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    1. What are your favorite casual puzzle games?

      Hi! I'm looking for some fun and interesting casual puzzle games. Some of my favorites, in no particular order, are: Sudoku Nonogram - like the recent Every 5x5 Nonogram or Picross. Tetris -...

      Hi! I'm looking for some fun and interesting casual puzzle games. Some of my favorites, in no particular order, are:

      41 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.

      8 votes
    3. 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 4

      Welcome to the 2025 NFL Season Weekly Discussion Thread! 🏈 Share your thoughts on Week 4 — wins, losses, fantasy fumbles, predictions, or anything else football-related. Sorry for the delay...

      Welcome to the 2025 NFL Season Weekly Discussion Thread! 🏈

      Share your thoughts on Week 4 — wins, losses, fantasy fumbles, predictions, or anything else football-related. Sorry for the delay posting today, I was away from a computer all day and just now have time to post this :)

      11 votes
    4. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

      Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

      13 votes
    5. 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
    6. Who’s playing Blood on the Clocktower?

      Wondering if we have tilde fellows playing it. I’ve become addicted since last year and it’s fully taken over my regular board game nights… I’ve been storytelling and doing custom scripts and...

      Wondering if we have tilde fellows playing it. I’ve become addicted since last year and it’s fully taken over my regular board game nights… I’ve been storytelling and doing custom scripts and characters.

      18 votes
    7. Making DND maps

      As someone who DM's a lot of short, casual sessions with rotating members, I burn through a lot of maps. I'd love to hear some of your recommendations for how you guys either find or create maps...

      As someone who DM's a lot of short, casual sessions with rotating members, I burn through a lot of maps. I'd love to hear some of your recommendations for how you guys either find or create maps that suit your situations.

      For me: r/battlemaps has some really high quality stuff and gets me 90% of the time. I usually type in a key word or two (e.g. bridge; throne room) and usually I'll find something that gets close to the mark.

      I know that some have been using generative AI to delve into this space as well, so if anyone has any experience there, I'd love to hear it!

      23 votes
    8. Tildes, I need your advice. Looking for Nintendo Switch 1 and NS2 games.

      Hello everyone, Gamers’ I need your advice. Due to a serious family illness, my nieces and nephews age 4 to 15 will be spending a lot of time at my home for the foreseeable future. I also have a...

      Hello everyone,

      Gamers’ I need your advice. Due to a serious family illness, my nieces and nephews age 4 to 15 will be spending a lot of time at my home for the foreseeable future.

      I also have a college age kid, who is home occasionally and will play a few sports games and fighting games. He is head of the Fighting Game club at his universities club.

      I am looking to entertain the kids as we move towards winter and also keep my house in one piece.

      I purchased a NS2 w/ Mario Kart World, Minecraft, Shinobi, SFVI, NBA 2k26, Star Wars Outlaws and BoTW.

      I am going to purchase a few more Switch 2 titles and a few Switch 1 games. (Hopefully on a B2G1) sale. I do not need to purchase all at once. Likely, I’ll buy 1 or 2 a month. Or hope for a b2g1 sale.

      I am LOOKING FOR RECOMMENDATIONS from everyone.

      I already preordered Dragon Quest 1&2HD2D and Mario Galaxy 2.

      Games I am considering.

      Luigi mansion 3
      Sonic racing Cross World
      Persona 3 reload
      Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (you can play as Peach?)
      Mortal Kombat Collection
      Madden or EA FC
      Metroid Prime 4 ( I don’t know what to make of this game. Is it Metroid BoTW?)
      Bomberman R
      Paper Mario Thousand year door
      Links awakening or echoes of wisdom?

      I am looking to have some variety so there is something for everyone.

      These kids already have a Switch 1 w/ mario kart 8D, smash, Mario 3d World, Minecraft and a bunch of Kirby games.

      Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

      Thank you in advance!

      Side note: My kids had a Wii U when they were young and i am somewhat familiar with those games.

      18 votes
    9. What's a setting that you'd recommend?

      Kind of an awkward title, but I'm talking about settings for your phone, your OS, your coffee maker, etc. With all the tech in our lives, and with so many devices and software having quite a...

      Kind of an awkward title, but I'm talking about settings for your phone, your OS, your coffee maker, etc.

      With all the tech in our lives, and with so many devices and software having quite a robust set of options for how they work, it's easy for us to not even know that something is available. How many cool things are we missing out on if we're just accepting the defaults?

