CR0W's recent activity

  1. Comment on any sites like 23andme that dont sell your DNA to corporations? in ~tech

    CR0W
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    It will be an accident. They will call it a breach, and apologize to the many customers. This allows them to "sell" the information, garner sympathy from the public for such a grievous act, and...

    It will be an accident. They will call it a breach, and apologize to the many customers. This allows them to "sell" the information, garner sympathy from the public for such a grievous act, and allows them to dodge any pesky lawsuits or fines.

    1 vote
  2. Comment on Any hams around? in ~hobbies

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    I've been wanting to take the plunge, just haven't bothered to track down a place to test or any study materials. I wondered if I could pass without studying anything, I used radios in the...

    I've been wanting to take the plunge, just haven't bothered to track down a place to test or any study materials. I wondered if I could pass without studying anything, I used radios in the military so I am not completely clueless about their operation, but I am not sure what to expect on the actual test and would hate to waste the money. In my little bit of research online I read that there are still many who use Morse, and that it will transmit/receive over a much greater distance than voice transmission. Might be worth learning just to have conversations, don't guess there would be much political discourse if you had to bang it out in Morse.

    1 vote
  3. Comment on What's an easy to get in to hobby? in ~hobbies

    CR0W
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    There is a forum I used to visit frequently and one of the members had a very lengthy thread about his composting. It grew so large he turns them over with heavy equipment; he can throw an entire...

    There is a forum I used to visit frequently and one of the members had a very lengthy thread about his composting. It grew so large he turns them over with heavy equipment; he can throw an entire cow carcass into the pile and it will be gone in hardly no time. I think the county even brings their limbs/leaves/debris to the guy to be disposed of, which is cool since its not going into the landfill.

    I bought a nice stainless steel pail to keep in the kitchen when I first started, and quickly discovered that it was far too small to be of real use. I bought something closer to a trash can and it caught our food waste along with paper towels that did not have any chemicals on them. I collected my grass clippings, leaves in the fall, and the detritus from my garden. It quickly went from a small pile of scraps in the corner of my yard to two piles about five foot tall and eight foot in diameter each. The older, more established pile, would melt the snow that fell atop it in the winter.

    It was part of my first foray into gardening, and it was a very rewarding experience. I called it my "dirt therapy" and even got me interested in studying horticultural therapy. It can be as frugal or as expensive as you like to make it, so yeah, I can also say its worth checking out.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Have any hobbies that are hard to admit? in ~hobbies

    CR0W
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    Sounds like you might like the work of Robert Mapplethorpe. Fair warning, his stuff can be NSFW.

    Sounds like you might like the work of Robert Mapplethorpe. Fair warning, his stuff can be NSFW.

  5. Comment on I think we need more conservative voices to balance out the intense liberalism of tildes in ~tildes

    CR0W
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    I will admit to being lazy today, I don't feel much like wading through the many posts to lay out a spread of examples, but for discussion sake I will provide a couple comments from different...

    I will admit to being lazy today, I don't feel much like wading through the many posts to lay out a spread of examples, but for discussion sake I will provide a couple comments from different threads. I know you can search and figure it out, but I am purposely not linking to them directly because I don't want anyone to feel like I am calling them out. They are merely being provided as an example.

    When your beliefs are based on taking rights from others - a hallmark of many social conservative ideas - expecting the side having their rights threatened by you to be civil isn't something reasonable.

    Not intending to divert, but general right-wing f*ckery has been wreaking havoc in local healthcare as well, though the attribution for closures of rural hospitals has been lacking in most major news sources.

    Thos comes off as very racist to me. Calling the best basketball player right, as well as the most prominent black journalist on television, unintelligent is just messed up.

    Being. Trans. Is. Not. A. Choice. If you think that forcing children to conform to their parents transphobic expectations of what they should be and not let them be who they are then you are part of the reason 40% of trans people try to kill themselves, full stop. There is no more room for discrimination here than there is with race or ethnicity or any other immutable trait a person has.

    Sometimes I wonder if comments like these are bait. Is this person sitting there rubbing their hands together, waiting in rapt anticipation for someone to come along and dare to disagree with them? Even if its not, there will undoubtedly be a dog-pile should a person choose to wade in there and offer up some dissenting commentary. There is simply too much emotion involved, and many cannot detach themselves enough from the topic being discussed.

    Because of the infrequency of my visits to Tildes, when I see posts like the "being trans is not a choice" I find that sometimes a person has decided to disagree, which is immediately followed by a littany of posts telling the person how wrong they are. It's never a response like "I understand that is your point of view, but I disagree." You get "Transphobic attitudes and beliefs are insulting, humiliating, and degrading and they need to stop. No platform should ever allow people to bully a huge demographic of people until they blow their brains out."

