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    1. Lets talk roguelikes!

      Roguelikes have a special place in my heart. When you know that your character is mortal, the stakes feel so much more real, and your progress feel so much more earned. You can’t second-guess the...

      Roguelikes have a special place in my heart. When you know that your character is mortal, the stakes feel so much more real, and your progress feel so much more earned. You can’t second-guess the level design, because random, and sometimes things are simply not unfair, like when you get transformed into a cute mushroom, while your otherwise generic foe get transformed into a god. I consider unfairness, uncertaincy and chaos to be core gameplay components.

      Here’s some roguelikes I liked, in no particular order:

      Inscryption
      Sort of like Slay the Spire with retro aestetics combined with the gritty feel of the SAW franchise. The most atmospheric and foreboding deckbuilder I've ever played. It is sort of a meta-game where you play a retro computer game in which you play a tabletop roleplaying game with a deranged dungeonmaster.

      Noita
      Looks like a rather generic pixelart side-view dungeoncrawl, but beneath the humble surface lurks Finnish folklore, a revolutionary physics engine and an insanely versatile magic system, likely the best in any game. The game is vast, both in sense of game world but also the numbers of monsters, spells, perks and secrets. I consider this the best roguelike, full stop.

      Don't Starve
      Craft to survive in an unforgiving wilderness, battling wildlife, hunger cold and insanity. Having to constantly collect resources makes this game a bit on the grindy side, but the hand-drawn artwork and a rich world to explore and unlock makes this stay fresh.

      Jupiter Hell
      This, the successor to DRL (Doom Roguelike), is the only classic roguelike I could ever get into. The top-notch visuals makes me literally forget that I'm playing a grid-based turn-based rogue-clone. Still, the game is rather lacking in variation, and there's no lore or story choices. While I think this is by design, the DOOM roots and whatnot, I'm missing the sense of exploration and wonder found in other roguelikes. But even with that, the game is cool and ever so dark, and there's quite a lot of depth despite the simple controls.

      FTL
      Simplistic and neat pixelart space exploration game. The meat of the game is space combat in real time with pause, between which you plan your route on a node-based overworld and make various choices. The game, while cozy, is quite intense. You're trying to escape a vastly superior fleet while fighting off incoming attacks and trying to not run out of fuel while hopefully improving your ship to survive as the stakes rises. Every choice you make feels like a life or death decision. The fights offers a lot of different tactics. There's various ships to unlock by completing various missions. The one downside is that you have seen all the different encounters way before you have everything unlocked, but the mod FTL Multiverse adds a lot of new content.

      Into the Breach
      Simple tactical turnbased on 8x8 fields, by the folks behind FTL. The main gimmick is that you can see how the enemies are going to attack in their turn, and try to counter it. This works surprisingly well and offers a lot of depth.

      Depth of Extinction
      Underwater turnbased tactical. The game feels like watching a cheap action movie from the eighties. Sometimes the missions can feel a bit samey, and the underwater setting could be more in forefront but this doesn't stop the game from being quite a lot of fun. I'm hardly an expert here, but I've heard people who prides themselves of their expertice at turn-based tactical gaming giving this one a lot of praise.

      Retromancer
      Arena-shooter with a very stylish retro aestetics which doesn't confuse you in the fast-paced chaos. This, combined with a RPG fantasy theme really make this stand out from the other twin-stick offerings. This is a game I consider a spiritual successor to the original twin stick shooter, Robotron 2084. Of course, you need to play the Hunter, the other characters doesn't have the Robotron-trademark mashine gun fire. There's a dash function which is quite handy when you're about to be cornered. There is not really any character building, although by scoring enough points you can unlock various pickups. I guess it is designed for local multiplayer (there's four characters to choose from) but I haven't tried this. Plays excellent with controller.

      The Wrath's Den
      This is basically Dungeonkeeper, but simplified into a turnbased pixelart game with keyboard controls. You use space to switch between minions, arrow keys to move them, X to do various actions. Besides the random room choices, everything follow simple strict mechanics, which sometimes requires a bit of observation to grasp. The one major downside is that you cannot save your game. Much suck! But other than that, this humble little game is quite easy to fall in love with.

      90 votes
    2. Where do you all go for gaming news?

      I love keeping up with industry announcements and new trailers, but a lot of game news websites are too full of fluff. Is there a good videogame news aggregator or a journalism site that you like?...

      I love keeping up with industry announcements and new trailers, but a lot of game news websites are too full of fluff. Is there a good videogame news aggregator or a journalism site that you like? I used to like IGN and Kotaku but I find their content more useless than not.

      41 votes
    3. Do you have an anime that serves as your guilty pleasure?

      Do you have a show that you secretly enjoy, but wouldn't speak about it openly? Perhaps it's terrible and ridiculous, but you love it anyway. I have a buddy who has loved SAO since its first...

      Do you have a show that you secretly enjoy, but wouldn't speak about it openly? Perhaps it's terrible and ridiculous, but you love it anyway.

      I have a buddy who has loved SAO since its first season. He knows it kinda sucks, but it makes him happy and imo that's great.

      It would be Detective Conan for me. The quality these days is horrible, but I get a kick from watching them anyway- even though you can predict the culprit 00000.1 seconds into the episode.

      And I know this is ~anime, but I'd also like to see ones that aren't limited to anime. Let us know!

      47 votes
    4. Which show kickstarted your interest in anime?

      It doesn't necessarily have to be your first show. Which one sparked your interest? Do you still like it? Hunter x Hunter (2011) was the one that introduced me to weeb culture. From there, I...

