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    1. How do you keep track of your physical media?

      I’ve been using Letterboxd for a few years to track what I watch. But I’ve got a large collection of physical media and sometimes it’s tough to remember exactly what I have when looking for...

      I’ve been using Letterboxd for a few years to track what I watch.

      But I’ve got a large collection of physical media and sometimes it’s tough to remember exactly what I have when looking for something to watch. Plus the eternal “Did I lend that to a friend?” question.

      If anyone has any ideas on how to keep track of this stuff, I’d love some suggestions.

      6 votes
    2. Who are some artists that have only released great albums?

      Greatness is tough enough, but consistent greatness is nigh impossible. I'm curious as to who are some musicians/bands out there that have always delivered and never stumbled, putting out great...

      Greatness is tough enough, but consistent greatness is nigh impossible. I'm curious as to who are some musicians/bands out there that have always delivered and never stumbled, putting out great release after great release for their entire careers. It doesn't mean they've never had a bad song or a gaffe or anything like that--just that their main releases have been solid from start to finish.

      14 votes
    3. In a music world where rap/hip-hop are more prevalent than ever before, what rock bands are trying their best to innovate or keep it real?

      It's neat that Rap/Hip-Hop is having a renaissance of sorts. However, I don't really like any of it. In an industry that claims rock is dying (or at least has been for several years), what rock...

      It's neat that Rap/Hip-Hop is having a renaissance of sorts. However, I don't really like any of it. In an industry that claims rock is dying (or at least has been for several years), what rock bands have been killing it, spinning it in a new direction, or paying inspired and original homages to their rock forefathers?

      14 votes
    4. Has simulation theory provided an answer to the problem of evil?

      If reality is a simulation, then why is evil allowed to exist, or why did our creators let evil exist? I know that the point of having a simulation is so that we can learn about life, but why is...

      If reality is a simulation, then why is evil allowed to exist, or why did our creators let evil exist?

      I know that the point of having a simulation is so that we can learn about life, but why is it more likely to be in a simulation with 'real' characteristics rather than one where everything is utter happiness? Why didn't our creators make infinitely more simulations where people are just happy all the time?

      Of course this brings us to the question of whether you can know happiness without pain. If reality is a simulation, couldn't it be possible to make people happiness with only the memory of pain (or just knowledge of pain) without actual pain? I would think so.

      What do you think?

      8 votes
    5. Error when logging in using a password manager

      I'm using Safari 12.0.2 on macOS 10.14.2 (Mojave). The same issue also occurs on iOS 12.1.2 (using Safari). When using 1Password to autofill with the browser extension on macOS or the "autofill"...

      I'm using Safari 12.0.2 on macOS 10.14.2 (Mojave). The same issue also occurs on iOS 12.1.2 (using Safari).

      When using 1Password to autofill with the browser extension on macOS or the "autofill" feature on iOS an error message pops up: username: String does not match expected pattern.

      I have to either use the browser supplied autofill on macOS or manually copy/paste username and password into the corresponding fields. On iOS there's an autofill API which I have set to use 1Password in the browser, also causing the error

      Edit: Video of the issue

      9 votes
    6. Those of us who feel great anxiety regarding anything politics, how do you deal with the oversaturated political content on _every_ website?

      The concept sounds a bit lazy or unintelligent, but for me personally, I struggle with so much anxiety and other mental health problems that I have to filter out political posts, on here, reddit,...

      The concept sounds a bit lazy or unintelligent, but for me personally, I struggle with so much anxiety and other mental health problems that I have to filter out political posts, on here, reddit, and elsewhere, or else the weight affects me so badly that I'm put in a bad mood/mindset very easily. If anyone else feels the same way, I ask you this: Does anyone else feel similarly, and if so, how do you defend against the tidal wave of awful things happening seemingly daily?

      18 votes
    7. Help: I just received a mail from my own email, can't know if phishing or I'm hacked

      I just received a mail from my own e-mail address, hosted on Gandi on my own domain name. It said that the sender has hacked me, used malware, keyloggers and RDP to get my passwords and copy all...

      I just received a mail from my own e-mail address, hosted on Gandi on my own domain name. It said that the sender has hacked me, used malware, keyloggers and RDP to get my passwords and copy all my files to his own computer, and took videos of me while watching adult content using my webcam (I never noticed the light turning on for it). Claims they've been doing this for a few months. Gives a bitcoin address and wants $1000 (a sum I can't and won't give, don't even have a fraction of it) in 48 hrs, or else will share the videos with my contacts. It said something about a pixel the message included.

