0x29A's recent activity
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
0x29A (edited )Link ParentAddendum: Also- thanks OP for posting this site. It's a prime example of why I love the small web- I am keeping that site open and slowly going through each of these linked articles talking about...Addendum:
Also- thanks OP for posting this site. It's a prime example of why I love the small web- I am keeping that site open and slowly going through each of these linked articles talking about the small web- and then clicking around and learning about the people behind these articles- and these bloggers also have links to blogrolls and other sites they enjoy.
What always happens is something like this starts this hours-long jump down the rabbit hole of personal internet content and I thoroughly enjoy my time spent there. It inspires me to be more creative myself and it connects me to new people whose work I may want to follow. Artists, devs, musicians, writers, and more. I end up finding small teams making neat, lightweight web projects, cool new ways of re-imagining things on the web. It gives me things to sit and think on in how I can proceed with the next era of my own work life, and so on.
It's just an experience of gem after gem and it has this hard-to-articulate personality and value that I absolutely cherish. A thousand minutes spent on social media can't match the feeling I get from sixty minutes exploring the personal web.
I think this is proof that something like this still exists, should exist, and is something we can explore and maintain in a modern form that echoes the old sites (and IMHO, still allows us to have that joy of exploration- there's still a fun, interesting, and special side to the web, and it's more diverse than ever )
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
0x29A (edited )LinkWhile I do think we see the earlier internet with rose-tinted glasses, I think there's a lot worth remembering and carrying onward. I think there's validity to looking back at earlier internet and...- Exemplary
While I do think we see the earlier internet with rose-tinted glasses, I think there's a lot worth remembering and carrying onward. I think there's validity to looking back at earlier internet and seeing parts of it that we're nostalgic for and also technical parts of it that some of us want to see carried forward. I did thoroughly enjoy it when small communities, blog/personal sites, etc were more prevalent and there's thankfully a resurgence of that (and I'm trying to contribute also)
The biggest thing for me is somewhat aesthetic, somewhat functionality- I'll take a janky 90s HTML site with under construction gifs, a tiled background, and mostly text, almost any day over the javascript bombs we call websites today- especially for things like forums, news, aggregators, blogs, personal sites, wiki sites (see fandom for a glaring example of how shitty these can be). Sure, it depends on the purpose of the site (shopping carts/sites feel better these days IMO) but in many cases I definitely prefer the smaller, more text-focused web not the absolute piles of garbage we experience now. That said, it's not always true. I have no real nostalgia for Java (not Javascript, just Java), Silverlight, or Flash for web content. Some people made neat things but I'm glad they're mostly gone.
Modern web bloat and complexity is one of a plethora of reasons I got out of web design / web dev pursuits. I escaped before all the web-app / SPAs / react-style stuff became a thing and it was moving so fast at the time that I quickly got left behind skill-wise so I gave it up entirely, not liking the direction things went. These days if I build anything, it is extremely lightweight and doesn't use any of that- and that's why right now I've decided to only do web stuff for myself- I used to do it at a hobbyist level for a couple of local businesses and even that I got sick of.
I hope to see the small, personal, information-dense web carry forward forever where a bunch of people have their own sites and get together in webrings, forums, and what not. It is, without exception, my absolute favorite part of the internet and I hope we never lose it.
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Comment on Have you had a life-altering change in who you are? in ~talk
0x29A LinkYes I have. Two main ones: no longer a Christian (after growing up conservative/baptist/etc Christian and being in the church 20-25 years) and did a 180 politically (right -> left) and both of...Yes I have. Two main ones: no longer a Christian (after growing up conservative/baptist/etc Christian and being in the church 20-25 years) and did a 180 politically (right -> left) and both of those things are tied together pretty closely. The latter being the catalyst for the former. It was a journey, probably over a 5+ year period. And I've never felt better. Ever since, I've felt a huge sense of freedom and clarity that I've never before experienced.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
0x29A Link ParentThey are tied together in some ways sure, in that by focusing on real diversity of race, orientation, gender, etc you will get varied perspectives. However not all ideas/views should be given...They are tied together in some ways sure, in that by focusing on real diversity of race, orientation, gender, etc you will get varied perspectives.
