I had a problem uploading a profile photo to Meetup today and so contacted support:

I can't upload a profile photo so am unable to join a number of groups. The photo just fails to upload and have tried a number of different sizes (from 400x400 to over 2000 x 1000) and formats - jpg and png. Something seems to be failing!

I got a fairly quick reply:

What problem do you see when you try to upload a photo? Are you seeing any error messages?

The first thing to check when uploading a photo is the size and format of the image.

Images should be .jpg, .gif, or .png format.
The file size limit is 10MB. (If your file size is already below 10MB, try reducing the size further.)

If your image meets these specifications, send the photo to me as an attachment and I'll take a look. I'll also need the link to the page where you're having trouble uploading the photo.

So I sent the image I was trying to photograph (a photo of me with a camera wearing my Refused tshirt) and received this reply:

Profile photos can't have text in them at all (even words written on clothing). It's one of the most common reasons you might have trouble uploading a profile photo. If your photo has any text or lettering, try uploading a different photo.

If that still doesn't work, the next things to check when uploading a photo are the size and format of the image.

Images should be .jpg, .gif, or .png format.

The file size limit is 10MB. (If your file size is already below 10MB, try reducing the size further.)

If your image meets those technical specifications and is free of text, send the photo to me as an attachment and I'll take a look. It's also helpful if you can send the link to the page where you're having trouble uploading the photo.

What? "Profile photos can't have text in them at all (even words written on clothing)"

I pixelated the word "Refused" from the photo and sure enough after uploading the edited photo, it uploaded.

Confused, I sent a reply:

I've pixelated out the text on my tshirt and that seemed to resolve it. It seems to be strange policy? Any reason for this?

And got this bizarre explanation:

To keep our design consistent across all devices, rich text formatting, embedded images, and embedded videos are not supported.

I've replied back to see if the support person can explain what they mean.

For at least a year I'd been rather disappointed with Fortnite. It kept appealing to the lowest common denominator and the game that I fell in love with in the end of season 2 (which is almost two years ago) kept changing for the worse. It became less of a Battle Royale game and more of a playground where you never knew what you were gonna get. It kept getting worse through the seasons and I played it less and less. So during season 9 I was only barely hanging on - and once season 10 launched with even more proverbial bullshit, I finally decided to uninstall the game. That was in the beginning of August and I never looked back for a second - I was done with it!

With Chapter 2 however (season 11), it's back to basics. The many weapons have been trimmed and there are only very few left - and none of the crazy ones. It's simpler and easier to navigate, and all the vehicles and movement mechanics have also been scrapped almost entirely. There are no more hover boards, ATVs, golf carts, airplanes, jump pads, rifts, etc. There's a harmless boat, and that's it! So when I saw the trailer for this new version of Fortnite, I reinstalled the game immediately. I've played 9 games now and this is the version I fell in love with - if not better! It's so good in its simplicity. The mechanics with building and whatnot have stayed the same, but the gameplay itself is much improved. It went from chaotic and action-packed to feeling more like a survival game. And the aesthetic of the new map is also just beautiful.

I'm no game reviewer but I thought that this overhaul of a pretty massive game is worth talking about!

Edit: not to mention the marketing stunt they pulled before launching this new version of the game was insanely clever. It made headlines all over the world, they even talked about it on the evening news here in little ol' Denmark!

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!

We've all felt it: the idea that something about us or something we're into is subject to unnecessary, invasive, or hurtful scrutiny or skepticism from others. Sometimes it's something small ("You like licorice? Really?!"), and sometimes it's something big ("You don't want to have kids? Really?!"), and each of us likely has faced both within our lives. I'm interested to know what other people's experiences are with this.

• What do you feel unfairly judged for?
• What, in particular, makes it so unfair?
• How do you handle it when you encounter it?
• Do you find yourself changing your behavior or pressured into dishonesty in order to avoid encountering the judgment in the first place?
• Why do you feel this sentiment exists in others and is widespread/shared?

Also, it probably goes without saying, but on a post centered primarily on people's feelings and experiences, potentially very difficult ones, it's probably best to do more listening, empathizing, and asking than explaining or rationalizing.

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?

• Choose any game from your backlog.

• Play the game for at least 15 minutes.

• Tell us how your introduction to the game went, and how you felt about it.

• Decide whether you're going to continue playing the game past your introduction, or whether you'll put it aside for good.

Meta: I make a lot of "ask" posts, but I've been thinking more and more about something like "task" posts or "event" posts. This is the first in a few that I plan to try out to see how they go over with the community.

My dad died a couple years ago and I inherited a farm in the central EU. Some of the land is farm land, some zoned residential. My plan was to rent this house out Airbnb style. The surroundings are very pastural. This is the appeal for “agro-tourism.” We are also very close to ski resorts.

My farm plot is the smallest of all the neighbors, but it is dead center in the planned farm. They want a 30 year lease for our land. One neighbor has already agreed. They are offering about $2500/hectare/year.

My neighbors are actually farmers, and to them this is a big chunk of money. Especially as they have 10+ hectares each, I only have 1.25. For me the money is less than one month’s salary and is not that appealing. Also, this is about 15% of what I expected to make off of the Airbnb which would pay for my retirement. Yes, this is a privileged position.

1. I don’t know what questions to ask in negotiations. One thing I verified is that inflation is included, year after year. What else?
   Note: Yes I will have a lawyer look at this, but honestly this is the first thing of its kind in our area.

2. If you were renting out a house in ski-resort/farm country, would you care if there were a bunch solar panels in the fields instead of farm land? Would you like it more, or less?
   Note: I can upload photos or video to give you an idea of the area.

3. Will this raise or lower the value of my home for resale?

4. Any other general thoughts?

Thanks!

Edit: I should add that I am super-anti CO2, so my default position is “hell yes!” But I am just trying to be pragmatic about this. Of note is that this is the first time in my life I am experiencing a bit of NIMBY-ism. Also, I am extremely thankful for this opportunity.