      I viewed the message from K-9 mail on android (which didn't tell anything about pixels or whatnot), and when I went back on my computer to check the headers and stuff, the message was deleted.

      Now, is this some sort of phishing or or have I really been pwned? I feel like it's just phishing, but the message deleting itself kinda gave me shills of fear. I promptly changed my password for the mail account.

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

      Forgot to post the thread yesterday. 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,...

      Forgot to post the thread yesterday.

      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 Anilist, MAL, or any other anime/manga database you use!

      6 votes
    9. Who do you go to to learn about the state of PC ports?

      I used to watch TotalBiscuit's videos to learn about PC ports of games, to see if they were any good. Obviously I can't do that anymore, and the best replacement I've found so far is looking at...

      I used to watch TotalBiscuit's videos to learn about PC ports of games, to see if they were any good. Obviously I can't do that anymore, and the best replacement I've found so far is looking at PCGamingWiki. If a game has a long page with a lot of issues and workarounds, it is probably a bad port.

      But that doesn't really help if I want to know if a game has improved a lot since launch. Does anyone do a good "state of game x a few years later" series?

      8 votes
    10. Free-roam Friday - Let's discuss free-roaming and open-world games

      Hello all, hope you're doing well. It's the weekend again, and that means that a lot of us have some free time on our hands. And some of my favorite things to do with my ever-shrinking free time...

      Hello all, hope you're doing well. It's the weekend again, and that means that a lot of us have some free time on our hands. And some of my favorite things to do with my ever-shrinking free time is dive into a large game world and just explore. With that in mind, I thought we could start a little conversation about free-roaming video games, and open-world games in general.

      Some thoughts to ponder:

      • What are some of your favorite free-roaming titles?

      • What keeps a free-roaming or open-world title from getting boring?

      • What are some of the more unique ways to populate a large game world?

      • *Is Just Cause 2 the best free-roaming game ever? The answer may surprise you!

      12 votes
    11. How do you make yourself appear more approachable?

      My face is slightly asymmetrical, and one side of my lip points up, so it looks like I am smirking at people. At least, this is my theory as to why people feel uncomfortable around me without...

      My face is slightly asymmetrical, and one side of my lip points up, so it looks like I am smirking at people. At least, this is my theory as to why people feel uncomfortable around me without getting to know me first. But maybe it's something else entirely, or a combination. How can I make myself more approachable / likable? My work is in a field where I need to communicate with others often.

      The idea of faking smiles and acting overly friendly pains me, but if it's the only way I'll do it.

      26 votes
    12. What are your views on the use of profanity on Tildes?

      I don't think Tildes have or should have an official position on that, but I'd like to know what other Tilda Swintons™ think about the subject. Do you think the use of profanity cusswords is in...

      I don't think Tildes have or should have an official position on that, but I'd like to know what other Tilda Swintons™ think about the subject. Do you think the use of profanity cusswords is in accordance with the implicit behaviors we've established so far? Is there any advantage in trying to "keep it clean" site-wide?

      21 votes
    13. 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
    14. What are some books you've bought ages ago, but never have gotten around to?

      I buy a bunch of books each year, but it seems less than half of them get read. Sometimes I'm just satisfied by the notion that I will eventually read the book and never get around to it. However,...

      I buy a bunch of books each year, but it seems less than half of them get read.

      Sometimes I'm just satisfied by the notion that I will eventually read the book and never get around to it.
      However, I do actually go back to some of these books. For instance I bought Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer/Sword of the Lictor back in 2015 but recently finished it back in summer of 2018.

      Some have sat on the shelf for much longer.

      Orson Scott Card's Xenocide comes to mind. I read Ender's Game back in 2013, read the sequel some time in 2014, and told myself I'd get around to the third book (Xenocide) but I never have.

      Another one I picked up last year that I've been meaning to read is The Confessions of Saint Augustine.

      So, what are some books you've been neglecting? Write them down here to put them to rest, or even better, to motivate yourself to actually read them!!

      10 votes
    15. What is your alcoholic drink of choice?

      I thought it'd be fun to have a casual conversation about what we like to drink. If that's not appropriate for some reason please let me know. I've switched from beer and whiskey to Tangeray and...

      I thought it'd be fun to have a casual conversation about what we like to drink. If that's not appropriate for some reason please let me know.

