Akir's recent activity
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
Akir LinkThis week my digital electronics class has gone up to learning about the higher level stuff, which has brought us to learning about assembly code. The class is rediculous for reasons I am not...This week my digital electronics class has gone up to learning about the higher level stuff, which has brought us to learning about assembly code. The class is rediculous for reasons I am not going to go over for the time being, but it’s got me interested in trying to learn an assembly language. I thought it might be interesting to try to learn assembly on a retro computer or console because that seems to be the most simple way, and I wanted to ask if anyone had any resources they would recommend. I’m already aware about the 8bitworkshop IDE and books but figured I’d ask in case there are better places to look or alternative paths anyone would suggest.
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Comment on I force my shell prompt to the bottom of the screen in ~comp
Akir LinkReturn to teletype indeed. The first thing I thought about when I read this was that it reminded me of the interface to trebuchet and other chat type programs. I actually did at one time access a...Return to teletype indeed. The first thing I thought about when I read this was that it reminded me of the interface to trebuchet and other chat type programs. I actually did at one time access a computer regularly with such an application due to the lack of terminal programs on public computers at the time.
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Comment on Backing up Spotify in ~music
Akir Link ParentWell, with the discontinuation of the penny here in the US, I have to round to the nearest nickle, and that means that artists have to get zero. It's just simple practical business sense. In all...Well, with the discontinuation of the penny here in the US, I have to round to the nearest nickle, and that means that artists have to get zero. It's just simple practical business sense.
In all seriousness, though, If artists are barely getting paid for my streams, why should I care if that doesn't get to them at all? If there's an artist I really care about, I'd actually buy their music so that they get a more reasonable cut, or if possible (it often isn't), I'd go to a concert and buy merch.
Beyond that, why does it make a difference if Anna's Archive has this when chances are that all of this music is available elsewhere already - possibly in higher quality, even? If anything, it's a good thing that this music is archived.
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Comment on Exposing the YouTube sponsor "Honey" Part 2: Stealing private coupon codes, extreme data harvesting, and more in ~tech
Akir Link ParentThey wouldn’t be the first people to do that And get away with it. Even in California. The first thing I thought of when I heard this is “this is exactly what yelp does”.They wouldn’t be the first people to do that And get away with it. Even in California. The first thing I thought of when I heard this is “this is exactly what yelp does”.
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Comment on What do you leave out for Father Christmas? in ~talk
Akir LinkFunny enough, I found out that my husband left a protein shake out. I guess Santa’s gonna be jacked.Funny enough, I found out that my husband left a protein shake out. I guess Santa’s gonna be jacked.
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Comment on The Odyssey | Official trailer in ~movies
Akir Link ParentReally? Damn, that movie seemed like it was four hours long for me. It was practically the definition of “things happened”; I don’t remember any of the characters and barely remember anything that...Really? Damn, that movie seemed like it was four hours long for me. It was practically the definition of “things happened”; I don’t remember any of the characters and barely remember anything that happened.
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Comment on The iPhone 16e is good, actually in ~tech
Akir Link ParentI’m an American and I don’t get why so many people get the carrier phones either. They give you a deliberately gimped phone - it’s better with iPhone because they don’t really allow much if any...I’m an American and I don’t get why so many people get the carrier phones either. They give you a deliberately gimped phone - it’s better with iPhone because they don’t really allow much if any bloat and adware to be installed on the phone but even then it’s still locked to the carrier so you can’t switch. They often put a lock that prevent you from using features like mobile hotspot, a feature that has been standard on smartphones practically since inception. Sometimes they give you the phone for “free”, but when I last looked that up it forced you on the most expensive plan which costs about the same as I pay for cell service for the entire year. But hey, those plans give you “free” Netflix and Hulu. Except they are actually the lowest quality versions that you have to subject yourself to advertising in order to watch.
Granted, I do know that the issue with carrier meddling in firmware has gotten better over time. And I know the value is better if you are paying for a whole family - 4 iPhones for $280 a month doesn’t sound that bad, really - but the only reason why single people are getting it must be that they don’t realize what bad value you are getting, I think.
