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    1. Things to look for while suit shopping?

      I love fashion and all things streetwear and sneakers, but I have a blind spot when it comes to suits and tuxedos. I don't need to ever dress formally at work since I work in tech, but I'm also at...

      I love fashion and all things streetwear and sneakers, but I have a blind spot when it comes to suits and tuxedos. I don't need to ever dress formally at work since I work in tech, but I'm also at the age where I need to have suits for weddings and such.

      I currently have a pretty nice dark grey suit that I bought for a couple of weddings a couple of years ago, but I need to go suit shopping again for just a normal black suit for upcoming weddings. Anyone have anything they look for specifically? I have an appointment at Suit Supply later tonight, but wanted to go in knowing a bit more!

      24 votes
    2. Any experts on electrophoretic lacquer here? Need some help in sourcing a high quality lacquer.

      Need to apply lacquer on a mild steel product that is zinc plated and has some vibratory surface polishing on top of it, which wears the zinc down a bit. Need to pass 500 hours on a British...

      Need to apply lacquer on a mild steel product that is zinc plated and has some vibratory surface polishing on top of it, which wears the zinc down a bit.

      Need to pass 500 hours on a British Standard salt spray test (BS EN ISO 9227: 2017)

      If anyone has any sources on a good lacquer supplier please let me know. Tried one by LVH coatings but it didn't pass more than 300 hours.

      12 votes
    3. Easy access to stimulants aided scientific progress in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

      https://mastodon.social/@tef/112763581163648202 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erd%C5%91s#Personality His colleague Alfréd Rényi said, "a mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into...

      https://mastodon.social/@tef/112763581163648202

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erd%C5%91s#Personality

      His colleague Alfréd Rényi said, "a mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems", and Erdős drank copious quantities

      After his mother's death in 1971 he started taking antidepressants and amphetamines, despite the concern of his friends, one of whom (Ron Graham) bet him $500 that he could not stop taking them for a month. Erdős won the bet, but complained that it impacted his performance: "You've showed me I'm not an addict. But I didn't get any work done. I'd get up in the morning and stare at a blank piece of paper. I'd have no ideas, just like an ordinary person. You've set mathematics back a month."

      https://kolektiva.social/@sidereal/112764385284252961

      They were called the "greatest generation" because they collectively had far easier access to stimulants than anyone before or since


      Random showerthought time:

      The war on drugs, medical skepticism, stigma, and other factors caused stimulants and medications, especially those useful for treating conditions such as ADHD, to become less accessible. This adversely affected the people who needed or would otherwise benefit from these stimulants and medications, and scientific progress and society more widely has suffered because of it.

      35 votes
    4. Does anyone have any advice for new dads?

      I'm going to be a father soon. This kid was very much planned, and I've been pretty involved every step of the way, yet it still feels bizarre to say that out loud. At 26 (27 when the kid is...

      I'm going to be a father soon. This kid was very much planned, and I've been pretty involved every step of the way, yet it still feels bizarre to say that out loud. At 26 (27 when the kid is born), I don't feel like a kid, but in some ways, I'm not sure I feel mature enough for parenthood.

      I'm not too worried about the immediate logistical practicalities of parenthood. Things like how to clean, feed, and physically handle a newborn are things I can learn and seem fairly straightforward. Regarding what to get, I live within walking distance of a fairly well known baby supply store, so I figure I can just buy things as the need arises. I'm expecting that first month to be hard, but after I "figure out" the kid, I'm sure it'll be manageable. My folks did it, their folks did it, I'm sure I can do it too.

      I guess what I'm really dwelling on is the more abstract aspects of fatherhood. I don't know what to expect and I don't really know what I don't know. What does it feel like? How should I prioritize my life? How do I figure out what's important and what isn't? I want to do what's best for the kid, but what does that even mean? How much is expecting too much from the kid? My wife wants the kid to be able to speak Russian, naturally, I want the kid to be able to speak English, and living in Japan, the kid will also have to pick up Japanese. Is that going to stunt the kid? I have so many questions and no one to really ask. I asked my own dad about it and all he said was something along the lines of "every kid is different, it might take a bit of time to really sink in that you're a dad" and that was that.

