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    1. If you had up to $55k to purchase an electric vehicle (new/used) with a range of a least 250 miles, what would you buy?

      I'm in the market for another EV. I have a Leaf currently and love it for in town driving. I want something with more range for longer trips. I've looked at Hyundai, Tesla, VW, and Ford vehicles....

      I'm in the market for another EV. I have a Leaf currently and love it for in town driving. I want something with more range for longer trips.

      I've looked at Hyundai, Tesla, VW, and Ford vehicles. No vehicle is perfect. I like the HUD of the Hyundai and the full self driving of the Tesla. I don't like the look of the Ford Mustang, and the Lightning is comfy but enormous. And since Tesla has been around for a while, there's the option of a used Model S compared to a new Model 3 (for instance).

      This doesn't necessarily have to be an advice thread - trying to find the best vehicle for me. I'm more looking for your personal pros/cons of vehicles in the EV market from your perspective.
      Like the title asks, what would you buy in today's market?

      29 votes
    2. Seeking advice for solving USB-C hell on new laptop

      Edit: I changed some windows settings based on advice here. The situation is improved and I am going to see how things go before buying new equipment. Thank you everyone So I recently bought a new...

      Edit: I changed some windows settings based on advice here. The situation is improved and I am going to see how things go before buying new equipment. Thank you everyone

      So I recently bought a new laptop. I use an external mouse, keyboard, headphones etc, all of which come with usb A connectors that worked well with my old laptop.

      When the new laptop arrived there weren't nearly enough ports for either usb A or usb c so I invested in a peripheral that links four usb a connections to one usb c connection on the laptop. Edit, it is powered and plugged in. Now the connection with everything plugged in seems to be intermittent and the mouse and external keyboard don't work reliably.

      I have read a couple of articles and I am even more confused but they seem to be saying that usb c is not plug and play the way usb a was. What the fuck. Why do this like this? What do I do now?

      I just spent significant money on this computer and I don't want to replace a functioning mouse and keyboard

      13 votes
    3. 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
    4. Building a home media server on a budget

      Hi I figured before I start venturing into other forums dedicated to this sort of thing, I'd ask here on Tildes since I'm at least comfortable with the community and how helpful they can be here....

      Hi

      I figured before I start venturing into other forums dedicated to this sort of thing, I'd ask here on Tildes since I'm at least comfortable with the community and how helpful they can be here.

      I'm tired of all of the subscription services I have, movies and TV shows disappearing from them, buying a film on Prime and only being able to watch it offline through a specific app. Even then, half the time we're watching comfort TV shows that we have on DVD already (X-Files and Friends for instance).

      So I figured that building a home media server would give me the chance to cut the cord with a couple of these services and allow us to start using and controlling our own data again.

      I have a budget of around £300 (I could perhaps push to £400 if needed) and I'm honestly not sure at all where to start. I have knowledge on how to build brand new, medium to high end gaming PCs as I've done it since I was in my late teens and built my first PC with the wages from my very first job but building a budget minded PC for use as a home media server goes completely over my head.

      I've noticed that a lot of the pre-built NAS or media server boxes are very expensive so my first thought was to buy a refurbed workstation or small form factor PC that has enough "oomph" to do the trick but I don't know what ones to even start looking at and then I start to feel a little bit out of my comfort zone.

      Things like getting the right CPU in these refurbed machines that offers the features I'm looking for like hardware transcoding etc., integrated GPU's, ensuring there's enough SATA ports for multiple hard drives and an SSD for a boot drive, and then to top it all off ensuring that while achieving these features the thing shouldn't draw too much power when idling as it'll be on for long stretches of time, if not left on 24/7.

      I've also got no knowledge of Linux, I've never even looked at it but if it's genuinely easy enough (for someone with next to no Linux experience) then I'd be happy to give it a shot if it offers better performance compared to using Windows 10 or something.

      All the server will be used for is watching TV shows, perhaps the odd film, listening to a bit of music perhaps and the odd podcast now and again. Simultaneous streaming will be fairly minimal, perhaps 2 streams as me or my partner watch one thing and our daughter watches another on her tablet. In regards to streaming outside the house that will also be almost non-existent, perhaps, again our daughter watching a kids TV show like Pokemon or Fireman Sam on her tablet when we're out but me and my partner don't tend to watch anything when we're outside the house, certainly not TV shows or movies anyway.

      Redundancy isn't something I'm too horrendously worried about, I wouldn't be storing anything like photos that we wouldn't want to lose on it and while it'd be annoying, losing a drive with TV shows or films on it wouldn't be the end of the world.

      Any help would be massively appreciated, thanks.

      36 votes
    5. What did you change your mind about this year?

      Hey everyone! I thought since the community has grown quite substantially since I last asked this question[1] it would be nice to bring it back up again. Without getting into whether or not the...

