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    1. Fortnightly Programming Q&A Thread

      General Programming Q&A thread! Ask any questions about programming, answer the questions of other users, or post suggestions for future threads. Don't forget to format your code using the triple...

      General Programming Q&A thread! Ask any questions about programming, answer the questions of other users, or post suggestions for future threads.

      Don't forget to format your code using the triple backticks or tildes:

      Here is my schema:
      
      ```sql
      CREATE TABLE article_to_warehouse (
        article_id   INTEGER
      , warehouse_id INTEGER
      )
      ;
      ```
      
      How do I add a `UNIQUE` constraint?
      
      4 votes
    2. TV Tuesdays Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      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.

      5 votes
    3. Day 4: Scratchcards

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2023/day/4 Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it...

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2023/day/4

      Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it nicely, with the code collapsed by default inside an expandable section with syntax highlighting (you can replace python with any of the "short names" listed in this page of supported languages):

      <details>
      <summary>Part 1</summary>
      
      ```python
      Your code here.
      ```
      
      </details>
      
      12 votes
    4. What does it mean to friend someone online?

      Recently my daughter (third grade) has started learning to type at school. It's a Montessori program, so it's a pretty low tech environment overall, which I mention because I don't necessarily...

      Recently my daughter (third grade) has started learning to type at school. It's a Montessori program, so it's a pretty low tech environment overall, which I mention because I don't necessarily expect them to have a nuanced view of technology issues.

      One of the typing programs they use is nitrotype.com, which adds a competitive gameplay element. However, it also has mechanism to friend another player. Friends can only communicate with stock phrases, so there's not too much "Internet leakage" beyond being able to choose a username.

      I set it up for my daughter on her Linux Chromebook (I whitelist things I want her to have and everything else is blocked at DNS). Seeing her interact with it the first time, I realized that she spends as much time "adding friends" as doing the typing.

      On its face, this activity is pretty harmless. But I am worried about the patterns it might be creating for her. I'm worried about her uncritically engaging with the dopamine hit of getting a new friend. Or how it shapes her idea of how many friends she has or where idea of her self worth comes from. Or what she thinks friends are.

      So after that long preamble, here are some questions:

      • How would you explain "friends" in this context?
      • Would you distinguish them from other kinds of friends, either real or virtual?
      • Would you attach a moral component to the activity? E.g. that it is good/bad or helpful/harmful
      • How would you frame it to the teacher? Not so much in terms of whether or not they should do it in the classroom, but what kinds of conversations should they be having about the friends experience?
      • If I'm asking the wrong questions, what questions should I be asking instead?

      I'm really interested in seeing the perspectives people have on this. My own ideas are a bit murky, but I will put them down as a comment.

      37 votes
    5. What podcasts are you listening to?

      First off, hello, I'm new here, and I hope this is an okay place to ask...what podcasts are you all into? Here's some of my favorites: Dispatches from Myrtle Beach: Link from Good Mythical Morning...

      First off, hello, I'm new here, and I hope this is an okay place to ask...what podcasts are you all into?

      Here's some of my favorites:

      Dispatches from Myrtle Beach:
      Link from Good Mythical Morning has a conversation with his father. It's a strange mix of funny, heartwarming, raunchy, and endearing.

      The Newest Olympian:
      Mike Shubert from the Potterless podcasts reads the Percy Jackson books (I tried reading along with the podcast because I'd never read them, but couldn't put the books down, so I'm ahead of the podcast now). It's a funny podcast regardless if you've read the books.

      RadioLab and the new season of RadioLab's More Perfect podcast
      If you've never listened to radio lab, just pick any episode. They're interesting and weird and you'll learn stuff. They're just good. The new hosts are still finding their way, but it's still good, so maybe start with some of the older episodes.

      Judge John Hodgman

      • He settles stupid disputes between people...e.g., "Is a hotdog a sandwich" (No.)

      Song Exploder

      • Even if I've never heard of the song I listen. It's about how songs are made, and it's super interesting.

      99% Invisible

      • it's about recognizing all the fascinating things in the world around us that we pass by every day without noticing. Always read the plaque.

      Oh No, Ross and Carrie

      • they do non-sciencey things and then discuss from a science perspective. (E.g., joining a religion, going to flat earth meetings, visiting psychics, getting holistic medical treatments, etc)

      This American Life
      just interesting stories about people and things in life?

      The Memory Palace
      super cool podcast...usually pretty short that takes things from history and tells the story in just a unique and interesting way.