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Comment on Food: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~food
Akir LinkSo weirdly the most incredible dish I have ate this year was a noodle salad hidden away at the Aunt Cass Cafe in Disney California Adventure. And I mean hidden. I went into the cafe looking for it...So weirdly the most incredible dish I have ate this year was a noodle salad hidden away at the Aunt Cass Cafe in Disney California Adventure. And I mean hidden. I went into the cafe looking for it and I didn’t see it on the menu. I only found it on the app.
It was kind of like a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl with the bunches of different vegetables, but it was with Japanese soba noodles, had a really delicious sesame ginger sauce, and had a generous helping of marinated tofu.
At the beginning of the month I went on a cruise to get what should have been the best food of the year but instead the main dining room gave me “crispy tofu tacos”, which were neither tacos nor crispy tofu. It was a tiny bit of cold fried tofu put in a fried tortilla bowl, next to another fried tortilla bowl filled with tortilla chips, served with the smallest imaginable serving of peanut satay sauce. Did I mention this was Mexican night? When the server asked me what was wrong with my food I literally didn’t know where to begin. On the plus side I tried Sambucca for the first time and it’s a new favorite.
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Comment on Leave the phone, take a camera in ~tech
Akir LinkI used to agree with this kind of thought, but now I’m pretty much the exact opposite. The primary reason is that a few years ago I made the decision to do more to live in the moment. Get off the...I used to agree with this kind of thought, but now I’m pretty much the exact opposite.
The primary reason is that a few years ago I made the decision to do more to live in the moment. Get off the phone more, go to places, and do things without needing to photograph everything. Which is not to say that I don’t take photos, just that I’m not letting it get in the way of things or interrupt experiences. I found that it really helps me enjoy the moment dramatically more than if I’m focused on taking pictures, and it actually helps me remember the thing more at least up to the medium term.
The reason why I am posting this now is that I haven’t really been looking back at the pictures I took, but since I have an iPhone, apples photo app automatically makes albums it calls “memories” that I was looking through during some downtime at a theme park yesterday. And it had me going, “woah, have I always been this good of a photographer?!”
When it comes to making pleasing photographs there are two factors that come into play: framing and lighting. There was a third one, post-processing, but automatic settings are pretty spot-on these days unless you are actively looking for a specific aesthetic. And looking through the actual film roll of the memories I found out that I was subconsciously doing a simple old trick that photographers always knew: take a lot of pictures and select the best ones to show. It’s just that Apple’s AI did the selection part for me.
But Apple actually has two other pieces of “magic” dedicated cameras don’t have. Number one is Live Photos. It’s basically a super short video of the moment before the photo. It’s not much but it does a lot to bring out the context of the memory. The second is the simple act of swiping through photos. If you are taking series shots, there’s something strangely magical about cycling through them and seeing something almost-but-not-quite like a movie. It encourages you to “fill in the gaps” so you feel what was happening at the time. I have a beautiful series of me kissing my husband who is not a big fan of public affection and having him turn around and kiss me back, and I love it. I suppose you could do something like that with a flipbook, but who actually does that with photos? A flipbook is something that you have to actively make as well, compared to something you can be surreptitiously surprised by.
Yes, I am sometimes jealous of super high quality shots from “real” cameras, especially because I don’t own an iPhone Pro and can’t get long shots, but at the end of the day the rather ephemeral and subjective benefits of shooting with a camera actually overwhelmingly outweigh dedicated cameras for me.
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Comment on As a reindeer herder, I am watching Norwegian renewable energy projects threaten our land, livelihoods and an Indigenous way of life the state once tried to erase in ~enviro
Akir Link ParentWind is the single most aesthetically pleasing power generation format other than maybe a well maintained waterwheel. Gas and coal power plants on the other hand look like HR Geiger did industrial...Wind is the single most aesthetically pleasing power generation format other than maybe a well maintained waterwheel. Gas and coal power plants on the other hand look like HR Geiger did industrial design.
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Comment on Anyone else using the Zed editor? in ~comp
Akir LinkI currently have it installed but have yet to use it for anything substantial. The nice thing about it is that it’s very snappy, so it’s been my “fix the one file real quick” editor of choice.I currently have it installed but have yet to use it for anything substantial. The nice thing about it is that it’s very snappy, so it’s been my “fix the one file real quick” editor of choice.
