Narry's recent activity

  1. Comment on Anyone else using the Zed editor? in ~comp

    Narry
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    The flexibility is really appreciated, for sure. It took me a bit of doing to get it set up to be able to let me try out Odin, but once I figured out what it was asking for it wasn't that big a...

    The flexibility is really appreciated, for sure. It took me a bit of doing to get it set up to be able to let me try out Odin, but once I figured out what it was asking for it wasn't that big a deal. Most stuff just kinda works with Helix out of the box, and being able to just type hx --health and whatever language I'm interested in is very handy. It just feels out of the box more complete than neovim, which I was always endlessly fiddling with. Helix I fiddled with for awhile, then I was satisfied and started to actually code. Very strange concept, not sure that's allowed.

    I should look into the compose key for my terminal. I'm on macOS so I'm very accustomed to being able to use the Option key to accomplish all of that; — – - … ¬.¬ ™ ® © ç ñ etc. “” ‘’ «» etc, however Option is treated as "Alt" by my terminal. Perhaps I should see if I can get it to allow Option to function as intended and move Alt's functionality to the caps lock key. At the moment, the escape key is literally mapped at the keyboard configuration level with my keyboard mapping software.

  2. Comment on Think you know Hans Christian Andersen? Four experts pick his weirdest fairy tales to read this Christmas. in ~books

    Narry
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    The man was an absolute gem for wild stories of "really? He did that?" One of my favorite single-player TTRPGs is Trapped In Your House Due To Hans Christian Andersen and it's based off a real...

    The man was an absolute gem for wild stories of "really? He did that?" One of my favorite single-player TTRPGs is Trapped In Your House Due To Hans Christian Andersen and it's based off a real incident, I think, the one where Andersen showed up at Charles Dickens' place for 5 solid weeks just to visit.

    In any case it's a hoot, and I recommend playing it at least once or twice.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on Anyone else using the Zed editor? in ~comp

    Narry
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    I've been using Helix for awhile myself and I have my config.toml customized to hell and back. It's half modal editor half text editor now, due to 30 years of muscle memory making it tough to...

    I've been using Helix for awhile myself and I have my config.toml customized to hell and back. It's half modal editor half text editor now, due to 30 years of muscle memory making it tough to convert to modal editing. Now things like hitting return or backspace or delete will immediately drop me into INS mode, and to give myself a visual indicator I have a hacky thing where I change themes when I drop into various edit modes versus when I exit.

    The really crazy stuff is what I do with keyboard shortcuts. I missed VScode's ability to move a whole line up or down (I couldn't figure out how to do it in Helix), so I made my own, same with duplicating a selection (down only, I couldn't figure out how to do it going up without it getting weird.) It basically deletes the yank registry, though, so it's not ideal...

    I also have a few "omni" keys, like if I hit "q" from Normal mode it presents me with a quit menu that lets me perform q q! qa wq wq! wqa wqa! with just a few keystrokes.

    It also caused me to permanently map my caps lock key to become "escape" because I only rarely ever use all caps, and I got tired of 30 years of "accidentally mess up my login password" button being a thing. I'm still pondering if there's something else I think would be better suited for that button, but for now "escape" is good enough.

  4. Comment on What are some of your "life hacks" you use regularly? in ~talk

    Narry
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    I do this a lot with the decision coin from Random.org’s app. I have it toss 5 coins for me, best of five wins.

    I do this a lot with the decision coin from Random.org’s app. I have it toss 5 coins for me, best of five wins.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Bowen Yang is leaving Saturday Night Live after tonight’s episode in ~tv

    Narry
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    Wild. Best of luck to Bowen! He was always a solid player but I feel like he never got a good breakout character. He was in almost every sketch yet was still somehow underutilized.

    Wild. Best of luck to Bowen! He was always a solid player but I feel like he never got a good breakout character. He was in almost every sketch yet was still somehow underutilized.

    6 votes

  6. Comment on Taylor Swift gave $197 million in bonuses to Eras Tour performers and crew, on top of their salaries in ~music

  7. Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech

    Narry
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    I keep four core browsers on my system: Safari, because it's a Mac. Firefox, because it was my daily driver for 20 years, Zen because I like it better than Firefox right now, and Vivaldi because I...

    I keep four core browsers on my system: Safari, because it's a Mac. Firefox, because it was my daily driver for 20 years, Zen because I like it better than Firefox right now, and Vivaldi because I sometimes need the V8 engine for things like running the keyboard mapper and firmware updater for my keyboard. I also have Opera but since installing Vivaldi I haven't had any need for it. Probably going to uninstall it after I post this comment.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech

    Narry
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    I'm on Zen now and have been for a few months. Other than its lack of Widevine, it's excellent for my daily needs. And when I do need Widevine, I swap to Safari since I'm on a Mac.

    I'm on Zen now and have been for a few months. Other than its lack of Widevine, it's excellent for my daily needs. And when I do need Widevine, I swap to Safari since I'm on a Mac.

