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    1. Weekly thread for news/updates/discussion of George Floyd protests, racial injustice, and policing policy - week of August 24

      This thread is posted weekly - please try to post relevant content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Especially significant updates may warrant a separate topic, but most...

      This thread is posted weekly - please try to post relevant content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Especially significant updates may warrant a separate topic, but most should be posted here.

      11 votes
    2. Cloud storage recommendations?

      I'm thinking of paying for some cloud storage and I'd like to hear your recommendations and experiences with cloud storage providers. I'd like the best bang/buck and preferably something that...

      I'm thinking of paying for some cloud storage and I'd like to hear your recommendations and experiences with cloud storage providers. I'd like the best bang/buck and preferably something that works well with Linux (Void is my current distro). I had been using Keybase as they offer 250GB of space for free(?), though I recently learned they've been acquired by Zoom which...concerns me. Plus, I can't seem to get the filesystem mounted on Void for some reason =/.

      Here are a few I'm considering:

      Major Players

      • Google One: $20 a year for 100GB

      • Microsoft 365: $70 for 1TB of storage + Microsoft productivity suite (that I probably won't use all that much)

      Out of these options, I think I'd prefer Microsoft at this point.

      Smaller Players

      • Cloudamo: $25 a year for 100GB. Bonus that it's built on open-source tech and looks pretty flexible.

      • pCloud: I've been seeing this recommended in my current search for a provider. But... seeing as of this posting the website is down, I'm not filled with confidence.

      • Wasabi: More of a DIY option, it'd be ~$72 a year for 1TB.

      Cloudamo looks the most promising, here.

      Complete DIY

      • I have a 2TB drive that I guess I can expose to the Internet as a fileserver. Dunno what my ISPs policy on this is and I wouldn't be confident in its reliability.

      Well, those are a few options. Got any more?

      24 votes
    3. A friendly reminder: If you own a bicycle, you must own a helmet

      I shivered at the thought of being severely brain-damaged after being hit by a car while cycling about a month ago. I am now extremely humbled by the fragility of the human body. The vehicle that...

      I shivered at the thought of being severely brain-damaged after being hit by a car while cycling about a month ago. I am now extremely humbled by the fragility of the human body. The vehicle that hit me was going really slow--a hard requirement of the lane. An apt cyclist can easily achieve 30 MPH (48km/h). That's enough to do a lot of damage itself. Now imagine a shock with a vehicle coming in the opposite direction at a mere 20 MPH (32km/h) (that’s not what happened to me BTW. I have no recollection of the accident, and no wish to get in touch with the driver. I don’t resent him at all, in fact he was extremely caring and wanted to ride with me in the ambulance but my mom was already occupying the only spot).

      I'm terrible at physics but you guys and girls are probably not, so you make the calculations. To sum up, without a helmet a ridiculously "benign" accident at low speeds can literally impair you for life.

      After the crash, my helmet went into pieces. I wish someone had got it so I can visualize the extent of my luck. It was an old helmet that should have been replaced at least 2 years ago. It cost me about 30 bucks and probably saved my life or cognition.

      So, cyclists: own a helmet and use it whenever you're on the bike even if there are no cars around. A skilled cyclist can still crash all by himself/herself. And a car could appear from nowhere.

      Some people get brain damage by falling in the bathroom. Why would you be safer waltzing around on top of a metal frame?

      41 votes
    4. Would any Tilderino be interested in tutoring me in programming?

      I could have post this on Reddit but in my experience, nothing really happens over there since things are too impersonal. I realize that's not an enticing proposition for most people since...

      I could have post this on Reddit but in my experience, nothing really happens over there since things are too impersonal.

      I realize that's not an enticing proposition for most people since programmers are usually busy people, but I figure I'd give it a shot. I believe many people that already interacted with me have some idea about my personality. Besides being a stickler for logic, I'm very flexible and eager to learn and make it a habit to force myself to admit when I am wrong. I had to abandon software engineering college because of financial concerns and this hurt me quite a bit, not just because of the content, but because of the social stimulus from my peers.

      I already have some knowledge mostly in Python and basic C algorithms, from the basics until rudiments OOP. Math is not my strong suit, but I don't hate it either and I am very fond of logic (including philosophy). I'm also very good at Googling and reading documentation, so I wouldn't give you too much trouble.

      I'm proficient in Linux/Unix (as an advanced user, not an administrator). I'm comfortable in the command line and an enthusiastic user of Emacs (but I can use whatever you want of course).

      It doesn't even have to be Python, just anything you're comfortable teaching at a beginner level that works on a Mac (and later n a Linux Machine). And is also wouldn't have to be super intensive or frequent, being unemployed (hahaha) I can work around any schedule. I just need some human contact with a nice dude or dudette that cares about imparting knowledge.

      My English is pretty good in writing and understanding but I do have a thick accent -- I believe it's understandable though.

      I'm super shy and video is not a requirement, but it might be nice.

      I'm also a slow learner and have ADHD, so you might need a little patience.

      Anyway, here I am asking for help!

