NeonBright's recent activity
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Comment on Reddit, AI spam bots explore new ways to show ads in your feed in ~tech
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
NeonBright LinkI'm new to anime, but I'm enjoying the pacing and themes of Mr Villain's Day Off. The joy is in the minutiae - and the absolute lack of interest in adhering to hollywood-style plot structure and...I'm new to anime, but I'm enjoying the pacing and themes of Mr Villain's Day Off.
The joy is in the minutiae - and the absolute lack of interest in adhering to hollywood-style plot structure and expectations; the focus is very slice-of-life.
Very relaxing viewing! - if a little panda-forward at times. -
Comment on VHEMT: the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement in ~life
NeonBright Link ParentThe 'age 30' thing is no coincidence. There is a significant subset of women who do not want children throughout their teens and 20s and then around age 30 abruptly change their mind. I'm not...The 'age 30' thing is no coincidence.
There is a significant subset of women who do not want children throughout their teens and 20s and then around age 30 abruptly change their mind. I'm not speculating on whether this is prompted by social or physiological changes, but it absolutely happens.
Consequently health care professionals are loathe to sterilise young childless women, in case they experience this change in perspective and then a significant avoidable regret.
Their reasoning is along the lines that reversible contraception is easy and effective (comparatively speaking) but that permanent sterilisation is, well, permanent - and so it's better to opt for the reversible version in the first instance. -
Comment on What precautions to take when someone is out to get you? in ~life
NeonBright LinkDocument everything. Get into the habit of keeping brief notes of any conversation/interaction you have with your ex, and where appropriate sending them a text or quick email summary of what was...Document everything.
Get into the habit of keeping brief notes of any conversation/interaction you have with your ex, and where appropriate sending them a text or quick email summary of what was said. Along the lines of "Just confirming that we agreed that little Johnny won't be going to summer camp this year", or whatever.
This way you will have a timestamped papertrail of your interactions. It will also be easier for others to see if there was a concerning pattern of behaviour, or an escalation, should things go south at some point in the future.
Even if nothing ever happens, it's still a pretty useful record of events for your own personal reference about day to day interactions and agreements; I did this years ago for a difficult neighbour and it was very useful to be able to confidently and accurately refer to a conversation from six months previously.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
NeonBright Link ParentThis post is very close to being an exemplar of the problems OP was attempting to describe.This post is very close to being an exemplar of the problems OP was attempting to describe.
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Comment on A romantic retrospective in ~talk
NeonBright LinkYou use words well, and you are thoughtful about your own actions. That bodes well for the future. First we observe what we do; then we seek to change it. You are young. Clever, I think - but...You use words well, and you are thoughtful about your own actions.
That bodes well for the future. First we observe what we do; then we seek to change it.You are young. Clever, I think - but still young. You might also be mildly depressed.
These things are almost the hallmarks of your generation, who are proving slow to mature and a little emotionally vulnerable, when observed collectively.This slow journey to maturity isn't necessarily your fault; our society is acting en masse to make the markers of maturity hard to access for this rising generation.
Meanwhile the emotional vulnerability that you and possibly your autistic friend and also so many, many others are experiencing seems to be another unintentional product of the way in which western society is currently choosing to conduct itself.
My advice would be to be kind to yourself, because at the age of 23 you have time on your side... but also to make every action count.
With every action - romantic or otherwise, big or small - promise yourself to make the moral choice (according to your own interpretation of the word), not the expedient one.This will do two things.
The first is that it will make you focus on the substance and the consequence of your own actions. All of them.
The second is that in a slow but cumulative way, your life will improve because your actions and your values will begin to fall into much closer alignment. This leads to far greater life satisfaction.And as for romance? That will come of it's own accord.
As someone else in this thread right said, it can't be forced. But it's best to be well prepared for the moment when it does come. -
Comment on The dubious feminism of the natural childbirth movement in ~life.women
NeonBright Link ParentMy baby and I were separated, me at one hospital and the baby at another, because our different health needs at the time could not be accommodated by any one institution. 0/10, do not recommend....My baby and I were separated, me at one hospital and the baby at another, because our different health needs at the time could not be accommodated by any one institution.
0/10, do not recommend.
Especially since the nurses at the hospital that I was at did not seem to understand that my baby was not in the nursery down the hall, but several miles away.