      Hey everyone! I thought since the community has grown quite substantially since I last asked this question[1] it would be nice to bring it back up again. Without getting into whether or not the specific idea that "strong opinions, weakly held" may or may not have merit, I think having flexibility in your thinking and not holding on to opinions out of loyalty or inertia is a valuable skill to have. So, small or big, what is something that you changed your mind about this year?

      [1] https://tildes.net/~talk/11mw/what_is_something_you_have_changed_your_mind_about_in_the_last_year

      60 votes
    6. It looks like Facebook will be forcing me to switch to Messenger. What are my options?

      Today when I opened Messenger Lite there was a message from Meta saying " your chats will be moving to Messenger" and that Messenger Lite will stop working on September 18. I actively switched...

      Today when I opened Messenger Lite there was a message from Meta saying " your chats will be moving to Messenger" and that Messenger Lite will stop working on September 18. I actively switched from Messenger to Messenger Lite several years ago because the regular Messenger app was draining my battery. Are there any alternatives to Messenger Lite on Android? Perhaps even FOSS?Or will my only option be to move to the old Messenger app if I want to use Facebook messenger? I have some work related groups on Messenger that would be tough to move to another platform, so Please don't just say "use Signal" or something similar.

      28 votes
    7. Reports/surveys like The Trevor Project report for other populations?

      Hey folks, I have been following The Trevor Project's survey for a few years now and their 2023 one is just presented in a fantastic, easy to read and understand way so I think it's a great...

      Hey folks, I have been following The Trevor Project's survey for a few years now and their 2023 one is just presented in a fantastic, easy to read and understand way so I think it's a great resource and worth sharing

      The Trevor Project 2023 Survey on Mental Health in LGBTQ young people

      BUT, I'm also looking for similar reports focusing on other minoritized populations in particular, or (whether in part or in full) focusing on the age ranges covering college students. I'm struggling to find something nearly so comprehensive, but I'm also not sure I'm looking in the right way. The Steve Fund seems to be a great resource for mental health for students of color, for example, but doesn't have obviously available data like this

      10 votes
    8. Fresh Album Fridays: Nicki Minaj, Neil Young, Blu and more

      Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest. Discussion...

      Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest.

      Discussion Points

      What are you looking forward to listen to?
      Have you listened to any of these releases?
      What are your thoughts?
      What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past?

      Why Friday?

      Most (but not all) new LPs/EPs release on a Friday, as labels want to give the release a full week of sales before entering the charts.

      ~~ Feedback on the format welcome

      9 votes
    9. Fitness Weekly Discussion

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?

      10 votes
    10. Issues with NGS Library Prep

      Greetings Folks, I apologize if this is the wrong spot for this but I'd like to cast a net to see if I can get any additional thoughts or help. I recently started a new job as NGS Library Prep...

      Greetings Folks, I apologize if this is the wrong spot for this but I'd like to cast a net to see if I can get any additional thoughts or help.

      I recently started a new job as NGS Library Prep Tech - sadly I had only begun training on this briefly at my last position but only got an introduction to Speed/Mag Bead clean up. I was hired because the lab is growing quickly and has had issues with organizational stuff in the past and that is my strong suit (my last position I did a lot of clonal DNA / miniprep stuff as far as the wet work went).

      The person I was replacing at my new job was only there for two days and didn't really help a whole lot other than hand me a haphazardly written protocol and said "practice by cleaning ladders at different bead concentrations and running them on a gel."

      Did that and was told they look good.

      Fast forward to using actual samples: There were a set that needed to be redone because the final pool was lost. When I did my first qubit quants after the post PCR speed bead clean up I noticed that the quant concentrations were ~80% less than what they had been previously.

      Today I have some remaining sample that I can push through PCR, my plan is to quant 8 out of the 53 samples of the pre / post PCR plate and then again after I do clean up.

      As far as clean up goes I had been trying to do the whole plate at once, but I'm going to go back to just completing a column at a time to ensure my timing is better.

      Are there particular spots in the Speed / Mag Bead clean up process that I should be aware that I could be washing away / losing DNA?

      Do people have any tips on how to be more 'sure footed' in this process?

      Ways that I can better practice and say "yup, I've got this!"?

      Thanks for the help, and if this should be posted somewhere else please let me know, but as this is 'science' related I thought it fit best here.

      7 votes
    11. Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like plagiarism, greedflation and grand theft auto.6. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if...

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like plagiarism, greedflation and grand theft auto.6. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was half interested.

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

      8 votes
    12. 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.

      9 votes
    13. Any RC enthusiast here?

      I recently decided to get a new hobby and have been interested in RC's for a while. I wouldn't mind getting into racing buggies/truggies, however in order to see if I even like the hobby I decided...

      I recently decided to get a new hobby and have been interested in RC's for a while. I wouldn't mind getting into racing buggies/truggies, however in order to see if I even like the hobby I decided to get and a decent used basher I can tinker with. I picked up a Arrma Kraton 6s V4 complete with batteries, chargers, and a few other extra's for a good price on FBMP.