      So, what's a setting, on anything you have or use regularly, that you recommend to others?

      What makes it so worthwhile?

      82 votes
    10. UPS recommendations for home use?

      I have traditionally used APC's UPS products for my NAS, router, media centre and desktop computer. Nothing fancy, just something to survive short power outages and to allow graceful shutdowns if...

      I have traditionally used APC's UPS products for my NAS, router, media centre and desktop computer. Nothing fancy, just something to survive short power outages and to allow graceful shutdowns if such an outage lasts longer than a few minutes.

      Unfortunately, I have had three of APC's devices malfunction in the past decade and while their customer support has always been excellent, I would prefer products that just work and don't cause me additional headaches. Do you know of any UPSs that you would recommend for home use and are reasonably priced? I'm located in the EU, if that makes a difference.

      31 votes
    11. Thoughts on making one's own dry mixes?

      A general thought that came from a more specific one I had the other day: I've been trying to make sure I eat breakfast by making overnight oats, but it can be a pain on tired nights to get it set...

      A general thought that came from a more specific one I had the other day: I've been trying to make sure I eat breakfast by making overnight oats, but it can be a pain on tired nights to get it set up.

      Are there any gotchas with making your own mixes of dry goods? I feel like I know enough to scare myself with things like "oh well that might not be shelf-stable when mixed since xyz pathogen from it grows well when provided with abc".

      At the moment, I'm just imagining prepping like a weeks worth of oats, chia seeds, raisins, etc. so that I can dump milk in each night, which seems like it would be totally fine.

      13 votes
    12. Why does this happen?

      A photographer I knew passed away, and I was trying to see if there was any information. This was the top result I got on google. The part after the ellipses says “killed in a plane accident in...

      A photographer I knew passed away, and I was trying to see if there was any information. This was the top result I got on google. The part after the ellipses says “killed in a plane accident in Pantanal.”

      He did not die in the plane accident! That’s another piece of Brazilian news, about the architect Kongjian Yu. The search result is even tagged with Yu’s Sponge City/Cidade Esponja.

      So why is this showing up for a post summary about José Bassit? There’s nothing in the post comments or the post itself saying anything like this.

      14 votes
    13. Victories and challenges: An A[u]DHD community and support fortnightly thread #6

      I'm attempting to be more active on Tildes (after my last attempt), and I noticed that there hadn't been a new fortnightly thread, so here's my contribution!...

      I'm attempting to be more active on Tildes (after my last attempt), and I noticed that there hadn't been a new fortnightly thread, so here's my contribution!

      https://tildes.net/~health.mental/1oax/victories_and_challenges_an_a_u_dhd_community_and_support_fortnightly_thread

      24 votes
    14. 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!

      4 votes
    15. 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?

      7 votes
    16. How to stop seeking validation?

      I don't know why but I feel like I always want validation from others for anything I do, either online or IRL. especially if I'm trying to do something new or a little different. I have no idea...

      I don't know why but I feel like I always want validation from others for anything I do, either online or IRL. especially if I'm trying to do something new or a little different. I have no idea how to stop doing that... I'd appreciate any advice

      39 votes
    17. 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.

      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?

      14 votes
    19. Has anyone here tried bone conduction headphones?

      I just found out that bone conduction headphones exist, and I’m admittedly intrigued. I usually wear only one earbud because I like to still be able to hear my surroundings (transparency mode...

      I just found out that bone conduction headphones exist, and I’m admittedly intrigued.

      I usually wear only one earbud because I like to still be able to hear my surroundings (transparency mode doesn’t feel the same to me). My husband feels similarly and also hates the feeling of in-ear buds. So a pair of two of these might work nicely for us.

      Does anyone have any hands heads on experience with them (any make/model)?

      Would you recommend them?

      How is the sound quality?

      Are they comfortable to wear?

      How do they compare to standard headphones?

      48 votes
    20. 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 3

      Welcome to the 2025 NFL Season Weekly Discussion Thread! 🏈 Share your thoughts on Week 3 — wins, losses, fantasy fumbles, predictions, or anything else football-related. Matchup Winner Final Score...

      Welcome to the 2025 NFL Season Weekly Discussion Thread! 🏈

      Share your thoughts on Week 3 — wins, losses, fantasy fumbles, predictions, or anything else football-related.