      It doesn't necessarily have to be your first show. Which one sparked your interest? Do you still like it?

      Hunter x Hunter (2011) was the one that introduced me to weeb culture. From there, I branched out- the earliest I remember are Fairy Tail, Blue Exorcist, Magi, etc. Weirdly enough, I still haven't finished Naruto.

      I recently rewatched HxH, and I can still say it's very charming. I can now join the Hiatus x Hiatus gang.

      60 votes
    5. Help with educational resources - Non bio parents reveal

      Does anyone know of any good resources for helping kids understand when their dad is not their bio dad? My brother is not his eldests bio dad. Some bullying/ nastiness means my Bro and his Mrs are...

      Does anyone know of any good resources for helping kids understand when their dad is not their bio dad? My brother is not his eldests bio dad. Some bullying/ nastiness means my Bro and his Mrs are sitting the kid down today (on an expedited schedule) to tell him and explain hes not a mistake etc. Are there any good educational bits anyone might know of?

      8 votes
    6. What are your favorite recipes to showcase garden- or farm-fresh produce?

      Now that the summer bounty at the farmer's market is in full swing, I'd love to hear about your recipes that showcase the fresh fruits and vegetables you get from the farmer's market, or the...

      Now that the summer bounty at the farmer's market is in full swing, I'd love to hear about your recipes that showcase the fresh fruits and vegetables you get from the farmer's market, or the garden if you grow your own. I'm thinking of the recipes that really let the flavors of the produce shine.

      Two of my favorite farmer's market items are sweet corn and tomatoes, and I've come to realize the corn and tomatoes you can buy at the grocery store are just sad imitations of the real thing. My favorite recipe right now is a simple sweet corn and cherry tomato salad, with a little basil, flaky salt, lime juice, and good olive oil. I'll add mozarella or feta and pepitas sometimes for a little extra oomph, but the simplicity and flavors are heavenly. What are your favorites?

      16 votes
    7. I need more albums like Imaginary Sonicscape by Sigh

      I think this album might be a unicorn, but I'm gonna put this out there anyway. Please suggest more prog/avant black metal that is this good. I've done a few cursory google searches, but the only...

      I think this album might be a unicorn, but I'm gonna put this out there anyway. Please suggest more prog/avant black metal that is this good. I've done a few cursory google searches, but the only thing I've found that even comes close is The Sham Mirrors by Arcturus. Maybe Beneath the Lights by Enslaved too.

      IS is just such a masterpiece. I love the keyboards, the clear but muddy sound, the guitar work. It's just so god damned good. Please give me some more good albums to check out in the same general space.

      5 votes
    8. NSFW/profanity adult filter?

      EDIT: Post-locked topic I didn't get the chance to reply or explain myself, ironically, as I posted this topic last night and then woke up this morning to 42 comments this topic being locked. In...

      EDIT: Post-locked topic

      I didn't get the chance to reply or explain myself, ironically, as I posted this topic last night and then woke up this morning to 42 comments this topic being locked.

      In short, I didn't want to block swearing from Tildes, I just wanted to find out if there was a NSFW filter, as I had my first one pop up in the feed yesterday. Reddit and other sites allow you to block NSFW content from the get-go. And yes, it is the minority by far on Tildes.

      As for the swearing, I don't know why I assumed that the NSFW would remove that, I must have been tired when posting this topic. (And yes, I know that this is the internet and it's filled with non-friendly content, so it is naive to expect otherwise, sadly.)

      I guess it would just be nice to have a place where you can have both great quality posts (such as on Tildes), as well as the comments be free of some unnecessary, low-quality words. I think Twitter and others allow you to block some words or topics.

      I apologise for @Deimos that he had to step in to bring the peace, I didn't mean for this to happen. And apologies to the community for bringing any unrest. This was never my intention.


      Hi everyone, only been on Tildes for a few weeks now.

      First off, I love the quality of the content and the community's camraderie.

      The only question is whether there is a way to filter NSFW, adult or profane comments. There is such great content on here, with amazing contributors, but sometimes you just get the people who like to use profane language like it's an adjective, and it has no place in the topic or discussion. I know we can't block people, but is there a way of filtering out such content, comments, or users?

      21 votes
    9. T20 bits and screws, what am I doing wrong?

      I am putting a new surface on my Deck. I am using Trex and 2.5" composite specific screws. These are small head screws with a T20 torx bit. [img]https://i.ibb.co/MchtXPx/20230628-175119.jpg[/img]...

      I am putting a new surface on my Deck. I am using Trex and 2.5" composite specific screws. These are small head screws with a T20 torx bit.

      [img]https://i.ibb.co/MchtXPx/20230628-175119.jpg[/img]

      I am 7.5 boards in out of 25 boards and I have destroyed 5 bits, 3 of them brand name impact rated bits. I am making sure to stay cammed in, and weight on top of the screw. I am lining the drill up with the angle of the screw. I am also predrilling every hole.

      I feel like I have to be doing something wrong. I just don't know what else to do.

      Edit - these are the exact screws I am using - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Grip-Rite-9-x-2-1-2-in-Brown-Star-Drive-Pan-Head-Coarse-Composite-Deck-Screw-10-lbs-Pack-N212CSB10BK/207193648

      16 votes
    10. Homework tunes

      What are your favourite songs to play while doing work? Personally I mostly like songs with no lyrics that have calmer instrumentals or ambient video game soundtracks. I made this Spotify playlist...