      I ran it for a few hours and loved it, right now it's tore down into the three major sections and I'm waiting on parts. Previous owner was a 14 year old and it appears it was a pandemic buy, so maintenance is lacking/non-existant.

      Before I realized it between running it this morning, tearing it down, research on parts it was 10:00pm at night, lol. My pittbull is currently sulking because I'm late to bed.

      15 votes
    14. MangaLove, a series sharing thread: December 2023

      Choose one series that you love that you think deserves more love Tell us what it is, and why. Previous posts in the series Additional Details Why MangaLove? Finding new series is hard! The medium...

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

      Tell us what it is, and why.


      Previous posts in the series


      Additional Details

      Why MangaLove?

      Finding new series is hard! The medium continues to become more mainstream and accessible, but that hasn't changed the fact that there's a lot of stuff to consume and few ways to find something you may like.

      MangaLove offers an opportunity to sift through series loved by others, including those who might have divergent tastes from you. Think of this as an opportunity to venture outside of your comfort zone, with a series that you know someone else adores, from a small pool of thoughtful hand-selected options.

      Is this just for Manga? Can I share Anime, or Manhwa, or...

      Feel free to share any Anime, Manga, Manhwa, or Manhua that you love!

      What do I post?

      Any series 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 MangaLove.

      Please make sure to include:

      • The series name
      • The author
      • A short description of the premise
      • What you love about the series. It could be the story, the art, but it could also be your associations with it -- maybe the series reminds you of someone you love, or the period in your life when you first consume it.

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

      Do I have to watch/read to what everyone else posts?

      Nope. You don't have to consume anything 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 series 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.

      7 votes
    15. Movie of the Week #6 - Lost Highway (1997)

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      So we have a month with movies from the 1990s and we are starting off with Lost Highway directed by David Lynch from 1997.

      IMDb
      Letterboxd
      Wikipedia

      Are you familiar with other works by David Lynch and how does this compare? Does it have a certain "90s feel" to it? Feel free to add any thoughts, opinions, reflections, analysis or whatever comments related to this film.


      The rest of the schedule is:

      • 11th of December: Edward Scissorhands
      • 18th of December: The Talented Mr. Ripley
      • 25th of December: Home Alone
      14 votes
    16. Anyone else feeling completely exhausted this week? What's making you so tired?

      2023 has been one of our busiest years in a decade for me and my partner. We moved house, experienced big career changes, and tackled responsibilities that kept rolling in. The pent up energy from...

      2023 has been one of our busiest years in a decade for me and my partner. We moved house, experienced big career changes, and tackled responsibilities that kept rolling in. The pent up energy from COVID years helped us get through it, and I'm proud of how much we've gotten done this year.

      Now suddenly I feel like we're so tired, especially this week, after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was super low key, we had a video chat with family because some nieces and nephews were sick with flu, so we're not tired from celebrating, it must be something else. It could be the shorter days, like two or three hours less sunlight than a month ago.

      We've even gotten emotional and bickered over random petty things, which we usually don't, and I think that boils down to the tiredness too.

      Speaking of the flu, there are people getting sick around us at work and the neighborhood, so I'll bet our immune systems are working hard and making us tired too.

      What about you all? What's making you tired? What have you had to give up on because you don't have the energy to deal with it?

      44 votes
    17. Any Star Citizen folks here? I'm a new player with a barely passable rig, looking for tips to make play bearable...

      Howdy, citizens! So, after begging, borrowing and stealing, I've managed to piece together what I believe to be a barely capable rig so that I can get into playing this incredible looking game,...

      Howdy, citizens!

      So, after begging, borrowing and stealing, I've managed to piece together what I believe to be a barely capable rig so that I can get into playing this incredible looking game, but I'm running into a performance issue that makes it pretty unplayable.

      Here's my rig:
      AMD A-10 6800k @ 4.1 GHz
      32 GB Ram
      128 GB SanDisk SSD (for the game only, OS is on a similar size Kingston)
      GTX 960 for the graphics.

      Last night I tried running the game from my normal HD, which is a 1tb platter. This did not go well. Just moving my character around in the initial apartment was torture, and using anything in the room was an exercise in frustration to the point that the room ended up looking like a brawl had happened in it before I made it out, with coffee cups and water bottles all over the floor.

      So, after I read a few pointers online, I salvaged the SanDisk from a different PC and began reinstalling on that. Today I hope to be able to move around smoothly enough to actually play, but aside from setting every option to its lowest, are there any other little tricks I can use to get it more playable?

      17 votes
    18. How would you organize a global Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament?

      A friend and I were bantering about how we should organize a RPS tournament, where the LOSER advanced and was ultimately kicked in the bum by the "winner" of the final round, and also given $10 as...

      A friend and I were bantering about how we should organize a RPS tournament, where the LOSER advanced and was ultimately kicked in the bum by the "winner" of the final round, and also given $10 as a pity for being the "greatest loser".

