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    1. Show recommendations for my parents

      Would anyone who watches more TV than I do (not hard) like to help me pick some shows for my parents to watch? On their own they just watch whatever's on cable/satellite channels and don't enjoy...

      Would anyone who watches more TV than I do (not hard) like to help me pick some shows for my parents to watch? On their own they just watch whatever's on cable/satellite channels and don't enjoy it very much. They're conservative-leaning boomers, but I like to give them subtly progressive stuff. In the past they have praised The Good Place (but, crucially, lost interest before the end of season 2). They really loved the first two seasons of Ted Lasso (will watch the third one soon) and of Only Murders In the Building (I believe they'll watch season 3 of that as well, when it's out).

      Some more information about their tastes: Probably no recurring kid stuff whatsoever (a side character or two in their late teens are probably fine). Good humor is fine but nothing that gets too goofy (might be why The Good Place was dropped). Nothing that's too heavily horror or mystery; no police procedurals (Only Murders was skirting that line). Anything that feels like generic, quintessential hollywood will probably be rejected outright (european shows will get more of a pass). And definitely, absolutely, not a hint of high fantasy, sci-fi or space travel of any kind. Some light romance is good; travel is good; places around the world instead of LA-is-everything.

      I'm looking for modern shows with good writing and actors, don't necessarily have to be famous. Modern shows - especially shows made for streaming - are more likely to have portuguese subtitles available, which are a must.

      Thanks!

      EDIT: A clarification re: children - My parents love children. They have toddler grandkids and spend an unreasonable amount of time with them. They're just the kind of TV watchers who aren't at all interested in kid POV/kid centric episodes, because they don't identify with their worries and dramas anymore, so these quickly make them lose interest. I know there are people right here on tildes who feel the same way.

      It's still OK for children to exist in the story, though. Don't overthink it too much :)

      22 votes
    2. Simple, ethical, decent shoe recommendations

      After several years, my current pair of shoes has finally fallen apart. I don't need to look cool, or any other bells and whistles. I am looking for a simple pair of men's shoes. I want something...

      After several years, my current pair of shoes has finally fallen apart. I don't need to look cool, or any other bells and whistles. I am looking for a simple pair of men's shoes. I want something that preferably doesn't use sweat shops.

      Any suggestions?

      36 votes
    3. Recommendations with Japanese lyrics, or where to find it?

      We have a language learner in our household and I am tired of listening to J-pop at random on road trips. Do any of you music lovers have japanese language songs or even better artists or bands...

      We have a language learner in our household and I am tired of listening to J-pop at random on road trips. Do any of you music lovers have japanese language songs or even better artists or bands you really like?

      Thank you very much

      21 votes
    4. What are some of the best games for low-spec PC?

      My Lenovo laptop and Dell desktop have subpar specs on them, so playing a AAA game from the last decade is out of the question. They struggle to run Team Fortress 2, BioShock, and Minecraft at 30...

      My Lenovo laptop and Dell desktop have subpar specs on them, so playing a AAA game from the last decade is out of the question. They struggle to run Team Fortress 2, BioShock, and Minecraft at 30 FPS, but 1990's boomer shooters and some indie titles play fairly smoothly. Here are some of the games that they can run:

      • Doom (1993 to Final)
      • Quake (1-3)
      • Deus Ex (2000)
      • Max Payne 2
      • Half-Life 2 and its episodes
      • Portal series
      • Batman: Arkham City
      • Celeste
      • Hue
      • The Stanley Parable
      • Borderlands 2

      Any suggested games would be greatly appreciated.

      43 votes
    5. Intermediate turn based strategy games

      I used to like Command & Conquer and similar games, but these days I find it stressful and too fast paced. I want some recommendations of turn based games that does not have a steep learning curve...

      I used to like Command & Conquer and similar games, but these days I find it stressful and too fast paced.

      I want some recommendations of turn based games that does not have a steep learning curve like Hearts of Iron but it's not too simple like Advanced Wars.

      It needs to be for PC and run on a Ryzen 3200G laptop.

      30 votes
    6. Tell me about the best urban neighborhoods you've lived in

      I'm relocating soon and trying to find the right spot for me. I don't want this to be an individual recommendation thread though. Instead, just tell me about your favorite urban neighborhoods —...

      I'm relocating soon and trying to find the right spot for me. I don't want this to be an individual recommendation thread though. Instead, just tell me about your favorite urban neighborhoods — what you love about them, what isn't so great, and what makes them stand out from the rest.

      34 votes
    7. Garden drip irrigation recommendations

      Anyone using a drip irrigation system they can recommend? This would be for watering veggies (and possibly flowers in the future) in raised beds. These are some of the things I’m looking for but...

      Anyone using a drip irrigation system they can recommend? This would be for watering veggies (and possibly flowers in the future) in raised beds. These are some of the things I’m looking for but I’m getting a bit overwhelmed with all the choices out there:

      • network capability, whether that be an app (iPhone) or website I can look at stats and control from
      • 2 different garden beds to start with (3’ x 8’), with possibly 2 more in the future
      • drip is the only irrigation I’m really concerned with so no need for sprinklers or anything (I don’t think, at least)
      • there is only one spigot available for the area the beds are in
      10 votes
    8. Unsure on what to play next, care to help?

      So right now I'm about to finish persona 5 strikers and I'm not sure on what to play next. This are the possible games (nintendo switch): The legend of Zelda: tears of the kingdom Cassette beasts...

