Askme_about_penguins's recent activity
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Comment on How would one go about removing Google from one's life? in ~tech
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Comment on Why did you choose this username for your Tildes account? in ~talk
Askme_about_penguins LinkThought this was going to be more like Reddit.Thought this was going to be more like Reddit.
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Comment on World’s oldest known wild bird is a mother again on Midway Atoll in ~science
Askme_about_penguins LinkSYACThe Laysan albatross supermom is at least 68 years old, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials, and has given birth to and raised at least 31 chicks in her lifetime.
Wisdom was first banded as an adult in 1956 by biologist Chandler Robbins, who was studying the colony at Midway.
SYAC
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Comment on VLC on iOS - Late to the party on this but I have to GUSH! in ~tech
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentAndroid is worse for privacy, unless you flash LineageOS. Just as an FYI.Android is worse for privacy, unless you flash LineageOS. Just as an FYI.
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Comment on Self-driving cars: Navigating the hype in ~tech
Askme_about_penguins LinkThis 9 min video discusses how we're not as close to the autonomous driving utopia as headlines make us think. It brings up several points, such as: The inability of self-driving cars to cope with...This 9 min video discusses how we're not as close to the autonomous driving utopia as headlines make us think.
It brings up several points, such as:
- The inability of self-driving cars to cope with more difficult weather conditions.
- People taking advantage of the non-aggressive behavior or the cars.
- Self-driving cars' inability to replicate and read body language.
- Their unfitness for dealing with unexpected situations.
- The unpracticality of reading or being productive in the car due to motion sickness and need to conform to safe postures.
- Social opposition.
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Self-driving cars: Navigating the hype
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Comment on Reddit is raising another $150 million to $300 million in venture capital in ~tech
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentMy opinion isn't of much worth in here. Since I don't use any of the popular social media sites other than Reddit and Youtube. So my expectations and what I'm used to is very different from the...My opinion isn't of much worth in here. Since I don't use any of the popular social media sites other than Reddit and Youtube. So my expectations and what I'm used to is very different from the average young person.
More importantly, I don't even know what I like in a webpage. I know I hate sticky headers and elements, autoplaying videos and ads, gallery articles that you have to click through... But I don't know what I do like.
Ironically, I often use uBlock element picker to nuke elements I don't like so that the page ends up being just the article I'm interested in reading, no ads, recommended reads, related articles, no media sharing buttons... I block Reddit's “try the redesign” burron, and the “join the secret santa” buttons...
That all points to me liking minimalists pages. But I still find Tildes boring. Maybe because it lacks color, it's mostly dull and grey. But so are books, and I still like to read them, so I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.
If I could, I'd replace the white background with something slightly more lively. Just slightly (or maybe a lot, depending on my mood). But others could easily consider it tacky.
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Comment on Reddit is raising another $150 million to $300 million in venture capital in ~tech
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentWell, I was being nice. I've always thought they looked awful. But I didn't live in the 80s or the 60s, so it's impossible to know whether I'm biased or not, so I erred on the side of caution. I...I have never understood this. How can something look great today, but look ugly tomorrow if it's the same look? Either it always looks good or it never looked good.
Well, I was being nice. I've always thought they looked awful. But I didn't live in the 80s or the 60s, so it's impossible to know whether I'm biased or not, so I erred on the side of caution.
Remember: everything you're wearing and using today, which you think looks good, will be judged as bad in 30-50 years time.
I mostly stick to the classics. Things that have always been considered okay, or things that jump in and out of fashion.
Who's right - you, for thinking it's good, or your grandchildren, for thinking it's bad?
It's a subjective thing, not a factual one. We both disagree and still be right.
A content aggregator website like Reddit or HackerNews or Tildes doesn't need to have multi-coloured flashing lights, with bells and whistles on every page. It needs to be simple and uncluttered, and let the content (links and comments) shine.
That's very much a subjective matter. Just like some people think we need downvotes and some think we don't.
Going back to the initial point, however. Fashion, technology, society... they all change with time. Ten thousand years ago in the tropical areas it was probably okay for people to go around naked. But we have since developed certain beliefs, technologies, and scientific knowledge that all point to it not being the optimal choice.