      What are your favourite songs to play while doing work?
      Personally I mostly like songs with no lyrics that have calmer instrumentals or ambient video game soundtracks. I made this Spotify playlist with some friends and I'm curious what resonated with other people :)

      17 votes
    11. Where can I find translated Japanese light novels?

      I have dug around the net for a little while now, and other than direct purchase from Japan I am having trouble finding light novels. Specifically for several anime series I liked and want to read...

      I have dug around the net for a little while now, and other than direct purchase from Japan I am having trouble finding light novels. Specifically for several anime series I liked and want to read the originals for. Anyone know where I can find light novels in general for purchase or otherwise?

      12 votes
    12. What’s an unrealistic expectation you feel pressured to meet?

      Anything goes. This can be in your job, in an interpersonal relationship, a societal pressure, or something else entirely. It can be something significant or something minor. It can be something...

      Anything goes. This can be in your job, in an interpersonal relationship, a societal pressure, or something else entirely. It can be something significant or something minor. It can be something externally applied to you, or a pressure you put on yourself.

      • What is the unrealistic expectation?
      • What makes it so unrealistic?
      • Who/what is applying the pressure?
      • Is this expectation specific to you, or does it apply to a larger group/role/identity?
      • Why do you think the pressure exists in the first place?
      • What could be done (if anything) to change the expectation?
      68 votes
    13. Recommendations for Rome in September

      Hi tildes My GF and I are coming to Rome in a couple of months to celebrate our 5th anniversary :) I was wondering if you have any recommendations, we have 5 full days i the city, and we would...

      Hi tildes

      My GF and I are coming to Rome in a couple of months to celebrate our 5th anniversary :)

      I was wondering if you have any recommendations, we have 5 full days i the city, and we would love to explore some of the local gems, beyond the must-see tourist destinations

      9 votes
    14. What happened to the light crime-comedy genre of the 2010s?

      Burn Notice, White Collar, Chuck, Psych... List probably goes on. Suits fits the mold in my head tonally (at least the earlier seasons), though less about action. Nowadays even the comedies are...

      Burn Notice, White Collar, Chuck, Psych... List probably goes on. Suits fits the mold in my head tonally (at least the earlier seasons), though less about action.

      Nowadays even the comedies are turning into serious drama than light pick-me-ups. So... let's talk about that? What happened? Do you miss them?

      48 votes
    15. Which board games have you been playing? (to 24th July)

      What have you all been playing this week? My Saturday night games got cancelled by an impromptu family gathering, so I didn't play anything other than a couple of Unlock games with my daughter. We...

      What have you all been playing this week?

      My Saturday night games got cancelled by an impromptu family gathering, so I didn't play anything other than a couple of Unlock games with my daughter. We played the first two of Escape Adventures called The Formula and Squeek & Sausage. Definitely preferred S&S out of these two and a couple of the puzzles fitted the comic book styling very well.

      Share your gaming sessions!

      14 votes
    16. Why don’t electric vehicles have alternators?

      Why aren’t electric vehicles fitted with an alternator that can charge the battery while one drives; similar to how a gas engines recharge their batteries? With all the advancement in technology...

      Why aren’t electric vehicles fitted with an alternator that can charge the battery while one drives; similar to how a gas engines recharge their batteries? With all the advancement in technology it would seem that they have figured it out and won’t implement it to force people to pay for electricity or my own lack of knowledge on the subject.

      13 votes
    17. An American traveling to Spain/Portugal

      I am taking my 70 year old mother on a guided trip to Spain and Portugal. She is very excited. The trip starts in Barcelona, goes down the cost and over to Lisbon and Porto and then ends in...

      I am taking my 70 year old mother on a guided trip to Spain and Portugal. She is very excited. The trip starts in Barcelona, goes down the cost and over to Lisbon and Porto and then ends in Madrid. We then plan on taking a train to the coast. Before going back to Barcelona and traveling home

      I have three main questions

      1. Can I bring my unlocked pixel 5a and add a secondary sim card? How does that work?
      2. Are there any must have items I should pack that I may not think of?
      3. Anyone have any advice for me?

      This is my first trip to mainland Europe, and probably her last international trip so I want it to be easy, stress free and memorable.

      23 votes
    18. For Honor discussion

      For Honor is having a free week(end on August 3rd) and have also released a new hero, the Ocelotl. The Ocelotl comes equipped with a Macuahuitl club and Tepoztopilli spear, using these to have...

      For Honor is having a free week(end on August 3rd) and have also released a new hero, the Ocelotl.

      The Ocelotl comes equipped with a Macuahuitl club and Tepoztopilli spear, using these to have infinite chained attacks, and a few bash attacks. He is a hybrid, described as a ganker and disabled. His feats makes it so at tier 1 when he dies, he can move in spirit form and respawn wherever after 10 seconds, but with very little health. The longer you wait to respawn, the more health you have. The tier 2 is a complement to this, so the enemy that killed you is marked, and tier 3 increases attack speed and damage done, after you kill someone. Tier 4 is a spear attack, which drags an enemy towards you and inflict bleed.

      I have tried the new hero out and overall, finds him relatively balanced. While his feats adds a new form of stress, his actual moveset is okay. It isn't stupidly OP, nor is it weak. It's pretty smackdabb in the middle, imo. Also, his feats are an inderect buff to heavy heroes, as boosting a zone is important, so the Ocelotl doesn't respawn in you back zones. This makes it so heavies can more easily build up renown (they gain extra renown from boosting), while also adding surprise attacks. All in all, I like playing against the Ocelotl (as I main Warlord, and like boosting) and I also like playing a Ocelotl.

