Eric_the_Cerise's recent activity

  1. Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    Mine would be the (fairly recent) realization that, when people (think they) are debating the pros and cons of Linux distros ... very often, without realizing it, they're actually debating the...

    Mine would be the (fairly recent) realization that, when people (think they) are debating the pros and cons of Linux distros ... very often, without realizing it, they're actually debating the pros and cons of the DEs they used to try out those distros.

    3 votes

  2. Comment on Are there any witches on Tildes? in ~hobbies

    Eric_the_Cerise
    (edited )
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    I was a practicing Wiccan for about a decade, mostly in the '90s, before my readings and beliefs led me into Eastern religions/philosophies. Today, I am low-key religious, somewhere in the haze...

    I was a practicing Wiccan for about a decade, mostly in the '90s, before my readings and beliefs led me into Eastern religions/philosophies. Today, I am low-key religious, somewhere in the haze between Taoist and Buddhist -- but not in any strict, formal sense, and mostly just philosophically speaking.

    The first and foremost (unspoken) rule of Wicca is, kinda, there aren't any rules. Everyone is different, everyone finds their own path, there are no Gatekeepers deciding who gets to be what, etc. So, to a very large degree, anything I say about "this is how Wicca works" ... actually means, "this is how it worked for me, but YMMV".

    The first "official" rule is the Wiccan Rede, "An it harm none, do as ye will". And it's worth noting that "none" does not just mean human beings ... and "will" does not just mean "want", but is more of a formal declaration and recognition of the power of Will ... the things you focus your energy on, and put out into the world, have an effect, often more than you realize, and so, choose carefully what those things are.

    The second "official" rule is the Threefold Law, which is basically the Pagan version of karma ... your actions, the things you do in the world, reverberate back on you, threefold.

    Beyond that, yeah ... read, find like-minded folk, figure it out, make it up when you need to.

    Personally, I've always felt that Tarot -- and all such divinatory objects -- are purely tools. In my mind, when you say you were surprised that the cards worked well ... the cards aren't doing anything. You are good at divination, and you have found a tool that helps you focus your ability.

    Also, feel free to DM me if you want to chat privately or have more specific questions or whatever.

    Edit to add: The Spiral Dance by Starhawk, and Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler were the two books I held closest during my Wiccan Era ... not Bibles, exactly, but close. In fact, my other common online nickname is still "spiraldancing".

    5 votes

  3. Comment on Russian sanctions are fueling a Canadian car theft epidemic in ~society

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    Somebody send this to Brovdi. New target for Ukrainian drones....

    Somebody send this to Brovdi. New target for Ukrainian drones....

    1 vote

  4. Comment on Dolly Parton’s other legacy: a fortune given away, dollar by dollar in ~society

    Eric_the_Cerise
    (edited )
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    Can't see the original article, so maybe it covers this, but from the excerpts, sounds like it didn't. The Sevier Co. graduation scholarship thing was explicitly a "bring a friend" ... If you both...

    Can't see the original article, so maybe it covers this, but from the excerpts, sounds like it didn't.

    The Sevier Co. graduation scholarship thing was explicitly a "bring a friend" ... If you both graduated, you both got the scholarship; if either one of you did not graduate, neither of you got it.

    Personally, I believe that was the "hook" that made it so successful, rather than the "cold hard cash" part.

    Addendum ... Honestly, it seems like she had a real knack for coming up with winning strategies. The Imagination Library thing wasn't just "books for kids", it was a book a month sent from Dolly, right to each kid, personally, because Dolly thought that kid was awesome and deserved books ... I mean, you know, that's how it's presented. And as much as the books themselves, that Mr. Rogers-y "you are awesome just because you're you" messaging has to be a big part of the success.

    10 votes

  5. Comment on Dolly Parton, country music legend, dies at 80 in ~music

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    FWIW, I love Whitney's version ... but I prefer Dolly's version. Whitney's version is technically amazing to listen to, sends chills down my spine ... but compared to Dolly's version, it almost...

    FWIW, I love Whitney's version ... but I prefer Dolly's version.

    Whitney's version is technically amazing to listen to, sends chills down my spine ... but compared to Dolly's version, it almost feels like Whitney was just showing off.

    Dolly's version is intimate, and that song needs to be intimate.

    Addendum: Apparently, Dolly spent years trying to get Patti LaBelle to cover that song ... and then, after Whitney's version dropped, Patti regretted not taking Dolly up on it, when she had the chance.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on Dolly Parton, country music legend, dies at 80 in ~music

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    I watched this on YouTube ... they're sharing it there temporarily ... it is very well done, not made as a tribute video, just a well-researched documentary, but it holds up very well as a eulogy.

    I watched this on YouTube ... they're sharing it there temporarily ... it is very well done, not made as a tribute video, just a well-researched documentary, but it holds up very well as a eulogy.

