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    1. Why do we use Tildes?

      I'm not sure if this goes here or in ~talk, so if it needs moved, that's fine. I've been thinking a lot, lately, about why I use Tildes. As noted in my bio, I left Tildes for an extended period of...

      I'm not sure if this goes here or in ~talk, so if it needs moved, that's fine.


      I've been thinking a lot, lately, about why I use Tildes.

      As noted in my bio, I left Tildes for an extended period of time, after getting embroiled in some heavy arguments that, in the scheme of things, didn't matter. Such arguments consistently make me feel worse; I get into them on this account, too, though I do try to use uBlock Origin and the tag filter to keep out of the threads that will most obviously affect me.

      But I can't seem to leave Tildes entirely. Even when I log out on all devices, I keep opening the site. Even when I had no account, I kept typing til<Enter> in the address bar and coming back.

      So, why?

      --

      First, Tildes is what I love about the web. It's complete but uncluttered; it's featureful but not bloated; it uses client-side interactivity to improve the experience but does not break or reimpement default browser functionality. Overall, it's a good piece of software, designed to create, catalog, and discuss documents, like God Tim Berners-Lee intended.

      Second, and more important, Tildes is a community. It's a community like my college dorm was a community; I know people here, and while I definitely don't like all of them, I recognize the personalities behind the names. Leaving, and diving mostly back into the world of Twitter and Mastodon where conversations are short, ephemeral, and deeply restricted, feels like losing relationships, no matter how damaging and negative some of those relationships are.

      I don't know if gaining this understanding means I'll be able to - or even want to - drop the site again. We'll see. But I would love to know why y'all use it. Is it a community for you, too?

      43 votes
    2. 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!

      3 votes
    3. Self labeling comments

      Other than Exemplary, it might be useful for the ability to self label a comment. While in some sense it might be desirable for anyone posting a comment that falls under such a category, and is...

      Other than Exemplary, it might be useful for the ability to self label a comment. While in some sense it might be desirable for anyone posting a comment that falls under such a category, and is self aware, to simply refrain from posting, some of the boundaries for labels such as joke and off-topic can be rather fuzzy.

      6 votes
    4. 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?

      6 votes
    5. ~nature or ~earth group?

      I have a nice video about butterflies to post. It's not really ~enviro material because although there is a little bit of mention of climate crisis I want to post it mostly because "aren't...

      I have a nice video about butterflies to post. It's not really ~enviro material because although there is a little bit of mention of climate crisis I want to post it mostly because "aren't butterflies awesome look at these awesome butterflies and how cool they are"

      Sure it could go in ~misc but it seems odd there's a group for ~space and not one for down here on ~earth. I prefer ~earth to ~nature because I think there's human earth stuff which is cool too (I know, I know, humans are part of nature but you know what I mean). Also because it balances with ~space.

      Anyway, was just a thought. Not going to lose sleep over it.

      Additionally, in the sidebar, putting group descriptions in the title attribute might be useful - so I don't have to click into each group to see what it's criteria is when I'm trying to find where to post something non-obvious.

      6 votes
    6. 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?
      
      3 votes
    7. 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
    8. Timasomo 2021 Thread #4: Update Thread 3

      It's the last full week to work on your projects! I'll post the final weekly update next Monday, and then you'll have Tuesday the 30th to finish up with the creation part or Timasomo. Do NOT worry...

      It's the last full week to work on your projects! I'll post the final weekly update next Monday, and then you'll have Tuesday the 30th to finish up with the creation part or Timasomo. Do NOT worry about having everything perfect by the 30th -- a rough cut is enough! You will have the first week of December to polish, edit, configure, tweak, etc. and get your piece(s) ready for the Showcase, which will go up on Monday, December 6th.

      Weekly Task

      Update us on your progress so far. What did/didn't you get done this week? Anything go according to plan? Anything go off the rails? Any successes or struggles to share?

      Next Steps

      Continue creating!


      Timasomo FAQ

      What is Timasomo?

      Timasomo is "Tildes' Make Something Month": a creative community challenge that takes place in the month of November. It was inspired by NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month. This is Timasomo’s third year running!

      You can see the threads for previous Timasomos using the timasomo tag. Here are the final showcase threads from past years featuring participants' creative works:
      Timasomo 2020 Showcase
      Timasomo 2019 Showcase

      What are the rules?

      Timasomo is self-driven and its goals are self-selected. On November 1st, participants will commit to a creative project (or projects) that they plan to complete within the month of November. There is no restriction on the methods/products of creativity: writing, painting, code, food, photos, crafts, songs -- if it's creative expression for you, it works for Timasomo!

      Though most will be participating individually, collaborations are welcome too!

      What is the schedule?

      Timasomo begins November 1st and ends November 30th. All creative output towards your goal(s) should be confined to this time. This week prior to the start of November is for planning, and there will be a few days at the beginning of December given to "finishing touches" before we have our final thread, which will be a showcase of all the completed works. Below are the dates that I will be posting weekly threads:

      Monday, October 25, 2021: Announcement/Planning Thread
      Monday, November 1, 2021: Roll Call Thread
      Monday, November 8, 2021: Update Thread #1
      Monday, November 15, 2021: Update Thread #2
      Monday, November 22, 2021: Update Thread #3
      Monday, November 29, 2021: Final Update Thread
      Monday, December 6, 2021: Timasomo Showcase Thread

      Can I participate?

      Yes! Timasomo is open to anyone on Tildes! The greater Tildes community is also encouraged to participate in discussion threads even if you are not actively working towards a creative goal. This is meant to be an inclusive community event -- all are welcome! If you are interested in participating but do not have a Tildes login, please e-mail the invite request address here for an invite to the community.

      This announcement is posted in ~tildes.
      All Timasomo process threads will be hosted in ~creative.
      The final Timasomo Showcase thread will be posted in ~talk.

      If you wish to participate or follow the proceedings, please make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.
      If you wish to view the showcase, please make sure you are subscribed to ~talk.

      Do I have to share my creation(s) publicly?

      Tildes is a privacy-respecting site, and you are not obligated to share your creation here if you do not want to. We'd still love to hear about it though, if you're willing to share process and details!

      How do I enter?

      Participants will formally announce their plans to enter into Timasomo on November 1st in the Roll Call thread posted in ~creative.

      What if I have ideas for how to run the event?

      Please share them here! I am facilitating the event, but I am completely open to feedback and suggestions to make this the best event possible. I want this to be Tildes' event, not kfwyre's!

      9 votes
    9. Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of November 22

      This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate...

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

      This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

      11 votes
    10. 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!

      7 votes
    11. Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of November 22

      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!

      9 votes