0d_billie's recent activity
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Comment on Kagi Assistant is now available to all users in ~tech
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Comment on Ghost - Lachryma (2025) in ~music
0d_billie LinkThe next single from Ghost's upcoming album Skeletá, featuring a much closer look at the new Papa and his Ghouls. I'm really enjoying the new material. The composition remains simple but...The next single from Ghost's upcoming album Skeletá, featuring a much closer look at the new Papa and his Ghouls.
I'm really enjoying the new material. The composition remains simple but well-executed, and the production feels so crisp and clear. You can pick out every instrument, and the mix isn't fully saturated at every part of the spectrum (like a lot of other recent metal). Tobias' voice sounds excellent on this, especially the quick falsetto notes in the pre-chorus. I love the inclusion of synths, and it's made me want to incorporate synths into my own writing.
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Ghost - Lachryma (2025)
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Nintendo’s new system for sharing digital Switch games, explained
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Comment on Creative short story writing contest—prize for winner! (2025-03-07) in ~creative
0d_billie Link ParentPlease add me to this list! I'd be very keen to give this a go in future :)Please add me to this list! I'd be very keen to give this a go in future :)
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Comment on Long-term experiences with Google search alternatives? in ~tech
0d_billie Link+1 for Kagi. I came from DuckDuckGo and I found that it was actually pretty good for my needs at the time. Once AI-generated garbage results started getting more prevalent though, I was shopping...+1 for Kagi. I came from DuckDuckGo and I found that it was actually pretty good for my needs at the time. Once AI-generated garbage results started getting more prevalent though, I was shopping around for another option, and I (like you) didn't see myself paying for search.
I decided to give it a try anyway, as I had been enjoying their small web initiative. Their trial option was 300 searches, and I gobbled them up in a few days. But the combination of zero-advertisement search, with the ability to raise/lower specific domains in the search results, and the lenses that Kagi offer had me absolutely hooked by the time my 300 ran out. I've now been a happy user for about a year, and it is well worth the £10 a month I pay.
I would wholeheartedly recommend you give Kagi a try with both feet.
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Comment on Andor | Season 2 trailer | Streaming April 22 on Disney+ in ~tv
0d_billie Link ParentAgreed, this was a really poor trailer, and I feel it completely undersells the excellence of the showAgreed, this was a really poor trailer, and I feel it completely undersells the excellence of the show
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Comment on Grammar errors that actually matter, or: the thread where we all become prescriptivists in ~humanities.languages
0d_billie Link ParentI keep seeing "damnit" as well, as opposed to "dammit" which is what I'd expect. I love getting to watch language evolve in real time!I keep seeing "damnit" as well, as opposed to "dammit" which is what I'd expect. I love getting to watch language evolve in real time!
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Comment on Dragonsweeper is my favorite game of 2025 (so far) in ~games
0d_billie Link ParentThanks, I'll give it a look! Although I think I quite like the "one and done" nature of Dragonsweeper personally. It's been a nice idle curiosity for a few hours of my work day.Thanks, I'll give it a look! Although I think I quite like the "one and done" nature of Dragonsweeper personally. It's been a nice idle curiosity for a few hours of my work day.
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Comment on Dragonsweeper is my favorite game of 2025 (so far) in ~games
0d_billie (edited )LinkNot my article, and I didn't want to editorialise the title. A worthy in-browser time sink if ever there was one though! Check it out here. I'm not very good at it yet, but my morning coffee is...Not my article, and I didn't want to editorialise the title. A worthy in-browser time sink if ever there was one though! Check it out here. I'm not very good at it yet, but my morning coffee is still kicking in :D
Update: I have lost about 3 hours to this game so far. Highly addictive, and very good at the whole "just one more try" thing
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Dragonsweeper is my favorite game of 2025 (so far)
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Comment on Global Capslock key in ~comp
0d_billie Link ParentThat is delightful, thanks for sharing!That is delightful, thanks for sharing!
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Comment on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is reaching end of standard support soon: April 2025. Plan to upgrade soon! in ~tech
0d_billie Link ParentI dread Ubuntu version upgrades at work. We've managed to switch most of our clients to Debian now, upgrades of which are far less likely to bork the whole system, even if each one is a much more...I dread Ubuntu version upgrades at work. We've managed to switch most of our clients to Debian now, upgrades of which are far less likely to bork the whole system, even if each one is a much more hands on affair!
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Comment on Your theme for 2025 in ~talk
0d_billie LinkI've been doing this for years now. Past years have been years of authenticity, finances, and music. 2024 was the Year of Investment, in which I at the outset planned to dim my hobby bulbs a fair...I've been doing this for years now. Past years have been years of authenticity, finances, and music. 2024 was the Year of Investment, in which I at the outset planned to dim my hobby bulbs a fair amount to be able to instead put time into my health, work, and social lightbulbs.
I had expected the year to contain a lot of focus on getting some IT qualifications that I could then use to springboard into a better paying job. Instead, I realised early on that I don't really want to do IT for the rest of my life. I am bored by the work, and it feels like a sufficiently solved problem in my head to the extent that I really struggled to want to study. I haven't been able to reach a conclusion as to what I would like to do instead yet, but that is going to be folded into 2025's theme I think.
It's been a pretty great year for my relationships with others, and honestly with myself as well. In focusing on my social lightbulb, I spent a lot more quality time with my daughter and family, and readjusted my relationship with my family members. I also met and fell in love with my girlfriend. Transitioning continues to go from strength to strength, and I am hoping to be moved onto a shared care pathway in the new year, meaning that I don't need to keep paying for private prescriptions and appointments.
