/life balance...

      I'm a few years out of college and just landed my first "career" job last fall as an operations manager at a non-tech company. I enjoy the work and am learning a lot, but the work/life balance leaves a bit to be desired with very limited PTO days. My girlfriend and I want to move to the Denver area about a year from now and I want to try to get a job in the tech industry doing operations or project management.

      Have any of you been in my position before? What kind of jobs can someone with about 2 years of operations management experience find to get them on the project manager track at a tech company?

      7 votes
    32. Any suggestions for getting into DnD?

      I've been interested in getting into it for the last few years but haven't managed to get started, no one I know personally is into it, and within online communities I'm a part of I sometimes miss...

      I've been interested in getting into it for the last few years but haven't managed to get started, no one I know personally is into it, and within online communities I'm a part of I sometimes miss dates for campaigns, often due to my work schedule.

      18 votes
    33. Series finales and a lack of closure

      I just finished a show, and it, like a lot of shows that I've watched recently, ended rather abruptly. As soon as "the point of the show" concluded, so did the show itself. I don't know if this is...

      I just finished a show, and it, like a lot of shows that I've watched recently, ended rather abruptly. As soon as "the point of the show" concluded, so did the show itself. I don't know if this is a more recent trend or just something I've noticed recently, but I find nine times out of ten I really dislike it. It feels like they just don't give the viewers a chance to sit with the ending and this universe they've come to love. No time to sit and enjoy the view from the peak, no last drink with the friends you made along the way, no five years later "where are they now?". Just a kind of ambiguous ending that can be taken either way and a feeling of "there's gotta be one more episode right?"

      Do people actually enjoy this? I feel like they must because how often I see it in movies and TV, but at the same time, I sorta just feel like it's a cheap way to add some depth to the ending without actually pinning yourself down to actually ending the show/movie. If people wanted it to end with A they can read into the ending that A happened, if they wanted B, same case.

      19 votes
    34. Classical music for working out? (Also, ambient/trance recommendations?)

      What's your classical music playlist when you hit the gym? Lately, I've been enjoying classical minimalist composers for my workouts. I like that the pieces are long and build gradually, which...

      What's your classical music playlist when you hit the gym? Lately, I've been enjoying classical minimalist composers for my workouts. I like that the pieces are long and build gradually, which matches the energy and intensity I feel in a cardio workout. Also, the minimalist pieces I select have no rubato, so I can get in a groove. They often lack variety in dynamics, which is good because I want to be able to hear the music over gym noise. Most importantly, they are droning and repetitive in a way that doesn't demand constant attention. They allow me to enter a meditative state.

      Here's my playlist these days:

      More than suggestions, I'm just curious to hear what classical music is on your playlist. But also I'm curious about ambient/trance suggestions, as I suspect that there's a lot in those genres that might fit my criteria, but I'm ignorant on the topic.

      7 votes
    35. Best grill brush?

      So I'm a new grill owner (gas) and don't yet have an actual brush to clean the grates off between use. So far I've just been scraping them clean with whatever I have nearby (foil has worked well...

      So I'm a new grill owner (gas) and don't yet have an actual brush to clean the grates off between use. So far I've just been scraping them clean with whatever I have nearby (foil has worked well enough) but I want to buy an actual brush.

      Thing is, I keep hearing all this horror talk about wire brushes getting lodged in your gut due to them shedding. Any recommendations for a good brush? Either a wire one that is known to be high quality, or a nylon one that is built well? Any other tools you use often on your grill that I should invest in?

      8 votes
    36. With rising costs of just about everything, what are some frugal things you do to save some cash?

      I'm new to tildes and thought I'd start a topic about frugality, as it's something constantly on my mind. (hopefully ~life is the right place, apologies in advance if not!) I try to look at...

      I'm new to tildes and thought I'd start a topic about frugality, as it's something constantly on my mind. (hopefully ~life is the right place, apologies in advance if not!) I try to look at spending a few ways; cost, environmental impact, and time. The time is important, because some frugal tips take up so much time that they end up not being very frugal in the long run. So here are some of the things I've done or started doing in the past few years to try and bring our monthly budget down without giving up much.

      Started using Flipp, Ibotta and Flash Food.

