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    1. What anime scenes are most memorable to you?

      I've only thought about series, but here are the top five that are seared into my mind. #5 Katanagatari If you've watched this you probably already know I'm going to say... (SPOILER) Togame's...

      I've only thought about series, but here are the top five that are seared into my mind.

      #5 Katanagatari

      If you've watched this you probably already know I'm going to say... (SPOILER)

      Togame's death.

      Having been pretty skeptical of watching this in the first place, I made it that far and did not see this coming at all. I was totally dumbstruck. I'm thankful that I didn't see this when it originally aired, because there was no way I would have been able to wait a month for the next episode.

      #4 Mononoke

      The exorcism sequences.

      I would link the first scene, but the only high-quality sources I can find are on YouTube, and their video compression simply cannot do it justice. If you are interested in this show at all (and you definitely should be, it's truly a work of art!), don't try to find out too much, just go in blind.

      This just blew me away when I first saw it. I still think of this anime as the benchmark for art direction, and any of those scenes could probably qualify as the best-looking clip I've seen in the animated visual medium, period.

      #3 Shigurui: Death Frenzy

      Irako Seigen vs. Iwamoto Kogan fight

      Even without knowing how the details of this scene fit into the wider context of this near-masterpiece of a show, this video speaks for itself.

      #2 Aku no Hana

      The classroom scene.

      This show is SO good at building tension, and this scene was almost as cathartic a release for me as it was the characters. At the end of this episode, I was just stunned. Lovely cinematography as well.

      #1 Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig

      When the Tachikoma... (SPOILER)

      sacrifice themselves to stop the nuclear attack.

      The Tachikoma are one of the best examples of character development I've seen in anime, if not the best. By the time this played out, I couldn't believe those silly little spider tank robots managed to make me shed a tear..


      So, what are yours, and why? Please tag spoilers as necessary!

      32 votes
    2. Starfield - Thoughts on the main quest?

      I just finished the Starfield main quest! Everything else will be in the Spoilerbox text but if you haven't, consider yourself warned! I would try and go through the main quest as much as you can...

      I just finished the Starfield main quest! Everything else will be in the Spoilerbox text but if you haven't, consider yourself warned! I would try and go through the main quest as much as you can and maybe a couple of temples before you finish the main story if you havent.

      Starfield spoilers! What does everyone think about the Unity idea and the way it's integrated in New Game Plus? I loveeee the multiverse explaination and the little things they changed in New Game Plus, I imagine it'll be different every "loop". While I kinda wish you didn't lose everything, it was amazing to respawn in a new Starborn ship.

      I do feel bad for the people who invested a lot in base building though! I kinda wish they had a better solution for that, honestly I can see how it'd be discouraging to go through new game plus again. I kinda wish they could somehow make it a bit more clear that you'll lose everything and to not invest too much in the playthrough.

      At the same time, I really do love the way the game makes me feel on a meta level. I'm usually a hoarder in these types of games, getting all that I can and dumping it all somewhere, but once I realized that nothing matters I found myself kinda letting go of that notion and just enjoying the game. I'm used to Bethesda jank so I just enjoyed it haha.

      Overall probably some of the smarter writing Bethesda put out, and I'm really excited to see the rest of my loops!

      12 votes
    3. What are you looking forward to right now?

      In an effort to make life feel a little more joyful, I added a new calendar to my calendar app called "Nice things". In this calendar, I'm putting all sorts of nice upcoming things to look forward...

      In an effort to make life feel a little more joyful, I added a new calendar to my calendar app called "Nice things". In this calendar, I'm putting all sorts of nice upcoming things to look forward to (album/movie/game releases, the start of Fall, when my preorders will ship, upcoming eclipses and equinoxes and full moons, you name it). My goal is to feel more connected with the passage of time, rather than letting each day blur into the next. I want things to anchor and ground me each day.

      Along the same lines, I'm curious: What are you looking forward to? What things on the horizon have you excited for the future? What would you put on a hypothetical "nice things" calendar?

