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    1. Does anyone use a trackball mouse?

      I've been curious about making a switch for ergonomics and just lack of space on my desk. Do you recommend it for gaming? Any guidance on genres that do or don't work? I mostly play real time and...

      I've been curious about making a switch for ergonomics and just lack of space on my desk.

      • Do you recommend it for gaming? Any guidance on genres that do or don't work? I mostly play real time and turn based strategy games or point-and-click style games such as Diablo on my computer. I don't generally go in for twitchy FPSes, but I'd like the option.

      • Opinions on index vs. thumb?

      • How long was the adjustment period to get used to it?

      • Any recommendations on good ones to buy?

      • Are there any advantages I'm not thinking of besides just being better for my wrist?

      • Disadvantages besides, potentially, being less precise than a mouse?

      • Are there any tradeoffs with going wireless?

      9 votes
    2. What do you think of the new Twilight Zone?

      I really enjoyed Peele's new Twilight Zone. It's a bit hit and miss - but most anthology shows have this. Some episodes are great, most are good enough, a couple are forgettable. The critic...

      I really enjoyed Peele's new Twilight Zone. It's a bit hit and miss - but most anthology shows have this. Some episodes are great, most are good enough, a couple are forgettable.

      The critic reviews (based on the first four episodes) are all over the place, with scoring ranging from 100 to 10. The user reviews are the usual tyre-fire of awfulness. https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-twilight-zone-2019

      I found Replay to be genuinely upsetting and it was the episode that stayed with me longest. I get the impression that this episode split the audience and a bunch of people dislike the social commentary. (Or something, I dunno, I can't understand the mindset that criticises a show for something like this).

      So I'm interested in your opinions. Have you watched it? Did you enjoy it?

      5 votes
    3. Challenge: defuse this fork bomb

      On lobste.rs I found link to an article from Vidar Holen, the author of shellcheck. He made a fork bomb that is really interesting. Here's the bomb: DO NOT RUN THIS. eval $(echo...

      On lobste.rs I found link to an article from Vidar Holen, the author of shellcheck. He made a fork bomb that is really interesting. Here's the bomb:

      DO NOT RUN THIS.

      eval $(echo "I<RA('1E<W3t`rYWdl&r()(Y29j&r{,3Rl7Ig}&r{,T31wo});r`26<F]F;==" | uudecode)
      

      This may look pretty obvious, but it's harder than you think. I fell for it. twice. Can you find out how this bomb works?

      Warning: executing the bomb will slow down your computer and will force you to restart.
      You can limit impact of the fork bomb by setting FUNCNEST.

      export FUNCNEST=3
      

      Have fun!

      12 votes
    4. Having issues setting goals and sticking with them? I’m working on a solution

      I am working on an app called Percent Done that is a combination of goal setting, time tracking and habit tracking. I like setting time-based goals for myself every day, such as “write for an...

      I am working on an app called Percent Done that is a combination of goal setting, time tracking and habit tracking.

      I like setting time-based goals for myself every day, such as “write for an hour” or “work on Percent Done for four hours.”

      I also like Seinfeld’s “don’t break the chain” method. For example, Apple Watch shows you how many days you have completed your exercise circle and tells you that you have been keeping at it for x days.

      Percent Done is a marriage of these two concepts. It allows you to set goals and track the time you spend on them, as well as how many days in a row you have consistently completed them. For example, you can add a goal that says “write for an hour every day,” and Percent Done will notify you every day to write for an hour. You will be able to tap on this goal and Percent Done will start counting back from one hour. You will also be able to see how many days in a row you have written for an hour.

      Here is a demo GIF.

      You can also add one-time goals to Percent Done with or without time tracking, so it is a task management tool as well.

      You can play with the design prototype here: Percent Done design prototype

      I would really love to get your feedback on this. If you are interested in being a beta tester, feel free to reply to this topic or e-mail me at "hi at evrim dot io."

      By the way, this is almost completely a self-promotion post. If it is against the rules, I'd be happy to remove this.

      23 votes
    5. Animating the Inanimate Poetry Challenge

      @cadadr's 4 word poetry challenge is one of my favorite Tildes threads to read through on account of the many clever and thoughtful responses, so I figured I'd try to kick off another one. This...

      @cadadr's 4 word poetry challenge is one of my favorite Tildes threads to read through on account of the many clever and thoughtful responses, so I figured I'd try to kick off another one. This one is a little more conceptually involved, but I think it still has the potential to be a good time like the last one.

      Rather than going with a strict word or line count, instead I am creating a restriction based around personification:

      Challenge:
      Your poem must:

      • Be written from the point of view of an inanimate object
      • Give the object personality/emotion
      • NOT name the object, so that people have to infer it from what you've written

      An example might be an automatic door that is bored to tears from opening and closing ad nauseum. Or maybe a watering can that is excited to tend to its garden.