      Matchup Winner Final Score
      Dolphins vs. Bills Bills 31 – 21
      Falcons vs. Panthers Panthers 30 – 0
      Texans vs. Jaguars Jaguars 17 – 10
      Colts vs. Titans Colts 41 – 20
      Rams vs. Eagles Eagles 33 – 26
      Raiders vs. Commanders Commanders 41 – 24
      Jets vs. Buccaneers Buccaneers 29 – 27
      Steelers vs. Patriots Steelers 21 – 14
      Broncos vs. Chargers Chargers 23 – 20
      Saints vs. Seahawks Seahawks 44 – 13
      Cardinals vs. 49ers 49ers 16 – 15
      Cowboys vs. Bears Bears 31 – 14
      Chiefs vs. Giants Chiefs 22 – 9
      Packers vs. Browns Browns 13 – 10
      Bengals vs. Vikings Vikings 48 – 10
      Lions vs. Ravens Lions 38 – 30
      12 votes
    21. 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
    22. 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!

      10 votes
    23. I want to learn to draw on my iPad

      I have recently found myself wanting to learn to draw. I have very minimal visual arts skills, and feel much more comfortable with a musical instrument than a sketchbook. I would like to change...

      I have recently found myself wanting to learn to draw. I have very minimal visual arts skills, and feel much more comfortable with a musical instrument than a sketchbook. I would like to change that, not to become some exceptional artist or anything, but because I like the idea of being able to just sketch and draw and doodle in my spare time.

      I have an iPad, Apple Pencil, and ProCreate, but I don't really know where to begin. I would be most likely learning to use ProCreate at the same time as learning to draw, although I don't know if that's a bad idea or not.

      Are there books, online courses, YouTube videos that you would recommend for a complete beginner?

      25 votes
    24. 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.

      10 votes
    25. Looking for some cat advice

      Caveat: I'm following up with my vet for most of this, but she's newer and is having to do a lot of consulting with other vets in the practice. Info: I have three cats, adult female - Nova, 13ish?...

      Caveat: I'm following up with my vet for most of this, but she's newer and is having to do a lot of consulting with other vets in the practice.

      Info: I have three cats,

      Ok so, my girl Nova has been diagnosed with diabetes. This has entirely upended our feeding schedule and she's not coping well with it. We'd previously used some automatic feeders that dropped food 6 times a day, because she would stress out about not having food and then overeat and would throw up in both scenarios. But now all three cats are on different food (all kibble), and at least Nova would prefer to eat any food but her own, or have seconds, but the others would too if left to it. So they're being fed in different rooms at the same time.

      Nova is ravenous, aggressively trying to drag her bowl out of my hands, headbutting the tub of her food (she caught it loose once) across the floor, running to the other bowls in case there's CC. food left once they're separated. She just dove for one as I was trying to just let a cat out of the room instead of pick the bowl up. She's always under my feet in a way that she used to be good about avoiding. I've stepped on her several times, and hurt my ankle and wrist last night catching myself.

      Any suggestions for the perpetually (thinks she's) starving cat? I just got her a glucometer and am figuring it out but haven't been taught how to adjust her insulin as of yet.

      Part of the difficulty here, and another area I need solutions in, is that she'll (mostly) inadvertently scratch my partner's leg when she wants his attention usually to be fed. I think occasionally it's intentional but he uses a wheelchair and mostly can't feel the leg - a cut can be dangerous for him, but also sometimes the touch/pain sets his leg off in a spasm cycle that is incredibly painful. On a bad day he's feeling guilty for how angry he is at her and is afraid he'll hit her (he probably wouldn't, but he doesn't have the control to say intentionally tumble her like a mama cat to a kitten, and she would probably claw or bite if he tried plus she's been sick and he's already afraid of hurting all the cats with the chair.) he's done the spray bottle thing in the past, she likes water and we know it's not ideal, but it's usually something that happens when he's not looking or can't see or hear her til she gets him.

      Finally I need a better storage method for the food. Something she can't headbutt open or into dropping food, but that I can leave out in an open space. Currently I have a bag in a bathroom vanity, a tub of the Rx food in a spare room, and a bag in a closet. They have torn the bags open in the past (working together as a team, I suspect) when they're not secured.
      I've thought about the microchip feeders but the youngest isn't chipped yet and frankly they're really expensive.

      Summary of Asks:

      • Help with a diabetic cat who's perpetually starving
      • Help with getting a cat to stop scratching a human's leg who can't see it coming (addressing the first might help)
      • Help with ideas for cat food storage/dispensing that would be more accessible than 3 bags in 3 closets in 3 rooms, two of which my partner can't access.