Very often, what is top of the line now will be garbage tomorrow. Because, compared to the things developed in the future, with better technology and material, what we have now is not as good. We don't know it now, because we don't have the future products to compare it to. I think it's pretty understandable.
Also, yes, for teens and people that only care about following fashion for fashion's sake, modern is better than old, regardless of technology and science. Just this past summer I saw lots of people wearing fanny packs (traditionally believed to be the opposite of fashion), only across their chest, which apparently made it cool. A huge SUPREME logo helps, too.
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Comment on What's the userbase of Tildes like? (+ some misc. Tildes questions) in ~tildes
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentI see, thanks.I see, thanks.
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Comment on What's the userbase of Tildes like? (+ some misc. Tildes questions) in ~tildes
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentHuh? I just shitpost as much as I can so anyone that tries to find anything worthy has to go through years of absolutely irrelevant and uninteresting content. It helps that beyond 1000 comments,...post nonsense at first to defeat the lazy web scrapers
Huh?
and edit/delete my post history on a regular basis.
I just shitpost as much as I can so anyone that tries to find anything worthy has to go through years of absolutely irrelevant and uninteresting content. It helps that beyond 1000 comments, it can't be found from the user's page. I also avoid talking about anything personal.
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Comment on Reddit is raising another $150 million to $300 million in venture capital in ~tech
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentDo we know this for a fact? Is there any study, article or Reddit blogpost about it? I've always thought that, no matter how popular adblockers are, the vast majority of people still don't use...Do you even have a path to monetization that doesn't clash with the fact that the majority of your userbase uses adblockers?
Do we know this for a fact? Is there any study, article or Reddit blogpost about it?
I've always thought that, no matter how popular adblockers are, the vast majority of people still don't use them.
Plus, I also think that most users at this point are mobile users. A huge chunk of which are on iPhone, which doesn't have any system-wide adblocker. And I wonder how many of them have paid for the ad-free version of the app they use (assuming they're using a 3d party Reddit app, which the majority of them more likely than not aren't, due to Reddit's heavy pushing of their own flawed app). There's also Android, which can have system-wide ad-blocking through various means, but they often involve a bit of a technology-inclined personality, which, while still abundant, is by no means dominant. This is all speculation on my part, though. But I haven't been able to find much data on it the times I've tried to find it.
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Comment on Reddit is raising another $150 million to $300 million in venture capital in ~tech
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentSince when do companies or governments care about being honest? You should really not expect them to, that way you won't be as disappointed.When you tell me this, do you believe your own lies?
Since when do companies or governments care about being honest? You should really not expect them to, that way you won't be as disappointed.
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Comment on Reddit is raising another $150 million to $300 million in venture capital in ~tech
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentWhat's so bad about bell-bottom jeans and shoulder pads? Well, they're outdated. They looked great in the 60s and 80s, respectively; but now they look really ugly. Most young people (who are what...What's so bad about sites with boring pages
What's so bad about bell-bottom jeans and shoulder pads? Well, they're outdated. They looked great in the 60s and 80s, respectively; but now they look really ugly.
Most young people (who are what these sites appeal to) are used to flashy, colorful sites. Reddit is like being back in the 90s or early 2000s. I am young and I really took a while to get used to Reddit's interface and how outdated it looked. In hindsight, it was a good thing; because it filtered out people and invited a more serious audience (relatively speaking). Now with the redesign that's all gone.
Why annoy users with regular prompts about their app?
I absolutely despise it. But throughout the years I have learned that what I despise, most normal people are indifferent towards or sometimes even like it.
The bottom line is money, if they keep doing it (like so many websites out there), it's because it must be working, not on you or me, but on a significant amount of people; which is all they care about at the end of the day.
Does a site like reddit needs to host videos/images, which is expensive even for them?
That way they lower the bar enough for the most illiterate of the technological illiterate to participate and post BS. Thus more users, and more content, and more money.
This focus on constant growth and user retention will end up killing reddit (or any other site/service that follows the same path).
Part of me truly hopes so.
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Comment on Not having downvotes is a godsend in ~tildes
Askme_about_penguins LinkI despise that type. Exactly.It's clear that the person arguing with me is the one making the downvotes
I despise that type.
