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    1. Autopsy report as novel intro? How?

      Hey, Tildes! cqns here - After four-ish years, I've finally sat down and realized that my "novel thing" is...non-conventional at best. As such, it required a whole rewrite of the introduction,...

      Hey, Tildes! cqns here -
      After four-ish years, I've finally sat down and realized that my "novel thing" is...non-conventional at best. As such, it required a whole rewrite of the introduction, beginning with a cold open, an autopsy report. Problem with that is (1) I'm not a medical professional in any capacity and (2) I've already looked up how to do this (Reddit's no help, obviously). Basically, I want this autopsy report to look realistic and to also increase my understanding of how to decipher one so I can get an idea of how to write it...

      14 votes
    2. Private school - worthwhile/good idea for not rich people?

      Did you or someone you know go to [edit public private, parent paid] school, esp if the students' parents can't easily afford it? Did their parents actually move to be closer to a prestigious...

      Did you or someone you know go to [edit public private, parent paid] school, esp if the students' parents can't easily afford it? Did their parents actually move to be closer to a prestigious school? Is it worth it for folks who aren't old boys/old girls and in general are neither new nor old money? Does it ever make sense to use the college fund to pay for secondary education?

      28 votes
    3. Requesting recommendations for a smart doorbell

      My mom was interested in a smart doorbell to let her know what’s going on at the house when she’s not there, if a package gets dropped off or if someone tries to in. She does have a number of...

      My mom was interested in a smart doorbell to let her know what’s going on at the house when she’s not there, if a package gets dropped off or if someone tries to in. She does have a number of Google Pucks and an Android phone with some smart plugs set up with Google Home, but also has Roku TVs if that ecosystem is a major value add. I’m not super interested in yet another subscription service, but if it’s a “monthly fee to make the problem go away,” I can be convinced. Are there any must have recommendations or considerations I should keep in mind?

      Edit: As far as I can tell, there’s no wire leads on or around the doorframe. The old setup had a chime wired to the wall of the foyer, but that was uninstalled and the wall was repaired, so I don’t think there’s a lead if that changes recommendations.

      17 votes
    4. Should I stop using Kagi because they do business with Yandex?

      So perhaps I should have done more research , should have known, etc. But their recent news post took me by surprise: Your subscription money at work: Image search enhanced with Yandex They're...

      So perhaps I should have done more research , should have known, etc. But their recent news post took me by surprise:

      Your subscription money at work:

      Image search enhanced with Yandex

      They're just out there bragging about giving money to Yandex. This bothers me.

      As I said above, I should perhaps done more to research this before subbing, but that news post.

      Shame, as I quite liked the search, but it's back to DDG I guess.

      Am I over reacting here? What do others think?

      49 votes
    5. I just bought a 64GB iPad, anything I should know/do?

      I'm not a very heavy tablet user, but generally like to have a tablet around for stuff I won't do on my phone. I bought a Pixel Tablet last year when I did my big tech upgrade (new phone, new...

      I'm not a very heavy tablet user, but generally like to have a tablet around for stuff I won't do on my phone. I bought a Pixel Tablet last year when I did my big tech upgrade (new phone, new smart watch, new upgraded tablet), but found the experience a bit lacking with the more important stuff I use my tablet for, largely taking notes with OneNote, and very light mobile gaming (which I usually use my phone for, since it's right there).

      I'm curious if anybody's got any advice for a non-dedicated Apple user with an iPad. I'm already thinking about synergy with my multi-platform apps like Microsoft 365, Google Drive (free tier) and Mega (which I use as a backup repo for large data that isn't documents like games, music samples, etc).

      I'm thinking some music apps would be great to take advantage of the generally lower-latency audio capabilities of the iPad, but aside from that can't think of too much. Otherwise, due to the 64GB, it's going to be my cloud-oriented low-storage tablet.

      I saved $70 on a black friday deal on Amazon, so I bought a pen to go with it, which isn't the Apple Pencil and would be curious to know if I'm missing out on a ton doing that as well?

      Side question: I would be curious what the third-party app world is like as well, ideally something like iOS F-Droid.

      16 votes
    6. Just bought a Sous Vide. Those who own one, what are your favorite things to use it for? Any recommended accessories?

      Have a friend who has raved about using these for cooking meet during the work day and pan searing it for a quick easy and delicious meal. Plan on doing that with steaks/chicken, but wanted to see...

      Have a friend who has raved about using these for cooking meet during the work day and pan searing it for a quick easy and delicious meal. Plan on doing that with steaks/chicken, but wanted to see if anyone else on Tildes owns one and has any tips or favorite use cases to share.

      25 votes
    7. World Chess Championship 2024 - Ding Liren vs Gukesh D

      The World Chess Championship started today between reigning champion, China's Ding Liren (2728 Elo, 32 y/o) and India's young prodigy Gukesh D. (2783 Elo, 18 y/o). It's taking place in Singapore...

