Neuroflux's recent activity

  1. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    Lacking a website dedicated to this purpose, you could base a subreddit or group on Tildes around the concept. On reddit, you could have automod automatically delete any comment/reply that isn't a...

    Lacking a website dedicated to this purpose, you could base a subreddit or group on Tildes around the concept. On reddit, you could have automod automatically delete any comment/reply that isn't a link to an audio recording.

    1 vote
  2. Comment on What’s a mistake many people do not know they are making? in ~talk

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    Like putting money into an IRA and then leaving it in a money market fund.

    Like putting money into an IRA and then leaving it in a money market fund.

    5 votes
  3. Comment on California mass shooting: Rail employee ‘shoots dead eight and himself’ as suspect’s house found on fire in ~news

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    No matter your personal opinion on the matter of gun control, you have to admit that when someone uses their personal firearm to save lives, the level of coverage in the news does not compare to...

    Many have the idea that with access to a gun, they'd be able to stop these shootings. If this were true, how come we still have so many shootings?

    No matter your personal opinion on the matter of gun control, you have to admit that when someone uses their personal firearm to save lives, the level of coverage in the news does not compare to that of a mass shooting. There are examples such as https://apnews.com/article/de8a2aebc6d95b9131a08975a5d881f9

    Does anyone on Tildes have a gun? Can you help me understand?

    It is not impossible to save lives with your personal firearm, therefore some rather have a fighting chance. Especially those who have families to protect. Even if you don't agree with that sentiment I don't think it's difficult to understand why many people have it.

    11 votes
  4. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    I haven't tried Fitbod because it's only available for iOS, but I do use a very similar app called Bodbot (which is on both Android and iOS). You might want to give Bodbot a try to see how it...

    I haven't tried Fitbod because it's only available for iOS, but I do use a very similar app called Bodbot (which is on both Android and iOS). You might want to give Bodbot a try to see how it compares.

    1 vote
  5. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tildes

    Neuroflux
    Link
    No matter what kind of consensus folks come to in this thread, there will always be people who reminisce about the good 'ol days of Tildes "pre-?" - before X amount of people registered, before...

    No matter what kind of consensus folks come to in this thread, there will always be people who reminisce about the good 'ol days of Tildes "pre-?" - before X amount of people registered, before entertainment posts were allowed, etc. Conversely, there will be people who complain about stagnancy and the perception of inaction should things remain the same. Tildes is established enough that a percentage of users will be disappointed regardless of which decisions are/aren't made. And no amount of preparation will prevent unwanted issues from arising, be they similar to those problems which plague reddit, or something new entirely.

    My question is, does Tildes have a strong vision for what it wants to be? Do these entertainment-type posts fit into that vision? If they will never be allowed, as hinted at by the quoted posting guidelines, that should be reaffirmed now so that we don't dither over an imaginary identity crisis.

    11 votes
  6. Comment on The results of the 2019 Census in ~tildes

    Neuroflux
    Link
    The sentiment seems to favor more diversity among content and the user base. That doesn't imply there should be less of anything, just more of other things. It seems to me, though, that currently...

    The sentiment seems to favor more diversity among content and the user base. That doesn't imply there should be less of anything, just more of other things.

    It seems to me, though, that currently those "other things" will not receive a lot of votes when they are submitted. If they don't align with the interests of the majority of existing users, such submissions will sink to the bottom and fail to gain popularity. Consequently submitters of such content will be discouraged, further content of that nature will not be submitted, and the variety of content on Tildes will remain as it is. Not a problem unless you are hoping to attract a more diverse user base, because visitors outside of the common demographic will not be enticed to stay when they view the content on offer.

    I'm just thinking out loud as I reflect on the comments I read, but two things occur to me. First, people who submit less popular content (that is, submissions that receive a low number of votes) may be more valuable to Tildes than most people realize. Second, successful subreddits on reddit often seem to be accompanied by redditors who feel a sense of responsibility for their success; they go above and beyond to drive and organize activity, particularly during the early stages of growth. Tildes may benefit from finding a way to seek out, empower and motivate these personalities to take the ball and run with it, so to speak, so that they may advance Tildes towards the goal of having more varied content.

    14 votes
  7. Comment on Preparation for the 2019ish Tildes Census 2: Electric Boogaloo in ~tildes

    Neuroflux
    Link
    I don't know how expansive you want to get with it, but some questions like "What are your top 5 most visited websites?" or "top 5 favorite YouTube channels?" might be fun to see the results of.

