JordanM's recent activity
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Comment on How Honeycrisp apples went from marvel to mediocre in ~food
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
JordanM Link ParentI read the Andrew George translation specifically and it was interesting. Not sure how it might differ from other translations out there. I did like how the author noted via either parenthesis or...I read the Andrew George translation specifically and it was interesting. Not sure how it might differ from other translations out there. I did like how the author noted via either parenthesis or brackets in text which parts of the tablets (ha!) were totally known, which parts were missing but could reasonably be translated based on context clues. And which, sometimes quite large, sections were totally unknown because we simply haven't yet discovered an intact copy. I hadn't run into that sort of situation before. Couple of times I was actually wanting to know what happened, but alas, the records were incomplete.
It was fairly short altogether, but the biggest negative while reading was simply the repetition. There's a lot of almost children's book-esque repeating in it that I found annoying. Where we have a whole spiel we say to a person, then we go up to the next person and say the exact same thing. It was giving scribe at 11PM trying to make the word count and submit his assignment in time. Humbaba's voice is the Deluge, his mouth is fire, his breath is death. We say this time and time again. I had a better time once I just started skipping over the repetitive bits and tuning back in once the plot progressed.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
JordanM LinkI've been wanting to over time work my way through some of the classics, going generally chronologically. I did Epic of Gilgamesh and have more recently been working my way through the Epic...I've been wanting to over time work my way through some of the classics, going generally chronologically. I did Epic of Gilgamesh and have more recently been working my way through the Epic Cycle/Trojan War and some related stories. I've done the Iliad and the Odyssey. Now I'm starting to get through Sophocles' and Aeschylus' work: Ajax, Philoctetes, eventually the Oresteia trilogy. It's been interesting. Hard to judge them against modern writing, but I do find there's things to enjoy and I like the broadening of cultural awareness reading them brings. I tend to bounce between those and some modern romance trash as palate cleansers.
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Comment on Curate your own newspaper with RSS in ~tech
JordanM (edited )Link ParentGood tip. I ended up just paring down to the subreddits I actually cared about and adding their individual RSS feeds. But didn't know you could also get one for your whole front page. Also đź‘Ť to...Good tip. I ended up just paring down to the subreddits I actually cared about and adding their individual RSS feeds. But didn't know you could also get one for your whole front page. Also đź‘Ť to FreshRSS. Has become one of my most-used services.
A tip of my own. If anyone is wanting to add individual subreddits as feeds, they also support getting the top posts of a period as you can in the reddit interface. For example: https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/top.rss?t=week
Great for subreddits I care about, but I don't actually want to see every single post, just the best stuff of whatever time period I want to check it.
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Comment on Curate your own newspaper with RSS in ~tech
JordanM LinkI moved over to using an RSS reader when Reddit started doing its thing with the apps and I can't imagine going back now. You just have so much more control over your internet experience. And I...I moved over to using an RSS reader when Reddit started doing its thing with the apps and I can't imagine going back now. You just have so much more control over your internet experience. And I think getting away from the algorithms is such a big part of it. I just see the things that I want to see, and it's all in chronological order. That and the general moving away from reading big content firehoses is a great improvement. Blogs are great and they never went away!
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Comment on Kingdom Hearts Missing Link is cancelled in ~games
JordanM LinkHate gacha and anything even close to it. For me personally, they aren't games. Not in any meaningful sense. It's just a naked cash grab and feels at best icky and at worst, as you said,...Hate gacha and anything even close to it. For me personally, they aren't games. Not in any meaningful sense. It's just a naked cash grab and feels at best icky and at worst, as you said, predatory.
For Kingdom Hearts specifically, I'm not a fan of core story development happening in random mobile games. I know they've been doing it since the very beginning, but I'd really like for them to stick to console and PC. I would definitely consider myself a fan of the series, but moreso the original trilogy of KH1, Chain of Memories, and KH2. I think they started going pretty off the rails, and the scattering the story across a myriad of mobile games was a part of the problem. So for me, I'd say it's happy news if anything.
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Comment on Lynchian recommendation request in ~arts
JordanM Link ParentI very rarely hear Road 96 mentioned online, but I quite enjoyed it as well. Definitely has flaws, but it has a unique charm to it. There's a number of unexpected situations you get into. And it...I very rarely hear Road 96 mentioned online, but I quite enjoyed it as well. Definitely has flaws, but it has a unique charm to it. There's a number of unexpected situations you get into. And it very much scratches the itch of "colorful cast of characters that respond in sometimes uncanny ways". The two brothers were my favorite characters by far, but Jared in particular felt like a Lynch villain.
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Comment on Lynchian recommendation request in ~arts
JordanM (edited )LinkFor games, I'd say Silent Hill 1 & 2 for a "Twin Peaks but turn the horror up". Kentucky Route Zero is a fun artsy fartsy (said with love) point-and-click surreal game that definitely has some...For games, I'd say Silent Hill 1 & 2 for a "Twin Peaks but turn the horror up".