      This quickly morphed into daydreams of a global event, culminating in the grand finals at the Mandalay Bay, with coverage by ESPN 12, sponsorship deals, trading cards ("Joe is known for his southpaw stance and shooting from his off-hand which greatly throws off his opponent." and per-year statistics of Win % by rock, paper, and scissors); the whole nine yards.

      But it got us thinking... in today's age, would it be difficult to organize a simple RPS tournament GLOBALLY? What technologies would you use? Could you approach it 100% digitally? How would you verify the loser for advancement?

      Let's even say someone was willing to put up $20k or even $100k to actually fly winners from each continent or major population region and put them up at the Mandalay Bay (btw - that hotel just came to mind because it was the first to come to mind in Las Vegas) for a 1-day event. Would that change anything?

      RPS because the absurdity of it and the zero cost to entry.

      We await your thoughts...

      21 votes
    19. TV Tuesdays Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

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

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

      5 votes
    20. What does it mean to friend someone online?

      Recently my daughter (third grade) has started learning to type at school. It's a Montessori program, so it's a pretty low tech environment overall, which I mention because I don't necessarily...

      Recently my daughter (third grade) has started learning to type at school. It's a Montessori program, so it's a pretty low tech environment overall, which I mention because I don't necessarily expect them to have a nuanced view of technology issues.

      One of the typing programs they use is nitrotype.com, which adds a competitive gameplay element. However, it also has mechanism to friend another player. Friends can only communicate with stock phrases, so there's not too much "Internet leakage" beyond being able to choose a username.

      I set it up for my daughter on her Linux Chromebook (I whitelist things I want her to have and everything else is blocked at DNS). Seeing her interact with it the first time, I realized that she spends as much time "adding friends" as doing the typing.

      On its face, this activity is pretty harmless. But I am worried about the patterns it might be creating for her. I'm worried about her uncritically engaging with the dopamine hit of getting a new friend. Or how it shapes her idea of how many friends she has or where idea of her self worth comes from. Or what she thinks friends are.

      So after that long preamble, here are some questions:

      • How would you explain "friends" in this context?
      • Would you distinguish them from other kinds of friends, either real or virtual?
      • Would you attach a moral component to the activity? E.g. that it is good/bad or helpful/harmful
      • How would you frame it to the teacher? Not so much in terms of whether or not they should do it in the classroom, but what kinds of conversations should they be having about the friends experience?
      • If I'm asking the wrong questions, what questions should I be asking instead?

      I'm really interested in seeing the perspectives people have on this. My own ideas are a bit murky, but I will put them down as a comment.

      37 votes
    21. What podcasts are you listening to?

      First off, hello, I'm new here, and I hope this is an okay place to ask...what podcasts are you all into? Here's some of my favorites: Dispatches from Myrtle Beach: Link from Good Mythical Morning...

      First off, hello, I'm new here, and I hope this is an okay place to ask...what podcasts are you all into?

      Here's some of my favorites:

      Dispatches from Myrtle Beach:
      Link from Good Mythical Morning has a conversation with his father. It's a strange mix of funny, heartwarming, raunchy, and endearing.

      The Newest Olympian:
      Mike Shubert from the Potterless podcasts reads the Percy Jackson books (I tried reading along with the podcast because I'd never read them, but couldn't put the books down, so I'm ahead of the podcast now). It's a funny podcast regardless if you've read the books.

      RadioLab and the new season of RadioLab's More Perfect podcast
      If you've never listened to radio lab, just pick any episode. They're interesting and weird and you'll learn stuff. They're just good. The new hosts are still finding their way, but it's still good, so maybe start with some of the older episodes.

      Judge John Hodgman

      • He settles stupid disputes between people...e.g., "Is a hotdog a sandwich" (No.)

      Song Exploder

      • Even if I've never heard of the song I listen. It's about how songs are made, and it's super interesting.

      99% Invisible

      • it's about recognizing all the fascinating things in the world around us that we pass by every day without noticing. Always read the plaque.

      Oh No, Ross and Carrie

      • they do non-sciencey things and then discuss from a science perspective. (E.g., joining a religion, going to flat earth meetings, visiting psychics, getting holistic medical treatments, etc)

      This American Life
      just interesting stories about people and things in life?

      The Memory Palace
      super cool podcast...usually pretty short that takes things from history and tells the story in just a unique and interesting way.

      Science Friday
      deep dive into science news for the week

      Behind the Bastards
      all about the worst people in history.

      Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
      Hilarious podcast about medical history

      The Adventure Zone
      The McElroy family plays dnd and other role play games

      The Moth
      people tell personal stories to crowds of people.

