Hello,

I have decided to get myself a laser printer.

My intentions are to have a working printer occasionally. So sometimes I will print a lot, but then it can be left unused for a couple of years and I want it to be usable in the instant I want it without having to go and get new whatever.

My question is are there any considerations besides the printer being listed at https://openprinting.github.io/printers that I should make?

I will not hunt down the most open (as in copyleft/libre soft- & hardware) printer but would not mind it being open.

More importantly is the expectation that I could find new toners (I think that's the word for "ink" in laser printers) in 5 years.

I don't really want color, but if it isn't that big of a difference I might as well.

(I could change my mind to get a different kind of printer, but you'd have to be really convincing.)

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?

I finished reading Flowers for Algernon recently. I genuinely enjoyed it but as I progressed I felt it was closer to a human drama than a sci-fi book. I was surprised since it has been recognized as a sci-fi book for so long and won the Hugo and Nebula awards. I was wondering what others thought about it. I will add my rationale below (spoilers).

(Spoilers). The first thing is how shallow the science is, there is only one moment when is commented with ant type of depth and that moment has more big words than science backup, in my opinion. I know it is a book of its time, but I especially missed Charlie doing physical experimentation, taking tissue samples or applying the science that was explicitly mentioned in the book as the source of his intelligence when doing his own research.

The second thing is that the experiment feels like a device to trigger Charlie's specific human drama and to walk us through his childhood trauma. It is an amazing mechanism for that, but I expect sci-fi to hace societal impact and deeper world building. It is a bit reminiscent of the movie Awakenings, that uses specific medical procedures to give someone a window to experience life.

I also feel that the lack of stakes when Charlie escapes and takes Algernon with him are underwhelming, the research lab just let it happen and they don't engage the authorities to bring him back or, at the very least, to retrieve the most valuable mouse lab in the world. It felt as another mechanism to advance the human drama.

Lastly, and this is a common pattern for this theme, there is no time for Charlie to learn all he learns, even with super intellect, he needs to go through the regular knowledge absorption methods of reading and studying, and in a few months, there is just no time for that. He can be a genius, but a genius won't be a neurosurgeon without taking the time to learn.

All in all, I feel that as the tragic story of Charlie the book works exceedingly well. It is cleverly written and Charlie's progress (or lack thereof) felt earned. I would have liked Charlie to be less of a jerk when he became intelligent, but that is of course a creative choice. It does brings a very clear separation between emotional and intellectual intelligence that it is undeniable in the real world, so I can believe it.

I am glad I read it and would recommend it, just not as sci-fi, not sure what others think.

My two cents

Hi all! I'm starting a (very) small business in the near future, and I am looking for some advice (or just encouragement or reality checks, anything helps). For clarity, I'm in the US and want to make/sell products of my own design without screwing myself over through lack of planning.

Has anyone here ever tried to start a small business like this? Or interacted with the US patent system?

Any advice or anecdotes are welcome!

It seems like I may be dipping my toe back into "reading" through audiobooks. I realized that instead of listening to random YouTubers at work, I can listen to more intentional writing this way.

How do y'all feel about them? If you listen, what sorts of productions do you prefer? Are there any particular ones you think are spectacular, a cut above the rest? Do you listen to them in addition to reading the book as like a companion piece or instead of the book?

I've listened to some GraphicAudio books now and I like having a full cast for the characters, they've got some good voice actors. Though they're listed as unabridged, I worry they've still perhaps dropped paragraphs. But I think I'd end up zoning out more on single narrator books.

Part of why I never engaged before is because I have poor auditory processing, so I figured I just couldn't keep up. At least for simpler texts, I haven't had much problem, and it may be helping me improve in that respect. I hadn't tried before, but now I can watch YT vids at double speed without missing anything.

I started since my partner was interested so I set up audiobookshelf and some other services for grabbing files. It's been a great piece of software to use, there's other software that can manage and serve audiobooks, but none puts them first like abs does. Do recommend if you're interested in self-hosting audiobooks.

Hello fellow tildeans,
I’m looking for suggestions for 7 player lan games that will run on a combination of steam decks and Mac books. I was thinking of retro games because I feel like there’s more compatibility for macOS but would like to field suggestions from fellow nerds on Tildes.
Thanks!
Preferences are probably shooting games but are open to other kinds~