FinnG's recent activity
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
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Comment on Marcus Ericsson races to victory in Indianapolis 500 – his third career IndyCar victory in fifty-two career starts in ~sports
FinnG LinkI was rooting for O'Ward as a McLaren fan, but I'm happy to see Ericsson win. I am not a big follower of Indy Car but the last few years I've tuned into the 500. I have to say that I'm an oval...I was rooting for O'Ward as a McLaren fan, but I'm happy to see Ericsson win. I am not a big follower of Indy Car but the last few years I've tuned into the 500. I have to say that I'm an oval convert. The strategy is always pretty awesome, and I love that you're basically guessing who's going to come out ahead in the last 20 laps or so.
I'm not sure why that's the case, but it seems to be pretty consistent that the last laps are always exciting.
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Comment on This isn’t the flattened curve we were promised in ~health
FinnG Link ParentInteresting, I've not heard/read/thought much about this. Do you have any specific articles/economists in mind?A number of economists are warning that this also has significant economic cost in addition to the cost to humanity.
Interesting, I've not heard/read/thought much about this. Do you have any specific articles/economists in mind?
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Comment on US unemployment checks are being held up by a coding language almost nobody knows in ~tech
FinnG LinkI often think that publicly funded software should be required to be open source (with some obvious exceptions). After all, if taxpayers paid for the software, shouldn't they be able to see the...I often think that publicly funded software should be required to be open source (with some obvious exceptions). After all, if taxpayers paid for the software, shouldn't they be able to see the software?
Anecdotally, it seems that we often hear about nightmare software projects that are billions over budget or massively out of date and I always wonder how and why we got into this state. I feel like it's probably because of lack of knowledge about how software works in government, and companies wanting to make as much money as possible - an interesting confluence between the public and private sectors. I feel like open sourcing things might go some way to fixing this sort of interaction.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
FinnG Link ParentI've not actually read any Robert Jordan - I didn't realise wheel of time was finished by Sanderson after Robert Jordan died! Definitely on my list to check out next.I've not actually read any Robert Jordan - I didn't realise wheel of time was finished by Sanderson after Robert Jordan died! Definitely on my list to check out next.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
FinnG LinkFiction: Oathbringer (Brandon Sanderson) This is the latest in a series (The Stormlight Archives) which I thoroughly recommend if you're into high fantasy. It's sort of reminiscent of A Song of...Fiction: Oathbringer (Brandon Sanderson)
This is the latest in a series (The Stormlight Archives) which I thoroughly recommend if you're into high fantasy. It's sort of reminiscent of A Song of Ice and Fire in that the books are very long and the world building is quite thorough, but I feel like the story is a lot more focused. GRRM has a tendency to ramble a bit about things that aren't necessarily relevant. I'm listening to the audiobook and the two narrators (one for the male characters, one for the female) are absolutely fantastic and really sell the story. The world and plot is so packed full of tiny details that I'm sure I'm missing a bunch. I'm already looking forward to a second read through in a year or two, which is something I've only ever done with a handful of books! It's the first Brandon Sanderson book/series that I've read and I'll definitely be checking out his other stuff. Any suggestions?
Non-fiction: Prisoners of Geography (Tim Marshall)
This was recommended to me by my dad at Christmas, and I'm slowly getting through it. I'm reading the physical book which I always take a bit slower than audio books. It's a really interesting take on geopolitics. Each chapter explains the geography of a different country and goes on to explain how that countries geography affects the countries politics. It's quite information dense and there's a lot to digest in each chapter. I've been finding the arguments put forward very convincing, but I often wonder if it's just because Tim Marshall good at putting his arguments in a really clear and concise way that I'm partial to. I also wonder whether that even matters! The fact that each chapter is completely isolated almost makes it like a collection of essays on the same topic, rather than a book, but I quite like that it lets me dip in and out whenever I want without feeling the need to compulsively keep reading!
I'm always looking for recommendations. Let me know if there's anything that you think it sounds like I might like.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
FinnG Link ParentI love that series! I thought the time jump between books 6 and 7 was really interesting. It's the sort of thing that I think could have ruined the series if it wasn't done right but for whatever...I love that series! I thought the time jump between books 6 and 7 was really interesting. It's the sort of thing that I think could have ruined the series if it wasn't done right but for whatever reason it has worked pretty well in this particular instance.
I think it's been a good way to add a new layer of development to all the characters. We got to see them all gaining notoriety in their youth, now we get to see what happens to them as the world around them changes and they get older. Really looking forward to the next book in this series later this year.
I watched the first episode of Kenobi yesterday (no spoilers). I'm happy with where they're taking it so far, and definitely intrigued to watch more. With Mando, now Kenobi (Boba Fett was enjoyable, but the second half of the season, whilst still good was a bit problematic), I have to wonder whether Disney have figured out how to do justice to the Star Wars IP.... I don't think we'll get a definitive answer to that until they make some more films though.