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    1. Favorite hobby / subculture YouTube channels?

      I’m wondering what everyone’s favorite YouTube content creators are - I leave my history off and try to avoid YouTube’s recommendation engine, so it makes me hard to stumble naturally on...

      I’m wondering what everyone’s favorite YouTube content creators are - I leave my history off and try to avoid YouTube’s recommendation engine, so it makes me hard to stumble naturally on interesting channels.

      Please feel free to suggest anything - here are a sample of ones I like with a link or two to a good video from them

      9 votes
    2. What are your go to fast but tasty meals? Is there prep you do on weekends to make meals faster?

      I was inspired by another post to think about this question. I am far from the only person who values good tasting good quality meals but is also pressed for time. What do you do? What do you...

      I was inspired by another post to think about this question. I am far from the only person who values good tasting good quality meals but is also pressed for time. What do you do? What do you make? How do you prep?

      Thanks for any insight.

      25 votes
    3. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films 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.

      4 votes
    4. Have you ever "homebrewed" fermented beverages?

      A few questions for those who have tried homebrewing (and general thread on homebrewing in general) Have you ever tried homebrewing? What were lessons learned? Did you regret the up-front...

      A few questions for those who have tried homebrewing (and general thread on homebrewing in general)

      • Have you ever tried homebrewing?
      • What were lessons learned?
      • Did you regret the up-front investment?
      • Do you bottle or keg?
      • What are your favorite recipes?
      • What is your setup like?

      Feel free to answer only one question, all of them, or none of them and share an anecdote!

      10 votes
    5. 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
    6. How do you - or, how did you - leverage your hobbies into careers?

      Hey there! I'm an office monkey doing IT stuff. I've mercenary'd my way across multiple teams for the last decade (level 1 support to basically DevOps for payment systems) with no formal training...

      Hey there! I'm an office monkey doing IT stuff. I've mercenary'd my way across multiple teams for the last decade (level 1 support to basically DevOps for payment systems) with no formal training or certification at a fairly large company. It's nice that my bosses all seem to appreciate that I'm flexible, but my work kinda swells and relaxes every couple months, and sometimes it feels unstable since I've never actually put any of this knowledge into an accepted certification. I look into certifications but nothing jumps out; recently I gave AWS a shot in a self-guided course and realized I was pretty bored by it. Something that popped into my mind as I noticed that I don't really have a "portfolio" is that I have tons of car work, audio editing, off-the-cuff writing about games, etc things that have to do with my hobbies in gaming, cars, music, shitposting on the internet, etc that I'm happy to make without feeling pressured. I feel like if someone asked me to pick up something like this for pay and give me a deadline - a program to edit, a car to work on, an image or audio to manipulate, something analyzing a piece of art - I'd happily do it without even thinking about it, and they're the kinds of things I could do for hours losing track of time.

      Being a breadwinner right now with a kid I don't have the risk factor to jump careers right now, but if I lost my job I feel like I'd want to give some different industry a shot. Problem is I just don't get how people... weasel into these things? Is that how this happens? Or do they just eat a ton of time/money making these laterals? Where do they get the experience, where do people find the connections? I'm curious - has anyone ever turned a hobby into a career? Did it work out?

      19 votes
    7. Thinking about quitting the Internet

      This is an off-the-cuff, stream-of-consciousness post, so IDK how much sense it'll make. This idea of quitting the Internet is not new for me, but it's also never been a serious,...

      This is an off-the-cuff, stream-of-consciousness post, so IDK how much sense it'll make.

      This idea of quitting the Internet is not new for me, but it's also never been a serious, "consider-the-pros-v-cons" plan, either. Just a kind of knee-jerk reaction to seeing things online that remind me (more and more often, these days) that the 'Net is not what I hoped-and-wanted it to be, and it is becoming less like it, daily.

      But in recent months, for me, I find myself thinking about it more, more often, and more seriously.