      8 votes
    19. Advice for a week in Jeju, South Korea

      Hi! I'm planning a big trip to Korea (Month-long), and have most of it planned out already. The only big thing I have left is where to stay in Jeju Island. For context, we'll be staying in Seoul...

      Hi!
      I'm planning a big trip to Korea (Month-long), and have most of it planned out already. The only big thing I have left is where to stay in Jeju Island.
      For context, we'll be staying in Seoul for two weeks before Jeju (working remotely, not so much of a holiday) and doing some evening trips, and day-trips. Jeju is our first stop after Seoul, and we'll stay there for a week (6 nights).

      We're trying to organize Jeju so that we have the first half of it be more hiking oriented, and the second half more beach-y and relaxed.

      So far we're leaning towards staying in Seowigpo for 3 nights and then go somewhere in the north. Main names we've seen recommended for the north have been Hamdeok or Aewol, but we're open to suggestions.

      So yeah, any advice on where to stay, what to do, etc. is very welcome!

      13 votes
    20. What is your favorite deck builder and why?

      I've been playing a ton of the Star Wars deckbuilder lately and love how the game flows. Want a short game? Play to 3 planets. Longer so you can get a better theme going? Play to 5. I like that it...

      I've been playing a ton of the Star Wars deckbuilder lately and love how the game flows. Want a short game? Play to 3 planets. Longer so you can get a better theme going? Play to 5. I like that it bucks the points to win trend by putting people head to head in combat and that you can attack a lot of things, even the market. Plus it feels thematic.

      19 votes
    21. Is there a name for the "this is not who I am" defense?

      Basically as the title says. I'm a big proponent of "judging people by what they do, not what they say"; it has been one of my most unshakeable life mottos and I can't, for the life of me, grasp...

      Basically as the title says. I'm a big proponent of "judging people by what they do, not what they say"; it has been one of my most unshakeable life mottos and I can't, for the life of me, grasp why or how someone with even a modicum of intellectual honesty can believe otherwise.

      I'm very interested in the nature of the mental gymnastics going on inside the people who defend themselves with such statements.

      Thanks folks !!

      EDIT: rephrased for clarity

      44 votes
    22. What is Usenet?

      I tried to use Gnus to set up some rss feeds about a year ago, and I became more than frustrated: I was actually confused. So here are a couple questions I don't even understand where to ask or...

      I tried to use Gnus to set up some rss feeds about a year ago, and I became more than frustrated: I was actually confused.

      So here are a couple questions I don't even understand where to ask or whether they're relevant or being asked in the right way:

      Are most newsgroups mirrored? And along those lines, is there one particular newsgroup server that would be sufficient for most users?

      Can I post to a newsgroup in the same way I would post to a mailing list: send an email somewhere? Where do I send that?

      What even is NNTP? Someone literally sent me the spec for the protocol, but I don't think they actually wanted to be helpful: I felt like they were putting me down and intentionally not answering while giving the appearance of being helpful. Is it actually something I need to understand to use Gnus effectively?

      If you're familiar with newsgroups, I would surely appreciate your knowledge.

      14 votes
    23. Advice for a few days in Atlanta please

      This will be my first time there. We are interested to visit the Carter Center and the Martin Luther King center but haven't finalized plans. Lodging is taken care of. Is there food you highly...

      This will be my first time there. We are interested to visit the Carter Center and the Martin Luther King center but haven't finalized plans. Lodging is taken care of. Is there food you highly recommend? Other sightseeing?

      Thanks!

      17 votes
    24. Open-sourcing some Tildes-related code

      Hello! Some of you may know that I have been developing an iOS client for Tildes. I’ve seen other devs like @wababa and @talklittle also working on awesome apps, and have seen some discussion...

      Hello!

      Some of you may know that I have been developing an iOS client for Tildes.

      I’ve seen other devs like @wababa and @talklittle also working on awesome apps, and have seen some discussion there around collaborating on some of the core parts (scraping the website, etc.).

      I’ve also been in touch with @efraimbart, who is working on the awesome Everything protocol project.

      I’m sure there are other devs out there that I haven’t seen, and this post is a call-out for all of you.

      Until an API is available, any similar project will face the same initial blocker: needing to scrape the website for data.

      Is there any interest from the community on collaborating on that part? For example, developing a public library that encapsulates all of the interactions with Tildes and any client can talk to with a consistent API. Or, even better, collaborating on an official API for Tildes (which is, of course, itself an open-source project).

      To that end, I’ve released some of the code I use to accomplish this in Surfboard. Maybe it can help someone build an iOS client, or inspire some of us to build a more generic solution :D. It’s far from perfect or complete, and isn’t even an actual package you can just import and use at this time, but at the very least it documents many of the endpoints and interactions.

      Have a great weekend :)

      88 votes
    25. Smartwatch primarily for notifications and battery life?

      Summary because I rambled a bit below: I would like suggestions for a smartwatch primarily for notifications with a good battery life and a price of less than 400 USD. I have been using a Xiaomi...

      Summary because I rambled a bit below: I would like suggestions for a smartwatch primarily for notifications with a good battery life and a price of less than 400 USD.