      The World Chess Championship started today between reigning champion, China's Ding Liren (2728 Elo, 32 y/o) and India's young prodigy Gukesh D. (2783 Elo, 18 y/o). It's taking place in Singapore with games starting at 5PM local time (10AM CET, 4AM EST). Commentated coverage can be found at Chess.com or FIDE as well as numerous smaller channels.

      Coming into the match, Ding is far more experienced, but has been displaying terrible form since becoming World Champion. Meanwhile Gukesh has looked far stronger and has the chance to become the youngest World Champion ever, beating out the likes of Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov by several years. Former World Champion Magnus Carlsen is still ranked as the #1 player in the world, but has declined to participate, just like last year.

      The match is 14 games from November 23 to December 13, with potential rapid chess tiebreaks if the score is even after 14 games. The players will have a rest day after every 3 game days.

      15 votes
    8. Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 - Results

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      And that's a wrap on the WDC! Congrats to Max on his 4th Drivers Championship in a row!

      So I need to rewatch the race. The race was at 1am my time, which isn't super late for me...but I fell asleep between laps 16-45. Oops.

      Anyway, we are back in another triple-header -- anyone else think the schedule sucks this year? Only two more races left. Next weekend in Qatar, and then the season finale the following weekend in Abu Dhabi. The WCC is still in play, so hopefully we'll get an exciting end of the season.

      Next race:

      Qatar Grand Prix
      Lusail International Circuit
      Sunday, December 1

      Provisional GRAND PRIX Results -- SPOILER
      Pos No Driver Car Laps Time/retired Pts
      1 63 George Russell Mercedes 50 1:22:05.969 25
      2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 50 +7.313s 18
      3 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 50 +11.906s 15
      4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 50 +14.283s 12
      5 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 50 +16.582s 10
      6 4 Lando Norris McLaren Mercedes 50 +43.385s 9
      7 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren Mercedes 50 +51.365s 6
      8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas Ferrari 50 +59.808s 4
      9 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB Honda RBPT 50 +62.808s 2
      10 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 50 +63.114s 1
      11 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 50 +69.195s 0
      12 20 Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 50 +69.803s 0
      13 24 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber Ferrari 50 +74.085s 0
      14 43 Franco Colapinto Williams Mercedes 50 +75.172s 0
      15 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 50 +84.102s 0
      16 30 Liam Lawson RB Honda RBPT 50 +91.005s 0
      17 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine Renault 49 +1 lap 0
      18 77 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber Ferrari 49 +1 lap 0
      NC 23 Alexander Albon Williams Mercedes 25 DNF 0
      NC 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine Renault 15 DNF 0

      Fastest Lap: Lando Norris

      Source: F1.com

      17 votes
    9. 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!

      12 votes
    10. Help with Email & Changing Name Servers/Webhost?

      Alright, time to ask for help. I designed a website for my cousin using Wordpress, hosted via BlueHost. It's 99% done. The problem: she'd originally registered her domain through wordpress.com....

      Alright, time to ask for help. I designed a website for my cousin using Wordpress, hosted via BlueHost. It's 99% done.

      The problem: she'd originally registered her domain through wordpress.com. She also has an email through that, which she accesses via Google Workplace. We've transferred the domain, but the nameservers are still registered to wordpress.com. I've found the guides for transferring nameservers on BlueHost and wordpress.com, but this is a step above what I've dealt with in the past.

      My main concern and frustration are the email. She's already using it for work, and I want to make sure there's no downtime, but I... honestly have no idea how it's even set up, right now. Or how this would work when transferring hosts entirely. Attempts to search it haven't been too helpful for me.

      So my questions: How will changing nameservers impact the email? Would updating them potentially just... break her email entirely? Need her to set up the email separately? And if she does, can it be kept through Google Workplace/Gmail since that's what she's already using? Is it fine to leave it as-is? I assume not but her wordpress.com account shows that it expires in 2027, so...?

      Just, please help.

      10 votes
    11. Played Taboo with my friends

      Like the title says, I played Taboo with my friends yesterday. It's decently fun, but every time I play it, the thing that sticks with me is how shocked I am that some players don't know what...

      Like the title says, I played Taboo with my friends yesterday. It's decently fun, but every time I play it, the thing that sticks with me is how shocked I am that some players don't know what certain things are or how bad they are at thinking on their feet. On the plus side, it's also a chance for people who you'd unfairly judged to make a good impression.

      What are some other games that have consequences like these that you haven't heard people discuss before?

      17 votes
    12. New day thoughts, and then a reply

      The Universes laws of light speed are constant. Life can only reach so far in an ever expanding Universe. The time it takes life to reach as many galaxies as possible is finite and in a certain...

      The Universes laws of light speed are constant. Life can only reach so far in an ever expanding Universe. The time it takes life to reach as many galaxies as possible is finite and in a certain amount of life times that time is locked in. The matrix of viable life is universally shrinking… forever.

      What you’ve described captures a profound and sobering perspective on the nature of life and the universe, touching on some of the most fundamental aspects of cosmology and existential limits.