      I've switched from beer and whiskey to Tangeray and (diet) tonic and really feel less hangover when I drink (for whatever reason). What is your current go to on a Friday night?

      22 votes
    16. Quality news sources

      Independent, investigative journalism in the public interest is becoming harder and harder to find. This is a shame because an informed public is critical for democracy to function effectively....

      Independent, investigative journalism in the public interest is becoming harder and harder to find. This is a shame because an informed public is critical for democracy to function effectively.

      What news sources do you recommend for people trying to avoid the distraction of biased, sensationalist outlets like Fox News or CNN?

      29 votes
    17. I'm gonna start as an algorithms monitor at my college, looking for tips on how to better help the students

      I don't know what is the correct word in English, but I'll be one of those guys who will teach a "class" consisting on answering questions and guiding them through the exercises. The content is...

      I don't know what is the correct word in English, but I'll be one of those guys who will teach a "class" consisting on answering questions and guiding them through the exercises.

      The content is very basic algorithms in C, so things like functions, pointers, and structs are off the scope. Here is the repo I made with the solutions for last semester. I'm starting in the second semester, so I have everything fresh in my memory.

      I welcome anything you can give but I'm not necessarily seeking technical advice since the teachers have that covered. What I'd really like to know is what you consider to be some good examples, attitudes, and approaches for this particular position. Thanks.

      7 votes
    18. So what's up with Voat?

      hey all! i think this is my first ~talk post, 👀 nice place ye got here! so, i got to thinking about social media sites a few days ago (whilst trying to brainstorm a sideproject that isn't a social...

      hey all!

      i think this is my first ~talk post, 👀 nice place ye got here!

      so, i got to thinking about social media sites a few days ago (whilst trying to brainstorm a sideproject that isn't a social media site) and i got to thinking about Voat.

      it seemed like an interesting idea at first, a nearly literal copy-paste of old reddit meant a system that i was already used to, but i'd also be early enough to get whatever username i want, and they even have a cute little goat!

      and then uhh

      reddit got rid of a lot of hate-communities

      and they all went to voat.

      now - i guess that's fine. if they want to all exile themselves into their own corner of the internet, i can't stop em

      but my question is like - what about the people behind Voat? obviously there's people running the site, there's investment money involved, and they have to know that their site is the front-yard above-ground pool with green water of the internet, right?

      i tried looking for some interviews of the founder - but i couldn't find anything.

      any of you lot know what's goin' on with voat? what are your thoughts on the site itself? its longevity?

      30 votes
    19. Ian Lance Taylor: “Go intentionally has a weak type system, (…)”

      Recently, Ian Lance Taylor, one of the most productive contributors to Go and, IIRC, the original author of gccgo, has written a very interesting comment on his view of the language: (…) Go...

      Recently, Ian Lance Taylor, one of the most productive contributors to Go and, IIRC, the original author of gccgo, has written a very interesting comment on his view of the language:

      (…) Go intentionally has a weak type system, and there are many restrictions that can be expressed in other languages but cannot be expressed in Go. Go in general encourages programming by writing code rather than programming by writing types. (…)

      I found this distinction, writing code vs. writing types, very insightful. In my experience, in a language like Rust or (modern fancy) C++ the programmer is constantly forced to think about types, while when I program in Go or C, I almost never think about them. Types are, in fact, almost always obvious. It is also interesting that languages like Haskell and Idris explicitly expect the programmer to program with types.

      What do you think?

      9 votes
    20. Any advice on getting rid of intrusive thoughts?

      Sometimes when I am thinking, these bad thoughts come into my mind, specifically images. I would rather elaborate not elaborate what the images are but they are all connected by a single object. I...

      Sometimes when I am thinking, these bad thoughts come into my mind, specifically images. I would rather elaborate not elaborate what the images are but they are all connected by a single object.

      I have tried meditation, and while I feel at peace for a few hours after meditating, the thoughts haven't really left long-term or gone down in frequency. Maybe I am meditating wrong. I am blindsided every time the thoughts appear.

      Anyone have any experience with this?

      30 votes
    21. 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.

      15 votes
    22. What are you reading these days? #11

      What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it. Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 ·...

      What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it.

      Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 · Week #6 · Week #7 · Week #8 · Week #9 · Week #10

      14 votes
    23. thank u, next: wut?

      I just watched the clip to this. It left me perplexed. Starts out with an absurd self-flattery, then name dropping multiple (and actual) ex boyfriends of the singer. Then the clip, it's something...