      I have been using a Xiaomi Mi Band 4 for two or three years now and I'm considering upgrading to a "real" smartwatch. My primary uses for it are silent alarms and notifications, but I really need at least a 4 day battery life. My main watch when I am not wearing the Mi Band is a 38mm Timex IronMan, and I am comfortable with that size. I would like any potential smartwatch to be no larger than a 42 mm face. I would like the smartwatch and potential connected app to at least pretend not to sell my data. This is why I use the paid version of Notify for Mi Band instead of the official app (that and all of the customization). My other uses for the smartwatch are less important to me, but include step counting, activity tracking (primarily walking and biking), and sleep tracking.

      I have been looking at a Garmin Instinct 2S, since it has a long battery life and apparently Garmin is "better" with data security than most. In addition, I could even use the watch without ever downloading the app, although I have yet to find out if notifications would work in that case. The 300 USD price tag is a little jarring, coming from the 35 USD Mi Band, but comparable options are just as pricey.

      Honestly, the Mi Band 7 calls to me because it has improved significantly over the 4 and is supported by Notify. It would not be the "upgrade" that I had originally intended, though, and I would continue to have issues with the specialty bands for it.

      Does anyone have any alternative suggestions or experiences with the above?

      25 votes
    26. Why is Elon Musk doing what he is to Twitter?

      From a non-MAGA’ers perspective; He took a perfectly fine (albeit starting to decline) social media platform with millions of users and derailed it completely from what it was before to a farce....

      From a non-MAGA’ers perspective;

      He took a perfectly fine (albeit starting to decline) social media platform with millions of users and derailed it completely from what it was before to a farce.

      Why even buy Twitter if you’re going to change the entire format, including the actual name of the brand? Why not build a competitor from the ground up and call it X?

      Unless you’re the melonhead billionaire your guess is better than mine, but I wonder if this bumbling incompetence is pre-orchestrated somehow or if he’s making it up as he goes.

      119 votes
    27. What are your experiences with condo ownership?

      I'm deciding between home/condo ownership. A good condo/house cost roughly the same in my area. But I'm single and don't need a lot of space, so a condo makes sense. However, noise from neighbors...

      I'm deciding between home/condo ownership. A good condo/house cost roughly the same in my area. But I'm single and don't need a lot of space, so a condo makes sense. However, noise from neighbors is puts me off (a lot). Constantly hearing noise (parties, stomping, pets, etc.) would have a serious negative impact on what's supposed to be a home where you can relax and not deal with the world.

      What are/were your experiences? Did the HOA do their diligence when things break or need maintenance? Are their costs reasonable considering how much is needed (time+money) to maintain a house? Was the heated parking garage worth the costs?

      38 votes
    28. AI, Stable Diffusion, Models and Prompts

      Howdy Tildes wizards. I decided to have a looksy at Stable Diffusion on my local computer (Manjaro, AMD 7500x CPU, 32GB) using Easy Diffusion. I've gotten my head around the basics and grabbed...

      Howdy Tildes wizards.

      I decided to have a looksy at Stable Diffusion on my local computer (Manjaro, AMD 7500x CPU, 32GB) using Easy Diffusion. I've gotten my head around the basics and grabbed MidJourney V4 LLM, and now I'm learning how to prompt.

      So far I've generated some cool cyberpunk cyborg things, landscapes, etc. One of the things I wanted to use Stable Diffusion for is generating silhouettes. Sounds weird, I know, but they're great to use with decal and vinyl printing for my wife's business.

      Any ideas on ways to do silhouette generation?

      Next is, what's good to read to learn about model types and what all of the settings really do?

      I'm ordering a GPU (3060) to improve the horrendous render times, so don't worry about the under powered rig, I'm still in toy mode.

      13 votes
    29. Pride experiences

      With a lot of parades and parties behind us, I think now is as good a time as ever to discuss 2023 Pride. What did you do? Was it different than last year, and if so, was it more or less fun?...

      With a lot of parades and parties behind us, I think now is as good a time as ever to discuss 2023 Pride. What did you do? Was it different than last year, and if so, was it more or less fun?

      Having experienced pride both in Israel and in Europe, I can say that this year in Tel Aviv was a very strange vibe for me. There were a lot of talks about potential terror attacks, to the point where the side streets were absolutely full of police and military. I remember walking back home from work and being unsure if I should even go.

      Contrast it with Berlin, where there was such a carefree attitude and such a strong sense of unity. I experienced it as a tourist mind you, but I still wish we could have a less stressful atmosphere next year back home.

      There is something to be said about the monetization of pride, but to me, just the fact that we have something to unite around is enough. When I look around and see thousands of queer people smiling, I couldn't care less about capitalism, and I only hope that next year it'll be even bigger.

      26 votes
    30. How do I use up all this mint?

      This spring my wife and I started growing some herbs in containers on our (quite large) balcony. I got some nice big pots bc I know a lot of these like some space, and I planted a bunch of...

      This spring my wife and I started growing some herbs in containers on our (quite large) balcony. I got some nice big pots bc I know a lot of these like some space, and I planted a bunch of staples. On a whim, I planted some spearmint bc I figured it would be nice to have some fresh mint on hand for cocktails.

      I knew mint was hardy and tends to grow out of control, but I didn't think much about it since it's in its own large standalone pot, away from my other plants. But Y'ALL. My other plants are dong okay but there is SO MUCH MINT. I'm barely doing anything and it's THRIVING. I don't even drink that many cocktails.

      Other than cocktails and mint tea, I have no idea what to with the sheer quantity of mint I have. Even just ocassionally pruning the bits that stick out or have flower buds results in massive handfuls of mint that I don't have any idea how to use up.

      Please give me advice on how to use up my mint!

