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    1. What are your favorite soundtracks for films and video games?

      Basically the title. I have seen soundtracks referenced in my searches for ambient music and homework music, but (possibly due to search skills) I didn't find a full discussion focused on this....

      Basically the title. I have seen soundtracks referenced in my searches for ambient music and homework music, but (possibly due to search skills) I didn't find a full discussion focused on this. Thank you.

      35 votes
    2. IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey (Laguna Seca) 2023 Season Finale - Results

      Not sure how many people follow IndyCar, but figured I'd do the same as I've been doing for F1. Honestly, one of the worst races I've ever seen in any series. Which is too bad, because I love Indy...

      Not sure how many people follow IndyCar, but figured I'd do the same as I've been doing for F1.

      Honestly, one of the worst races I've ever seen in any series. Which is too bad, because I love Indy at Laguna Seca. But it was like watching Formula 2 or Formula 3. At Monza. Constant crashing and spins, especially on restarts. I don't know how many times the race got yellow flagged, especially after restarts.

      We know from last week's race at Portland that Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing wrapped up the Drivers Championship in his Honda. So I'll put the season results below.

      Race Results - SPOILER
      Rank Driver Car No. Starts Laps Total time Laps Led Status Points Avg.Speed Pit stop
      1 Scott Dixon 9 11 95 02:17:41.6400 20 Running 51 92.645 4
      2 Scott McLaughlin 3 2 95 02:17:48.9580 - Running 40 92.563 5
      3 Alex Palou 10 5 95 02:17:52.2511 51 Running 38 92.526 2
      4 Will Power 12 7 95 02:17:56.3069 - Running 32 92.480 5
      5 Callum Ilott 77 20 95 02:18:02.7689 - Running 30 92.408 6
      6 Christian Lundgaard 45 3 95 02:18:03.0150 - Running 28 92.405 6
      7 Alexander Rossi 7 15 95 02:18:03.8553 - Running 26 92.396 4
      8 Marcus Armstrong 11 14 95 02:18:08.7710 - Running 24 92.341 4
      9 Pato O'Ward 5 9 95 02:18:10.0307 15 Running 23 92.327 3
      10 Ryan Hunter-Reay 20 25 95 02:18:13.9807 - Running 20 92.283 3
      11 Romain Grosjean 28 8 95 02:18:20.6607 2 Running 20 92.209 3
      12 Sting Ray Robb 51 24 95 02:18:25.6275 - Running 18 92.154 3
      13 Helio Castroneves 06 27 95 02:18:39.9575 - Running 17 91.995 5
      14 Agustin Canapino 78 19 95 02:18:42.8243 - Running 16 91.963 2
      15 Marcus Ericsson 8 18 94 02:18:03.9834 - Running 15 91.422 5
      16 Benjamin Pedersen 55 23 94 02:18:20.0876 - Running 14 91.245 6
      17 Santino Ferrucci 14 17 94 02:18:27.2548 - Running 13 91.166 6
      18 Rinus VeeKay 21 6 93 02:18:17.4950 - Running 12 90.302 5
      19 Felix Rosenqvist 6 1 93 02:18:21.3296 6 Running 13 90.261 5
      20 David Malukas 18 22 93 02:18:28.7683 - Running 10 90.180 5
      21 Josef Newgarden 2 4 91 02:18:28.2840 - Running 9 88.246 10
      22 Devlin DeFrancesco 29 26 91 02:18:50.0001 - Running 8 88.015 6
      23 Colton Herta 26 12 80 02:12:45.1323 1 Contact 8 80.921 6
      24 Juri Vips 30 13 71 02:18:50.0000 - Running 6 68.671 3
      25 Kyle Kirkwood 27 16 65 02:18:43.7580 - Running 5 62.915 3
      26 Tom Blomqvist 60 21 61 01:28:09.5902 - Contact 5 92.912 2
      27 Graham Rahal 15 10 0 00:00:00.6301 - Contact 5 0.000 0

