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    1. Fortnightly Programming Q&A Thread

      General Programming Q&A thread! Ask any questions about programming, answer the questions of other users, or post suggestions for future threads. Don't forget to format your code using the triple...

      General Programming Q&A thread! Ask any questions about programming, answer the questions of other users, or post suggestions for future threads.

      Don't forget to format your code using the triple backticks or tildes:

      Here is my schema:
      
      ```sql
      CREATE TABLE article_to_warehouse (
        article_id   INTEGER
      , warehouse_id INTEGER
      )
      ;
      ```
      
      How do I add a `UNIQUE` constraint?
      
      6 votes
    2. 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.

      7 votes
    3. Taqwacore: The paradoxes of the punk Islam scene

      Hi folks, I was recently introduced (at a relatively superficial level) to the existence of the "Taqwacore" sub-culture of Western punk music. The duality inherent or apparent in this type of...

      Hi folks, I was recently introduced (at a relatively superficial level) to the existence of the "Taqwacore" sub-culture of Western punk music. The duality inherent or apparent in this type of self-expression is absolutely fascinating to me, and I would love to learn more about it.

      I personally find it a little hard to understand exactly how these musicians reconcile the anti-establishment and maybe progressiveness of punk with many tenets of Islam; the concept of organized religion seems inherently establishment (and dated) to me, and yet these groups somehow embrace both ends of the spectrum. I'm very curious if any Tildesians have opinions on Taqwacore bands or thoughts on the sub-genre as a whole!

      8 votes
    4. What are all the different ways in which we can appreciate games?

      I know my question isn't worded great! If anyone has a better edit after reading all of this, let me know! I have a half-formed idea in my head and I want to brainstorm a bit. Here's the idea:...

      I know my question isn't worded great! If anyone has a better edit after reading all of this, let me know!


      I have a half-formed idea in my head and I want to brainstorm a bit.

      Here's the idea: games as a whole have a ton of different aspects/lenses through which we can enjoy and appreciate them, and I want to know what they all are. Here are some examples to show what I mean:

      Aspect Description Examples
      Narrative We can appreciate a game with a good story To the Moon, The Walking Dead
      Exploration We can appreciate a game that lets us explore a digital world The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Minecraft
      Movement We can appreciate a game that lets us move in compelling ways Forza Horizon 3, Mirror's Edge

      I feel like there are dozens of these we could come up with if we get really specific. The diversity of gaming experiences and genres really lends itself to a broad swath of these aspects. After all, the appreciation someone gets from playing something like Katamari Damacy is very different from that which someone gets from, say, ARMA 2.

      I think later it might be interesting to try to apply some sort of analysis or taxonomy to this, but right now I just want to brainstorm. What are all of the different reasons we can like games? Be as specific as you can, try to cover lots of different titles and genres so that all of gaming is represented, and feel free to critique or edit my examples as well (e.g. I think it might be worth breaking up "Narrative" into "Plot" and "Characters", for example).


      Aggregated List So Far

      I'll keep updating this as we go. For entries that didn't follow the table format (which I didn't intend to be prescriptive but it looks like it caught on!), I've tried to incorporate them as best as I can, but if you feel I've misrepresented something let me know! Again, I'm mostly just interested in brainstorming at the moment, and then I think we can have a secondary thread later for analysis/synthesis.