Kentucky Route Zero is a fun artsy fartsy (said with love) point-and-click surreal game that definitely has some Lynch DNA.
Disco Elysium is my favorite game of all time and it takes a lot from Lynch. A playthrough where you focus on the Psyche skills, in particular, channels him (I mean one of the skills is literally named Inland Empire).
Scarlet Hollow is an episodic visual novel that's very Twin Peaks. It's set in an Appalachian coal town where you've got curses, ghosts, cryptozoology, and the inexplicably strange folks that live there. It's still coming out, but the episodes that are out now are quite good.
For music, not sure quite how Lynch this is. Ethel Cain has been an artist I've been listening to a lot recently. She had an album, Preacher's Daughter, that is probably her best work thus far. It deals with themes of small towns, religion, and trauma/abuse. Not completely surreal, but similar themes Lynch worked with. Things that are nice on the surface, with a hidden darkness beneath. If you're open to something a little more out there, she just recently put out another album, Perverts, that does lean a little more into the stylings of Lynch's own music. It's more of an atmospheric/drone album. Much more of a mood album, I would say, than Preacher's Daughter. But I quite enjoyed it and if you like some of the more synthy atmospheric stuff Lynch has done in the past, you might enjoy it.
To give a couple of specific song recommendations from each, if anyone's interested but not an album person.
Preacher's Daughter
- American Teenager (Funnily enough, Ethel hates this one. It's her Dune. She considers it a sellout song where she went mainstream pop. But it is in fact just good. If you'd like an example of "the artist hates this, but everyone else loves it".)
- Thoroughfare (Great storytelling on this one. Feels sweet and earnest. Takes on a particularly dark hue once you know the story of the album)
- Ptolemaea (Far and away my favorite on the album. Anger and terror and darkness. Think some of the worst parts of Fire Walk With Me.)
Perverts
- Housofpsychoticwomn (So unsettling. Deals with a suffocating obsession.)
- Pulldrone (Gives me the same sort of dread Lynch conjures in some of his extended "horror" scenes. People slowly walking at the camera. My favorite on the album.)
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Comment on David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind 'Twin Peaks' and 'Mulholland Drive,' dies at 78 in ~movies
JordanM Link ParentI believe so. After the emphysema diagnosis, I figured it would probably be coming in the relatively near future. Hard to deal with at that age. But I'd heard more recently he had been struggling...I believe so. After the emphysema diagnosis, I figured it would probably be coming in the relatively near future. Hard to deal with at that age. But I'd heard more recently he had been struggling to get around without oxygen.
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Comment on David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind 'Twin Peaks' and 'Mulholland Drive,' dies at 78 in ~movies
JordanM LinkHeartbreaking. I don't often find myself too saddened by celebrity deaths. They feel so far away, I don't feel much of a personal connection. But this one hurts, even if it was clear it was...Heartbreaking. I don't often find myself too saddened by celebrity deaths. They feel so far away, I don't feel much of a personal connection. But this one hurts, even if it was clear it was coming. I only relatively recently went through his filmography, but he quickly became one of my favorite directors. There's always such a clear vision being expressed, even when the actual film is being surreal and inscrutable. And Twin Peaks is a show without equal, for me.
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Comment on Annapurna video-game team resigns, leaving partners scrambling in ~games
JordanM Link ParentSame, I'd started playing all their stuff because it just so consistently was exactly the sort of game I was looking for. So many great games they brought to my attention. I had started just going...Same, I'd started playing all their stuff because it just so consistently was exactly the sort of game I was looking for. So many great games they brought to my attention. I had started just going through all their games and adding all of them to my wishlist. Heartbreaking!
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
JordanM LinkLast Sunday, I saw that one of my local theaters was playing Hitchcock's Rear Window for its 70th anniversary. Still as good as ever. Also, the theater was surprisingly packed. Honestly, it was...Last Sunday, I saw that one of my local theaters was playing Hitchcock's Rear Window for its 70th anniversary. Still as good as ever. Also, the theater was surprisingly packed. Honestly, it was probably was one of the most packed theaters I've seen in years and years which felt really nice. Tells me that there is still an audience that wants to see things at the theater, particularly classics. I think the last 2 or 3 films I've bothered to go out to see had, at most, maybe 5 or 6 others there. It wasn't a huge theater, but was at least 1/2 to 2/3 full.
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Comment on Kamala Harris plans to tax unrealized US stock gains — but only for people worth $100 million in ~society
JordanM Link ParentThat would be Frank Luntz. Also coined "death panels" and "climate change" over global warming, to name a few. He's responsible for a lot of the language the Republican party uses today.That would be Frank Luntz. Also coined "death panels" and "climate change" over global warming, to name a few. He's responsible for a lot of the language the Republican party uses today.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
JordanM LinkI recently heard Want Want by Maggie Rogers for the first time and have had it on repeat. It was one of those times where you hear something and think it's been around much longer than it has,...I recently heard Want Want by Maggie Rogers for the first time and have had it on repeat. It was one of those times where you hear something and think it's been around much longer than it has, like it's a classic you've heard a great number of times.
