HelmetTesterTJ's recent activity
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Comment on Why aren’t armed US citizens overthrowing the current government? in ~society
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Comment on Aerophobia is having a moment in ~health.mental
HelmetTesterTJ LinkRecommendation: If you haven't yet watched and want to fully enjoy The Rehearsal, skip the paragraph about The Rehearsal. The payoff is so much better as a surprise.Recommendation: If you haven't yet watched and want to fully enjoy The Rehearsal, skip the paragraph about The Rehearsal. The payoff is so much better as a surprise.
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Comment on ‘Dune: Part Three’ gets official title, will include sequences shot with IMAX cameras in ~movies
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentI'm only halfway through God Emperor of Dune, but if I'm honest, I'd take geo-isolationist agro-theocratic totalitarianism governed by prophetic long-view utilitarianism. Give me a prescient...I'm only halfway through God Emperor of Dune, but if I'm honest, I'd take geo-isolationist agro-theocratic totalitarianism governed by prophetic long-view utilitarianism. Give me a prescient Atreides, and I'll go canvas the neighborhood for them.
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Comment on Do you like being thrifty? in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentThis is when frugality pairs beautifully with other skills and hobbies. My wife doesn't love fixing things, but she does love having fixed a thing and, through so doing, saved money. To continue...Whatever savings you get on used, you pay for in time, in wasted energy...
This is when frugality pairs beautifully with other skills and hobbies. My wife doesn't love fixing things, but she does love having fixed a thing and, through so doing, saved money.
To continue Car Talk, we're going to go look at a Mercury Mariner today. It's got some sort of brake issue and can't be driven. We've got a car trailer. We don't know what that brake issue is yet, but she's confident she can fix it. It's most likely going to be the brake hose, a caliper/caliper slide pins, or the master cylinder, but there are other possibilities too. We'll see if we want an adventure, but for a car with only 120k miles, $1,500 is a hell of a deal.
We did the same thing with our Prius. We got a huge deal on it and had to do the head gasket, and master cylinder, and the brake pump below the master cylinder (I don't know what it's called; I just hold the flashlight). But we got a '14 Prius V with ATP with low miles for $6k.
I'm telling you, folks. You've got the brains and you've got the YouTube. If you can muster the gumption, quit buying from dealers and have some fun tinkering. Carvana is great if you want to conveniently buy newish for newish prices, but Facebook Marketplace, CraigsList, and local auction sites are full of fantastic opportunities for anyone who is willing to get a little oil on their hands.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ LinkA new season of Rocket League starts tomorrow. I sure hope they bring Snow Day back. It's my favorite mode, and it's presently out of rotation, so I've been slumming it in Rumble for the three...A new season of Rocket League starts tomorrow. I sure hope they bring Snow Day back. It's my favorite mode, and it's presently out of rotation, so I've been slumming it in Rumble for the three months.
So if you miss dealing with the most toxic fanbase in modern gaming, tomorrow's the day to get back into Rocket League.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
HelmetTesterTJ LinkLibby told me to try the First Formic War Trilogy by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston. I must've read the entire Ender/Bean octology five times in my teens, so I took it as a reasonable...Libby told me to try the First Formic War Trilogy by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston. I must've read the entire Ender/Bean octology five times in my teens, so I took it as a reasonable recommendation. I'm about half the way into the second book.
Some of the stuff it does well
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The tech is cool in a grounded way. Space tugs, asteroid mining ops, early fusion propulsion, the kind of near-future extrapolation that gives the setting a realistic texture. Like in Ender's Game, for example, there's no sci-fi imaginary artificial gravity; there's grav-boots and centrifugal (centripetal?) force. We also get an early introduction to the Doctor Device, which was very fun for me.
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The action scenes are well-paced and feel cinematic without being totally over the top. You get that tense "humanity is outmatched and scrambling" vibe pretty effectively.