However not all ideas/views should be given equal treatment nor should they be assumed to be of any inherent quality simply because a particular type of person holds them. Ideas should be considered on their own merit alone and some ideas have none.
For example, if someone is anti-LGBTQ, I have zero need to include their perspectives in the name of diversity.
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
0x29A (edited )Link ParentSimply put: yes, even if that biases their coverage, which it obviously will/does, and that's even as someone left of these Democrats that has issues with some of their coverage. The only qualm I...Do you think it's okay that NPR has 87 Democrats and no Republicans?
Simply put: yes, even if that biases their coverage, which it obviously will/does, and that's even as someone left of these Democrats that has issues with some of their coverage. The only qualm I have with it at all, is I wish they'd admit this instead of claiming balance. I don't care about balanced coverage, but I'm tired of orgs claiming it. I'd rather them own their bias instead of pretending its not there.
Separately, equating diversity of inherent traits (race, orientation, etc) to diversity of worldviews/ideas/opinions/viewpoints (choices) I think is pretty flawed.
The former are not chosen. The latter do not need to be given the same default weight or respect or pursuit of "diversity"
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Comment on NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism in ~news
0x29A Link ParentYeah, I've pretty much abandoned NYT over trans healthcare coverage and honestly will gladly do the same for other orgs. It's not the first or only thing they've been awful about but it definitely...Yeah, I've pretty much abandoned NYT over trans healthcare coverage and honestly will gladly do the same for other orgs. It's not the first or only thing they've been awful about but it definitely was a big one.
It's not a topic I'm looking for faux-balanced coverage of either, because, as with it, so as with many issues, there are not two sides to the issue I consider remotely equal.
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Comment on New Music Fridays: Lizzy McAlpine, Lo Moon, and more in ~music
0x29A (edited )Link ParentFaves from Week of April 12, 2024 Finally. Sorry. I've really been slacking at getting things done I plan to do... procrastination and such really getting hold of me lately. Non-metal Maggie...Faves from Week of April 12, 2024
Finally. Sorry. I've really been slacking at getting things done I plan to do... procrastination and such really getting hold of me lately.
Non-metal
Maggie Rogers - Don't Forget Me
A new artist for me. Americana, folk, indie-country-pop, singer-songwriter- you get the picture. Has a very genuine warm feel that I think avoids feeling too commercial despite being a "big label" artist. Highly recommend the title track.Selofan - Animal Mentality
Greek new wave / post-punk, leaning heavy on the synths. Smooth yet slightly robotic vocals as is common in the genre, straightforward and haunting.Virgins - nothing hurt and everything was beautiful
UK shoegaze with some speed and energy. A fresh approach that has dance moments, soaring pop, and wall-of-sound atmosphere.
Metal (primarily clean-ish / non-scream vocals or instrumental)
Castle Rat - Into The Realm
Clean-sung medieval/fantasy doom from NY. Some fun old-school hard rock vibe to this. Great vocal lines and solid riffs.Vulture - Sentinels
Tows the line between clean and harsh vocals- it sits in that in-between spot that heavy metal often can occupy. Singing, but soaring King-Diamond-pitch yells, then speed metal screeches, and has plenty of grit and aggression too, all soaked in reverb. Heavy/speed metal from Germany. Wild guitar leads and plenty of melody.SETYOURSAILS - Bad Blood
Going out on a bit of a limb here with a genre I do not often enjoy. Called 'modern metalcore' but not sure how accurate that feels. There are metalcore breakdowns occasionally, but it mostly stays in clean vocals the majority of the time. It just feels more like alt-metal / heavy radio-friendly rock. Anthemic sung choruses that firmly push this into some kind of pop-metal territory. It might be some nostalgia for older bands I heard these kinds of sounds from 10-20 years ago, so I don't know how much this will stick in rotation for me. But in this temporary moment in time, I enjoy it.