      51 votes
    4. Books about… books? More specifically, books about writing?

      Not too long ago, I came across a book that changed my life, or at the very least, my writing. While I have some trouble remembering specifics, I do remember it going deep into the world of...

      Not too long ago, I came across a book that changed my life, or at the very least, my writing. While I have some trouble remembering specifics, I do remember it going deep into the world of philosophy and psychology, exploring the intricacies of what makes a book, and what our writing really means. The book analyzed the craft of writing, discussing how humans perceive the differences between good and bad writing, the difference between a good speech and a dull monologue, and how good writing becomes great. This, as well as the nuances of human perception on language in general. Alas, I have since lost the book's title and author, but the captivating writing style and genre remains with me, and I’d really enjoy some recommendations of similar works. I don’t expect to ever find it, as my search has led me to other good books about this sort of writing.

      *Please forgive me if this is not the method I should be following when I post, this is my first post here. *

      16 votes
    5. Is an iPad enough for college students these days?

      I'm normally the tech guy in my social circles and can make good recommendations but its been a few years since I was a collage student so when one of my associates who is about to start her...

      I'm normally the tech guy in my social circles and can make good recommendations but its been a few years since I was a collage student so when one of my associates who is about to start her college journey as a dental student asked me for my recommendation, I wasn't sure exactly what to recommend.

      My first thought was an iPad paired with an Apple Pencil and a Logitech portfolio case. This was because she mentioned lots of note taking and drawing. I figured that option gave her the most bang for the buck and versatility to accomplish any tasks necessary while also having longevity to get her threw the next few years. As for what model, I haven't really figured out just yet.

      My main drawbacks here are that iPads still don't fully replace a Mac or PC. I don't know what software her college will require and while many schools are modernizing some are still not quite there yet and may require specific software that can't be run on iPads.

      Of course the solution to that problem is to purchase a MacBook as well. That should handle most any applications and maybe make longer essays and research papers easier to get through. Ideally that would be option number one, but obviously that's very expensive, and while I do not know what her and her families fiscal background is like, I think its safe to assume that in this economy, even with educational discounts, that's not the most feasible option for most students.

      On the other hand just purchasing a MacBook instead of an iPad would work but not be as versatile since apple has yet to produce a 2in1 like the Microsoft Surface. Speaking of 2in1's I thought about the Microsoft Surface and even some Samsung 2in1's with their s-pen equivalent, but longevity has never really been Windows or Chromes OS's strongpoint. Not to mention I really am not a fan of Chrome OS and its many limitations. I know there is a lot of schools that use them, but they also tend to end up unfixable and unsupported.

      Again... its been a minute since I was a student, so maybe there are things that I am not thinking about or realizing. I told her I would think about it and come back with some recommendations so I figured I'd ask here for some real life experience while I do some research on the subject.

      EDIT

      • Her major is dentistry
      • She curranty has an iPhone
      • I'll ask her to check her schools requirements
      • I'll reply to everyone soon, I just wanted to make those things known for everyone.
      • Thanks for all the input so far!
      35 votes
    6. How would you rewrite the ending of a show that had an unsatisfying finale, or imagine an ending to a show that was canceled prematurely?

      Recently I've been rewatching GIRLS for the umpteenth time. When the series finale originally aired, it was a mini “Game of Thrones finale” situation. Fans were largely disappointed by the final...

      Recently I've been rewatching GIRLS for the umpteenth time. When the series finale originally aired, it was a mini “Game of Thrones finale” situation. Fans were largely disappointed by the final episode, many disliking season 6 in general. It's one of my favorite shows, but usually when I rewatch it I either skip the very last episode, or I skip the entire final season, instead pretending that the season 5 finale was the ending of the show.

