0x29A's recent activity
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Comment on What's your go-to hot sauce? in ~food
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Comment on Hooded Menace – Portrait Without A Face (2025) in ~music
0x29A LinkThe singles from the new Hooded Menace have been killer. Love the touch of dark post-punk influence in everything. Such a great mix with death/doom. That album cover too, wowzers If you want a...The singles from the new Hooded Menace have been killer. Love the touch of dark post-punk influence in everything. Such a great mix with death/doom. That album cover too, wowzers
If you want a band that basically does it the other way around (post-punk with death vocals, which is so weird but works) check out https://floating-label.bandcamp.com/album/hesitating-lights
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Comment on Vacant - Blind Faith (2025) in ~music
0x29A LinkBandcamp also avail: https://vacant.bandcamp.com/album/blind-faith Perfect "night drive" music. Love it. Enjoying it with a nice cup of tea and it's made for a lovely afternoonBandcamp also avail: https://vacant.bandcamp.com/album/blind-faith
Perfect "night drive" music. Love it.
Enjoying it with a nice cup of tea and it's made for a lovely afternoon
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Vacant - Blind Faith (2025)
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Comment on Bear is now source-available in ~tech
0x29A (edited )LinkAs a bearblog user, Herman's post strikes me in an odd way. I can understand how it might feel to see people take your open-source code and set up their own paid services, when you're running a...As a bearblog user, Herman's post strikes me in an odd way.
I can understand how it might feel to see people take your open-source code and set up their own paid services, when you're running a service yourself. But why does this "hurt"? If you chose a freely open license to begin with and other people take your code and build their own products with it... that's fully in the spirit of the license you originally chose. Also wouldn't you be glad that more people are using your code and doing their own things with it? Sure, there's no requirement for them to contribute back, necessarily, or make any major modifications, and I get how that can feel like just being "copied"... but this whole response just seems off to me and against the entire spirit of the licensing they chose in the first place
I suppose it's all about perspective and I don't think making something open-source and then seeing other uses as a threat makes any sense. I guess the one thing I can agree with is if Herman's not open to a change in perspective, then yes, indeed, they absolutely chose the wrong license and yes, if they're interested in protecting their work at all costs commercially, then the "right" move is to change licensing, but they should have known this from the beginning. They certainly have the "right" or freedom to change the licensing, I'm not arguing that. I'm simply arguing that I think their perspective is off.
I get the whole thing with AI coding and all that, and sure there are people that would take existing code, use AI garbage to modify and make their own thing. As someone vehemently anti-AI, I can empathize. But seeing any competition (or alternative communities) to your own service/community as a threat / negative thing though is what I just don't vibe with... and not to mention, the cat's already out of the bag, and doing a switch after-the-fact instead of making better choices in the first place, kinda just makes this a mess, and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I've already been considering changing hosts, and going with a more static-based site. I need more flexibility than the service offers at this point. Maybe it's time.
And bear is not an only-free-option service. Its base tier is free, but it has a paid tier also (which I pay for). So I think the potential of competition to his paid tier of bearblog from other services based on the code is likely playing into his perception of a threat.
(and I'm not even a zealous proponent of open-source that constantly preaches or always looks for open source (and although probably not enforceable, for certain things, I prefer custom licenses that disallow corporate use, etc.) but I think this is an unnecessarily negative view of the behavior of others when it comes to open-source code)- no one is stabbing you in the back by doing things with your source that your licensing freely allows them to do...
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Comment on Moser's Frame Shop: I am an AI hater in ~tech
0x29A (edited )LinkI am fully onboard with this essay. I am the same. It's far past the point of simple criticism. May the extreme hatred with the fire of a thousand hells be pointed at this garbage. AI,...I am fully onboard with this essay. I am the same. It's far past the point of simple criticism. May the extreme hatred with the fire of a thousand hells be pointed at this garbage. AI, particularly of the generative sort, is to be hated and destroyed. Throw a wrench into these machines in whatever ways are possible. I am all for having more of this level of vitriol for these systems (and could not give less of crap if anyone thinks it is useful or helps them). Dismantle it all and make it socially costly to launder AI into spaces meant for people (or maybe even to use it at all, with the one exception being workers that have no choice). Shun bands, fake visual "artists", and all sorts of the skill-less frauds that use it. Make using it a shameful act, especially for anything creative. And no, I'm not asking for anyone to tell me otherwise. If you defend these systems, no need to interact with my comment (or me in general), it's not about the "debate" anymore.