      For a bit of context, I am a software developer (I guess), 20+ years in the field, more back-end than front-end, but quite a lot of web development, too. And I've been burned out in my field for the last several years, working occasionally, but mostly just living off of savings ... watching them dwindle, while I try to figure out what else to do with my life.

      I also think there is some kind of burgeoning groundswell towards some similar ideas ... many people becoming more and more disgusted with what corporations and governments have done and are doing to it, trying to find some way to walk away from it w/o completely severing themselves from the modern world. The latest generation of AI and the new magic word, "enshittification" are certainly making more people realize that the 'Net is not headed in a good direction.

      I could so easily go into a long-winded rant about "this isn't the Internet we were promised", and yada ... but whatever. It is what it is, and many people are happy with it, and many, many more are just quietly resigned to it being a necessary part of life.

      For many, many years, I have explored online alternatives, the dark web, assorted distributed-network ideals like Hyperborea and IPFS. I keep seeing potentials, but nothing that ever coalesces.

      Again, just stream-of-consciousness here ... anyone else ever find themselves seriously considering this, or something similarly drastic?

      34 votes
    8. I have a bit of trouble figuring out the stages in pencil drawing

      I drew a LOT in my childhood and youth, but later forgot about it. My skills and my patience is pretty much gone. I look at my old drawing and wonder, did I really make that? Damn. But I'm slowly...

      I drew a LOT in my childhood and youth, but later forgot about it. My skills and my patience is pretty much gone. I look at my old drawing and wonder, did I really make that? Damn. But I'm slowly trying to get back in the game.

      I know how to get the outlines in place first, but I'm unsure how to go about the shades of grey. Some instruction online suggest that you concentrate at one area at the time. Others seems more like you're supposed to start out with the brightest shadows and slowly move towards softer leads.

      Does any of you have some kind of structure here?

      14 votes
    9. TV shows or movies like 1883 or The Last of Us?

      I've just finished 1883. I haven't shed so many tears over a stupid show in a long time, if ever, and I want more of it. It was similar when I watched several lets-plays of The Last of Us. I'm not...

      I've just finished 1883. I haven't shed so many tears over a stupid show in a long time, if ever, and I want more of it. It was similar when I watched several lets-plays of The Last of Us.

      I'm not sure I can pin down what I'm looking for. I think it's the journey through hostile territory and thriving in it. There's mostly suffering and hardship, and every small moment of joy is only followed by more bad times. But for the protagonist this is food, it only makes them grow and become more fierce. Not necessarily to their advantage, but that's drama I guess.

      Any suggestions are appreciated!

      16 votes
    10. Have my ear for a day

      Send me a list of things to listen to for a day. Probably best if it's 4-8 hours, but if you want to recommend less (like an album or two) I'll listen and then use the "radio" feature to stream...

      Send me a list of things to listen to for a day. Probably best if it's 4-8 hours, but if you want to recommend less (like an album or two) I'll listen and then use the "radio" feature to stream similar music afterwards.

      Alternatively or additionally, feel free to get out of your comfort zone and join in on the listening.

      Context:

      I have a lot of time to listen to music while working. Recently I've been getting bored with my go-to catalog. About 5 years ago I posted out like this on a different platform and had a pretty good experience.

      This doesn't need to be specific/catered to me, since that's part of the experience. But if it helps, I tend to listen to pop, electronic, alt rock, R&B, and funk. I also enjoy jazz and 40's music. Here's my last.fm if you want more specifics, though the all-time stats are skewed towards my heavy listening a decade ago.

      Edit:

      Feel free to post links to whatever you use to listen or no links at all. I don't mind doing some leg work to get it playing on my streaming service.

      14 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?

      2 votes
    12. 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!

      1 vote
    13. 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.

      7 votes
    14. Best foreign films and TV shows?

      American here. Wife and I have seen every American film and TV show we would ever want to watch. Broadening our horizons lately. Not a huge fan of super abstract/art house type of stuff (usually)....

