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13 votes
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The worst technology failures of 2023
28 votes -
Wind overtakes coal for electricity generation in Europe
13 votes -
Gordon Ramsay | Last Meals
10 votes -
A trip down the UK
Hey y'all, I was wondering if anyone had any advice/warnings/comments/thoughts/etc. about an anniversary trip (10 years!) my partner and I are planning for late May. For context, I have been to...
Hey y'all, I was wondering if anyone had any advice/warnings/comments/thoughts/etc. about an anniversary trip (10 years!) my partner and I are planning for late May. For context, I have been to the UK before a few years back but my partner has not. Also, I'm American and I've never driven anywhere but the US. This is the rough and very basic itinerary:
Day 0: Edinburgh
- Land in Edinburgh
- Check in to hotel
- Wander around the city
Day 1: Edinburgh
- Rent car
- Drive to St. Andrews
- Drive around in the Scottish Highlands
Day 2: Edinburgh > Redmire
- Drive south to a bed and breakfast in Redmire
- Check out the English countryside
Day 3: Redmire > Manchester
- Drive to Manchester
- Turn in car
- Check in to hotel
Day 4: Manchester > Bath
- Take a train to Bath
- Wander around Bath
- Stay at bed and breakfast
Day 5: Bath > London
- Take train to London
- Check in to hotel
- Do touristy things
- Eat a lot of food
Day 6: London
- Anniversary dinner
Day 7: London
- Wander around
- Eat a lot of food
Day 8: London
- Depart from Heathrow
I fully intend to add plan out the details and activities as we get closer, though I would be grateful for any recommendations for things to do or places to see. It's my partner's real first time out of the country and given it's an anniversary trip I wanted it to be mostly relaxed.
The first half or so of the trip is predicated on me, an American who drives on the right, driving good distances in the UK. I've plenty of experience doing long distance driving in the US, it's mostly the driving on the opposite side that concerns me. Is this recommended? Would it be better to just use rideshares or transit in the cities and take trains over the longer stretches between instead of a mini-roadtrip? Thanks y'all!
EDIT:
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses! I will try to get to as many as I can as soon as I can!20 votes -
Vectrex reborn: How a chance encounter gave new life to a dead console
4 votes -
Israel is murdering Palestinian journalists in Gaza – The pattern of killing cannot be denied. Is there a lack of sympathy because the victims aren’t American or European?
35 votes -
GitHub Actions feels bad
13 votes -
Looking for recommendations for sci-fi books with a 'body snatchers' theme of human possession or replacement
After reading The Body Snatchers and The Puppet Masters, I am almost finishing Blood Music and I am not yet done with that theme. These are all stories about human possession or replacement with...
After reading The Body Snatchers and The Puppet Masters, I am almost finishing Blood Music and I am not yet done with that theme.
These are all stories about human possession or replacement with copies by other entities, extraterrestrial or otherwise. As I finish Blood Music, I find myself craving for more. It doesn't matter if it is about invasion or something else that takes over our bodies and minds. Stories that question and entice our attachment to our identities, as well as our desire to conform and dissolve into the collective.
I wish for stories that are not about just one person undergoing a transformation, but rather a group or a community (family, town, country, the world).
Ideally, they should be some kind of science fiction (even if science's role is not immediately obvious and overt), but I am open to suggestions if you believe something in other genres deserves my attention.
References:
- The Body Snatchers
- The Puppet Masters
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
- Blood Music
- Body Snatchers - TV Tropes
21 votes -
Scientists attempt to explain “magic islands” on Saturn’s largest moon
6 votes -
Joe Biden administration announces $1 billion for low-emission US school buses
39 votes -
Album of the Week #15: Mew - Frengers
This is Album of the Week #15 ~ This week's album is Mew - Frengers Year of Release: 2003 Genre(s): Dream Pop Country: Denmark Length: 48 minutes RYM | Listen! (Album.Link) Excerpt from Drowned In...
This is Album of the Week #15 ~ This week's album is Mew - Frengers
Year of Release: 2003
Genre(s): Dream Pop
Country: Denmark
Length: 48 minutes
RYM | Listen! (Album.Link)Excerpt from Drowned In Sound:
On the cherub face of it this album is a soaring, triangle tapping, kitten cuddling, debut; Mew have playground innocence down - lunchbox in hand, toothpaste on tie and scabby knees, all set for a day of holding hands with the pigtailed girl. Mew could market this to my 6-year old cousin to dance around to whilst munching her Sugar Puffs, and they'd sell a billion. Pop is Universal... aaaaaaah, that's the cookie, that's what everyone has forgotten!
