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    1. What is a book that every 13-year-old boy should read?

      Thirteen is a difficult age for most. It's a time of transition from childhood into early adulthood. I'm keen for book recommendations you think a 13-year-old should read. Specific topics I'm keen...

      Thirteen is a difficult age for most. It's a time of transition from childhood into early adulthood.
      I'm keen for book recommendations you think a 13-year-old should read. Specific topics I'm keen to be covered, either directly or through metaphor, are:

      • Confidence
      • Development
      • Fitness / Nutrition / Physical Health
      • Mental Health
      • Finance
      • Ethics

      But really, anything you think one could tackle at that age and benefit from having read the content.

      I've specified boy, because it is a boy who I wish to pass these recommendations on to, and I think that perhaps the advice would be different for a girl.

      38 votes
    2. What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga)

      What have you been watching and reading this week? 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 week? 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!

      9 votes
    3. How can I make life easier on my child who has to (temporarily) use crutches?

      Hello fellow Tilderinos. My 9 year old will likely have to use crutches for a few weeks and I'm looking for some tips on how to make her life less miserable. Unfortunately this happened not only...

      Hello fellow Tilderinos. My 9 year old will likely have to use crutches for a few weeks and I'm looking for some tips on how to make her life less miserable.

      Unfortunately this happened not only right before we're set to fly on holiday this Friday (and we may have to cancel), but in early March she was meant to go on a week long school field trip where they were going to go horse riding and do circus classes. She's understandably upset she's going to miss out. Even if we're still able to fly on holiday next week, she won't be able to participate in the vast majority of activities she usually enjoys.

      As a very physically active and social child, I know this is going to be really hard on her. I'd love some tips on how to keep her spirits up and make it possible for her to participate in fun activities (also possibly limit screen time as well). Would welcome any tips you may have to make it a less miserable time for her!

      21 votes
    4. Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of February 23

      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week! Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle...

      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week!

      Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle are most worth my attention?”

      Rules:

      • No grey market sales
      • No affiliate links

      If posting a sale, it is strongly encouraged that you share why you think the available game/games are worthwhile.


      All previous Save Point topics

      If you don’t want to see threads in this series, add save point to your personal tag filters.

      12 votes
    5. I've been enjoying a few tropes in 1970s TV shows

      I've been watching some TV shows from the 1970s recently. I've noticed a few tropes that I find pretty amusing. One of tropes is how often someone "slips a mickey" to someone else in the show. By...

      I've been watching some TV shows from the 1970s recently. I've noticed a few tropes that I find pretty amusing.

      One of tropes is how often someone "slips a mickey" to someone else in the show. By this, I mean that someone is given a drink that has a drug in it that causes the character to pass out. There is always a certain way this is portrayed by the director. The screen gets out of focus and then the camera tilts in strange directions.
      In the first 3 episodes of The Rockford Files, this scene happens twice. Once it is done by Rockford himself (well, his client does it for him), and the next time it is done to him by one of the other characters.

      A variation of this is getting hit on the back of the head with something, usually a handgun. This always reliably knocks out the person without long term injury.

      Another trope is the scene of a character driving up to a location, getting out, and walking into a building. In a modern show, this would maybe be done in a few seconds just as an establishing shot. But in 1970s television, this shot could last a few minutes. It's very obvious that they are trying to fill some time. These scenes are very noticeable in shows like Columbo when they went to a 90 minute format.

      A variation of the "person walking" trope is when we only see the legs and shoes of the person who is walking. This is so that the audience doesn't know the identity of the person walking yet. It usually turns out to be a bad guy and there will be a crime done by the end of the scene. Sometimes we continue looking at the feet while the crime is in progress, and sometimes we zoom out to see who is doing it.

      24 votes
    6. What’s a book that we were never supposed to be able to read?

      I’m jumping off of the controversy about the release of Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman mentioned here. Regarding the question: it means that something stood in the way of that particular book...

      I’m jumping off of the controversy about the release of Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman mentioned here.

      Regarding the question: it means that something stood in the way of that particular book “getting out” but, for better or for worse, it did. This could be the author’s direct wishes, government or publisher censorship, it being found or leaked, etc.

      • What are some of those books?
      • Are they worth looking into?
      • Does the fact that we weren’t “supposed” to read them change how we understand or appreciate them?
      • If the author themself didn’t want their works published (such as Kafka), what do we have to take into account when deciding to go against those wishes?
      • What do we gain/lose by respecting/ignoring those wishes?

      Also, I’m open to answers that involve parts of books rather than the whole books themselves, since I know there are many books out there that were partially censored or edited and have since been restored.

      22 votes
    7. What artist, regardless of medium, did the most to progress their field?

      Many times people credited with creating a genre or style simply placed the final brick, standing on the shoulders of giants. But who had the most profound impact through both luck and effort? I’m...

      Many times people credited with creating a genre or style simply placed the final brick, standing on the shoulders of giants. But who had the most profound impact through both luck and effort?

      I’m interested in any art form - theater, painting, film making, video games, etc.

      19 votes
    8. 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?

      8 votes
    9. Do you have a game that you love from “before your time?”

      This is primarily aimed at the younger folks here, but it can conceivably work for anyone. Is there a game that came out from before you started gaming that you have since played and loved? An...

      This is primarily aimed at the younger folks here, but it can conceivably work for anyone.

      Is there a game that came out from before you started gaming that you have since played and loved? An oldie for you, but still a goodie?

      I’m curious because gaming has changed so much so quickly that a lot of older games feel like they almost require fond nostalgia to counterbalance their clunkiness. For others, they were sort of a “you had to be there” moment because gaming hadn’t developed fully as a medium so we players weren’t aware of their limitations at the time.

      Without nostalgia or direct experience with them, a lot of their magic is gone.

      Has anyone found that magic in a game even without the nostalgia? If so, which one(s). What made them resonate for you?

      In particular, I’m interested in games that specifically aren’t remakes/remasters since those often modernize elements, but I won’t say they aren’t allowed for the purposes of the question or anything, since they’re also a very accessible way for modern gamers to access older titles.

      32 votes