      The finale of GIRLS hit a lot of marks for controversial finales. A few beloved characters were largely missing from the final episode/season or didn't get closure that people expected. The ending for the main character seemed to come out of nowhere (magically landing a dream job after struggling with employment the whole show,) and her overall arch didn't seem to align with her personality or anything that had happened up to that point. No one really got a happy ending, and the overall message or theme of the show seemed unclear, since many of the characters experienced very little growth over the course of the show, or they did actually experience some growth that was ignored when their conclusions were written.

      I thought it might be fun to see if any of you have similar thoughts about any TV shows that didn't end the way you expected, or what you imagine would happen in fantastic shows that never even got an ending due to being canceled early. A few examples that come to mind:

      • The obvious - How would you salvage the disaster conclusion of GoT? (I've seen so many takes online that manage to make it more satisfying.)
      • I haven't seen Dexter, but I've heard that the ending was unsatisfying and clashed with what people expected from the main character.
      • How could HIMYM have ended if the whole show wasn't instantly tranformed into a bait and switch with the finale?
      • What would've happened with the characters on Freaks and Geeks, had that amazing show been allowed to continue for another season or two?

      I intended to write about how I would want my example show to have ended, but honestly I'm stumped. Writing is hard! Especially if you don't have the luxury of planning the ending ahead of time, which I imagine was the issue for the writers of many of the classic "controversial finales." I'll probably add a comment about it after I come up with something.

      51 votes
    7. Edgedancer - By Brandon Sanderson - Discussion

      Edgedancer (a stormlight archives novella) came out a few years ago, but since there's little Cosmere discussion in Tildes and I just finished reading it a few days ago, I figured it would be...

      Edgedancer (a stormlight archives novella) came out a few years ago, but since there's little Cosmere discussion in Tildes and I just finished reading it a few days ago, I figured it would be worth posting my thoughts on this. The only book of relevance to this which I haven't read is Dawnshard, so please mark any discussion about that with spoilers.

      I've seen a lot of complaints about Lift on reddit, and I can see where people are coming from. But I always liked the way Lift think and is written. I feel like Lift's stories would make great bed time stories because of how sweetly they end. In the first interlude where Lift appears, the people of Azir are having trouble picking a "king" because they keep getting assassinated. Lift's involvement solves this problem that we're introduced to at the start of the story. And now in Edgedancer, Nalan is still hunting down budding Radiants because he doesn't believe that the Everstorm has really come back. But at the end of the story Lift swears the third ideal "I will listen to those who have been ignored" and shows Nalan the truth. Which feels like a very fairy tale ending, compared to them getting involved in some epic battle. I honestly expected Szeth to intervene and team up with Lift against Nalan.

      The moment at the end where she hugs Nalan to comfort him as he's crying was touching. It got me crying! I didn't expect to feel any sympathy for Nalan, but at the end it feels like a fog is lifting off of him and he's been in a haze this whole time. Which I suppose is true of all the Heralds at this point.

      I kept trying to guess who the Radiant in Yeddaw was. Of course it had to be a minor character that we've already seen. So I was thinking it would be that guard we met earlier, since they mentioned trading to get some spheres with stormlight so that she can read. I thought this was a lie, with the real reason being using the stormlight to practice some surgebinding. The other candidate was the old man, but that turned out to be a very interesting misdirect that I'm hoping to learn more about in Dawnshard. (The actual radiant was the woman at the orphanage)

      The description of the city of Yeddaw was very interesting and new. I wish there was more art to go along with the descriptions, but I feel like I don't really understand the layout of the city. I feel like it would be dark all the time (except noon) if it was carved into the ground like I imagined. Also I wonder if there's more to the story than it just being created with loaned out shardblades. We know that the total number of shardblades in Roshar is very small. Even assuming something like 5 shardblades that were loaned out, how is it possible to create a whole city with that in a reasonable amount of time. Feels like it would take many decades.

      20 votes
    8. Hanging 100lbs punching bag

      Hello... looking to hang a 100lbs heavy bag in my basement (with regular wood-stud walls). I've researched various options and have gone down all sorts of engineering rabbit holes, including...