    4 votes

  7. Comment on Can we talk about Dolly? in ~music

    Eric_the_Cerise
    (edited )
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    I'm with Lily Tomlin ... I still can't really find the words. I'm actually a bit surprised how much it's hit me; she was always just there in the background of my life. But it's a very short list...

    I'm with Lily Tomlin ... I still can't really find the words. I'm actually a bit surprised how much it's hit me; she was always just there in the background of my life. But it's a very short list of people, "count-on-one-hand-and-don't-need-my-thumb" kinda list, who I didn't actually know in person, whose death really hit me.

    The video I linked is actually a Nebula TV spot that they just released temporarily on YouTube, when the news hit. It is, effectively, an hour-long documentary about her that was not made as a post-mortem tribute, but which holds up pretty well for that.

    It leans pretty strongly to the Left (nothing i disagreed with personally, but consider yourself warned) ... but also, it really looks at the singular universality of her appeal.

    I mean, I defy you to name another celebrity that both the far-Left and far-Right would get into flame wars defending ... where Trump says "lower every flag to half-mast for a week" and every Democrat in the country is like "good move, Donald".

    Beyond the general "she was awesome and we're gonna miss her" nature of the news, I feel like there really was something unique about her, or at least really close to it, about the way she was just about the last person in America that everyone loved, regardless of their politics. And I feel like there should be some kind of lesson or strategy or something that we should be able to take from it.

    ...and yeah, I'm just rambling. No words.

    And Meta addendum ... kinda seemed weird to me that there was nothing posted on Tildes about Dolly Parton passing, which is why I posted this to get the conversation started ... and just now, I found the Dolly megathread that--for some reason--is not showing up for me, even in the "unfiltered" list. The only way I can find it is by explicitly searching for "Dolly" in the Tildes search form.

    9 votes

  9. Comment on Book banning: Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl in ~society

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    Reminder that the Books Unbanned project exists.

    Reminder that the Books Unbanned project exists.

    A Books Unbanned library card gives teens across the United States free digital access to ebooks and digital resources, including banned and challenged books—no matter where they live. Books Unbanned helps ensure teens can read what they like, explore new ideas and form their own opinions.

    This is a free digital library card for U.S. teens, created to protect the freedom to read in the face of growing book censorship.

    6 votes

  10. Comment on Ukraine planned to swarm Moscow airports with AI-guided drones (gifted link) in ~society

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    "Well why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?" "No way. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks." -- Michael Bolton

    "Well why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?"

    "No way. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks."

    -- Michael Bolton

    13 votes

  11. Comment on Daniel Ortega says Nicaragua will no longer hold elections in ~society

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    Reading the comments from Ortega is bizarre. He's fighting a battle, trying to stop the opposition from seizing control of the country ... and apparently, he just realized that elections are one...

    Reading the comments from Ortega is bizarre. He's fighting a battle, trying to stop the opposition from seizing control of the country ... and apparently, he just realized that elections are one way they could do that...

    9 votes

  12. Comment on Ukrainian forces strike twenty-one Russian tankers, four tugboats, two cargo ships in ~society

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    I've been thinking lately, how Ukraine has essentially instituted a naval blockade around Crimea despite, A) Ukraine not having a navy, and 2) Crimea not being an island.

    It also remains endlessly funny (in a morbid cosmic sort of way) that a nation without a fleet is winning the Naval war.

    I've been thinking lately, how Ukraine has essentially instituted a naval blockade around Crimea despite, A) Ukraine not having a navy, and 2) Crimea not being an island.

    9 votes

  13. Comment on Should the plural of "milf" be "milfs" or "milves"? in ~humanities.languages

  14. Comment on Should the plural of "milf" be "milfs" or "milves"? in ~humanities.languages

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    I would argue that the location has no bearing. Can you not still refer to "a pride of lions" in, eg, Canada, despite having no prides of lions roaming the Canadian savanna?

    I would argue that the location has no bearing. Can you not still refer to "a pride of lions" in, eg, Canada, despite having no prides of lions roaming the Canadian savanna?

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Should the plural of "milf" be "milfs" or "milves"? in ~humanities.languages

  16. Comment on Slate Truck preorder starts at $24,950 in ~transport

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    Anyone have any informed opinions on when/whether these will become available in the EU? Right offhand, it looks like that's not even on their radar (and--I suppose--understandably so), but yeah,...

    Anyone have any informed opinions on when/whether these will become available in the EU? Right offhand, it looks like that's not even on their radar (and--I suppose--understandably so), but yeah, this is exactly the kind of EV I'd go for -- and I mean, not even for the price, but for the bare-bones, DIY approach.

    3 votes

  17. Comment on Commodore Callback flip phone in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    Literally popped into Tildes just now, to post about this phone. Yeah, it's expensive, maybe too expensive. But it's also original. It's not a smartphone, it's not a dumbphone. It's neither iOS...

