ButteredToast's recent activity
-
Comment on Millennials: How do you feel about nostalgia pandering? in ~talk
-
Comment on Reusable rockets are here, so why is NASA paying more to launch stuff to space? in ~space
ButteredToast Link ParentIt’s telling that the most successful NASA projects are those that involve probes, rovers, etc which leave Earth’s gravity well, which Congress has typically taken a more hands-off approach to...It’s telling that the most successful NASA projects are those that involve probes, rovers, etc which leave Earth’s gravity well, which Congress has typically taken a more hands-off approach to (probably because those offer little political capital).
In contrast, when it comes to anything related to launch technologies or crewed spaceflight, Congress can’t keep their hands out of the cookie jar (and is more receptive to lobbying from the Old Space vanguard) which ultimately becomes a ball and chain for those projects which severely limits speed, scope, and chances of success.
-
Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
ButteredToast Link ParentAnother Sublime user here, having come from its spiritual ancestor TextMate many years ago. I use Xcode and Android Studio for the relevant platforms and Sublime for everything else.Another Sublime user here, having come from its spiritual ancestor TextMate many years ago. I use Xcode and Android Studio for the relevant platforms and Sublime for everything else.
-
Comment on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Official trailer in ~tv
ButteredToast Link ParentFor me The Orville was shockingly good once it got out of the early “Family Guy in Space” phase, the writers and actors got into their groove (“growing the beard”), and its production values...For me The Orville was shockingly good once it got out of the early “Family Guy in Space” phase, the writers and actors got into their groove (“growing the beard”), and its production values really got a boost in the last season, but somehow it doesn’t quite rank alongside TNG and DS9. I think it could get there if given another season or two on the same trajectory, but it’s not there yet.
-
Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
ButteredToast Link ParentTo my knowledge the issue with NAND is data integrity becomes poor if it’s not used somewhat frequently. IIRC the NAND gates leak electrons over time if not periodically refreshed by being plugged...To my knowledge the issue with NAND is data integrity becomes poor if it’s not used somewhat frequently. IIRC the NAND gates leak electrons over time if not periodically refreshed by being plugged in, meaning a card that’s been sitting for years will likely have developed corruption and if it’s been long enough, will have become unreadable.
I really wish there were a type of NAND based storage format that is designed specifically for longevity, perhaps trading off some speed or capacity in the process. There’s a big hole in the storage matrix there, particularly where magnetic media isn’t a good fit.
-
Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
ButteredToast Link ParentThey were super popular in Japan, which is where most of the used MDs and a couple of the players I own originally came from. A lot of people never used the computer transfer functionality (which...They were super popular in Japan, which is where most of the used MDs and a couple of the players I own originally came from. A lot of people never used the computer transfer functionality (which came late in MD’s lifecycle) and instead recorded CDs and radio to MDs similar to how people in NA did with cassettes.
-
Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
ButteredToast Link ParentI would say that SD cards are the closer equivalent, but you’re probably right. Flash based media has terrible longevity though, unlike MD, which is unfortunate since long-unused flash can’t...I would say that SD cards are the closer equivalent, but you’re probably right. Flash based media has terrible longevity though, unlike MD, which is unfortunate since long-unused flash can’t function as a time capsule like MD can.
-
Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
ButteredToast LinkLike many 80s/90s kids, my first portable misc player was a Walkman, so while I get that cassettes are nostalgic for many I don’t really see the appeal. Their sound is somewhat underwhelming, even...Like many 80s/90s kids, my first portable misc player was a Walkman, so while I get that cassettes are nostalgic for many I don’t really see the appeal. Their sound is somewhat underwhelming, even assuming a decent player (e.g. an actual Sony) and a brand new cassette. I was happy to upgrade to an iPod if only to get rid of the audio quality issues associated with cassettes.
Even though I didn’t own a player until quite recently, I think that MiniDiscs scratch the same itches that cassettes do without the downsides and are generally better. The only con is that a lot of music didn’t get an official MD release in the US.
A true revival of that format is however unlikely given that the rights belong to Sony and I doubt anybody would be willing to hand over the amount of cash they’d be asking for it (if they’re even willing to sell). The closest possible would be a new minidisc-like format that’s open and doesn’t violate any patents.
-
Comment on Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without an online account in ~tech
ButteredToast Link ParentAnd the more closely the desktop environment resembles that of the platform they’re coming from, the better. Even differences that users with a technical inclination might consider minor can be...And the more closely the desktop environment resembles that of the platform they’re coming from, the better. Even differences that users with a technical inclination might consider minor can be the fly in the figurative soup.
I really don’t think that Linux world recognizes this enough.
-
Comment on We’re seniors. It’s not our responsibility to fix the housing supply. in ~society
ButteredToast Link ParentAnd zoning is usually just one of many forms of obstructionism regularly performed by members of these communities. Some will go to any length required to keep places frozen in time and have been...And zoning is usually just one of many forms of obstructionism regularly performed by members of these communities. Some will go to any length required to keep places frozen in time and have been responsible for the demise of numerous housing and infrastructure projects.
-
Comment on How we're designing Audacity for the future in ~tech
ButteredToast Link ParentKrita seems to have a better grip on things like marketing and such which also helps. It actually reminds me of how Blender is run.Krita seems to have a better grip on things like marketing and such which also helps. It actually reminds me of how Blender is run.
