DrStone's recent activity
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Comment on Regarding travel agency exoticca.com in ~travel
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Comment on Mac advice for a long time Windows user in ~tech
DrStone Link ParentmacOS has some similar features now. Change Battery Settings - Battery Health My Macbook stays connected, so it's usually holding at 80%.macOS has some similar features now.
Change Battery Settings - Battery Health
- Optimised Battery Charging: To reduce battery ageing, have your Mac learn your daily charging routine. Then your Mac delays charging past 80% when it predicts that you’ll be plugged in for an extended period of time and aims to fully charge the battery before you unplug.
- Manage battery longevity: Reduce peak capacity to optimise the battery’s lifespan. See the Apple Support article About battery health management in Mac laptops.
My Macbook stays connected, so it's usually holding at 80%.
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Comment on Mac advice for a long time Windows user in ~tech
DrStone Link ParentThere's a lot that iTerm can do an can customize, but one feature that I use a lot are the split panes. In Terminal.app, "split pane" just gives you two views of the same session - type in one,...There's a lot that iTerm can do an can customize, but one feature that I use a lot are the split panes. In Terminal.app, "split pane" just gives you two views of the same session - type in one, shows up in the other. I guess this has some uses. In iTerm, each pane is a completely separate session, which I find extremely useful and flexible.
iTerm also has native support for
tmux, which I know a lot of people use. -
Comment on NASA’s science budget won’t be a train wreck after all in ~space
DrStone LinkOn Monday, Congress made good on those promises, releasing a $24.4 billion budget plan for NASA as part of the conferencing process, when House and Senate lawmakers convene to hammer out a final budget. The result is a budget that calls for just a 1 percent cut in NASA’s science funding, to $7.25 billion, for fiscal year 2026.
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NASA’s science budget won’t be a train wreck after all
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Comment on Looking for goals, mostly fitness but other are cool too in ~health
DrStone Link ParentMy wife very recently started a beginner routine from Caroline Girvan on youtube. From that I saw, there's a little preview video of the next motion, at least the first time it is done (I can't...My wife very recently started a beginner routine from Caroline Girvan on youtube. From that I saw, there's a little preview video of the next motion, at least the first time it is done (I can't remember if it's done every time the same motion comes up again after that).
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Comment on Moving back to the US (after 7+ years living in Germany) in ~life
DrStone Link ParentWhen I moved internationally, I disassembled my PC and packed all of the parts sans case into anti-static bags in one of my suitcases for the personal flight, padded with bubble wrap, clothes, and...When I moved internationally, I disassembled my PC and packed all of the parts sans case into anti-static bags in one of my suitcases for the personal flight, padded with bubble wrap, clothes, and such. Buy a case on the other side, throw everything in, tell yourself you'll do better cable management this time, and off you go.
Make sure the parts are packed in the bag such that they're easy to scan, easy to access, and easy to repack; there's a good chance flight security will want to take a look when it rolls through the scanner.
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
DrStone Link ParentSame where I grew up. Mom/Dad for parents. Aunt/Uncle Firstname for adults within the family (exception for Grandma/Grandpa). Dr/Mr/Mrs Lastname for adults we knew outside the family, occasionally...Same where I grew up. Mom/Dad for parents. Aunt/Uncle Firstname for adults within the family (exception for Grandma/Grandpa). Dr/Mr/Mrs Lastname for adults we knew outside the family, occasionally using Firstname instead of Lastname with the honorific. Sir/ma'am for all other adults (when we didn't know a lastname). All kids, older or younger, family or stranger, were simply Firstname or nickname or lastname (or "hey you") as preferred, no honorifics. Also worth noting that we really only used their names when necessary, like greeting, calling for their attention, or talking about them – an answer to an adult in conversation could just be "yes" instead of "yes, sir".
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Comment on Are you still using social media? in ~tech
DrStone Link ParentOn rare occasion, you'll hit it off immediately with someone so well that you'll want to find any excuse to meet up. Much more often it's simply repeated exposure, whether it's working together,...On rare occasion, you'll hit it off immediately with someone so well that you'll want to find any excuse to meet up. Much more often it's simply repeated exposure, whether it's working together, seeing other regulars at the gym, getting the same waiter at a local restaurant, chatting with other parents waiting around at school dropoff/pickup, whatever. Some environments and/or events lend themselves to deeper connection faster than others, but at some point there might be enough of a rapport or discovery of a shared interest that makes a "hey, you wanna [hang out | do thing | attend event] together" feel appropriate.
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Comment on I need to tell you why coffee makes you poop in ~food
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I need to tell you why coffee makes you poop
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Comment on Want to get in the gym? Here are some tips from a beginner.* in ~health
DrStone Link ParentIt really helps to watch some youtube channels that focus on form to get started (you can ignore the hyper-optimizations, tier lists, deep dives into research, and all that). When you start the...It really helps to watch some youtube channels that focus on form to get started (you can ignore the hyper-optimizations, tier lists, deep dives into research, and all that). When you start the lift yourself, using very low weight and putting your mental focus on the muscles and joints are supposed to be working, you'll be surprised how much even a beginner can tell about the form based on what feels smooth and what feels a little weird/off. With low weights and controlled movement, the risk of serious injury is pretty low. Most of the dangerous poor form shows up when "ego lifting" more than you can actually handle.