      These three apps aren't going to save you a ton but enough to make a difference without much effort. Flipp uses your location to gather all the circular ads for stores near you so you can compare prices on items more efficiently. Ibotta is a rebate app that is quick and easy, just claim anything you might buy and once you hit 20 bucks you can redeem for gift cards or cash. The key is to only buy things if it ends up being cheaper than the option you normally buy, or stuff you buy already. Flash Food is a new favorite and isn't everywhere but can be really beneficial for produce particularly. Participating stores list items that are overstock or near expiration for significant discounts. You buy right on the app, and head to the the flash food station in the store to pick them up. Mine is by the self checkouts, there's a big freezer with the logo stationed there. They have huge produce boxes often for only 5 bucks! The assortment of goods will vary by store and time of day so I check every so often if I know I'll be near or going grocery shopping anyways.

      *If you don't have flash food, there's another called Too Good To Go, It's not in my area so I can't say how useful it is. However, it works similarly for stores but also includes restaurants.

      Switched to a double edged safety razor

      with a bit of practice, they are just as easy to use as a cartridge razor. The best part is after the initial cost they are CHEAP and you aren't throwing away plastic cartridges anymore.

      Vacuum Sealer and Deep Freezer

      I slept on a vacuum sealer for far too long, theses keep frozen goods better for so long without worry of freezer burn. Combine that with Flash Food, and you can really save without much effort.

      Switched to a Menstrual Cup

      I did this many years ago and never looked back. I will be upfront and say that it isn't going to be for everyone, we are all shaped different! However there are many more options for reusable products these days if a cup just doesn't work (discs, cloth pads, and period panties to name a few.) I have endometriosis and I'm a heavy bleeder so this has easily saved me thousands in disposable costs and worked better for me anyhow.

      Gardening

      This one is tough because it's easy to go over board with costs, but if you get creative with containers and boxes, buy loads of dirt instead of bags, and start from seed indoors and it can be a pretty cheap way to have fresh produce. Add in the vacuum sealer or canning and you can make it even more worth the time. To go with that, I collect rainwater. This is dependent on your local regs of course so find that out first!

      Instead of going out to dinner with friends, host pot lucks instead.

      This saves everyone money, you still get to see your buds and have a super nice meal. Throw in some board games and it's sure to be a good evening and only cost you the price of a dish.

      Rotate your streaming services and other subscriptions

      You can't watch them all at once, so why pay for them all the time? I'm sure they are all about to make it harder to share following in Netflix's footsteps so it's a good time to sit down and look at what you are paying for and what you are actually using. You'd be surprised how easy it is to shave off some costs.

      Eliminate single use items where you can

      I've already touched on this, but things like paper towels, paper plates, plastic storage bags etc add up if you are using them frequently. There are so many things that fill our landfills just for convenience and you are paying for the privilege! There are so many great reusable items these days, it's become more affordable for upfront costs. Coffee pods, makeup wipes, razors, swiffers, bottled water -- it's never ending and all cost more than their frugal alternatives. For instance, I drink tea and switched to a reusable diffuser and loose leaf as well as using an electric kettle instead of turning on the stove or microwave using much less energy and the used tea is good compost and breaks down faster than the bagged variety.

      Use your dishwasher

      It seems silly, and obviously not everyone has one, but a relatively newer dishwasher is going to use a lot less water than handwashing and it disinfects better.

      Feeling like you need that decor item? Try moving decor around instead

      You should be deep cleaning your home anyways, and if things feel stale and you are itching to spend try moving things around instead. You'll often find that you are just bored with the current layout of things. So while cleaning, switch it up!

      Keep inventory of your freezer

      Deep freezers are easy to lose things in, or forget are in there when you go shopping. I use a notes app shared with my husband with a list of stuff in the freezer so we don't buy things we already have and it's easier to figure out a meal at a glance at the list.

      At least try to fix or mend things instead of buying new

      It's certainly not feasible with some things anymore, and sometimes it ends up being more expensive but it never hurt to take a second look at something before rebuying. Mending clothing, buying a cheap part etc can save you some money and keep things out of the landfill.

      I'm excited to read any ideas you guys have. My next venture is going to be meal prepping, so any tips for that would be extra awesome!

