• Activity
  • Votes
  • Comments
  • New
  • All activity
    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?
      
      11 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.

      5 votes
    3. Has anyone in an online discussion/argument ever actually changed your opinion about something?

      I don't mean an issue where you're maybe ambivalent or undecided beforehand, or if you've willingly made an /r/changemyview type of post. I mean an instance where you already have your own stance...

      I don't mean an issue where you're maybe ambivalent or undecided beforehand, or if you've willingly made an /r/changemyview type of post. I mean an instance where you already have your own stance and come face-to-face with an opposite, more convincing and/or more factual viewpoint that compels you to change your perspective.

      I'd like to think I'm more open-minded than the norm, and I can't recall it ever happening to me... which is not to say it's definitely never happened, but you'd think it'd have made an impact worth remembering. And frankly, if it actually has never happened, well, what's the freaking point of discussing anything?

      19 votes
    4. 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!

      11 votes
    5. Why don't we just ban the buying, selling, and merging of companies?

      With the ever-growing stream of acquisitions and mergers, it got me thinking: Why do we permit companies to do this? What would the harm be in banning this practice? If a company is becomes...

      With the ever-growing stream of acquisitions and mergers, it got me thinking: Why do we permit companies to do this?

      What would the harm be in banning this practice? If a company is becomes insolvent, release all of it's IP to the public domain, dissolve all patents/trademarks, and sell off physical assets to pay debtors (first of which should be former employees IMO, but that's a separate discussion).

      Edit: I think my original intention of the post to kick off some interesting discussion has worked. Thank you to all current and future posters!

      16 votes
    6. Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of September 14

      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!

      8 votes
    7. The Cubs' Alec Mills has no-hit the Milwaukee Brewers

      I'm not watching baseball as much this season but it's still pretty awesome that someone on my team got this. It's the second no-hitter of the season I believe. Some fun facts related to this:...

      I'm not watching baseball as much this season but it's still pretty awesome that someone on my team got this. It's the second no-hitter of the season I believe.

      Some fun facts related to this:

      • Both Chicago teams have a no-hitter in the same season for the first time in MLB history
      • Both no-hitters at Miller Park have been thrown by Cubs pitchers, although the first was a neutral-site game against the Astros in 2008

      edit: Can I get the title changed to "The Cubs' Alec Mills no-hits the Milwaukee Brewers"? I think it fits better now that the day it happened has passed.

      7 votes
    8. Is high-fidelity audio a genuine product or unnecessary overkill?

      Note: if this topic is better served in ~music than ~tech feel free to move it! If I wanted to buy Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns, I have the following options: From Amazon 256 kbps VBR MP3...

      Note: if this topic is better served in ~music than ~tech feel free to move it!

      If I wanted to buy Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns, I have the following options:

      From Amazon

      • 256 kbps VBR MP3 ($11.49)

      From 7digital

      • 320 kbps MP3 + 256 kbps MP3 ($12.99) (I'm assuming it's 320 CBR/256 VBR)
      • 16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC ($16.49)

      From HDTracks

      • 24-bit/48kHz FLAC ($19.98)

      From Qobuz, which appears to be a different mastering of the album:

      • "CD Quality" FLAC ($14.49)
      • 24-bit/48kHz FLAC ($16.49)
      • 24-bit/48kHz FLAC ($10.99 with subscription to their $250/year service)

      Does paying more for the higher fidelity actually matter? I suspect that this is just a form of price discrimination preying on my want to have an "objectively" better product, because I'm assuming there's a ceiling for audio quality that I can actually notice and the lowest encoding available here probably hits that. I also don't have any special listening hardware.

      I understand the value of FLAC as a lossless archival encoding (I used to rip all my CDs to FLAC for this purpose, and I've been downloading my Bandcamp purchases in FLAC all the same), but for albums I can't get through that service it appears that the format has a high premium put on it. Bandcamp lets me pay the same price no matter the format, but every other store seems to stratify out their offerings based on encoding alone. A Thousand Suns costs nearly double on HDTracks what it does on Amazon's MP3 store, for example, despite the fact that I'm getting the exact same music, just compressed in a different way.

      As such, is paying more for FLAC unnecessary? Is high-fidelity FLAC in particular (the 24-bit/48kHz options) snake oil?

      Furthermore, Qobuz seems to offer a different mastering of the album, which seems like it actually could be significant, but it's hard to know. Is this (and the various other "remasters" out there) a valid thing, or is it just a way to try to get me to pay more unnecessarily?

      (Note: I'm using this specific album simply because it was a good example I could find with lots of different stratified options -- I'm not interested in the particulars of this album specifically but more in the general idea of audio compression across all music).

      21 votes
    9. Why is your pet the best pet?

      I’m pretty sure every dog owner thinks their dog is the best most unique dog in the world, and the same is true about cat owners, snake owners, etc! So make your best case: why is your animal...

      I’m pretty sure every dog owner thinks their dog is the best most unique dog in the world, and the same is true about cat owners, snake owners, etc!

      So make your best case: why is your animal companion the coolest in the whole world?

      13 votes
    10. Complete an emotional inventory of your music library/experiences

      This is not so much an ask thread as it is a task one. The idea is simple: for any/all of the categories below, identify music from your library or experiences that fits the bill, and explain a...

      This is not so much an ask thread as it is a task one. The idea is simple: for any/all of the categories below, identify music from your library or experiences that fits the bill, and explain a bit about why.

      You can choose any from the list, or do all if you like, but please do NOT just list items with no explanation! Your thoughts are the exciting parts of this exercise, not just the music itself, so please share!

      For the purposes of this inventory, "music" can refer to a specific lyric, a song, an album, an artist, or even a concert or event -- really anything that you think fits the bill. If you want to go into multiples per category, that's fine too -- just remember to explain them!


      Inventory Items

      Tell me about music that:

      • Is an instant mood lift
      • Is emotionally devastating
      • You've cried to
      • Reminds you of someone you love
      • Reminds you of someone you used to love
      • Brings you back to a specific memorable moment/time in your life
      • Helps you relax
      • Amps you up
      • Makes you feel safe
      • Could put you to sleep (in a good way)
      • Makes you feel like you're on an adventure
      • Reminds you that there is beauty in this world
      • Impresses you
      • Makes you smile
      • Makes you laugh

      You don't have to do all of them -- only the ones you feel strongly about or that have interesting stories behind them. Also, feel free to add on new categories in the comments that people can also respond to.

      21 votes