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Comment on Want to get in the gym? Here are some tips from a beginner.* in ~health
DrStone LinkI wholeheartedly agree that routine is the number one priority. For many, your advice to be kind to yourself and how to set a motivational goal will work probably well. I'm still a beginner - only...I wholeheartedly agree that routine is the number one priority. For many, your advice to be kind to yourself and how to set a motivational goal will work probably well. I'm still a beginner - only 6 months in at 5 days a week (not the first streak in my life though) - but I'd like to offer nearly the opposite advice on those two points for people to think about. I hate working out. I don't look forward to it, I don't feel good doing it, I don't feel good or energized or happy after it, and there's a million other things I'd rather spend that time on, but I persevere because I want both the eventual functional and aesthetic results.
I suggest you do not be kind to yourself. Well, be kind after a slip up and get back on track, but don't be lenient. Outside of exceptional circumstances like a serious medical issue or attending a special event, do now allow any excuses to skip a workout, and build your schedule with this in mind. Once you let yourself off the hook once, it gets easier to do so again. Coming back after a whole week (or longer) can be miserable. Make up a single lost day on the weekend. You can lift just fine through a mild cold, being tired, being a bit sore (DOMS), feeling unmotivated, whatever. De-load if necessary, but only after trying and failing your normal volume and reduce just enough to succeed with great effort. When injured, perform whatever unaffected lifts are possible at normal volume, and either swap affected lifts for a variant that works (e.g. forearm tendon pain with standard curls -> hammer curls) or at least with some lightweight active recovery.
As a beginner, even reasonable strength and aesthetic goals will be so far off (even with newbie gains) that it can feel like you're never going to reach it. Instead, I suggest focusing entirely on the numbers – specifically making them go up (progressive overload). The goal of each workout should make the numbers go up in some way, even if it's a single extra rep or a tiny bit more weight for one rep on only one of the exercises while maintaining the rest. That is a clear, direct measurement of progress showing the unpleasant time put in wasn't in vain. Once you've gotten the routine established for a long while and have fully grasped the realistic pace of progress, you can set more specific milestones - numeric or otherwise - to work toward if that's your thing.
On a more lighthearted note, I'd add a recommendation to increase your fiber if you do substantially increase your protein intake. Your bowels will thank you.
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Comment on What's your favorite RSS reader? in ~comp
DrStone LinkI use a free account with Inoreader to track and manage my feeds, with Unread on iOS as a minimalist client. Unread can manage the feeds directly, but I was already set up with Inoreader when I... -
Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life
DrStone Link ParentAbout the audio books in the background while playing: Have you see any increase in their need for stimulation, in particular multiple concurrent sources of stimulation? There's been a few...About the audio books in the background while playing: Have you see any increase in their need for stimulation, in particular multiple concurrent sources of stimulation? There's been a few articles on Tildes discussing things like changes to shows and movies knowing that more people are "watching" while also scrolling on their phones; this is a phenomenon I see constantly in people around me (incomprehensible to me with subtitled shows). On the other hand, it's near universal to at least occasionally listen to music while doing another task, though that feels different than a narrated story for reasons I can't quite put my finger on.
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Comment on You're not crazy. The bugs are disappearing. in ~enviro
DrStone Link ParentI've had similar experience with the Terro brand liquid ant baits. The same ants that go nuts for this stuff (and then go... away) could not care less about Combat, Raid, and some of the other...I've had similar experience with the Terro brand liquid ant baits. The same ants that go nuts for this stuff (and then go... away) could not care less about Combat, Raid, and some of the other household name brands.
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Comment on The risks of AI toys for kids in ~tech
DrStone LinkAI toys use chatbots to have conversations with kids. With new tech comes new risks, from inappropriate content [drugs, sex, dangerous objects] to long-term social developmental harms [and privacy & security concerns].
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The risks of AI toys for kids
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Comment on How do you plan out your meals for the week/meal prep? in ~food
DrStone Link ParentOh yeah, whole chickens are great. They're gift that keeps on giving. Roast chicken the first day, chicken salad or pita with leftovers the second day, soup from the carcass and scraps the third...Oh yeah, whole chickens are great. They're gift that keeps on giving. Roast chicken the first day, chicken salad or pita with leftovers the second day, soup from the carcass and scraps the third day. You can even collect the chicken fat and use it in cooking other dishes.
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Comment on How do you plan out your meals for the week/meal prep? in ~food
DrStone LinkBetween work and kids, I've fallen into a system that requires almost no upfront planning week-to-week. I have a set of common "formats", a set of simple preparations, and a set of core flexible...Between work and kids, I've fallen into a system that requires almost no upfront planning week-to-week. I have a set of common "formats", a set of simple preparations, and a set of core flexible ingredients. These can be mixed and matched on the fly and all come out reasonably well. Formats are like protein + carb + veg, pasta + [something] sauce, rice + topping, assorted stuff in pita or taco, etc. Simple preps are like cubed + roasted, stir-fried/sauteed, steamed, baked. Ingredients are like chicken breast, salmon, tofu, minced beef/pork, onion, garlic, beans, etc. Also a small selection of versatile shelf-stable seasonings (this can be built up over time - avoid specialty/single-purpose things). Stock your freezer and pantry with this in mind. Weekly grocery shopping will become simply replenishing the stock and grabbing whatever fresh veg is in season. You'd be amazed how many combinations you can make from those and how easy it is to decide/swap on the fly based on how you're feeling and how much time you've got to make it. Tools like rice cookers and slow cookers and pressure cookers can open up even more possibilities with the same ingredients with very little active effort or planning.
Weekends can be handled the same way until you come across a recipe or ingredient that actually inspires you to spend the time.
I've been burned enough times by middlemen (travel agencies, hotel/flight booking sites, etc.) that I always book directly with hotels and airlines. Even when they're not the direct cause of things going sideways, middlemen are an extra complication in the resolution process.