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    2. I believe Google search is restricting what articles I can see in my searches, based on my location. What can I do?

      ~tech Ask (advice)
      Whenever I search for information about something - especially about a news event - Google returns me a lot of results from Australian sites. Any foreign sites come further down the list,...

      Whenever I search for information about something - especially about a news event - Google returns me a lot of results from Australian sites. Any foreign sites come further down the list, sometimes even on the second page of results. I've never really paid much attention to this behaviour, beyond some occasional mild frustration at not being able to find local sources.

      However, this came to a head this week when I was searching for a local US-based news article about something I'd read in an Australian news site, so I could post that local US article here on Tildes (I always try to get as close to the source as possible). But, try as I might, I just could not find any good non-Australian articles about this news! It was almost like Google was deliberately blocking my attempts to read non-Australian sites. I mean, it's possible that this news wasn't reported outside Australia, but that's unlikely, seeing as it was Uber's announcement about trialling electric aircraft in Texas and Victoria. That had to get American coverage. But I struggled to find it in my searches.

      I then noticed something I've never noticed before: at the bottom of my Google searches, there's a small line which tells me my current location. It's as specific as my local council area, not just my state or the country.

      Is this location affecting what Google shows me in my searches? If so, how do I remove this restriction?

      For context: I use Chrome, but I only sign in when I'm accessing a Google service (usually the Calendar). After I've finished with the service, I sign out. So Google isn't tracking me as a person, it's just tracking my browser's search activity.

      EDIT: Thank you all. I've already set up DuckDuckGo as my default search engine, and am trying it out.

      16 votes

    6. Who are your LGBTQ heroes/role models?

      ~lgbt Ask (survey)
      Who are the LGBTQ individuals you look up to or admire? In what ways do you find them inspiring or admirable? Has their example and influence helped you in your own life? If so, how? Don't feel...
      • Who are the LGBTQ individuals you look up to or admire?
      • In what ways do you find them inspiring or admirable?
      • Has their example and influence helped you in your own life? If so, how?

      Don't feel like you have to talk about someone famous: plenty of LGBTQ heroes are the people we know personally, and I would love to hear those kinds of stories. Also, feel free to include people who don't identify as LGBTQ but who still fit the criteria of a role model/hero for the community (e.g. Judy Shepard, Jonathan Larson, a supportive straight sibling, etc.).

      15 votes

    7. What have you been listening to this week?

      ~music Ask (survey)
      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.

      12 votes

    15. Comment vote counts are now visible again

      ~tildes.official Text 103 words
      It's been just over a week since the experiment with hiding comment vote counts was started, so as promised I've turned it back off now, and votes are visible again. There was already a fair...

      It's been just over a week since the experiment with hiding comment vote counts was started, so as promised I've turned it back off now, and votes are visible again.

      There was already a fair amount of feedback posted in the original topics as well as random other threads over the week, but this can be the main place for "postmortem" feedback now.

      I won't bias the discussion in a particular direction by giving any of my own thoughts just yet, so let me know what you thought of it and whether you think we should consider making any similar changes more permanently.

      75 votes

    16. Primer (2004) - My spoiler free review of possibly the most complex and headscratch enducing time traveling themed sci-fi movie of all time.

      ~movies Text 646 words
      Hello fellow Tildos! I normally never write reviews, but i just had to after i finished watching. It's also an easy way for me to continue practice my English/writing skills, feel free to pm any...

      Hello fellow Tildos! I normally never write reviews, but i just had to after i finished watching. It's also an easy way for me to continue practice my English/writing skills, feel free to pm any feedback that you might have :)

      The first time i put on the movie Primer closer to it's release i ended up putting it on the shelf half way through or so, i was probably to tired and not in the mood, because it´s one of those movies that requires your full attention.

      Years went by and i forgot all about the sci-fi indie that shook Sundance back in 2004, only for it to emerge not long ago when i made another list of movies to either watch or re-watch once more, as i do now and then. I usually make these lists with a theme, or dedicated to a specific genre, this time it being sci-fi.

      During my time watching this super low budget movie made by the software engineer Shane Carruth(his background really shows off in the movie) i had a hard time not thinking about the high quality of cinematography. We are shown some really nice angles right from the start, and very appealing lines of symmetry all the way through, similar to scenes found in movies made by Wes Anderson for example. Same goes for the acting and writing, - some of the dialogue really got me captivated. Every scene had things to say about the characters early on, but it also leaves enough out to keep you curious of who they really are, and what their motives might be, character development, check. An example of this is how they used wardrobe + setting to describe said characters, which obviously was very limited due to the extremely low budget, I have not looked up the actual numbers, but i think i have watched enough indie movies to identify extreme cases like this one. They did a lot with how little they had, which is an art in itself in the business of movie making. This probably bit me in the butt a bit(in a good way, no not that way, grow up:), instead of trying to figure out the time paradoxes, i was captured by how well the movie was made.

      After i finished watching i had an ocean of questions. Questions i wont mention here because it might spoil the experience for you. This is a good tell that it's a movie in my taste in a sense that it leaves gaps in the story for you to fill in yourself, it´s a type of storytelling i enjoy, but also a type of storytelling that many dislike.