      Science Friday
      deep dive into science news for the week

      Behind the Bastards
      all about the worst people in history.

      Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
      Hilarious podcast about medical history

      The Adventure Zone
      The McElroy family plays dnd and other role play games

      The Moth
      people tell personal stories to crowds of people.

      The Daily
      New York Times's podcast

      Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
      news comedy gameshow

      60-Second Science
      as described

      Good Job Brain
      pub trivia podcast

      A Hotdog is a Sandwich (but it's not)
      Good Mythical Kitchen's Josh and Nicole debate food things

      Dead Pilots Society:
      really interesting. They take scripts from failed TV pilots and hire actors to do table reads of the script. Every other week is an interview with the script's writers too, so you can listen to those if interested or just the table reads if not.

      Brainstuff:
      just interesting tidbits. Short podcasts.

      I'd love to hear your recommendations!

      Edit: Thank you all for all the recommendations! I'm still reading all the posts and adding them to my list to give them a shot!

      60 votes
    6. Does anyone have recommendations for physics simulation software? (E.g. Algodoo, Simulo, Physion, etc.)

      I just got into watching physics simulation videos on youtube, stuff like marble races, marble battles, Multiply Or Release, and various other simulation content. Absolutely enthralling stuff for...

      I just got into watching physics simulation videos on youtube, stuff like marble races, marble battles, Multiply Or Release, and various other simulation content. Absolutely enthralling stuff for someone like me who enjoys simply watching an environment do its thing.

      I wanted to get into making my own sims/scenarios and was wondering if you all on tildes had some recommendations. I've been trying algodoo and it seems very nice but I've heard its mostly abandonware and theres some features I find lacking. So I wanted to look into options for my little tinkering. I understand that there may not be a perfect one but I'd love to have some options to try and tinker in, and my research has led me to lots of them that seem at first look to be purely for academic purposes.

      To crystallize my desires into a definite paragraph:
      I'm looking for physics sim software recommendations to make my own marble races and other simulated 'games'. I don't mind having to learn it from scratch(including scripting language). I dont care if its paid or free. Ease of use is great but Non-essential since it can likely be learned over time. Preferrably not abandonware, or at least feature-rich if development has been completed. and lastly, performance is definitely important since I'll likely be building some grand designs as I settle in.

      15 votes
    7. Join the Tildes Advent of Code leaderboard!

      In the comments of the previous AoC post @first-must-run asked if there is a private leaderboard for Tildes, and I didn't manage to find one, so I decided to share my invite code so that we can...

      In the comments of the previous AoC post @first-must-run asked if there is a private leaderboard for Tildes, and I didn't manage to find one, so I decided to share my invite code so that we can track our progress together.

      Please LMK if there is already an existing leaderboard from a previous year.

      The join code is 2183006-a14e4b86, you can join here.

      16 votes
    8. 2024 Golden Globes nominations predictions

      Golden Globe noms will be coming out next week. They recently changed a rule that each category now has six nominees instead of five (boo!). These are the only categories listed on Goldderby so...

      Golden Globe noms will be coming out next week. They recently changed a rule that each category now has six nominees instead of five (boo!). These are the only categories listed on Goldderby so that's all I'm gonna be predicting (Original Score and Original Song are the two categories not listed). Here's where I think the nominations will land:

      Motion Picture - Drama

      1. Oppenheimer
      2. Killers of the Flower Moon
      3. Maestro
      4. All of Us Strangers
      5. Anatomy of a Fall
      6. Past Lives

      Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

      1. Barbie
      2. The Holdovers
      3. Poor Things
      4. American Fiction
      5. The Color Purple
      6. May December

      Director

      1. Christopher Nolan - Oppenheimer
      2. Martin Scorsese - Killers of the Flower Moon
      3. Yorgos Lanthimos - Poor Things
      4. Greta Gerwig - Barbie
      5. Alexander Payne - The Holdovers
      6. Bradley Cooper - Maestro

      Screenplay

      1. Barbie
      2. The Holdovers
      3. Oppenheimer
      4. Killers of the Flower Moon
      5. Poor Things
      6. American Fiction

      Lead Actor - Drama

      1. Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer
      2. Bradley Cooper - Maestro
      3. Leonardo DiCaprio - Killers of the Flower Moon
      4. Andrew Scott - All of Us Strangers
      5. Adam Driver - Ferrari
      6. Teo Yoo - Past Lives