      The Daily
      New York Times's podcast

      Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
      news comedy gameshow

      60-Second Science
      as described

      Good Job Brain
      pub trivia podcast

      A Hotdog is a Sandwich (but it's not)
      Good Mythical Kitchen's Josh and Nicole debate food things

      Dead Pilots Society:
      really interesting. They take scripts from failed TV pilots and hire actors to do table reads of the script. Every other week is an interview with the script's writers too, so you can listen to those if interested or just the table reads if not.

      Brainstuff:
      just interesting tidbits. Short podcasts.

      I'd love to hear your recommendations!

      Edit: Thank you all for all the recommendations! I'm still reading all the posts and adding them to my list to give them a shot!

      60 votes
    22. Does anyone have recommendations for physics simulation software? (E.g. Algodoo, Simulo, Physion, etc.)

      I just got into watching physics simulation videos on youtube, stuff like marble races, marble battles, Multiply Or Release, and various other simulation content. Absolutely enthralling stuff for...

      I just got into watching physics simulation videos on youtube, stuff like marble races, marble battles, Multiply Or Release, and various other simulation content. Absolutely enthralling stuff for someone like me who enjoys simply watching an environment do its thing.

      I wanted to get into making my own sims/scenarios and was wondering if you all on tildes had some recommendations. I've been trying algodoo and it seems very nice but I've heard its mostly abandonware and theres some features I find lacking. So I wanted to look into options for my little tinkering. I understand that there may not be a perfect one but I'd love to have some options to try and tinker in, and my research has led me to lots of them that seem at first look to be purely for academic purposes.

      To crystallize my desires into a definite paragraph:
      I'm looking for physics sim software recommendations to make my own marble races and other simulated 'games'. I don't mind having to learn it from scratch(including scripting language). I dont care if its paid or free. Ease of use is great but Non-essential since it can likely be learned over time. Preferrably not abandonware, or at least feature-rich if development has been completed. and lastly, performance is definitely important since I'll likely be building some grand designs as I settle in.

      15 votes
    23. Can someone please recommend me a no BS printer I can use like half a dozen times a year

      By no BS I mean none of those online requirements or ink subscription nonsense. Scanning isn't a huge focus but having at least some multi-page scanning functionality wouldn't hurt. I've heard...

      By no BS I mean none of those online requirements or ink subscription nonsense.

      Scanning isn't a huge focus but having at least some multi-page scanning functionality wouldn't hurt.

      I've heard Brother is the go-to brand in the past but are they still? I thought I heard they were also starting down the anti-consumer path but I could be wrong.

      I'm not kidding when I say I print like half a dozen times a year so whatever type of printer it is the ink/toner/whatever needs to have a long shelf life.

      Thanks!

      58 votes
    24. Album of the Week #12: Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai

      This is Album of the Week #12 ~ This week's album is Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai Year of Release: 2016 Genre(s): Abstract Hip Hop Country: United States Length: 36 minutes RYM | Listen!...

      This is Album of the Week #12 ~ This week's album is Ka - Honor Killed the Samurai

      Year of Release: 2016
      Genre(s): Abstract Hip Hop
      Country: United States
      Length: 36 minutes
      RYM | Listen! (Album.Link)

      Excerpt from Stereogum:

      Ka raps in a desiccated mutter. His production, which seems to draw on half-forgotten film scores and haunted ’60s instrumentals, is pure headphone haze. Throughout history, most of the great rappers have brought an outsized, extroverted flair to what they’ve done, and Ka has none of that. Instead, his presence is a murky, monastic intensity. He does not make social music. He makes music for getting trapped in your own mind.

      Discussion points:
      Have you heard this artist/album before? Is this your first time hearing?
      Do you enjoy this genre? Is this an album you would have chosen?
      Does this album remind you of something you've heard before?
      What were the album's strengths or weaknesses?
      Was there a standout track for you?
      How did you hear the album? Where were you? What was your setup?

      --

      Album of the week is currently chosen randomly (via random.org) from the top 5000 albums from a custom all-time RYM chart, with a 4/5 popularity weighting. The chart is recalculated weekly.
      Missed last week? It can be found here.
      Any feedback on the format is welcome ~~
      8 votes
    25. Calling any toy collector Tilderinos!

      I've been looking for a community to interact in about toy collecting! I used to frequent the collector circles on Twitter but bailed on that shortly after Skum bought it. And then I tried to get...

      I've been looking for a community to interact in about toy collecting!

      I used to frequent the collector circles on Twitter but bailed on that shortly after Skum bought it. And then I tried to get back into Reddit, and, well, that started circling the bowl, too.

      I collect many things, but the big three are:

      Star Wars My first love. I still collect Star Wars action figures in the 3¾" scale when I find new and interesting characters or cool vehicles.

      I was annoyed at the introduction of the 6" Black series because I had spent my whole life amassing hundreds of characters to populate a 3¾" Galaxy, I wasn't going to buy all of those characters again at a higher price point.

      Transformers You know the music you listen to when you're a young teen is the music that ends up dominating your lifelong listening habits? That was Transformers for me. I didn't care much for it in my younger days, it was Beast Wars that drew me into the fiction in the 90s with it's wild 3D Animated cartoon - one of the first!