    I don't know how expansive you want to get with it, but some questions like "What are your top 5 most visited websites?" or "top 5 favorite YouTube channels?" might be fun to see the results of.

    2 votes
  8. Comment on Preparation for the 2019ish Tildes Census 2: Electric Boogaloo in ~tildes

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    There's also the point that people frequently refer to themselves as both agnostic and atheist.

    There's also the point that people frequently refer to themselves as both agnostic and atheist.

    Agnostic atheists are atheistic because they do not hold a belief in the existence of any deity and agnostic because they claim that the existence of a deity is either unknowable in principle or currently unknown in fact.

    3 votes
  9. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    I have a pair of expandable, adjustable PowerBlock Elite dumbbells for home workouts. Definitely one of the best purchases I've made.

    I have a pair of expandable, adjustable PowerBlock Elite dumbbells for home workouts. Definitely one of the best purchases I've made.

    2 votes
  10. Comment on Tesla made a pickup truck for the end of the world in ~transport

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    I live in a very sunny, hot part of California and residential streets are lined with large trucks parked outside with no cover. Most of them too big to fit in a garage.

    I live in a very sunny, hot part of California and residential streets are lined with large trucks parked outside with no cover. Most of them too big to fit in a garage.

    3 votes
  11. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tv

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    It feels like these 3 episodes comprised what would have been a single pilot episode in a lot of other shows. Now it seems like the stage is set and the show could go any direction - unless the...

    It feels like these 3 episodes comprised what would have been a single pilot episode in a lot of other shows. Now it seems like the stage is set and the show could go any direction - unless the storyline plays out identical to John Wick.

    3 votes
  12. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tv

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    I get that there's probably something in the guild's Code that says "no take-backs," as was suggested in the dialogue, and Mando's actions would set an unfavorable precedent for the guild. But it...

    So he betrays the code of the Bounty Hunter Guild,

    I get that there's probably something in the guild's Code that says "no take-backs," as was suggested in the dialogue, and Mando's actions would set an unfavorable precedent for the guild. But it seems to me that he had completed the transaction and his obligations were fulfilled. He gave the Imperials adequate time to take over the security of Yiddle, and Mando had returned to free agent status by the time he attacked.

    I wonder if the guild's Code would have allowed a second, new bounty to be placed on Yiddle. Mando could have completed it and been free and clear as far as the rules are concerned.

    2 votes
  13. Comment on What's one thing you HAVEN'T been able to find online, no matter how hard you tried? in ~talk

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    I did keep in touch with one until about 2010. We joined a Star Wars Galaxies guild which kept us in touch after Cybertown, and then we started a multi-gaming guild together in 2005. That guild is...

    Have you stayed in touch with any of the users you knew or befriended?

    I did keep in touch with one until about 2010. We joined a Star Wars Galaxies guild which kept us in touch after Cybertown, and then we started a multi-gaming guild together in 2005. That guild is still going strong today, but eventually we both lost our passion for gaming and fell out of touch.

    6 votes
  14. Comment on What's one thing you HAVEN'T been able to find online, no matter how hard you tried? in ~talk

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    I enjoyed being a City Guide. I would hang out in public places and be a friendly face for new users. New users could also choose to summon a City Guide who would appear before them and introduce...

    I enjoyed being a City Guide. I would hang out in public places and be a friendly face for new users. New users could also choose to summon a City Guide who would appear before them and introduce them to the city. I had fun taking users through the city, showing them what fun was to be had (i.e. take them to the arcade to play games, casino to gamble, theme park to ride rides, stadium to toss a ball around with other users, art gallery to see art hung on the wall, Sunset Beach to see our most beautiful/artistic VRML world, employment center to get a job, mall to buy items, help them set up their house and decorate it, etc.) and explain the history behind the places we visited (like Flyby Park which was named after our Mayor who passed away in real life). If you did a good job as a City Guide, you might form friendships and continue to see these people hang around and gain standing in the community.

    Hosting events was also a big part of the culture - like trivia nights. Here's a website someone made which describes their life in Cybertown, including events they attended. Events were a part of many people's job duties because it helped generate social activity.