      American here. Wife and I have seen every American film and TV show we would ever want to watch. Broadening our horizons lately.

      Not a huge fan of super abstract/art house type of stuff (usually). Big fan of sci-fi and moody/dramatic stories, but I also appreciate most of the truly great stories from any genre.

      So far I've seen:

      Dark (German series) - Absolutely loved it.

      Parasite (Korean movie) - Amazing

      Squid games (Korean series) - Amazing

      The Wandering Earth (Chinese movie) - Interesting and visually appealing but objectively a terrible movie. Couldn't suspend my disbelief at all.

      Still Game (Scottish series) - Hilarious and comforting. Endlessly rewatchable. This show does for me what friends does for my wife.

      Kim's convenience (Canadian series) - Funny and easy to watch.

      Derry Girls (British/Irish series) - Love it. Hilarious. Much like the office, you have to cringe through an episode or two before you actually get it.

      I left out most of the British stuff like Month Python and Black Mirror because they're pretty well-established in American culture.

      What else would you all suggest?

      46 votes
    15. What makes you chew fire?

      What's the thing that was promised, not delivered, and just really upsets you? For me, it's "The Doors of Stone" promised by Patrick Rothfuss. Every couple of months I think about how badly I'd...

      What's the thing that was promised, not delivered, and just really upsets you?

      For me, it's "The Doors of Stone" promised by Patrick Rothfuss. Every couple of months I think about how badly I'd love to read this book and it just really makes me angry. When I first read The Name of the Wind, I was awestruck. I just freaking loved this book. The Wise Man's Fear was a wait, but when delivered, it really satisfied me. Now, it's been 13 years!! Some days I think to myself, "I'm not even going to read his stupid book when it comes out." But, I'm kidding myself. Of course I'm going to read it...if he or I don't die first.

      38 votes
    16. New Music Fridays: Adrianne Lenker, Julia Holter, Waxahatchee and more

      This is a thread to discuss 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your...

      This is a thread to discuss 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your eye and interest, or share your thoughts about any new music that you've had the chance to listen to this week.

      Discussion Points
      Is there anything you've been looking forward to listening to?
      Any releases that have surprised you?
      Have you listened to any new music recently? What are your thoughts?
      What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past? How does their latest work compare?

      Links:
      Pitchfork - Out This Week
      AllMusic - All New Releases
      Stereogum - New Music

      ~~ Feedback on the format welcome
      7 votes
    17. How do you store ”loose” tech hardware?

      Hesitating between posting this as a comment or a topic but here we are. While reading this Tildes post (and the blog post) about tiny undervalued hardware, a curiosity sparked in my head. How do...

      Hesitating between posting this as a comment or a topic but here we are.

      While reading this Tildes post (and the blog post) about tiny undervalued hardware, a curiosity sparked in my head.

      How do you organize and store your cables, tiny hardware, and other stuff? Mine are like a bunch of rat tails tangled up inside a plastic box.

      I live in a small apartment (for now) and would like to hear your thoughts. And recommendations.

      We don’t have to limit ourselves to just wires and cables. For example, I also have old phones, external CD players, etc.

      Bonus points if it’s portable and you could travel with your “tiny hardware”.

      22 votes
    18. What useful tasks are possible with an LLM with only 3B parameters?

      Playing with Llama 7B and 13B, I found that the 13B model was capable of doing a simple task, rewriting titles in sentence case for Tildes submissions. The 7B model doesn't appear capable of the...

      Playing with Llama 7B and 13B, I found that the 13B model was capable of doing a simple task, rewriting titles in sentence case for Tildes submissions. The 7B model doesn't appear capable of the same task, out of the box.

      I heard about Android's new AICore available on a couple of new devices. But it sounds like Gemini Nano, which runs on-device, can only handle 2B or 3B parameters.

      Is this size of model useful for real tasks? Does it only become useful after training on a specific domain? I'm a novice and wanting to learn a little bit about it. On-device AI is an appealing concept to me.