Metal (primarily harsh vocals)
Karst - Eclipsed Beneath Umbral Divine
Anti-fascist/leftist crust/death metal from Los Angeles. A dissonant and avant-garde take on crust that has softer interludes, tense chords and leads, plenty of bass, and perfectly nasty vocals. Name your price on Bandcamp, so highly recommend grabbing this release.Necrot - Lifeless Birth
Oakland death metal now on the scene for more than 13 years. Still releasing quality stuff. Lifeless Birth continues Necrot's well-known sound and executes it well. Drill the Skull has some fun hammer-on leads and some SUPER cool riffs where the guitars drop out momentarily so the stomping drums and growling vocals can make a statement. It's great.Sarcasm - Mourninghoul
Melodic blackened death metal from Sweden. Raspy, crisp, scratchy mid-range vocals. Swings into full black metal on occasion.Nimbifer - Der bose Geist
Raw/lo-fi black metal in terms of production. Feels distant, but warm. Near-medieval/castle-metal sounding melodies and blasting drums. Almost feels like if you turned dungeon synth into guitar-driven black metal this is what you would get.Replicant - Infinite Mortality
Harmonics, nasty chords, rumbling low movements and chugs. Brutal vocals, anxious atmosphere, plenty of interesting change-ups.Mor - Hear the Hour Nearing!
Very fast, muted, and chuggy guitars for this to be black metal. Has a nice buzzy, noisy guitar tone that fits well with the fast playing. Well-mixed screaming vocals. Atmospheric (but not post-) black metal.
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Comment on New Music Fridays: Lizzy McAlpine, Lo Moon, and more in ~music
0x29A (edited )LinkGoing to post my faves from last week and this week here, I'll spoiler for length. Faves from this week coming soon. Faves from Week of April 5, 2024 Non-metal Lizzy McAlpine - Older The first...Going to post my faves from last week and this week here, I'll spoiler for length.
Faves from this week coming soon.Faves from Week of April 5, 2024
Non-metal
Lizzy McAlpine - Older
The first time I'm hearing of this folk/pop/singer-songwriter. Older is her third studio release and I really enjoy the piano-heavy title track.Lo Moon - I Wish You Way More Than Luck
Indie/alt pop/rock from LA. Plenty of synths but a very modern sound. Multiple outlets compare them to Talk Talk and Cocteau Twins. Love the track "Water" off this release.
Metal (primarily clean-ish / non-scream vocals or instrumental)
Attic - Return of the Witchfinder
Technically clean vocals, but they can be divisive among listeners. Very "spooky theatrical" sounding with lots of very high-pitched parts. This band is practically copying / worshipping the sound of King Diamond / Mercyful Fate.
Metal (primarily harsh vocals)
Diabolic Oath - Oracular Hexations
In typical Sentient Ruin form, these black/death/war metallers absolutely rip. Filthy as you'd expect but definitely some more progressive songwriting- these tracks worm all over the place.Funeral Leech - The Illusion of Time
NYC death/doom- nothing too experimental here- but they definitely lean into the doom side pretty heavily, taking some funeral doom inspiration. You can hear the depressiveness, the sorrow, the necromancy.Witch Vomit - Funeral Sanctum
US death metal, sounds a bit more old school in its songwriting, mix, and straightforwardness. Good stuff. No frills, cavernous, and aggressive.Hate Force - Systems of Terror
Great dissonant greek black/death. Even though there are hundreds of bands doing this, this does have some unique touches. Very memorable and enjoyable riffs. Moments that remind me of Ulcerate.Howl - Drought
Estonian black metal with death metal moments too. Dive bombs? In my black metal? Why not! Plenty of atmosphere here, fitting vocals and beautiful cover art.
While I'm getting this week's list together, here's an item from it: Maggie Rogers - Don't Forget Me. This has folk, country, Americana, etc vibes.
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New Music Fridays: Lizzy McAlpine, Lo Moon, and more
Note: I noticed we haven't had these threads since March 22 I believe, and I miss them, so figured I'd copy from a prior format and start one for this week. @TooFewColours started most of the...
Note: I noticed we haven't had these threads since March 22 I believe, and I miss them, so figured I'd copy from a prior format and start one for this week. @TooFewColours started most of the prior ones so shoutouts to them. I also don't want to duplicate any work/posts- so let me know if you have any issue with this. Tossed in a few extra links as well.
This is a thread to discuss 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your eye and interest, or share your thoughts about any new music that you've had the chance to listen to this week.