      So right now I'm about to finish persona 5 strikers and I'm not sure on what to play next. This are the possible games (nintendo switch):

      • The legend of Zelda: tears of the kingdom
      • Cassette beasts
      • Cult of the lamb
      • Shin megami tensei V

      Would you like to help me choose? Please

      14 votes
    9. It's time to buy some new non-stick pans... need recommendations

      The non-stick pans I bought last year are chipping already, so it's time for some new ones. I don't mind Teflon pans, but I hate having to buy them every year. I also dislike they they are...

      The non-stick pans I bought last year are chipping already, so it's time for some new ones. I don't mind Teflon pans, but I hate having to buy them every year. I also dislike they they are aluminum cores - that does weird things in the dish-washing machine. If you have some non-stick pans that you have been using for more than one year, please share!

      38 votes
    10. GMs of Tildes, what books, movies, or other media have changed how you portray the world?

      For example, Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett has forever changed how I roleplay dragons. I'm going on a camping trip soon. I've loaded up my eReader with books from Appendix N and am looking...

      For example, Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett has forever changed how I roleplay dragons.

      I'm going on a camping trip soon. I've loaded up my eReader with books from Appendix N and am looking for other grist for the mill. Mainly looking for books at the moment, but feel free to suggest other things.

      13 votes
    11. Looking for a remote storage provider to use for storing backups

      I'm looking for mountable remote storage that I can use for my backup solution at home. I'm trying to get set up with backuppc and need to be able to mount a large remote filesystem to store my...

      I'm looking for mountable remote storage that I can use for my backup solution at home. I'm trying to get set up with backuppc and need to be able to mount a large remote filesystem to store my archives. I've tried renting a 1TB storage box from Hetzner, but my account was rejected (I assume because of a recent legal name change). Can anybody recommend a similar provider of remote storage that I can rent and mount onto my server?

      27 votes
    12. Study tips, efficient use of learning resources, tools

      I think many of us are students, or just like self-learning some topics for themselves, perhaps their work requires studying — I think it might be interesting to collect a few tips we have...

      I think many of us are students, or just like self-learning some topics for themselves, perhaps their work requires studying — I think it might be interesting to collect a few tips we have experience with on how to do it efficiently.

      I would start with probably one of the best tools in this category that I think are still underutilized by many: spaced-repetition software. Perhaps more people might be familiar with the concept from language learning with word cards, but the base idea is that reinforcing some knowledge at increasing intervals will effectively make you remember it ’forever’. A final selling point on this topic: it only requires 10 minutes out of your entire life to remember a fact for basically forever with instant recall - that’s a very good use of one’s time in my opinion. For more information on it here is a great article.
      (It’s talking about Anki, a notable spaced repetition program that is free and open-source (the ios client is paid though, as this is the only income source of the maintainer, but you could just use the web interface as well. Not affiliated))

      20 votes
    13. Good, quality YouTube channels?

      Hey everyone, It’s my first post here so my apologies if I mess something up. Recently I’ve been refreshing my YouTube homepage constantly because I feel like it’s either: A.) Suggesting me things...

      Hey everyone,

      It’s my first post here so my apologies if I mess something up.

      Recently I’ve been refreshing my YouTube homepage constantly because I feel like it’s either:
      A.) Suggesting me things I’ve already seen before
      B.) Suggesting me things I have no interest in

      So I’m going to go straight to the source and find some good YouTuber Channels I may have not heard of.

      I primarily enjoy gaming critiques, history topics & natural disaster docs (kind of random I know), videos detailing scammers (SBF, Elizabeth Holmes, etc) but I don’t limit myself to these, I’m pretty much open to anything as long as it’s entertaining and/or informative… preferably both.

      YouTubers I currently watch:

      • NeverKnowsBest
      • LiamTriforce
      • Knowing Better
      • Internet Historian
      • Ordinary Things
      • RennsReviews
      • Scott The Woz
      • SAWS
      • ADoseOfBuckley
      • DAngelo Wallace

      Any recommendations are seriously appreciated. I don’t limit myself to a specific genre, but longer form content is definitely preferable.

      120 votes
    14. Resources for learning to make music

      I know the topic is very generic, but post any resources that helped you to learn making music, be it learning playing instruments or mixing. For me, justinguitar.com helped in learning guitar...

      I know the topic is very generic, but post any resources that helped you to learn making music, be it learning playing instruments or mixing.

      For me, justinguitar.com helped in learning guitar from scratch. Lessons are spread out pretty well to not make very big jumps in complexity, and I love Justin's presenting.

      12 votes
    15. Mysterious, thoughtful games? A genre I can't define

      Hello everyone, I have been craving a sort of game genre, but I'm not quite sure what it is or if it really exists as a genre at all. It is a game with a lot of existential twists to it. I could...

      Hello everyone,

      I have been craving a sort of game genre, but I'm not quite sure what it is or if it really exists as a genre at all.
      It is a game with a lot of existential twists to it. I could call it Mystery though I feel it falls short.
      The main story tends to be a complete upheaval of what we thought was the basic premise. Think of it like paradigm shift: the game.
      They also tend to be games that you can really only play once. Lucky for me my memory is horrible.

      So far I came up with these games:

      • Outer Wilds
      • Enderal (which is a "total conversion mod for Skyrim", but an amazing game)
      • The Forgotten City
      • Paradise Killer

      Most of these have some kind of cycle involved in them, but I'm not sure if that's coincidental. All of them have you learn how the world works and it's never really what you first expected.
      They tend to be light in battle, which is probably a skill issue bias on my part.