  9. Comment on 'Saturday Night Live' hit with backlash for using AI images in ~tv

    Narry
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    What an utter disappointment. I’m not going to boycott them over this just yet, but as a very longtime viewer and huge fan of many SNL alumni, I’m annoyed by the notion that the show runners think...

    What an utter disappointment. I’m not going to boycott them over this just yet, but as a very longtime viewer and huge fan of many SNL alumni, I’m annoyed by the notion that the show runners think this slop is funnier than a janky Photoshop or just genuinely paying someone to make a couple of images for pages from an illustrated book. Not having a real budget is a lot of the show’s charm.

    12 votes

  10. Comment on Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options. in ~tech

    Narry
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    I have nothing but dumb TVs in my home. 4 of them are 32-inch Insignias (Best Buy's house brand), and I've got a 47-inch and a 55-inch that both need some repairs that I'm inclined to either pay...

    I have nothing but dumb TVs in my home. 4 of them are 32-inch Insignias (Best Buy's house brand), and I've got a 47-inch and a 55-inch that both need some repairs that I'm inclined to either pay for or try myself. I've had one smart TV ever and it had a Wii-like remote that I detested and I got rid of it as soon as humanly possible.

    6 votes

  11. Comment on Can a heavily modified Rivian take the EV Cannonball record? (Part 1) in ~transport

    Narry
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    I saw this one the other day. While it’s a temporary disappointment to be sure, Robert at least looked like he was having a blast. Aging Wheels is one of my favorite YouTube channels, his videos...

    I saw this one the other day. While it’s a temporary disappointment to be sure, Robert at least looked like he was having a blast. Aging Wheels is one of my favorite YouTube channels, his videos are almost always an instant watch when they come up in my queue. I’m especially fond of his crossover with Technology Connections.

    As I see it, they have two main approaches to the charging issue. Either they create a BMS that’s capable of taking over for the Rivian’s built in system and communicating with chargers and charging all the batteries, or they figure out how to trick the Rivian into accepting their janky battery packs as a genuine part of its own battery and let it negotiate charging and monitoring battery level. From what I gathered, it was mainly the rain delaying them and the time wasted charging and waiting out the rain in order to charge that undid this run. I could’ve misunderstood, though.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on Does anyone use Ground News? in ~talk

    Narry
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    I feel greasy paying for modern corporate-owned news, and paying for "neutral news as a service" feels somehow even greasier. This sort of explains some of the mental reservations I have with...

    I feel greasy paying for modern corporate-owned news, and paying for "neutral news as a service" feels somehow even greasier. This sort of explains some of the mental reservations I have with Ground News.

    12 votes

  13. Comment on “Tomato” versus “#FF6347”—the tragicomic history of CSS color names in ~comp

    Narry
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    Genuinely thought the names must've been old abandoned Pantone names, but I never really thought to question that and dig into it because I spent so long in graphic design that I just assumed they...

    Genuinely thought the names must've been old abandoned Pantone names, but I never really thought to question that and dig into it because I spent so long in graphic design that I just assumed they were Pantone colors I'd never heard of before (because I only ever deal with maybe 3 colors at a time.)

    Finding out they're Sinclair paint swatches kind of makes me go "ew" and want to demand breaking changes...

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Finally making the jump to a custom router so I can have all my outgoing traffic over mullvad but that brings with it two questions for me in ~tech

    Narry
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    Now that you've gotten a serious answer (I've been lurking) I want to point out that with a logged-in Reddit account you can block each sub you dislike from the sub's page. It's easy enough to...

    Now that you've gotten a serious answer (I've been lurking) I want to point out that with a logged-in Reddit account you can block each sub you dislike from the sub's page. It's easy enough to unblock it, or go to it directly if you want, but I find that once a sub is blocked I don't really want to to go near it anymore. At least, that's what I do. I also don't use the Reddit app, I use Opera's phone browser to browse Reddit, so...

    4 votes

  15. Comment on Your "Yukon Gold" potatoes probably aren't Yukons—here's why in ~food

    Narry
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    There's the potential. I use a conversion chart that takes the weight of the potatoes and the wattage of my microwave into account to try to deliver pretty standardized results overall, but maybe...

    There's the potential. I use a conversion chart that takes the weight of the potatoes and the wattage of my microwave into account to try to deliver pretty standardized results overall, but maybe I overshot, or maybe several small potatoes shouldn't be cooked the same way as medium or large potato? I'd have to investigate, but it's certainly worthy of consideration. Gold potatoes tend to be just that little bit creamier that it might be worth it.

  16. Comment on Your "Yukon Gold" potatoes probably aren't Yukons—here's why in ~food

    Narry
    Link Parent
    I usually wash off and wrap 2-3 small potatoes in a paper town and toss them into the microwave according to an arcane chart I consult, then I pop them onto my plate and mash them up with salt,...