      In trying to come up with a model I decided to channel a resentful milk carton:

      It's fine
      I get it
      You don't have to justify yourself
      Lots of better things have come around
      Since you first chose me

      Just know that I'm still here
      If you need me
      Waiting for that blissful moment
      Where you light up my world
      And take me in your hand
      And make me feel like I'm flying
      Before you lower me down
      In a lover's embrace

      It's fine
      I get it
      Until then I'll sit here
      In the cold, cold dark
      Trying not to go sour
      Next to the slowly molding cheese
      And forgotten grapes

      It's far from perfect but hopefully it gives you an idea of what the assignment can look like. While I saved my "reveal" to the end, don't feel obligated to use that tactic unless you want to. You don't have to hide the identity of your object, just don't name the object outright in the poem.

      Feel free to make your poem as long or short as you wish. Feel free to make it as meaningful or silly as you want. Above all else, have fun!


      If you need help with ideas or just want the challenge of writing to a randomly selected specification, you can use this noun generator for objects and this adjective generator for sentiments.

      9 votes
    6. What are examples of modern games that would fit in perfectly on retro consoles?

      Shovel Knight is essentially an NES game that got released in 2014, as its design and artwork are deliberately reminiscent of games for that system. It's a definitive example of an answer to the...

      Shovel Knight is essentially an NES game that got released in 2014, as its design and artwork are deliberately reminiscent of games for that system. It's a definitive example of an answer to the question, but I'm also interested in games that weren't necessarily intended to be throwbacks but can be interpreted as such by nature of their execution.

      What are other examples of games that feel like they could have been released for, say, the Dreamcast, PSOne, SNES, or any of the other consoles of yesteryear? Furthermore, what are the defining traits they possess that make them fit in on that system?

      12 votes
    7. 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.

      17 votes
    8. Democratic Debate #1 Thread

      welcome to debate #1, night 1. given tildes's small size, i'm not really sure how this will go, so my plan here on paper is to do two threads (one today, one tomorrow) for this set of debates, and...

      welcome to debate #1, night 1. given tildes's small size, i'm not really sure how this will go, so my plan here on paper is to do two threads (one today, one tomorrow) for this set of debates, and then based on how active this set is make a decision on whether or not to consolidate them for the many future debates that will happen. if things go particularly well or poorly tonight though, i might expedite that decision (hence the un-specific title), but we'll see. anyways, here are all the details you'd ever need, and probably then some:

      How to Watch:

      The debate is being broadcast by NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo, and will air live across all three networks starting at 9 p.m. ET.
      Telemundo will broadcast the debate in Spanish.
      The debate will stream online free on NBC News' digital platforms, including NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, the NBC News Mobile App and OTT apps on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, in addition to Telemundo's digital platforms.

      livestreams will also be available on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube because the DNC mandated that of its partners for the debates.

      here is the youtube link.

      The Candidates

      Democratic Presidential Debate: See The 20 Candidates Who Will Be Onstage

      • Cory Booker (Senator from New Jersey):

      Booker is running on an aggressive optimism, promising to bring people together and fight for things like criminal justice overhaul, improved economic opportunity and LGBTQ rights.

      • Julián Castro (Former secretary of housing and urban development):

      The former Obama administration housing chief is running on hopeful notes. He promises students being saddled with less debt, veterans being respected, people of color being safe and immigrants being welcome.

      • Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City):

      Leading the country’s most populous city, de Blasio is running on putting working people first and is touting his record on minimum wage, sick leave, health care and universal pre-K. And he’s running against President Trump’s immigration and climate policies.

      • John Delaney (Former representative from Maryland’s 6th District):

      Delaney has campaigned in early states for nearly two years. He takes a pragmatic approach, especially on health care. He has spoken out against “Medicare for All,” a stance that hasn’t sat well with liberal activists.

      • Tulsi Gabbard (Representative from Hawaii’s 2nd District):

      The military veteran is running on a platform of “peace,” to end foreign wars and use the money to spend in America.

      • Jay Inslee (Governor of Washington):

      His campaign begins and ends with the threat posed by climate change. He argues that the economy and fighting climate change are not incompatible and that a green economy creates jobs.

      • Amy Klobuchar (Senator from Minnesota):

      Klobuchar believes in a pragmatism that’s rooted in her senatorial experience and a Midwestern optimism. She believes it’s necessary to reach out to solve problems and bridge divides between rural and urban communities.

      • Beto O’Rourke (Former representative from Texas’ 16th District):

      Best known for almost beating Ted Cruz, O’Rourke has a “positive, unifying vision.” He wants to fix American democracy with changes to campaign finance and voting, and to end wars, reduce gun violence, address climate change and guarantee women’s health care.

      • Tim Ryan (Representative from Ohio’s 13th District):

      He’s running on “rebuilding the American Dream,” and that means, in his view, blue-collar jobs, public education and health care.

