Astrospud's recent activity
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Comment on New Music Fridays: Pearl Jam, Cloud Nothings, Melvins, and more in ~music
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Comment on Dozens trapped in tunnels after Taiwan’s strongest quake in twenty-five years kills at least nine in ~enviro
Astrospud LinkTaipei was not dangerously affected. The quake registered just below 5.0 here. It shook decently and there were many aftershocks up to 4 hours later. Definitely the strongest earthquake I've been...Taipei was not dangerously affected. The quake registered just below 5.0 here. It shook decently and there were many aftershocks up to 4 hours later. Definitely the strongest earthquake I've been in, bit I haven't seen much.
Unfortunately Hualien got hit with the strongest part of it, as they usually do. The tectonic plates must meet near there. Every time I think about moving down there (it's a beautiful beach/mountain town) I remember how bad they are affected by earthquakes.
Taiwan's usually pretty quick to mount a response to clearing those areas so it will probably be dealt with quickly. Hopefully it's only the 3 deaths.
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Comment on AlbumLove (February 2024): 2005-2009 in ~music
Astrospud LinkIf we're going to post about albums that need more love, I'll pitch in Katamine - Lag. Acoustic with dark lyrics. He did some guitar work for Elliott Smith and some of that style can be heard on...If we're going to post about albums that need more love, I'll pitch in Katamine - Lag. Acoustic with dark lyrics. He did some guitar work for Elliott Smith and some of that style can be heard on this album in both style and lyric. Melancholic, but also a great listen with pretty much no filler. There is one follow-up album but it is pretty hard to find. It's definitely one album in my top 50.
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Comment on News sources or other subtitled media in Traditional Chinese? in ~humanities.languages
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Comment on News sources or other subtitled media in Traditional Chinese? in ~humanities.languages
Astrospud Link ParentMaybe try it again because I just tried clicking the link directly from my message and it still worked. Other ppl please try it and let me know if it doesn't work for you.Maybe try it again because I just tried clicking the link directly from my message and it still worked. Other ppl please try it and let me know if it doesn't work for you.
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Comment on News sources or other subtitled media in Traditional Chinese? in ~humanities.languages
Astrospud LinkI had to start learning when I turned 40 so flash cards is the only way to learn as the characters are nonsense to me and require making up my own meaning to help memorize. My reading is pretty...I had to start learning when I turned 40 so flash cards is the only way to learn as the characters are nonsense to me and require making up my own meaning to help memorize. My reading is pretty decent and better than my speaking. Anyways, I was about to give you more than one link but 2 have already gone down but Here's one for TV/movies. You might want to try watching American shows with Chinese subtitles first, it might be easier (maybe not?). If you want to find more sites like this is suggest you remember the Chinese name of an American show. You'll often get links to sites like these within the first page. My gf likes to watch Law & Order so this was one of the only ways to watch it with subs.
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Comment on 'Americans are fake and the Dutch are rude!': A personal account on their difference in social behavior in ~science
Astrospud LinkI'm not American, but I'd I had to choose one - I'd go with the American 'fake interest' over the Dutch "honesty" (I'm putting that one in quotation marks for a reason to be explained). As much as...I'm not American, but I'd I had to choose one - I'd go with the American 'fake interest' over the Dutch "honesty" (I'm putting that one in quotation marks for a reason to be explained). As much as there is some fake-ness to these interactions from an American perspective (A 'how are you' is only to be met with a quick 'good! And you?' because giving an honest opinion or even a 'bad' reply is unwanted.), the whole point isn't supposed to make you better or even equals; rather, it's to make you come across as either less or that the other person is superior and you want to let them know you appreciate those qualities that elevate them.
From the Dutch perspective, as much as it is direct, ANYBODY can make positive or negative comments about you. It happens on a day-to-day basis in any city whether it's a random person or a commercial. In any country (besides the Netherlands) regardless of language, anyone can and maybe will give you a positive or negative evaluation, but that doesn't make you close - if any thing many times it can be the opposite. Commercials, random people, and even close people may give you evaluations, but for the most part it's not to be trusted unless it's already been established that you are very close. In China, pretty much everyone will give you an honest evaluation every day you leave the house, but unless you are/can actively change that thing ("You are eating too much" vs "Your nose is too big") then those people just come across as @ssholes.