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Comment on Tove Lo & SG Lewis – HEAT (2024) in ~music
JordanM (edited )LinkBrat may be my album of the summer, but HEAT is absolutely my song of the summer and this EP in general is 2nd on my list. Love the music videos in particular. Adds so much fun energy to each...Brat may be my album of the summer, but HEAT is absolutely my song of the summer and this EP in general is 2nd on my list. Love the music videos in particular. Adds so much fun energy to each song. Tove Lo does not miss. Nor does SG for that matter.
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Comment on Classic films are making a comeback in cinemas in ~movies
JordanM Link ParentWe're doing inverse 100 to 1 for just that, to end on the best of the best. I think a really interesting way to do it would be in order of release date so you're literally seeing the history of...We're doing inverse 100 to 1 for just that, to end on the best of the best. I think a really interesting way to do it would be in order of release date so you're literally seeing the history of cinematography play out. But we were already about halfway through the list before we had the idea of doing it that way, so just continued as we were.
Either way, definitely a good method of discovering some great classic films. There are some of them that I'd never even heard of that have ended up being personal favorites of mine. (The Apartment, Bringing Up Baby, Rear Window to name a few)
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Comment on Classic films are making a comeback in cinemas in ~movies
JordanM Link ParentWish there was a small cinema near me playing classic films. I'd love going there regularly. Unfortunately only a couple AMCs (that were sadly pretty barren last I visited). A friend and I have...Wish there was a small cinema near me playing classic films. I'd love going there regularly. Unfortunately only a couple AMCs (that were sadly pretty barren last I visited). A friend and I have been working our way through the American Film Institute's Top 100 list of films as a means of broadening our palette and it's been a lot of fun. I can imagine how enjoyable it would be seeing those sorts of films in a theater with popcorn, maybe a drink. But I definitely agree to the point of curation vs algorithm.
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Comment on How do you take notes while reading? Do you have a “marginalia” process? What has helped you learn better and retain new knowledge? in ~creative
JordanM (edited )LinkI've been focusing more on taking notes in the last year or so and I use Obsidian for the actual interface. Syncthing for syncing notes between devices. I don't care for the hardcore productivity...I've been focusing more on taking notes in the last year or so and I use Obsidian for the actual interface. Syncthing for syncing notes between devices. I don't care for the hardcore productivity second-brain world some people get into as far as chasing the perfect system. I firmly believe that the best system is whatever serves one's actual day-to-day needs with the least friction. That being said, I do much prefer working in plaintext as a means of avoiding software vendor lock-in. My markdown notes are gonna be openable by any computer I use for the rest of my life and I can say that with 99% certainty.
I haven't started taking many notes on books yet, but generally what I like to do for a given piece of media is to create a canonical note for the media itself, as well as one for the creator or any real-life people that come up in the process of writing about the thing. So I'll make a note called "The Lighthouse (2019)" in my Movies folder. That has top-level info like a short summary of what the thing is, a brief review once I've watched/read/played the thing, as well as any links to other reviews, analyses, articles, etc on the thing. I also will create a canonical note whenever I mention a person while writing about the piece of media. Its creator, notable actors if about a movie. So whenever I'm writing I just link to that Person note. I do that so I can easily see other times I've mentioned the same person across multiple notes. Any time I found an actor's performance notable enough that I mentioned them specifically in a review of a movie. Or see other movies by a director I've written about.
If I were writing notes on a book, other than my final overall review thoughts, I would probably just have a list of random thoughts that came to me as I was reading that I thought might be useful later, alongside a chapter/page number if it was about a particular section. Generally no highlights because of that. Only original thoughts that came from me. I also don't really summarize for the sake of summarizing. I find that for me it's just wasted effort. Something I'm never going to bother looking at later. I like to focus on things that are either actionable or are in some way interesting.
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Comment on What watch do you wear daily? in ~hobbies
JordanM LinkI use a 1st gen Pixel Watch. No particular desire for it over any other smart watches. I had just been looking for one as a self-birthday present around when it came out and went for it. It's nice...I use a 1st gen Pixel Watch. No particular desire for it over any other smart watches. I had just been looking for one as a self-birthday present around when it came out and went for it. It's nice though and does what I was wanting. Had a simple look, let me interact with phone notifications, and also had NFC if I wanted to do payments.
I had the sense that honeycrisps weren't as good as when I first tried them, but interesting to learn why. My own personal favorite cultivar would be the pink lady. Strong preference for very crispy apples and I like that they're just a bit more tart than sweet.