      Bit of a vent here too, just everything is expensive right now too so I'm trying the best I can. Pics added.

      21 votes
    26. What "one-hit wonder" do you think has a discography worth exploring?

      A "one hit wonder" is a musical artist or band known primarily for one breakout song. While some one-hit wonders stay that way because they put out very little music, others have had surprisingly...

      A "one hit wonder" is a musical artist or band known primarily for one breakout song. While some one-hit wonders stay that way because they put out very little music, others have had surprisingly full careers. (Did you know that Los del Río of "Macarena" fame have put out more than TWENTY albums over the course of SIX DECADES?)

      Who is a one-hit wonder that you feel deserves to be known for more than just their "one hit?" What makes their other music worth exploring?

      40 votes
    27. Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Azerbaijan Grand Prix
      Baku City Circuit
      September 19-21, 2025


      Qualifying Results -- SPOILER
      POS. NO. DRIVER TEAM Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
      1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:41.331 1:41.255 1:41.117 23
      2 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:42.635 1:41.675 1:41.595 23
      3 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:42.257 1:41.537 1:41.707 26
      4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:42.247 1:41.464 1:41.717 21
      5 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:41.646 1:41.455 1:42.070 22
      6 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 1:42.347 1:41.788 1:42.143 23
      7 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:41.322 1:41.396 1:42.239 21
      8 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:41.656 1:41.647 1:42.372 25
      9 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:41.839 1:41.414 DNF 18
      10 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:41.458 1:41.519 DNF 19
      11 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:42.211 1:41.857 18
      12 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:41.821 1:42.183 17
      13 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber 1:42.511 1:42.277 16
      14 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:42.101 1:43.061 16
      15 87 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:42.666 DNF 11
      16 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:42.779 8
      17 27 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber 1:42.916 8
      18 31 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:43.004 9
      19 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:43.139 8
      20 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:43.778 4

      Source: F1.com

      Grand Prix Results -- SPOILER
      POS. NO. DRIVER TEAM LAPS TIME / RETIRED PTS.
      1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 51 1:33:26.408 25
      2 63 George Russell Mercedes 51 +14.609s 18
      3 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 51 +19.199s 15
      4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 51 +21.760s 12
      5 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 51 +33.290s 10
      6 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 51 +33.808s 8
      7 4 Lando Norris McLaren 51 +34.227s 6
      8 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 51 +36.310s 4
      9 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 51 +36.774s 2
      10 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 51 +38.982s 1
      11 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber 51 +67.606s 0
      12 87 Oliver Bearman Haas 51 +68.262s 0
      13 23 Alexander Albon Williams 51 +72.870s 0
      14 31 Esteban Ocon Haas 51 +77.580s 0
      15 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 51 +78.707s 0
      16 27 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber 51 +80.237s 0
      17 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 51 +96.392s 0
      18 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 50 +1 lap 0
      19 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 50 +1 lap 0
      NC 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 0 DNF 0

      Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen // 1:43.388 (Lap 50)
      DOTD: Carlos Sainz

      Source: F1.com


      Next race:

      Singapore Grand Prix
      Marina Bay Street Circuit
      October 3-5, 2025

      14 votes
    28. 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.

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

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like jimmy kimmel, captcha and balatro. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was a...

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like jimmy kimmel, captcha and balatro. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was a superfan.

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

      15 votes
    30. My experience suddenly being very pretty

      I've had a strange experience recently in that I got a very cute haircut and suddenly I am the belle of the ball wherever I go. One major downside is that it is exhausting. People treat me like...

      I've had a strange experience recently in that I got a very cute haircut and suddenly I am the belle of the ball wherever I go. One major downside is that it is exhausting. People treat me like I'm a fairy, which I use to dole out generous compliments. But mostly people just notice me, a lot, and it's weird to feel so many eyes watching my every movement.

      It reminds me a bit of living in Shanghai. I was practically a celebrity, people would ask for selfies with me to show their friends they met a blonde white guy.

      Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed pretty privilege most of my adult life, but embracing my femininity in it's fullness has really amplifier things.

      For example, I went to a dance performance tonight and ended up basically on a date with a girl, which was lovely but also what? I walked away to give her an out and she followed me.

      At work it can be a problem as well. I have some coworkers that get really giggly when they're with me. Luckily, once it steers to work talk they're a whilsmart professional I'm Uber glad to work with.