-
Comment on How we're designing Audacity for the future in ~tech
ButteredToast (edited )Link ParentThe things that bug me about GIMP are those that work differently from everything else for no good reason. Take the layers palette for instance. It looks like a typical list view but doesn’t act...The things that bug me about GIMP are those that work differently from everything else for no good reason.
Take the layers palette for instance. It looks like a typical list view but doesn’t act like one (no shift-click multi select and such) and while its design might’ve made sense when it was conceived, the world has long since standardized on layers palettes that act roughly like that of Photoshop, meaning it’s not just former Adobe users that it bothers.
-
Comment on It's impossible to evaluate your sleep with only one number in ~health
ButteredToast Link ParentInteresting. As a smart watch and ring user I wonder if it might be worth it to keep some of these on hand to enable a swift response. The main concern would probably be with the shelf life of the...Interesting. As a smart watch and ring user I wonder if it might be worth it to keep some of these on hand to enable a swift response. The main concern would probably be with the shelf life of the products.
-
Comment on Google details Android developer certification requirement, and it’s as bad as we feared in ~tech
ButteredToast Link ParentWhat’s Linux support for PC cell modems like? If it’s decent, for some an ultraportable with a cell modem could fill the smartphone gap pretty well. Many Android apps run fine through Waydroid and...What’s Linux support for PC cell modems like? If it’s decent, for some an ultraportable with a cell modem could fill the smartphone gap pretty well. Many Android apps run fine through Waydroid and banking, etc could be done through a web browser.
-
Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv
ButteredToast Link ParentIt felt like a bait-and-switch. It starts exactly like one might expect and then becomes something else entirely.It felt like a bait-and-switch. It starts exactly like one might expect and then becomes something else entirely.
-
Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv
ButteredToast LinkIt's too bad that 16:9 caught on instead of 16:10. I've always thought 16:10 to be the better-balanced of the two and more cross-functional between entertainment and productivity. It handles 4:3...It's too bad that 16:9 caught on instead of 16:10. I've always thought 16:10 to be the better-balanced of the two and more cross-functional between entertainment and productivity. It handles 4:3 video a little better too, with less extreme letterboxing. That 16:10 has become popular for laptop screens (for a second time – it was the standard for laptops up until the mid-late 2000s when the "HD craze" came about) in the past few years has been wonderful, unfortunately there's no chance of that for TVs and desktop monitors.
-
Comment on US solar will pass wind in 2025 and leave coal in the dust soon after in ~enviro
ButteredToast Link ParentWould this shift economics towards burying powerlines wherever feasible? Naively it seems like it might, since you want to try to reduce maintenance load as much as possible.Would this shift economics towards burying powerlines wherever feasible? Naively it seems like it might, since you want to try to reduce maintenance load as much as possible.
-
Comment on US solar will pass wind in 2025 and leave coal in the dust soon after in ~enviro
ButteredToast LinkSolar makes more sense the more you think about it. Why wouldn't you take advantage of a limitless energy source that doesn't require anything to be trucked or piped and mitigates the risks of...Solar makes more sense the more you think about it. Why wouldn't you take advantage of a limitless energy source that doesn't require anything to be trucked or piped and mitigates the risks of centralized sources, provided that doing so is reasonably affordable? The only reason not to is price.
I think the decentralization aspect probably terrifies power companies. If a city had 75% of its rooftops and parking lots contributing to the grid with a few neighborhood battery facilities scattered around to cover for night, how much demand would be left for a plant to supply?
-
Comment on How I escaped MAGA. Critical thinking woke me up. in ~society
ButteredToast Link ParentSo much of this resonates with my childhood experiences. No Pokémon (for the same reason), no Harry Potter (long before the author’s problematic nature was known), no Halloween. Anything with...So much of this resonates with my childhood experiences. No Pokémon (for the same reason), no Harry Potter (long before the author’s problematic nature was known), no Halloween. Anything with references to magic or similar was on thin ice. Church was the place where I’d sit and be bored out of my skull for a few hours as the pastor held a “hellfire and brimstone” style sermon or ranted about how something of practically zero consequence was proof of how the world looked down on Christians and the seed from which their persecution during the end times would bloom (depending on the church). Best case scenario they’d talk about something more innocuous that they’d covered already 5 times before.
Some of the people were fine and even lovely outside of services but similarly, I don’t have a lot of fond memories associated with church.
-
Comment on imgur.com geoblocks the UK in ~tech
ButteredToast Link ParentProbably because this is only nominally about protecting the kids. All this is pretext to mass surveillance and consolidation of control, which a browser header wouldn't accomplish.Probably because this is only nominally about protecting the kids. All this is pretext to mass surveillance and consolidation of control, which a browser header wouldn't accomplish.
There's some interesting discussion to be had here of a type that I haven't seen much of. I'm in my mid-late 30s and while I'm not sure I want to return to the 90s, I do find myself sometimes lamenting that I wasn't able to experience that period of time as a gainfully employed young adult. So there's acknowledgment that the past can't be brought back, but also regret that I was able to see it only through the eyes of a child of a relatively poor working class family. I wonder if such sentiment is as "dangerous" as a bonafide desire to go back to "the good 'ol days".