Tildes lack of downvotes is liberating.
lack of an easy "fuck you button"
I'm more preoccupied with what I wanna say than with the 300 implicit rules I must follow to avoid being buried for offending the intricate biases of every sub.
Exactly.
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Comment on Not having downvotes is a godsend in ~tildes
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentWell, we are humans. Humans are social creatures. I am as antisocial as they come and don't struggle all that much to fit in. But even if I won't bend myself backwards to be liked, I still don't...Well, we are humans. Humans are social creatures. I am as antisocial as they come and don't struggle all that much to fit in. But even if I won't bend myself backwards to be liked, I still don't want to be disliked. And downvotes are basically that, the community telling you you did something wrong. And, as a human, I think it's perfectly natural for me to perceive it emotionally as bad thing.
I know pretty well how the hivemind works, and that there's no fighting it. But it still bothers me deeply sometimes. Often it's not even the hivemind, but the flat-out uncivical rudeness of a single individual in a 1-to-1 discussion downvoting you.
It's perfectly okay for people not to personally care about downvotes. But when they're telling others that caring about it makes no sense, they're not seeing the whole picture.
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Comment on Which films would you consider essential to have watched to be a well-rounded person? in ~movies
Askme_about_penguins LinkYou will always feel like this. I felt like this before I started getting into film. And I feel like this now after having watched ~2000 films. Specially, because quite often, for the good films,...There are so many influential and important films that I haven't watched.
You will always feel like this. I felt like this before I started getting into film. And I feel like this now after having watched ~2000 films.
Specially, because quite often, for the good films, 1 viewing isn't enough. And you have to watch them several times at least. And not having watched them enough times might lead you to feel ignorant.
It can be a classic, or something less known.
Everyone's got a different definition of classic. There are classics that are undisputable, yes; but outside of that bubble there are many who are a classic or not depending on who you ask.
With that said, since I've got the impression you've made the request specifically somewhat ambiguous, I'm going to recommend The Isle (2000) by director Ki-duk Kim.
Why? Well, it's a very unique film, as far as I'm aware. It doesn't have a lot of dialogue, and it's not American or European, or even modern, for that matter (it is Korean, but it is nothing like the other Korean films I've watched from the last 2 decades). I think that watching things that are different helps you better understand what is good and what is bad (or rather, what you think is good and what you think is bad) about film, while also opening your world up to films that are a bit different. It makes you notice things that you didn't notice before while watching mostly American films. As a bit of an aside, I also recommend you watch as many foreign films as you can, doesn't matter where from.
The film is a bit violent (or a lot, depending on who you ask). I don't really know you. I don't know how sensitive or insensitive you are. So, viewer discretion is advised. To be honest, I didn't find it all that bad, but I probably have a higher tolerance for these type of things. Though, let's be realistic, lots of film reviewers are a bit stuck up and don't think the ugly aspects of life are okay to be portrayed in the big screen. So, I don't know, you choose.
The message I got from the movie was one of love, and it's one of the most beautiful movies I have seen, and one of my favorite films ever. But many people didn't even stay for the whole movie and certainly don't agree with me.
But, even if you're the kind of person who would hate this movie, I'd still urge you to give it a try. Try to expand your horizons, to watch without necessarily judge. Maybe you'll enjoy it. The film is not considered bad, by the online consensus, though. It's actually considered pretty good. It's just not necessarily the easy watching type.
I could probably recommend a few more. But I feel like you're already not going to watch all the hundreds of films that people are going to recommend to you here. So me giving you a list of films isn't going to help much. So I just put all my eggs in one basket and picked this one (also because, unlike Kubrick's films, I don't think anyone else is going to recommend it).
So, anyway, if you do end up watching it; feel free to get back at me with your thoughts on it.
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Comment on Finally, a personality quiz backed by science in ~science
Askme_about_penguins (edited )Link ParentIt also lacks nuance. I've done many of these tests and this question is always present: Do you prefer to spend your time at the library or in a party? I cannot give an accurate answer to that....It also lacks nuance. I've done many of these tests and this question is always present:
Do you prefer to spend your time at the library or in a party?