It was one hell of a motivator to get up out of that bed and get myself discharged. -
Comment on US stores increasingly reverse course on self checkout in ~tech
NeonBright Link ParentI thought I was the only one with those concerns. I'm very much just an end-point user, but I also am quite concerned about advanced old age and the ever-changing UI. It has the potential to make...I thought I was the only one with those concerns.
I'm very much just an end-point user, but I also am quite concerned about advanced old age and the ever-changing UI. It has the potential to make everything from communication to banking quite difficult later in life.(It also makes me more sympathetic to the oldsters in our family who are grimly hanging on to their cheque books, despite the banks having made it quite clear that cheques will be obsolete in our country within a couple of years.)
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Comment on How many of you wouldn't be alive if it weren't for modern medicine? in ~talk
NeonBright Link ParentI found this explanation of your approach to modifying your own gut biome fascinating, thanks for sharing.I found this explanation of your approach to modifying your own gut biome fascinating, thanks for sharing.
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Comment on What's on your Christmas lists, dads of Tildes? in ~life.men
NeonBright Link ParentNot disputing, just adding my 2c worth. My fairly robust metal wedding ring saved my hand/fingers from being slammed in a car door. Ended up with a little bruising rather than mincemeat. So I'm...Not disputing, just adding my 2c worth.
My fairly robust metal wedding ring saved my hand/fingers from being slammed in a car door.
Ended up with a little bruising rather than mincemeat.
So I'm pro-metal wedding ring precisely because it acted as a safety device. -
Comment on Wasabi linked to ‘substantial’ memory boost in ~science
NeonBright Link ParentLater in the text they refer to a 'dab' of straight wasabi (ie not an extract) - that's the part that I was curious about. I can produce a dab of fresh wasabi much more easily than I can produce...Later in the text they refer to a 'dab' of straight wasabi (ie not an extract) - that's the part that I was curious about.
I can produce a dab of fresh wasabi much more easily than I can produce an unspecified extract, but as a quantity it's fairly open to interpretation! -
Comment on Wasabi linked to ‘substantial’ memory boost in ~science
NeonBright LinkI do wish they were a bit more precise with their measurements. I have wasabi growing in a pot in the backyard (It's not as tricky as all that to grow), and would like to try this for myself, but...I do wish they were a bit more precise with their measurements. I have wasabi growing in a pot in the backyard (It's not as tricky as all that to grow), and would like to try this for myself, but 'just a dab' is difficult to quantify!
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Comment on How do you divide a room completely and maintain high visibility? in ~life.home_improvement
NeonBright LinkHave you considered soft netting - I mean quite wide diameter netting, like a tennis net? That can make an effective barrier that doesn't look too bad at all - unusual, for sure, but not terrible....Have you considered soft netting - I mean quite wide diameter netting, like a tennis net?
That can make an effective barrier that doesn't look too bad at all - unusual, for sure, but not terrible.
It's easy to install and replace if needed, and durable enough that the cats can't damage it much.
I'm not sure what you could do about a door. Maybe build a conventional door frame+ door against an existing wall and tack the net to the wooden frame?Alternatively there is conventional pet-proof fly wire, which could be tacked to tall lightweight frames, and the frames installed in the hallway, floor to ceiling.
One frame could support a screen door in this case. -
Comment on Tinder unveils staggering $500-per-month ‘VIP’ subscription tier in ~tech
NeonBright Link ParentI've often thought that the next successful dating app should be a free-to-users public good, along the lines of public libraries. That would remove the perverse incentives introduced through...I've often thought that the next successful dating app should be a free-to-users public good, along the lines of public libraries. That would remove the perverse incentives introduced through running dating apps in for-profit mode.
Many western countries are facing a demographic challenge regarding late/no marriages and falling birthrates, and so this could legitimately be considered as a means of addressing those problems. -
Comment on Experiment - Are there any Tildes users in Europe, Asia or Australia/New Zealand who might be interested to meet for a meal or a drink? in ~travel
NeonBright LinkHappy to offer advice and/or meet up if you are planning to be in Australia. It's a big continent we have here, so I may or may not be able to physically meet with you - but nothing ventured,...Happy to offer advice and/or meet up if you are planning to be in Australia.