      The toys are great because you're pretty much getting two toys in one, sometimes more! The way that the toyline was a product of multiple toy companies coming together around the world fascinates me.

      Sidenote; I am not a fan of the Michael Bay movies. Dude's lack of passion for the fiction combined with his raging hard-on for the US military ruined the first 5 films. (2007 is watchable but Bumblebee 2018 is a way better introductory movie)

      Masters of the Universe I only got into MOTU over the past few years, since the introduction of the Masters of the Universe: Origins line, which takes the design and aesthetic of the classic '80s toys and updates them to the modern standards of action figure articulation. Not to mention the figures are easily disassembled and reassembled if you like to make customs (which I do!)

      There's something simplistic about the fiction that I admire, and it satisfies my desires for more "Sword and Sorcery" content over sci-fi when I'm in the mood.

      These just barely scratch the surface of what I'm into, but they're the biggest things I hunt for.

      So, Is anyone here a fellow collector? What do you collect? How long have you been collecting? What do you look for in a toy? Do you open the package and appreciate the tactile experience, or are you purely MISB?

      Is there per chance enough of a crowd for a toy collecting subsection of ~hobbies?

      10 votes
    26. Vote for "Movie of the Week" in December - 1990s edition

      Edit: Voting closed Thanks to everyone who have so far participated in the five movies we did in November. We need to pick four movies for December and it is going to be any movies from the 1990s....

      Edit: Voting closed

      Thanks to everyone who have so far participated in the five movies we did in November. We need to pick four movies for December and it is going to be any movies from the 1990s.

      Rules

      • Must have a release date between 1990 and 1999. If in doubt, whatever it says on IMDb
      • Not one we have already done
      • Only one nomination per user
      • Please only nominate if you intent to participate

      In case of ties in the number of votes, random.org will decide. Voting closes Sunday.

      This overview on Letterboxd can be of some inspiration.


      In addition, I think it will be too much to do a vote on voting categories, but I am curious to get some feedback and ideas. Should we go narrower like genres (westerns, horror, science fiction) or perhaps niche genres (road movie, murder mystery, historic)? How about directors - like I had an idea of doing a Kubrick versus Spielberg for example. Actors, countries, film festivals? Or is it okay to have the category be very broad?

      13 votes
    27. Gut check on contractor quote

      I received a quote from a local contractor to do some home remodeling. Some of the numbers make sense, but some seem quite high. Like, I can't believe it costs $3k in labor to install an electric...

      I received a quote from a local contractor to do some home remodeling. Some of the numbers make sense, but some seem quite high. Like, I can't believe it costs $3k in labor to install an electric fireplace insert, or an island hood. Anybody have any insight they're willing to share on this quote?


      Remodel estimate

      1. Planning and asbestos test $1,190.00
      2. Move range outlet $1,514.00
      3. Island hood $4,498.00
      4. Electric fireplace insert $4,133.00
      5. Main bathroom $36,552.00
      6. Hall bathroom toilet and fan with humidistat $3,579.00
      7. Concrete landings outside the front and back doors, front siding flashing $2,899.00
      8. Re-pipe plumbing $14,993.00
      9. Bedroom window glass replacement $749.00
        Total $70,107.00

      Description
      Plans will be refined. Drywall will be tested for asbestos content.
      Dust will be contained and floors will be protected.
      The range outlet will be moved.
      An island range hood will be installed. The placeholder hood in the estimate is a Zephyr Brisas.
      An electric fireplace insert will be installed. The placeholder fireplace in the estimate is a
      Dimplex 500001756.
      The main bathroom will be remodeled. The shower will be replaced with a pre-formed shower
      pan and Corian walls, and two shower valves and shower heads will be installed. A sliding
      shower door will be installed. The floor will be tiled. A new vanity cabinet, countertop, sink, and
      faucet will be installed. A new toilet will be installed. The vanity electrical outlets will be
      lowered, a larger lower mirror will be installed, a new vanity light will be installed. A ventilation
      fan and light will be installed with a humidistat/condensation sensor. Drywall will be patched.
      New baseboard trim will be installed. The bathroom will be painted.
      The hall bathroom toilet will be replaced. A ventilation fan with a humidistat will be installed.
      Concrete landings will be poured outside the front door and outside the back sliding door. The
      front door landing will be about 5-1/2’x4’ with a curved corner. The back landing will be about
      3-1/2’x3’.
      The plumbing in the house will be replaced. Drywall holes from installation will be patched and
      painted.
      Window glass will be replaced in the bedroom with the broken window pane.
      Everything will be cleaned up.
      All labor and materials are included.


      Thank you!

      9 votes
    28. Tell me your Christmas ghost stories!

      Telling “scary ghost stories” at the holidays isn’t just a seemingly out-of-place line in the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” or the plot of A Christmas Carol - it’s actually a...

