Englerdy's recent activity
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Comment on Vermont's largest energy source is now a virtual power plant in ~enviro
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentOh that's neat, I can definitely see the case for a multitool when it's so compact like that as a "you have something when you're not carrying a pack with tools." That's going on my Christmas list...Oh that's neat, I can definitely see the case for a multitool when it's so compact like that as a "you have something when you're not carrying a pack with tools." That's going on my Christmas list for sure.
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentIt's not a bad idea, though I'm always bothered by the waste that comes with a box cutter for cases that don't necessarily benefit from the disposable blade. I don't mind that my EDC knives get...It's not a bad idea, though I'm always bothered by the waste that comes with a box cutter for cases that don't necessarily benefit from the disposable blade. I don't mind that my EDC knives get dull over time since I don't usually need a razor edge.
That said, that little box cutter looks like a great tool! Definitely something I'm going to look at picking up even if it doesn't become an EDC for me.
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentMy home air port does have the mail kiosk (though outrageously expensive to mail a knife all the same), so I've been fortunate to be able to mail a sentimental knife back. Another time the airport...My home air port does have the mail kiosk (though outrageously expensive to mail a knife all the same), so I've been fortunate to be able to mail a sentimental knife back. Another time the airport was slow and I found a sentamental shop worker who sold me some stamps and cardboard to make a package that I could toss in the nearby mail slot. Pure luck that time.
Is the modular multitool you're talking about a product, or something custom you're developing? Sounds cool!
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentIt's funny because you're the second person I've encountered who also feels more anxious packing early instead of right before they need to leave. Do you also tend to end up running about 5...It's funny because you're the second person I've encountered who also feels more anxious packing early instead of right before they need to leave. Do you also tend to end up running about 5 minutes late because it feels better to try to arrive to things right on time rather than early (but then as a result end up a little late instead)?
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentI still carry a knife with me on the daily, and yeah it's pretty soul crushing to have to throw away a knife at TSA. I think I've only had to throw one away, the other times I reached the airport,...I still carry a knife with me on the daily, and yeah it's pretty soul crushing to have to throw away a knife at TSA. I think I've only had to throw one away, the other times I reached the airport, realized I still had my knife and mailed it back. Was mailing it back more than what the knife was worth? Yes, but it's the principle of the matter!
Do you have a multi tool your recommend? I did some multi tool research a while ago while looking at putting together a work light gear/tool bag, but couldn't find a multitool that didn't feel like it'd be less useful than just carrying the individual tools separately in the bag (screwdriver, knife, pliers, etc). Curious if there's some functionality in a multitool I've overlooked though.
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Comment on The tantalizing possibility of locating consciousness in the brain in ~science
Englerdy Link ParentIt may be that I'm not understanding some of the nuance you're thinking of when you're describing patterns, but I don't see how desire fits into your conception of being a pattern matching machine...It may be that I'm not understanding some of the nuance you're thinking of when you're describing patterns, but I don't see how desire fits into your conception of being a pattern matching machine (I did look your comments below as well where you kind of touch on this, though not directly). For base level things like "I feel hungry (sensory input) so I should eat (output decision)" I can understand what you mean. But for abstract desires like wanting to do activities that are personally fulfilling and/or larger than oneself (art, music, potentially long term goal seeking), pattern matching feels like too simple of a model for consciousness.
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Comment on D6 TTRPG suggestions in ~games.tabletop
Englerdy (edited )LinkI don't have time for a long post unfortunately, but I've been playing Monster of the Week with a few friends and found it really fun. It uses the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system which in my...I don't have time for a long post unfortunately, but I've been playing Monster of the Week with a few friends and found it really fun. It uses the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system which in my opinion is pretty great if you want a tabletop game that still has some dice, but is more focused on collaborative story telling. Probably anything using the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system would be similar in that regard, but MotW is the week is the only game I've played so far that uses it.
I played an 5e campaign a few years ago and felt like the complexity of keeping track of the rules got in the way of having a fun story experience as a new playing. So I feel your friends plight and wish you luck on your quest!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy Link ParentProject Hail Mary was very fun to read. I haven't tried reading Artimis, but as I mentioned in my comment, I couldn't focus on the audiobook for the life of me. I had a lot of fun reading Project...Project Hail Mary was very fun to read. I haven't tried reading Artimis, but as I mentioned in my comment, I couldn't focus on the audiobook for the life of me. I had a lot of fun reading Project Hail Mary though. So might be worth just skipping to that one and then going back to Artemis another time.
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Comment on DuckDuckGo’s anti-AI sunglasses won’t spy on anyone in ~tech
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Comment on DuckDuckGo’s anti-AI sunglasses won’t spy on anyone in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentAs a daily DDG user I'm curious when you last tried using it. About 3 years ago I found Google's results becoming basically useless for most of my queries and switched to DDG. I've found it...As a daily DDG user I'm curious when you last tried using it. About 3 years ago I found Google's results becoming basically useless for most of my queries and switched to DDG. I've found it generally grabs pages that are a more literal match to what I typed and less of an interpretation with a heavy slant towards product pages and advertisements which is what Google's results were feeling like. I'm not saying DDG is phenomenal by any means, but it feels like search engine results have just gotten mediocre and polluted but SEO slop even before AI generated SEO slop was possible.