      A bit of background about my situation:
      On one hand, I'm in an okay place. I have a house with a very affordable mortgage, a modest, but stable career, and I live in a very safe part of Japan, which offers a lot of support for new parents. On the other hand, both my wife and I are thousands of miles from our respective families, so we're pretty much on our own and neither of are as fluent in the local language as we'd like to be.

      35 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!

      8 votes
    6. 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?

      9 votes
    7. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      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...

      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.

      8 votes
    8. Seasonal hobbies: What are your summer/winter hobbies?

      What are some hobbies you do specifically when during this time of year (whether it's your summer or winter)? And what do you do in the opposite season? When I'm home, summer is when I do some...

      What are some hobbies you do specifically when during this time of year (whether it's your summer or winter)? And what do you do in the opposite season?

      When I'm home, summer is when I do some light woodworking projects. Currently I need to finish a shadowbox that will be illuminated with LED strip lights. I also have to finish a bat house that needs a little more work before I can do a final assembly and install it on a post.

      I don't really have any specific hobbies for the winter, besides crushing my music backlog while reading, so I'm interested to see what other people do.


      I was intending on posting this before the season actually started, but here we are. :)

      17 votes
    9. Recipes and meal planning for uncommon dietary restrictions

      Some backstory, in case it provides useful context for this question. I was diagnosed with gastroparesis more than 10 years ago. Gastroparesis doesn't have a ton of treatment options, and...
      Some backstory, in case it provides useful context for this question.

      I was diagnosed with gastroparesis more than 10 years ago. Gastroparesis doesn't have a ton of treatment options, and "lifestyle changes" are one of the big things required to at least manage symptoms. Recommendations for a gastroparesis friendly diet are to limit fiber, limit fat, limit alcohol, eat very small meals frequently instead of a few larger meals, cook the heck out of things, puree things, etc (basically, do what you can to minimize the work your stomach will have to do).

      After my initial diagnosis I got fairly good at modifying standard recipes to accommodate my restrictions (though there are still some things I just avoid completely, like corn and kale). So even though it was a little extra work, I could mostly adjust standard meal prep and recipe ideas to work for me.

      Recently though, I've had some new health issues occur that have resulted in a couple of other digestive issues (among them fructose intolerance and fructan intolerance) that further restrict my diet and suddenly my options are way more limited. I'm reaching out to a dietician, but honestly a lot of these things are mostly treated with (organized) trial and error, so the more information and tools I have at my disposal, the better.


      I was wondering what people use for finding recipes and meal planning when they have less "standard" dietary restrictions. I find that a lot of these tools have options for vegetarians, vegans, paleo diet, keto diet, low carb; or for common allergens like peanuts and soy. But I haven't found a way to limit more specific things (especially things, like fiber, that are generally regarded as beneficial, or things, like fructose, that are everywhere). I suppose just manually searching for and then looking through a bunch of recipes is an option, but that can also be challenging given that nutritional information on recipes isn't always complete. I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions that people have for this sort of thing because I like to eat but right now food is making me very sad.


      (also sorry if ~health was a better place to put this, I wasn't sure exactly where it should go)

      13 votes
    10. 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.

      6 votes
    11. Perspective request: What would a healthy family do during serious physical/mental health events?

      What would your family do? What would a normal, healthy, supportive family do? (If different) Hypothetical situation 1: Two family members have had a major accident. No threat to their lives, some...

      What would your family do? What would a normal, healthy, supportive family do? (If different)

      Hypothetical situation 1:

      Two family members have had a major accident. No threat to their lives, some internal organ damage, some broken bones, not much other info is know. One of them is awake and can call/text for info, the other is in/out of surgeries and in ICU for the first two days.

      A) immediately family drops everything and fly to their destination right away?

      B) extended family do so?

      C) discuss and send one person to go right away. Then discuss to arrange for longer term recovery + rehab care after hospital discharge

      D) nothing, combo, or other ?

      Hypothetical situation 2:

      Family member is "not doing well", eg, mental health. Probably"moderate" level of suicide risk: no immediate plans, some reservations about morality and how devastated their partner would be, but constant ideation and philosophically don't see why not. CPTSD with more recent triggers of job loss and moving from away from a socially unsafe situation. Has entirely dropped out of communication with family. Their partner is reachable by phone or email or text and says the family member is not doing well at all and has ceased all outside of home activities such as getting mail, buying groceries, filling up the car or anything that involves other human beings.

      What would a normal family do?

      27 votes