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 -
Netflix is reportedly exploring adding in-game ads to its gaming service
43 votes -
Bill Ackman and the crusade against free speech
16 votes -
Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel, per sources
8 votes -
The “everything home server” for under $300: fanless, eight cores, 4x 10Gbe SFP+, JBOD support
66 votes -
Iceland keeps feeding its tourist boom. Will it push locals out? – about six times as many visitors as residents came to the tiny island last year
8 votes -
Tom Cruise signs deal with Warner Bros. to develop and produce original and franchise films
8 votes -
Fascinating publication by and for hikikomori (Japanese language)
17 votes -
Tildes Video Thread
Find yourself watching tons of great videos on [insert chosen video sharing platform], but also find yourself reluctant to flood the Tildes front page with them? Then this thread is for you. It...
Find yourself watching tons of great videos on [insert chosen video sharing platform], but also find yourself reluctant to flood the Tildes front page with them? Then this thread is for you.
It could be one quirky video that you feel deserves some eyeballs on it, or perhaps you've got a curated list of videos that you'd love to talk us through...
Share some of the best video content you've watched this past week/fortnight with us!
11 votes -
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 -
Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor dies aged 56
93 votes -
Norway is likely to become the first country in the world to move forward with the controversial practice of commercial-scale deep-sea mining
14 votes -
Microsoft is adding a new key to PC keyboards for the first time since 1994. The Copilot key will eventually be required in new PC keyboards, though not yet.
45 votes -
The curious joy of being wrong – intellectual humility means being open to new information and willing to change your mind
39 votes -
See how 2023 shattered records to become the hottest year
9 votes -
iPhone survives falling 16,000ft (4,876m) from airplane
13 votes -
Inside the world's highest tech prison - HMP Fosse Way
12 votes -
Exploding AT-AT on a tropical beach from Rogue One (Diorama)
14 votes -
What is there to do anymore?
I’ve noticed that when I’m not at work, I’m at the house and even when I think of going out, I can’t think of anything to do. I enjoy going to the movies, but that’s pretty much the only getting...
I’ve noticed that when I’m not at work, I’m at the house and even when I think of going out, I can’t think of anything to do.
I enjoy going to the movies, but that’s pretty much the only getting out I do. When I hang out with friends, it’s typically to bars, but I’m feeling unfulfilled drinking to drink.
What is there to do?
57 votes -
Astrobotic Technology says its Moon landing attempt is in jeopardy because of an engine problem
29 votes -
Oblique wing aircraft - Could this change air travel forever?
12 votes -
4-year campaign backdoored iPhones using possibly the most advanced exploit ever
43 votes -
Freebies from the itch.io winter sale
Fair warning, some of the games are porn. The one of them I've played, the fruit-themed twin-stick rogulike Resistance is Fruitile, is quite charming! https://hot-soup-studios.itch.io/thehouse...
Fair warning, some of the games are porn.
The one of them I've played, the fruit-themed twin-stick rogulike Resistance is Fruitile, is quite charming!
https://hot-soup-studios.itch.io/thehouse
https://krunchyfriedgames.itch.io/witches-and-bandits-and-swords-oh-my
https://kosmocat.itch.io/dont-beg-for-help
https://so-pa.itch.io/the-kitchen-of-sopas
https://l-a-r-i.itch.io/shape-of-the-circle
https://virtuaworlds.itch.io/cthulhu-frozen-nightmare
https://distant-dimensions.itch.io/cupid2-0
https://distant-dimensions.itch.io/rivet
https://jdmgames.itch.io/bones-in-the-boneyard
https://distant-dimensions.itch.io/every-second
https://daddarulekonge.itch.io/the-handheld-game-console-encyclopedia-vol2
https://pizzaandgames.itch.io/horror-fan-house
https://chriv-games-horror.itch.io/6knives-episode1
https://mydogstolemyliver.itch.io/visionsvol4
https://distant-dimensions.itch.io/quest-for-the-missing-piece
https://fiveluska.itch.io/second-wind
https://airman4.itch.io/hammertime
https://jarpdzonson.itch.io/mechanical-void