      Source: Indycar.com


      2023 Season Results - SPOILER
      Rank Driver STP TEX LB BAR GPI IND DET R-AM MOH TOR IOW IOW NASH GPI STL POR WRLS Total
      1 Alex Palou 24 36 31 30 53 45 54 51 53 40 25 35 36 26 26 53 38 656
      2 Scott Dixon 36 31 5 26 29 35 32 32 41 33 28 29 30 51 53 36 51 578
      3 Scott McLaughlin 20 28 20 51 14 16 26 24 30 29 40 31 42 24 31 22 40 488
      4 Pato O'Ward 41 41 13 32 41 17 6 35 24 24 35 20 24 35 41 32 23 484
      5 Josef Newgarden 13 53 23 16 26 51 21 40 18 30 53 53 32 5 6 30 9 479
      6 Marcus Ericsson 51 24 35 20 25 44 23 28 5 20 32 23 27 20 20 26 15 438
      7 Will Power 26 14 28 36 18 9 41 18 36 16 32 42 21 28 23 5 32 425
      8 Christian Lundgaard 22 11 16 28 34 11 14 26 32 54 10 17 22 33 13 19 28 390
      9 Alexander Rossi 32 8 8 24 36 37 31 20 20 14 20 15 11 30 33 10 26 375
      10 Colton Herta 10 27 32 16 22 23 19 34 21 35 11 26 9 17 29 17 8 356
      11 Kyle Kirkwood 15 5 54 18 16 5 29 22 13 15 26 19 53 22 15 20 5 352
      12 Felix Rosenqvist 11 7 26 22 31 16 35 10 5 20 17 33 8 5 24 41 13 324
      13 Romain Grosjean 14 17 40 44 19 5 6 5 17 8 19 18 29 12 18 5 20 296
      14 Rinus VeeKay 9 19 5 14 17 32 12 18 15 17 13 12 16 19 19 28 12 277
      15 Graham Rahal 28 6 18 13 21 8 5 19 27 22 5 10 15 44 10 20 5 276
      16 Callum Ilott 30 22 11 17 12 19 5 12 14 12 15 16 18 13 5 15 30 266
      17 David Malukas 21 32 10 11 5 5 7 5 28 10 18 24 5 14 35 25 10 265
      18 Helio Castroneves 7 20 9 9 8 16 11 15 9 9 16 14 19 15 7 16 17 217
      19 Santino Ferrucci 6 9 19 10 7 45 9 14 6 13 5 8 12 7 17 14 13 214
      20 Marcus Armstrong 19 0 24 19 15 0 24 7 22 26 0 0 17 6 0 11 24 214
      21 Agustin Canapino 18 18 6 5 9 5 16 11 7 18 14 5 10 9 8 5 16 180
      22 Devlin DeFrancesco 5 7 14 7 13 17 18 7 16 7 8 9 5 12 11 13 8 177
      23 Sting Ray Robb 14 6 12 5 5 5 8 8 8 11 5 5 13 8 9 7 18 147
      24 Jack Harvey 8 12 17 6 10 12 13 5 12 6 12 11 6 16 0 0 0 146
      25 Conor Daly 16 10 7 5 11 24 15 0 10 0 9 13 0 0 14 0 0 134
      26 Ryan Hunter-Reay 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 13 11 5 7 6 14 10 16 9 20 131
      27 Benjamin Pedersen 5 15 6 8 6 11 10 9 5 5 5 5 7 5 5 8 14 129
      28 Simon Pagenaud 5 13 15 12 5 5 17 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 88
      29 Takuma Sato 0 5 0 0 0 32 0 0 0 0 23 5 0 0 5 0 0 70
      30 Ed Carpenter 0 17 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 6 7 0 0 6 0 0 46
      31 Linus Lundqvist 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 18 12 0 0 35
      32 Tony Kanaan 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18
      33 Juri Vips 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 6 18
      34 Tom Blomqvist 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 16
      35 Marco Andretti 0 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13
      36 RC Enerson 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
      37 Katherine Legge 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

      Source: Indycar.com

      The 2024 IndyCar schedule has yet to be released, but should be out by the end of the month.

      9 votes
    3. 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?

      13 votes
    4. How frequently do you shower?

      I'm interested to know how often people shower or bathe - but I'd also be interested on your thoughts about other people's frequency. Do you feel strongly about how often one should be cleaning...

      I'm interested to know how often people shower or bathe - but I'd also be interested on your thoughts about other people's frequency. Do you feel strongly about how often one should be cleaning themselves, and what factors go into this? I would certainly hope it's reasonably frequent for warm-climate athletes, for example.

      65 votes
    5. Anyone here into yoyos, juggling, kendama, or other skill toys?

      Good morning everyone, Long time reader, first time poster here. I'm a reddit refugee. The subreddit I miss the most is r/throwers. Anyone else into yoyoing or similar hobbies? I've been yoyoing...

      Good morning everyone,

      Long time reader, first time poster here. I'm a reddit refugee. The subreddit I miss the most is r/throwers.