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((Audiobooks, specifically)) - Decent voice acting. I'll take it. It's an ensemble cast, for better or worse. With the viewpoint consistently shifting throughout the series, I appreciate it. Stephen Hoye is a liiiiiiittle melodramatic at times, especially because some of the action scenes are several minutes long, and not every sentence needs to be breathy and intense. His performance reminded me of Conner from Love on the Spectrum (and I played my partner ten seconds of audio, and she said the same), so much so that I checked if Hoye narrated some fantasy Conner might've listened to.
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Some of the adult characters, like Mazer Rackham and Wit O'Toole, are decently fleshed out and carry the emotional weight of the story better than expected. The internal monologue of some of the "bad guys" is quite solid, fleshing them out as complex characters with conflicting ideals and motivations. Card's characterization is always is great, but on the other hand....
Some of the stuff that isn't working for me
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While the characterization is great, some of the characters themselves are unbelievable. Just like in the original series, the teen characters are rough. In the cold, harsh light of adulthood, they read like they were written by someone who was told they were gifted in middle school and never fully questioned it. The kids are unrealistically competent and philosophical; it breaks immersion constantly. As someone who was told they were ✨✨Gifted and Talented✨✨ all throughout childhood and grew up to be a disappointing nerd with ADHD, the characters seem like wishful thinking. Maybe I'm just a bitter old man.
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There’s a kind of idealized view of non-US cultures that feels very missionary-influenced (Card is Mormon, as is his co-author, and it shows). It’s not offensive so much as shallow, like his understanding of other cultures got locked in during his early 20s and hasn’t really evolved since, as though all of his understanding of Latin America and other cultures were from his time on his mission in Brazil and those cribbed from talking about foreign lands with other missionaries. While there's some stereotyping, it's mostly just tired tropes (Rackham performing a Māori haka the first chance he gets, an Indian general referring to his wife as a nag, etc.).
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The dialogue often leans into moralizing or overexplaining. Maybe I'm just projecting what I know about Card, but gee whiz, bud, calm down on the preachiness. It slows down otherwise tense moments with characters spelling out themes that don’t need to be spelled out.
In the end...
Like I said, only part way into the first book, but I wouldn't read this if I hadn't read the rest of the Enderverse first. There are better-written and more inventive first contact/military SF books out there. But if you want to see how the pieces were put in place before Ender’s Game, there’s enough here to make it worth a read. Just go in knowing it carries over a lot of Card’s familiar weaknesses, and that his strengths (worldbuilding, escalation, some character work) are only sporadically on display. I don't really know what the dynamic between the co-authors was, but it feels like a new author writing fan fiction with the original author watching closely over their shoulder.
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Comment on HBO’s Harry Potter series casts Harry, Ron and Hermione in ~tv
HelmetTesterTJ LinkI fear Arabella Stanton is about to get the Ellie treatment from the Internet. Godspeed, Arabella, may your eyes never scroll to the bottom of Reddit threads.I fear Arabella Stanton is about to get the Ellie treatment from the Internet. Godspeed, Arabella, may your eyes never scroll to the bottom of Reddit threads.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
HelmetTesterTJ LinkI'm still plugging along on Melvor Idle, the RuneScape-inspired idler. I've got two toons right now, my normal mode run and my hardcore mode run. The depth of this game and the patience required...I'm still plugging along on Melvor Idle, the RuneScape-inspired idler. I've got two toons right now, my normal mode run and my hardcore mode run. The depth of this game and the patience required to complete it continue to surprise me.
On my normal mode character, I'm working on getting everything to level 99, so I can get the Maximum Skillcape. I put off Cartography/Archeology for far too long, and I'm paying the price. The mechanics of the two skills are very complex, and, unlike a lot of the other skills, you can't just set-it-and-forget it if you want to do it with any sort of efficiency. I'll get there in the end, though, and then I get to pop over to getting Slayer and Prayer to 99, then, boom, Maximum Skillcape.