      Hello... looking to hang a 100lbs heavy bag in my basement (with regular wood-stud walls). I've researched various options and have gone down all sorts of engineering rabbit holes, including pull-out strengths of various sized lag bolts, horizontal load maximums of different kinds of wood, etc. I've perused various marketplaces for various types of mounting solutions and such. The problem with standard DIY wall mounting is that it doesn't come off the wall far enough.

      I'm wondering though -- and it seems simple enough of a solution -- why the following wouldn't work:

      An 8-foot span of 2x6, turned "vertically" so that the top and bottom faces are the 2" edge, affixed 45 degrees to the studs. ASCII art not-withstanding, it's just an isosceles triangle, where the 8-foot hypotenuse is the lumber, and the "height" of the triangle is 4-feet. It would seem 2 brackets (the kind used in making decks) on each end, screwed into the studs would be suitably strong.

      The "Sagulator" (google it!) seems to think that such a setup would only experience a total 0.01in sag in the center of the span.

      The heavy bag would just hang from this with a strap that loops over the beam.

      An 8-foot span basically means I have a lot of clearance on either side.

      I suppose I could just go right into the ceiling joists, but with my proposed setup I can slide the bag to one end or the other and create a bit more of a dynamic setup (albeit it looks a bit more unsightly).

      Thoughts or suggestions? Or am I crazy?

      16 votes
    9. Would y'all mind if I post playlists here?

      I make playlists every so often because I hear such cool music and compile it into playlists not freely based on genre but rather on feeling and also similarity. Tastemaking, more or less. The...

      I make playlists every so often because I hear such cool music and compile it into playlists not freely based on genre but rather on feeling and also similarity. Tastemaking, more or less.

      The problem is... these playlists are promotional, to promote the music of my band. You can listen to these playlists without the context of that, but I think it's important as I don't want to self-promo any more than I have to.

      So yeah. Is it ok if I post playlists here, and... would y'all be fine with that?

      14 votes
    10. Fitness Weekly Discussion

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

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

      9 votes
    11. Introducing my dad to video games

      As of late, I've decided to introduce my dad to video games. It's his birthday upcoming in a few days, and I'm leaning towards getting an Xbox of some kind. I haven't been in the world of vidya...

      As of late, I've decided to introduce my dad to video games. It's his birthday upcoming in a few days, and I'm leaning towards getting an Xbox of some kind. I haven't been in the world of vidya for quite some time, so I'm hoping to lean on other opinions to make the right decision.

      The main question I have is: if I'm buying used, is it worth it to try and find a Series S/X or would I be fine at entry level with an Xbox One? I figure I'll get GamePass and figure out what sorts of games he'd like to play before investing. I only really have $200 to spend, which puts a Series more or less out of the question. Would an Xbox One be a decent introduction to gaming for someone who doesn't have much of a standard for graphics / gameplay etc.? Also: what games should I add to the library?

      18 votes
    12. Fresh Album Fridays: Earl Sweatshirt, Zach Bryan, The Armed 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! A little later...

      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!

      A little later in the day this week - was waiting for Drake's scheduled album to drop, which it never did. Inb4!

      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!

      16 votes
    13. Sometimes the pressure from glasses can help with sinus headaches - does anyone else experience this?

      It's Spring here in Australia which means hayfever for me and more frequent usually minor sinus pain. I often wear sunglasses outside but I have 20/20 vision (afaik) so I don't have prescription...

      It's Spring here in Australia which means hayfever for me and more frequent usually minor sinus pain. I often wear sunglasses outside but I have 20/20 vision (afaik) so I don't have prescription glasses. I did get some cheap blue-light glasses a few years ago in case they helped with tiredness/eye strain/sleep hygiene when I was using screens late at night. I recently noticed that wearing them when I have sinus pain helps alleviate the pain a little. I've noticed before that pinching the bridge of my nose can help especially when the pain is bad, so I suppose it makes sense that the glasses do something similar.