      Lead Actress - Drama

      1. Lilly Gladstone - Killers of the Flower Moon
      2. Cailee Spaeny - Priscilla
      3. Sandra Huller - Anatomy of a Fall
      4. Carey Mulligan - Maestro
      5. Annette Bening - Nyad
      6. Greta Lee - Past Lives

      Lead Actor - Musical or Comedy

      1. Paul Giamatti - The Holdovers
      2. Jeffrey Wright - American Fiction
      3. Timothee Chalamet - Wonka
      4. Nicolas Cage - Dream Scenario
      5. Matt Damon - Air
      6. Peter Dinklage - She Came To Me

      Lead Actress - Musical or Comedy

      1. Margot Robbie - Barbie
      2. Emma Stone - Poor Things
      3. Fantasia Barrino - The Color Purple
      4. Natalie Portman - May December
      5. Julia Louis Dreyfus - You Hurt My Feelings
      6. Jennifer Lawrence - No Hard Feelings

      Supporting Actor - Any Motion Picture:

      1. Robert Downey Jr. - Oppenheimer
      2. Ryan Gosling - Barbie
      3. Mark Ruffalo - Poor Things
      4. Robert DeNiro - Killers of the Flower Moon
      5. Charles Melton - May December
      6. Dominic Sessa - The Holdovers

      Supporting Actress:

      1. D'avine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers
      2. Emily Blunt - Oppenheimer
      3. Julianne Moore - May December
      4. Danielle Brooks - The Color Purple
      5. Penelope Cruz - Ferrari
      6. America Ferrera - Barbie
      6 votes
    9. Weekly megathread for news/updates/discussion of Russian invasion of Ukraine - November 30

      This thread is posted weekly on Thursday - please try to post relevant content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Especially significant updates may warrant a separate topic,...

      This thread is posted weekly on Thursday - please try to post relevant content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Especially significant updates may warrant a separate topic, but most should be posted here.

      If you'd like to help support Ukraine, please visit the official site at https://help.gov.ua/ - an official portal for those who want to provide humanitarian or financial assistance to people of Ukraine, businesses or the government at the times of resistance against the Russian aggression.

      18 votes
    10. Can someone please recommend me a no BS printer I can use like half a dozen times a year

      By no BS I mean none of those online requirements or ink subscription nonsense. Scanning isn't a huge focus but having at least some multi-page scanning functionality wouldn't hurt. I've heard...

      By no BS I mean none of those online requirements or ink subscription nonsense.

      Scanning isn't a huge focus but having at least some multi-page scanning functionality wouldn't hurt.

      I've heard Brother is the go-to brand in the past but are they still? I thought I heard they were also starting down the anti-consumer path but I could be wrong.

      I'm not kidding when I say I print like half a dozen times a year so whatever type of printer it is the ink/toner/whatever needs to have a long shelf life.

      Thanks!

      58 votes
    11. Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of November 27

      This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate...

      This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

      This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

      13 votes
    12. Album of the Week #12: Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai

      This is Album of the Week #12 ~ This week's album is Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai Year of Release: 2016 Genre(s): Abstract Hip Hop Country: United States Length: 36 minutes RYM | Listen!...

      This is Album of the Week #12 ~ This week's album is Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai

      Year of Release: 2016
      Genre(s): Abstract Hip Hop
      Country: United States
      Length: 36 minutes
      RYM | Listen! (Album.Link)

      Excerpt from Stereogum:

      Ka raps in a desiccated mutter. His production, which seems to draw on half-forgotten film scores and haunted ’60s instrumentals, is pure headphone haze. Throughout history, most of the great rappers have brought an outsized, extroverted flair to what they’ve done, and Ka has none of that. Instead, his presence is a murky, monastic intensity. He does not make social music. He makes music for getting trapped in your own mind.

      Discussion points:
      Have you heard this artist/album before? Is this your first time hearing?
      Do you enjoy this genre? Is this an album you would have chosen?
      Does this album remind you of something you've heard before?
      What were the album's strengths or weaknesses?
      Was there a standout track for you?
      How did you hear the album? Where were you? What was your setup?

      --

      Album of the week is currently chosen randomly (via random.org) from the top 5000 albums from a custom all-time RYM chart, with a 4/5 popularity weighting. The chart is recalculated weekly.
      Missed last week? It can be found here.
      Any feedback on the format is welcome ~~
      8 votes
    13. Day 3: Gear Ratios

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2023/day/3 Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it...