    I've mentioned it previously in another thread, I am politically agnostic. While many of my beliefs/opinions are on the conservative side I do have some which would be considered quite liberal. Abortion for example. My parents are against it completely while I think a woman has the right to decide with a caveat that the father of the child also agrees or is unknown. Another example is they think marijuana is a drug while I think that it is the same as tobacco since they are plants and not some synthetic compound of chemicals. They think I am wrong, and these are topics we don't discuss anymore. I am already prepared for the numerous replies here telling me how wrong I am in both regards!

    It is not the debate, it is not that people disagree, it is the volume and the - I am hesitant to use the word, but for immediate lack of something better - venom in the responses which makes it discouraging to post here. So much so that when I do log in feel compelled to just scroll thorough the recent pages and skim the comments before just logging out again without posting anything of my own. I think the world would be a very boring place if we all agreed on everything! I welcome opinions different than my own, it helps me to grow as a person, but it can also become unhealthy.

    I don't want to ramble, so I will wrap this up with some Tolstoy:

    I Know that most men — not only those considered clever, but even those who are very clever, and capable of understanding most difficult scientific, mathematical, or philosophic problems — can very seldom discern even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as to oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions they have formed, perhaps with much difficulty — conclusions of which they are proud, which they have taught to others, and on which they have built their lives.

    6 votes
  6. Comment on I think we need more conservative voices to balance out the intense liberalism of tildes in ~tildes

    CR0W
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    That is the point I have reached on Tildes. I haven't posted in a couple weeks if I am remembering correctly. Today has been my first visit in the same amount of time, and I had a hunch what I...

    That is the point I have reached on Tildes. I haven't posted in a couple weeks if I am remembering correctly. Today has been my first visit in the same amount of time, and I had a hunch what I would find once I logged into my account. Sad to say, I was not disappointed in that regard. In my opinion, Tildes does feel very antagonistic if you are not lockstep with the rest of the group. I do try to remind myself it is just the internet, and ignore the things I dislike so that I can enjoy the things that I do find interesting, but it becomes tiring to feel like I am constantly on eggshells. I am not quite at the point of asking for my account to be deleted, but I think its safe to say that day is probably not far in coming.

    5 votes
  7. Comment on At last, a law that could have stopped Tony Blair and George W Bush invading. The Hague’s new crime of aggression might give belligerent heads of states a reason to pause in ~misc

    CR0W
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    So will the Hague form their own "Mossad" who will come hunt down these recalcitrant world leaders? They have no jurisdiction outside of the Netherlands. I have now officially reached my weekly...

    So will the Hague form their own "Mossad" who will come hunt down these recalcitrant world leaders? They have no jurisdiction outside of the Netherlands.

    go back and formally charge these people...

    I have now officially reached my weekly quota of internet use, and it's only Monday!

    2 votes
  8. Comment on Renewables will replace ageing coal plants at lowest cost, Australian Energy Market Operator says in ~news

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    I am not one who burns tires on Earth Day, I promise! Sounds like a fairly terrible idea to me, cheaper is not always better, and I can also promise the savings will not be passed along to the...

    I am not one who burns tires on Earth Day, I promise! Sounds like a fairly terrible idea to me, cheaper is not always better, and I can also promise the savings will not be passed along to the customers. The replacement doesn't sound well thought out:

    "It says the lowest-cost replacement options for retiring coal plants “will be a portfolio of resources, including solar (28GW), wind (10.5 GW) and storage (17 GW and 90 GWh), complemented by 500 MW of flexible gas plant and transmission investment..."

    In Karlsruhe, Germany they have a high-efficiency low-emissions plant that produces more power than all of their "portfolio resources" combined.

    "Operated by German utility EnBW, the plant achieves 47.5% net thermal efficiency while producing 912MW of electricity, making it one of the world's most efficient hard coal-fired steam power plants."

    In Japan they are even more efficient, and they are getting better all the time at squeezing every ounce of energy from the coal. What surprises me is that Australia does not have more tidal power generating systems in operation. There are some powerful currents at work and with the population more or less concentrated along the coasts it makes sense in my head.

  9. Comment on At last, a law that could have stopped Tony Blair and George W Bush invading. The Hague’s new crime of aggression might give belligerent heads of states a reason to pause in ~misc

    CR0W
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    This is the international version of the old man standing on his porch shaking his fist. People like to talk, they like to have conversations, but they don't actually want to do anything.

    This is the international version of the old man standing on his porch shaking his fist. People like to talk, they like to have conversations, but they don't actually want to do anything.

    3 votes
  10. Comment on US President Donald Trump's trade offensive is producing brutal local headlines in ~finance

    CR0W
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    Considering that there are only six companies which control around 90% of the media in the country I would hardly give the local "news readers" comments any weight. They read what is handed to...

    Considering that there are only six companies which control around 90% of the media in the country I would hardly give the local "news readers" comments any weight. They read what is handed to them, and you can bet that this information did not originate locally. Research the facts, then draw your own conclusions, don't let these idiots do your thinking for you. Journalism died years ago.

    2 votes
  11. Comment on Any game developers here? Share your projects and insights in ~games

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    I have a completed screenplay that I tossed the idea around of submitting it to a game studio, but was told that they would probably just ignore it. I wouldn't mind getting involved in that part...