      I just watched the clip to this. It left me perplexed. Starts out with an absurd self-flattery, then name dropping multiple (and actual) ex boyfriends of the singer. Then the clip, it's something totally different and unrelated. It's as if clips (which are somewhat sexist againt almost all sorts of gender out there) collected from a stock media site.

      Then the lyrics. A list of someone's ex-SOs. Then self-flattery. Then, let's put a few buzzwords here and there. She's in a lesbian relationship, and her dad is transsexual. Apparently queer people reduced to pure stereotypes. It all comes off to me either as an exploitation of the current atmosphere among the youth, or something so personal would better be a vlog.

      There is a strong contrast between the video and lyrics. Objectification of male genitalia sprinkled towards the end of the song. An "eww" at people with missing teeth. Women in sexualised outfit.

      Am I too out of touch with mainstream pop stuff? I mean something like Nicky Minaj doesn't come of this "dissonant" to me. There's lots of sexuality in her stuff, but I don't think that's a problem per se. I just don't like her stuff (or swathes of stereotypical male rappers and pop singers) and move on. But this entire combination of clip and song comes off as literally repugnant to me. Is there something I'm missing?

      Edit: just to clarify, it's not sexuality or queer stuff that is the problem for me (I don't have any problems with these things and them being depicted), but a strong sense of exploitation and dishonesty that I get.

      4 votes
    24. What would happen if the US House of Representatives decided to investigate sitting Senators?

      The current US Senate majority continues to support the president. However, the current president may have been compromised by the Russian government. The connections that several senators have to...

      The current US Senate majority continues to support the president. However, the current president may have been compromised by the Russian government.

      The connections that several senators have to Russia (Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, to name two) raise the very real possibility that the current Republican majority in the Senate owes its existence to Russian help.

      The FBI, a renewed Republican target, has suggested as much in briefings given to that same U.S. Congress.

      What are the chances of the House investigating sitting menbers of Senate, and what twists and turns might occur should it happen?

      9 votes
    25. How do you define your masculinity/femininity?

      In lieu of the recent Gillette ad, and seeing as the conversation around it has stirred the pot quite a bit, I wanted to propose a conversation where we start from the very beginning: Without yet...

      In lieu of the recent Gillette ad, and seeing as the conversation around it has stirred the pot quite a bit, I wanted to propose a conversation where we start from the very beginning:

      Without yet talking about subsets, variants, or interpretations of masculinity/femininity (toxic or otherwise). How do you define it for yourself: what makes you masculine or feminine, or what parts of you would you describe as such, do you feel that those things go as universal descriptors or are they specific to your case?

      There may also be some deeper questions in here about where you think you gained this conception (your family? your immediate circle of contacts? Role models?) or who you think best embodies your ideal definition of your gender.

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

      I'd say something here about thinking a monthly thread for this is better or something, but that would be a lie and the truth is that I was busy during Christmas and subsequently forgot to post...

      I'd say something here about thinking a monthly thread for this is better or something, but that would be a lie and the truth is that I was busy during Christmas and subsequently forgot to post this thread for about three weeks running. Sorry about that.

      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 Anilist, MAL, or any other anime/manga database you use!

      9 votes
    27. Where should I put the 2FA recovery code for my password manager?

      So I have all my passwords, TOTP backup codes, and account recovery codes in my password manager (Bitwarden.) In turn, Bitwarden is secured with a master password and TOTP 2FA. I have a recovery...

      So I have all my passwords, TOTP backup codes, and account recovery codes in my password manager (Bitwarden.) In turn, Bitwarden is secured with a master password and TOTP 2FA. I have a recovery code for the 2FA in the event that I can't get to andOTP anymore (2FA app.) The thing is, where do I put that code? I can't put it in a note app or anything, because if I'm locked out of Bitwarden, I don't have my passwords. Do you see my problem? I was thinking about physically writing it down, but that makes me nervous because I might lose it. Are there any good solutions to this problem?

      9 votes
    28. Privacy and Politics

      I was thinking about the intersection of internet privacy and politics. You could even say I was having a bit of a mini-crisis. I like to think of myself as being pretty liberal, but I wondering...

      I was thinking about the intersection of internet privacy and politics. You could even say I was having a bit of a mini-crisis. I like to think of myself as being pretty liberal, but I wondering how that fits into privacy. I was a little upset when I learned that Obama called Edward Snowden unpatriotic. I was kind of thinking that what he did was patriotic. Wasn't the NSA monitoring US citizens without warrants. That's morally wrong right? I think I would be pretty fine with the government monitoring someone if they had a warrant given to them by a non-secret court. I'm wondering if anyone here can give me some insight on this or if anyone else feels/has felt this way.