Discussion Points
Is there anything you've been looking forward to listening to?
Any releases that have surprised you?
Have you listened to any new music recently? What are your thoughts?
What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past? How does their latest work compare?Links:
Pitchfork - Out This Week
AllMusic - All New Releases
Stereogum - New Music
Shreddit Release Tracker
New Metal and Hardcore Releases - Lambgoat
Heavy Metal Album Release Calendar - Heavy Music HQ
Upcoming albums - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives12 votes -
Comment on Kansas Legislature brings gavel down on civil asset seizure powers of law enforcement in ~misc
0x29A Link ParentAh, true. Removing an entire category of crimes from even being considered for asset forfeiture is for sure a worthwhile reform. Aside from that, most of what I was reading just felt like...Ah, true. Removing an entire category of crimes from even being considered for asset forfeiture is for sure a worthwhile reform.
Aside from that, most of what I was reading just felt like procedural stuff that will just reorganize / refocus how they abuse the system, rather than preventing abuse (just moving around how quickly and when and how things get rubber stamped, which is how it feels sometimes- that supposed checks and balances are usually just in on the abuse in the first place)
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Comment on Kansas Legislature brings gavel down on civil asset seizure powers of law enforcement in ~misc
0x29A LinkHow effective will this be in light of this:How effective will this be in light of this:
Haley said he was disappointed the final package didn’t include a provision allowing defendants in seizure cases to request a jury trial. That was one provision sought by Finney to help level the judicial playing field, he said.
“It’s important there be a neutral tribunal, like a jury, that could be impaneled to make that decision,” Haley said. “I look forward to a better day.”
Warren, the senator who led negotiations on the civil asset legislation, said the bill ought to be viewed as an “incremental” step in a process that could eventually weave into state law the right to a jury trial in seizure actions.
“There was strong opposition from the law enforcement community to the jury trial provision,” Warren said.
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Comment on Kagi recently changed their dark mode, fix inside in ~tech
0x29A LinkAwesome! Thanks for this. Yeah this dark mode change by Kagi without user consent really bothered me, to be honest.Awesome! Thanks for this. Yeah this dark mode change by Kagi without user consent really bothered me, to be honest.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
0x29A LinkSimple answer- anywhere that isn't a church. I don't see the need for those of us that are ex-religious or non-religious to replicate the church experience. Having been in various churches for...Simple answer- anywhere that isn't a church. I don't see the need for those of us that are ex-religious or non-religious to replicate the church experience. Having been in various churches for 20-25 years of my 38 year life, there really isn't anything particularly special about them, and the parts we find that could be useful outside of religion are already happening. Community meetings and organizations, queer town halls and spaces, libraries, events, online communities, mutual aid orgs, etc
I think assigning some unique and special quality to churches is presupposing something that causes you to ask the wrong questions in the first place.
In fact, I think most of the places I described are better than churches, as I don't find "sitting and listening to pastor for 90% of the time and socializing for 10 minutes beforehand" a worthy avenue for actual community.
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Comment on Linux Distro Recommendations in ~comp
0x29A Link ParentI have Kubuntu (a really screwy customized version where I removed KDE and put Cinnamon on it after a long time fighting with KDE) and with all of Canonical's weird crap, their insistence on...I have Kubuntu (a really screwy customized version where I removed KDE and put Cinnamon on it after a long time fighting with KDE) and with all of Canonical's weird crap, their insistence on snaps, and so on, I'm definitely considering making the jump to Mint at some point to get way from Canonical but stay in a debian-based land, probably the next time there's a big distro update
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Comment on How web bloat impacts users with slow devices in ~comp
0x29A LinkMedium has always been a prime example of this, in its size-to-purpose ratio. It's generally a text site and yet takes multiple MB to display it. Drives me up the wall.Medium has always been a prime example of this, in its size-to-purpose ratio. It's generally a text site and yet takes multiple MB to display it. Drives me up the wall.