      Honorary mention to:

      • Strange Horticulture
      • Horizon Zero Dawn, but the sequel less so (although still a very good game)
      • The Zero Escape series, although I haven't played the first one yet
      • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (as it really breaks away expectations you got from earlier games too, and the existential dread is dripping off it)
      • Nier Automata
      • Doki Doki Literature Club

      Do you know any others? Or do you know a good match to this list?
      What do you think kind of links all this? Feel like playing one of these games?

      87 votes
    16. Headphone/earbud recommendation - Is there one product that fits all my needs?

      For the past week, I have been researching headphones/earbuds, buying them, and then cancelling the order immediately because I realized I was making a compromise on what I am wanting. Not a crazy...

      For the past week, I have been researching headphones/earbuds, buying them, and then cancelling the order immediately because I realized I was making a compromise on what I am wanting. Not a crazy amount of cancelled purchases, just maybe...three.

      Anyways, I am in the market for the holy grail of headphones or earbuds that fits my needs but I am thinking I might have to buy multiple for the different scenarios that I am looking for. Which are:

      • Preferably earbuds so I can take one out if I need to have an ear free for something.
      • Great mic quality - I want to be able to use these for work call and when I go outside to walk. Really need something that handles wind and background noise pretty well that doesn't leave the other person on the phone annoyed talking to me. I don't want to walk around with a boom mic in front of face though.
      • No preference on wired or wireless. If wired, I would like direct USB-C so I don't have to think about dongles or anything. I also read that mic quality degrades with Bluetooth? Not sure how accurate that is but the consensus I have read was that wired earbuds have better mics than Bluetooth. Wireless would be amazing if I knew that everything else worked well. I would take a short battery life to have top notch everything else.
      • Decent sound quality for music. I already have a pair of aftershokz that I use for working out so I'm not stranger to compromised sound quality. But when I go out on walks I want to listen to language podcasts so I can hear clearly.
      • Active noise cancelling - longshot but this would just be nice to have since I have gotten a taste for these with my Sony headphones.

      I would be interested to hear your product recommendations or solutions to my wants. I have a feeling that the perfect product doesn't exist but at the bare minimum I would take something that sounds decent and has a good mic that handles outdoor sounds well. ANC and wireless are optional but would be very amazing to have.

      I would be using these with a Samsung S22.

      9 votes
    17. Grateful Dead - listening suggestions

      Calling all Deadheads on Tildes! I've listened to the Grateful Dead sporadically throughout the years but never really took a deep dive. The incredible goldmine that is...

      Calling all Deadheads on Tildes!

      I've listened to the Grateful Dead sporadically throughout the years but never really took a deep dive. The incredible goldmine that is https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead is just waiting, mysterious and silently beckoning... but I have no map of the landscape so the question is, where to begin?

      What are your favorite recordings?

      Edit: Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm so eager to listen them all through!

      12 votes
    18. Mindmap / vision board tools to organize ideas for house?

      My wife and I are hopefully 4-5 years away from being able to build a house. We frequently have this exchange: "I definitely want <<feature>> in <<room>>!" — "You should write that down!" No one...

      My wife and I are hopefully 4-5 years away from being able to build a house. We frequently have this exchange:

      "I definitely want <<feature>> in <<room>>!"
      — "You should write that down!"
      No one writes anything down

      Has anyone used a tool or methodology you liked for a sort of vision board? I've used some basic ones that let you have text nodes (Bathroom ⟩ Shower ⟩ needs recirculation pump), but many ideas are in the form of photos or links that wouldn't be as useful without seeing them.

      I'm a software engineer, so I was thinking of trying something like Trello, which is really more for project management but I think could be shoehorned into what I want.

      9 votes
    19. Are there any games that utilize ultrawide aspect ratios in creative ways?

      I've lately exhausted most of my main library of games that would work well with an ultrawide monitor (mine being 21:9). I've been trying to find some new games to try or buy that utilize...

      I've lately exhausted most of my main library of games that would work well with an ultrawide monitor (mine being 21:9). I've been trying to find some new games to try or buy that utilize ultrawides to their potential. I think the default games that they're generally used are first person shooters given the FOV is comfortably wider and gives a competitive edge, but I'm looking for more creative utilization types.

      An off-the-cuff example would be It Takes Two: It's still a gain in FOV, but it thoroughly improves the experience when both players can see more of their half of the game. Can anyone think of any other games where the whole ultrawide gets utilized well in either FOV, UI placement, or general design choices?

      12 votes
    20. Wanted $100 Android tablet for sheet music and Google Drive

      I am looking for a wi-fi tablet for singing from pdf sheet music on a shared Google Drive. The phone is too small of a screen. In the past, tablets at this price are often junk, already...

      I am looking for a wi-fi tablet for singing from pdf sheet music on a shared Google Drive. The phone is too small of a screen.

      In the past, tablets at this price are often junk, already end-of-life, and run so badly they are unusable (balky when simply scrolling). So, I am still using paper for now, afraid to buy yet another disappointing piece of junk despite not needing anything high end.

      Any suggestions?

      7 votes
    21. Who are your favorite children's authors?

      Parents of young kids: Who are your favorite authors for reading to your young kids? I have a soon-to-be 4 year old who loves books and I'm always looking for new ideas. I'll start off with a few...

