lou's recent activity

  1. Comment on The Buff Scammer, isolation, and the male loneliness epidemic in ~life.men

    lou
    Link Parent
    I really don't question what is right here. That is just what it is.

    I really don't question what is right here. That is just what it is.

  2. Comment on What writing 'tics' stand out to you? Repeated phrases, strange words, or otherwise weird stuff that jumps out at you. in ~books

    lou
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    Something I see in the fiction Brazilian writers send me is an excess of everything. The idea that writing less can be an asset is completely lost. Chiefly, they describe everything in...

    Something I see in the fiction Brazilian writers send me is an excess of everything. The idea that writing less can be an asset is completely lost. Chiefly, they describe everything in excruciating detail. The idea is that literature should be like a movie but in words. I must know every single feature of every character. The face. The hair. The minutiae of their never ending smiles.

    Also, the expression "olhos marejados" ("teary eyes") to convey emotion again and again. One would think that these characters are constantly dehydrated.

    And oh, a sea of ellipsis!

  3. Comment on The Buff Scammer, isolation, and the male loneliness epidemic in ~life.men

    lou
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    93% of sexual crimes are commited by men. Of course most men are not predators, but that kind of statistical imbalance is hard to overcome. I think we'll just have to accept that we have to watch...

    93% of sexual crimes are commited by men. Of course most men are not predators, but that kind of statistical imbalance is hard to overcome.

    I think we'll just have to accept that we have to watch our behavior constantly in order to not be perceived as a threat and that is unlikely to change in our lifetimes.

    Gay men are also constantly watched and scrutinized by the way.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Are touchscreens in cars dangerous? in ~transport

    lou
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I also get quite angry in real life. One second is a lot of time when you're driving a car at 80 km/h (or 49,7mph according to Google). I just don't know what to do anymore. I mean, she drives our...

    I also get quite angry in real life. One second is a lot of time when you're driving a car at 80 km/h (or 49,7mph according to Google). I just don't know what to do anymore. I mean, she drives our 2-year-old around. I am actually concerned.

    Perhaps there's some kind of visualization or brutally violent way for me to convey that which might be more persuasive than just yelling in traffic.

    7 votes
  5. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    lou
    Link Parent
    Pee-wee as Himself (HBO) is an outstanding documentary about a highly peculiar and interesting artist.

    Pee-wee as Himself (HBO) is an outstanding documentary about a highly peculiar and interesting artist.

    1 vote
  6. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    lou
    Link
    I swear to God I did not start watching The West Wing for political reasons. It's just that I was watching the Charlie Sheen doc which reminded me of Martin Sheen. Who doesn't love Martin Sheen?...

    I swear to God I did not start watching The West Wing for political reasons. It's just that I was watching the Charlie Sheen doc which reminded me of Martin Sheen. Who doesn't love Martin Sheen? But anyway, it's a good time to watch that show. I'm not American but I follow the news. I remember a time when everyone looked at the US for inspiration and values. I know West Wing is fiction. Highly devoted, intelligent, scrupulous civil servants under ethical leadership. In the first episode everyone seems very concerned with treating Cuban migrants arriving in boats non-volently, with the utmost respect. It is indeed a very good time to watch that show!

    2 votes
  7. Comment on Are touchscreens in cars dangerous? in ~transport

    lou
    Link
    My wife uses the touchscreen constantly while driving. Of course it is dangerous. She also looks at me for a full second when talking to me like she's in a movie. God help us.

    My wife uses the touchscreen constantly while driving. Of course it is dangerous. She also looks at me for a full second when talking to me like she's in a movie. God help us.

    24 votes
  8. Comment on Why do some gamers invert their controls? Scientists now have answers, but they’re not what you think. in ~games

    lou
    (edited )
    Link
    That used to be the default, and some kids learn to play videogames with their parents? Or at the very least watched them play? There were games with that as default on the Xbox 360.

    That used to be the default, and some kids learn to play videogames with their parents? Or at the very least watched them play?

    There were games with that as default on the Xbox 360.

  9. Comment on Is anyone else having trouble focusing? What strategies do you use to help with focus? in ~society

    lou
    Link
    Vyvanse and zazen.

    Vyvanse and zazen.

    1 vote
  10. Comment on What words do you recommend? in ~talk

    lou
    (edited )
    Link
    Such a broad question. I sometimes get addicted to a word. I have been using "perhaps" way too much in the past few months. It makes me feel like I'm Sherlock Holmes, calmly making statements. I...

    Such a broad question. I sometimes get addicted to a word. I have been using "perhaps" way too much in the past few months. It makes me feel like I'm Sherlock Holmes, calmly making statements. I don't know if I recommend it, but it is very addictive. It is a good way to communicate an alternative while sounding neither aggressive nor submissive. At least that is how I perceive it.

    2 votes
  11. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    lou
    (edited )
    Link
    I do not recommend the Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen. It's a puff piece vetted by PR, and I say that as someone who loved Two and a Half Men. And they don't even mention Anger Management,...

    I do not recommend the Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen. It's a puff piece vetted by PR, and I say that as someone who loved Two and a Half Men.

    And they don't even mention Anger Management, a 100-episode sitcom Charlie did in 2012 that reflects a lot about his personality. Perhaps Charlie directed them to ignore it because it's not good.

    1 vote
  12. Comment on My guess and opinion on the common blockers to Linux adoption in ~tech

    lou
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    That is a rather bleak and overly tragic take. #1 is false. You can still allow the user to control their OS, you just have to make this completely unnecessary for regular users. #2 sure, and that...