      4 votes
    29. What are your thoughts on Reddit's r/movies subreddit ?

      Personally, I strongly dislike it. Every aspect of every film is way overblown there. If there's a funny scene in a movie, they LITERALLY die laughing and wake their whole neighbourhood up. If...

      Personally, I strongly dislike it. Every aspect of every film is way overblown there.

      If there's a funny scene in a movie, they LITERALLY die laughing and wake their whole neighbourhood up.

      If there's a scene that is in the slightest bit sad, they're going to cry their eyes out for months.

      If there's a movie that's decently good, then it's an absolute masterpiece and the best movie of the decade.

      And so on... Everything is always really exaggerated.

      On top of that, there's always the circlejerk hivemind aspect. Threads are closed after 6 months, so the whole discussion about the film is divided between many threads, but because every thread is small and new, you often get the same fluff comments.

      For more popular flims, it is the absolute worst. With half the thread being just funny quotes from the movie with no additional commentary or anything valuable, yet having thousands upon thousands of upvotes. It's kind of sad.

      I used to go to IMDb boards, –which, admittedly, had their own issues– but they were still pretty useful for discussion. And shutting people up wasn't as easy as it is on Reddit, so the opinions there were much more varied. However, since they shut them down, Reddit is the closest thing I've found. Moviechat.org is supposed to be a replacement to the IMDb boards, but it's pretty inactive.

      So, even though I kind of despise r/movies, I'm sort of forced to use them. But reading it makes me somewhat bitter.

      What about you?

      13 votes
    30. Realistic-looking people?

      What's your favorite movie that features average-looking people? We all know the industry selects for youth and attractiveness mostly, but have any good movies risked casting only normal-looking...

      What's your favorite movie that features average-looking people? We all know the industry selects for youth and attractiveness mostly, but have any good movies risked casting only normal-looking people?

      Edit: TV show suggestions are also welcome!

      18 votes
    31. Let's find the best overlooked music of 2018. Here's the 175 albums we've collected so far - a good start. Got anything to add to it?

      Every year we try to put together a 'best of' list that is devoid of the same 200 albums that make up all of the other music lists on the internet. We do this by intentionally excluding...

      Every year we try to put together a 'best of' list that is devoid of the same 200 albums that make up all of the other music lists on the internet. We do this by intentionally excluding popular/mainstream artists from our submission pool. Our cutoff is generally no more than three tracks with a million plays on spotify, though we do fudge it a bit especially for artists that only have regional success or put out something really great. The popularity limits are more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule.

      I used last year's results as a test post on tildes, if you want to see what the final results will look like. Once we finish voting on the albums we generate the playlists on spotify and use automated tools to replicate them to other streaming services. We have a google spreadsheet that helps us manage the process. There's a submission form that will drop recommendations right into the spreadsheet where we can work on them.

      We're not trying to find albums that are 'better' than the mainstream. We're just trying to include more of the great music that gets released every year, particularly the good stuff from new and overlooked artists that gets lost by the wayside while all the major music publications argue about the right order of the year's press darlings. Consider AlbumOfTheYear's List as the 'official' record of what's popular in the music press.

      We do this by asking people for their favorites - in listentothis, in letstalkmusic, and today here on Tildes. I'd like to invite everyone on Tildes to submit their picks for the best overlooked music they've heard this year.

      How do you know if an album you like is good enough? Everyone has their own way of listening, but generally, if you've had the record on repeat at all, that's the sign that it's worthy of attention. If you've got one you can't stop spinning and can't get out of your head, that's 'must listen' territory which goes at the top of the list. Make sure to leave a note in your comment when you submit, if you think it's that good. ;)

      You can submit albums right here using this form. Please put a ~ in front of your username when you submit, so we know it came from a tildes user rather than a reddit user.

      This spotify playlist contains the 175 albums from 2018 we've gathered so far. That's what's in our spreadsheet right now, at the start of the process. We haven't vetted/voted on these yet, just made sure they come in near the popularity cutoff. If any of the albums in this list really knock your socks off, let us know in the comments below. The first 1/3 of the list is mostly from random redditors, quality may be a bit dicey. The last 2/3 is the fruit of the l2t crew's cratedigging all year, submissions from our 30+ moderators. Every genre you can imagine (and some you can't) is in this list, they aren't sorted by style yet - this is one big bucket that goes all over the map.