As it is with some other ethical/social/political/etc issues which I view as only having one valid perspective, I know where I stand and it's a position that cannot be moved (or if it can, only further against it), and one which I consider just as much a "dealbreaker" as the others (in that I would not maintain friendships or any sort of prolonged contact with its proponents - again, excepting workers that have no choice, they gotta eat, and solidarity includes them)
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Comment on Deathhammer – Satan's Sword (2025) in ~music
0x29A (edited )Link ParentUpdate: Deathhammer full stream now available on YT. I would normally link to the bandcamp, but I don't like directly sending people to / recommending the label they're on (long story, but there...Update: Deathhammer full stream now available on YT. I would normally link to the bandcamp, but I don't like directly sending people to / recommending the label they're on (long story, but there are multiple issues with those that run that label in terms of their behavior and their views). Sucks because plenty of bands that aren't sketchy/etc still sign/release with that label because it's a relatively big name in the underground and has a history, and despite the problems, apparently treats its bands well. Edit: bandcamp only has two tracks to stream free, I was wrong (you get the whole thing when buying, of course, but otherwise YT has the full "free" stream for now)
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Comment on Deathhammer – Satan's Sword (2025) in ~music
0x29A (edited )LinkDeathhammer is sick. Love blackened speed/thrash. Electric Warfare was great so I'm definitely looking forward to this release. Satan's Sword is a great track so I'm hopeful. Speaking of this...Deathhammer is sick. Love blackened speed/thrash. Electric Warfare was great so I'm definitely looking forward to this release. Satan's Sword is a great track so I'm hopeful.
Speaking of this genre, for fans of it, I recommend plenty of things (there's so much good stuff) but one I'll point out because I was listening to it yesterday, is Endless Witchcraft by Demonslaught 666, a kickass blackened speed/thrash act from China. TONS and TONS of rototoms, which all bands like this should have. The more, the better.
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Comment on Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store in ~tech
0x29A (edited )Link ParentIt's a both real issue AND a convenient excuse. It's another one of those things one can hide behind when creating policies/requirements to make them more palatable (regardless of if said policies...It's a both real issue AND a convenient excuse. It's another one of those things one can hide behind when creating policies/requirements to make them more palatable (regardless of if said policies are effective or reasonable or pointless given existing options)
It's always a balance and a trade-off but a lot of the times these decisions have much bigger consequences that might not be worth the trade-offs despite all of the spin, but consequences companies and governments love- deanonymizing is certainly one of those
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Comment on Question about Marginalia Search in ~tech
0x29A Link ParentYeah the Anubis splash screen catches me off-guard every time, and a lot of the time makes me think I've encountered some site/content I didn't request. I'm sure the intent is benign but it does...Yeah the Anubis splash screen catches me off-guard every time, and a lot of the time makes me think I've encountered some site/content I didn't request. I'm sure the intent is benign but it does seem like a poor choice, and it would definitely keep me from using it, if difficult to modify. No problem with mascots or anime imagery in general, just feels very out of place on a "tool" like this
Apparently there is a "commercial" version of Anubis that has rebranding options. I get it, it took off and I don't have a problem with people trying to make money off their work, but is annoying a bit that the open-source version lacks features as a way to push the commercial version.
I suppose since Anubis itself is open-source/MIT it can simply be forked/modified by anyone that uses it anyway. Even without a UI setting I would imagine (though could be wrong) that it's simple to change.
Interestingly, something that rubs me the wrong way about it is that apparently their initial placeholder image was even made by AI which certainly feels hypocritical given the project's goal. At least they've since gone with real art.
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Comment on AI is creeping into the Linux kernel - and official policy is needed ASAP in ~comp
0x29A LinkThe disease is spreading everywhere, it was only a matter of time.The disease is spreading everywhere, it was only a matter of time.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
0x29A Link ParentBecause I wanted to start simple/easy/low cost I went with the Creality Ender V3 SE. Seems it's a late enough model to avoid having to do a bunch of tinkering and upgrading to get use out of it....Because I wanted to start simple/easy/low cost I went with the Creality Ender V3 SE. Seems it's a late enough model to avoid having to do a bunch of tinkering and upgrading to get use out of it. The downside being that I miss out on that learning process but I think I am a good enough learner for that not to be a major issue.
So far it does seem to be the case that it's easy to use. Have only done a couple of test prints so far but they worked without a hitch. I did change some parameters prior to my initial prints based on a video I saw about getting quality prints. I use mostly Tinkercad for modeling + the Creality slicer software for preparing for print.