https://projectyaarj.itch.io/solraid
https://projectyaarj.itch.io/tank
https://manstersoft.itch.io/the-mini-game-3-in-1-fun-pak
https://maximilian.itch.io/inertia
https://q-les.itch.io/the-whispersmith
https://kasperv.itch.io/ball-down-hill
https://retrovr.itch.io/spitfire-dogfight-vr
https://xyxitchio.itch.io/flowfall
https://blak-gear.itch.io/uep1
https://teembeerlay.itch.io/erohina-basics
https://hippomobil.itch.io/elastic-egg
https://tonsomo.itch.io/jurl-hd
https://magnus-froelund.itch.io/the-drifters
https://kasperv.itch.io/kasperias-arenas
https://rockodagamer.itch.io/the-decompiled-ultimate-collection
https://tonsomo.itch.io/mille
https://kasperv.itch.io/the-simple-life
https://distant-dimensions.itch.io/area-41
https://tailot.itch.io/motorized-cake
https://tailot.itch.io/cube-orange
https://munegames.itch.io/virtual-coloring-book-for-kids
https://rizvn.itch.io/love-is-war-remake
https://tailot.itch.io/dice-soccer
https://snekjar.itch.io/scaffoldedge
https://magnus-froelund.itch.io/5-in-1-retro-games
https://maximilian.itch.io/side-shooter
https://sj-logo-transparent.itch.io/baldis-basics-songkran-in-education-and-learning-x
https://jdmgames.itch.io/expandoscape
https://hoglet.itch.io/river-strike
https://xxerikxx.itch.io/the-higher-society-v013 XXX
https://xxerikxx.itch.io/the-higher-society-v014 XXX
https://iamqqqqqqq.itch.io/classicgame
https://xyxitchio.itch.io/felix-the-toy
https://pinou007.itch.io/application-that-costs-a-lot-for-nothing
https://calmed-by-the-dark-games.itch.io/calmed-by-the-dark-infinity
https://ahsanmakesgames.itch.io/top-down-showdown
https://faustgabor.itch.io/potatoes-corruption
https://automaticgrasshopper.itch.io/alostgirl
https://krabovaypolochka.itch.io/long-forest-old
https://clevertop.itch.io/temple-of-the-silver-dragon
https://maximilian.itch.io/zombie-apocalypse
https://hempuli.itch.io/mobile-suit-baba
https://kyaniteheart.itch.io/i-think-i-need-your-help
https://thethil.itch.io/strange-toilet
https://icarus-dev.itch.io/the-present
https://phasepixel.itch.io/resistanceisfruitile
https://kyaniteheart.itch.io/a-potion-for-chamomile
https://asa-studio.itch.io/bff-or-die
https://oi01games.itch.io/antonio-anfiloquio
https://thethil.itch.io/strange-toilet-2
https://alexander-wiseman.itch.io/fear-assessment
https://evolvedustry.itch.io/evolvedustry
https://falsevacuum.itch.io/linda-joan-prologue
https://krunchyfriedgames.itch.io/bunny-hill-horror
https://0zanm.itch.io/still-alive
https://kyaniteheart.itch.io/potion-commotion
https://virtuaworlds.itch.io/columns
https://nnuk.itch.io/the-weird-gamma
https://distant-dimensions.itch.io/seclusion
https://krunchyfriedgames.itch.io/bunny-hill-horror-bunny-boiler
https://ibar.itch.io/solitude
https://kyaniteheart.itch.io/sunbeams
https://forwardinstinct.itch.io/panchin-is-frustrated
https://littlemuggames.itch.io/rylees-lunchboxes
https://manstersoft.itch.io/chimera-crusader
https://jdmgames.itch.io/orbital-paladin-melchior-y
https://seeone.itch.io/grav
https://shadowglass.itch.io/assassin-at-crimson-keep
https://thearesjej.itch.io/prosignal
https://manstersoft.itch.io/fun-pak
https://pyrthenix.itch.io/the-legend-of-the-hero-of-edoriam XXX
https://lyl-games.itch.io/color-mind
https://dragonaz.itch.io/the-convoy24 votes -
Steam has cut support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1
40 votes -
Truffle chips suggestions?
I'm trying to make my own truffle chips for the wife after having it at a nice bar together. Any suggestions as to the types of chips or truffle seasoning? I'm going to try to buy a bag of regular...
I'm trying to make my own truffle chips for the wife after having it at a nice bar together. Any suggestions as to the types of chips or truffle seasoning? I'm going to try to buy a bag of regular chips, put it into a bowl, and just shake with some truffle salt and truffle oil (real kind not synthetic flavor).
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
*Thanks everyone! Looks like it's time to do it properly instead of the lazy way...
12 votes -
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!
12 votes -
Side trip from northern Italy
We're looking at doing a trip (2 adults, 3 young kids) from northern Italy to somewhere else in the region. We were thinking about Slovenia, Austria, or maybe Switzerland. Any thoughts on where to...
