Areldyb's recent activity
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Comment on What's your favorite action scene? in ~talk
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Areldyb Link ParentEnd to end, it took a month! This was two weeks of primary fermentation, then rack and clear for another two weeks. I've made some meads as well, and they consistently take longer than grape...End to end, it took a month! This was two weeks of primary fermentation, then rack and clear for another two weeks. I've made some meads as well, and they consistently take longer than grape wines. I've got a pyment (honey + grape juice) going right now in my other carboy, and I don't plan on bottling it for months.
Taste-wise, it's fine but not remarkable. I'm sure a few months in a bottle will do it some favors. It's certainly better than the last cab I made, when I didn't have a good way to take a gravity reading and just ended up with watery trash.
Good luck with the mead! My wife and I prefer sweeter meads, but I always struggle to get the sweetness level right. It's too easy to end up with a gallon of sour cardboard.
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Areldyb LinkI made wine! And it's got a fun Tildes label and everything! I've made some one-gallon kit wines before, and have tried winging it a few times as well (with mixed results). This time, I decided to...I made wine! And it's got a fun Tildes label and everything!
I've made some one-gallon kit wines before, and have tried winging it a few times as well (with mixed results). This time, I decided to use all my own ingredients but follow the standard steps from the kits, hopefully bringing some consistency to my process along the way. This cabernet was made from juice concentrate, using DV10 yeast and some granulated oak I had left over from a previous kit.
I ended up with a bit less than I hoped for: enough to fill three bottles and have plenty left over for "taste tests", but not enough to actually fill a fourth bottle. Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I'll enjoy this a few times over the next year or so!
Big thanks to @kfwyre for running Timasomo this and every year. Cheers! 🍷
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Final Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Areldyb LinkI want to let the wine clear for a few more days before bottling, which will take me just into November but I insist that bottling counts as "finishing touches" so it's fine. I'm not sure how it's...I want to let the wine clear for a few more days before bottling, which will take me just into November but I insist that bottling counts as "finishing touches" so it's fine.
I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. I had a taste the other day when I started clearing... and was reminded of the importance of letting it sit in a bottle for a while. Whew!
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Week 2 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Areldyb LinkNot much to report right now, but I'll be racking and clearing tomorrow!Not much to report right now, but I'll be racking and clearing tomorrow!
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Week 1 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Areldyb LinkGeez, @Weldawadyathink is making me feel real self-conscious about my amateur winemaking efforts ;) Although: I thought I was making wine this month, but apparently I'm making steak? I can't tell...Geez, @Weldawadyathink is making me feel real self-conscious about my amateur winemaking efforts ;)
Although: I thought I was making wine this month, but apparently I'm making steak? I can't tell whether this was a joke from whoever packaged my juice concentrate or what, but I found it really funny. It arrived a bit earlier than expected, so I got to start primary fermentation on Sunday.
The quart of Cabernet concentrate measured in at 66 degrees Brix on my refractometer. After diluting it up to a gallon, it read 20.2 degrees Brix, which is a little less than I'd wanted but a lot more than I'd expect from a 1:3 dilution? No idea how the math works out there.
A bit of bentonite, some toasted granulated oak, and a sprinkle of DV10 yeast, and the airlock is happily bubbling away!
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
Areldyb Link ParentHeck yeah! I bought some Cabernet Sauvignon concentrate. I've got some oak chips left over from a previous kit that I think will work well with it. Did I see that you're working from fresh grapes?...Heck yeah!
I bought some Cabernet Sauvignon concentrate. I've got some oak chips left over from a previous kit that I think will work well with it.
Did I see that you're working from fresh grapes? I'm interested to see how that goes! I've got a pyment going right now that I made with (grocery store) grapes, but I didn't get much juice from them and I definitely used too much honey, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be candy-flavored rocket fuel by the time it's finished. 😅
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Comment on Timasomo 2026: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
Areldyb LinkI'm making wine! (and also maybe making some token progress on the radio kit I never finished last year, bleh) I've been getting into small-batch winemaking lately. I've made some kit wines that...I'm making wine! (and also maybe making some token progress on the radio kit I never finished last year, bleh)
I've been getting into small-batch winemaking lately. I've made some kit wines that turned out okay, and I've also tried wildly winging it with a few other batches (with expectedly inconsistent results; some were great, others were undrinkable trash). This time I'd like to follow the set process of the kit wines, but using all of my own ingredients, and see if I can bring some consistency into my process.