      I will update this playlist as new albums come in, though not exactly in real time - expect a day or two delay. If you want to keep up with it, just follow that list on spotify.

      We're taking until the end of Feb. to finish the 2018 set, so roughly 6-8 weeks to listen to all of this stuff before we push the finished set out the door. If you want to help us listen, bookmark this thread here on Tildes, and leave a comment here when one of the albums grabs you. Feel free to submit new albums to that spreadsheet right up until the deadline at the end of Feb.

      Happy listening. :)

      11 votes
    32. 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.

      7 votes
    33. Visual novel fans?

      Anyone else play visual novels? If you don't know what they are, it's like an interactive story with pictures and sometimes player choice. People called Bandersnatch a kind of visual novel! I got...

      Anyone else play visual novels? If you don't know what they are, it's like an interactive story with pictures and sometimes player choice. People called Bandersnatch a kind of visual novel!

      I got into them by playing Katawa Shoujo, which is astonishingly well-written and empathetic and funny. Recently I played Don't Forget Our Esports Dream, about two Starcraft pro gamers trying to chase their dreams while facing the realities of their lives. I love how it talks about the soul of esports, and if you ever played Starcraft, this game will bring back all the memories. What visual novels do other people recommend?

      9 votes
    34. Which video game antagonist suffered the worst fate and why?

      Of all video games out there where a good guy beats a bad guy, which bad guy do you personally feel got the shittiest end of the stick? I recently beat Mother 3 and SPOILER Porky's fate seemed...

      Of all video games out there where a good guy beats a bad guy, which bad guy do you personally feel got the shittiest end of the stick? I recently beat Mother 3 and SPOILER Porky's fate seemed kinda fucked, what with him being permanently sealed away, unable to die, for all eternity in the Absolutely Safe Capsule.

      8 votes
    35. How do I learn and understand what kinds of books I like?

      I'm an audio engineer, and I spend many hours a day consuming music. I could talk your ear off about genres, sub-genres, vocal styles, rhythms, and exactly what combinations of those I really...

      I'm an audio engineer, and I spend many hours a day consuming music. I could talk your ear off about genres, sub-genres, vocal styles, rhythms, and exactly what combinations of those I really enjoy. Technology, recommendations, and websites like everynoise.com have really enhanced how accurate my recommendations are, and I'm constantly consuming music that I absolutely love.

      But when it comes to books... I'm so lost. Literature genres are like the equivalent of listing what instruments play on an album. Okay, this book is "sci-fi," so I know it's probably got futuristic technology, may be set in space, and could have some aliens. But that doesn't tell me anything about the writing style.

      I know enough to know that I can't go just by good reviews on sites like amazon. How do I learn to quantify what I enjoy and curate my recommendations more effectively?

      14 votes
    36. What do you think of star citizen?

      I bought a starter pack in 2015, played a few dog fights and races at 25fps, and then forgot about it. I reinstalled it today and was amazed at all the progress. There's some really cool stuff,...

      I bought a starter pack in 2015, played a few dog fights and races at 25fps, and then forgot about it. I reinstalled it today and was amazed at all the progress. There's some really cool stuff, like having your own expressions mapped onto your characters face with a webcam, or how you can get on your ship, jump to another planet, descend through the atmosphere and land at a camp, get out of your ship, and go inside, all seamlessly with no load screens.

      The game looks fantastic, and runs a lot better too (I did upgrade, my pc, but not that much. I have a ryzen 5 2600 and a radeon 570)

      Do any of you play? What do you think about the game?

      18 votes
    37. What exactly belongs in ~creative?

      Just a few minutes ago I moved this topic from ~creative to ~music, but almost immediately began second guessing my decision. I'm not exactly sure where that belongs, because it's music, but it is...

      Just a few minutes ago I moved this topic from ~creative to ~music, but almost immediately began second guessing my decision. I'm not exactly sure where that belongs, because it's music, but it is creative/the OP's original song. What do you think? Is ~creative more for crafts, IE woodworking and the likes, or anything creative done by the OP? Similarly, I can think of more examples for this, such as if someone wants to show off their Raspberry Pi project, do they put it in ~comp or ~creative? Where does it belong?

      13 votes
    38. 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! Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others'...

      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!

      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.

      16 votes
    39. The Good Place - good or bad?

      I've seen every episode of The Good Place up to this point and still can't decide if I like it or not. It's a very strange situation. The premise, while novel, doesn't work well (in my opinion) on...