      10 votes
    19. Book recommendations, specifically

      (A follow-up to Game recommendations, specifically) This is a topic for book recommendations, but not just any standard book recommendations. This is a topic for book recommendations where you...

      (A follow-up to Game recommendations, specifically)

      This is a topic for book recommendations, but not just any standard book recommendations.

      This is a topic for book recommendations where you have a very specific thing that you're looking for.

      Maybe you're looking for a certain type of story that can't easily be summarized with genres and tags. Maybe you're looking for a book that will evoke a particular feeling that's hard to put into words.

      Whatever you're looking for, share your desired specificity below, and let people try to recommend books that fit it.

      31 votes
    20. Looking to Llama. Help?

      Hi folks I'm progressing a project but I could use some insights. I need to teach a LLM (preferably an open source and locally host-able) information about TV shows. I plan on using the show name,...

      Hi folks

      I'm progressing a project but I could use some insights.

      I need to teach a LLM (preferably an open source and locally host-able) information about TV shows. I plan on using the show name, title, running time, episode quantity per series/season, and full transcript.

      Where do I even start?

      Pointers to sites to learn to do this would be much appreciated. If anyone can summarise how I need to prep the data then that would be a bonus too.

      Bonus points for a Llama GUI that can be network hosted and allow different people to connect as individuals, a little like ChatGPT interface now.

      Thank you in advance.

      16 votes
    21. Album of the Week #26: Gang Starr - Moment of Truth

      This is Album of the Week #26 ~ This week's album is Gang Starr - Moment of Truth Year of Release: 1998 Genre(s): East Coast Hip Hop, Boom Bap Country: United States Length: 78 minutes RYM |...

      This is Album of the Week #26 ~ This week's album is Gang Starr - Moment of Truth

      Year of Release: 1998
      Genre(s): East Coast Hip Hop, Boom Bap
      Country: United States
      Length: 78 minutes
      RYM | Listen!

      Excerpt from Albumism:

      Instead, the crew thrived, slightly updating its sound, but remaining true to its roots. While the music was more melodic and a bit cleaner, the soul of the group remained intact. If anything, as Guru says to open the album, both the rhyme style and the style of beats are “elevated.” Behind the boards, Primo runs a clinic in hip-hop production, showcasing his superior sample chopping skills. Guru turned in the best lyrical performance of his career, and honestly one of the best lyrical performances of the past quarter-century. He even produced a pair of tracks on the album, the first time he had received the sole production credit on a Gang Starr album.

      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 ~~
      15 votes
    22. Movie of the Week #22 - Saving Private Ryan

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Last movie not winning Best Picture is Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan from 1998. It won for directing, cinematography, film editing, sound effects and sound editing

      IMDb
      Letterboxd
      Wikipedia

      Besides any thoughts on this movie, have you seen the other nominees that year and do you think this deserved the win instead?

      The other nominees:

      • Shakespeare in Love (winner)
      • Elizabeth
      • Life is Beautiful
      • The Thin Red Line

      The schedule for April is:

      • 1st: Moonstruck
      • 8th: The Silence of the Lambs
      • 15th: Run Lola Run
      • 22nd: Aliens
      • 29th: Fargo
      14 votes
    23. How do country-based "Access Denied" pages work?

      I'm currently abroad in Asia and cannot access certain websites from European or US companies. While I often cannot access websites because the country I am visiting blocks them, some of the...

      I'm currently abroad in Asia and cannot access certain websites from European or US companies.

      While I often cannot access websites because the country I am visiting blocks them, some of the websites are blocked by the country of origin.

      For example, if I try to access homedepot.com, I am greeted with a white screen and the following error message:

      Access Denied

      You don't have permission to access "http://www.homedepot.com/" on this server.

      Reference #18.b2d3e17.1711331240.4d2ee5d0

      https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.b2d3e17.1711331240.4d2ee5d0

      Another example would be toyota.de, which produces:

      Access Denied
      You don't have permission to access "http://de.toyota.ch/contact" on this server.