The juice I ordered won't show up until the 5th, so fitting it into October will be a tight squeeze, but I think it can work as long as bottling counts as "finishing touches".
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Comment on Announcing the eighth annual Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo)! in ~tildes
Areldyb LinkOh man... I never even finished that radio build from last year, so it's gone back to collecting dust on my office shelf. It ended up being really demoralizing. I could try to finish it this year,...Oh man... I never even finished that radio build from last year, so it's gone back to collecting dust on my office shelf. It ended up being really demoralizing. I could try to finish it this year, but finding time is going to be tough.
I've been getting into winemaking lately though, and that doesn't require a lot of active time. Maybe I can make a batch for Timasomo, and then also maybe-hopefully at least make some progress on the stupid radio kit.
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Comment on What's the best Pikmin game? in ~games
Areldyb (edited )LinkI haven't played all of them so it's hard to say what's best, but I had great fun with Pikmin 4. Edit: I went looking for listicles and found no consensus beyond "it's Pikmin, you can't really go...I haven't played all of them so it's hard to say what's best, but I had great fun with Pikmin 4.
Edit: I went looking for listicles and found no consensus beyond "it's Pikmin, you can't really go wrong".
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Comment on Tim Curry, outlandish star of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ dies at 80 in ~movies
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Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games
Areldyb LinkI haven't played this game in twenty years! I've had to miss a lot of the CGAs so far but I'm hoping I can make time for this one. I'll be playing the vanilla version on emulated SNES. Thanks for...I haven't played this game in twenty years! I've had to miss a lot of the CGAs so far but I'm hoping I can make time for this one. I'll be playing the vanilla version on emulated SNES.
Thanks for linking (ha) the game manual too. It's an essential part of these games!
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~society
Areldyb LinkWild guess because he's deliberately unnamed, but I think we're talking about Ryan Hall, YouTube weatherman. He's more sensationalist than I'd like and he's definitely gotten "noisier" in his...- Exemplary
The guy up in Kentucky coal country who put this thing together is building an empire. He started as just another local news greenscreener. Dropped out and went twitch weather stream. Hyping up tornado days and dicy snow forecasts. Nowcasting, hyper individualized, interacting with chat. Now he's automated it all. On big days when he's getting real views, the bot breaks into his live streams, gives him a break.
Wild guess because he's deliberately unnamed, but I think we're talking about Ryan Hall, YouTube weatherman. He's more sensationalist than I'd like and he's definitely gotten "noisier" in his coverage over time, but he's pretty good about highlighting the bigger weather patterns that drive the local forecast so I'm still subscribed.
If I'm right, then most of the blog post is really about his secondary 24-hour livestream channel, YallBot, which I ignore because I do not need a 24-hour blatherfeed, least of all for the weather.
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Comment on Solar with grid connectivity, but no networking? in ~life.home_improvement
Areldyb LinkFor clarity: are you looking for a setup that does not in any way access the internet, or just one that will continue to work just fine (minus some convenience extras) if your internet connection...For clarity: are you looking for a setup that does not in any way access the internet, or just one that will continue to work just fine (minus some convenience extras) if your internet connection dies? If you mean the second but installers are hearing the first, that might explain some of the reactions you're getting if all the gear they sell is network-connected in some way.
In the second case: are there solar/battery products that are known to actually fail to work if they can't call home? I haven't heard of any, but I haven't done any research either.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
Areldyb Link‘Please avoid chugging your ranch’: TSA forced to issue warning as foreign World Cup fans fall in love with American condimentMany European tourists have been documenting their first-ever trip to the U.S. this month to support their home nations in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the process, international soccer fans have discovered their love of ranch dressing, a popular condiment in America.
