0x29A's recent activity

  1. Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    omg this is WILD, can't wait to see more progress / the big post!! LOVE it

    omg this is WILD, can't wait to see more progress / the big post!! LOVE it

    2 votes

  2. Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative

    0x29A
    Link
    took some video of my coffee brew for today to edit later for social media, just because that's a fun way i can still interact with platforms and spread small joys also with a fun clip where i...

    took some video of my coffee brew for today to edit later for social media, just because that's a fun way i can still interact with platforms and spread small joys

    also with a fun clip where i start to grind my coffee with my Kingrinder K6 hand-grinder, but then show off the fact that the shaft that the crank slips onto for grinding by hand also can fit a hand tool, so I show grinding some coffee using a Milwuakee drill to power it instead of my hand. just for fun mostly, i tend to want to do it by hand instead :)

    3D printing more things and continuing to learn. printed a couple of adapters/mods (not designed by me) for my OXO Rapid Brewer to add a couple of features / fix annoyances. it's awesome.

    Thinking of potentially attempting to set up an Etsy/similar business selling 3D-printed coffee mods and other small useful doodads

    3 votes

  3. Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music

  4. Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Oh, that's great then- when one is at least out of the right-wing and/or conservative in either meaning (politically or religious strictness) evangelical sphere it makes an enormous difference so...

    Oh, that's great then- when one is at least out of the right-wing and/or conservative in either meaning (politically or religious strictness) evangelical sphere it makes an enormous difference so I'm sure a lot of those social situations are at least somewhat more at ease then.

    Also- I did, but didn't intend to, assume exactly where you landed belief/practice-wise post evangelicalism (and that assumption may have been present in my correspondence) and I totally get people will land differently and that's always subject to change too. It's easy, given my experience, to lump anyone else's journey in with my own even if we fall in different places ultimately- I view it through my lens so much, even though that's something I've tried to continually work on. I'm sure this is obvious and likely unnecessary to say, but I wanted to be clear about that. (For instance, in relation to your earlier post you linked to, I would not similarly describe myself in any terms that reference Jesus or following him or his way, though I appreciate Backhouse, philosophers, and others that are trying to wrestle Jesus back in some sense from right-wing Christian nationalism and the like)

    There are so many Bazan tracks I could point to so it's hard to nail it down, but even just the first song "Hard To Be" off of Curse Your Branches is a solid one: https://davidbazan.bandcamp.com/album/curse-your-branches

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Lifetime Windows user seeking feedback for improvements on my Linux setup in ~tech

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Ah yep, very true. I forgot that for some reason they left the completely broken and unusable native Linux version on Steam for some reason. So frustrating and almost feels like they did it on...

    Ah yep, very true. I forgot that for some reason they left the completely broken and unusable native Linux version on Steam for some reason. So frustrating and almost feels like they did it on purpose to piss off steam users. Have to tell it to run in compatibility/proton in settings so it installs the Windows build and all good, yeah.

  6. Comment on Youtube channel recommendations 2026 in ~tech

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Oh nice! I have watched Dankpods before and didn't make the connection somehow lol (or did and forgot)

    Oh nice! I have watched Dankpods before and didn't make the connection somehow lol (or did and forgot)

    2 votes

  7. Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    I feel you on this. In an official/work/career and even sometimes a personal enjoyment capacity (particularly when it comes to looking at tech news and dealing with some devices) I haven't moved...

    I feel you on this. In an official/work/career and even sometimes a personal enjoyment capacity (particularly when it comes to looking at tech news and dealing with some devices) I haven't moved on from tech but my approach definitely has shifted.

    Whereas I used to feel passionate about the subject in general, my focus has shifted to the specific and the personal. I still enjoy tech when I can tinker with it myself (home server, linux, personal projects, etc)

    Just like everything else that has been more and more infected by awfulness, I am deeply curating my experiences now to try and maintain the joy. And as my perspective has shifted I am implementing that in a way that brings enjoyment. Trying to live a life more compatible with repairability, long-term use of computing devices, not buying the shiny new thing, etc. Trying to embody myself what I want tech to become

    9 votes

  8. Comment on Lifetime Windows user seeking feedback for improvements on my Linux setup in ~tech

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Can confirm Rocket League works just fine for me on Linux (using Proton via Steam). Play it every week without a problem. I use Steam for most games and Heroic Launcher for Epic/GOG. I don't have...