      Reference #18.16a33017.1711331317.93e27b61

      How do these websites "ensure" that I cannot access them? It seem that some sort of configuration was purposely made to reject access from certain countries. Accessing them with a VPN solves the problem. But I'm wondering why and how the geo blocking exists to begin with.

      I'm also asking this question because it made me wonder if certain hosting providers actively block certain countries from accessing the hosted content. There was a thread about hosting quality of various providers yesterday and that got me thinking. When we used Wix for our website in the past, although content was accessible abroad, the speed seemed very slow. Worse would be if it were entirely blocked.

      Edit: by the way, changing the address request from http to https does not make any difference.

      21 votes
    24. Is there interest in a board game-focused Discord server?

      Edit: Well, given there's already a vaguely positive reception to the idea, I've went ahead and set up the server! It's by no means a finished product yet, but it's at least a start! Here's the...

      Edit: Well, given there's already a vaguely positive reception to the idea, I've went ahead and set up the server! It's by no means a finished product yet, but it's at least a start!

      Here's the link: https://discord.gg/FqArkERU2U

      About a year ago, I was running a pretty active, small community board game server and it was a lot of fun until most of the regulars got busy with life.

      After that, things happened and it fell by the wayside, but my time here with Tildes makes me really want to bring it back, I just wanted to gauge interest first. The idea is that anyone could set events, anyone can invite people, etc. Obviously, it wouldn't be an open server, but one in the same vein as Tildes, but in board game community form.

      Specifically, things like hidden role games and other more complicated games really feel like they shine when there's a solid group of regulars that are able to teach newbies how to play.

      (And selfishly, this would be a great way for me to learn new board games, as well)

      23 votes
    25. Anyone know what these LEDs in the center of my ceiling track lights are?

      This is one of those bizarre examples where I think a simple Google would solve the mystery, but I've tried dozens of searches like "halogen track lights with LEDs in center" and NO product comes...

      This is one of those bizarre examples where I think a simple Google would solve the mystery, but I've tried dozens of searches like "halogen track lights with LEDs in center" and NO product comes up with it. Does anyone know what these are?? My guess is that it has to do with one of the lights being out, but why so many LEDs then?

      10 votes
    26. Looking for a good guide to gigs

      I am in the UK and would like a decent gig guide. I just Google artists I want to watch to see if they are on tour at the moment. I am not fused on the ticket master guide. Can anyone give me good...

      I am in the UK and would like a decent gig guide. I just Google artists I want to watch to see if they are on tour at the moment. I am not fused on the ticket master guide. Can anyone give me good recommendations?

      6 votes
    27. 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
    28. 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!

      12 votes
    29. How have you embarrassed yourself recently?

      Perhaps this is a bit of an odd conversation topic, but I just humiliated myself by dropping a bottle of red wine (for no reason whatsoever, I just cant hold thigs apparently) that I'd just paid...

      Perhaps this is a bit of an odd conversation topic, but I just humiliated myself by dropping a bottle of red wine (for no reason whatsoever, I just cant hold thigs apparently) that I'd just paid for as I left the store.

      The loud gasp from a nearby woman and the man singing 'red red wine' were both objectively funny, but I couldn't help but feel humiliated as I scrambled to clean it up. I'd also like to give a special shout-out to the man who came to help me clean it up.
      I'm coming to you Tildes in an effort to feel less shame. What have you done recently, by accident or on purpose that has embarrassed you?

      49 votes
    30. Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2024 - Results

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Quite an exciting weekend. Drivers having problems keeping it on track during FPs, Albon's crash and Logan's sacrifice, a pretty good Quali, and then Max's shocking DNF in the early laps of the race.

      But if I'm being honest, the rest of the race wasn't that exciting. What does that say about current state of F1?

      Anyway, moral of the the weekend: get your appendix removed; you'll become a Smooth Operator.