      Telling “scary ghost stories” at the holidays isn’t just a seemingly out-of-place line in the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” or the plot of A Christmas Carol - it’s actually a very old tradition stretching back to pagan Yule festivals and Winter Solstice celebrations. So please share yours with us: true or false, but preferably true.

      19 votes
    29. Meet Your Tildes Neighbour: August 2023 Edition

      Time to try something new! Remember the human. It's the golden rule, and knowing your neighbour helps a lot. This post is an opportunity to meet your fellow humans behind the screen/username, in a...

      Time to try something new!

      Remember the human. It's the golden rule, and knowing your neighbour helps a lot.

      This post is an opportunity to meet your fellow humans behind the screen/username, in a format somewhere between the "introduction" posts and the "casual AMA" one.

      Format: One top-level post per participant. Talk a bit about yourself (what you want Tildes to know about you), and pick one particular thing (hobby, passion, subject you studied) you really want to talk about.

      My engagement: I won't leave any top-level post unanswered for too long. But the goal is for others to interact so hopefully everyone's involved, not just me :)

      85 votes
    30. What are some corporate websites that you consider extremely reputable sources of information?

      I had a conversation with someone who teaches research skills at the university level. They said that incoming new students seem to start with the assumption that .org and .edu domain names can be...

      I had a conversation with someone who teaches research skills at the university level. They said that incoming new students seem to start with the assumption that .org and .edu domain names can be trusted for accurate information and .com domain names will be unreliable.

      I didn't find it hard to find dodgy nonprofits and sketchy colleges but do you know of any extremely reputable corporate sites that they could use as counter examples to this misinformed theory about how to find reliable sources online? I'm thinking maybe Bloomberg but would love to hear more.

      30 votes
    31. Are there any games that you have enjoyed playing without the HUD or mini-map? If so, which ones and why?

      I just posted this as a comment to someone who mentioned Horizon Zero Dawn, but figured there might be more discussion if I made a new post for it, so here goes: Are there any games that you have...

      I just posted this as a comment to someone who mentioned Horizon Zero Dawn, but figured there might be more discussion if I made a new post for it, so here goes:


      Are there any games that you have enjoyed playing without the HUD or mini-map? If so, which ones and why?


      One of my favorite gaming experiences was playing Zelda BOTW in its entirety without any HUD elements, just using the game's scenery and story to guide me. I loved it so much that I tried doing the same in other massive open-world games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, The Witcher 3, and Assassin's Creed Origins, but found that they relied too much on small details or markers in the minimap. So instead of feeling more immersed and in-tune with the game world, I just felt more frustrated at not knowing exactly where to go or which specific person or item to click on without the game explicitly telling me. I'm sure it can be done, but I found it nowhere near as pleasing as BOTW.

      I just recently picked up Horizon Zero Dawn and wondered if it could be played in a similar manner, without the map or other HUD elements, or if I'll end up needing some of them to know where to go or who to talk to.

      I'd love to hear any other recommendations or thoughts on this matter.

      28 votes
    32. Email provider recommendations? (Privacy-focused, paid-for)

      I have self-hosted my email for many years, but am finally encountering some straws that may be breaking the camel's back. A few email providers are now rejecting my server's mail, Microsoft in...

      I have self-hosted my email for many years, but am finally encountering some straws that may be breaking the camel's back. A few email providers are now rejecting my server's mail, Microsoft in particular (@hotmail, @outlook). (In case you're wondering, I already set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC, etc. and none of that is the issue.) Self-hosting was fine, and the technical admin work was never really an issue. I'm just tired of the external factors that are beyond my control, like belonging to an IP range that is scored badly by some random blocklist company.

      So, I'm now shopping for a good email provider. Privacy and security are important to me, and I am more than willing to pay for email, so all the usual "free" email providers are out of the question. (Update) Also, client access (IMAP, SMTP) is a must.

      For now, I am eyeing

      • Fastmail Standard plan @ 5 USD / mo
      • Proton Unlimited plan @ 10 USD / mo

      Proton is looking to be my choice among those two, as I like the replyable email aliases feature. 16 times the storage doesn't hurt, either.

      Any other recommendations in the same vein as these two, and in the same price range?

      35 votes
    33. Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like judiciary, henry kissinger and popcorn. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was...

      Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like judiciary, henry kissinger and popcorn. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was taking notes.

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

      12 votes
    34. Looking for a recommendation similar to Uprooted by Naomi Novik

      I've stumbled across other fantasy with a similar feeling, but curious if you all have some specific direction to point me in. I've read all of her other books so other books of hers are already...