One thing I find frustrating is there does not seem to be many local 3D software options that allow commercial use (like for a small business) without being annoyingly expensive, aside from the free options. Right now it's only for personal use anyway. At least TinkerCAD i think allows it, but it is online so there's that- it's so easy to use and model in though...
FreeCAD was workable for a couple of very simple things but I find it mega difficult to do what I want to do compared to TinkerCAD which seems to workflow exactly how my brain and hands would want to model things. I haven't attempted to try to use Blender for anything yet but I had considered trying. Right now I am doing more CAD/exact dimensions style prints rather than anything sculpted anyway
For now using the least friction options just so I can get printing quickly
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
0x29A LinkRecently started into 3D printing and been thinking of things I want to print and getting used to the different settings when sliced (infill/etc) and how they work and getting ideas of how much...Recently started into 3D printing and been thinking of things I want to print and getting used to the different settings when sliced (infill/etc) and how they work and getting ideas of how much filament and time each kind of print i want to do would take, etc.
I suppose it's mostly "technical" in the aspect that I'm learning about it.
Mostly want to print personal stuff but I have considered that maybe I could slowly start a business making 3D printed things? Not sure
It sure is handy to feel like, when I need a little bit or bob to serve a small but important purpose, I can just simply print those now. Especially things like stands for light things, covers/caps, handles/holders, etc.
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Comment on Is someone using Filen? in ~tech
0x29A (edited )LinkI use it and it's perfectly fine for my purposes. I use it as a manual backup of some things plus a way to sync files between multiple devices (Mac, Linux, iOS) I had an issue or two a while back...I use it and it's perfectly fine for my purposes. I use it as a manual backup of some things plus a way to sync files between multiple devices (Mac, Linux, iOS)
I had an issue or two a while back but they fixed the bugs in their client and now I have a good experience. They do discount sales (Black Friday) etc and if you buy a recurring payment storage plan on sale you retain that price for as long as you keep the subscription
I don't have very specific needs or requirements other than I wanted something not hosted by one of the big tech companies. While it hasn't been audited apparently, I trust their unaudited E2EE more than I trust a big corporation
I have a Pro II plan (500GB) for 27.99 EUR yearly which given my current low budget is quite solid pricing for me
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
0x29A Link ParentYeah, genre lines get kinda blurry. I associate atmo-black with a bit more "space" to breathe either in songwriting, production, or both, and the synths and really "congested" (but not in a bad...Yeah, genre lines get kinda blurry. I associate atmo-black with a bit more "space" to breathe either in songwriting, production, or both, and the synths and really "congested" (but not in a bad way) feel of Скверна Линия makes a bit less so. I have a bit of a hard time exactly finding something very close to recommend, but there are a lot of things adjacent to this type of sound, so I'll try to do that:
For atmospheric black metal, or at least adjacent to it:
Blood Abscission (a brighter/uplifting sound more akin to some atmo-black or post-black)
Ethereal Shroud
Phosphorus
Morke
Blackbraid
Der Weg einer Freiheit
Det eviga leendetFolk-leaning atmo-black:
Caladan Brood
Gallowbraid
PanopticonCastle/medieval:
Morke (newer)
Weald & Woe
Obsequiae
Stormkeep
Mystras
KaikkivaitiasMelodic black metal that isn't as medieval-sounding:
Hekseblad
Dodsrit
Moonlight SorceryThere are many many more, and plenty that fit into other black metal subgenres that I could go into, but I suppose this is a decent start.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
0x29A (edited )LinkBeen listening to the new Fell Omen. Been listening to Machine God, DJ Sets (This one in particular), Author & Punisher, Machine Girl's latest, Clairvoyance, Kraftwerk Also been making my faves...Been listening to the new Fell Omen. Been listening to Machine God, DJ Sets (This one in particular), Author & Punisher, Machine Girl's latest, Clairvoyance, Kraftwerk
Also been making my faves list for releases week of 06/13/2025, which are as follows:
Clean-sung, instrumental, or otherwise non-extreme music.
Beton Arme - Renaissance
Quebecois anti-fash Oi!/punk. Various influences here from metal-punk to hardcore. Catchy, stompy, pogo beats. Fun gang vocal singing, tons of anthemic songs that make you want "Ohhhhh Ohhhhh" along with them.Gerinc - Reklamacio
In a similar vein, here's some anarcho-punk from Budapest. Clean-sung but also has that gang-vocal oi/hardcore-inflenced edge to it. Jangly punk guitars, almost leaning into indie-rock territory. Fun mid-tempo rhythms and plenty of pogos to go around.