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Comment on Travel advice for Taipei, Taiwan in ~travel
Astrospud LinkI've been living there for the past almost-five-years and I definitely have my recommendations. First of all when you get to Taiwan, you'll probably be coming into the Taoyuan airport. Take the...- Exemplary
I've been living there for the past almost-five-years and I definitely have my recommendations. First of all when you get to Taiwan, you'll probably be coming into the Taoyuan airport. Take the MRT to Taipei main and make sure you take the express (purple) as it only has about 4 stops instead of stopping at each station. There are busses that will be just as fast and will take you to specific areas but getting the ticket usually has a bit of a knowledge/language barrier so I'd recommend take the MRT. Taipei main is pretty centrally located + there are lots of transportation options to take you where you need to go. When you go to the MRT - MAKE SURE you get an easy card (also called yo-yo card) and add some cash to it. There's a dispenser outside the mrt or the counter-people will sell you one. They're fully refundable if you go to the counter when you leave the country. If you're going to travel around the city/country for more than 1.5 weeks, I'd recommend you opt for the unlimited (the name slips my mind) pass which will pay for itself.
Another thing: this country is one of the safest in the world for petty crime. No one (except the yellow taxis) will knowingly rip you off and if you're drop something people will chase you down the street to return it. Women go jogging in the park late at night in the dark - just to give you an idea of how safe it is.
Here's my list of things to check out: although, you didn't really mention time-line or interests, you did mention that daytime won't always be available for you.
- U-bike. Get your easy card set up to work with the ubike system. There's a website for it, and now I think you can use a credit card to get signed up. Worst case, pm me and maybe I can get your card listed. These bikes are everywhere, super cheap (the longest ride I ever did was about 5 hours and it cost me 120nt so like $10 for a whole day), and one of the best ways to see the city. There are bike paths around the entire outside of Taipei downtown, randomly in the city, and if you're feeling really adventurous you can bike all the way to Tamsui in the north. I can't stress enough how much better it is with these. They've now forced ubike 2.0 which IMO are slightly inferior.
This leads to 2. Ubike pub crawl. Taipei has more convenience stores per capita than any other country and they are slightly better than the ones in Japan. I've seen 3 7-11's on the same block here. Food, alcohol, t-shirts, postal delivery, fresh coffees/teas. Family Mart and 7-11 are your best friends and most people here are shocked if one doesn't stay open 24/7. One great thing to do is get a ubike, ride until you're hungry/want a beer, stop at the nearest one (don't worry about locking up a ubike), then go on and repeat until you're done for the night.
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The bars here aren't always the best and can be expensive. It's really hard to justify paying 200 for a beer at a bar when you can walk outside to a 7-11 and pay a quarter of the price. If you want to drink at a specific place, Taipei has a pretty great speakeasy scene and is slowly getting a cocktail scene. Unfortunately one of the better pubs is currently in the process of finding a new home, but if you want western-style pubs I'd recommend either On Tap, Beer Geek, Revolver, or any of the ones in Maji Square near Yuanshan (this one really changed in the past 6 months or so). Speakeasy's might be harder to find but I'd recommend either Book Ing Bar which will look like a bookcase, (pull the white book) or Al Cicchetto Huashan Bistro (they have a sake bar hidden behind a bookshelf at the back).
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Sights - many of these will really only be open during daytime hours so check your times. In no particular order I'd recommend:
- Chiang-kai-shek memorial - great area/garden and also has a small free museum under it. Pictures do it no justice because it is BIG.
- 101 - go up to the top, see the ball. It's a little expensive and you are forced to walk through the sell-you-jewelry+coral area but it's interesting and you get a great view. Do not go to the Din Tai Fung there unless you like waiting in super long lines to have the exact same experience you can see elsewhere. No, there is no view in the Din Tai Fung either. Then walk to...
-immediately north-east of 101 is Xinyi which is a big mall area that you can walk along all the way to Taipei City Hall. - Dadaocheng pier - view of the riverside, lots of restaurants but can be pretty loud/stuffy
-Xindian/Xiaobitan very interesting area with some small cliffs, duck boats, suspension bridge, restaurants - Check out Addiction Aquatic - a former fish market turned into a seafood/sushi market/restaurant. It used to be that I would recommend the stand-up restaurant but now I'd recommend just buy some of the pre-packed sushi (made fresh every few hours), maybe some other food, grab a few beers or sake (they have decent ones at various price points) and sit outside.