On my hardcore character, I've started leveling Ranged, currently at level 63. If you know anything about OSRS/Runescape/Melvor, you know how hard progression slows down once you hit certain levels. I feel like the 60s are one of those plateaus, and then another major one in the 90s. What's the old trope with Runescape? When you hit level 92 our of 99, you're halfway to 99? Slow and steady, they say.
In any case, if you need a second game, something you only need to look at a few times a day for a few minutes, and you like watching numbers go up, I highly recommend Melvor Idle. It's the best idler I've tried. AMA!
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Comment on 'The Wheel of Time' cancelled after three seasons in ~tv
HelmetTesterTJ LinkI've been on the cusp of watching it since its inception. I've read (well, listened to) the books three times over, so, after DFW, Jordan would be my most listened to author, by the hour. I love...I've been on the cusp of watching it since its inception. I've read (well, listened to) the books three times over, so, after DFW, Jordan would be my most listened to author, by the hour. I love the series, accept its flaws, and appreciate the lore. I'm also not the sort to fret over a movie or show not being perfectly true to the novels; I appreciate, for example, the HHGTTG movie, miniseries, books, radio drama, and video game independently.
So, someone please tell me, if we're not getting to the Final Battle, is the series worth watching?
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Comment on Senate overrules parliamentarian and votes to undo California EV rule in ~society
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentCall me a doomer, but "What goes around comes around" only matters if it ever comes around again, and I have very little confidence that it will.Call me a doomer, but "What goes around comes around" only matters if it ever comes around again, and I have very little confidence that it will.
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Comment on Observation: Video links go unwatched in ~tech
HelmetTesterTJ (edited )LinkI am one of those that never opens YouTube. My reasons are: videos are not my preferred way to take in entertainment. I am almost never alone, so text is preferred, but if I am alone, I'm doing...I am one of those that never opens YouTube. My reasons are:
- videos are not my preferred way to take in entertainment. I am almost never alone, so text is preferred, but if I am alone, I'm doing mindless stuff like tending to farm duties, and that's the perfect time for audio.
- they're never as short as they could be, and they're often rambling and repetitive.
- I refuse to watch YouTube ads, as they've gotten pretty excessive.
- my phone is a piece of junk and I refuse to upgrade, and, for whatever reason, YT is worst of all. If I click a link, it takes 45 seconds for it to load, during which the back button doesn't work. Then there's a pretty good likelihood that mid-video the tab will just crash to my home screen. This problem may be restricted completely to me, and I'm probably too frugal for my own good sometimes, but if ever expanding RAM requirements and heavy websites keep me from visiting, I'll happily obsolesce myself right out of their ad revenue ledger.
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Comment on What are the most iconic songs? in ~music
HelmetTesterTJ LinkBillie Jean – Michael Jackson Crazy – Gnarls Barkley Valerie – Amy Winehouse Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves These are the most iconic ones from my exercise playlist. They also...- Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
- Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
- Valerie – Amy Winehouse
- Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
These are the most iconic ones from my exercise playlist. They also approximately match the average BPM of your list, near as I can tell.
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Comment on Not sure where to start or how to approach massage tools in relationship in ~life
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentIt definitely gets easier over time. It's my grip strength that gives out before anything else, but I've been building that up by squeezing a tennis ball.It definitely gets easier over time. It's my grip strength that gives out before anything else, but I've been building that up by squeezing a tennis ball.
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Comment on The enshittification of tech jobs in ~tech
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentPlace your bets, but my money is on Musk. I miss the good ol' days when it was the Koch brothers.When he's gone people will have a different word for "evil negative force that is destroying the planet".
Place your bets, but my money is on Musk. I miss the good ol' days when it was the Koch brothers.
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Comment on What fashion trend will you refuse to let die? in ~life.style
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentI've got my head in a toboggan from September to June (Wisconsin, babyyyyy, it's mid-40s today). I don't know if it's fashionably in or out, and I consider myself post-fashion anyway. I've got my...I've got my head in a toboggan from September to June (Wisconsin, babyyyyy, it's mid-40s today). I don't know if it's fashionably in or out, and I consider myself post-fashion anyway.