      Parents of young kids: Who are your favorite authors for reading to your young kids? I have a soon-to-be 4 year old who loves books and I'm always looking for new ideas. I'll start off with a few of her favorite authors, with a good title from each (not in rank order).

      Alice and Martin Provensen - Our Animal Friends on Maple Hill Farm
      Julia Donaldson - Room on the Broom
      Kaya Doi - Chirri and Chirra
      Margaret Mahy - Dashing Dog
      Anne Hunter - Possum's Harvest Moon
      Paul Goble - The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

      I'll single out the Chirri and Chirra books with an explanation because they're very different from the others. They are translated from Japanese, and despite having super simple plot lines, the drawings are a lot of fun and a wonderful complement to the text.

      29 votes
    22. Cycling computers

      Since it seems we have a few other cyclists on here, I thought I would ask for a recommendation. I'm looking at bike computers, and I've been going back and forth between Wahoo and Garmin. I don't...

      Since it seems we have a few other cyclists on here, I thought I would ask for a recommendation. I'm looking at bike computers, and I've been going back and forth between Wahoo and Garmin. I don't need anything super fancy, so I've been looking at the Bolt or the 530. I really want it for making a route on the computer, and then getting directions at turns (along with the basics like speed, distance, time, etc.).

      My biggest priority is stability and battery life. I've read some reviews of the Wahoo saying it crashed or froze on them, which would be a huge turn off to me. My current "computer" is just a simple magnet on the wheel that runs a sensor - it never crashes or freezes or anything like that, and I change the battery about once or twice a year.

      So, I'm curious if anyone has suggestions or experience with these.

      And also I just wanted to get more cycling content on here... :-)

      13 votes
    23. Vegetarian cabbage recipes?

      Hello! I was just wondering if anyone has any tried and true vegetarian/vegan cabbage recipes? I got a local farmer's produce box and have been receiving a whole head of cabbage each time. I'm...

      Hello!

      I was just wondering if anyone has any tried and true vegetarian/vegan cabbage recipes? I got a local farmer's produce box and have been receiving a whole head of cabbage each time. I'm running out of ideas on what to make. So far I have made:

      • Korean Vegetable Pan Cakes
      • Veggie Stir Fry
      • Ginger Cabbage Gyoza
      • Cabbage Stew
      • Sour Kraut
      • Veggie Lasagna
      • Atkilt

      It's to the point where I'm tossing cabbage into whatever (shredded cabbage ontop of tacos or on
      veggie burgers, mixing it into spaghetti sauce, etc.). So any recommendations on additional things that can be made with cabbage would be most appreciated!

      23 votes
    24. Share your favorite musicians/bands! I want to discover some new music.

      My favorite band is Caamp. If you like American Folk, definitely check them out. I’d recommend these: Vagabond (most popular) No Sleep 26 Lavender Girl Strawberries (slow/sad song) I’m looking for...

      My favorite band is Caamp. If you like American Folk, definitely check them out. I’d recommend these:

      • Vagabond (most popular)
      • No Sleep
      • 26
      • Lavender Girl
      • Strawberries (slow/sad song)

      I’m looking for new music so I want to hear what everyone else listens to. Here are some more musicians/bands I love: The Lumineers, Jack Johnson, Tyler Childers, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and Greta Van Fleet.

      37 votes
    25. Low stakes fantasy recommendation

      I read "Legends and Lattes" recently and liked the premise of the entire book. Does anyone know any other books that have a laid back and chill adventure story with little to no violence, gore,...

      I read "Legends and Lattes" recently and liked the premise of the entire book. Does anyone know any other books that have a laid back and chill adventure story with little to no violence, gore, and stuff like that?

      Thanks in advance.

      33 votes
    26. Zero to low prep games

      So, I have been getting into some Blades in the dark stuff recently. I am loving it due to the fact that I really don't need to spend much time between sessions doing any prep. Sure, I can spend...

      So, I have been getting into some Blades in the dark stuff recently. I am loving it due to the fact that I really don't need to spend much time between sessions doing any prep. Sure, I can spend as much time brainstorming cool stuff to happen but really it all happens at the table.

      So, what other cool TTRPGs are out there that support this kind of play?

      19 votes
    27. What are your favorite books in the horror (or horror-adjacent) genre?

      I'm always looking recommendations for my next read. I haven't read many "pure" horror books this year, but I would like to recommend The Raw Shark Texts and The Library at Mt. Char. The former...

      I'm always looking recommendations for my next read. I haven't read many "pure" horror books this year, but I would like to recommend The Raw Shark Texts and The Library at Mt. Char. The former especially leads to some great discussions between readers.

      39 votes
    28. Can you help recommend books and documentaries?

      I’m always looking for a good new book or, on lesser occasions, a good documentary. I love reading about “how stuff works”, astrophysics (space and its sheer size are insane to me), and oddly,...

      I’m always looking for a good new book or, on lesser occasions, a good documentary. I love reading about “how stuff works”, astrophysics (space and its sheer size are insane to me), and oddly, random fantasy stuff like wizarding worlds, etc.
      Judgements aside I like reading Harry Potter and some of the books by Neil Degrasse Tyson as well as watching Cosmos (Carl and Neil both).

      What hidden gems do you have?

      19 votes
    29. Short campaign reccomendations?

      Hi, im looking for some reccomendations of short campaigns, like 3-4 months sort of thing- I'm planning to run in 5e, but im pretty open to any other systems people can recomend- what are peoples...