      I've stumbled across other fantasy with a similar feeling, but curious if you all have some specific direction to point me in. I've read all of her other books so other books of hers are already off the list. I think the qualities that I enjoyed so much about it were:

      • decent writing style
      • light love story that wasn't the total focus
      • well developed characters
      • fun plot that wasnt over complex but still intricate enough to feel satisfying at the end
      • magical element with some novelty to it

      I read a few others in the past that felt the same, the one that jumps to mind is Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. Something about the plot or writing in these books is really gripping for me, keeps me hooked, and is really satisfying. I'm open to any suggestions you can throw my way, and thank you in advance!

      8 votes
    35. Designing my first DnD boss fight with a giant mimic (5x lvl 5 characters)

      Hello tabletop community, I am designing my first ever boss fight, meant to really challenge my players. I don't want to kill any of them off since we're all new and it feels weird to lose a...

      Hello tabletop community,

      I am designing my first ever boss fight, meant to really challenge my players. I don't want to kill any of them off since we're all new and it feels weird to lose a character, but I also want it to feel threatening. I could use some advice about how to execute this situation:

      Boss is a big mimic disguised as a blood fountain with 6 long tentacle arms, each of which will be it's own figure on the board that can be up to 3 tiles from the 3x3 mimic figure.

      Four of the tentacles have weapons that can deal 2d6 damage and have 30hp AC11 (roughly making it in line with a Brown Bear for threat and HP). They can grapple (squeeze the target) instead for 1d8 damage per turn, escapable on DC13 strength.

      Two of the tentacles have shield-like hard points that defend neighboring enemies by giving disadvantage on attack rolls against them. AC14 HP30. I couldn't find anything to base these on for an encounter designer app.

      Main body has low movement (10ft), and has 200hp AC19, and loses 20hp per tentacle lost. It has a bite attack +6 to hit 2d8. It also floods blood through sections of the room, forcing player movement and dealing 2d8 poison damage. I based it on a Roper for difficulty and attacks.

      I think this combination creature would provide a very interesting and movement focused fight, but I'm very new to DM'ing and I'm afraid of accidentally killing the players.

      My questions are: (1) How do I avoid accidentally killing everyone? (2) Is this fight too hard for a newbie group of 5 new players? (3) Any other cool ideas I didn't think of?

      9 votes
    36. What programming/technical projects have you been working on?

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's...

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's interesting about it? Are you having trouble with anything?

      16 votes
    37. Windows 10 Admin account loses all functionality?

      I recently started having an issue on my windows machine with folder permissions. The start menu folder suddenly became inaccessible to any program that tried to create a shortcut there. I worked...

      I recently started having an issue on my windows machine with folder permissions. The start menu folder suddenly became inaccessible to any program that tried to create a shortcut there. I worked around it by just taking ownership.

      Now I'm facing a much worse problem where many operations that require admin elevation suddenly doesn't work even after a UAC prompt. This has really become a problem now that I want to install wsl on this machine. Running wsl --install just returns the wsl usage info and wsl --update throws a UAC prompt, but fails saying "The requested operation requires elevation" even while logged into the built in Administrator windows account.

      Normal programs can still use admin elevation (mostly), but everything that windows prompts for behaves as if I'm a regular user despite still giving and accepting a UAC prompt. The Microsoft Store has also seemingly lost the ability to update or repair itself also so that's probably related.

      I've tried all the usual stuff with /DISM, /sfc, every Microsoft troubleshooter. They found no issues. Creating a new admin account lets me create the account but then it inherits the same issues. I can't even gain admin elevation in safe mode. I'm really at a loss. I don't want to have to do a system refresh because it takes so much time to get set back up, but at this point I don't know what else to do.

      Has anyone else ever encountered an issue like this? I've tried searching for this and just end up on a bunch of identical 'help' pages telling me to right click -> run as admin or the generic Microsoft employee pointing me to reinstall again.

      Windows version 10.0.19045 Build 19045 in case that matters

      Edit: I never did find a solid reason why this was happening. It wasn't my university Maya account. While reinstalling windows on a freshly formatted drive I kept getting errors that eventually led me to discoving my ram was going bad. Got it replaced and installed windows just fine. I have to assume the problem started because of memory errors. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

      10 votes
    38. What did you do this week (and weekend)?

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do...

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!

      4 votes
    39. Fresh Album Fridays: Peter Gabriel, Panopticon , Conway the Machine and more

      Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest. Discussion...

      Good morning ~ This is a thread to discuss new album releases that have arrived on our doorstep this week. Feel free to share albums and EPs that have caught your eye and interest.

      Discussion Points

      What are you looking forward to listen to?
      Have you listened to any of these releases?
      What are your thoughts?
      What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past?

      Why Friday?

      Most (but not all) new LPs/EPs release on a Friday, as labels want to give the release a full week of sales before entering the charts.

      ~~ Feedback on the format welcome

      4 votes
    40. Fitness Weekly Discussion

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?

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

      What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was...

      What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was cool, something that was bad, ask for recommendations, or anything else you can think of.

      If you want to, feel free to find the thing you're talking about and link to its pages on Anilist, MAL, or any other database you use!

      7 votes