DrStone's recent activity
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Comment on Everyday/week seems to fly by as I get older, how to change one's perception? in ~life
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Comment on The American religion of self-storage facilities in ~life
DrStone Link ParentI was in a very similar situation. Humidity damage in storage can be bad, so I went with an conditioned unit. Sold most of the big furniture. Gave away things that I knew my friends could put to...I was in a very similar situation. Humidity damage in storage can be bad, so I went with an conditioned unit. Sold most of the big furniture. Gave away things that I knew my friends could put to good use, particularly if they might degrade anyway sitting around indefinitely. After a year or two away and paying the monthly charges, I finally accepted that it would make more sense with even my absolute minimum timeframe (>5yr) to just move the small valuables/sentimental stuff either to my parents' place or bring them with me, dump the rest, release the unit, and buy new stuff whenever I move back
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Comment on Billing for web hosting in ~comp
DrStone Link ParentYou're thinking of delphi getting 34 million requests a month with free cloudflare hosting.You're thinking of delphi getting 34 million requests a month with free cloudflare hosting.
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Comment on McDonald’s built a 515-page dossier on me in ~tech
DrStone Link Parent[In my country] The app is explicitly states when things will be made. If you order dine-in or take-out with the app, it gets started (more accurately, put in the queue) the same as if you ordered...[In my country] The app is explicitly states when things will be made. If you order dine-in or take-out with the app, it gets started (more accurately, put in the queue) the same as if you ordered in person at the counter or kiosk and you have ~1h to pick it up. If you order drive-thru, it doesn't get started at all until reach the drive-thru and tell them your mobile order number.
I always order in the app unless I'm already at the location. I live a few minutes away by car, so for dine in doing it this way means hot food with zero wait. For drive thru, I vastly prefer seeing the complete menu and getting precise orders (with optional customization) in the system over using the crappy intercom with a person.
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Comment on Uppercase - A daily word puzzle in ~games
DrStone Link ParentThe answers are not a known phrase. Today's category was "videogame enemies" and the phrase was just four enemy names together from one series "As & Bs & Cs & Ds"The answers are not a known phrase. Today's category was "videogame enemies" and the phrase was just four enemy names together from one series "As & Bs & Cs & Ds" -
Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
DrStone Link ParentWhat planned obsolescence are you talking about? ~ sent from my iPhone 11 Pro, a 7 year old phone going strong and still supported in the upcoming iOS releaseWhat planned obsolescence are you talking about?
~ sent from my iPhone 11 Pro, a 7 year old phone going strong and still supported in the upcoming iOS release
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Comment on Malaysia starts cloud seeding to help clear toxic haze in ~enviro
DrStone LinkIndonesia still practices slash-and-burn land clearing for farming. Combine that with a lot of carbon-rich peat and the dry monsoon season, and you get the annual smoke out of its neighbors like...Indonesia still practices slash-and-burn land clearing for farming. Combine that with a lot of carbon-rich peat and the dry monsoon season, and you get the annual smoke out of its neighbors like Malaysia and Singapore. It lasts between one to two whole months. ASEAN generally follows a non-interference policy, plus worry about economic and diplomatic relations, so everyone just huffs pollution for a while every year with no real end in sight.
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Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech
DrStone Link ParentI recently learned that you can name timers too. Very helpful when you've got more than one going.I recently learned that you can name timers too. Very helpful when you've got more than one going.
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Comment on What made that wedding that you attended particularly memorable? in ~life
DrStone Link ParentThe bus! I had forgotten about this, but weddings with busses between the hotel(s) and the venue were great. Not only were they their own little pre and post party, but they absolutely improved...The bus! I had forgotten about this, but weddings with busses between the hotel(s) and the venue were great. Not only were they their own little pre and post party, but they absolutely improved safety for the majority of the guests.
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Comment on What made that wedding that you attended particularly memorable? in ~life
DrStone LinkVenue helps a lot. The best one I went to was at some farm on a hill, converted of course to a fancy event venue. The neighboring plots were still farms. I vaguely recall one even had some sheep...Venue helps a lot. The best one I went to was at some farm on a hill, converted of course to a fancy event venue. The neighboring plots were still farms. I vaguely recall one even had some sheep that wandered up to the fence. Up on that hill, with nothing but low farmland all around, the sunset and night sky were fantastic. They had a bunch of comfy chairs and tables set up outside so you could take a break from the dance party, relax with some friends, and enjoy the view.
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Comment on Post-tooth extraction diets! in ~food
DrStone (edited )Link ParentI fully agree with this. I had all four wisdom teeth removed in one morning then had a hamburger, fries, and salad for dinner. The dentist gave me a little plastic irrigation bottle to clean the...I fully agree with this.