      Hi, im looking for some reccomendations of short campaigns, like 3-4 months sort of thing- I'm planning to run in 5e, but im pretty open to any other systems people can recomend- what are peoples faves, what are they playing through at the minute?

      7 votes
    30. Interesting Matrix spaces?

      To be clear, Matrix as in the communication protocol. Curious if anyone has any recommendations for communities there. Personally I am mostly in the NixOS space, since that is the official chat...

      To be clear, Matrix as in the communication protocol. Curious if anyone has any recommendations for communities there. Personally I am mostly in the NixOS space, since that is the official chat for issues and questions.

      11 votes
    31. Heading to Japan next month - must sees?

      I'm heading to Japan for about 10 days next month for the first week of July and then some, and I was wondering if there's anything I've missed in my trip planning process. I'm gonna be in Tokyo,...

      I'm heading to Japan for about 10 days next month for the first week of July and then some, and I was wondering if there's anything I've missed in my trip planning process. I'm gonna be in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.

      So far I have a nice list of stores to visit for fashion, specifically streetwear and techwear, (Mountain Research, Arcteryx, PARCO building, etc), and a good list of foods I'm looking forwards to, (sushi, ramen, onigiri, etc). I'm planning on going to Tsujiki Fish Market, Akihabra, and Shibuya, and I have a tattoo appointment for one of the days. I also have a reservation for the Pokemon Cafe!

      My family is originally from an Asian country, so I'm already familiar with the beauty and quality of Asian 7-11's/FamilyMarts. (If you haven't tried them yet, definitely do!) Not a huge fan of anime in general, and I prefer cities for sure. Probably gonna see Osaka Castle and the one in Tokyo as well!

      43 votes
    32. For those of you that listen to lots of live recordings, how do you store and listen to them?

      As somebody who loves live music and audience recordings thereof more than almost anything, I've always been quite a fan of listening to ROIOs—recordings of independent origin. I spend time every...

      As somebody who loves live music and audience recordings thereof more than almost anything, I've always been quite a fan of listening to ROIOs—recordings of independent origin. I spend time every day finding new recordings, as well as making, mastering, and distributing my own.

      Of course, the community of people that do this is very large indeed! And yet, I rarely see people discussing how they listen thereto in this digital era. It's hard to avoid being advertised one of the uncountable software solutions for listening to one's favourite albums, but no software seems to specifically cater to fans of live music to my knowledge, with the only options being either to bodge some metadata for every single live recording one has and treat each like an album, which drowns out actual albums (do I really want hundreds of live recordings of Godspeed You! Black Emperor or black midi amid their respective small number of released work?), takes a lot of work, and feels a bit silly, or one can navigate through a file manager and open a directory of a live performance in, say, VLC Media Player, which is functional if awkward and unglamorous.

      I've always wondered how others approach this issue: how do you?

      9 votes
    33. Can you recommend me some Android games to play on my flight?

      I'm getting on a 5 hour flight later today. I've got my Android phone (S22 Ultra) and cheap Android tablet (Lenovo P11 G2) with me. What are some of your favourite games you'd recommend to pass...

      I'm getting on a 5 hour flight later today. I've got my Android phone (S22 Ultra) and cheap Android tablet (Lenovo P11 G2) with me. What are some of your favourite games you'd recommend to pass the time?

      Because I'll be on a plane they'll have to playable without an internet connection. I also don't have any controllers with me, so would prefer games with decent touch controls. I'm open to any genre, but I particularly like RPGs. Thank you in advance!

      27 votes
    34. Recommendations for music players for macOS

      Hi everyone! I've been using Vox for about a year now to listen to music and while there are some good qualities to it, I'm honestly fed up with the lack of volume normalisation and having to...

      Hi everyone!

      I've been using Vox for about a year now to listen to music and while there are some good qualities to it, I'm honestly fed up with the lack of volume normalisation and having to constantly adjust my volume manually (There's heaps years old of threads on their forums requesting or complaining about this). So here I am looking for a replacement and was wondering if anyone has a setup that I could copy. Here are the requirements that I have:

      • I can stream my own music library of high quality music (FLAC format).
      • It provides volume normalisation.
      • I can set my whole library to shuffle.
      • Native macOS client.

      I've been doing some looking around and so far the most likely solution will be for me to set up a Gonic server at home and use Strawberry Music Player on my laptop. A close second contender was Youtube music but they don't provide a native client and I currently use a combination of keyboard shortcuts and applescripts to manage playback (I found media keys insufficient but that's a topic for another post).

      I am currently paying a subscription fee for Vox so I don't mind if I have to pay for the new player, I'd prefer a service like that for ease of use rather than rolling out my own.

      Update
      For posterity I'm posting what I ended up doing. I tried Roon and while it looked and felt amazing, the ability for streaming out of home is very limited, it's intended to stream within a local network. It appears you can only do remote streaming to a mobile device and requires a custom port to be forwarded, I wanted to put this behind a reverse proxy but was not able to do that (Seems it's not supported).
      I did not try Plexamp, after all the work I did to get Gonic set up properly it felt like I was doing too much work myself to pay for a solution. Ideally I wanted something that would "just work" even if it wasn't free but no solution did that. If I had access to a free trial I would have probably tested it as well.
      I already had Gonic working within my home network going into this but setup of it is still trivial. The bulk of the work came in setting a dynamic DNS set up, and a reverse proxy (NPM) inside my network to provide HTTPS support with Letsencrypt certificates for Gonic (It's only HTTP). I spend too much time trying to have a secure setup (Crowdsec + Cloudflare) but after ditching that, I'm still happy with it and looking at logs it does not appear there's any significant risk to my network (I'm also using a geoip block to outright block requests from some countries).
      As far as clients go, I settled with Strawberry. Tried the following:

      • Sonixd: It had limited hotkey functionality and doesn't seem to be actively developed anymore.
      • Submariner: Did not work.
      • Clementine: Current version crashes on launch, rc version complaints about wrong credentials when connecting to the server.
      7 votes
    35. Looking for suggestions for games that don't require hand eye coordination or fast twitch reflexes

      I have some disabilities that mean that I am limited to deliberative games where you proceed at your own pace. I am looking for games you enjoy or have enjoyed. Could be strategy or building or...