      Race Results -- SPOILER
      POS NO DRIVER LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
      1 55 Sainz 58 1:20:26.843 25
      2 16 Leclerc 58 +2.366s 19
      3 4 Norris 58 +5.904s 15
      4 81 Piastri 58 +35.770s 12
      5 11 Perez 58 +56.309s 10
      6 14 Alonso 58 +80.992s 8
      7 18 Stroll 58 +93.222s 6
      8 22 Tsunoda 58 +95.601s 4
      9 27 Hulkenberg 58 +104.553s 2
      10 20 Magnussen 57 +1 lap 1
      11 23 Albon 57 +1 lap 0
      12 3 Ricciardo 57 +1 lap 0
      13 10 Gasly 57 +1 lap 0
      14 77 Bottas 57 +1 lap 0
      15 24 Zhou 57 +1 lap 0
      16 31 Ocon 57 +1 lap 0
      17 63 Russell 56 DNF 0
      NC 44 Hamilton 15 DNF 0
      NC 1 Verstappen 3 DNF 0

      Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc

      Source: F1.com

      18 votes
    31. Tildes Book Club - We will be discussing Piranesi the third week in April

      Thanks to everyone who discussed Cloud Atlas and to those who attempted to read it and to those who read along at home. Piranesi is significantly shorter than Cloud Atlas. I hope you will join us...

      Thanks to everyone who discussed Cloud Atlas and to those who attempted to read it and to those who read along at home.

      Piranesi is significantly shorter than Cloud Atlas. I hope you will join us in reading and discussing in a month.

      29 votes
    32. Relative financial burden imposed on university students by housing cost in Germany steadily increasing. About a third of all students close to poverty line. How does this compare to your region?

      The latest iteration of a study regarding the cost of student housing in Germany found, that rent prices for students have risen to a germany-wide average of 479€. Three years ago the average was...

      The latest iteration of a study regarding the cost of student housing in Germany found, that rent prices for students have risen to a germany-wide average of 479€. Three years ago the average was just 391€. In Munich the average cost for student housing has risen to no less than 760€. This is more than double than the housing-cost covered by BAföG, a public program providing financial support to students from low-income families. [1]

      Statistically, more than a third of students in Germany are at risk of poverty at the moment, meaning they have less than 60% of the country's mean income available. [2] [3]

      Also with regards to Munich specifically, the number of designated student housing facilities has not grown significantly or even dropped over the past few years, while the number of students has been steadily increasing. This means that more and more students have to look for rooms in shared apartments on the city's highly competitive housing market. Statistically, these students are those that live close to the poverty line particularly often.

      I realize that the cost of high-quality higher education in Germany is not as majorly fucked as for example in the USA, but still the financial burden on students is steadily increasing due to housing cost. How does this compare to where you're from? How is student housing organized in your city, how much does it cost relative to the mean income, and do you experience similar trends in your region?

      Sources (german), besides in-person conversations and experiences:
      [1] https://cms.moses-mendelssohn-institut.de/uploads/24_03_19_Wohnkosten_Studierende_804a7b53ef.pdf
      [2] https://www.spiegel.de/start/statistisches-bundesamt-mehr-als-ein-drittel-der-studierenden-lebt-unter-der-armutsgrenze-a-460cb19f-8a62-43ab-8b52-652814234250
      [3] https://youtu.be/UVaY8SCtjwg

      28 votes
    33. Folks in those $100k+ jobs, corporate types, office workers... What would you say you actually do?

      I work as a prek teacher. I go to work, clock in, and spend 8 hours actively engaged with kids teaching reading, writing, math, social skills, science, games, and more. I don't have "down time" at...

      I work as a prek teacher. I go to work, clock in, and spend 8 hours actively engaged with kids teaching reading, writing, math, social skills, science, games, and more. I don't have "down time" at work; I'm always on, because I have to be. There are demands of me every moment I'm there.