      Anyone else into yoyoing or similar hobbies? I've been yoyoing for about 15 years and have a collection of over 100 yoyos. I own a lot of YoYoFactory, probably because I was first getting into the hobby around 2008-2012 when they were super dominant and popular.

      I'm also a big fan of plastic yoyos. I find myself throwing my Recess First Base more than anything else.

      22 votes
    6. Could a language learning model talk to whales? Or a human who speaks a language besides English?

      The New Yorker has a provocative article asking the question "Can We Talk To Whales?" It boils down to utilizing language learning models to process a dataset of sperm whale clicks, their codas,...

      The New Yorker has a provocative article asking the question "Can We Talk To Whales?" It boils down to utilizing language learning models to process a dataset of sperm whale clicks, their codas, and crossing one's fingers to see if "ClickGPT" can produce actual sperm whale language.

      Which makes me wonder if a language learning model been given a library of Chinese sounds and ideograms, without context, then communicated in workable Chinese?

      Using a language learning model to learn to speak to whales is an interesting idea, but I'm thinking any LLM assigned the task will wind up chunking out a word salad or something akin to Prisencolinensinainciusol. I'd like to learn more.

      24 votes
    7. Which board games have you been playing? (to 4th September)

      Hi everyone, It's been another week and it's time again time to share what you've managed to table over the past week. Personally I had a two player game of Barrage, the first time I've played the...

      Hi everyone,

      It's been another week and it's time again time to share what you've managed to table over the past week.

      Personally I had a two player game of Barrage, the first time I've played the game in a year or two. I completely forgot just how stressful Barrage is.

      I tried to screw my opponent over by adding a conduit to a basin that was his main energy source and he responded in kind by tapping mine. Thus the game became very centred on turn order and he kept beating my production and securing it each round. Whilst this happened I amssased a huge number of concrete mixers and excavators and thought I'd be able to pull his lead back by outbuilding him, but it never really happened and he ended up winning by a very comfortable margin. Great game, but very stressful to play.

      We followed up with a couple of games of Santorini.


      Also, participation has been a bit lacklustre the past couple of weeks. I'm wondering if this weekly thread is actually enjoyable or just annoying?

      15 votes
    8. Any tips for evening out 'uneven pecs'?

      Hello ~health tilderinos! I have a case of the 'uneven pecs'. To elaborate, my left pecs is much more developed and my right seems to be lagging behind which is mighty frustrating because I've...

      Hello ~health tilderinos!

      I have a case of the 'uneven pecs'.
      To elaborate, my left pecs is much more developed and my right seems to be lagging behind which is mighty frustrating because I've always used dumbbells to eradicate any sort of uneven muscle development :(

      My upper body strength training routine consists of

      • bench presses (incline, flat, decline) with dumbbells
      • bench presses (incline and flat) with cables for inner chest development
      • rows with cable machine
      • cable crossovers (high, low, mid)
      • dumbbell pullover

      FWIW I do have really uneven abs -- the abs on my left side are off by one. They first left ab starts where the second ab of the right side starts if that makes sense?
      So I am sort of acknowledging that this could be genetic and out of my control.

      Any help/insight/advice appreciated!

      11 votes
    9. Starfield - what are your thoughts?

      For those of us who caved and got the Early Access, what are your thoughts on the game so far? Please remember to tag spoilers! And for anyone looking forward to it coming out on Wednesday, got...

      For those of us who caved and got the Early Access, what are your thoughts on the game so far? Please remember to tag spoilers!

      And for anyone looking forward to it coming out on Wednesday, got any plans for a build or character?

      61 votes
    10. To those who play(ed) Ring Fit Adventure -- did it have an effect on your body and health?

      As the title says. I am interested in hearing about your experiences with that game. Why did you pick it up? Did it meet your expectations? Did it have positive (or negative?) effects on your body...

      As the title says. I am interested in hearing about your experiences with that game. Why did you pick it up? Did it meet your expectations? Did it have positive (or negative?) effects on your body and health? Did it change anything in your life?

      19 votes
    11. When did you realize you were different?

      We all have something that makes us stand out. Sometimes it’s seen by others as a good thing; sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we love it ourselves; sometimes we don’t. Tell me the story of when you...

      We all have something that makes us stand out. Sometimes it’s seen by others as a good thing; sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we love it ourselves; sometimes we don’t.

      Tell me the story of when you discovered a meaningful difference about yourself.

      (Any difference works here: major stuff, minor stuff, identities, abilities, preferences, etc.)

      Also, I hope it should go without saying, but please make the comments an inclusive and supportive space.

      66 votes
    12. What are your favorite "durable" food items that would be good in a backpack?