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Comment on Aurora – Some Type Of Skin (2024) in ~music
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Comment on Indiana appeals court upholds injunction on abortion ban, citing religious liberty in ~health
0x29A Link ParentWould be nice if something could actually happen with abortion in DC, though. Feels as though the entire issue is held hostage as a re-election tool, rather than anyone actually enshrining it into...Would be nice if something could actually happen with abortion in DC, though. Feels as though the entire issue is held hostage as a re-election tool, rather than anyone actually enshrining it into law.
If the abortion issue helps better people get elected, fine. If those elected people cannot get a right to abortion successfully legislated, then the actual issue remains. They're the only chance for it to happen, so as voters, it's still important, it just feels like nearly everything involving congress/DC is futile most of the time
I guess what it comes down to for me personally is, I still will vote because I find it necessary, but my tank of hope is running completely empty
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Comment on What's something you've been mulling over recently? in ~talk
0x29A Link ParentThank you! And I indeed am prone to anxiety, sometimes lots of it, so yeah that cocktail was very unpleasant... but overall I'm feeling a renewed energy and sense of getting the things outside of...Thank you! And I indeed am prone to anxiety, sometimes lots of it, so yeah that cocktail was very unpleasant... but overall I'm feeling a renewed energy and sense of getting the things outside of work stuff that I need or want to - preparing to move/sell, personal projects, learning, reading, playing games a bit while I've got the mental energy (rarely had it when I had that job, very draining, even when it was slow). Making music. Cleaning my house and donating stuff, minimizing possessions, etc. - all of which has an enormous effect on my daily energy / comfort / anxiety- a cleaner house really helps my brain.
All sorts of stuff- so only upwards from here (and thankfully a supportive family too)!
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Comment on What's something you've been mulling over recently? in ~talk
0x29A Link ParentI think most of the burnout this time was external from me. Part of it was in my head I'm sure- but mostly the stress from dealing with the below, and just not wanting to be present for it...I think most of the burnout this time was external from me. Part of it was in my head I'm sure- but mostly the stress from dealing with the below, and just not wanting to be present for it anymore. Had I had my prior position in the same company (desktop support) I think I might have fared better. The new position simply, at least the way it is run there, just ended up not being a good fit after a while.
Without giving too much detail away- my sysadmin position was created to specifically help a particular department of the company transition much of their IT support away from themselves and to the IT of the company. For whatever reason (long story), the company allowed that department to essentially have their own IT people, their own access to the server room, their own processes for buying server equipment, etc. As that started to move over to the company's main IT- the main issues ended up being political- I have no authority over that department, so if they refuse to cooperate it kinda just leaves me hanging- and they started out cooperative but then could not easily handle giving away their power, and without that being forced to happen... well I just ended up caught in the middle of it all and attempting to provide work for a department that was unwilling to receive it (unless things blew up or went wrong, then they came running and/or would attempt to blame us for problems they created).
That, mixed with (and it also caused it somewhat) downtime to the point of having days where I was not accomplishing much- got to the point where I dreaded giving an update in meetings because I had no control. My dept knew that and was helpful / protected me- but it burned me out. Wasn't able to really "enjoy" my position anymore because I couldn't really get things done and accomplish things anymore. So much limbo, so many slow days, then rushing to get something done when it fails or departments whine (when otherwise they're unresponsive). The "structurelessness" of such a position does not fit me well mentally- I don't mind being self-guided- but I need some structure- a list of things to do- a list of tickets to work on and close- whereas this was more of a wishy-washy "learn X and implement it when you can or if they let you", then once that's done... just limbo.
Basically the entire reason they hired me turned into this weird political back and forth with another department- and no one taking the initiative to "force" that department to properly hand over control, clearly delineate responsibilities, etc just left me without support from that angle and at the time- no openings to go back to a position I would prefer. It's possible those could have opened up but:
That's not the only reason I left, just one of many- but when that burnout started to appear- it so happened that my rent went up, neighbors moved away, I began to get tired of this town, some other issues at work happened (really poor decisions not of my control that make my job harder, etc)- and my family offered me a nice way to be closer to them and potentially consider a move- well, everything seemed to fall into place that it was just the right time to leave.
It's going to really depend on one's sense of humor, but I really enjoy Poorly Drawn Lines, Extra Fabulous Comics, Safely Endangered, and Mr. Lovenstein.