We're looking at doing a trip (2 adults, 3 young kids) from northern Italy to somewhere else in the region. We were thinking about Slovenia, Austria, or maybe Switzerland.
Any thoughts on where to go or what might be a good itinerary?
- budget is medium to high. Call it a few hundred dollars a day, not including lodging.
- we'll go in Juneish for about a weekish.
- the kids are too small to walk by themselves for long. We'll have strollers/backpacks/etc.
- we'd like to try some restaurants; we like fine dining but it's tricky with kids unless we engage a babysitting service at a hotel. I like museums, my wife is meh; some short hikes would be fun, but nothing too crazy. Getting some city stuff in would be nice. We also like looking at architecture, old castles, stuff like that.
- we enjoy doing some scenic driving, but no marathon trips with the kids in the back.
13 votes -
Reducing the friction of publishing online?
I'm looking for ways to make it easier to publish on my personal blog. I've had WordPress blogs in the past, and I find that they set up a constant grind of upgrading — upgrading core, upgrading...
I'm looking for ways to make it easier to publish on my personal blog. I've had WordPress blogs in the past, and I find that they set up a constant grind of upgrading — upgrading core, upgrading plugins, reconfiguring the upgraded components, fixing the things the upgrades break...
It was stealing too much of the little time I have to devote to my blog. So, when I built my current blog, I built in on a static site generator (11ty). It took longer to set up than just writing HTML and CSS, but it does make it a bit quicker to get something up since it will build pages from markdown, and it doesn't require a ton of upgrading every time I want to sit down and write something. Sure, I could upgrade a library or two each time I sit down with it, but it's just spitting out HTML so I don't really need to.
That said, it's still more friction than I want. I'm currently obsessed with mmm.page. I love the playful UI. I love the design language it encourages. I love how it makes the tech get out of the way and puts you closer to getting your content out. That said, there are several things I don't love:
- It's not accessible. I can't pick which elements to use. I can't write alt text for images.
- It's not open source. This means a lot of things. It means when the developer loses interest, it will die. It means we can't evaluate it. It means we can't self-host it. Speaking of these...
- Development seems to be slow. There's one item on the roadmap. It was suggested in April. I have a feeling it's not making the money the developer had hoped and they've lost enthusiasm for it.
- We can't self-host it. Now, this means I'm stuck paying $10 a month. Tomorrow, that could go up to $20, and there's nothing I can do about it.
- There's no easily apparent escape hatch. I guess I could just download the pages it wrote and host them elsewhere, but that's probably not ideal. If the developer does decide to close up shop or double the price, I want an easy way to take my site and go somewhere else.
- As far as I can tell, it doesn't support RSS. I am a staunch believer in RSS, and I believe the web sucks without it. I won't want to run a site that doesn't offer it.
All these problems leave me with a web site that provides too much friction and a solution to that problem that leaves many others in its wake. Does anyone know of an alternative that's similar that could address some or most of these issues? I'm a developer and I still would like to be able to publish online without doing developer-y stuff, so it's easy to see how social media has been able to bottle up so much content on the web. I'd love to think there's something that could bring us out of this dystopia... or at least make it easier for me to share a list of the games I've been playing recently. 😅
26 votes -
Harmony
Harmony does something to my brain than I can't explain but it's like a short cut to, well, I dunno, but something good. I'd really like your suggestions for harmonies that create emotional...
Harmony does something to my brain than I can't explain but it's like a short cut to, well, I dunno, but something good.
I'd really like your suggestions for harmonies that create emotional response.
Sorry for dumping a huge number of links here. Here are two favourites:
and
Cork Sacred Harp - "47b Idumea"
Here are some examples: (and now that I post them, I realise some of them aren't really harmony proper, so I'm not sure what I'm asking for)
Beloe Zlato - "За тихой рекою" (beyond the calm river?), and a better but more noisy version Белое злато - "За тихой рекой" (Белое злато / Beloe Zlato / White Gold -- I don't know anything about this group and if I'm posting Russian propaganda please let me know because I don't want to be doing that)
Mamas and Papas - "California dreaming", "Here in my arms" (although Ella Fitzgerald's version is much much better), "Safe in my garden" (especially the bit around 1:50 building to 2:15)
Sacred Harp choirs. Sacred harp and "shaped singing" is how you teach people to sing if they can't read music. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_note](Wikipedia has a good explainer). They start with a verse of the soh, lah, ti, fah sounds so people know the tune and rhythm and then they launch into it. I'm not religious (in a quiet, polite, respecting other people's religions kind of way) but they turn out a great tune sometimes. Henderson, Texas - Sacred Harp 463: "Angel Band", Austin, Texas - Sacred Harp 463: "Angel Band", Unknown - scacred harp 463: "Angel band". Camp Doremi Europe 2015 - Sacred Harp 117 "Angel Band". I've dumped four of the same song so you get a feel for differences in pace, in size of congregation, and skill of singers. The acoustics of these rooms suck, and even skilled professional sound engineers are going to struggle to mic up these rooms and get good output, but I like the fact that every consumer grade mic and recording equipment is just OVERLOADED TO ALL HECK.