      I'm trying to compile a good list of foods that would travel well. I'm trying to avoid anything heavily processed with commercial preservatives (no Goldfish or fruit snacks, etc.) These foods...

      I'm trying to compile a good list of foods that would travel well. I'm trying to avoid anything heavily processed with commercial preservatives (no Goldfish or fruit snacks, etc.)

      These foods should keep for at least a day in standard outdoor temperatures. Also, they should not get physically fucked up by being in a backpack all day.

      So far, I've got these:
      Rucksack Sandwich (Baguette, salami, butter, pickles)
      Scones
      Granola (inline with avoiding preservatives, this can be easily made at home)
      GORP mix

      P.S.
      Shoutout to Squeeze in Marfa, TX for the rucksack sandwiches.

      36 votes
    13. Media reviewers?

      I've had this problem come up so many times. I'll be watching a review on a movie/series and partway through the reviewer will make some rude comment about something they perceived as 'political',...

      I've had this problem come up so many times. I'll be watching a review on a movie/series and partway through the reviewer will make some rude comment about something they perceived as 'political', or how it was made worse by feminism, or 'woke-ism'. Sometimes it's just a tiny little comment that rubs me the wrong way, and I'll realize: This review is being done by someone with opinions I want nothing to do with. And I especially don't want to further their YouTube career with my watch time. It's become such a pattern at this point that I don't even bother with YouTube media reviews anymore.

      I'm not savvy in the landscape of media reviews, I'm relying on what the algorithm serves me, and so far it's only serving up slop. I'm trying to chew through my media backlog and also discover new things, and I'd like to see some perspectives on what's out there. Does anyone here have any recommendations for enthusiastically queer-friendly media review channels? (Not horror focused please, that's not for me.)

      13 votes
    14. Short(er) easy reading fantasy series that isn't YA or Discworld

      Been reading a lot of Malazan BotF and while I love it, I'm looking for something breezier to read for a bit. Preferably something with under 5 PoV characters, 150-300 pages, a mostly linear plot...

      Been reading a lot of Malazan BotF and while I love it, I'm looking for something breezier to read for a bit. Preferably something with under 5 PoV characters, 150-300 pages, a mostly linear plot and that doesn't take 100+ pages just to get my bearings on the world. If it's got humor or a bit of mystery too it, all the better.

      29 votes
    15. What have you been listening to this week?

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as...

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as well, we'd love to see your hauls :)

      Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others' listening habits.

      You can make a chart if you use last.fm:

      http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/

      Remember that linking directly to your image will update with your future listening, make sure to reupload to somewhere like imgur if you'd like it to remain what you have at the time of posting.

      9 votes
    16. Ahsoka - S01E04 Discussion

      Spoilers for Ahsoka Season 1, Episodes 1-4; but also Star Wars Rebels & Clone Wars, or really any Star Wars (including Mando/Book of Boba) is fair game. I kept the title vague but I really want to...

      Spoilers for Ahsoka Season 1, Episodes 1-4; but also Star Wars Rebels & Clone Wars, or really any Star Wars (including Mando/Book of Boba) is fair game.

      I kept the title vague but I really want to discuss the World Between Worlds.

      For those unfamiliar that is where Ahsoka found herself at the end of episode 4. For those familiar (again, Rebels spoilers) it is a special Force place that can view and, in at least one instance, interact with the past. By all accounts it also has some echos of the future.

      It's not technically "time travel" but it will potentially be viewed as such and have a similarly long lasting affect on the Star Wars universe.

      Do you think the World Between Worlds is a good idea? What story do you want to see told? What story do you think will be told?

      13 votes
    17. What are some random keepsakes you hold onto?

      Minor hoarder here. Can't seem to let go of small items like pencil stubs and erasers from childhood, and other small seemingly insignificant things. Im a full blown adult but every time i move,...

      Minor hoarder here. Can't seem to let go of small items like pencil stubs and erasers from childhood, and other small seemingly insignificant things. Im a full blown adult but every time i move, those things come with me, and get stored away in the closet or under the bed.

      Anyone else do this? What are some things you are forever attached to?

      32 votes
    18. What are your best tips for productivity and project management?

      I'm currently juggling full time work and graduate school. Project management is not something that I necessarily find easy, but I need to figure it out in order to succeed this semester. Any...

      I'm currently juggling full time work and graduate school. Project management is not something that I necessarily find easy, but I need to figure it out in order to succeed this semester. Any productivity tips would be welcome. Thanks

      37 votes
    19. 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!