      EDIT: dear Tilderinos, you're awesome and I love you all. I'm also aware of many if not most learning resources for self-didact beginners programmers on the internet -- especially if they use Python. The reason I'm posting this is that I am failing at learning by myself. I welcome ALL suggestions with great gratitude, but this is not the purpose of this thread.

      EDIT2 VERY IMPORTANT!!! I’d be willing to teach Portuguese or anything else I happen to know in exchanging for the tutoring!!!!!!!

      EDIT3:

      Thank you very much everyone. I'm very sorry tor taking so long to answer. I had to make a decision about my study plans for 2020.

      Thing is, back in 2019 I was doing pretty well on a software engineering course at a local private university. But money got tight and I had to drop out. Since then I've been trying to make it on my own, but after more than a year I came to the conclusion that this is simply not going to work. At the university, I was at the top of the class. By myself, I'm a lazy bastard with half the IQ. Go figure.

      So I decided that instead of trying force my way into learning by myself, I'll just study for the Brazilian national exam and get into some great public educational facility that will most certainly provide me a better education for free.

      I took the exam before without studying, and my grade made the cut. So I'm confident that if apply myself this time I'll be able to enter at least one of three major public universities in my city that offer dozens of IT-related courses.

      So I'm laying off from programming until at least January 17 and devoting myself entirely to the exam.

      Cheers!

      18 votes
    5. In 100 years' time, what do you think society will look back on and view with distaste?

      Inspired by this comment, and thinking about how we today look back on (for example) segregation, or the treatment of homosexuals through the last 100 years. In the year 2120 what do you think...

      Inspired by this comment, and thinking about how we today look back on (for example) segregation, or the treatment of homosexuals through the last 100 years.
      In the year 2120 what do you think human society will look back on and be disgusted to think about?

      The big one for me I think will be the treatment of animals, and not just battery farming, but straight up growing them for slaughter: food, clothes, lab-testing, etc. With the nascent industry of 3d-printed/lab-grown meats gaining traction, as well as vegan and vegetarianism on the rise through much of the West, it's not hard to imagine our great-grandchildren being horrified at the thought of their ancestors raising animals just to kill them.

      31 votes
    6. Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of August 24

      This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the...

      This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!

      10 votes
    7. [SOLVED] Archiving a deceased loved one's Twitter timeline, including media

      Recently a loved one of a friend has died and they would like to archive their entire timeline (no retweets), including media they posted. I've looked around a little bit and the Twitter API only...

      Recently a loved one of a friend has died and they would like to archive their entire timeline (no retweets), including media they posted.

      I've looked around a little bit and the Twitter API only allows 3200 tweets to be exported. As this includes RTs, this goes back to about 2018, while the account was made in 2011, so it's missing about 90% of their tweets. Also, getting all the media isn't really possible.

      Do any of you know a way to accomplish this? Or, can anyone direct me to scripts that crawl the page and save every non-RT tweet + potential media? I'm not very tech-oriented but I can at least run python scripts.

      I should mention that I've so far checked out Allmytweets.net (returns RTs) and the Twitter archival project (or whatever it's called), which is a group of people that help in archiving accounts, but they haven't responded yet.

      13 votes
    8. Can you recommend authors who deal with loneliness?

      They can be modern or classic (or modern classic:), in any language. Preferably famous and influential authors, but hidden gems are also fine. Also, I'd really prefer fiction, but philosophical...

      They can be modern or classic (or modern classic:), in any language. Preferably famous and influential authors, but hidden gems are also fine.

      Also, I'd really prefer fiction, but philosophical books are all right too.

      18 votes
    9. Easily distinguish text topics from link topics?

      So currently as far as I know the only way to tell the difference between a link or text topic is by the username section if it’s a name it’s a text and if it has a website name/URL it’s a link,...

      So currently as far as I know the only way to tell the difference between a link or text topic is by the username section if it’s a name it’s a text and if it has a website name/URL it’s a link,

      When I’m slowly browsing it isn’t too hard to distinguish them but sometimes if I’m flicking past quick “as I often do” it can be nearly impossible to tell them apart without stopping and looking an each individual topic, could we not make them a different colour or maybe add the word link somewhere just so it’s easier on the eyes?.

      11 votes
    10. What did you do this week?

      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!

      11 votes
    11. 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?

      11 votes
    12. Life has gotten a lot more stressful for me lately

      I find it difficult to reach out to people, especially so publicly, but this shit is getting out of hand, and I need to let it out. Tonight I couldn't sleep because I've lost some sensitivity in...

      I find it difficult to reach out to people, especially so publicly, but this shit is getting out of hand, and I need to let it out.

      Tonight I couldn't sleep because I've lost some sensitivity in my left arm. You know how you get the numbness in your arm in the morning when you sleep on it at night? Except I haven't: it just started to go off slowly, fully functional but clearly numb in places. Tonight's different because in addition to my arm, like the last time, several other parts of my body express the same symptom: my right foot and my right shoulder. It's one of the most terrifying things I've experienced in a long time.

      I think stress is finally getting to me.