I had all four wisdom teeth removed in one morning then had a hamburger, fries, and salad for dinner. The dentist gave me a little plastic irrigation bottle to clean the holes after meals. Their only warning was to avoid truly hard foods that won't soften - like peanuts - which could lodge a chunk in the hole that irrigation would not be able to remove.
It'll be a bit trickier with a molar more upfront than a wisdom tooth, but I think as long as OP pays attention and chews on the good side, they're probably fine.
Edit: That said, I'm now remembering a friend who's face swelled up like a chimpmunk for a few days after extraction, so YMMV
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Comment on Peter Cullen dead: 'Transformers' Optimus Prime voice was 85 in ~movies
DrStone Link ParentI'm sure there have been similar reactions to celebrity deaths in the past (john lennon, Princess Diana, etc.), especially if not by natural causes, though it definitely feels more widespread now....I'm sure there have been similar reactions to celebrity deaths in the past (john lennon, Princess Diana, etc.), especially if not by natural causes, though it definitely feels more widespread now.
I'm an elder millennial, and I don't really remember my parents talking about celebrity deaths much beyond dinner table small talk as well. A few things come to mind. TV and movies have expanded so far beyond what my parents grew up with, both in volume and in local->national->global reach. Combined with the explosion in budgets and marketing, they're just more present in people's lives from a young age now. We also saw the normalization of 24-hour newscycles needing to ~beat a dead horse~ fill the time, plus cable tv channels like E! Entertainment Television filling the whole day specifically with celebrity gossip. Millenials in particular seem to be very nostalgic, though it may just be my bubble, so seeing celebrities they "grew up with" die hits them hard. And of course we have The Internet - an insane multiplier of every thought and hot take across the globe with platforms that incentivize more extreme and performative expressions and parasocial relationships, which simultaneously gives the appearance of a stronger reaction and very likely stirs actually stronger reaction in a feedback loop.
Personally, to feel more than a bit of sadness it takes a celebrity who personally made the world a meaningfully better place, far beyond their characters or filmography/discography. Truly great role models and forces for good, like Fred Rogers and Dolly Parton. And even then, personally, they get a teary-eyed remembrance. I can't understand the people mourning as if the celebrity was their parent or sibling or life-long best friend.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
DrStone Link ParentRe:Tangent - Totally agree. Now that you've called attention to it, I realize we do this in our own family and household. Seems to work nicely. Keeps things light unless they're serious,...Re:Tangent - Totally agree. Now that you've called attention to it, I realize we do this in our own family and household. Seems to work nicely. Keeps things light unless they're serious, encourages proactively checking on each other and offering help, and shows the kids that even adults have these problems.
Re:Non-Tangent - "Pain is weakness leaving the body" is a common military and fitness mantra, possibly originating in the US Marine Corps. I was using it here to encompass all of the toughness-is-superior philosophies - no pain no gain, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, suck it up and toughen up, don't cry or whine, feelings and fear are for the weak and you should be ashamed, your pain is not real and is not an excuse, just pick yourself up and push on.
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Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
DrStone Link ParentThis is what I've read in multiple studies, and have seen it first hand multiple times even within the same individual. Kids that could take a rough tumble and get right back to running with their...This is what I've read in multiple studies, and have seen it first hand multiple times even within the same individual. Kids that could take a rough tumble and get right back to running with their friends as long as any adult response is calm or silly, but later completely break down after the slightest bump if grandma comes running from across the room "oooooh noooo, poor baby! that must have really hurt! are you ok!? let me hold and rock you." The other extreme is "pain is weakness leaving the body" crowd are also messing up their kids coping skills, but it seems most parents in the modern times thankfully don't follow that anymore (at least publicly).
Of course the usual caveats about individual personalities and needs still apply.
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Comment on Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful in ~tech
DrStone LinkIs this new, or maybe newly more consistent? Looking through my email archive, I see Amazon confirmation emails as far back as 2019 with minimal detail. Just "Thank you for shopping with us. We’ll...Is this new, or maybe newly more consistent? Looking through my email archive, I see Amazon confirmation emails as far back as 2019 with minimal detail. Just "Thank you for shopping with us. We’ll send a confirmation when your items ship." with subtotal/total, estimated delivery date, where it's shipping to, and an order number linked to the status page behind a login. There are some mixed in with more detail, some template changes over the years, and some country/region differences.