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Comment on Five browser extensions to make every website more useful in ~tech
Akir Link ParentWith everything we do in the browser, it’s also important to remember that every extension you install is a security vulnerability. Most have access to all of the pages you access.With everything we do in the browser, it’s also important to remember that every extension you install is a security vulnerability. Most have access to all of the pages you access.
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Comment on Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live after tonight’s episode in ~tv
Akir Link ParentAgreed. It’s not bad to have that kind of character from time to time, it was just too often in the show.Agreed. It’s not bad to have that kind of character from time to time, it was just too often in the show.
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Comment on Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live after tonight’s episode in ~tv
Akir Link ParentI missed that when it came out! Dang, I forgot I wanted to see it but my husband was put off by the humor of it. Let me know if it’s worth hunting down.I missed that when it came out! Dang, I forgot I wanted to see it but my husband was put off by the humor of it. Let me know if it’s worth hunting down.
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Comment on Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live after tonight’s episode in ~tv
Akir Link ParentFire Island has him in a major dramatic role. But I think it was also trying to be funny? Bottom line is that it wasn’t a good movie.Fire Island has him in a major dramatic role. But I think it was also trying to be funny? Bottom line is that it wasn’t a good movie.
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Comment on Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live after tonight’s episode in ~tv
Akir Link ParentI really liked him but at the same time I found it really annoying that the joke seemed to be “here’s a flamboyantly gay character” at least half of the time. But it’s also been at least a year...I really liked him but at the same time I found it really annoying that the joke seemed to be “here’s a flamboyantly gay character” at least half of the time. But it’s also been at least a year since I last watched the show, so maybe I’m not remembering correctly.
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Comment on Your grocery store is a bewildering sea of overly processed food. Here’s why and what to do. in ~health
Akir Link ParentIt sounds like you are thinking about this in terms of a market, so allow me to create a market parallel: the obesity crisis is the same as the climate change environmental crisis. Both of them...It sounds like you are thinking about this in terms of a market, so allow me to create a market parallel: the obesity crisis is the same as the climate change environmental crisis. Both of them are effects that are directly caused by runaway markets that the government refuses to take dramatic enough intervention to stop. The lack of strong US guidelines on healthy eating allows for corporations to spin things the way that they want to - consider Veggie Straws pretending to be healthy equivalent to BP telling people to start thinking about their own carbon footprint so that they don't question how much damage they're causing to the environment.
Convenience is important but the problem goes far beyond convenience and into addiction. You know what's a really convenient meal that doesn't require any cooking? Pick any raw vegetables you want and have it with a can of beans. Alternatively, if you want something hot, you can often find frozen vegetables in stores sold in microwavable steaming bags that you can zap, optionally add the sauce of your choice (if you haven't bought a pre-seasoned option), and have an instant meal. You can also cook a potato in the microwave really easily.
The problem with these meals, though, is that most people don't consider them to be real options. None of these meals are as rich as the least calorific option in any fast food restaurant. Heck, there's going to be a lot of people who reject these ideas simply because none of them have any meat in them. The point is that people have been sucked into a status quo of rich, highly palatable, calorie dense convenience foods which have direct ties to creating metabolic disorders. If we want to reduce or eliminate said metabolic disorders, we need to intervene to make it harder to get stuck in the cycle where people become dependent on these kinds of food.
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Comment on Your grocery store is a bewildering sea of overly processed food. Here’s why and what to do. in ~health
Akir Link ParentOne of my go-to daydreams is to open up an automat focusing on healthy inexpensive food.One of my go-to daydreams is to open up an automat focusing on healthy inexpensive food.
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Comment on Your grocery store is a bewildering sea of overly processed food. Here’s why and what to do. in ~health
Akir Link ParentWhat ones have you found? Those kinds are fairly rare in my experience, and the ones that I find tend to had a lot of added salt and fats. The few ones I found that met my standards were...What ones have you found? Those kinds are fairly rare in my experience, and the ones that I find tend to had a lot of added salt and fats. The few ones I found that met my standards were ludicrously overpriced, as much as $8 per (relatively small) bowl.
I played through Shenzhen I/O not too long ago, actually. Even bought the physical manual for it!