DoubleSupercool's recent activity

  1. Comment on Modern, abstract art makes me angry in ~arts

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    They imply those things…. in OUR culture because we have constructed that meaning for them, the same with resolving chords or melody progressions. Those things aren’t like “facts” of music....

    They imply those things…. in OUR culture because we have constructed that meaning for them, the same with resolving chords or melody progressions. Those things aren’t like “facts” of music. Different cultures can see things like happy/sad music as completely different.

    The point of music is still abstract. It’s a representation of a feeling, and they way that is expressed varies wildly from culture to culture.

    4 votes

  2. Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    Just started painting. No idea what I am doing, so acrylics and medium just creating a mess with brushes and palette knives. I always find an excuse not to do it, so it’s important to just do...

    Just started painting. No idea what I am doing, so acrylics and medium just creating a mess with brushes and palette knives. I always find an excuse not to do it, so it’s important to just do SOMETHING. Do it, finish it, do another.

    Just signed up for Ableton’s “rent to buy” academic version for Ableton Live. Honestly, that’s the way to do it. Monthly rental price and after 12 months, it’s yours outright. Went from dodgy copies to paying because it’s a good deal.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on Re-watched the Bourne Trilogy after several years, I understand now why it was so influential in ~movies

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the Bourne movies an almighty sharp left turn from the OTT campiness that James Bond had devolved into? You had all those Bond movies and then Austen Powers...

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the Bourne movies an almighty sharp left turn from the OTT campiness that James Bond had devolved into? You had all those Bond movies and then Austen Powers parodying spy films, and Bourne was back to spies being badasses.

    You can then see that kickstarting the grittier Bond reboots.

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Apple announces significant price increases for MacBooks, iPads, more in ~tech

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    I am using a Lenovo Loq with a 5070 in it. I forget the CPU. It’s okay and now our uni is mainly on sharepoint stuff, it plays well with windows obviously. However, the MacBook Pro really is a...

    I am using a Lenovo Loq with a 5070 in it. I forget the CPU. It’s okay and now our uni is mainly on sharepoint stuff, it plays well with windows obviously.

    However, the MacBook Pro really is a different beast for every day laptop use. It’s just sooooo much nicer to use.

    To be honest, nowadays I mainly use my laptop in clamshell mode with external everything in my office and then basic stuff in the classroom. The keyboard, screen, and track pad are pretty pants on the LOQ.

    When I was doing assistant work and doing my Masters, I was using my MBP everyday as my laptop and it was great. Yet to find a Windows machine that comes close, and if it does, they’re about the same price.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on The 2026 Steam Summer Sale is live (runs June 25 - July 9) in ~games

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    Yeah, it's very much a kludge that doesn't really work too well, unfortunately. It's just a baffling decision in 2026.

    Yeah, it's very much a kludge that doesn't really work too well, unfortunately. It's just a baffling decision in 2026.

    3 votes

  6. Comment on Apple announces significant price increases for MacBooks, iPads, more in ~tech

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    I remember back in the day when they used to have completely separate regional pricing. Got a fully specced out 17inch MBP with HD screen in Malaysia for well over $1000 less than back home. Ahhh,...

    I remember back in the day when they used to have completely separate regional pricing. Got a fully specced out 17inch MBP with HD screen in Malaysia for well over $1000 less than back home. Ahhh, the good old days.

    4 votes

  7. Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music

  8. Comment on The 2026 Steam Summer Sale is live (runs June 25 - July 9) in ~games

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    I was so disappointed that they STILL didn't provide a "no head bob" option in the 2nd. I couldn't continue with 1 due to nausea.

    I was so disappointed that they STILL didn't provide a "no head bob" option in the 2nd. I couldn't continue with 1 due to nausea.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on Apple announces significant price increases for MacBooks, iPads, more in ~tech

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    In Japan, even the Neo is very expensive, and underpowered for the money, even with edu discounts. Stuff basically doesn't go on sale here. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not the same as...

    In Japan, even the Neo is very expensive, and underpowered for the money, even with edu discounts. Stuff basically doesn't go on sale here.

    Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not the same as the US when it comes to tech prices.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on Apple announces significant price increases for MacBooks, iPads, more in ~tech

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    I couldn’t even afford the baseline MacBook on my research budget as a university lecturer BEFORE the price rises. After being a Mac user for over 15 years, I dropped them last year.