    I have a completed screenplay that I tossed the idea around of submitting it to a game studio, but was told that they would probably just ignore it. I wouldn't mind getting involved in that part of development, but I would be hopeless at just about all the rest of it!

    1 vote
  12. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~books

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    One I have not seen mentioned, that I really enjoyed, was Beacon 23. And why am I the first to mention Neuromancer? Yeah, it's more cyberpunk than scifi, but it is one of my favorites!

    One I have not seen mentioned, that I really enjoyed, was Beacon 23.

    And why am I the first to mention Neuromancer? Yeah, it's more cyberpunk than scifi, but it is one of my favorites!

  13. Comment on Casual talk thread in ~talk

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    Building is super easy, it can be intimidating though. If you shop sales throughout the year you can build a very powerful computer for very little cash. I know that in recent weeks companies have...

    Building is super easy, it can be intimidating though. If you shop sales throughout the year you can build a very powerful computer for very little cash. I know that in recent weeks companies have been slashing prices on the first gen Ryzen processors/motherboards since they have released the next generation. If RAM prices will come back down then all will be right in the world once again!

    1 vote
  14. Comment on Casual talk thread in ~talk

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    Last week I decided I wanted to learn emacs so I could use org mode. There are tutorials, and guides online, but I would probably benefit from an actual paper book in hand because this is some...

    Last week I decided I wanted to learn emacs so I could use org mode. There are tutorials, and guides online, but I would probably benefit from an actual paper book in hand because this is some heavy stuff!

    1 vote
  15. Comment on Casual talk thread in ~talk

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    Rule of thirds. Start there. Then just be mindful of your background. After you are comfy with that start looking for leading lines, maybe some framing, play with perspective, and things of that...

    Rule of thirds. Start there. Then just be mindful of your background. After you are comfy with that start looking for leading lines, maybe some framing, play with perspective, and things of that nature.

    1 vote
  16. Comment on Casual talk thread in ~talk

    CR0W
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    I'm going to assume this is some sort of dating app!

    I'm going to assume this is some sort of dating app!

    1 vote
  17. Comment on Casual talk thread in ~talk

    CR0W
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    I have used my original Kindle touch for years, and got a new Paperwhite for Christmas. My only complaint is that sometimes it forgets my progress in books. I think I have narrowed it down to...

    I have used my original Kindle touch for years, and got a new Paperwhite for Christmas. My only complaint is that sometimes it forgets my progress in books. I think I have narrowed it down to loading books with Calibre and just unplugging the Kindle rather than ejecting it. Since I have started making sure to eject it before disconnecting the USB then it has worked perfectly. I do enjoy being able to read in the dark without disturbing anyone!

    1 vote
  18. Comment on Casual talk thread in ~talk

    CR0W
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    I put up a nest box for Bluebirds last year, and used an app from Cornell University to update the progress regularly. It's called nestwatch if I remember correctly. I have a new phone and haven't...

    I put up a nest box for Bluebirds last year, and used an app from Cornell University to update the progress regularly. It's called nestwatch if I remember correctly. I have a new phone and haven't downloaded it again. This spring I put the nest box up again, and once again I had a family move in. They built a nest, raised some babies, then they took off. I saw a stupid House Sparrow move in and make a mess, so I cleaned up the box and before too long had the Bluebirds making a nest once again.

    They have already laid more eggs which have hatched and it won't be too much longer before they fledge. I don't think they have time to lay another clutch before they start their trek south, but then again they might be able to pull it off. I like to think it's the same family returning each year, or their offspring, but there is no way for me to know for certain. They are interesting to watch.

    5 votes
  19. Comment on Anybody "hobonichi" or bullet journal? in ~hobbies

    CR0W
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    I've had the notebook for a couple days actually, just waiting on the cover to arrive before I start using it. My only complaint is the lack of a bookmark, but the cover solves that problem for...

    I've had the notebook for a couple days actually, just waiting on the cover to arrive before I start using it. My only complaint is the lack of a bookmark, but the cover solves that problem for me. Aside from that, this is the notebook slid out of the cover it ships with. It will come in handy when the time comes to add it to the shelves with my other "archived" notebooks. And this is one of the reasons why I wanted to give this notebook a shot, because it will lay flat without forcing it. In the photo I just opened it up randomly and let it lay however it fell, I am very happy with the binding. I almost hate to write in it!

    2 votes
  20. Comment on DIY ROV in ~creative

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    I will probably go with a battery pack, if I can find a spot welder cheap enough I might even build my own battery pack so it can have a custom fit into the hull. If i lived near the Gulf coast I...

    I will probably go with a battery pack, if I can find a spot welder cheap enough I might even build my own battery pack so it can have a custom fit into the hull. If i lived near the Gulf coast I would be trying to pick the brains of the people who operate/maintain ROVs out on the oil wells! I wanted to lose the tether so I could not worry about getting tangled, but I now think having it is a great way to ensure I don't lose the thing!