      Anyways, just had to vomit this curious anyone thoughts

      34 votes
    31. 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?

      11 votes
    32. 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!

      13 votes
    33. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

      Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

      13 votes
    34. Automation for android, preferably FOSS

      I'm wanting to automate a thing on my android phone. I would like to activate and deactivate alarms based on calendar events (by keywords in their name or description). example I have an event...

      I'm wanting to automate a thing on my android phone.

      I would like to activate and deactivate alarms based on calendar events (by keywords in their name or description).

      example I have an event **work** with the description *shop* so I would like to activate the alarms "wake up work shop 1", "wake up work shop 2" and "wake up work shop 3".
      Do you have any suggestions?
      22 votes
    35. What are some “sore thumb” lyrics for you?

      I’m calling a “sore thumb” lyric a bad line (or lines) in an otherwise good, well-written song. Something that sticks out like, well, a sore thumb. It’s something that’s bad enough to be...

      I’m calling a “sore thumb” lyric a bad line (or lines) in an otherwise good, well-written song. Something that sticks out like, well, a sore thumb.

      It’s something that’s bad enough to be noteworthy, potentially even bad enough to ruin the entire song if it’s really potent. It is, of course, also entirely a matter of personal taste and preference. One person’s “sore thumb” lyric might be another person’s highlight.

      Of note: it’s not a sore thumb lyric if you don’t like the song or think it’s poorly written in the first place. The point of the topic isn’t to highlight bad songwriting but to highlight misfires in otherwise good songwriting.

      What are some examples of these lines in songs you like?

      Explain why they stick out like a sore thumb for you personally.

      38 votes
    36. An appreciation thread: Library music

      Have you ever wondered where all the background music comes from in commercials, documentaries, training films, or TV shows? It is a genre of music called Library music, but also referred to as...

      Have you ever wondered where all the background music comes from in commercials, documentaries, training films, or TV shows? It is a genre of music called Library music, but also referred to as "production music" or "stock music".

      For example, some American football fans might recognize this tune: Heavy Action by Johnny Pearson

      Or maybe Tomfoolery by David Snell

      I have some standout favorites myself such as Plucking the Strings by David Snell and really the whole Bruton BRN11 Prestige album has great tracks.

      What I love about library music is how direct it is where every track tells you exactly what feeling or mood it’s meant to capture, so finding the right piece for a moment becomes straightforward. It’s music created for utility that is commissioned, catalogued, and sold to fit commercial needs. That makes it oddly fascinating to me. Out of the thousands of albums, some pieces slip into our collective memory while others fade into obscurity or as a one-time background sound. I feel the people making this stuff were clearly talented, but they worked in a strange niche where their art was never meant to be more than an enhancement to a visual effect. Digging into it feels like uncovering a forgotten corner of pop culture.

      If you want to search more example of library music, I think the go-to's are any of the Bruton or KPM libraries, but there are many more out there.

      KPM Playlist
      Bruton Playlist

      11 votes
    37. Show Tildes - Gametje V2

      Hi All, It's been coincidentally EXACTLY 1 year since my previous post about Gametje. I've been busy creating some new games and re-designing all the main pages with the help of a UI/UX designer....

      Hi All,
      It's been coincidentally EXACTLY 1 year since my previous post about Gametje. I've been busy creating some new games and re-designing all the main pages with the help of a UI/UX designer. I have posted a few updates in the weekly What programming/technical projects have you been working on? threads but I thought this milestone deserved its own post. I published the new site earlier this week and also migrated to a new backend server. Here's a refresher of what it is for those that may have missed my previous post a year ago. I also recently started working on it full-time last month after not really working on it much from January-June this year. You can read more in my recent blog post.

      What is it?

      It's a set of online games that can be played in person with a central screen (like a TV) or remotely via video chat. It's also available directly in Discord as an embedded activity. It is playable in 9 languages and doesn’t require any downloads. Most games revolve around creativity in some form. None of the games require fast reflexes and can be played by just about anyone.

      Where can I try it?

      https://gametje.com and directly on Discord

      You can use the "quick play" option to launch directly into the game as a guest.

      What's different from last year?

      There are 2 new games (Sync Think and Hide & Peek) and the main pages have been redesigned. I also implemented a game room concept which allows you to bounce between games without having to recreate it each time. I also integrated with Discord, which means you can play directly in their interface and also use Discord as an Identity Provider when logging in. The games themselves need a bit more polish (especially the two new ones) but overall they should work.