      6 votes
    20. What's your favorite episode from Avatar: The Last Airbender?

      I really enjoy Tales of Ba Sing Se. It's really nice just watching them live their lives in the big city. It's somewhat a filler episode, but unlike the filler in Naruto or something, the plot...

      I really enjoy Tales of Ba Sing Se. It's really nice just watching them live their lives in the big city. It's somewhat a filler episode, but unlike the filler in Naruto or something, the plot still incrementally moves along and doesn't linger too long on any one character.

      47 votes
    21. How do you feel when people sign off an email with a single letter?

      I run into this sometimes (but not often) in my professional life. Instead of signing off their email with their full name, or first name, they simply put the first letter of their name. Example...

      I run into this sometimes (but not often) in my professional life. Instead of signing off their email with their full name, or first name, they simply put the first letter of their name.

      Example of ending of email :

      Best Regards,
      A

      I'm trying to sense if I'm off base with this, but I find it pompous. To me, it suggests the sender believes they hold a position of importance. They claim a single letter as their own, ahead of everyone else. Or it suggests the sender believes they are so busy/productive, they choose to save time by not spelling out their full name. Pah.

      Thoughts?

      14 votes
    22. Is this really what renting is like now? (Pennsylvania, USA)

      Just coming back into the rental market after owning a home for a short time. I found a place that would be great. Then, I got the lease. This thing is a nightmare. Here are a few of the greatest...

      Just coming back into the rental market after owning a home for a short time. I found a place that would be great. Then, I got the lease.

      This thing is a nightmare. Here are a few of the greatest hits:

      • The lease lists my rent and then says they can charge "additional rent" which is "all added charges, costs, and fees for the duration of this lease." So, sounds like they can just make up a number and add it to the rent and I have to pay it?
      • The landlord will make a "good faith effort" to make the apartment available to me when my lease starts. Shouldn't the landlord actually do that, not just make any sort of "effort" to do it, "good faith" or otherwise?
      • If the unit is damaged such that I cannot live there while repairs are being made, the landlord "may" issue me a credit for the days I can't live there. What criteria will the landlord use? If they decide not to, that means I'll be paying rent for an apartment I cannot occupy?

      This is a short lease — I've seen much longer in my time renting — but even so, I could come up with a dozen more examples like this. What is going on here? I've read the law in the area, and I suspect some of the clauses in here are actually unenforceable. For example, the lease allows for automatic rent increases at lease renewal without notification while the law requires 60 days notification, and it requires me to notify 14 days after notification of a rent increase if I do not accept where the law says I have 30 days to do so.

      But how did we get here? I just want to pay a specified amount every month in order to be able to live in a space someone else owns. This should be relatively simple, but it's turned into this weird whack-a-mole game where every lease is a document of all that landlord's past tenant grievances they are trying to now avoid in the future, along with any other unreasonable terms they think they can get away with. Regardless of what the law is, the lease can say anything. If I read it and decline to sign, the next person will probably just sign it and hope for the best.

      For those of you who are renting, how do you deal with this sort of stuff? Are there reasonable landlords still out there? Is the right way to buy a home just to escape from unreasonable lease terms, even if you don't really want to own?

      Update: Possibly important context- This property is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

      47 votes
    23. Is the New Democratic Party a vassal for the Liberals in Canada if breaking from them is never on the table?

      If it's never even a remote consideration that the NDP may break from the Liberals and side with the CPC in the House of Commons, aren't they essentially a vassal for the LPC, soaking up votes...

      If it's never even a remote consideration that the NDP may break from the Liberals and side with the CPC in the House of Commons, aren't they essentially a vassal for the LPC, soaking up votes from disaffected Liberal voters and funneling them back into Liberal control? I mean from a simple game theoretic perspective, Liberals in the long run can demand everything and give nothing. I think Canadian politics has probably been damaged by overapplying the American left-right political spectrum, when it may be better thought as a three way spectrum between liberalism, conservatism, and democratic socialism (something like Red Toryism for example would be pretty inconceivable in American politics).

      14 votes
    24. Horror movies - let's talk creature features!

      Good morning, afternoon, and evening everyone! I hope everyone's doing well, or at least hanging in there this weekend. Now let's talk about horror movies that feature monsters or animals killing...

      Good morning, afternoon, and evening everyone! I hope everyone's doing well, or at least hanging in there this weekend. Now let's talk about horror movies that feature monsters or animals killing people in various fashions!