      There is no hand holding in this movie, no explanation at the end, it trusts you to re-watch the movie until you have figured it out, or at least think you have, which is bold, but also embraces the charm of time traveling themed story's in a way, making you travel back in time by rewinding and figure out the time-lines. Or do as i did and watch an explanation video on youtube for closure.

      I understand now what all the fuzz was about, why it won prices at sundance, and why it became such a strong cult classic almost instantly.

      If you want a mind bender, and a movie that treats you with the respect that you can think for yourself, this might be something for you. If you are into sci-fi, and especially time travel, it's a must watch as long as you can allow yourself to get confused more then you usually get by this type of movie. I also recommend watching this when you have a fresh and rested mind, not after a long day of work.

      7.8/10 - will paradox again sometime in the future

      28 votes

    27. Updates to "Activity" sorting method (the site's default)

      ~tildes.official Text 557 words
      Since it launched, Tildes has always been using "Activity" as the site's default sorting method, which behaves like a classic forum—any new comment in any topic causes it to "bump" back to the top...

      Since it launched, Tildes has always been using "Activity" as the site's default sorting method, which behaves like a classic forum—any new comment in any topic causes it to "bump" back to the top of the list. This has generally worked well overall, and has been a good way to keep threads visible and active over longer periods.

      However, there have been a few issues related to it, such as controversial threads staying at the top of the site for long periods of time, and bickering back and forth between two users causing threads to constantly bump back up to the top even if nobody else is interacting with the topic at all. We haven't had great ways to deal with this so far, and have mostly had to work around it by setting the default time period to "last 3 days" so that threads can't dominate the site indefinitely, or even locking threads to force them to drop off.

      As an attempt at a better solution, "Activity" has now had its behavior changed so that topics will only bump to the top when something "interesting" happens, instead of for every single comment. The exact methods we're using to determine "interesting" will need experimentation and to be adjusted as we see how they work, but initially it's entirely based on comment labels:

      If a comment or any of its parent comments has an active Noise, Offtopic, or Malice label (note: it generally takes at least two users applying the label to make it "active"), the comment will not cause the thread to bump to the top. For example, this means that if a particular comment gets labeled as Offtopic, any replies "below" that comment will no longer bump the thread in the Activity sort. This will also apply retroactively, so if someone posts a new top-level comment, the thread will still initially bump to the top, but if that comment is then labeled as Noise, it will "un-bump" and return back to its previous location in the listing.

      Since this will give us a better way to prevent threads from staying at the top of the site forever, I've also now changed the default time period back to "all time".

      If you'd rather keep the previous behavior and continue having threads always bump to the top when a new comment is posted in them, you can use the new "All activity" sorting method instead. Logged-in users can set it as their default sorting across the site by changing to it on the home page and clicking "Set as default" to the right of the time period dropdown.

      Any feedback is welcome, but these are questions that I'm particularly interested in:

      • Are there cases where the label-based "uninteresting" judgment won't work well? Links to specific examples would be ideal, if possible.
      • What other methods could we use to judge a new comment as "uninteresting"?
      • Should we try triggering bumps from other non-comment events? For example, if a topic is getting voted up a lot, should it bump even if there isn't a new comment?

      As usual, I've also given everyone 10 invites again (and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about turning the visible comment votes back on either, and I'll do that this afternoon, along with posting a thread to discuss it).

      65 votes

    29. E3 2019 game trailers

      ~games Text 530 words
      12 Minutes Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Age of Wonder - Plantetfall Age of Wonders: Planetfall Animal Crossing New Horizons (Gameplay)) Apex Legends Season 2 Arizona Sunshine - The Damned...