      What am I looking for?

      I'm trying to gather some feedback about the games and the overall concept. Are the games fun? Is this something you'd try with your family? What could be improved? Is the site clear about what you can/should do? Should I add some gameplay videos to give you a quicker feel for the games?

      I'm also open to game ideas, I have a few in the backlog already but need to focus more on the business side at the moment. Any advice on the games/marketing etc would be highly appreciated.

      Side note: I'm probably going to rename the whole site soon since the name Gametje doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and has caused some debate with Dutch speakers. The branding for the new name isn't quite ready. I am considering calling it GameBuffet as my avatars are all food related and its more of a "all you can play" offering for any games added to the platform.

      Thanks for reading.

      10 votes
    38. Growth vs. value stocks

      One question you can ask yourself before you invest in a company: why do I think the value will increase and provide a good return on my investment? One reason is because the company is poised to...

      One question you can ask yourself before you invest in a company: why do I think the value will increase and provide a good return on my investment?

      One reason is because the company is poised to grow at a rate above the overall market. These are called growth stocks.

      Another reason is because the company is valued lower than it should be right now based upon a fundamental analysis of its fair market value. These are called value stocks.

      Growth

      With a growth stock, the current price may already be high due to strong demand, because people think the stock will be worth much more in the future. That is the risk you are taking, because if the stock does not outperform the overall market, you are now behind.

      Having a good knowledge of the market in which a growth stock company operates is very helpful. There may be market disruptions (AI anyone?) that lead to outsized expected growth. Look at Nvidia’s 5 year chart. Tell me when everybody figured out Nvidia’s chips were amazing for AI processing.

      Or Amazon during the pandemic. Look at this chart and tell me when everybody figured out that if you can’t go to the store to buy things, you are going to need to order it online.

      These companies were sitting in a market that, for whatever reason, had amazing growth potential. The companies were able to use their core strengths to jump ahead of the overall economy in terms of value creation speed.

      Value

      As mentioned, value stocks are those that, after lots of research into the company and market itself, you think the price of the stock should be higher than it is right now. And you expect that stock price to rise as everybody else realizes all the amazing things you already realized.

      The stock could have been beaten down by some newsworthy event, which caused everybody to panic sell. These stocks are trading nowhere near their high marks. However, if you think the stock will get back up to that high water mark, you may have found a good value stock.

      Now, determining which stocks that have suddenly dropped in value are actually value stocks takes research. You don’t want to “catch a falling knife” by the blade and end up bloody. You want to be able to catch the handle! Does the company have enough cash to weather any storm? Are creditors piling up? Is the photograph printing market shrinking incredibly fast and the company is not making the right decisions? Back to that fundamental analysis of the company itself - if you look at the financials and are impressed with the leadership's team ability to navigate that quick drop in stock value, then you found a winner!

      Warren Buffet seems to think United Health is a value stock. As you can see, the stock is about half of its initial value. Buffet is in this for the long term and is hoping that his research is correct in terms of UnitedHealth potentially doubling back up to its previous value faster than the market as a whole would double. Either that, or he hopes his clout is enough to make it a value stock in that more people will invest just because he did.

      Holy cow done

      That about wraps up the difference between these two types of stocks. Many stocks are a blend of the two, also. But seeing the extremes helps with understanding this way to differentiate stocks. Yes, there are more specifics that I didn't fully get into. And yes I am trying to be as approachable as possible with the topic. Hopefully this helped you!

      Can you find an example of a potential value stock out in the world currently? How about a potential growth stock?

      20 votes
    39. Does anyone here enjoy a whisk(e)y ?

      A little background: I’m an Irish man who lived in Scotland for a long time and developed a penchant for good Scottish whisky. I’ve since moved back to Ireland and am on a quest to find good Irish...

      A little background:
      I’m an Irish man who lived in Scotland for a long time and developed a penchant for good Scottish whisky.

      I’ve since moved back to Ireland and am on a quest to find good Irish whiskey.

      I’ve been looking for double distilled, single pot (or single malt) and have found a couple of nice ones, though this is somewhat counter to the Irish market which favours triple distilled and has (imo) a narrower taste profile, especially when compared to scotch.

      Currently drinking: Shortcross rye and barley

      Its really pleasant and quite different to the traditional Jameson/bush. There’s a bit of depth to it, some spice from the rye and a lovely classic malty finish.

      Any other whisky enjoyers out there ?

      34 votes