      Today's problem description: https://adventofcode.com/2023/day/3

      Please post your solutions in your own top-level comment. Here's a template you can copy-paste into your comment to format it nicely, with the code collapsed by default inside an expandable section with syntax highlighting (you can replace python with any of the "short names" listed in this page of supported languages):

      <details>
      <summary>Part 1</summary>
      
      ```python
      Your code here.
      ```
      
      </details>
      
      15 votes
    14. I asked ChatGPT for music recommendations and here's the results

      First, I headed to ChatGPT to pipe in my top 5 artists (as noted by Spotify). These may not really be my top 5, but I obviously listen to them a lot :). Me: Spotify lists my top 5 most listened to...

      First, I headed to ChatGPT to pipe in my top 5 artists (as noted by Spotify). These may not really be my top 5, but I obviously listen to them a lot :).

      Me: Spotify lists my top 5 most listened to artists as Greta Van Fleet, Mott The Hoople, Television, Steely Dan, and The Kinks. can you recommend 10 more artists you think I'll like?

      ChatGPT: Based on your taste, you might enjoy Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eagles, Jethro Tull, The Doors, and Deep Purple. Give them a listen and see if they resonate with your musical preferences!

      Me: Can you recommend some lessor known artists you think I'll enjoy?

      ChatGPT: Certainly! Explore the source of The Black Angels, Rival Sons, Ty Segall, Temples, The Sheepdogs, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Khruangbin, Parquet Courts, Dr. Dog, and Allah-Las. These lesser-known gems might align well with your musical taste.

      I've actually never heard or listened to any of these artists! Next, I listened to each artist's most popular songs. Here's my take:

      The Black Angels: Listened to Young Men Dead and Black Grease. Both are really good songs. Definitely right up my alley. Added to my playlist.

      Rival Sons: Listened to Do Your Worst and Open My Eyes. Really liking this artist and added to my playlist.

      Ty Segall: Listened to My Lady's On Fire and My Room. On the fence, there's something here that I like. Continued to listen through to Every 1's a Winner, Feel, Girlfriend, Void, Eggman, and Tall Man Skinny Lady. I think Void and Eggman sealed the deal for me. This is definitely an artist I'll listen to. Really enjoyed some of the interesting, and unexpected, things that happened musically in these songs.

      Temples: Listened to Shelter Song and Paraphaernalia. Not feeling it here.

      The Sheepdogs: Listened to Feeling Good and I Don't Know - EP Version. On the fence, but it's not bad. Continued to listen to Please Don't Lead Me On and Nobody. Added to the playlist at this point. This artist has a Lynyrd Skynyrd vibe that I like.

      King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Listened to Gila Monster. Really enjoyed the musical composition, but the voices just aren't for me. I've never been a fan of this voice style and then the chanting of "Gila Gila" really isn't my thing. I decided to listen to more anyway and was suprised to hear vastly different styles with Work This Time, Sense, Slow Jam 1, and Theia. Still not going on my playlist, but some interesting tunes from this artist.

      Khruangbin: Listened to Texas Sun, People Everywhere (Still Alive), Mariella, White Gloves, and B-Side. Love the mix of RnB and funk. Some really good grooves happening here. B-Side had me moving in my seat and this artist will definitely be on the playlist.

      Parquet Courts: Listened to Tenderness, skipped Total Football due to the explicit tag and my preferences around that, and then continued listening to Outside, and Careers in Combat. I am a fan of this genre of music, but I am very particular in what I like and what I don't. I love The Dead Milkmen, Ramones, Television, and Dead Kennedys. This artist isn't giving me the feels.

      Dr. Dog: Listened to Where'd All the Time Go, Nellie, Heart it Races - Cover Version, and The Breeze. During the first song, I knew this artist was going on the playlist. Got to Nellie and there was absolutely no doubt. Love the voices, the simple melodies, and the entire vibe.

      Allah-Las: Listened to Houston, Caramaran, and Raspberry Jam. Really like the organ in this and it takes me back to The Doors, Steppenwolf, and The Animals. Both Houston and Raspberry Jam were instrumentals, and I wanted to hear more vocals, so I listened to Dust as well. This is some good music and is going on the playlist.

      Overall, ChatGPT did a great job of recommending music that is now on my playlist. I'm desperately waiting for the day that I can have a conversation with my personal assistant, have it queue up music for me automatically, and then I give it feedback on what I heard. My personal assistant would then continue to shape my playlist based on my feedback. I know this day is coming soon, but it can't get here fast enough for me.

      As a bonus, after I conducted this experiment Spotify immediately jumped into another artist I never heard of -- Drug Cabin. The first song played was Steely Dad and this is just a fantastic song.

      23 votes