      Are you a fan of monsters from outer space, or a more grounded flick about an alligator terrorizing the sewers of 1980s NYC? What about man-made horrors beyond our comprehension? A dog that was having a bad day after being bitten by a rabid bat? Let your voice be heard in the comments below!


      I'll start with a movie the Sci-fi channel used to show every now and then (though it originally aired as a mini-series on ABC): The Beast, based off of Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. If the author sounds familiar, he wrote a book you may have heard of: Jaws.

      Featuring a giant squid terrorizing yet another idyllic New England town, The Beast isn't a very good movie when you get down to it, but it's an enjoyable watch nonetheless. It's essentially a 90s remake of Jaws with a giant squid instead of a shark, but it has a certain coziness and warmth to it that I enjoy. It's not even close to my favorite creature feature, but it was on my mind so I figured I'd let someone else talk about how awesome Lake Placid is. And this movie has Gil Grissom from CSI going up against a giant squid, so that's pretty neat.

      Anyway, it's the weekend, let's watch some horror movies!

      25 votes
    25. Fresh Album Fridays: Olivia Rodrigo, James Blake, The Chemical Brothers and more

      Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest! Discussion...

      Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest!

      Discussion Points

      What are you looking forward to listen to?
      Have you listened to any of these releases?
      What are your thoughts?
      What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past?

      Why Friday?

      Most (but not all) new LPs release on a Friday, as labels want to give the release a full week of sales before entering the charts.

      ~~ Feedback on the format welcome!

      14 votes
    26. What are the best resources for finding work in today's climate?

      I've been a professional in the IT sector for the past 25 years, and during that time I've gone through several different methods of finding my next gig. Back when I started out, the internet was...

      I've been a professional in the IT sector for the past 25 years, and during that time I've gone through several different methods of finding my next gig. Back when I started out, the internet was still a relatively new thing, so I got my first few positions by answering ads in the local newspaper (remember those?)

      Two years ago, I decided to try my hand at writing novels, and while that has been quite fulfilling personally, it hasn't yet started to pay any bills so I've had to keep my IT skills sharp and hold down a standard job to pay the bills.

      Now though, I find that I'm looking a lot harder at the companies and people I work for, and I'd like to be able to shop around a bit more for a position at a place that is more in line with me as a person.

      To that end, I'm wondering what methods are more commonplace now for finding employment, as opposed to my standard, which is pretty much indeed and the occasional linkedin find. Which methods have you had the most success with?

      22 votes
    27. What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga)

      What have you been watching and reading this month? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was...

      What have you been watching and reading this month? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was cool, something that was bad, ask for recommendations, or anything else you can think of.

      If you want to, feel free to find the thing you're talking about and link to its pages on Anilist, MAL, or any other database you use!

      12 votes
    28. Do you replay video games?

      Now that Baldur's Gate 3 is releasing on PS5, I got to thinking about a pet peeve I have as a gamer: no matter how many choices and freedom a game gives me, I can hardly get myself to replay it...

      Now that Baldur's Gate 3 is releasing on PS5, I got to thinking about a pet peeve I have as a gamer: no matter how many choices and freedom a game gives me, I can hardly get myself to replay it after I finish it once.

      There are only ever a handful of exceptions - mostly when I want to show my partner some games I loved when growing up.

      The best example I have is Skyrim: I absolutely loved the game on launch date, and I was glued to my PC for several weeks. But after I finished it, I could never get back into it.

      I guess my question is less about games that are designed to be replayable (strategy, sims, management, multiplayer) and more about titles such as The Witcher, Grand Theft Auto, Red Ded Redemption, Metal Gear Solid, etc.

      So, do you replay such "replayable" titles? Why or why not?

      30 votes
    29. Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like misinformation, lightbulbs.led and pilots. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone...

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like misinformation, lightbulbs.led and pilots. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was interested.

      But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched offbeat stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!

      6 votes
    30. How long was it before you let your dog off leash?

      How old were they and how long did it take you to get to a place where you were confident enough in their recall to let your dog(s) run around off-leash at the park or in a field? My boy is 6...

      How old were they and how long did it take you to get to a place where you were confident enough in their recall to let your dog(s) run around off-leash at the park or in a field?

      My boy is 6 months old now and we've had him with us for 3 months. He's loose/ off-leash at home and his recall/ general engagement at home is very good but obviously there are still lots of exciting distractions out in the wider world. We still do plenty of recall games with him every week to build on it.

      At the park we switch to a 15m long leash clipped to his harness and let him trot out in front of us and have a good sniff around. When we find a clear space to have a game of fetch, we'll let go of the leash but leave it attached to the harness just in case we need to stomp on it and retrieve him quickly.