      I have some disabilities that mean that I am limited to deliberative games where you proceed at your own pace. I am looking for games you enjoy or have enjoyed. Could be strategy or building or story based or other, but nothing relying on physical reflexes or reaction times. Thank in advance.

      51 votes
    36. Vegan recipe log

      Hi all. I cook as often as I can and thought it might be fun to chat about any recipes you’ve tried or would like to try! I’m vegan so anything I post in this thread will be too. Maybe even share...

      Hi all. I cook as often as I can and thought it might be fun to chat about any recipes you’ve tried or would like to try! I’m vegan so anything I post in this thread will be too. Maybe even share snacks or restaurants that are you’ve tried that you’ve liked!

      To start is a simple sauce/stir fry recipe I make when I’m pretty tired after a long day:

      Spicy salty sweet sauce:

      1-2 tbsp gochugaru
      1 tbsp white or black rice vinegar
      1 tbsp mirin
      1 tbsp soy sauce
      1 tbsp agave or maple syrup
      1 tsp corn starch

      I usually put all of the ingredients together except for the corn starch and then set aside as I do the rest of the prep.

      The rest of the recipe is a bit more variable as I have certain ingredients but looks like this:

      1 cup cooked white rice OR hand pulled noodles

      Noodle recipe:
      250g all purpose flour
      125 ml water
      1/4-1/2 tsp salt
      Canola oil

      I add the flour, water, and salt to a bowl, mixing with my fingers. It starts to form pretty quickly into a mass. I knead the mass of dough into a ball until uniform. With the large, smooth dough ball I cut it into 8 pieces with a knife, roll them into a sort of prolate spheroid shape, and coat with canola oil. Put the oiled dough shapes into a bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let them rest for about an hour or so.

      Heat a pot of water. Flatten the dough pieces into rectangles with a rolling pin. Use the rolling pin (if it’s a thin one, otherwise I use large chopsticks), to press the dough lengthways to create a sort of seam. Hold each end of the dough and slowly pull to stretch. Slap on counter as you pull a few times. Stretch it as long or short as you’d like. On the seam you made with the rolling pin, split the noodle apart so that the noodle is now a large loop. Put into the boiling water and wait roughly a minute /or until it’s floating. Can cook a few noodles at a time, though I usually do one or two and roll/pull while they boil.

      With the noodles or rice done or going and the sauce almost ready, start to chop vegetables, maybe a cup or so of 2-3 types. I like Napa cabbage, squash, green onions, bell pepper, and carrots but really get whatever you’d like or have on hand at the time. Sauté the vegetables in a tbsp or so of oil (I use canola or olive), starting with onions/garlic and then adding others as you see fit. Once the vegetables are done to your liking, add the noodles or rice, then the sauce (adding in the corn starch to the sauce at this point) and stir.

      Often I’ll actually fry a half block or block of tofu I’ve cubed before adding vegetables into the oil. I usually do this as the noodles (or if I’m doing a pot of rice, as it begins to cook) are about done resting, maybe with 15-20 mins to go, since frying tofu can take awhile.

      I like to serve in bowls, topping with a dash of sesame oil, black sesame seeds, and fresh green onion.

      I’ll post more recipes in the thread as I make them but this is probably the most frequent thing I make in a given week. Feel free to share your own!

      28 votes
    37. Visual novels and adventure games with choices that matter?

      So I've been wanting to host some gameplay sessions on Discord for a while now, and I figured the best option would be visual novels or adventure games and similar types of games that are more...

      So I've been wanting to host some gameplay sessions on Discord for a while now, and I figured the best option would be visual novels or adventure games and similar types of games that are more story-driven. You don't have to worry about the video lagging as much, and you can pretty easily pause playing to talk to people without worrying about getting distracted.

      What I particularly want are games that have choices that matter so people can give input. Someone once mentioned playing "Your Turn To Die" with friends where they could vote on the choices, and it's been stuck in my head ever since. If you haven't played that game, there are multiple points where you have to choose between two characters dying, which definitely shapes later chapters. Obviously I know what goes on in that game though, and I'd prefer to be just as blind as everyone else.

      So please give me suggestions! Funny games, mystery games, horror games, psychological thrillers, I'm open to anything! (Except most dating sims. Those can be long and tedious if they don't have some twist to them.)

      Minor edit: It doesn't have to be just visual novels or adventure games. I'm open to basically any game that doesn't depend on real-time reaction speeds (e.g. most platformers), so that we don't have to worry about getting killed while talking, or the video lagging and/or quality dropping for some people. (That's the main reason I've eliminated movies as an option, video lag and connection quality issues can really hamper the experience.)

      37 votes
    38. Can you recommend me visual novels with no choices?