    I couldn’t even afford the baseline MacBook on my research budget as a university lecturer BEFORE the price rises. After being a Mac user for over 15 years, I dropped them last year.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Do you cook with cast iron? Is it the hassle everyone says it is? in ~food

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    Here in Japan, it’s standard to have a microwave/oven combos. Standalone ovens are extremely rare, and American sized ones are special import and setup :(

    Here in Japan, it’s standard to have a microwave/oven combos. Standalone ovens are extremely rare, and American sized ones are special import and setup :(

    1 vote

  12. Comment on What do you think is the best sandwich? in ~food

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    I absolutely need the coriander/cilantro/pakuchi, but I know somebody have a bad reaction to it. Apart from that, the crispy baguette is key. You need to look like a sandstorm hit your shirt after...

    I absolutely need the coriander/cilantro/pakuchi, but I know somebody have a bad reaction to it. Apart from that, the crispy baguette is key. You need to look like a sandstorm hit your shirt after you finish eating it.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on What do you think is the best sandwich? in ~food

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    Banh Mi, and I will fight anyone over that. Loser has to eat the other person's sandwich. So, no losers, really.

    Banh Mi, and I will fight anyone over that. Loser has to eat the other person's sandwich. So, no losers, really.

    12 votes

  14. Comment on Japan is gripped by mass allergies. A 1950s project is to blame. in ~enviro

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    Most of these forests are quite inaccessible and combined with a decrease in the numbers of skilled forestry managers and budgets to remove and replant trees, the problem isn’t going away anytime...

    Most of these forests are quite inaccessible and combined with a decrease in the numbers of skilled forestry managers and budgets to remove and replant trees, the problem isn’t going away anytime soon.

    8 votes

  15. Comment on Anyone playing Subnautica 2? in ~games

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    I am missing the sound of fish bumping into my craft :/

    I am missing the sound of fish bumping into my craft :/

    4 votes

  16. Comment on Tildes Survey #5: Pineapple on pizza? (Results) in ~talk

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    Mate, if you don’t like the crunchy saltiness of bacon or ham offset with the sweetness of pineapple, I don’t know what to tell you. More for me, I guess. Hawaiian pizza time at Costco here in...

    Mate, if you don’t like the crunchy saltiness of bacon or ham offset with the sweetness of pineapple, I don’t know what to tell you. More for me, I guess. Hawaiian pizza time at Costco here in Japan is the shining light in a year filled with shitty cardboard margherita and increasingly crappy combo

    3 votes

  17. Comment on In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud in ~tech

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    See also: guitarists and their obsession with "tone woods" for electric guitars. Most of them are fooling themselves that they can tell the difference and if it matters.

    See also: guitarists and their obsession with "tone woods" for electric guitars. Most of them are fooling themselves that they can tell the difference and if it matters.

    7 votes

  18. Comment on Mac advice for a long time Windows user in ~tech

    DoubleSupercool
    Link
    It's been a while since I have been on Mac, but as others have mentioned, IMO, shortcuts are WAY better and more consistent on Mac. Honestly, once I got used to it, doing daily work on a Mac was...

    It's been a while since I have been on Mac, but as others have mentioned, IMO, shortcuts are WAY better and more consistent on Mac. Honestly, once I got used to it, doing daily work on a Mac was way more pleasurable than Windows.

    I love the universal colour picker that let's you save custom colours and makes them available across all applications. I have no idea why this isn't standard on Windows.

    Their website seems kind of borked right now, but:
    https://www.publicspace.net/
    had some great apps when I was doing research involving hundreds of thousands of newspaper articles.: mainly A Better File Renamer and The Big Mean Folder Machine

    HEJ Stylus is basically a very nice Lazy Nezumi for Mac (smooths out pen strokes for art)
    https://hejstylus.com/

    Forklift was my go-to dual pane Finder replacement, but Fileside lets you organise tonnes of folders if you are working with things like lots of media
    https://binarynights.com/
    https://www.fileside.app/

    For window management I used Moom, but that has probably been surpassed these days
    https://manytricks.com/moom/

    1 vote

  19. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~transport

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    Regulations and accountability are for plebes.

    Regulations and accountability are for plebes.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books

    DoubleSupercool
    Link Parent
    I have the unabridged audio books and I don't know. Red Mars was great, but by the latter half of Green it really starts to chug and there are very long sections where it feels like someone just...

    I have the unabridged audio books and I don't know. Red Mars was great, but by the latter half of Green it really starts to chug and there are very long sections where it feels like someone just reading out an operations manual or a research paper versus telling an engaging story, which is really what science FICTION should be about.