      Recall still seems decent at the park but I don't trust him enough to take that leash off completely yet - I don't think he'd come back straight away if there was a football or another dog that he could run to and play with. What have your experiences been like?

      Edit: starting to realise this might be a very Europe-centric question, the laws for keeping dogs on a leash/ lead are very different in the UK

      15 votes
    31. Supporting an artistic child

      I've never really been much of an artist myself, but one of my kids (11m) really likes drawing, painting and making small animations on his ipad. I'd like to give him some gentle encouragement, if...

      I've never really been much of an artist myself, but one of my kids (11m) really likes drawing, painting and making small animations on his ipad. I'd like to give him some gentle encouragement, if that's likely to help him enjoy creating artwork more, but I'm not sure what would be a good approach. Does anyone have some suggestions? He told me that he likes drawing objects and landscapes, but I think that's only because he's not confident in drawing live subjects.

      Some ideas I had, but I'm not certain of:

      • Sketchpad?
      • Guide or drawing techniques book?
      • Finding and recommending a good youtube channel?

      If there's something that helped you at this time of life please let me know, thank you!

      29 votes
    32. How many songs does a band need to have that you like for you to say you really like them?

      I've realized the amount of bands that I'd describe as "really liking them" despite only regularly listening to 3-6 of their songs is pretty high. While I have a fair number of bands that I like...

      I've realized the amount of bands that I'd describe as "really liking them" despite only regularly listening to 3-6 of their songs is pretty high. While I have a fair number of bands that I like 10+ songs from, the vast majority of bands I'd recommend have a much smaller pool. I was just listening to LCD Soundsystem, a band I've loved for years, and I realized I only regularly listen to 4 of their songs (All My Friends, Daft Punk is Playing..., Dance Yrself Clean and New York I Love You...). TV on the Radio, another band I've really been trying to get people to listen to lately, I only like 6 of their songs. And with a lot of these bands it's not even that I just haven't listened to a lot of their music. TVotR I've listened to 3/5 albums all the way through, and while there were a lot of songs I maybe sorta enjoyed, only 6 of them were good enough that I actually saved them.

      It gets harder for me because there are also a lot of bands out there that I like 3+ of their songs but wouldn't describe myself as a big fan. Eminem, for example, I have like 15 of his songs saved but I'd definitely say I like TV on the Radio more.

      I feel like for me it's more about how much I like the songs rather than the quantity. Like on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is barely liking it and 10 is absolutely loving it (so entirely ignoring songs I don't like), Eminem has a lot of like 4-7s whereas all of the TVotR songs I like I'd rate as 9s or 10s.

      26 votes
    33. 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.

      15 votes
    34. Black women with guitars?

      Ok bear with me. I like to joke that a significant portion of my music library is white women with guitars. I listen to a lot of art pop/indie, basically. Phoebe Bridgers, Boygenius, Fiona Apple,...

      Ok bear with me. I like to joke that a significant portion of my music library is white women with guitars. I listen to a lot of art pop/indie, basically. Phoebe Bridgers, Boygenius, Fiona Apple, Weyes Blood, Angel Olsen, Aldous Harding, etc.

      So where are the black women with guitars? I think that singer/songwriter trope of a woman with a guitar (or sometimes a piano) is traditionally pretty white, so what artists are you aware of that break this trend? Closest I've found so far is Kara Jackson, who I would highly recommend, by the way. Not too strict about genre here, so whatever you got is welcome.

      46 votes
    35. Tildes Video Thread

      Find yourself watching tons of great videos on [insert chosen video sharing platform], but also find yourself reluctant to flood the Tildes front page with them? Then this thread is for you. It...

      Find yourself watching tons of great videos on [insert chosen video sharing platform], but also find yourself reluctant to flood the Tildes front page with them? Then this thread is for you.

      It could be one quirky video that you feel deserves some eyeballs on it, or perhaps you've got a curated list of videos that you'd love to talk us through...

      Share some of the best video content you've watched this past week/fortnight with us!

      9 votes
    36. 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.

      4 votes
    37. TV Tuesdays Free Talk

      Have you watched any TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows 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 TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows 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.

      10 votes
    38. The blight of bright white LEDs

      I feel like I'm the only one noticing this and it's driving me crazy. With everyone transitioning away from incandescent, it seems like anywhere you go now there are these blindingly bright and...