      A bit inspired by the similarly worded but opposite question someone asked earlier. Any visual novel recommendations that are focused on just reading without having to worry about making choices?...

      A bit inspired by the similarly worded but opposite question someone asked earlier. Any visual novel recommendations that are focused on just reading without having to worry about making choices? Some examples of what I have already read, I'm looking for more like this: Planetarian and Harmonia.

      9 votes
    39. AlbumLove recommendations thread: June 2023

      Choose one album that you love that you think deserves more love Tell us what it is, and why. Previous posts in series Additional Details What is this? It's a new post series I'm trying out! Each...

      Choose one album
      that you love
      that you think deserves more love

      Tell us what it is, and why.


      Previous posts in series


      Additional Details

      What is this?

      It's a new post series I'm trying out! Each month people can use the AlbumLove thread to post an album they love and explore those posted by others.

      I'm planning to put up a new AlbumLove thread on the first of each month for a few months to see how these go as a trial run. If people like it we can keep it going — if they don’t it’ll fizzle out and I’ll stop.

      Why AlbumLove?

      In this day and age, algorithmic recommendations for music are easy to come by, and it's trivial to seek out new music that interests you by searching online. AlbumLove offers an opportunity to sift through music loved by others, including those who might have divergent tastes from you. Think of this as an opportunity to listen outside of your comfort zone, with music that you know someone else adores, from a small pool of thoughtful hand-selected options.

      What do I post?

      Any album that you love and that you feel deserves more appreciation. There are no restrictions on genre, year, or anything else, and nothing is “too popular” or “too niche”. If you think it needs more love — for whatever reason — then it’s welcome in AlbumLove.

      Name the artist and the album, and then, most importantly, share what you love about the album. It could be the music itself, but it could also be your associations with it -- maybe the album reminds you of someone you love, or you saw the band live and got a new appreciation for the studio songs.

      Also, commenting on others' recommendations is encouraged! If you love something that someone else shared, let them know!

      Do I have to listen to what everyone else posts?

      Nope. You don't have to listen to anything if you don't want to. This is about creating a menu of options that people can explore as they wish.

      Can I post more than one album in a month?

      Nope. Limit one! This helps us be more selective about what we choose, as well as preventing the threads from getting flooded with too many contributions to keep track of.

      Why albums and not songs/artists?

      I like albums. :)

      Seriously though, I feel like it's a very different thing to like an album as a whole versus a few songs or just an artist's general vibe. I like the idea of quantizing music for appreciation in the same way we might do with books or movies.

      What about EPs?

      Fair game!

      27 votes
    40. Any 2022/3 horror/thriller movies that anyone would recommend?

      Hey everyone! I love a good horror/thriller type movie and tend to binge on them every few months. I am however behind on releases over the last year or so :< I'd love to get some recommendations...

      Hey everyone!

      I love a good horror/thriller type movie and tend to binge on them every few months. I am however behind on releases over the last year or so :<

      I'd love to get some recommendations from the wider community to add to my list of must sees!

      Thank you in advance!!

      31 votes
    41. What is the simplest possible marinade recipe?

      I'm looking for the simplest possible marinade recipe. Something with very few ingredients that will work on any cut of meat. My plan is to use that as a base and learn to modify it based on the...

      I'm looking for the simplest possible marinade recipe. Something with very few ingredients that will work on any cut of meat.

      My plan is to use that as a base and learn to modify it based on the meat, dish, and flavor profile I'm going for.

      15 votes
    42. Looking for high-adrenaline suggestions

      I’d really appreciate suggestions for any action-packed anime series you might be able to share. I “play” Zwift indoors for exercise when I don’t have time to ride my bicycle outside. While Zwift...

      I’d really appreciate suggestions for any action-packed anime series you might be able to share.

      I “play” Zwift indoors for exercise when I don’t have time to ride my bicycle outside. While Zwift is a huge improvement over nothing, I still find myself watching the clock more than the screen. To help keep my mind busy and pass the time, I’ve been watching anime while riding indoors for the last several years. The more intense the anime, the better!

      I think the early Attack on Titan seasons are the most emblematic of what I’m looking for, though I’ve been enraptured by other less likely shows, such as Psycho-Pass and Dr. Stone.

      Chainsaw Man, Blue Lock, Shield Hero, Sword Art Online, Parasyte , the first season of Vinland Saga, Shokugeki, and many others have helped me get through countless hours of riding in the past, and I could really use a few new series going forward.

      Thanks in advance!

      Edit: cleaned up some phrasing

      Edit 2: It's really hard to come up with an exhaustive list, but as folks jog my memory (or when my own addled brain decides to be useful) I'll add other series I've seen so far as well.