      105 votes
    37. Upgrading power bank with modifications?

      Hello ~tech, I have a Mi Power Bank 2C (PLM06ZM) and wish to upgrade it to able to charge or be charged with a 65W USB C port, with minimal damage, harm and according to USB C PD standards. My...

      Hello ~tech,

      I have a Mi Power Bank 2C (PLM06ZM) and wish to upgrade it to able to charge or be charged with a 65W USB C port, with minimal damage, harm and according to USB C PD standards.

      My chargers use 9V, 12V, 15V and 20V, the last one which my ThinkPad X280 uses.

      Online searches for a 65W power bank enclosure without the batteries yield no suitable results, so I might need to use a PD Decoy board.

      Are there any advice, links to guides and resources I could use to accomplish my objective?

      Thank you.

      7 votes
    38. Everything about air frying

      I think with new users from Reddit coming up to Tildes is time for a new thread about air frying!. What's your favorite accessory, trick, blog, recipe you like to use with your air fryer?.

      28 votes
    39. I'm buying a new build house in the UK and want advice

      As the title says I'm a first time buyer buying a new build in the UK. It's built by the council and a reputable builders and has the standard warenty and such so I'm not too worried about quality...

      As the title says I'm a first time buyer buying a new build in the UK. It's built by the council and a reputable builders and has the standard warenty and such so I'm not too worried about quality but it's still a huge life change. I'm getting the keys and moving in in a fortnight. I don't have too much stuff to move in as I've been lodging for a while, lots of furniture to aquire! For those who've done this before, what did you wish you knew at the time and what should I look out for?

      14 votes
    40. SEO for niche topics

      Hi All, As yet another reddit transplant (YART) I've been watching the drama on that other platform and reflecting on what the most important aspects of successful online discussions are for me....

      Hi All,

      As yet another reddit transplant (YART) I've been watching the drama on that other platform and reflecting on what the most important aspects of successful online discussions are for me.

      One of the things that I value(d) most about reddit was the ability to use the keyword reddit in DuckDuckGo or Google searches to help me find more relevant and helpful content about a variety of niche subjects. So far, it seems to me like Tildes has some potential to fill this role based on its emphasis of thoughtful text content. Also, these types of searches add credibility to a site when random internet browsers stumble across a thread discussing their exact question.

      One thought that I had along these lines was that people who care about this type of thing could make a concerted effort to transport content from reddit and other sites to be shared here. I don't think it would be appropriate to just copy and paste text without adding at least a bit of original thoughts or context. However, I often find myself researching niche products or ideas to such an extent that I could write up a nice summary of all my findings. A post like that could be a nice crash course to others or a fun way to introduce people to ideas they didn't know about.

      Would people here be interested in consciously doing this type of thing? We could all make nice amalgamations of information we think is important as we independently research topics and post them here to boost discussion and boost Tildes threads in web search results.

      18 votes
    41. What music documentaries have you enjoyed?

      I've realized recently how much of a throughline music documentaries and behind-the-scenes features have been in my life. Like watching whatever VH1 "Behind the Music" was on or watching Prodigy's...

      I've realized recently how much of a throughline music documentaries and behind-the-scenes features have been in my life. Like watching whatever VH1 "Behind the Music" was on or watching Prodigy's "Electronic Punks" VHS for the umpteenth time.

      What music docs have you really enjoyed historically or recently?

      I've been working my way through Hip Hop Evolution on Netflix and it has been a real joy re-familiarizing myself with 90s and aughts hip hop and diving deeper into the 70s and 80s. I feel like they've done a really good job covering the history and the context for the different styles emerging.

      Sound City details the history of the prolific LA studio where many well-known rock artists have recorded. There is a palpable reverence for analog recording and the Neve Electronics 8028 mixing console specifically. I thought it was interesting to learn about and hear from the different bands about their experiences there.

      I'm guessing most people have seen Peter Jackson's recent one, Get Back, so for something more obscure... if you're a Depeche Mode fan there's a series of short docs on YouTube, one for each album up through Exciter I think. Really cool history on the band and the process of creating each album, cut together from interviews with the band members as well as many of their team and recording collaborators.

      26 votes