      24 votes
    31. What did you do this week (and weekend)?

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do...

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!

      12 votes
    32. Thinking about a short-term lease in Hawaii, specifically Honolulu

      My lease is ending within the next two-three months and I have been trying to plan my next steps. My goal has been to buy a house (and hopefully coincide with my lease ending) but the more I have...

      My lease is ending within the next two-three months and I have been trying to plan my next steps. My goal has been to buy a house (and hopefully coincide with my lease ending) but the more I have been looking at inventory, the more I have been hesitating about that commitment. I currently am a full time remote worker who can live in any US state at any given point.

      I found that I can find a short term rental (60-90 days) in downtown Honolulu and am finding myself increasingly interested in the prospect. I have never visited Hawaii, and while I was recently married, we never actually went on a honeymoon because we are saving for a house. The rental I would choose would be ~$2300 a month, fully furnished and utilities included. I of course would have additional cost to consider, such as needing to put all my furniture in storage and paying rent on the locker. In addition, I would not have my car so I would need to find a decent place that is walking distance to life necessities.

      This option would not make me broke, but it would cost me additional money. If I bought a house now, I would probably have to hold off on any big vacations for awhile, and Hawaii was on our list to go to in the next 5 years.

      So just curious, what are your thoughts? Would this be a good way to spend my winter or would the burden of not having a car be difficult in Hawaii? Any other things I need to think about?

      13 votes
    33. Could we get a formal megathread for the Trump cases, to include both upcoming and ongoing legal action?

      The legal discussion is not exactly the same as US politics. I would imagine that we have people who would like to follow it and people who prefer strongly to avoid it. For example, today we had...

      The legal discussion is not exactly the same as US politics. I would imagine that we have people who would like to follow it and people who prefer strongly to avoid it.

      For example, today we had these two events and I didn't even look hard.

      https://www.thedailybeast.com/barricades-go-up-around-fulton-county-courthouse-as-trump-indictment-looms

      Superceding indictment filed in Florida documents case
      chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.648653/gov.uscourts.flsd.648653.85.0_1.pdf

      38 votes
    34. 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?

      20 votes
    35. Gemini protocol

      I’ve just heard of the new BBS style forum for Gemini space and wondered if the properties of Tildes could adequately translate to Gemini space. In other words; could Tildes become accessible in...

      I’ve just heard of the new BBS style forum for Gemini space and wondered if the properties of Tildes could adequately translate to Gemini space. In other words; could Tildes become accessible in Gemini space?

      gemini://bbs.geminispace.org/

      I’m also curious if there are other Gemini users here but that might be better off as a separate post on a different section of the site.

      20 votes
    36. Is there anyone here who is interested in upholstery as a hobby? If so, we'd love to hear about it! What's your favourite fabric to use?

      My upholstery hobby is a fulfilling and creative outlet that allows me to revive old furniture and give it a fresh, stylish look. My favorite fabric to use is velvet. Its luxurious texture and...

      My upholstery hobby is a fulfilling and creative outlet that allows me to revive old furniture and give it a fresh, stylish look. My favorite fabric to use is velvet. Its luxurious texture and rich colors add a touch of elegance and sophistication to any piece. Velvet not only looks stunning but also feels incredibly soft and comfortable

      20 votes
    37. You have one fast travel point, where do you place it?

      The rules are you have a magic remote, and you are immediately transported to a location of your choice. You can use it as many times you want, but it will only go to the one location. Where do...

      The rules are you have a magic remote, and you are immediately transported to a location of your choice. You can use it as many times you want, but it will only go to the one location. Where do you put it?

      26 votes
    38. Tildes Game Nights Discord server

      It seems that this thread has sparked a lot of interest from the gamers of Tildes, but the forum just isn't a great place to actually get things going. To remedy this, I've created the Tildes Game...

      It seems that this thread has sparked a lot of interest from the gamers of Tildes, but the forum just isn't a great place to actually get things going. To remedy this, I've created the Tildes Game Nights discord server where people who like the format of Discord can get together and play games :). I hope to foster the same sort of civility we have here, so the rules are pretty much identical to Tildes' (with a bunch of the rules being taken directly from the code of conduct). I already have some channels set up for the games that got a lot of votes in the linked thread, but I can add more if there's popular demand.

      Here is the invite link :)

      28 votes
    39. The problem with ChatGPT is that all of these websites like W3Schools and TutorialsPoint will go bankrupt

      ChatGPT got all of its information from these websites, but these websites still use advertising to gain revenue. When a user asks ChatGPT a question, instead of going to the site, it's using the...

      ChatGPT got all of its information from these websites, but these websites still use advertising to gain revenue. When a user asks ChatGPT a question, instead of going to the site, it's using the information stored on the site without giving the site any revenue.

      That's why they're being sued. (Also why Reddit is doing what it's doing with the API)

      What do we do? How can we keep these sites alive, and still make use of ChatGPT? I can write code and solve problems days faster than I used to now, but it seems kind of morally bankrupt of me to use this service which is so clearly putting the foundations it was built on out of business.

      41 votes
    40. Lifting discussion and resources

      We have the weekly fitness check-in but I thought it would be valuable to have a thread to discuss more specific lifting topics and resources. What type of programs do you gravitate towards? Do...

      We have the weekly fitness check-in but I thought it would be valuable to have a thread to discuss more specific lifting topics and resources.