I also like that I can use !bangs to quickly divert my search to another engine if DDG isn't serving up what I wanted. So if I look through the results of a search and don't find what I'm looking for, I just quickly append !g, hit enter, and see what Google has. Pretty useful on that front for me and I still use Google when it's useful, it just doesn't feel like a great default anymore.
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Comment on I wanted a better Gemini web proxy, so I built a single-file PHP gateway in ~comp
Englerdy Link ParentHard not to read it and go "what a dick." ( *-_-)Hard not to read it and go "what a dick." ( *-_-)
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy Link ParentI'm all for a weird journey which is why I'm so disappointed HoL hasn't delivered for me. T.T I'm maybe more excited to finish it so I can Google stuff about it without getting accidental...I'm all for a weird journey which is why I'm so disappointed HoL hasn't delivered for me. T.T I'm maybe more excited to finish it so I can Google stuff about it without getting accidental spoilers. I'm going to be curious to read the range of opinions about what other people did and didn't like.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy Link ParentGotcha. That makes sense to me at least. Navigating my sunk cost vs cutting my losses on a book still feels tricky. But hey, cheers to starting something new!Gotcha. That makes sense to me at least. Navigating my sunk cost vs cutting my losses on a book still feels tricky. But hey, cheers to starting something new!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy Link ParentI am genuinely curious and say this without any sarcasm, why did you read them all if you weren't enjoying them? Like those are HUGE books right, so why not stop after the first? I genuinely like...I am genuinely curious and say this without any sarcasm, why did you read them all if you weren't enjoying them? Like those are HUGE books right, so why not stop after the first?
I genuinely like Sanderson, enjoyed the Mistborn Series and Wax and Wayne Series. I'll start the Stormlight Archives sometime in the next year and have a bunch of friends who loved the series. So your post gave me a really solid laugh just from the surprise of seeing someone who didn't enjoy them for a change. Which is great because my post was mostly me complaining about books I've finished that people rave about and just were not for me at all.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy Link ParentI definitely intend to keep going through the Dresden Files. 1 was fun, though again, constant peril, but then 2 kind of felt like a replay of 1. I didn't feel like it was bad, but maybe that's...I definitely intend to keep going through the Dresden Files. 1 was fun, though again, constant peril, but then 2 kind of felt like a replay of 1. I didn't feel like it was bad, but maybe that's also just because it wasn't long enough to start annoying me too bad. But the development in 4 started to go an interesting direction, so I'm intrigued.
I have a friend who also recommended Codex Alera so I'll probably start that either after or in between the Dresden books if I need a break.
For House of Leaves, I don't know if it's an ADHD thing or what, but there's some books people have raved about and I just cannot gain traction on them. I've been pushing through House of Leaves, but haven't found either narrative particularly interesting. Like the footnote author kind of sucks (and maybe he gets some kind of redemption, or his bad personality is the point? I don't know, guess I'll see). Then the way the main section narrative is written is very strange to me. It feels academic (and I've had to read and write my fair share of scholarly work, so maybe that's why I don't find it fun), but I keep finding myself having a hard time suspending disbelief because keep going, "there's no way anyone would take a couple short films this seriously that a guy would be able to get SO MANY HIGH QUALITY SOURCES." Who knows, I've still avoided much in the way of spoilers, so maybe the whole thing will turn around for me soon. And there's been moments where I was like "woah, that's a spooky idea, that's fun," but they've been so fleeting and I feel like I'm so close to the end without them ever really going anywhere. I'm at a part where Navidson has returned to the house with a bike.
Boy I've been trying to figure out how to articulate why I loved JS&MN so much since I finished it because I'm genuinely surprised I liked it so much. I didn't even know there was anything on Netflix, so maybe it helped I hadn't watched anything first? I normally struggle with books that start slow and establish the stage and all the characters first (Dickens and the like which is exactly the style Sussana Clarke was imitating, also Assassin's Apprentice which I though was awful), but somewhere between 20-30% I was completely locked in. So not sure how far you got, but once she's introduced and established the characters, the actual stories begin. And I stay stories rather than story because I think that's what I found really fun. Once the stage was set, the rest of the book felt like lots of interconnected short stories. There's certainly a larger plot, but just loads of interesting stories that could almost stand on their own along the way. And each one of them felt so layered and rich with texture. So many parts feel like you get a glance of something so much bigger and deeper. She gives enough to explain why things are happening, but never over explains and gave me a lot to sit and wonder about. When magic starts getting into the mix, there are lots of moments that feel kind of dreamy and surreal. I love surrealism in horror and like when fantasy uses it. I also think SC's depictions of Fae and classic British folklore are really well done (which also folds in with the surrealism). I just found myself constantly wanting more.