      But what about you corporate folks? I can't seem to figure what you actually... Do?

      My dad worked such a job (VP in pharma) and I could never get a real answer from him. He would always just say "I'm busy", he traveled a lot, and as far as I could tell his "work" was just meetings.

      Other business folks I interact with, it's the same. They're always playing on their phone, or (my favorite) constantly talking on the phone when picking up or dropping off their kids at school, and ignoring them. A buddy of mine is a senior exec and was able to complete baldur's gate 3 during work hours because he's just sitting around in meetings all day.

      How is that work? How does that justify earning 4x+ what I make?

      I'm genuinely curious because I've never gotten a straight answer and my impression is that in these jobs you don't actually do anything, but that can't be right.

      Sorry if this is a dumb question.

      60 votes
    34. I'm looking for a specific beer, for meme purposes

      TL;DR - I'm trying to find a way to purchase Chilean Cerveza Cristal in the US for a joke that is very important to a friend of mine. So, some of you may be aware of the current memes surrounding...

      TL;DR - I'm trying to find a way to purchase Chilean Cerveza Cristal in the US for a joke that is very important to a friend of mine.

      So, some of you may be aware of the current memes surrounding a series of advertisements from a Chilean beer company that interrupted airings of the Star Wars films in an... unconventional way.

      Well, my friend is both a huge beer aficionado and a huge Star Wars fan, and he occasionally works with the Star Wars folks at conventions. He's planning some interesting stuff for an upcoming event but can't for the life of him find the stuff here in the US. I haven't been able to turn up a retailer for it either. Does anybody know of a good way to get foreign beer into the US?

      19 votes
    35. Nominate for "Movie of the Week" in April - Female Leads

      Voting closed I do think our list of movies is turning out to be a pretty good list of solid movies, it it a bit male heavy. I hope we can find 5 movies for April that has a female substantial...

      Voting closed

      I do think our list of movies is turning out to be a pretty good list of solid movies, it it a bit male heavy. I hope we can find 5 movies for April that has a female substantial leading role.

      Rules

      • Have a woman in a leading role
      • Only one nomination per user
      • Please only nominate if you intent to participate
      • Upvote the post(s) with a nomination you would like to be picked for discussion next month
      • Please state the title of the movie clearly on the first line, and add any additional general comments in the next paragraph to keep voting simple

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

      11 votes
    36. Suggestions on how to secure reasonable US Taylor Swift - Eras Tour tickets?

      Hi everyone, I haven't seen a post like this before, but figured I would give it a shot (since it doesn't look like the rules/Code of Contact prohibit it) My fiancée is a huge fan of Taylor Swift,...

      Hi everyone, I haven't seen a post like this before, but figured I would give it a shot (since it doesn't look like the rules/Code of Contact prohibit it)

      My fiancée is a huge fan of Taylor Swift, and although I'm mostly indifferent, seeing this concert is a big deal to her, but with the way US ticket sales are through Ticketmaster scalpers are off the charts, charging like $2000/ticket which is ridiculous

      I was wondering if any other users here in the US (or North America) might have suggestions on where I could go, or what I could do to find tickets for us that might be more affordable. Most of the shows I go to now use DICE, which prevents scalping but clearly that's not the case with this show

      I understand that her music may not be everyone here's forte (it's really not mine) but this would mean the world to her (fiancée) so I'm eager to find a way to make it happen

      Thank you!

      12 votes
    37. Album of the Week #25: D'Angelo - Voodoo

      This is Album of the Week #25 ~ This week's album is D'Angelo - Voodoo Year of Release: 2000 Genre(s): Neo-Soul Country: United States Length: 79 minutes RYM | Listen! Excerpt from Pitchfork:...

      This is Album of the Week #25 ~ This week's album is D'Angelo - Voodoo

      Year of Release: 2000
      Genre(s): Neo-Soul
      Country: United States
      Length: 79 minutes
      RYM | Listen!