- Guandu temple - one of the biggest ones in the Taipei area and unfortunately currently under some renovation but you can still go around, check out the inside/outside
- Tamsui - the almost-beachy tourist area runs along most of the river in the area. Lots of food, good sights, and if you want you can take a ferry ride across the river which is worth it for the scenery and it's cheap, but there's not much to do once you're there. Still, it's like $2 for a return ticket and the booth people running it are multi-lingual.
- Yongchun market - largest small market. It will give you an idea of what it's like going through a traditional market. Also a great place to pick of one of Taiwan's greatest treasure - fruit. Some say it's because of Taiwan's volcanic nature but the fruit here is great.
- night markets - Shilin is the biggest and will probably take more than a day to see it all, especially since it has hidden pockets all around (try and find the underground food court!). Raohe has the best food. Tonghua has more traditional stuff but lately seems like it's changing. Ningxia's interesting/has a different setup.
-Da'an Park. Large park with a tiny bird sanctuary/island in the middle. You can go at any time. Then nearby on the weekend you can also check out the flower market which has TONS of flowers & plants. So many orchids too.
-Ximen - this is the considered the most 'Tokyo-like area'. Big screens/advertisements. Lots of stores. A place to see/be seen especially on weekends. Also was the gay-friendly area (now that's pretty much everywhere). It's not uncommon to see people walking around in COSplay there. Also worth seeing the temple and the Red House there.
-Longshan temple. Closer to Taipei and still pretty cool. The night market nearby has stayed closer to traditional. You used to also be able to go there to eat snake (I think only one place still does it). - Syntrend & Guanghua Digital Plaza. This is as close to Taiwan's answer to Shenzhen as it goes. Electronics. Sooo many. Also some nice other things nearby but this is the main draw.
- the National Palace Museum - the largest selection of Chinese artifacts. Chiang-Kai shek's only really good legacy or smuggling them to Taiwan to prevent the Chinese government from destroying them. Unfortunately there are so many that they can't all be displayed at once. There's another museum in Chiayi in the south but still, everything on rotation. Still, check out the dates on the items shown. Some impressive pieces go back 14000 years or more.
- Dahu park - nice lake with a cool bridge. Not tons to see here but easy to get to and nice to walk around.
- the Grand Hotel - still going. You are allowed to go in the lobby to look around. Very old & cool.
-hiking - Taiwan has hiking like it has convenience stores. They range from a breeze to a nightmare in length/difficulty. The more common ones are Elephant mountain, Yangmingshan has different ones, and even easier ones South-East of Jiantnan - Taipei Zoo/Maokong Gondola. Not always on people's list but Taipei zoo is built into the lower part of the mountain, has lots of great vegetation, and it's like $1.50 to go in even as a tourist. Super cheap. Then when you're done, you can walk to the Maokong Gondola. I can't recommend much once you're up there but it's nice to take and if you come back down after sundown you can hear the night forest come alive. If you can go on a weekend, I would strongly recommend bussing from Xindian to the Yinhe Cave hike. It's hard-ish but my 60-year old mom did the hike so it's not impossible. Near the top there is a temple built into the side of a mountain with a waterfall passing in front. Well worth the hike, and just past it it will lead back through forest, farm, and eventually to the Maokong Gondola that you can take down back to Taipei.
-Jiufen - just outside of Taipei but only like a 40 minute bus ride, it's built into the side of a mountain and is full of tea shops with a stunning view down to the sea. The town itself is kind of boring but probably worth seeing once. Make sure you take a bus home from the top of the village because that's where people first get on. By the time the bus goes down, those seats and even standing room get filled.
Food:
-as I said before, skip the 101 Din Tai Fung. Go to B2 of the SOGO at Zhongxiao Fuxing. Usually the least busy one. I'm not big on Din Tai Fung and there are 2 in Vancouver which have even less of a lineup to get in.- go to a Kura Sushi conveyor belt sushi at its best. Screens, stuff comes right to you, and your dirty plates get pushed down a slot. My mom was skeptical but even she loved it.
- if you can find them (they're kind of random) try Baozhi - small (pork is the best) buns. If you see a place with a glass case and 3 trays of buns - that's it. Super cheap, super delicious. The most expensive I've ever seen was 20 nt for each and you can't eat more than 3.