      • Elizabeth Warren (Senator from Massachusetts):

      You name it, Warren has a plan for it. She’s not running to create a new system, but she is running on big, structural change, including increased regulation and scrutiny of Wall Street and banking.

      The Rules:

      Candidates will have 60 seconds to answer questions and 30 seconds to respond to follow-ups. No opening statements, though candidates will have a chance to deliver closing remarks.
      Five segments each night separated by four commercial breaks.

      The Analysis:

      NPR has 5 questions of their 8 for the debates which apply to today's debate:

      Does Warren make the most of commanding the stage?
      Do the pragmatists or progressives win out?
      How much of a focus is Trump?
      How will foreign policy factor in?
      Who will stick in voters' minds?

      other pre-debate analysis pieces that may be pertinent to you:

      34 votes
    9. What brought you here?

      Hey guys I'm a new account here just wondering what brought everybody here. I'm sure this has been asked to death but I'm quite curious. I'm originally a redditor, as I think all of us are, and I...

      Hey guys I'm a new account here just wondering what brought everybody here. I'm sure this has been asked to death but I'm quite curious.

      I'm originally a redditor, as I think all of us are, and I came here hoping to escape the growing toxicity of reddit and also to help developers a new community. I also personally believe reddit is making anti consumer choices as of recent and want to move to a nonprofit site such as this one.

      50 votes
    10. Reddit has quarantined /r/The_Donald

      Just happened minutes ago, so not much information yet. I think it's likely that this article from Monday might have finally pushed it over the edge (since it's usually media attention that does...

      Just happened minutes ago, so not much information yet.

      I think it's likely that this article from Monday might have finally pushed it over the edge (since it's usually media attention that does it): You can’t offer to murder cops on Reddit unless you’re on r/TheDonald

      The quarantine message says:

      It is restricted due to significant issues with reporting and addressing violations of the Reddit Content Policy. Most recently the violations have included threats of violence against police and public officials.

      As a visitor or member, you can help moderators maintain the community by reporting and downvoting rule-breaking content.

      Here's the message the admins sent them:

      Dear Mods,

      We want to let you know that your community has been quarantined, as outlined in Reddit’s Content Policy.

      The reason for the quarantine is that over the last few months we have observed repeated rule-breaking behavior in your community and an over-reliance on Reddit admins to manage users and remove posts that violate our content policy, including content that encourages or incites violence. Most recently, we have observed this behavior in the form of encouragement of violence towards police officers and public officials in Oregon. This is not only in violation of our site-wide policies, but also your own community rules (rule #9). You can find violating content that we removed in your mod logs.

      As we have discussed in the past, and as detailed in our content policy and moderator guidelines, we expect you to enforce against rule-breaking content. You’ve made progress over the last year, but we continue to observe and take action on a disproportionate amount of rule-breaking behavior in this community. We recognize that you do remove posts that are reported, but we are troubled that violent content more often goes unreported, and worse, is upvoted.

      User reports and downvotes are an essential way that Reddit functions to moderate content. Limiting or prohibiting them prevents you from moderating your community effectively. Because of this, we are disabling your custom styling in order to restore these essential functions.

      As stated in our Moderator Guidelines, our goal is to keep the platform alive and vibrant, as well as to ensure your community can reach people interested in it. Accordingly, here are the specific terms of the quarantine and the next steps we are asking from you as a mod team to resolve this situation.

      Quarantine terms:

      Visitors to this community will see a warning that requires users to explicitly opt-in to viewing it. This messaging reminds users of the importance of reporting rule-breaking content.

      Custom styling has been disabled to restore the report and downvote buttons.

      We hope both these changes will help improve the signal around rule-breaking content and improve your ability to effectively address it.

      Next steps:

      You unambiguously communicate to your subscribers that violent content is unacceptable.

      You communicate to your users that reporting is a core function of Reddit and is essential to maintaining the health and viability of the community.

      Following that, we will continue to monitor your community, specifically looking at report rate and for patterns of rule-violating content.

      Undertake any other actions you determine to reduce the amount of rule-violating content.

      Following these changes, we will consider an appeal to lift the quarantine, in line with the process outlined here.

      We hope that this process provides a viable way forward to restore the health of the community. However, if this situation continues to escalate, we will explore further actions, including the possible banning of your community.

      Please confirm that you have received and understand this message.

      109 votes
    11. Site suggestion: Dark mode

      I apologize if this is the wrong topic for this post, and if this feature already exists, I apologize for that too. I looked around and couldn't find it (it's possible I could have missed it). But...

      I apologize if this is the wrong topic for this post, and if this feature already exists, I apologize for that too. I looked around and couldn't find it (it's possible I could have missed it). But I thought a dark mode for Tildes would be most excellent. Right now, there's a lot of white space and combined with my 24" monitor, this site lights up my whole room like it's in the middle of the day. Anyways, thanks for reading. :)

      4 votes