lou's recent activity
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Comment on NYT Quiz: Who’s a better writer: AI or humans? in ~tech
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Comment on What are people using instead of VS Code? in ~comp
lou Link ParentEmacs is as ugly as you want it to be. Take a look at Doom Emacs for example.Emacs is as ugly as you want it to be. Take a look at Doom Emacs for example.
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Comment on Why do I almost never catch colds anymore? in ~health
lou LinkIt means you probably don't have kids or is around kids often.It means you probably don't have kids or is around kids often.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
lou Link ParentMe too. I am currently running a Windows 10 install that got to that point where it accumulate lots of weird bugs and issues that are more easily solved by reinstalling. I should probably put...I hate to say it because I feel it’s not a good thing, but I’ve grown increasingly tired of having to setup tech and tweak things
Me too. I am currently running a Windows 10 install that got to that point where it accumulate lots of weird bugs and issues that are more easily solved by reinstalling. I should probably put Linux on that machine again but there are way too many settings, games and programs installed and I'm dreading having to do it all again. I just want my computer to run forever like a fridge. It's not interesting anymore.
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Comment on Can coding agents relicense open source through a “clean room” implementation of code? in ~comp
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (March 2026) in ~health.mental
lou LinkI feel so stupid writing this but I have to tell someone about that. Ever since I was diagnosed with autism, a lot of small things suddenly became clear. Yesterday my wife told me she had invited...I feel so stupid writing this but I have to tell someone about that. Ever since I was diagnosed with autism, a lot of small things suddenly became clear. Yesterday my wife told me she had invited two people to have lunch at our home. My participation was not required. Around noon she sent me a message that the food was ready for me to pick up in the kitchen. When I got there I saw what felt, to me, like a massive crowd I had no idea how to respond to. I had to enter the crowd a few more times to talk to her, and only now I am realizing why I had such a terrible day. I was anxious and exhausted and didn't know why. Well, I wasn't preapared for the crowd in my kitchen all day long. I am sure they think I hate them now, but I did not have any words or facial expressions prepared for them.
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Comment on I built a space simulation that runs in the browser and it feels good enough to share it now in ~space
lou Link ParentThat is great. There is one specific image I have in my mind of an enormous spaceship approaching Earth, and I wish to narrate precisely what it would look like for someone on Earth looking up and...Well I’m happy to add more info/maybe an advanced view, for your use case. I have added a new view in which you can basically watch the sky
That is great. There is one specific image I have in my mind of an enormous spaceship approaching Earth, and I wish to narrate precisely what it would look like for someone on Earth looking up and noticing specific stars being obscured. It's the kind of detail that probably only matters to me, but I do believe that kind of thing adds a lot to a story in some way.
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I don’t know if my software engineering job will still exist in ten years
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Comment on I built a space simulation that runs in the browser and it feels good enough to share it now in ~space
lou LinkI thank that will be very helpful for me. I wish to write somewhat realistic science fiction but I am not particularly talented at figures and science.I thank that will be very helpful for me. I wish to write somewhat realistic science fiction but I am not particularly talented at figures and science.
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Comment on Collab between Alton Brown & Guga Foods in ~food
lou (edited )Link ParentGuga seems legit to me. I’m sometimes annoyed because he doesn’t champion Brazilian cuisine as much as I would like. But his side dishes, although generally original, are so profoundly Brazilian...Guga seems legit to me. I’m sometimes annoyed because he doesn’t champion Brazilian cuisine as much as I would like. But his side dishes, although generally original, are so profoundly Brazilian in spirit that I can’t get mad. He does mention picanha often, saying it’s the best cut of meat in the world. And being obsessed with meat is, itself, a very Brazilian thing.
Guga comes from the state of Minas Gerais, which is probably the most beloved state in the entire country, with an equally appreciated cuisine that is very rural, hearty, rich and heavy on all kinds of meat. Not a great place for vegetarians, but meat eaters will be very content over there. I was significantly fatter after spending two weeks in Belo Horizonte.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
lou (edited )LinkIrony Especially online but also offline. Irony is now a vague, overly broad concept loosely applied to any kind of non-serious utterance. It is usually poorly conceived, providing no intellectual...Irony
Especially online but also offline.
Irony is now a vague, overly broad concept loosely applied to any kind of non-serious utterance. It is usually poorly conceived, providing no intellectual gratification. More often than not, online irony is an ad-hoc justification for abject statements. It is also made in social contexts where the members are not familiar with each other. Familiarity is a crucial element of well-crafted irony.
There are many necessary conditions for felicitous irony that are only possible in very small groups, preferably in person.
I do believe irony is often felicitous in fiction. Other than that, it is typically either a failure or a pointless display of (self-attributed) wit.
Some people believe I don't get irony because I am autistic, but the reality is that, in most cases, I'd rather ignore the irony because it is boring and poorly conceived. I take irony at face value not because I fail to perceive it, but rather because there is a serious tangent that is way more interesting.