      Aspect Description Examples
      Narrative We can appreciate a game with a good story To the Moon, The Walking Dead
      Exploration We can appreciate a game that lets us explore a digital world The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Minecraft
      Movement We can appreciate a game that lets us move in compelling ways Forza Horizon 3, Mirror's Edge
      Empathy We can appreciate a game for who / what it positions us as, and the degree to which it gives insight into that position. Benefits for the player range from novel emotional experiences to genuine moments of learning. Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, The Beginner's Guide
      Escapism Sometimes you simply need a break from real life and to escape into a fantasy world for a bit. Videogames are a highly effective way to do this IMO, since you are actually granted agency as an actor in them, which you don't get in most traditional escapist mediums like novels, movies and shows. Almost every game with a story, to varying degrees
      Catharsis When you manage to deeply emotionally connect with any story (regardless of medium) and it reaches its climax or denouement, it can often help you break through the emotional barriers you have set up over time, which then allows you to safely release your pent up emotions. Surprisingly, I find games to be somewhat less effective at this than novels, but it still happens with them often enough to be a major component of my enjoyment of them. Gris
      Emotional Challenge Sometimes the opposite of catharsis is great too. Getting to experience emotionally challenging things, like a truly mind-bending or depressing story, in the relatively safe environment of a game can be incredibly fulfilling. Although, those sorts of games often require me to be in the right frame of mind to experience, so that I don't have a breakdown afterwards, and as a result I don't seek them out all that often... I can only handle so many existential crises per month. ;) Disco Elysium
      Intellectual Challenge Whether it be from difficult puzzle elements or strategy mechanics, intellectual challenges presented in games can be incredibly gratifying to solve and overcome. Europa Universalis, puzzle games by Zachtronics
      Eureka Moments This goes hand in hand with the above two, but also applies to most games. Those moments when you finally figure something out that you were struggling with beforehand, or a major plot twist is revealed, can be truly glorious in games, and IMO they tend to occur more often in them than most other entertainment mediums. Portal, Portal 2, The Talos Principle, The Witness
      System We can appreciate a game that lets us explore a well crafted system of interacting logical parts. The player can learn the rules of the system by observation and experimentation, and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to achieve goals. Stephens Sausage Roll, Factorio, The Witness, Antichamber
      Competition We can appreciate a game for fostering a competitive spirit among peers, to test themselves against each other as teams or individuals Dota 2, Rocket League
      Cooperation We can appreciate a game that allows and encourages two or more people to work together towards a common goal A Way Out, ibb and obb, Portal 2
      Audio experience We can appreciate games that use music or sound in interesting or resonant ways Bastion,Metal Gear Solid III
      Visual experience We can appreciate games that use visuals in interesting or resonant ways Tetris Effect,Super Hexagon
      Effort We can appreciate games that adequately convey the effort required for the task happening on-screen Don't Look Back, The Witcher 3, Dishonored
      21 votes
    5. How rigid/fluid is your gender and/or sexuality?

      The following questions are aimed at gender identity, gender expression, romantic orientation, and/or sexual orientation. To cut down on wordiness, all the questions below will just say...

      The following questions are aimed at gender identity, gender expression, romantic orientation, and/or sexual orientation. To cut down on wordiness, all the questions below will just say "identity", but know that I'm asking about any and all of the different parts that make up our gendered, romantic, and sexual selves.

      You don't necessarily need to answer regarding all axes or focuses: choose the ones most salient or meaningful to you and your experiences. Furthermore, these questions are open to all, including people who don't identify as LGBT.

      • How would you describe the rigidity/fluidity of your identity or its different parts?
      • Do you experience short-term changes in your identity?
      • Have you experienced long-term changes in your identity?
      • Does your identity have any elements that are unchanging long-term?
      • How does the fluidity/rigidity of your identity affect you? Are there advantages? Disadvantages?
      • Are you certain in your identity right now, or is it unclear to you at the moment?
      • If you are certain, do you think that certainty will persist, or might things change in the future?
      • If you are uncertain, do you think a more definite identity will coalesce for you at some point?

      As always, the questions are just jumping off points and don't need to be treated like a quiz. Also, just to be clear, I am asking this purely out of curiosity and am in no way trying to assert that a more rigid/fluid identity is better/worse. Likewise, I'm not trying to cast judgment on anyone still questioning or engaging in self-discovery. Your process and your identity are valid wherever you're at and however you feel. I'm simply interested to hear what your experiences are, whoever you are.

      27 votes
    6. What is something cheap to create but expensive to purchase?

      I was having a conversation with a friend today about the economics of art and the potential cost of purchasing an idea. It got me thinking, what are some other things relatively cheap to create...

      I was having a conversation with a friend today about the economics of art and the potential cost of purchasing an idea. It got me thinking, what are some other things relatively cheap to create but expensive to purchase?

      19 votes
    7. Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix 2020 semi-final 4 - songs and results

      Last night was the fourth semi-final of the Norwegian Eurovision national selection (Melodi Grand Prix). This year there are 5 semi-finals, one for each region of the country, plus five songs that...

      Last night was the fourth semi-final of the Norwegian Eurovision national selection (Melodi Grand Prix). This year there are 5 semi-finals, one for each region of the country, plus five songs that automatically qualify for the grand final.

      Last night four songs from Western Norway competed for a spot in the grand final:

      Magnus Bokn - Over The Sea

      Oda Loves You - Love Who We Love

      Nordic Tenors - In This Special Place

      Hege Bjerk - Pang

      The qualifier was Magnus Bokn with his song Over The Sea, which will face 9 other songs in the grand final on the 15th of February. One of the automatic qualifiers were also presented during the show:

      Ulrikke Brandstorp - Attention

      Previous semi-finals:

      Semi-final 1 (Southern Norway) - songs and results

      Semi-final 2 (Eastern Norway) - songs and results

      Semi-final 3 (Middle Norway) - songs and results

      4 votes
    8. What did you do this 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 weekend. Did you make any plans? Take a trip? Do nothing at...

      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 weekend. Did you make any plans? Take a trip? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!

      12 votes