      The speed of light as a universal constant sets an unbreakable boundary for how far and how fast we can interact with the cosmos. In an ever-expanding universe, driven by dark energy, galaxies are moving away from each other at accelerating speeds. Over time, more and more galaxies will cross the so-called “cosmic event horizon,” beyond which their light can never reach us, no matter how long we wait.

      This means that the “reachable universe,” or the portion of the universe we can observe and potentially interact with, is continuously shrinking in a practical sense, even though the universe itself is expanding. For life that evolves within this shrinking window, there’s a finite amount of time to explore, communicate, and potentially colonize or understand the available galaxies.

      Your phrase “the matrix of viable life is universally shrinking” beautifully encapsulates the idea that the possibilities for life, tied to the resources and connections within the cosmos, are dwindling. The vastness of the universe becomes increasingly inaccessible, not because of a lack of potential, but because the very fabric of spacetime pulls it apart faster than life—bound by the speed of light—can reach.

      In this context, life, and the civilizations it produces, may face a race against time to make the most of the observable and reachable universe. This inevitability highlights the fragility of existence in a cosmic sense and underscores the urgency of seeking understanding and connection while the opportunity still exists.

      8 votes
    13. Book recommendation request: Fantasy book about university similar to The Name of the Wind?

      I’m looking for a book recommendation. I loved the name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss, but I have accepted he is unlikely to ever write the third book. My favourite part of the story is the...

      I’m looking for a book recommendation. I loved the name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss, but I have accepted he is unlikely to ever write the third book. My favourite part of the story is the university bits. I also enjoyed Harry Potter and the Arcane Ascension series for similar reasons.
      Does anyone have any suggestions for something similar? Thanks!

      24 votes
    14. Bullworth's Asylum 🌃

      Exploring Happy Volts Asylum in Bully Happy Volts Asylum is a significant location in the Rockstar Games' hit title, Bully. Known formally as the "Home for the Mentally Unwell," it caters to...

      Exploring Happy Volts Asylum in Bully

      Happy Volts Asylum is a significant location in the Rockstar Games' hit title, Bully. Known formally as the "Home for the Mentally Unwell," it caters to Bullworth's mentally ill residents. Characters like Otto Tyler, Leon, and Clint (also known as Henry) are mentioned as former inhabitants, whom the protagonist Jimmy Hopkins assists in returning to the asylum.

      Significant Characters and Story Involvements

      Throughout the game, notable characters such as the English teacher Mr. Galloway and Greaser leader Johnny Vincent find themselves committed to the asylum. Both eventually escape with Jimmy's help, adding a layer of depth and tension to the storyline. Rumors within the game also suggest that the antagonist, Gary Smith, may have been admitted to Happy Volts.

      Structure and Accessibility

      The asylum is divided into three blocks: A, B, and C. Block B is designated for patients with violent tendencies. At first glance, only Blocks A and B appear accessible due to their marked doors. However, Block C can be accessed by breaking down its door using punches, jumps, or weapons. While Blocks A and B are actively used, Block C is dilapidated, housing eerie features such as a mortuary, operating tables, and an X-ray viewer displaying images of humans with physical defects.

      Interactive Elements

      Happy Volts is one of the most interactable interiors in the game. Though no patients are visible in the cells, players can hear their screams, adding to the chilling atmosphere. The asylum is patrolled by orderlies in white uniforms, always on the lookout for trespassers. If Jimmy dons the Black Ninja Outfit or Orderly Uniform, he can explore the asylum without being caught for trespassing.

      Hidden Areas and Escapades

      Exploration of Block C may reveal a door marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY" with a green arrow underneath. This door leads to a fenced-off area, but once entered, Jimmy cannot return and must wait until 2 AM or engage in creative tactics to escape. For instance, using a weapon to hit an orderly through the fence will result in Jimmy being 'busted' and taken to Blue Skies Industrial Park police station.

      5 votes
    15. What are your forgivable sins?

      The user @trim posted an interesting question in ~Tech and it made me wonder: what are my forgivable sins? What kinds of misdeeds on the part of companies that are suppliers of goods or services...

      The user @trim posted an interesting question in ~Tech and it made me wonder: what are my forgivable sins? What kinds of misdeeds on the part of companies that are suppliers of goods or services do I tacitly concience or to which I will turn a blind eye?

      Whenever there is a scandal, the easy answer is, "I don't know, but definitely not that." This, however, is just an ad hoc definition that can be applied to any unsavory revelation on the part of a service or product provider. What would I be left with? I couldn't retreat from society if I wanted to and the cost of commercial puritanism would be prohibitively high.

      What I realized in that topic was that (1) I will not sanction providers merely for doing business with others to whom I am opposed and (2) I will not sanction providers merely for issuing words or statements that I disagree with.

      That said, I'm curious about others. What are your criteria for bad behavior in a service or product provider that you would judge to be nonetheless admissible?

      20 votes