      • What type of programs do you gravitate towards?
      • Do you compete in Powerlifting/Weightlifting/Strongman or some other discipline? Any upcoming meets worth watching?
      • Have you found any resources that others might be interested in?
      42 votes
    41. The Witcher (Season 3)

      The final three episodes have dropped from the third season of Netflix' The Witcher adaptation - also marking the final appearance of series lead Henry Cavill. So I reckon it may be ripe for some...

      The final three episodes have dropped from the third season of Netflix' The Witcher adaptation - also marking the final appearance of series lead Henry Cavill. So I reckon it may be ripe for some discussion (assuming sufficient interest exists amongst the community here).

      So, despite previous misgivings after a baffling second season and disappointingly bland third seasons thus far, I jumped straight into this finale out of respect for the very fine turn by Mr Cavill throughout. For context, earlier in the day I finished off the third book, Baptism of Fire, during my current re-read so I'm well ahead on plot and had text fresh in head. In S3's favour, indeed, the show runner's claims of hewing closer to the books is actually quite fair. In broad strokes, they have captured every major plot point, and generally in the correct order. But that's also the problem in some respects - the writers are evidently only focused on doing a pure plot adaptation. The book chapters, for reference, are quite long - roughly 50 pages apiece - with only 7-10 of them per novel, and often feature a juxtaposition of several perspectives throughout (a feat Sapkowski becomes ever more skillful at over time). But the key thing that's lost in translation is that each chapter generally has a clear idea or thematic element that ties everything together, i.e., Sapkowski always has something he wants to say, an idea he wants to get across, some comment on war, family, human nature, etc., and this gives an extra richness that underpins the plot elements driving everything forward. Not only that, Sapkowski quite enjoys playing off traditional Fantasy / mythological tropes and conventions and this humour has been completely shed by the show writers - likely an intentional move given what has emerged about their purported disdain for the source material.

      In short, I feel the writers are adapting the plot without an understanding of what makes the Witcher stand apart from the sea of other fantasy fiction, and, as a consequence, all of their original additions only wind up a detriment to the storytelling. Nevertheless, it was genuinely nice to see a few certain scenes on screen.

      15 votes
    42. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      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...

      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.

      13 votes
    43. Commercial uses of bendalloy and cadmium mistings (inspired by Brandon Sanderson's 'The Lost Metal')

      Edit: Some context if you're unfamiliar with mistborn: A bend alloy misting (slider) can create a bubble where time moves faster. A cadmium misting (pulser) can create a bubble where time moves...

      Edit: Some context if you're unfamiliar with mistborn: A bend alloy misting (slider) can create a bubble where time moves faster. A cadmium misting (pulser) can create a bubble where time moves slower. These bubbles can't be moved, unless they're on an object of significant mass that is already moving, like a train. The civilisation in The Lost Metal is roughly in the industrial age.

      I was reading "The Lost Metal" and the newspaper ad after chapter 2 mentions hiring bend alloy mistings for a fast food restaurant. And I was thinking of more commercially profitable uses. Because fast food, wouldn't (I think) have sufficient margin to support consumption of bend alloy which is supposed to be expensive. So here are some ideas I had:

      • One idea I had was a CEO using a bend alloy misting to give them more hours in a day. Time for CEOs is already at a premium so giving them more I think would be economically worth it, but I don't know if they have anyone comparable to that in mistborn era 2.
      • I also think this would work for lawyers. I'm not sure how much a lawyer in Elendel gets paid but we do know they exist. In the real world sometimes lawyer bill for more than 24 hours a day (illegally)! But imagine if a lawyer could do that legitimately now. Maybe even 48 hours in a day!
      • An idea I had for cadmium mistings was to speed up travel. Maybe for rich people you could use a slider to get up time so that their train journey appears to them to go by really fast. But that might be counteracted by their circadian rhythm getting messed up.

      The following links contain some discussion on the usage of bend alloy and cadmium for commercial uses.
      https://www.reddit.com/r/Cosmere/comments/ajdsjh/practical_usage_of_powers/

      Some ideas mentioned there include using a slider in the waiting room of a hospital, or to preserve food, or to reduce the amount of food needed to support a siege, or to reduce the amount of supplies needed for Interstellar travel.

      What are some other ideas you have for how a pulser or slider could be used during that time period in a profitable manner?
      If you find other discussion online about these powers, please link them here.

      23 votes
    44. Has anyone watched the new Hayao Miyazaki movie ('Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka', or 'The Boy and the Heron')?

      The question is for the tilderinoos from japan( cause the movie only released there till now,i think).Did you watch the new miyazaki movie Heron and the boy /How do you live. How was it and heard...

      The question is for the tilderinoos from japan( cause the movie only released there till now,i think).Did you watch the new miyazaki movie Heron and the boy /How do you live.
      How was it and heard it is different from his usual MO,If so how is it different?
      Also try to keep posts to no to low spoilers so as not to ruin it for the rest of us ,Thank you.
      I love ghibli movies and i for one can't wait to watch it when it releases here.Probably will do a ghibli studio marathon till i wait for this movie.
      Has anyone read "How do you live " by Yoshio Genzaburō or "The book of lost things" by John Connolly both said have been an influence for this movie?
      Should i read them before watching the film?

      13 votes
    45. IAMA 3rd year Ph.D. student researching the cell biology of the Rice Blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, and preparing for my candidacy qualifying exam. AMA.

      Hi Tilders! I am new here, but my experience with the community thus far has encouraged me to post an AMA. I've specifically decided to post this AMA in ~talk rather than ~science for more...