    Can confirm Rocket League works just fine for me on Linux (using Proton via Steam). Play it every week without a problem. I use Steam for most games and Heroic Launcher for Epic/GOG. I don't have any Linux experience with high-seas sourced games though so can't comment on that

  9. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    I love those moments where something you need doesn't exist and that is the impetus for creating it, which then everyone can benefit from. Solid!

    I love those moments where something you need doesn't exist and that is the impetus for creating it, which then everyone can benefit from. Solid!

    3 votes

  10. Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Yeah, I have slowly come to be grateful for all of it in some twisted way because it helped me eventually break free of it. Maybe without my exact experience I would have never made it out. The...

    Yeah, I have slowly come to be grateful for all of it in some twisted way because it helped me eventually break free of it. Maybe without my exact experience I would have never made it out. The only thing is still a bit of resentment I hold towards it for essentially feeling like over half of my life was wasted on something. Lots of time and energy and mental stress and whatever all pumped into this unnecessary extra layer placed on life that is tied into everything you know and it all falls apart the moment you walk away

    It's interesting that even being 10+ years out of the main deconstruction process that it took a long time to mostly overcome the fear of hell. The indoctrination and time in the bubble gets embedded so wildly deep in one's psychology that it's tough to root all of the poison out. Like hearing hymns or music I listened to back then can be triggering in a way, or hearing someone talking in the language of Christianity, etc. It improves constantly with time but all of it feels so alien to me now- and looking back I know how deep in the bubble I was but it's hard for me to grasp that that used to be me. I always say it's kinda like "born again" but in reverse or something- I truly feel like I have lived two different lives and I don't even recognize the old me anymore.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk

    0x29A
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Yeah for me, once the church connection was gone, there was no way I could or would socialize with most of those groups or people anymore. In fact, it made me realize (with exceptions) most of the...

    Yeah for me, once the church connection was gone, there was no way I could or would socialize with most of those groups or people anymore. In fact, it made me realize (with exceptions) most of the connections I had made had no real foundation that could preserve them post-religion. Without even any effort to do so, nearly all of those connections instantly severed, and that's something difficult to handle but ultimately that's the way I wanted it and knew it had to be anyway

    Wishing you well in your navigating the experience- Being in a position where your spouse is still in the church and you still have to socialize with people from that circle must be an extremely tough thing to navigate- I couldn't even imagine going through that- it would be nigh impossible for me to handle emotionally. It can feel so incredibly isolating (not to mention all the gaslighting / "we can fix you" / the judging stares / the misrepresentations of what we've gone through / etc). Which is why I was so glad to find others online (and podcasts and forums and whatnot) while going through my process.

    Thanks for the music rec, will check it out. David Bazan / Pedro the Lion's questioning and criticism from within and eventual journey out of evangelicalism (and entire albums about it, like Curse Your Branches) matched mine pretty well so he's been one of my favorite musicians of all time

    4 votes

  12. Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk

    0x29A
    (edited )
    Link
    -- Alcohol At times, given <gestures at world> I'm tempted to go back. I gave it up completely a couple of years ago. I drank heavy about once a week about 15 years ago, and in recent years, maybe...

    -- Alcohol

    At times, given <gestures at world> I'm tempted to go back. I gave it up completely a couple of years ago. I drank heavy about once a week about 15 years ago, and in recent years, maybe 4-8 a month total, and eventually, it just got to the point where I'm old enough that even a single drink I can feel affecting me (headache/migraine trigger, sometimes immediately, not just hangovers), and the little bit of relaxation I can get from a buzz is not worth the costs I pay every time (money, feeling bad, etc). Also, importantly, I got to the point where both online and in-person, I do not like witnessing people being under the influence, even if they're not doing anything bad.

    Something just about seeing/reading someone being under the influence gives me a mega negative vibe now. While not addicted, I also don't like the feeling of wanting to grab a drink or two to "take the edge off" of my emotions or whatever. I had my fun. It's not worth it anymore. I'm glad I gave it up and have not had a single sip in a couple of years or more. Just feels freeing to be over it.