    Literally popped into Tildes just now, to post about this phone.

    Yeah, it's expensive, maybe too expensive. But it's also original. It's not a smartphone, it's not a dumbphone. It's neither iOS nor Android; it's a Linux phone, but not a weird techie niche thing. It has a removable battery (raise your hand if you're old enough to remember those).

    Color me intrigued.

    11 votes

  18. Comment on Shopping around for a new-and-improved backup solution in ~comp

    Eric_the_Cerise
    Link Parent
    I want "git-like" functionality. I don't just want to be able to restore the latest uncorrupted copy of my data, or to maintain "last 3 daily, last 3 weekly, last 3 monthly" snapshots, etc. I want...

    I want "git-like" functionality. I don't just want to be able to restore the latest uncorrupted copy of my data, or to maintain "last 3 daily, last 3 weekly, last 3 monthly" snapshots, etc.

    I want to be able to reliably roll back to any particular date/snapshot/version of a file, document or project. I want to be able to pull up a version from 2 years and 8 days ago, and diff it against my current copy. Things like that.

    I don't necessarily need this level of rollback specificity with my entire /home partition -- in fact, I definitely don't. But I do want this capability with a lot of my data, such as my Calibre libraries, almost everything in my Documents directory, etc.

    So I'm looking for a backup solution that can do that, for specific projects, directories, etc, and then I'll probably just continue using rsync--pretty much just the way I've been using it--for the left-overs.

    2 votes

  19. Shopping around for a new-and-improved backup solution

    ~comp Ask (advice)
    A few days ago, I posted this and quickly realized that the world of data backups is far richer than just sudo rsync -av --delete --exclude=Videos /home /home_bkup. So now I'm window shopping the...

    A few days ago, I posted this and quickly realized that the world of data backups is far richer than just sudo rsync -av --delete --exclude=Videos /home /home_bkup.

    So now I'm window shopping the top Linux-supported backup solutions: borg, duplicacy, kopia, restic and--oh look--a core borg dev just dropped his own new-and-improved solution, vykar.

    Restic was the first tool I started to research, and I thought I really liked it, got as far as installing, initializing a test repo, creating a couple of snapshots. But restic seems to be, hmm, fussy about the source and destination paths, absolute vs relative paths, etc.

    The fact that merely renaming a parent directory (or grandparent, or great-grandparent, etc) causes restic to treat every unchanged byte below that as brand new ... that's a recipe for giant, bloated repos, and it's unacceptable to me ... and hey, lookit that, borg does not do that. So now, restic is out and borg is in.

    But what other pros v cons are there, that I haven't even realized need to be considered? What advantages/disadvantages do other apps offer? Which ones can I easily automate with nightly/hourly cron jobs? Which ones have their own even-better automated solutions?

    Do I even want encryption? All of my drives/volumes are LUKS encrypted, and anything I would store remotely would also get encrypted before it ever left my LAN ... plus, I'm just a bit nervous about having the backups encrypted, requiring working, functional software to restore/recover data from them....

    That may not seem like such a big concern, perhaps, but I am currently working my way thru decrypting a bunch of 10-15 year old TrueCrypt-ed volumes, which requires using an old, outdated version of VeraCrypt and a somewhat "cross-my-fingers" effort to find KeePass repos old enough (also outdated, KeePass 1.0 repos) to still contain the various passwords I used to encrypt those ancient volumes ... but also still use new enough master passwords that I can still get the KeePass repos unlocked.

    With rsync, I can literally just go into any backup, find the specific version of the specific file(s) I want to recover, and manually copy it back to my workspace. Is anything like that option available in any of these deduplicated/encrypted solutions, even if they're not encrypted? If (eg) a borg repo is created w/o encryption, the data is still all just borg-specific blobs, right? Or can I navigate into the repo and just manually grab files?

    Oh yeah ... for reference, the past 10-ish years, my backup routine has been to create a new, dated, destination folder, starting with a full backup of my /home folder (excluding things like Videos, Music, VMs, other bulky stuff that gets backed up separately/differently), and then running nightly diff backups into the same folder, while also maintaining a "one-day-older" second backup of the whole thing on a 2nd HDD ... then, every 3-6 months, zipping up the current backup folder and starting a new one.

    At any rate, there you go; that's the kind of stuff I'm thinking about now, as I overhaul my 20-year-old, 20TB (but could be 2TB) backup system.

    Any and all feedback, recommendations, tips are welcome. Danke.

    18 votes

  20. Comment on Landmark German ruling declares Google's AI Overviews are Google's own words and makes it liable for false answers in ~tech

    Eric_the_Cerise
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    I didn't even know this. My focus was simply, "using Google AI to translate German court ruling that concludes Google AI can't be trusted to be accurate".

    I didn't even know this.

    My focus was simply, "using Google AI to translate German court ruling that concludes Google AI can't be trusted to be accurate".

    5 votes