That said, I'm torn. On the one hand, as a customer I love the convenience of having all of my order info in emails. A single, "unified" place to search for order history across all vendors, no age limitations, no individual logins, no product data changes reflected. On the other, I've seen how information sitting in inboxes or public "secret" unauthenticated order status links can be found and used by bad actors, and so from a security and privacy standpoint I'm happy to see less information in emails.
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Comment on Browser fingerprinting demonstration in ~comp
DrStone LinkI tried this with a fairly stock Firefox and a fairly stock Chrome. I denied any extra permission popups. Unsurprisingly, Chrome gives away more, and more specifics. CPU: FF gave a family (X, or...I tried this with a fairly stock Firefox and a fairly stock Chrome. I denied any extra permission popups.
Unsurprisingly, Chrome gives away more, and more specifics.
- CPU: FF gave a family (X, or similar) while Chrome gave an exact model
- Chrome included battery percent and that a second display was attached, while FF did not
- FF Do Not Track was off, while Chrome was on
- FF and Chrome reported a different number of text-to-speech voices, though both reported a lot.
- Chrome provides "Idle Detection and Compute Pressure APIs" to detect when you've stopped touching your device, an API that apple and FF have explicitly declined because of the surveilance it enables.
Overall: FF 1 in 135.3 million | Chrome 1 in 146.8 million
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Comment on Suggestions for a LAN party in ~games
DrStone LinkI'm shocked that nobody has mentioned this LAN party classic: Age of Empires II (yes, technically the modern versions require internet connections for private hosted lobbies, but the original...I'm shocked that nobody has mentioned this LAN party classic:
Age of Empires II(yes, technically the modern versions require internet connections for private hosted lobbies, but the original supports true LAN. There are apparently third party / community tools for true LAN with modern versions)
Supports up to 8 people (teams or free-for-all)
Full platform support across Windows/Steam Deck/Mac
Retro - original release in 1999
Strategic and endlessly repayable -
Comment on Any significant changes to Tildes are extremely unlikely in ~tildes.official
DrStone Link ParentI was one of the minority that thought it was great! From what I can remember, a lot of people use vote count as a proxy for engagement with their posts and comments. A vote means at least someone...I was one of the minority that thought it was great!
From what I can remember, a lot of people use vote count as a proxy for engagement with their posts and comments. A vote means at least someone read what they wrote and thought it was worth something. Without some sort of feedback, short of a full comment reply, they felt like they were shouting into the void.
There's surely a way to provide some loose feedback like that without actual votes. If you're willing to accept some tracking (first party only), you could do some clever things like tracking time-on-screen of a post or comment, normalize it by average reading speed, and then provide some aggregate feedback viewable only to the author like "X users have read your post, Y have skimmed it, Z have skipped it, and N have returned more than once". There's all sort of things you could do here.
Of course the flip side to any feedback with a measurement - votes included - is gamification. Some of that can be mitigated by keeping it all private to the author, so there's no contest, but it can still be a useful tool for a scammer, spammer, or anyone else primarily looking to drive up engagement to their own posts rather than just participate in a community and feel seen.
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Comment on Others that also have an aversion to onions, when is it OK? in ~food
DrStone Link ParentI also started enjoying coffee in my 30s. I can't speak to @PraiseTheSoup's journey, but mine was having two kids under 2 at the time, and the local coffee in southeast asia being like two thirds...I also started enjoying coffee in my 30s. I can't speak to @PraiseTheSoup's journey, but mine was having two kids under 2 at the time, and the local coffee in southeast asia being like two thirds coffee (high-caffeine robusta), one third condensed milk and evaporated milk, and a scoop or two of sugar. That jet fuel kept me alive. After drinking it near daily for long enough, I started to actually notice the flavor other than SWEET, and from there tried more coffees. I still prefer tea as my daily hot beverage now that I can sleep again, but I do enjoy a nice coffee if we're out for brunch on the weekend.
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Comment on Others that also have an aversion to onions, when is it OK? in ~food
DrStone Link ParentI wouldn't be so sure. There's some things I didn't start liking at all until i was in my 30s, some things that I don't like much anymore, and a couple things I loved and later developed...I wouldn't be so sure. There's some things I didn't start liking at all until i was in my 30s, some things that I don't like much anymore, and a couple things I loved and later developed allergies. I wouldn't be surprised if they change again as I get older. Tastes and bodies are weird.
"the days are long, but the years are short"
The time dilation makes each day with young kids feel long, for good (and frustrating reasons - I fully empathize wth vord), but blink and it's their next birthday. I have never felt like the years have flown by even close to as fast as they do now with kids, even when my pre-parenting life was fairly routine.
(edit: fix typo)