Extreme heavy music (harsh vocals)
Lord Snow - Have You Heard of the High Elves
Mathy/technical screamo/emoviolence from Illinois. While not a genre I spend a lot of time in anymore, Lord Snow executes this so enjoyably well that it transcends that for me. It's so good. You can sense the sincerity in what's going on here. Shrieky screamo vocals. Tons of tempo changes, fast angular guitars, lots of feedback and starts/stop, occasionally pained slow sections. I'm not surprised at all that their website is a Tumblr blog.Uhritoimitus - Varjo
One-man grindcore from Finland. Fast, blasting, and your typical grindcore-length tracks (don't blink!). A snare tone that would make St. Anger Lars jealous (but unlike Metallica, it works in this context just fine). Deep growls, high shrieks. Massive tempo changes from slow chuggy parts to blasts and relentless pounding. Buzzy, sharp guitars that the snare perfectly slices through every time.Скверна линия - ...и это пройдет (This Too Shall Pass)
Atmospheric black metal from Russia, that describes itself as having "neoclassical elements". Despite being atmospheric, this is full of blasts, fast tempos, aggressive vocal shrieks, and plenty of black metal edge. It's not "atmo-black" in the typical sense. The guitars/keys melodies add the neoclassical flavor. There's a constant layer of leads (synths or guitar-effected leads) on top of everything here. In more introspective and atmospheric parts they stretch out and almost drone over the metal, whereas in other sections they're quickly fluttering through plenty of notes. They've found a way to uniquely mix these elements in a way I really haven't heard before.Deathgoat - Dragged Into Realms Below
Finnish death metal with a strong Swedeath influence. HM-2 buzzsaw guitars and song/rhythm structures very common to the genre. Fast blasts, tremolos, great solos. Deep raspy death growls bring it all together.
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Comment on Guilt and video games in ~health.mental
0x29A LinkI think the desire to feel like we're always being "productive" with our time is an insidious one, sometimes a cultural expectation ingrained in at least some of us, for decades. Time enjoyed...I think the desire to feel like we're always being "productive" with our time is an insidious one, sometimes a cultural expectation ingrained in at least some of us, for decades. Time enjoyed having fun (whatever that entails) is not wasted time, IMO.
However, I think it is valid to take a step back and analyze our behavior and make sure we're making trade-offs we're okay with. If video games / enjoyment / etc is being done at the expense of something else, you have to ensure you're okay with whatever level of trade-off is or isn't happening (health, relationships, work, etc), and I don't think that line is drawn in the same place for everyone, because our lives and situations are so different.
I also think another angle of analysis on this is valid, and this is the big time one I struggle with to this day, is often the trade-off I am making is at the expense of doing something else i enjoy too, so that can cause guilt- because games/media are often a "route of least resistance" to take for free time or enjoying oneself.
I have to remind myself that I'm actively making these trade-off choices because of how I feel, etc. and to not beat myself up over it... and I think the subtle, poisonous "must be productive" indoctrination rears its head here too... I often will have watched media or played games for hours and later think to myself "I could have been reading, drawing, writing music, doing stuff for my blog, practicing guitar, etc for those hours instead" and that balance of "multiple things I want to do" and taking the "easy" route of media/games still inclines me to feel guilty or frustrated, but a lot of the time it may just be true that I don't have the mental or physical energy for some of those other things- and thinking of some of those as "more productive" or "less productive" things to be doing I think just a sign of how, at least for me personally, deeply the "productivity" culture has poisoned me
I haven't yet figured out the best way to juggle this latter "balance of things i want to do" thing. It's like sometimes my actions still differ from what I, at least in my head, want for myself to be doing- and that disconnect, while not identical, has a flavor of "addiction" to it in a way I do not like
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Comment on Is AI actually useful for anyone here? in ~tech
0x29A (edited )Link ParentI appreciate the multiple mentions of me and my posts in your comments, but I will very explicitly state here that I am not interested in any replies to my comments in particular on this, and feel...I appreciate the multiple mentions of me and my posts in your comments, but I will very explicitly state here that I am not interested in any replies to my comments in particular on this, and feel free to take my arguments as your own and repost them in your comments/replies if you wish, they are freely available to base your ideas and thought processes and discussions off of, without attribution. I would respectfully request to no longer be specifically called out by name, especially in a way that gives me a notification, but preferably not at all, in regards to this conversation/subject. This is a category/tag on Tildes that I have hidden, even, and this particular topic I somewhat begrudgingly decided to post at length on keeps coming back up and I'd rather leave it where I did 11 days ago (begrudging because I know posting my feelings at all basically is an implicit "invitation to debate/discuss" when this is a subject I'm not interested in debating, it is a hill I refuse to cede any ground on)
I'm not interested in being further involved in any "debate" about AI "art" as, I think at this point the various opinions out there have been expressed on this ad nauseum and it's clear that myself and anyone that still thinks AI visuals are "art" and that criticisms of it on the basis of human expression/input/execution are "gatekeeping", are operating from fundamentally different worldviews that will never reach agreement because our value judgements about various aspects of it and the world so permanently differ that to attempt to find common ground is pointless.