      • Yowamushi Pedal
        • Because: of course
      • Lastman
        • A rare French anime, and I really enjoyed it
      • Fireforce
      • Neon Genesis Evangelion
      • One Punch Man
      • Kill La Kill
      • Gurren Lagann
      • Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
        • Watched a few episodes but struggled to get into it
      • Eighty-Six
      • My Hero Academia
      • Demon Slayer
        • Watched through the train movie and discontinued when they turned said movie into the next season
      • Mob Psycho 100
        • Watched a few episodes but struggled to get into it
      • Hunter X Hunter
      • Cowboy Bebop
      • RWBY
        • Struggling with the current season
      • Tokyo Ghoul
        • Struggling with season 3
      • Sabikoi Bisco
        • Made it to episode 10 and fell out of it, can't remember why
      • Ranking of Kings
        • Made it to episode 8 but never got into it
      • Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun
        • Made it to episode 11 before dropping it
      • To Your Eternity
        • Made it a handful of episodes in but never got into it
      • Berserk
        • Watched the first season, need to get back to the second
      • Black Clover
        • Amusing enough, managed to watch 143 episodes lol
      • MEGALOBOX
      • FLCL
      • Naruto
      • That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
      • Tower of God
      • Aoashi
      • Black Summoner
      • DNA2
      • Death Parade
      • Erased
        • This one hit me in the feels
      • Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
      • Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
      • The Greatest Demon Lord is reborn as a Typical Nobody
      • Gundam Build Divers
      • Kaiji
      • Noblesse
      • Over Drive
      • Overlord
      • The Promised Neverland
      • Puella Magi Madoka Magica
      • Shinobi no Ittoki
      • So I'm a Spider, So What?
      • The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat
      • takt op.Destiny
      • RE:Zero
      9 votes
    43. What RSS feeds do you use for tech news?

      I recently decided to start using RSS to curate interesting news as I feel I am being overloaded with Clickbait from all directions when I am looking for the latest news or updates on Google. I'm...

      I recently decided to start using RSS to curate interesting news as I feel I am being overloaded with Clickbait from all directions when I am looking for the latest news or updates on Google. I'm looking for some good sources for Tech or Programming Articles or news that aren’t just clickbait and have good informative content.

      I currently have BBC News, Krebs On Security and Ars Technica, does anyone have any other website suggestions which are worth subscribing to?

      Ars Technica Information Technology - https://feeds.arstechnica.com/arstechnica/technology-lab
      Ars Technica - Gaming & Entertainment - https://feeds.arstechnica.com/arstechnica/gaming
      BBC Tech - http://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/technology/rss.xml
      Krebs On Security - https://krebsonsecurity.com/feed/

      26 votes
    44. Work trip to Palo Alto, CA - Seeking recommendations

      In a few weeks, I'll be making a short trip (3 days) to Palo Alto, working in the Stanford Medical Center area. I'm hoping for some local or experienced insight into "don't miss" destinations for...

      In a few weeks, I'll be making a short trip (3 days) to Palo Alto, working in the Stanford Medical Center area.

      I'm hoping for some local or experienced insight into "don't miss" destinations for food, culture, history, and sight-seeing. It's likely I'll only have Sunday afternoon and weekday evenings free, so the personal tour may have to be more focused than local guides might otherwise suggest.

      My home area has great food, but I'm really starving for Eastern cuisines. I'm willing to go beyond what a corporate travel budget permits if there's truly extraordinary, "can't get anywhere else" dining available.

      Your insights are greatly appreciated!

      14 votes
    45. Any recommendations that are on audiobooks.com?

      I'm big on audiobooks and trying to move away from the Audible monopoly starting with the book "Chokepoint Capitalism" (which is about monopolies like that). Unfortunately, the smaller library is...

      I'm big on audiobooks and trying to move away from the Audible monopoly starting with the book "Chokepoint Capitalism" (which is about monopolies like that).

      Unfortunately, the smaller library is hampered even more by the dodgy search (I just finished two books in a trilogy, why are you showing me the spanish translations of the author's other books?) and I'm struggling to fill my wishlist which has never been a problem on Audible.

      So far I'm really liking Chokepoint Capitalism but looking for any suggestions once that's done. I've read a decent amount of mainstream fantasy (Stormlight archive, Wheel of Time, Robin Hobb, Tolkien), some popular scifi (Aasimov, w40k stuff, recently enjoyed "Armor" by Steakly), a lot of light nonfiction about finance, history and pop psychology ("The Big Short" or anything by Michael Lewis, "Debt: The first 5000 years", "Girt", "The man who mistook his wife for a hat") and have recently been on a big Ken Follett kick (historical fantasy?)

      Any good listens that I should give a go?

      PS. sorry for sounding like a shill post for audiobooks.com. I swear I'm not trying to drive clicks that's just the name of the company and recent Brandon Sanderson drama has made me aware of how much power Amazon has over the only way I consume literature nowadays

      13 votes
    46. Looking for sustainably designed anti-fast fashion brands

      Hey all! Most clothing and fashion brands that you can find in your local shops or online are fast-fashion: cheap to produce in mass quantities, using cheap materials and don’t last very long. For...

      Hey all! Most clothing and fashion brands that you can find in your local shops or online are fast-fashion: cheap to produce in mass quantities, using cheap materials and don’t last very long. For example, I currently buy my t-shirts from Banana Republic Factory for around $10-$15 and they last maybe 8-12 months before they shrink in the wash or discolor.

      I’m looking for some alternatives! I’m okay paying a little bit more for stuff that’s going to last a long time. Open to any suggestions for a more sustainable, long-lasting wardrobe!

      44 votes
    47. Haunting covers, or something like that

      Hey folks, A few years ago I went in to the basement room where the cool kids hung out while they did video conversions and such. They had a playlist in the background of "Haunting Covers" or...

      Hey folks,

      A few years ago I went in to the basement room where the cool kids hung out while they did video conversions and such. They had a playlist in the background of "Haunting Covers" or something like that. It was a take on all different music, but played in a really chilled, gothic style and by a mix of un/lesser-known artists.

      Does anyone have some recommendations? To give you an idea, one of the more known tracks I heard while I was there was Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit but covered by Tori Amos.

      Thanks.

      10 votes