It's a big continent we have here, so I may or may not be able to physically meet with you - but nothing ventured, nothing gained. DM me any time.
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Comment on Inside the very strange, very expensive race to “de-age” in ~life.men
NeonBright Link ParentMy thoughts exactly. Much of the joy of life, the joy of the process of living, is found in the in-between places, the unexpected things; all the unprogrammed stuff.So yeah he may live to be 120, but is that robotic life even worth living?
My thoughts exactly. Much of the joy of life, the joy of the process of living, is found in the in-between places, the unexpected things; all the unprogrammed stuff.
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Comment on Male nurse told to 'man up' by his female boss in front of a room full of women wins UK sex discrimination case in ~life.men
NeonBright Link ParentThe Guardian is left of centre. How far left is debatable, but it isn't centrist.The Guardian is left of centre. How far left is debatable, but it isn't centrist.
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Comment on ‘Rebel canning’ is having a moment, whether or not it should in ~food
NeonBright Link ParentThrowing out something that doesn't pop is only common sense. But throwing out jams and jellies that look good is mostly just a waste. Jams and jellies are a food that can be eyeballed - if it...Throwing out something that doesn't pop is only common sense.
But throwing out jams and jellies that look good is mostly just a waste.
Jams and jellies are a food that can be eyeballed - if it looks and smells fine, it's fine.
They are too acid and too sweet for anything really problematic to grow in, and mould - although icky to look at - won't do you any real harm as it is easy to spot before throwing it out.
(Obviously if anything is bubbling or moulded or murky or smelly, something has clearly gone wrong and out it goes!)However your point about consuming food made in a random kitchen is an increasingly valid one.
As people lose the habit of cooking routinely, a lot of the old protective behaviours are - paradoxically - dropping away, and home cooked food is not as safe as it once was.The intersection between industry and the home is an uncomfortable one - does that chicken have the ability to cross-contaminate otherwise safe food? Was that insecticide used in a safe way near the kitchen counter? Is that gluten free item actually free of gluten?
It makes me sad, but I am also less enthusiastic about home-made food than I once was.
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Comment on ‘Rebel canning’ is having a moment, whether or not it should in ~food
NeonBright Link ParentSquash is a very low-acid food and can be tricky to can successfully. Pickled squash - with lots of vinegar - is safe and easy to do. Soup, which is low acid, is technically harder and definitely...Squash is a very low-acid food and can be tricky to can successfully.
Pickled squash - with lots of vinegar - is safe and easy to do.
Soup, which is low acid, is technically harder and definitely more dangerous in terms of possible botulism risk.
However if it just 'went bad' it's likely it wasn't processed properly. -
Comment on ‘Rebel canning’ is having a moment, whether or not it should in ~food
NeonBright LinkPersonally, I think there is a middle way. The USDA has become so rigid about canning that it is almost disturbing. Many of their recommendations are quite unwieldy, and in some instances...Personally, I think there is a middle way.
The USDA has become so rigid about canning that it is almost disturbing.
Many of their recommendations are quite unwieldy, and in some instances unnecessary.Things like jams and jellies are generally low-risk foods and so can be made and safely consumed in ways that are time honoured; the modern ultra-super-conservative methods of preservation often result in an objectively worse product and with no particular benefit in terms of food safety.
On the other hand, only an insane person would mess with low-acid canning and the like. There are genuine hazards with this, and gauging what is safe and what is not requires either a very expert eye or solid guidelines in order to avoid them.
I've successfully canned and preserved food all my life and would like to think that there is a balance to be struck between recklessness and paranoia.
However given the fairly worrying choices some people seem to be making (even in this discussion), I guess it's better for the USDA to be safe than sorry.
Late reply here, but I just went over to Kagi and I'm pretty happy with the results.
I tore through their free 100 searches in a few days and the experience convinced me to take out a subscription.
It's pretty expensive here in local dollars, and it hurts to pay almost $200 for a service google provides 'for free', but for my purposes as a fact-focused private individual kagi does a pretty good job of cutting through the dross.
Google - which I once loved - has become almost unusable.
A significant thing about this whole experience though is that I now see subscriptions as kind of inevitable; I reaaaaally didn't want to pay for this service, yet here I am.
But the truely horrible thing is that I know, deep in my heart, that it's only a matter of time until these paid subscription services start advertising to me, too...