More sacred harp. Texas - Sacred Harp 505 "Cleansing Fountain". The lyrics are really something.
Irish sacred harp, and this is the one I really want to share because my word they mean it: Second Ireland Sacred Harp Convention - "47b Idumea" there's a woman really singing. I love love love this. There's also Cork Sacred Harp - "Come thou fount"
It's not just vocal harmony either. Lankum, NPR Tiny Desk Concert, "The Wild Rover" just builds and builds layer upon layer. (And "Bear Creek" does something similar, with more joy. The Mary Wallopers - "Frost is all over" have something going on underneath this romping joyful noise and I think it's the sneaky "Banish Misfortune", so here's a version of that Sorcha Ni Scolai - "Banish Misfortune" and it's all amazing but there's a tiny bit at 1:19-1:25 that gets right into my brain.
Sometimes it's just a big crowd. From a comment by @jgb I found this Welsh National Anthem just before Wales beat England. Here's a Welsh flash mob Cor Meibion Male Voice Choir - "Bread of Heaven"
And I think it's not just "harmony" proper that I'm thinking of. A bit of nice tune in the middle of near chaotic noise is nice. So, for an example, listen to all of this The Incredible String Band - "The Mad Hatter's Song" and stick with it, because at 3:40 they suddenly drop into this very short, but very sweet bit of nice tune. And that "I am the archer, the lover of laughter, and mine is the arrowed flight; I am the archer and my eyes yearn after the unsullied sight" is lovely.
I'm listening to a bunch of music from the 1500s, and especially In Nomine. The strings sliding all over the place is amazing to me. In Nomine À 5, "Seldome Sene" · Christopher Tye · Jordi Savall, In Nomine À 5, "Rachells Weepinge" · Christopher Tye · Jordi Savall, In Nomine IV A 6 (Strogers) · Hespèrion XX · Jordi Savall, Youtube have given this weird artwork Picforth, In Nomine a 5.
23 votes -
D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Sophomore (2023)
4 votes -
In Slovakia, electric vehicles are jeopardizing a successful car industry
10 votes -
Psychoactive drug ibogaine effectively treats traumatic brain injury in special ops military vets
31 votes -
Movie of the Week #11 - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Next movie with a running time of less than 100 minutes is Planes, Trains, and Automobiles directed by John Hughes from 1987.
Is this movie a Thanksgiving tradition for you? How did you find the humor in this movie? Still funny or dated? How does it compare to other John Hughes movies? Feel free to add any thoughts, opinions, reflections, analysis or whatever comments related to this film.
Rest of the schedule for January is:
- 15th: City Lights
- 22nd: Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
- 29th: The Iron Giant
6 votes -
Ludwig Göransson wins Golden Globe for Best Original Score with Oppenheimer – previously nominated in this category, this is his first win
15 votes -
Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like fathers, ux and tom scott. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was paying...
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like fathers, ux and tom scott. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was paying attention.
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!13 votes -
Planes collide and catch fire at Japan’s busy Haneda airport, killing five. Hundreds evacuated safely.
26 votes -
On media outlets frequent use of the term "Iranian-backed"
Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria. Whenever western media outlets speak of these groups they seem to prefix the term Iranian-Backed. I'm...
Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria.
Whenever western media outlets speak of these groups they seem to prefix the term Iranian-Backed.
I'm starting to raise my eyebrows a bit at how universally the term is being used. It feels almost mandated. My understanding is these are indeed supported financially and materially by Iran, but they also very much operate independently. So the extent of the relationship is unknown or at least debated.
Does this strike anyone else as odd or suspicious? Is this use fair and justified?
My mind can't help but wander to the laying of a propaganda foundation for direct conflict with Iran.
23 votes -
The perfect webpage: How the internet reshaped itself around Google’s search algorithms
15 votes -
US radio giant Audacy files for bankruptcy
13 votes