      This is my first post, and usually when I'm curious about something I look it up, but I only really found people talking about how glasses can cause headaches when they're ill-fitting. So I thought I'd ask around here to see if anyone else has experienced this or otherwise was interested in the topic. And maybe this will help someone in a similar situation.

      13 votes
    14. How often do you brush your teeth?

      Following yesterday's question about showering, I was really interested in how often everyone brushes their teeth. I know dentists recommend 1-3 times a day, with once being like "you'll be fine...

      Following yesterday's question about showering, I was really interested in how often everyone brushes their teeth. I know dentists recommend 1-3 times a day, with once being like "you'll be fine if you do it properly," and thrice being like "yo, don't brush too hard because you can damage your enamel," but I also know a lot of people do it more than three times a day and I suspect a lot of people do it less than once a day...

      I try to do it twice a day...sometimes I miss my evening brushing because one of our cats sleeps in the bathroom so that she has her own space and if the dog (who wants to eat the cats) is already in the bedroom, sometimes I don't feel like escorting him out first. Not great, but at least I'll get it in the morning. And I do sometimes forget in the morning on weekends, but I try to do it as soon as I realize that I've forgotten, and I try to make sure I don't skip nighttime brushing if I forgot to brush in the morning.

      37 votes
    15. What are some good, non-microtransaction riddled mobile games?

      Let's list some great mobile games. Preferably ones you can pay for once and be done, or free ones that have microtransactions that you don't need to do to just play the game (e.g. Marvel Snap)....

      Let's list some great mobile games. Preferably ones you can pay for once and be done, or free ones that have microtransactions that you don't need to do to just play the game (e.g. Marvel Snap). Leave out pay for power or games that have "charges" to stop you from playing until you buy more or burn time.

      Edit: Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I compiled a list here that is, I believe, mostly Android. If you're looking for iOS only suggestions it looks like Apple Arcade was recommended regularly and also user Recognition101 had a comprehensive list I will refer you to: https://recognition101.github.io/ios-games/

      Here is the Android Games List:
      -Square Enix re-releases
      -Stardew Valley
      -Monster Hunter Stories
      -Disgaea series remakes
      -Vampire Survivors
      -Slay the Spire
      -Shattered Pixel Dungeon
      -Slice and Dice
      -Bloons series
      -Sproggiwood
      -Pysol FC
      -Lexica
      -Mindustry
      -Overboard
      -Old PC Game ports like Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, SW:KOTR 1 & 2
      -Hoplite
      -Simon Tatham's Puzzles
      -Rogue Adventure
      -Cultist Simulator
      -Mini-Metro
      -Wordament
      -Retro Bowl
      -Antiyoy
      -Marvel Snap
      -Star Realms
      -Wingspan
      -Team Fight Tactics
      -Battle for Polytopia
      -Where's My Water?
      -Underhand
      -Badland
      -Eat Me Please
      -Z Origins
      -Yellow
      -Dawncaster
      -Ollie's Arcade
      -Orna
      -Night of the Full Moon
      -A Dark Room
      -The Ensign
      -Universal Paperclips
      -Opus: Rocket of whispers
      -Opus: The day we found Earth
      -TerraGenesis - Space Settlers
      -Sheltered
      -Seedship
      -Framed
      -Plague Inc.
      -Gravity Defied
      -Magic Research
      -Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes
      -Peglin
      -Civilization series
      -Rebel Inc.
      -Boom Beach
      -Professor Layton Series
      -Slay
      -Ritual

      99 votes
    16. 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
    17. 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
    18. 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
    19. 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
    20. 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
    21. 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
    22. 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
    23. 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
    24. 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
    25. 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
    26. 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
    27. 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
    28. 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
    29. 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
    30. 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
    31. 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
    32. 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
    33. 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
    34. 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
    35. 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
    36. 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
    37. 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
    38. 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
    39. 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
    40. 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
    41. 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
    42. 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