      I feel like I'm the only one noticing this and it's driving me crazy. With everyone transitioning away from incandescent, it seems like anywhere you go now there are these blindingly bright and high color temperature LED lights. Of course, if LEDs are better and more energy efficient we should use them. But whenever I've tried buying LED bulbs, they've been consistently brighter and higher color temperature than the stated lumens and Kelvin. And a lot of times, it's just extremely difficult to find LED bulbs for certain shapes at a reasonable luminosity. Like our house uses a lot of BR30 bulbs that are supposed to be around ~400 lumens, but the lowest you can possibly find is 650.

      I'm genuinely concerned what effect this is going to have on our shared spaces and even potentially our psychology/circadian rhythm. There's an especially egregious example on an important cultural street in the city, where there's this truly blinding light in a parking lot about a third the way from the edge to the center of the district that makes the entire immediate area extremely unpleasant to be in. Someone tell me I'm not crazy.

      63 votes
    39. What's your honest opinion about people who are not afraid of asking for what they want?

      Apologies for the wordy title. Generally speaking, I do not hesitate to ask for things - needs, wants, help - especially in a professional context. I realize though that most people are not like...

      Apologies for the wordy title. Generally speaking, I do not hesitate to ask for things - needs, wants, help - especially in a professional context.

      I realize though that most people are not like me, and I think it would come across as a bit narcissistic if I started asking my acquaintances and friends about their perception of me. It's a bit of a self-serving question even here, but oh well.

      In any case, I turn to you: what is your honest opinion about people that ask for what they want? Do you have a positive or negative perception of them? Or maybe you can share some interesting anecdotes.

      27 votes
    40. Harvest time: Share your favorite garden bounty recipes!

      My tomato and pepper harvest this year is going to be negligible (thanks, deer!), but I have tomatillos coming out of my ears. My favorite Salsa Verde recipe freezes well. To the extent that...

      My tomato and pepper harvest this year is going to be negligible (thanks, deer!), but I have tomatillos coming out of my ears. My favorite Salsa Verde recipe freezes well.

      To the extent that everyone who grows tomatoes will have lots of green ones, here's a good chutney recipe that works well for water-bath canning:

      Green Tomato Chutney

      Servings: 3 pints

      Ingredients:

      2 1/2 lbs green tomatoes (a few ripe or partially ripe are fine to be included)
      1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
      1 cup chopped red onion
      1 cup golden raisin
      1 cup cider vinegar
      2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
      1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
      1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
      1 teaspoon coriander seed
      1 teaspoon kosher salt
      1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
      1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
      1 cinnamon stick
      1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
      (***For my taste, I'll mince in a couple of whatever fresh hot peppers I have in the garden, and increase other spices to taste, and add a chopped large knob of fresh ginger.)

      Directions:

      Place all of the ingredients in a medium sized (about 4 qt) thick-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and simmer uncovered for an additional 15 minutes to thicken.

      Notes:

      Note: If desired, this recipe can be canned by processing filled (sterilized!) jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Recipe will fill six 8-oz jars or three 16-oz jars. Otherwise, chutney will keep in the refrigerator for a few months.

      The other garden success story this year, heavy rain, weird weather, bugs, and pestiferous ungulates notwithstanding, is basil. Freaking huge bushes of every variety I planted: Italian Mountain, Genovese, Persian, Thai Kaprow, Thai Holy, and Purple Opal.

      I'll be processing fresh Italian basil with olive oil and freezing it in silicone trays. Internet rumor has it that freezing doesn't treat fresh garlic well, and you're better off making pesto from frozen basil as needed.

      I may do the same thing with neutral oil for the Persian basil, and peanut oil for the Thai, unless someone else has suggestions.

      We'll also have about 50 lbs. of apples from a single tree. They're a little too organic for eating out of hand, unless you're comfortable with inadvertent insect protein ingestion. But drying, pies, and cake are definitely in the picture. This is a simple, reliable apple cake recipe that's easy to share around. I'm still digging for my old bakery Caramel Apple Torte recipe.

      16 votes
    41. What creative projects have you been working on?

      This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on. Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just...

      This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on.

      Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just ideas.

      If you have any creative projects that you have been working on or want to eventually work on, this is a place for discussing those.

      14 votes
    42. Any good somewhat healthy recipes with jalapenos?

      I really like pickled jalapenos, but my go to recipes are nachos and jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon. I'm trying to eat healthier, but I seem to be lacking some good recipes or ideas. I found a...

      I really like pickled jalapenos, but my go to recipes are nachos and jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon. I'm trying to eat healthier, but I seem to be lacking some good recipes or ideas. I found a potato salad recipe which sounds really tasty, but still not terribly healthy.

      13 votes