      I've seen every episode of The Good Place up to this point and still can't decide if I like it or not. It's a very strange situation. The premise, while novel, doesn't work well (in my opinion) on a TV show budget or schedule and I find myself wondering why I'm watching it.

      Reviews of the show are generally very positive, but it feels like the writers are constantly scrambling for new ideas when the concept just doesn't lend itself to that much TV.

      I love Michael Schur's work generally and like Kristen Bell as an actress, but I still can't decide if I like this or not. Thoughts?

      20 votes
    40. Dvorak, Colemak and other alternative keyboard layouts

      I wouldn't really consider it a hobby, but couldn't think of where else to try and have this discussion. How many of you have ever heard of, or even considered the idea of alternative keyboard...

      I wouldn't really consider it a hobby, but couldn't think of where else to try and have this discussion.

      How many of you have ever heard of, or even considered the idea of alternative keyboard layouts!? As unanimous as it is, why are the letters of the alphabet even placed that way on our keyboards anyway? Alternative keyboard layouts attempt to optimize the layout by placing letters in such a way as to make typing more ergonomic. Often ideas include focusing on the home row, rolling fingers, alternating hands, high frequency letters on index and middle etc.

      Some examples to look into if you've never heard of the concept:

      • Dvorak, the most well known alternative keyboard layout. Prioritizes alternating hands by separating vowels and consonants by hand.

      • Colemak. As opposed to Dvorak, prioritizes rolling the fingers rather than alternating hands and attempts to limit same-finger bigrams.

      • BÉPO, a layout optimized for the French language!

      • Others include Carpalx, Workman, MTGAP, Norman and many, many more. Creating rather than using layouts has sort of become a hobby for some...

      So what do you think? Supposed ergonomics vs standardization. Would you ever consider switching or do you think it's a bunch of hocus pocus? Perhaps you have switched or tried to switch and would like to share your experience.

      20 votes
    41. On hiring for tech positions: How do you get what you need from the HR department?

      I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a manager complain, “The HR department included ‘must have college degree’ in the job req even though I don’t care” or “They asked for 5 years of...

      I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a manager complain, “The HR department included ‘must have college degree’ in the job req even though I don’t care” or “They asked for 5 years of experience in a technology that’s only been around for 3” or “I have no idea why they rejected this candidate without even contacting me.”

      Still, in many cases you don’t have a choice. If you want to hire someone, you need to deal with HR, at least to a small degree – especially if you work in a big company.

      So I’m writing a feature story for technology managers, collecting real-world advice from people who learned their lessons the hard way. Here’s the questions I’d like you to answer:

      • Tell me about a frustration you had with the HR department (in regard to hiring). That is, tell me a personal story of HR-gone-wrong. Because we all love schadenfreude, and that gives me an emotional example with which to begin.
      • Let’s say you have a new opening in your department. In what ways do you involve HR? (That could be anything from, “give them general guidelines and let them choose the best candidates for me to interview” to “I do the search myself, and use HR only for on-boarding.”) What makes you choose that path? How much choice do you have in the matter?
      • What weaknesses have you discovered in your HR department’s ability to serve the needs of a tech-focused department?
      • What have you done to cope with those weaknesses? Which of those efforts worked, and which failed?
      • What do you wish you knew “n” years ago about dealing with your company’s HR department?
      • So that I can give the reader some context: Let me know how to refer to you in the article (at least, “Esther, a software architect at a Midwest insurance company”), and give me some idea of your company size (because the processes appropriate for a 70-person company aren’t the same for one with 7,000 employees).

      You don’t have to answer all those questions! I asked these to get the conversation going. Tell me as much or as little as you like.

      Please don’t assume that I think HR always sucks. However, there isn’t as much to learn from “why HR is your friend.” The idea here is to help techie managers cope when HR doesn’t offer what you hoped for.

      16 votes
    42. Passion, direction, inspiration : How do you rediscover it?

      I'm stuck in a rut. What do you do to get out? How do you rediscover something that inspires you? Or something that you can be passionate about? I've got a handful of "projects" on the go at all...

      I'm stuck in a rut.

      What do you do to get out? How do you rediscover something that inspires you? Or something that you can be passionate about?

      I've got a handful of "projects" on the go at all times - writing some music, getting better at the sport I play, learn a new language for work, do some "proper" research. But they all sort of sit there looking tedious on my whiteboard. I'm just not passionate about any of them really (except maybe the sport, but I'm approaching 40 so it's not like I'm on the verge of setting the world on fire with it!).