A bit rambly, but it's late, so best I could do. Thanks for engaging though!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy (edited )LinkI just wrapped up the fourth book in the Dresden Files series. They're pulpy as hell and a little repetitive, but interesting enough that I'm probably going to keep reading the series. They're...I just wrapped up the fourth book in the Dresden Files series. They're pulpy as hell and a little repetitive, but interesting enough that I'm probably going to keep reading the series. They're short compared to so much of what I've been reading lately so it's kind of fun to rip through a few books in a short time for a change. They definitely have their moments where I think they're pretty fun, but I don't think I'm quite the target reader. My most spoiler free gripe is that the formula feels like "the protagonist is constantly in peril and perpetually weaselling out by the skin of his teeth." It's just constant action and kind of exhausting. I don't find any of the characters to be particularly compelling and find myself distracted by how dramatic it constantly is. The books are kind of like a desert that's just way too sweet so it's not satisfying, but you also keep taking bites since it's in front of you and there's nothing better at hand.
I'm also hobbling through House of Leaves. I think I'm near the end and boy is this book not for me. I was so excited because of the way I've seen people talk about it, and feel bummed that it didn't turn out to be the fun I was hoping for. I went into it pretty blind other than knowing it was weird and supposedly did fun stuff through the physical structure of the book. I'll hold off from turning my comment into a complaint party, but if someone else didn't like it can you let me know so I don't feel like there's just something wrong with me because I "just don't get it?" I borrowed it from my brother and he also wasn't a fan, so I feel better knowing it's not just me that hasn't enjoyed this mythic book, but it's still a bummer.
I also just finished Daggerspell which took me a year to get through. I wanted so badly to like it. I really did. Probably should have DNFed it, but by time I was feeling that I was close enough to the end that I just finished it. It just took such a bizarre turn around 10% and that probably would have been a fine point for me to just put it down, but I was hoping I'd find the world interesting so I kept pushing. But no, it never did really recover for me. ಠ ل͟ ಠ I have been hoping to read more classic sword and sorcery pieces, but now I'm feeling kind of burned from this book.
I'm really just looking for anything that can stoke the sense of enchantment that Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel gave me. By far probably my favorite of all time that I read last year. Waiting for my turn to get the author's next book from the library because I suspect I'll get some of the same feelings. If anyone has other recommendations though I'm all ears.
I guess thanks for giving me a space to complain about my recent duds!
Edit: ok I was pretty close to done with HoL and just finished it. Did some googling and found people discussing hidden codes and layers to it. And honestly, meh? Since it didn't hook me early on (or even later on) like some people describe I can now confidently say it's not for me. I won't turn this into a complaint party, but I can now confirm that even after some searches about the deeper mysteries of the book I don't even find those particularly compelling or interesting. Heckin' bummer, but hey, I finished it without skipping anything, so I'm glad I chased it to the end just to be sure.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy Link ParentI need to try giving this one another shot as a book because I don't remember anything from listening to it as an audiobook. Then Project Hail Mary blew me away a couple years later because my...I need to try giving this one another shot as a book because I don't remember anything from listening to it as an audiobook. Then Project Hail Mary blew me away a couple years later because my expectations were so low.
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Comment on Google Assistant shutting down on Android and Wear OS in September in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentThat's a good point, I forgot about that. I have my digital assistant set to Firefox right now (which doesn't do anything, so it's a nice placeholder in that respect), but realized a couple months...That's a good point, I forgot about that. I have my digital assistant set to Firefox right now (which doesn't do anything, so it's a nice placeholder in that respect), but realized a couple months ago that I could no longer use voice commands while driving. I haven't had time to tinker and figure out how to expose the limited amount of functionality to use voice with Android Auto without having the full assistant enabled. I thought I had it working on my S10 (changed to a Xcover Pro 7 at the new year), and haven't had as much time to mess with it.
Maybe it's no longer as easy to mostly lock out the assistant except for when using Android Auto. I haven't really looked into Graphene (other than knowing it exists), but does it have its own agent? Can't imagine Gemini is super compatible with what the project is trying to accomplish.
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Comment on Google Assistant shutting down on Android and Wear OS in September in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentYou can always just disable the digital assistant. I've never used Bixby, Google Assistant, or Gemini on my phones. I just go through and disable and lock them out (hasn't been too hard to find...You can always just disable the digital assistant. I've never used Bixby, Google Assistant, or Gemini on my phones. I just go through and disable and lock them out (hasn't been too hard to find the right settings) because I find the assistants to intrude at weird times. I'm sure it's not fully shut down, but shut down enough. I've never found their integration into the phone to be useful for how I'd want to use them.
Aquious Metal Cells look really promising. As far as I can tell they're basically self contained fuel cells. I've heard a presentation from this company, Enervenue, and one of the most interesting take aways to me was essentially "we couldn't figure out how to get these to combust." The cells produce hydrogen inside as part of the charging process, so theoretically there could be a failure mode that could cause a fire, but the company hasn't found a way to make it happen. Not sure if another company will be able to compete with them (can't remember if it's a trade secret or patent), but would love to see more stuff like this.