I've got my goin' out toboggans - whenever I'm in the Big City, I swing through the Men's Wearhouse clearance section. A few years ago I snagged a few decent quality knitted hats for $3 a pop.
My utility toboggans - these Temu Trash headlamp toboggans are pretty damn sweet. When the sun goes down, I've probably got my very useful and highly unfashionable light toboggan on, even in the summer months. I always feel dumb when I wear these instead of my fashionable toboggans into a Slack meeting.
My barn toboggans - if I'm cleaning in the barn or doing any of my other gross chores, I've got my odd hats: my Schwans toboggan, my cultural appropriating rasta weed 420 toboggan, my Packers toboggan with ear flaps, etc.
All in all, it's not helping my bald spot any.
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Comment on Have I been conversing with bots or humans? in ~tech
HelmetTesterTJ LinkA few weeks ago my reddit headcanon shifted a bit. Regarding all the confession/off my chest/AITAH subs that consistently hit All - Top in the Last Hour (the only way I browse), I previously...A few weeks ago my reddit headcanon shifted a bit. Regarding all the confession/off my chest/AITAH subs that consistently hit All - Top in the Last Hour (the only way I browse), I previously assumed all the AI-generated stories and comment responses were third-party karma farmers, but more and more I'm coming to believe reddit is generating them or contracting out to someone else to generate them.
Most of the time, the stories are too unbelievable to be true (AITAH for leaving my husband, fifteen years my senior, after discovering he's got four other families in four other cities?), but the comments, thousands of them, take the stories at face value (NTA wow I'm so sorry you're going through that ❤️❤️❤️). Reddit is perversely incentivized to keep people scrolling through ads every four comments. Maybe I'm overly cynical, and I've got zero evidence, but I'm solidly convinced it's Reddit themselves pumping many of these posts and comments out.
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Comment on Podcast recommendations thread in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentOh, hey, you're me. Also critical analyses of Sam Harris and DFW, important in balancing out my parasocial bonds.(all things Lynchian, Star Trek comes up a lot, a disdain for generative AI, weird fiction, the list goes on)
Oh, hey, you're me.
Also critical analyses of Sam Harris and DFW, important in balancing out my parasocial bonds.
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Comment on Podcast recommendations thread in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ LinkNerd Poker - Favorite D&D campaign podcast. It's Brian Posehn and some friends playing reasonably decent D&D, probably usually pretty high. Season 3 (Cloddenheim) is a good place to start. Dispel...Nerd Poker - Favorite D&D campaign podcast. It's Brian Posehn and some friends playing reasonably decent D&D, probably usually pretty high. Season 3 (Cloddenheim) is a good place to start.
Dispel Magic - Favorite D&D discussion podcast. They take magic spells and creatures and extend the logic into a society that has sort of reached an industrial age of magic, e.g. factories of wizards producing Magic Mouth-imbued items to create audiobooks, etc. It's a fun podcast. They aren't always RAW, exactly, but I've nabbed a few ideas from them
Philosophize This - Favorite philosophy podcast. Goes through the history of Western thought in an approachable way. He made a pivot a year, maybe two, ago, where he started getting a bit more contemporary and introduced me to some philosophers I've been enjoying since (Susan Sontag, Byung Chul Han, others). The podcasts are short, go very fast, but leave me with an impression.
Runners up - Dungeon Masters of None (D&D), Very Bad Wizards (philosophy)
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Comment on What's your quirk? in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentHeeeey, that's a thing to try. Thanks!Heeeey, that's a thing to try. Thanks!
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Comment on What's your quirk? in ~talk
HelmetTesterTJ Link ParentSame problem as the acrylic: either it's too thin to block the light or it's enough of a glob to popped off. I am, to be clear, very rough on these headphones.Same problem as the acrylic: either it's too thin to block the light or it's enough of a glob to popped off.
I am, to be clear, very rough on these headphones.
Plus, football just started.
BREAD AND CIRCUSES, BABYYYYYY.