      What do you do to rediscover your inspiration? What has worked for you?

      15 votes
    43. Experiences with LineageOS and/or moving from iPhone to Android (or LineageOS )

      Hi there, I'm considering purchasing a used Galaxy S7 and moving to LineageOS and would like to hear about similiar experiences. I currently own a iPhone 5S (only my second smartphone). I plan to...

      Hi there,

      I'm considering purchasing a used Galaxy S7 and moving to LineageOS and would like to hear about similiar experiences. I currently own a iPhone 5S (only my second smartphone). I plan to continue using Ting as my provider.

      I am attracted to LineageOS because it's open source and allows greater control than the standard Android-build I'd get from an ISP. I'm not afraid of installing ROMs or tinkering - I know I'll be doing a lot more of that by moving to an open-source OS.

      I was looking at Galaxy S7 because it's well-known and has wide support/information available on forums, etc and of course because it's relatively cheap to get a used one ($200-ish).

      I'm in the US and use Ting as my provider.

      So some questions I have are:

      • Should I expect to use the standard Google Play store? I'm still a little unclear on this after looking at the LineageOS website and wiki. The best I could find for an answer is this article talking about installing default google apps. I think my question is so basic it's not addressed on their site lol.
      • Can I drag and drop MP3s from my computer to the phone? In other words, can I get my music on there without having to install something dreadful like iTunes or use Spotify/Amazon Music?
      • The LineageOS project looks healthy to my untrained eye...any rumors that it'll vanish overnight?
      • I found these instructions for a Galaxy S7 Anything else I should know or look out for?
      • Any general thoughts/advice about moving from the Apple to the Google ecosystem? I'm entrenched in Google everywhere BUT my iPhone where I mostly use Google apps.
      • What else should I look out for? See any gaps in my understanding?
      19 votes
    44. Suburbs and car centric urban design is the worst mistake in modern history

      Designing our countries to accommodate cars as much as possible has been one of the most destructive things to our health, environment, safety and social connectedness. The damage has spread so...

      Designing our countries to accommodate cars as much as possible has been one of the most destructive things to our health, environment, safety and social connectedness. The damage has spread so far and deep that it has reached a crisis point in most developed cities in almost every country. The suburbs we live in are subjected to strict zoning laws baring any form of high density building and any form of mixed zoning. As a result our houses are spaced so far away from each other and from the essential services we need that unless you own a car you are blocked from having a normal life. The main streets full of independent stores and markets have all been killed by megamalls 30km away from where people live with carparks bigger than most park lands. All of this was caused by car usage pushing our societies further and further apart to the point where many people find it acceptable and normal to drive 40km each direction to work each day.

      One of the more devastating effects of this urban sprawl is the supermarket has been moved so far away that most people avoid going as much as possible and limit it to a single trip every 1-2 weeks. Fresh food does not last 1-2 weeks which leaves people throwing out mountains of spoiled food that wasn't eaten in time as well as the move to processed foods packed full of preservatives. As well as a shift to people buying dinner from drive through takeaway franchises because their hour long commute has left them with little time to cook fresh and healthy foods.

      Owning a car in many countries is seen as the only way to get a job. This locks the poor from ever regaining control of their life because the cost of owning and maintaining a car is higher than most of these people get in an entire year. Our city streets which should be places of vibrant liability have become loud, unsafe and toxic.

      Elon and his electric cars solve none of these issues. Electric cars are not the way of the future. They don't even solve air pollution issues entirely because a large part of air pollution is brake pad fibres and tire wear which is proportional to the vehicles weight. And these Teslas are not light.

      The only solution is reducing personal vehicle usage as much as possible in urban areas. Of course there will always be some people who will genuinely need vehicles such as in rural areas but there is simply no reason to have the average person drive to and from their office or retail job every day. Its wasteful and harmful in so many ways.

      There needs to be a huge push to reclaim our cities and living spaces to bring back the liveability that we could have had. In my city some of the side streets were closed to cars and the change was incredible. Plants and seating filled the spots that would have once been a row of free parking. The streets are filled with the sounds of laughter instead of the roar of motors. The local pubs and cafes have benefited hugely. They didn't benefit at all from street side car parks that were always filled by people who have done 5 laps of the city looking for an empty park and do not intend to shop there.

      What is everyone's opinion on this topic and what can we do about it?

      64 votes