      I'm pretty sure it's stress because I'm an otherwise-healthy young male with no history of chronic disease – or susceptability to common ones, even – with a stable diet and lifestyle. I haven't had significant changes in my routines or preferences for a long time, except for the fact that I started walking more. I haven't been outside the city, let alone the country, for almost a year.

      The only major thing that's changed is my living situation.

      I've been trying to make it as an independent creator – writer, developer, designer, modder – for a year now, maybe two. I've been working on several projects publicly and a lot more privately: mostly writing, some development, my website included. It hasn't been arduous but has been very long without much result to speak of. I haven't been marketing myself a whole lot, and frankly, there isn't much to show aside from a lot of peripheral talk (like the production logs of the website or Mythos).

      I live alone in a small studio owned by my parents. They also afford me a small weekly fund of about $27, for just about $110/mo.. Even in Russia, where I live, that isn't a lot of money – you get to buy just about enough food for a month, and that's it – but I get it for existing, so I don't complain. On the surface, it's a stable and excellent arrangement that I should be nothing but grateful for.

      Last week, I made an error in telling my parents it might be a good idea to sell the studio and use the funds to move to a bigger city and let myself live off them while I develop my non-career career path (they've made it clear with anything but a written statement this studio is meant to be for me, and the ownership is but a formality to avoid paying more taxes). My mother lashed out at me: how stupid of an idea it was to rent when I have a perfectly-good apartment, and where would I end up when I eventually spend everything down to the last dime... I don't remember the rest of it 'cause I tuned it out, for the sake of my emotional stability at the time.

      I haven't told them about what I'm trying to accomplish here: they think I'm looking for a site designer position. I haven't told them a lot of things: about my depression, about my anxiety, about what I like, what I want, what I need... I wouldn't want them to know 'cause I already feel trapped in their influence on my life. They've been helicopter-parenting my whole life, and every time I tried to gain that much autonomy and freedom, I've been met with resistance, and blame, and "what will people think of you", and even fake tears. There's no dialogue to be had, and the energy it takes to make any kind of meaningful progress is the energy I don't have.

      So, I've been trying quietly to make it on my own.

      I've been using depression-induced mood swings to maintain some degree of order in my life, but recently it's become impossible. My apartment is a mess, and I keep up only what I immediately need; even that takes a lot. I had a brief few days of victory recently when I push through sleeping later and later until I started waking up very early, when I feel most energetic and positive – and even that eventually washed away. It's a good day when I'm able to get one thing done. The rest of them I weather out as best I can, including spending much more on comfort food (and gaining proportional weight) than I should. It also usually involves a lot of gaming and mindless watching of Internet videos, for what seems to me obvious reasons.

      I've been through periods like these before, but they've never felt quite so hopeless. I need to make money to get the freedom I need, which I can't do because I barely have the energy, which is because I can barely afford to live through the week with the vices that keep me steady, which I need because I don't have the freedom I need...

      I'm not lazy. I can work long days. I have been working long days on projects that promised some degree of "more freedom". Back when I thought Intergrid would be my saving grace, I'd work studiously to make it happen by a set deadline. Earlier still, I'd work for $80/mo. on a website redesign that didn't go through. (It was for a friend, and what may be a quarter of rent for you had been almost double my monthly allowance, and it was perfectly enough 'cause I was enjoying the work.) I don't waste my days on senseless entertainment if I can help it: I have several projects I'm working on when I can, that I enjoy doing and would do for free if I had a financial base otherwise.

      So why not find a job?

      The jobs I did hold previously – a couple of days each – gave me no hope for finding something locally. I live in a semi-rural region of Russia where modern job opportunities aren't very present. People here work hard physically but not intellectually. (First-world problems, I know, but at this stage I can't afford to waste what little energy I have.) Jobs elsewhere? I don't think I'd cut it. For all my experimentation and trying things out and showing bits and pieces here and there, I don't have a portfolio worth a damn, and the last time I tried making one felt like grinding my teeth on a metal rail. That $80/mo. job I had, I had because I mentioned to a friend that I could take that thing he wanted to do for him, and he said "Yeah, okay, you've been talking a lot about web design so far, handle it for me". I don't think someone who doesn't know me would be that trusting.

      So it feels like doing something I enjoy – which doesn't take away what little energy I have – is the only way for me, at least at the moment. Make enough to be able to move out to most places in Russia and not have to worry about food and the roof over my shoulder.

      What I'm going to try is stick to a schedule. I prefer to take my time, work out the kinks and iron out the bugs before publishing something. Given the circumstances, however, it may be time to employ some mental tools. I've heard advice before about publishing a story, or a sketch, or an episode of the podcast every month, or ever week, as long as it's on rails. Good story? Bad story? It goes out. I have a few stories I want to tell, but I've been keeping 'em "unlisted" for a long time now, hoping to work it all out beforehand. Maybe rough as they are, I'm better off with them seeing the light of day. Like I said: I'm not lazy. I just need to find a way to make it work.

      20 votes
    13. TV Tuesdays Free Talk

      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...

      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.

      9 votes