I cannot give an accurate answer to that. Because it depends. Libraries can be empty and quiet or full and very stressing. Parties can be really crazy or rather dull or even amiable. And depending on which type of library and which type of party we're referring to, I'll choose one or the other. But making a blanket statement saying I prefer either one over the other is a hell of a blanket statement.
Same with preferring to do things alone or with friends. It always depends. Some things are better done alone, others are more enjoyable with friends.
And there are many more other questions/statements like these. And it also varies depending on my mood or whatever I'm going through at the time of taking the test.
Also, many questions require experience. There are questions about sexual preferences, romantic relationships, intimacy, travelling, job interactions... Hard to answer this without having travelled to a couple of places, held a few jobs or a few romantic relationships.
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Comment on What are your thoughts on Reddit's r/movies subreddit ? in ~misc
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentI enjoyed r/askreddit a lot for my first 1-2 years on Reddit. After that time, though, I can pretty much predict what meme or pun every question and top comment are going to be replied with. I...I enjoyed r/askreddit a lot for my first 1-2 years on Reddit. After that time, though, I can pretty much predict what meme or pun every question and top comment are going to be replied with. I learned a lot through r/askreddit, mind you. But checking the sub out now is like meeting your high school friends 10 years later and finding out they haven't really grown one bit.
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Comment on Realistic-looking people? in ~movies
Askme_about_penguins Link ParentNot South Korean films, though. Everyone there is straight up gorgeous.Not South Korean films, though. Everyone there is straight up gorgeous.
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What are your thoughts on Reddit's r/movies subreddit ?
Personally, I strongly dislike it. Every aspect of every film is way overblown there. If there's a funny scene in a movie, they LITERALLY die laughing and wake their whole neighbourhood up. If...
Personally, I strongly dislike it. Every aspect of every film is way overblown there.
If there's a funny scene in a movie, they LITERALLY die laughing and wake their whole neighbourhood up.
If there's a scene that is in the slightest bit sad, they're going to cry their eyes out for months.
If there's a movie that's decently good, then it's an absolute masterpiece and the best movie of the decade.
And so on... Everything is always really exaggerated.
On top of that, there's always the circlejerk hivemind aspect. Threads are closed after 6 months, so the whole discussion about the film is divided between many threads, but because every thread is small and new, you often get the same fluff comments.
For more popular flims, it is the absolute worst. With half the thread being just funny quotes from the movie with no additional commentary or anything valuable, yet having thousands upon thousands of upvotes. It's kind of sad.
I used to go to IMDb boards, –which, admittedly, had their own issues– but they were still pretty useful for discussion. And shutting people up wasn't as easy as it is on Reddit, so the opinions there were much more varied. However, since they shut them down, Reddit is the closest thing I've found. Moviechat.org is supposed to be a replacement to the IMDb boards, but it's pretty inactive.
So, even though I kind of despise r/movies, I'm sort of forced to use them. But reading it makes me somewhat bitter.
What about you?
13 votes
Startpage buys search results from Google and you can choose to use its European servers (which are in the Netherlands), meaning your data doesn't go through the US (unlike Duckduckgo, which uses Amazon servers in the US, which some people would rather avoid). Since the results are from Google, it means they're more accurate than DDG's, but it also means search results Google has blocked don't show up (in my experience, some torrent and piracy sites, but potentially news, according to other people). It does have fewer features than both Google and DuckDuckGo, however.
Both DDG and Startpage are really subpar when trying to find images. In the case of Startpage, it gives you the links to anonymized images, which makes sharing a simple URL that ends in .jpg or .png quite a pain, since you have to go to the actual website the image came from and find the image there, which sometimes (if the image came from a shopping site, for example) is just not possible (at least now without technical knowledge the average user doesn't possess).
There's also searx.me, which can have results from several other search engines. But requires a bit of setting it up and the UI might put off some people.
Another search engine is Qwant, which is a French search engine and the one their government institutions are told to use. It has more features than Searx and Startpage, I don't know how it compares to DDG and Google in terms of features. I haven't used it much.
Personally, I have Startpage as my main search engine, use DDG for piracy sites, and Google on an incognito windows for images and some instant answers.
Most people don't know it, but you can add search engines to your browser and search on different sites by first typing keywords. Which I find the most useful approach once set up.
There are pages and apps where you can browse YouTube anonymously. I don't know if they're great, however.