Part of the planned investment was to buy my own home. I was sick of renting and of living in shared accommodation, and it is still just about cheaper to have a mortgage than it is to rent. I looked around, I moved back in with my parents to keep saving, I looked around some more, and I had an offer accepted on a cute little ground floor flat in a northern suburb of my city. But as time wore on and the process kept stalling (for more than 6 months in the end) I was growing closer and closer with my new partner and her children. We had several long and deep conversations about the future, and I decided that it was pointless to buy a flat that I wouldn't use for even a year before moving in with my girlfriend. Next year's theme needs to incorporate that process to some degree.
My hobby light was initially dimmed at the start of the year. The end of the Sir Curse project took me by surprise, but it's actually been quite nice to not have two bands on the go. The reclaimed time has been positive for my relationships, and and I have been able to put more time into playing D&D again, something which I hadn't really had the time or energy to do for a while, much less to DM. Approaching the end of the year, I feel it's a little dimmer than I would like. That's something I'd like to address with next year's theme.
Overall, 2024 was a pretty great year. The theme being investment meant that I was better able to weather changes to my expectations and frame things such as spending time with my family, friends, and partner as investment in those relationships. I feel an enormous sense of contentment and gratitude for how well the year has gone, and I hope that 2025 ends in a similarly peaceful and satisfied manner!
The Year of Clearing the Decks
I'm pretty confident that I have stolen this one from Grey himself, but it feels applicable to my life right now. I want a new career but I don't know what I want that to be. I want to spend more time reading and writing music, but I don't always have the opportunity to do so. I want to move in with my girlfriend, but (by her own admission) she has too much stuff for me to fit comfortably into her home as it exists.
Essentially this is an exercise in resetting some foundational things in my life; extracting time-sinks that no longer work for me, reducing the amount of replication in my day-to-day tasks, and making sure giving myself a clean(er) slate from which to spring from. I've still not fully figured out what this means for me, but it feels like my most resonant theme yet. -
Comment on Your theme for 2025 in ~talk
0d_billie LinkIt's theme time again folks! If you're not familiar with the theme system, go have a watch of the video in the post. It's short and sweet, and it describes an approach to making deliberate changes...It gets earlier every year!
It's theme time again folks! If you're not familiar with the theme system, go have a watch of the video in the post. It's short and sweet, and it describes an approach to making deliberate changes to your life that are much less goal-oriented than you might be used to. The website is here although I'm slightly loathe to link it. You do not need a journal or a physical product to be able to participate in the theme system. Much like the Bullet Journal, it's about the framework and not having the correct products. You make it work the way you want it to, and not the other way around. -
Your theme for 2025
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Comment on What possession(s) do you have that continue to delight you every time? in ~talk
0d_billie Link ParentI’ll await my thank you card in the post ;PI’ll await my thank you card in the post ;P
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Comment on What possession(s) do you have that continue to delight you every time? in ~talk
0d_billie Link ParentI'm a big fan of an Aeropress, I do need to get one of my own now that I'm not living with my friend's!I'm a big fan of an Aeropress, I do need to get one of my own now that I'm not living with my friend's!
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Comment on What possession(s) do you have that continue to delight you every time? in ~talk
0d_billie Link ParentThis is such a cute answer, I love it! :)This is such a cute answer, I love it! :)
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Comment on What possession(s) do you have that continue to delight you every time? in ~talk
0d_billie LinkI have three that I'll share: Fender Stratocaster (Dave Murray Signature) I joined an Iron Maiden tribute band in 2017, and in order to tick off an A for authenticity, I bought Dave Murray's...I have three that I'll share:
Fender Stratocaster (Dave Murray Signature)
I joined an Iron Maiden tribute band in 2017, and in order to tick off an A for authenticity, I bought Dave Murray's signature stratocaster. Having played guitar for years, but never owned a true strat (or any fender, for that matter) I was sceptical that this would be the gamechanger it proved to be. It is astonishingly good. The pickups sound great, and it practically plays itself. The neck is slim, the frets are chunky, the action is tight and low, and with 9-42 gauge strings on I feel like my hand simply glides through whatever song I throw at it. It's a thing of beauty. I love every scratch, dent, and spot of wear on the thing. I've played it constantly for 7 years, and I still love it every time I pick it up.iPhone 15 Pro
Perhaps this one counts less, since I've only had it about 9 months. But I have been loving the switch to an iPhone, and this thing feels so polished and exciting. It feels magical to use, and continues to do so. I really like their implementation of an always-on display, I find magsafe super satisfying, and the eventual addition of Apple Intelligence to UK English phones is just a great time. Notification summaries have been tickling me pink ever since I got them. The integration with my other Apple stuff is continually wild, and it feels like a treat to pick up my phone and use it.Hand-made Crokinole Board
When I first learned about crokinole, I couldn't quite believe that such a simple game could be as fun as it is. But I took a punt, and ordered a lovely hand-made board from a family business in Canada. The first thing to note is that it is simply a beautiful object. It's bright, round (obviously), and meticulously well made. The game is simplicity itself, but devilishly tricky to master, and among the most addicting things I have ever played. It has become a staple among my family's gatherings. Every child and every adult wants to have a go, and there is a never ending cycle of "just one more round" that eats late into the evenings.
I very recently switched up to Ultimate to try out the assistant, and it’s been… fine. I think the interface is honestly kind of janky, and inferior to something like ChatGPT’s. The ability to switch between different LLMs is useful, but I simply don’t use it. I’m not sufficiently clued up on the tech to know which LLM is the right one for my needs.
Anyway, this is good news, and I’m dropping my sub back down to the Pro one, and saving myself a healthy sum in the process. I don’t know if I’ll continue using Kagi assistant as my go-to LLM though. Maybe I’ll put the money saved towards a different LLM sub.