    -- Christianity/religion

    ...and all the things that go with it (church, almost all the friends/people from that era of my life, the politics that flavor of faith informed, etc). I've talked about this multiple times before so I won't go into it too deep, but the first half of my life was spent in this bubble and it's probably been 10-15 years now since I went through that years-long journey, and to this day I remain feeling more free and happy in that aspect of my life than I ever was during that first half of life. To this day, I feel liberated. It was a product of me deciding to take my faith even more seriously and addressing my own doubts and questions in a bid to strengthen it, only to realize I really no longer truly believed anymore. It was its own very long process that went through many steps and phases from more strict forms of Christianity (Southern Baptist) to more non-denominational/inclusive forms, to a non-organized theism, etc. Dabbled with other things a while (Buddhism). Ultimately led to atheism and I'm glad.

    Because my identity and life was so wrapped up into it for so long, I don't think I'll ever fully be "over it" (in that it's not something I'll stop talking about or watching content about or whatever), but as time has gone on I've refined my perspective slightly and have at least somewhat emotionally recovered, but I wouldn't say I'm trauma-free. But, having had this experience, and now having a friend that at some point did the same, we have this very unique thing in common we can talk about at a deep level, so it's nice it happened that way.

    (And I don't mean this harshly, but just as a note, though I'd expect this to be less likely on Tildes- if anyone is a Christian and feels compelled to respond to this in some way, please just don't- I don't want pity or prayers or apologetics or whatever, I've heard it all a thousand times)

    -- Movies/TV Shows/Fiction in General

    This one is not recent by any means, but I consumed a decent amount of it as a kid/teen/college-aged person and after that I left it all behind. Youtube/Twitch/Standup Comedy/Non-fiction stuff/podcasts are the main thing I watch now. I just lost my interest in most fictional stories of any kind, including books. Video games are an exception, but most of my gaming is not narrative/story-deep in nature, with a few exceptions (especially nostalgic ones) but I do watch others play. I just get way more fulfillment and enjoyment out of non-fictional stuff of all kinds. I would rather watch a documentary than any fiction. I would rather read a book about coffee, tea, or computers than a fictional story. I would rather watch someone repair an HVAC system on Youtube than a movie or TV show. All of these might have the rare exception, but in general this is all true.

    9 votes

  13. Comment on Youtube channel recommendations 2026 in ~tech

    0x29A
    Link
    Will try to recommend things I haven't seen others mention yet (though I second a lot of the recs I've seen here): Mend It Mark - In-depth electronics repair (often older/vintage models) Aging...

    Will try to recommend things I haven't seen others mention yet (though I second a lot of the recs I've seen here):

    Mend It Mark - In-depth electronics repair (often older/vintage models)

    Aging Wheels - Cars (especially EVs, vintage or otherwise unique cars, unique/unknown older EVs), EV-related experiences, car projects, humor

    Lance Hedrick - All sorts of coffee and espresso content. Sometimes deep dives into geeky stuff

    Morgan Eckroth - More fun coffee stuff, but with her own angle, often involving making coffee drinks or different brew methods

    James Channel - Checking out retro / off-brand / jank video game hardware and electronics, or repair, or making extremely hacked-together janky projects.

    8 votes

  14. Comment on RetroDECK 0.10.0b is a ground-up rewrite, not just an update in ~games

    0x29A
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I enjoy the fact that it's also available as a flatpak for Linux desktop systems. I might give this a shot on my machines.

    I enjoy the fact that it's also available as a flatpak for Linux desktop systems. I might give this a shot on my machines.

    7 votes

  15. Comment on Massive winter storm expected to dump snow and ice across United States in ~enviro

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    I realize how I haven't really paid attention to my outdoor faucet still having the hose hooked up to it and it being uncovered, so I bought one of those inexpensive (<$5) foam insulated covers to...

    I realize how I haven't really paid attention to my outdoor faucet still having the hose hooked up to it and it being uncovered, so I bought one of those inexpensive (<$5) foam insulated covers to put over the outdoor faucet to help keep ice/snow off of it and give it at least a slight bit of insulation from the freezing wind

    My pipes also go through a crawlspace and others in my area have similar setups and some have had pipe freeze problems, so despite a bit of electric bill pain I will be increasing my indoor temp a few degrees (I keep it very cool usually) during the storm and throughout the cold front afterwards, opening my kitchen/bathroom cabinets, and also turning all faucets to a slight dripping stream just to be extra safe. It uses very little water overall and it's worth it IMO. It can't necessarily be done for every single pipe/outlet, but just having a lot more movement in the lines will help.