-Ba Feng - almost the McDonald's of Taiwan food in some ways. Cheap, fast dumplings (try the curry!) but now most locations have branched out into soups, noodles as well. Really good. Not always easy to find but they look pretty distinct.
-Shaved ice - not everybody's cup of tea but find a place that does shaved snow with fruit of some kind or mango shaved ice. Everybody loves that. Avoid the Taro King at Dongmen. Everybody goes there and you'll wait. They have other locations or other places do the same. There's one a block east or so from the Ximen MRT station that looks decent. - Re Chao. Hot Fry. If you see a place with low tables and tons of beer advertisements and no real other signs telling you what the place is - it's one. They're hard to search for online but easy to spot. I would consider these a true Taiwanese dining experience. Beer is readily available and 99% have good food.
Other quick notables: Yundish, Ramen Nagi, Yi Ping fresh shrimp, or a buffet joint - vegetarian or otherwise.
I could type much more but I'll leave it at that. If you let me know more of what you're interested in seeing, I can type more.
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Comment on What’s the best way to self-learn the piano and guitar? in ~music
Astrospud LinkI started with guitar trying some lessons that didn't stick (I had previously learned piano and saxophone as a kid). What made guitar really stick for me was trying to play guitar tab's. It's a...I started with guitar trying some lessons that didn't stick (I had previously learned piano and saxophone as a kid). What made guitar really stick for me was trying to play guitar tab's. It's a really easy-to-read notation where each line is one of the guitar strings but there usually isn't notation for timing. It's more like 'listen to the song while looking at it to figure it out' kind of method. It's imperfect but a really good start.
Just Google artist name + guitar tab and you'll find them. I'd recommend you find some really easy ones to first get into it (I went with Nirvana to start) and be aware that these are user-created so some will be flawed, and the odd one will be extremely off base but there are many excellent ones made. It's a good starting point.
If I could do it again from the start, I would really recommend getting the second rocksmith game. It's getting old now and hard to find the plug in but it was rock band but you plug an actual guitar in. It covers all levels of difficulty and even introduces concepts that are ones you won't pick up without being taught in some fashion. I was already very experienced when I picked it up and still learned some things from it.
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Comment on AlbumLove (December 2023): 1995-1999 in ~music
Astrospud LinkSigur Ros - Ágætis byrjun (1999) at this point they are decently well known and have had their music in films and TV. When this album was released they weren't well loved in their homeland but...Sigur Ros - Ágætis byrjun (1999) at this point they are decently well known and have had their music in films and TV. When this album was released they weren't well loved in their homeland but their previous album caught the ears of people overseas and this album launched them. Mixing elements of post-rock, classical, and minimalism while having many different styles on their tracks. If you never checked out their back-catalog, or their later albums, all are worth a listen.
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Comment on Light No Fires (from the makers of No Man's Sky) | Official reveal trailer in ~games
Astrospud Link ParentDefinitely. Wait for reviews, then buy - or not.Definitely. Wait for reviews, then buy - or not.
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Comment on Light No Fires (from the makers of No Man's Sky) | Official reveal trailer in ~games
Astrospud LinkI'm not super hyped on multi-player games like this but it has procedurally generated planets from a company that over-promised and later actually delivered. I think they've learned their lessons...I'm not super hyped on multi-player games like this but it has procedurally generated planets from a company that over-promised and later actually delivered. I think they've learned their lessons enough and now they have the experience to actually pull it off.
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Light No Fires (from the makers of No Man's Sky) | Official reveal trailer
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Comment on Looking for games like wordle in ~games
Astrospud LinkHurdle is a great follow-up website. It's pretty much wordle but you get 4 puzzles. The solution for 1 becomes the first search for the next. After 4, the fifth puzzle uses the results from the...Hurdle is a great follow-up website. It's pretty much wordle but you get 4 puzzles. The solution for 1 becomes the first search for the next. After 4, the fifth puzzle uses the results from the first 4 as the first 4 guesses leaving you only 2 guesses for the last word. IMO more challenging/better than Wordle.