      Excerpt from Pitchfork:

      Details also give Voodoo its timelessness. The album's gentle avoidance of common song structures adds spontaneity; even after hundreds of listens, it's still possible to be surprised. The barely-heard words spoken in intros and outros give things continuity and a voyeuristic quality, like you're hearing it all through a city wall; listen again for the the sweetly awkward conversation with an ex that starts "One Mo' Gin" or the way "Greatdayndamornin'" is introduced with D'Angelo praising ?uestlove to journalist dream hampton: "I was like, 'You gonna be my drummer one of these days,'" gushes D.

      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 ~~
      11 votes
    38. 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
    39. "The One Who Is". Who on Tildes recently called God by this name?

      I was recently on a topic and a commenter referred to God this way. I can't seem to find it now. If it was you, or you know anything about this, I'm curious why that phrase? What does it mean? Is...

      I was recently on a topic and a commenter referred to God this way. I can't seem to find it now. If it was you, or you know anything about this, I'm curious why that phrase? What does it mean? Is it associated with a particular tradition?

      Also, is there a way to search for specific text on Tildes?

      22 votes
    40. New Music Fridays: Ariana Grande, Kamasi Washington, MIKE and more

      This is a thread to discuss 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your...

      This is a thread to discuss 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your eye and interest, or share your thoughts about any new music that you've had the chance to listen to this week.

      Discussion Points
      Is there anything you've been looking forward to listening to?
      Any releases that have surprised you?
      Have you listened to any new music recently? What are your thoughts?
      What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past? How does their latest work compare?

      Links:
      Pitchfork - Out This Week
      AllMusic - All New Releases
      Stereogum - New Music

      ~~ Feedback on the format welcome
      7 votes
    41. Positive (personal) news discussion?

      I feel like the general air recently has been pretty down recently, and I feel like it's been downer after downer headlines and discussion. What are some good things that have happened to you...

      I feel like the general air recently has been pretty down recently, and I feel like it's been downer after downer headlines and discussion.

      What are some good things that have happened to you recently? Big or small, what have you been appreciating?

      37 votes
    42. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films 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.

      4 votes
    43. Want to automate my home with a privacy focus (but I'm a bit slow and need help)

      Hey folks - I've been wanting to go whole hog on automating my home, I read through this smart home automation - tips and tricks thread started by @Merry and had a lot of useful information. Some...

      Hey folks - I've been wanting to go whole hog on automating my home, I read through this smart home automation - tips and tricks thread started by @Merry and had a lot of useful information.

      Some of the things I took away from it:

      • Home assistant is pretty great (if you don't mind tinkering)
      • Getting something that will boot back up after a power failure is great
      • Use smart plugs / switches vs bulbs
      • Maintain it's usefulness if there is an internet outage

      Like I mentioned I'd really like for this to be privacy focused and mostly self contained. Sure I'd love to be able to control stuff from my phone while I'm home and also recognize that I'm home or away.

      I just am a bit smooth brained when it comes to even seeing "would something like this work with the wiring / circuity that I have in my home already?"

      If there are any good guides to follow or really specific advice / steps I could follow to begin this process I'd really appreciate it.

      25 votes
    44. 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?

      11 votes
    45. What are your favorite series that are not from the US or UK and also not popular anime?

      I'm looking for more tv series that I haven't already found and preferably that show cultural difference than what I am used to. In the last four years I have watched and am rewatching the...

      I'm looking for more tv series that I haven't already found and preferably that show cultural difference than what I am used to.

      In the last four years I have watched and am rewatching the Japanese slice of life series Midnight Diner.

      In the past I have enjoyed Kim's Convenience and Corner Gas from Canada and Derry Girls from Ireland, all comedies. I also loved the crime drama Giri Haji that is set in Japan and the UK.

      I don't know where to start with korean or indian content, but I am open to anything you enjoyed that I might not have heard of. If it's obscure enough and from the UK or US, I'll take that also. Please share.

      42 votes