    That is a rather bleak and overly tragic take.

    #1 is false. You can still allow the user to control their OS, you just have to make this completely unnecessary for regular users.

    #2 sure, and that is what GNOME does. You say it like it's a terrible thing but I would simply call that "making the OS friendlier". You can have a toggle from "advanced mode" in configurations (like KDE Plasma does), and essential files are already protected by being owned by root. In fact, System files on Linux are better protected than on Windows.

    #3 goes a little overboard. You don't have to remove or hide the terminal, just make it completely unnecessary for regular users.

    #4 is perhaps true. But an extremely popular FOSS project could do it as well.

    #5 is completely false. There is plenty of FOSS on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. This is not a real issue.

    #6 is just #1 phrased differently.

    1 vote
  13. Comment on Slow social media in ~tech

    lou
    Link Parent
    Chat is real-time though, which can be stressful.

    Chat is real-time though, which can be stressful.

    4 votes
  14. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    lou
    (edited )
    Link
    Frasier I am talking about the charming and witty 1990s sitcom. Not the sad remake. I am really enjoying this show. The writing is clever, subtle, and full of delightful irony and callbacks to...

    Frasier

    I am talking about the charming and witty 1990s sitcom. Not the sad remake.

    I am really enjoying this show. The writing is clever, subtle, and full of delightful irony and callbacks to scenes in the same episode. This show rewards the viewer's attention, since every detail can be used for comedy. Frasier also demonstrates that, unlike what young people seem to believe, live audiences were not the reason for the downfall of the 1990s sitcom.

    And yes, I am using the correct term: live audience. Popular 1990s sitcoms did not, at any point, use pre-recorded laughs. The live audience makes for a theater-like experience with the dynamic and runtime of TV editing. The audience energizes the performers. They also allow for a rhythm that feels cozy and inviting, with a sense of community.

    Sometimes you laugh out loud, sometimes you are merely amused. And that is perfectly fine! I am not counting jokes-per-minute with a chronometer like a YouTuber once did with the TV show Friends. What a pointless exercise! My enjoyment is more important than stupid Zoomer metrics. This is comedy, not an Amazon warehouse. I can spare the time to laugh at my leisure along with the people in the theater. Live audiences on TV shows do not ruin comedy. Bad writing does. And there's absolutely none of that in Frasier.

    5 votes
  15. Comment on It’s the little things that make me not fully jump to linux in ~comp

    lou
    Link
    I like Windows 10 for the most part. But I've been trying to understand why it always wake up the monitor minutes after I turn off the screen or the screen automatically goes off due to the power...

    I like Windows 10 for the most part. But I've been trying to understand why it always wake up the monitor minutes after I turn off the screen or the screen automatically goes off due to the power settings. I am not talking about "suspend", but rather just turning the monitor off via software. I tried to figure this out multiple times. Nothing works. I resorted to turning my monitor off using the physical button multiple times a day.

    So right now there is one little thing making me consider putting Linux on this machine again. I have Ubuntu on the laptop. Linux is not perfect but it's more predictable. Unfortunately WoW runs at 30fps on Linux here. My graphics card is old and unsupported. There's not much I can do.

    3 votes
  16. Comment on Is Tildes protected from malicious actors, aka paid trolls, aka bots? in ~tildes

    lou
    Link
    Yes.

    Yes.

    2 votes
  17. Comment on Am I the only who finds raw photography souless? in ~arts

    lou
    (edited )
    Link Parent

    The images are beautiful. They also look like a deodorant commercial or an episode of Please Like Me. It is too perfect.

    I hate that we inadvertently reacreated a Pampers advertising campaign.

    1 vote
  18. Comment on Am I the only who finds raw photography souless? in ~arts

    lou
    Link Parent
    Yes.

    Yes.

    Yes, I understand that raw photographies are not all the same and soulfull photography exist today. I also understand that all digital photography is data and there is no such a thing as photo that is more real than another. That said, I hate what most people do with raw photography.

    1 vote
  19. Am I the only who finds raw photography souless?

    BY RAW PHOTOGRAPHY I MEAN THE EDITED OUTPUT OF RAW FILES TRANSFORMED INTO IMAGES BY PHOTOGRAPHERS Yes, I understand that raw photographies are not all the same and soulfull photography exist...

    BY RAW PHOTOGRAPHY I MEAN THE EDITED OUTPUT OF RAW FILES TRANSFORMED INTO IMAGES BY PHOTOGRAPHERS

    Yes, I understand that raw photographies are not all the same and soulfull photography exist today. I also understand that all digital photography is data and there is no such a thing as photo that is more real than another. That said, I hate what most people do with raw photography.

    A lot of raw photography resemble paintings more than photographs. If every single thing about a photo is completely perfect, I don't know. It causes me no emotion.

    We hired a photographer to take some pitures of our kid. The images are beautiful. They also look like a deodorant commercial or an episode of Please Like Me. It is too perfect. The colors are perfectly in harmony to each other. The bright light spots were atenuaded. We have a naked lightbulb above the table and I know it should be blown out. In the photos, the lightbulb is much dimmer. I can see the bulb in perfect detail (which I can't even to the naked eye...), but the light coming from still manages to illuminate our faces in the same way.

    I hate that we inadvertently reacreated a Pampers advertising campaign.

    14 votes
  20. Comment on Why we revel in opponents’ adversity in ~humanities

    lou
    Link
    I also meant to read a defense of schadenfreude that was linked here. Unfortunately it is not freely available.

    I also meant to read a defense of schadenfreude that was linked here. Unfortunately it is not freely available.

    2 votes