    I usually wash off and wrap 2-3 small potatoes in a paper town and toss them into the microwave according to an arcane chart I consult, then I pop them onto my plate and mash them up with salt, pepper, and butter (and sometimes I go whole hog and load them with sour cream and bacon bits and shredded cheese). I prefer the thin waxy ones over the mealy ones because I can consume them skin and all, and russets skins cooked in this manner are basically inedible. So I eat them pretty standalone rather regularly, and yeah for awhile the gold ones were basically so sweet they ruined several dinners.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on Your "Yukon Gold" potatoes probably aren't Yukons—here's why in ~food

    Narry
    Link Parent
    I thought my honeycrisps this year were bland and mealy... Anyway, yes I stopped buying yellow potatoes of any kind because they're all too sweet for me, almost as sweet as sweet potatoes (not to...

    I thought my honeycrisps this year were bland and mealy...

    Anyway, yes I stopped buying yellow potatoes of any kind because they're all too sweet for me, almost as sweet as sweet potatoes (not to be confused with yams, I mean actual sweet potatoes). Lately I've been buying reds and whites, because while they're not quite as robust, they cream up fine and taste exactly as I'm expecting.

    8 votes

  18. Comment on I fixed my lactose intolerance -- by chugging all the lactose in ~health

    Narry
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    I’ve never head any of that but I would be willing to entertain the notion that it’s all true. Any chance you’ve got some primary sources on what you state, or do I need to spend some time looking...

    I’ve never head any of that but I would be willing to entertain the notion that it’s all true. Any chance you’ve got some primary sources on what you state, or do I need to spend some time looking it up?

    2 votes

  19. Comment on This is what peak evolution looks like in ~science

    Narry
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    URL: 19 geckos Website Headline: 35 geckos Web page content: 31 geckos What are they playing at, here? Cute geckos, though.

    URL: 19 geckos
    Website Headline: 35 geckos
    Web page content: 31 geckos

    What are they playing at, here? Cute geckos, though.

    14 votes

  20. Comment on Games: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~games

    Narry
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    This has been a slow year for me, with nothing new purchased despite a credit large enough on Steam Wallet to outright buy many indie or AA titles and GOTY Editions of AAA titles on Steam Sales. I...

    This has been a slow year for me, with nothing new purchased despite a credit large enough on Steam Wallet to outright buy many indie or AA titles and GOTY Editions of AAA titles on Steam Sales. I play on four platforms, Steam (Linux/Mac_, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 1, Apple Arcade (Mac/iPhone/iPad). Rather than go through every single game I've played this year, I'll go through just a few and the platforms I play them on.

    Endless Sky | Steam
    I don't think I can sufficiently explain this game. It's a loving homage to the Escape Velocity series by Ambrosia Software, and I love it. I mostly end up being a cargo hauler or running passenger missions, but sometimes I'm a corporate spy or spy for the Free Words, and once in a great while I'm a pirate hunter. It's such a good game it's almost absurd that it's free. Requires a keyboard and mouse, no controller support I'm aware of.

    Powerwash Simulator | Steam / Xbox / Apple Arcade
    Brain off, clean grime, listen to podcast. Controller supported, prefer keyboard and mouse.

    Grand Theft Auto Online | Xbox
    Another one I cannot sufficiently explain. For some reason the GTA series has had me in its thrall since I was about 19, back with the original Grand Theft Auto. This one has far and away my most play time, I usually manage to log 5 or so hours a week with this one, which may not seem like a lot until you realize that's like 250 hours a year, and I have to pay monthly for the privilege. But it's a place where I live in nice houses, I am a fashionisto, I drive/fly incredible vehicles, almost all of my problems can be solved with extreme violence, and pretty much all of my problems are bad people who deserve the psycho I'm about to unleash on them. The narrative of the game does not shy away from the fact that my character is pretty much unhinged and has done some awful shit to some awful people to get to where he is. It's the most honest Capitalism Simulator I've ever encountered. Controller supported, keyboard and mouse supported, genuinely just use the controller now.

    Planet Crafter | Steam
    This got some big updates this year, and in all honesty I haven't really played it much since the beginning of the year, but this scratches a certain itch that Minecraft does not, and it's very PvE in a way that I dig. It's from a smaller publisher and I bought it way back when it was just kind of a neat concept and watching it grow to what it has become has been excellent. There are other games that you might think "it's just like this game" but for some reason the presentation and execution just hits for me. I haven't played it in close to a year, though, but that's more reflective of me not wanting to turn on my big gaming machine due to its absurd energy consumption than anything to do with this game itself. Genuinely wish it was Mac native. Play the demo and see if you like it. Controller supported, personally prefer keyboard and mouse.

    I think that's good enough for now. (No Nintendo Switch games because in my house the Switch is known as "The Zelda Machine" because guess what is the only thing I play on it?)

    2 votes