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Comment on Writers who don't read books: a response in ~books
lou (edited )Link ParentA lack of reading often makes aspiring writers believe that their writing is awesome and special. They have nothing to compare to. They can show a premature fear of being plagiarized. "No, dude, I...A lack of reading often makes aspiring writers believe that their writing is awesome and special. They have nothing to compare to. They can show a premature fear of being plagiarized. "No, dude, I don't think you should be worried that your super unique idea about teenagers gaining superpowers is at any risk of being stolen".
Reality can be a shock, as they are genuinely not prepared to the possibility that they are maybe not geniuses.
It took me a very long time to understand why my earnest criticism was met with either silence or bewilderment. I was trying to be helpful. It turns out, in most cases, the socially appropriate response to writing is superlative praise. Since I cannot always guarantee that, I stopped reading stuff aspiring writers sent me. That was a great decision for my mental health.
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Comment on The legal rights of extraterrestrials in ~society
lou Link ParentI haven't read it in full but I believe Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein touches on those issues.I haven't read it in full but I believe Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein touches on those issues.
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Comment on Writers who don't read books: a response in ~books
lou Link ParentPerhaps consider adding "source.youtube" to your filtered tags.I don't watch Youtube video's so I have no idea what this is really about so I'm commenting on the headline only.
Perhaps consider adding "source.youtube" to your filtered tags.
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Writers who don't read books: a response
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
lou (edited )Link ParentYeah... we have the kiss on the cheek in Brazil too. But only with the opposite sex. In São Paulo is one kiss, in Rio is two sides. Here in Salvador is kiss and a hug. I hate all of that so I have...Yeah... we have the kiss on the cheek in Brazil too. But only with the opposite sex. In São Paulo is one kiss, in Rio is two sides. Here in Salvador is kiss and a hug. I hate all of that so I have several strategies to avoid it.
I don't think they have it in the South, which is predominantly White.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
lou LinkAbsolute Superman 1 and 2. DC's Absolute imprint recreates heroes in another universe with significant differences from the mainline. It is a great way to get back into reading DC comics without...Absolute Superman 1 and 2.
DC's Absolute imprint recreates heroes in another universe with significant differences from the mainline. It is a great way to get back into reading DC comics without having to make sense of years of continuity. Up until now the titles are also independent so you don't need to follow several titles to understand the stories.
It recently started being published in Brazil.
Absolute Superman is awesome and vibrant. The art is gorgeous and the story is full of energy. In this universe, Kal-El only leaves Krypton as a teenager. Krypton itself is different too, with a rigit caste system. Kal-El is not from a wealthy family. This Superman is younger and Earth's reality, darker and more complex. Lois Lane is not a journalist, but an agent in an organization hunting Superman.
I am loving Absolute Superman. It introduces enough different elements to make it fresh while remaining faithfull to the core values of the characters. They made Krypton a lot more interesting and it would be a shame to not explore it any further. The title brilliantly reintroduces Superman to older fans and I am excited for the other issues!
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
lou Link ParentWagner Moura is from my hometown and studied journalism at the same university my parents did. I know many people who know him and I even saw him at the local airport once. So I 100% should have...Wagner Moura is from my hometown and studied journalism at the same university my parents did. I know many people who know him and I even saw him at the local airport once. So I 100% should have watched it already. I'm a bad Brazilian. I'll get back to this comment when I watch it.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
lou (edited )LinkUnless someone is very close and present in my life, I don't usually care about deaths. But James Van Der Beek's death hit hard and I'm still trying to understand why. I am not grieving as if he...Unless someone is very close and present in my life, I don't usually care about deaths. But James Van Der Beek's death hit hard and I'm still trying to understand why. I am not grieving as if he was a close friend, but I am definitely experiencing this way more intensely than any other celebrity.
Maybe Dawson (his most famous character) had an influence on me that I never realized.
Like me, he was a movie buff who loved Spielberg and went to film school. Like me, he was oblivous of his surroundings, socially incompetent and a cronic overthinker. He spent his teenage years in an intermittent relationship with Joey (Katie Holmes), and, to my dismay, that is when the similarities end.
I did not watch Dawson's Creek in full in the 1990s, but the little I watched made a huge impact on me. I wrote about it before, and going back to it now is both comforting and unsettling. The shots of the lake, the bucolic atmosphere. The constant references to films from the 1980s and before. It's a powerful nostalgia bomb I can't resist right now.
Thank you for that, James.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
lou Link ParentThat is great. My only worry is not having the mental capacity for convoluted exposition. I'm sure it's a great book ;)That is great.
My only worry is not having the mental capacity for convoluted exposition. I'm sure it's a great book ;)
Commenting about moderation in general, I'm usually hurt and offended when the language used by moderation implies an assertion about my intent. I can totally undestand that moderation is hard and mistakes will be made, but I am very sensitive to language that asserts that I went against the rules or hit some kind of threshold intentionally or maliciously. So "your submission fit parameters that made us cathegorize it as AI generated" is okay, but "you maliciously used AI in your submission" is not okay.