      Hi Tilders! I am new here, but my experience with the community thus far has encouraged me to post an AMA. I've specifically decided to post this AMA in ~talk rather than ~science for more exposure, and because I am hoping to field questions ranging from scientifically well-read to less-read, technical to curious, why care to who cares, and everything in between.

      I won't be posting "verifying proof", because like many of you, I love my anonymity here. However, I will include peer-reviewed citations to question answers when I feel it necessary. I will do my best to share free-access articles, but this won't always be possible. If I link an article of interest to you that is paid-access, message me; maybe, I may be able to get a copy to you. Also, please be patient for my replies. Even though it is summer where I am, I am still busy in the lab and thoughtful responses take time.

      Here is a brief background on the Rice Blast fungus to help get the conversation started:

      Rice is an important staple food consumed by nearly half of the global population Khush. 2005. From 10 - 30% of the annual rice harvest is lost to disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, which is enough rice to feed greater than 60 million people Skamnioti and Gurr. 2009. To cause infection, a three-celled asexual spore called a conidium attaches to the rice plant's leaves, stems, and even roots. Once attached, a germ tube emerges from one of the three cells and grows along the surface of the plant. Hydrophobic molecules on the plant surface, called hydrophobins, induce a developmental change in the growing germ tube. The growing germ tube tip begins to form a dome-shaped structure called the appressorium. This specialized structure swells and generates up to 80 Mpa of pressure, enough to penetrate kevlar. A penetration peg penetrates the plant cell tissue, and bulbous invasive hyphae colonize the plant cell tissue. The fungus keeps the invaded plant cell alive, while it consumes its nutrients, with the plant cell dying only when the invading growth moves to an adjacent cell Cruz-Mireles et al. 2021. Schematic.

      The Rice Blast research community focuses on all stages of its development. My work is focused on nuclear division during different developmental stages, and I am specifically working on understanding which and how motor proteins are involved in nuclear division in this fungus. Understanding the nuclear dynamics and the involved machinery will hopefully open avenues for controlling the plant infection and reducing the global crop loss.

      I hope you all find Rice Blast interesting, and I hope I will be able to answer many interesting questions!

      40 votes
    46. Non-revolutionary anarchism

      Edit: I'm just gonna list the recommendations I found interesting for my future reference Proudhon - One of the first anarchists. Wrote a lot about mutualism and tried to come up with mechanisms...

      Edit: I'm just gonna list the recommendations I found interesting for my future reference

      Proudhon - One of the first anarchists. Wrote a lot about mutualism and tried to come up with mechanisms to share resources based on usufruct

      The Dispossessed -Describes an alternate society. Supposedly written more like an anthropological study than a narrative

      No God's, No Masters - Written by David Graber, who also wrote the 3 Problems with the Revolution

      The Dawn of Everything - Talks about the organization structures of early societies

      Participatory Economics - Talks about economic organization without compulsion

      Walkaway - Recommended when I mentioned stealth anarchism

      ‐------------------------

      I'm gonna be honest, I'm pretty sick of all the existing forms of politics. Conservatives, liberals, progressives, libertarians, I dont feel like I jive with any of them.

      The closest thing I've found to a philosophy I can get behind is anarchism, but I'm not really a fan of revolutionary anarchism either. I'm interested in just discussion of the constructive aspects of it. Like how the alternative vision of the world they advocate for works in practice, and what different options there are for implementation.

      I find it hard to really get into, because whenever I try to read up on any kind of political philosophy I run into the people who are trying to evangelize and it just really turns me off to the whole thing.

      Does anyone have some good reading recommendations that skip past trying to recruit people, and just is a good discussion?

      43 votes
    47. Any advice for getting through a puppy fear period?

      My poor beautiful boy is really going through it at the moment. He's just shy of 5 months and puberty is hitting him like a truck - he's lost two of his puppy teeth in a week, his adult coat is...

      My poor beautiful boy is really going through it at the moment. He's just shy of 5 months and puberty is hitting him like a truck - he's lost two of his puppy teeth in a week, his adult coat is coming through in patches and now he's suddenly becoming terrified of people with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

      Strangers (even strangers we walked past 30 minutes ago with no issue), family members that he'd spent the last 4-5 hours around on a visit and yesterday even my partner who's been there since day 1 and takes him out on walks and plays with him every day! It's not constant either; when my partner tentatively came downstairs to go to work this morning it was all smiles and waggy tails like nothing had happened.

      I understand this is a pretty normal stage in a dog's development so we've just got to try and endure it until it passes. I've tried leash corrections and moving away, getting him to focus on me and rewarding him when he does, as well as inching closer and getting the scary person to throw treats at a distance when that's feasible. I know teaching him sit/ down would be extremely helpful and we're prioritising that.

      I've also booked a 1-2-1 training appointment for the end of this week so hopefully a professional can help us figure things out but I'm hoping to hear from any fellow puppy owners. How did you cope with fear periods? Any tips?

      Edit to specify: he's a belgian shepherd. We've had him for just over 5 weeks now.

      Thank you so much everyone for your comments so far! The big theme is tiredness so I'm starting to get a plan of action together for dealing with this today:

      • light physical activity, training and brain games in the morning/ afternoon
      • main physical activity after work to get him good and tired
      • keep an eye on his energy levels and try to create some structured naptimes

      Also:

      • carefully consider puppy classes
      • if we have to go visiting, take familiar bedding
      • rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat

      We'll go to the park again straight after work as we always have in the spirit of consistency and hopefully get good and weary before my partner gets back tonight.

      19 votes