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Comment on I asked ChatGPT for music recommendations and here's the results in ~music
Astrospud LinkI'm glad you posted this - there were some here I forgot and had to add one to my personal list. If you're looking for Ty Segall, definitely check out melted It was, mine as well as many others...I'm glad you posted this - there were some here I forgot and had to add one to my personal list. If you're looking for Ty Segall, definitely check out melted It was, mine as well as many others opinions, his best album. Great live show.
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Comment on The rise and fall of MuchMusic in ~music
Astrospud Link ParentNardwuar definitely is a treasure. As much as he can be a little grating sometimes, he does more research on his interviewees than pretty much any journalist. I was very happy to meet him at a...Nardwuar definitely is a treasure. As much as he can be a little grating sometimes, he does more research on his interviewees than pretty much any journalist. I was very happy to meet him at a Queens of the Stone Age concert in Vancouver and he was quite surprised when I told him I appreciated that he was the only reporter at a press interview with Jean Chretien that got (on film) a question about his involvement with having the police pepper spray a peaceful protest. I was glad that somebody grilled him on that. It's too bad Chretien got out of it with a glib comment.
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Comment on The rise and fall of MuchMusic in ~music
Astrospud LinkI feel like Much was so much more. Between interviews that ranged from floundering to high art, as well as having moments where random artists stumbled into other artists' interviews (I hear...I feel like Much was so much more. Between interviews that ranged from floundering to high art, as well as having moments where random artists stumbled into other artists' interviews (I hear Strombolopolous & Tea Party frontman didn't go well).
I think the greatest legacy of Much was Electric circus. It was showing off newly discovered dj's and more importantly - discovering house music in the early-to-mid 90's in Canada while that was just emerging in the States at the same time. Raves were literally emerging in America and not on TV while Canada had a mediocre underground scene while they were regularly showing off the scene and scenesters on 'mainstream' TV.
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Comment on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off - Discussion Thread in ~anime
Astrospud Link ParentYep, whoops. That's what I get for talking about it immediately after watching an episode instead of looking it up. I mixed up their names since they both released solo albums in the same year.Yep, whoops. That's what I get for talking about it immediately after watching an episode instead of looking it up. I mixed up their names since they both released solo albums in the same year.
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Comment on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off - Discussion Thread in ~anime
Astrospud Link ParentIn all fairness, I've only seen the movie and run across bits from the comic. I've loved/been surprised by how it's gone. I would have been happy just doing an animated version of the comic but...In all fairness, I've only seen the movie and run across bits from the comic. I've loved/been surprised by how it's gone. I would have been happy just doing an animated version of the comic but this has been a good turn. I happy that they got the cast back and that they're plumbing Ramona's character. The movie was one of the earlier movies to do the 'manic pixie dream girl' trope and were written by men (or, just a guy) so to see WHY Ramona would pursue this man child gives the story some missed depth, though I still think the movie is awesome as its own piece.
If I had to change one thing though, it would be Amy Millan's' Sarah Mclaughlin funeral song. The movie had the budget to hire big guns for original songs but this was just not great, unless the point was that the song was supposed to be cheesy and lame.
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Comment on Movie of the Week #4 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) in ~movies
Astrospud LinkFor me, this movie will always sit in my mind. From the "WTF is going on?" start to the decent representation of experiencing a mind being dissected, to basking in the warmth of a relationship -...For me, this movie will always sit in my mind. From the "WTF is going on?" start to the decent representation of experiencing a mind being dissected, to basking in the warmth of a relationship - this movie kept a very special place in my heart. To me (when I first started watching it) this movie was in line with A Clockwork Orange or Brazil in that it is well executed and there are bits where you're left wondering 'how did they do that? Especially on a lower budget' like scenes where Jim Carrey is up to his neck in sand in the back of a car or it goes from a library to a home.
One guy who commented here really struck it on the head that this movie had people who were either past their peak but doing something very different, or it was exposing people who were going to be much bigger. The only thing for me that has detracted from it over time is that it was a movie (one of the earlier ones) to romanticize the 'manic pixie dream girl' and that Gondry never really was able to recreate the magic of this (the Science of Sleep is OK but really highlights the flaws of his style).
Still, it's always on my top 10-20 list of movies.
I will second this. I checked out her work from a review on Exclaim.ca. As much as she 'name-checks' Broken Social Scene, this album kind of reminds me of their album "Bee Hives" which is one of my favourite of theirs.
I would also recommend checking out her earlier work which is just ambient/field recording material more in line with artists like Rachel's.