    This is probably overkill as I do also have a portion of my pipe under the home, wrapped in a sensor-based electric insulation that applies a bit of heat to the pipe if temps go under a certain threshold- but it's only on one "main" section of the piping so it's not a complete preventative.

    I haven't had any pipe freezes but I also want to take zero chances so I'm going the extra mile this time around

    4 votes

  16. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    I sort-of initially thought this too. (and of course always true that YMMV) I had one small niche idea I wanted to print, and that propelled me to get into budget-level 3D printing to start, and...

    I sort-of initially thought this too. (and of course always true that YMMV) I had one small niche idea I wanted to print, and that propelled me to get into budget-level 3D printing to start, and now that I have a 3D printer, I've found all sorts of useful things to print (brackets, holders, covers, stands, etc.) - lots of small fiddly things that I would otherwise overpay for somewhere else. It's probably already paid back a lot of the cost.

    I find it interesting how it's actually completely transformed how I look at the world- which this sounds overblown, but I mean it genuinely- I sort of see everything I use/own/live with all through a new mental map, or a lens/layer of "is there something 3D printable that would improve this" and I end up finding all sorts of neat little things I can custom-make.

    Super niche example: I noticed the way my filters lay against my evap coil of my HVAC meant that they were too uncomfortably close to the drain pain below AND also came with a risk of easily slipping during install and falling down beside my blower/airhandler in a gap between it and the wall- so I printed some small clips that clip onto the drain pan, without impeding any drainage, and simply provide a small platform and a catch for the bottom of the filters to rest against.

    This has prevented them from incidentally picking up any extra moisture from the drain pan and also makes the install more secure and less likely to slip- and these clips are so small that they used probably like 1/200th or less of a roll of filament (which costs anywhere from like $15-25 for the entire roll), meaning they costed just cents to make myself. Even if I could buy some kind of clip online and "make it work", it would not be custom fit, and even if cheap would cost astronomically higher than cents-per-clip.

    It's a lot of little things like that^ that have made this whole process wonderful. Finding all these ways to very slightly improve or fix small annoyances with things, or custom "manufacture" my own parts that just don't exist for sale anywhere

    5 votes

  17. Comment on Massive winter storm expected to dump snow and ice across United States in ~enviro

    0x29A
    Link
    Yeah, not looking forward to this. Our area, at least in the past two decades, is much more used to 6-8" being the occasional outlier, and far less snow being the norm (entire winters without it...

    Yeah, not looking forward to this. Our area, at least in the past two decades, is much more used to 6-8" being the occasional outlier, and far less snow being the norm (entire winters without it too). Forecasts are fluctuating a bunch but potentially hitting anywhere from 10"-20", or slightly less but with more ice (which is even worse power-wise).

    I have stocked up on a ton of shelf-stable, no-heat/no-fridge meals, filled up tons of pitchers with water, charged all my devices and power banks to full, did a bit of weatherizing, got the shovel and broom ready. Have a candle for a bit of extra warmth if I need it, otherwise will just stay heavily bundled up if power goes out. Put some extra gas in my car so I can use that as a very-emergency backup of heat or charging devices if it comes to that. Etc.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on What are your favorite home remedies or comforts when you're sick? in ~health

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Oh nice. Ricola has the same problem for me. I haven't tried the lozenge form but I'll keep that in mind, might grab a few

    Oh nice. Ricola has the same problem for me. I haven't tried the lozenge form but I'll keep that in mind, might grab a few

    1 vote

  19. Comment on What are your favorite home remedies or comforts when you're sick? in ~health

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Having previously been in very constant-talking environments (call centers, etc) - I decided to give Pei Pa Koa a try after hearing a voice actor mention it, IIRC. After looking up the ingredients...

    Having previously been in very constant-talking environments (call centers, etc) - I decided to give Pei Pa Koa a try after hearing a voice actor mention it, IIRC. After looking up the ingredients it seemed safe enough to give it a shot. Seemed to work pretty decently for me, though I have no idea how truly effective it was

    2 votes

  20. Comment on What are your favorite home remedies or comforts when you're sick? in ~health

    0x29A
    Link Parent
    Same here, this is my favorite way to do it- use a small amount of the Buldak sauce and store the rest for later use. Efficient and enjoyable without absolutely destroying myself haha

    Same here, this is my favorite way to do it- use a small amount of the Buldak sauce and store the rest for later use. Efficient and enjoyable without absolutely destroying myself haha

    1 vote