With that in mind, the TSA has reinforced its limits for how much liquid can be stored in carry-on baggage as it predicts an uptick in people trying to take bottles of ranch dressing home with them.
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Comment on Iran war live: US, Tehran confirm ‘peace deal’ reached in ~society
Areldyb (edited )LinkTalks between the US and Iran are called off because of fighting in Lebanon, officials say Running with a peace deal that depends on the actions of other parties who aren't even part of the deal...- Exemplary
Talks between the US and Iran are called off because of fighting in Lebanon, officials say
Talks between the U.S. and Iran were called off on Friday after intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, three officials said, raising questions about a nascent agreement to end the war in Iran.
Iranian officials didn’t travel as planned to Switzerland, insisting that the fighting in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing mediation to try to get the talks rescheduled. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also canceled his trip.
Running with a peace deal that depends on the actions of other parties who aren't even part of the deal is... certainly a choice.
Anything to stop this war, but
the Israelis haveNetanyahu has no intention of stopping this war.Edit: the people aren't the government
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Comment on What is your eleventh favorite video game? in ~games
Areldyb Link ParentThe Witness is fascinating. I've finished it twice. Once felt like an ending, the other really felt like an ending, and I'm still not confident I reached the end of it.The Witness is fascinating. I've finished it twice. Once felt like an ending, the other really felt like an ending, and I'm still not confident I reached the end of it.
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Comment on What is your eleventh favorite video game? in ~games
Areldyb LinkMy Steam hours are a pretty poor gauge of how much I really liked a game, and most of my gaming is on other platforms anyway, so I can't do the easy thing. I considered taking the task seriously,...My Steam hours are a pretty poor gauge of how much I really liked a game, and most of my gaming is on other platforms anyway, so I can't do the easy thing. I considered taking the task seriously, going through games on every platform I could think of, selecting the ones where my reaction is an immediate "ooh, I like that game" and then painstakingly sorting them... But I didn't do that for the survey, that was an in-the-moment call, so I decided I'd do the same here.
And then I landed on The Secret of Monkey Island, which is a classic that everybody knows (I wish I'd found the time for it when it was featured in CGA!) so I want to talk about something else.
I want to talk about DATA WING.
DATA WING is a 2D arcade racer for Android and iOS; the device you're probably reading this on will run it just fine. You play as the (well, a) titular DATA WING: a tiny digital construct delivering inter-process communications in a computer system. The story is the real reason to play, so I won't spoil more.
It's an hour or two of play time delivered in b(i|y)te-size racing levels with a killer vaporwave aesthetic. Its creator, Dan Vogt, was very intentional about its design; the learn-by-doing curve in the first few levels is just about perfect.
And it's free, and really free, with no ads or gotchas. You can play it now, for nothing, and you should.
There are so many good games out there, you guys.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #9: How optimistic are you about the future? (Results) in ~talk
Areldyb LinkI'm having an even harder time with this one than the video game question. 😅 "The future" is pretty big. The future of what? The world? My country? Myself and my family? Over what timeframe? I...I'm having an even harder time with this one than the video game question. 😅
"The future" is pretty big. The future of what? The world? My country? Myself and my family? Over what timeframe? I have such different answers based on these criteria that I might be better off abstaining.
We are doomed, and things are going to be great. I don't know what that translates to but it isn't "neutral".
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~comp
Areldyb LinkHey, I remember the LC-3! Good times. And an embarrassing number of hours in the computer lab.Hey, I remember the LC-3! Good times. And an embarrassing number of hours in the computer lab.
I'll offer a complaint: most of ME2 follows the typical-if-unrealistic RPG rule of "here are a lot of quest hooks to chase down, but it doesn't matter when you do them". The final mission is the first and only time the game breaks that rule. Once the final mission is available, postponing it to pursue other sidequests carries consequences that are not telegraphed (well, they are, but in a way that's indistinguishable from every other fake urgent thing).
Watching my crew get liquified because I was playing the game in the way the game had worked up to that point felt cheap rather than deserved.