In fact, I find the pro-generative-AI crowd, especially the subset that argues in favor of using these systems for visuals in particular, to be rather nauseating to read and exhausting to interact with and operating from a set of perspectives and ideas about the world that I have zero interest in even giving the time of day. In other words, if someone already "doesn't get it", I don't suspect any amount of conversation will move the needle. They can feel free to consider my perspectives radical anti-AI extremism if it makes them more comfortable to do so (and it's not entirely wrong, I think generative AI systems, especially those generating entire creative works, should be destroyed, and that is not a figure of speech). I hope someday what is thought of as the "extreme" perspective becomes the necessary minimum.
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Comment on Which other sites do you visit? in ~tech
0x29A Link ParentYeah these days I find HN way more annoying to sort through than it used to be but mostly because of the proliferation of AI hype. The techbroism is just turned up to 11 now. I mean I shouldn't be...Yeah these days I find HN way more annoying to sort through than it used to be but mostly because of the proliferation of AI hype. The techbroism is just turned up to 11 now. I mean I shouldn't be surprised given the site's origins/ownership/etc but it feels fundamentally worse now than before. I always found it a nice way to get a very quick aggregate of tech headlines, opinions, research, and sometimes novel things being worked on but these days I just kinda get sad and close the tab. If I could simply filter AI links out the site would probably improve 10x (or be a ghost town)
This is probably all more of a personal thing specifically to me though, because as someone that has loved and been into tech all my life, the techbros and AI have really soured me on it all a lot. There's so much noise and garbage that have moved in and taken over
Lobste.rs has suffered some from this but a but less given its programming focus, so sometimes I will still skim through there.
Very interested in checking out the forum link/article tho! And +1 for dropout. I haven't subscribed yet on an ongoing basis but have watched plenty of their stuff and it's great
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Comment on Why are there so many rationalist cults? in ~life
0x29A (edited )LinkOften what I've observed at least from encountering some rationalist writers/content at a distance, is that they really don't deserve to have co-opted the term "rational"/"rationalist" because...Often what I've observed at least from encountering some rationalist writers/content at a distance, is that they really don't deserve to have co-opted the term "rational"/"rationalist" because they have polluted the term.
What I often see, rather than a focus on just rationality/reason alone, is a tendency to coldly quantify and over-analyze everything in a way that they think is removing bias, but often is at the expense of considering other facets of things, often human aspects, and really is just crafting its own narrow lens, but marketing it as "rational"
In some ways I think this has led to a lot of "making things look scientific" (not sure if there's a word for this), but basically because you have all this data, and graphs, and logic about something, it gives it an "air" of scientific rigor, regardless of if that's true or whether X, Y, or Z should even be looked at only from that angle.
It reminds me of people so deeply ingrained in a particular way of thinking (engineering or otherwise) that they start applying that model to everything, even mundane or social things in their own life where even social situations are just another technical problem to be solved
It is no surprise that some of the worst figures of the tech world / Silicon Valley have embraced the movement- it lends itself to technocratic ideas. Even rationalists' focus on AI safety seems mostly to be from the "existential" / "sci-fi AI takeover" angle that actually pushes the industry's own rhetoric about how "intelligent" the systems actually are, rather than any of its immediate, already-felt harms. It's all about the potential of a singularity / super-intelligence, rather than the social impacts already happening.
Edit / addition: David Gerard wrote about this AI doomerism and rationalism's origins and connections to it recently and it's also worth reviewing his part about the rationalists' massive racism problems and defense of discredited racist "science"
I feel similarly about Tobasco and Sriracha.
I have basically a small bookshelf full of hot sauces and enjoy many of them, but in particular the ones I use most often:
Cholula is my favorite "basic" one, though I don't use it often anymore.
For nearly everything, Tabanero's Curry Habanero
For pizza specifically, Chabe Sambal
I also really enjoy Secret Aardvark's Serrabanero for a greener sauce
I could easily toss all my other sauces and survive on these alone.