      12 Minutes
      Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
      Age of Wonder - Plantetfall
      Age of Wonders: Planetfall
      Animal Crossing New Horizons (Gameplay))
      Apex Legends Season 2
      Arizona Sunshine - The Damned DLC
      Ary and The Secret of Seasons
      Astral Chain
      Baldur's Gate III
      Battlefield V
      Battletoads
      Battlewake
      Beat Saber: Imagine Dragons Music Pack
      Black Desert
      Blair Witch
      Bleeding Edge
      Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary Official Trailer
      Borderlands 3
      BRAWLHALLA Adventure Time
      Cadence of Hyrule
      Carrion
      CastleStorm II
      Chivalry 2
      Circuit Superstars
      Code Vein
      Collection of Mana
      Commander Keen (Gameplay)))
      Conan Chop Chop
      Contra Anniversary Collection
      Contra: Rogue Corps
      Control
      Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition
      Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Grand Prix
      CrisTales
      CrossfireX
      Cyberpunk 2077
      Daemon X Machina (Gameplay)))
      Deathloop
      Disgaea 4 Complete+
      DOOM Eternal (Multiplayer)))
      Dragon Ball Z Kakarot (Gameplay video)))
      Dragon Quest Builders 2
      Dying Light 2
      El Hijo
      Elden Ring
      Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr
      Empire of Sin
      Empire of Sin
      Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead
      Evil Genius 2 - World Domination
      Fall Guys
      Fall Guys
      Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter (Battle Royale Mode)
      Fallout 76 Wastelanders Expansion
      FIFA 20
      Final Fantasy VII Remake
      Final Fantasy VIII Remaster
      Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
      Fire Emblem: Three Houses
      For Honor: Shadows of The Hitokiri
      Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Champions
      Gears 5 (Escape trailer)))
      Genesis Noir
      Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Gameplay)))
      Ghostwire Tokyo
      Gods & Monsters
      Greedfall
      Griftlands
      Halo: Infinite
      Just Dance 2020
      Kingdom Hearts III ReMind DLC
      Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
      Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
      Lost Oasis
      Lost Words: Beyond the Page
      Luigi's Mansion 3 (Gameplay)))
      Madden NFL 20
      Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
      Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
      Marvel's Avengers
      Microsoft Flight Simulator
      Midnight Ghosthunt
      Minecraft Dungeons
      Mosaic
      My Friend Pedro
      Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
      No More Heroes III
      ONINAKI
      Ori and the Will O' The Wisps
      Outriders
      Panzer Dragoon Remake
      Per Aspera
      Persona 5 Royal
      Phantasy Star Online 2
      Planet Zoo
      Pokemon Sword & Shield (Gameplay)))
      Psychonauts 2
      Rad
      RAGE 2
      Rainbow Six Quarantine
      Remnant: From the Ashes
      Roller Champions
      Romancing Saga 3 & SaGa SCARLET GRACE: AMBITIONS
      Samurai Shodown Rimururu
      Shenmue III
      SMITE Olorun
      Sniper Elite: VR
      Songs Of Conquest
      Spiritfarer
      Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
      Starmancer
      State of Decay Heartland
      Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Dragon Quest
      Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Banjo-Kazooie
      Tales Of Arise
      Telling Lies
      Terraria: Journey's End
      The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics
      The Last Remnant Remastered
      The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
      The Legend of Wright
      The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game
      The Messenger: Picnic Panic
      The Outer Worlds
      The Sims 4
      The Surge 2
      The Walking Dead: Onslaught
      The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition
      The World of Dragon Quest Builders 2
      Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Clutch Royale
      Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Year 1
      Tom Clancy's Elite Squad
      Torchlight II
      Trials of Mana
      Trials Rising Season 2
      Unexplored 2
      Valfaris
      Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2
      Vermintide 2: Versus
      Warframe: Empyrea
      Wasteland 3
      Watch Dogs 3: Legion (Gameplay)))
      Way to the Woods
      Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
      Wolfenstein: Youngblood
      Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
      Zelda: Link's Awakening
      Zombie Army 4: Dead War

      20 votes

    40. Setting aside the musical content (if you can), what are the best music videos you know?

      ~music Ask (survey)
      This very impressive video for Weval's Someday, done by Páraic Mc Gloughlin (warning, possible seizure-inducing imagery), got me thinking. It's a great track in and of itself, but the sheer...

      This very impressive video for Weval's Someday, done by Páraic Mc Gloughlin (warning, possible seizure-inducing imagery), got me thinking. It's a great track in and of itself, but the sheer quality of the work on the video just wowed me. It came from a totally different angle than I envisioned in my mind when just listening to the song... yet when I read his take on it, it made perfect sense.

      Otherwise, the White Stripes' I Fell In Love With A Girl and Alt-J's NSFW-ish vids for Every Other Freckle also come to mind, both the male and female versions. Also, This Is America by Childish Gambino. I'm struggling to think of other videos that really struck me, but that might just be my poor memory. Any suggestions?

      Edit: Forgot some classics!

      The Spike Jonze-directed Drop from The Pharcyde, with a nice peek behind the curtain here. A (Canadian?) rapper named Shad did a really cool tribute to that video with his own Rose Garden that put a nice spin on it.
      Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity (and another peek behind the curtain here)
      Hype Williams + Busta Rhymes was always a gold combination, and their best collab was probably Gimme Some More
      A-ha - Take On Me
      Another NSFW one, D'Angelo's Untitled.

      I also just remembered coming across Sour's Hibi no Neiro a few years ago and thinking it was such a really cool concept to essentially crowdsource a music video... reminds me of what Youtube used to be like.

      One of my favorites from the new school is A$AP Mob - Yamborghini High, so trippy.
      Another is Vince Staples - Señorita.

      25 votes

    41. What is something you have done, or not done, that you are still regretting today?

      ~talk Ask (survey)
      For example: I remember that I had a really short fuse when I was in highschool. One day, I was having a bad day anyway, and a friend of mine made a comment about my appearance. I slapped him. I...

      For example:
      I remember that I had a really short fuse when I was in highschool. One day, I was having a bad day anyway, and a friend of mine made a comment about my appearance. I slapped him. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea. We then got into a fight which ended our friendship. I didn't apologize and haven't had the chance to do so since.

      I am still thinking what the friend feels about the situation today and I am ashamed that this happened.

      19 votes