    I was young (I ran the Teens colony) and picked up a lot of real-world skills by participating in Cybertown at that age. Many jobs benefited from learning HTML and honing leadership abilities. At one point I wrote for the Daily News, and the Chief Editor was an extremely knowledgeable man who I presume was about in his 50s and edited each article with the same care and attention to detail you'd expect from a professional journalist, therefore my writing skills improved. I can't say enough good things about it, and my experience leads me to the firm belief that there is a lot of untapped potential for modern games to be designed with similarly advanced social systems. I later spent many years being a guild leader in MMORPGs creating fun social structures within the context of the games we played.

    11 votes
  15. Comment on What's one thing you HAVEN'T been able to find online, no matter how hard you tried? in ~talk

    Neuroflux
    (edited )
    Link
    There was a web-based virtual community called Cybertown. I was active on it from 1999-2002 and those were its peak years - it's entirely gone now. Think Second Life but with a functioning...
    • Exemplary

    There was a web-based virtual community called Cybertown. I was active on it from 1999-2002 and those were its peak years - it's entirely gone now. Think Second Life but with a functioning government, economy, virtual homes and neighborhoods, jobs (for which you are hired by a real person, and receive payment in virtual currency), and other unique attributes. I've never quite seen it replicated with modern online communities/MMOs and I'm not even sure it would work with today's internet culture.

    The part that I was most fascinated with was your ability to start as a new citizen, and seek employment from someone who was hiring for a low-level job (i.e. Block Deputy, in charge of deleting homes owned by inactive users and making more space for new people to move into their block, policing homes with offensive names/content, helping their Block Leader host events for their neighbors, etc.). A "block" was a collection of homes, a "neighborhood" was a collection of blocks, and a "colony" was a collection of neighborhoods - a sample colony would have been something like "Sci-fi" colony, "Metaverse" neighborhood, and "Snow Crash" block. Citizens with an interest in the book Snow Crash would place their home there. There might be another block in the same neighborhood called Neuromancer. You could start as a Block Deputy, work your way up to Block Leader, Neighborhood Deputy, Neighborhood Leader, Colony Deputy, to Colony Leader. There were something like 6 colonies (i.e. Sci-fi Colony, Fantasy Colony, Teens Colony, etc.) and the City Council was comprised of the 6 or so Colony Leaders, along with a Mayor and Deputy Mayor. They made decisions which impacted the whole website, in coordination with the parent company/founder of the website. There were other jobs, such as Mall Chief and Mall Deputies, who were in charge of the mall; where you could upload your own 3D VRML products (i.e. a lamp or painting), and make money from the people who purchase your product to place in their virtual house. There was a Security Chief and Security Deputies who policed the website for inappropriate content and had the ability to suspend or ban users. There was an arcade, bank, flea market, theme park, employment center, a city news organization, etc. all with their own staff. I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface; it was really quite amazing for a creation of the 90s.

    The primary focus of the website was simply to hang out and make friends with other users, with all of these unique features serving as a backdrop and generating bustling activity. I took on quite a few jobs while I was active in the community. One of my favorite jobs was City Photographer - I would show up to events (i.e. a party), take screenshots of the virtual world and the avatars of people who had attended, and it would be published in the Daily News along with an article written about the event. Eventually I worked my way up and became a Colony Leader and City Council Member before I left. A Colony Leader was in charge of organizing all neighborhoods and blocks under their purview along with everyone who was employed by that colony, and representing their residents on the City Council. The City Council would vote on important city-wide matters, hold public meetings, etc.

    The website failed to evolve and keep up with trends, became outdated, and was sold to a company which lacked interest in keeping it going. For a while there was talk about creating a "Next Generation" version of Cybertown which would have modernized it for the early 2000s, but nothing came of that. If I had the funds and resources, I would create a modern version. It would be fun to explore which concepts worked in the 90s but wouldn't work today - i.e. the "jobs" would have to be more appealing (not just glorified moderators), and there would need to be multiple servers (cities) for scalability.

    22 votes
  16. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tv

    Neuroflux
    Link
    Will the entire season be released on Amazon at the same time, or will it still be weekly episodes?

    Will the entire season be released on Amazon at the same time, or will it still be weekly episodes?

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Tildistas in the US, who do you support in the 2020 Democratic Primary? in ~talk

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    She is definitely on the list of people I expect will run for President in the future, along with Gavin Newsom.

    She is definitely on the list of people I expect will run for President in the future, along with Gavin Newsom.

  18. Comment on Democratic Debate #1 Thread (Night 2) in ~society

    Neuroflux
    Link Parent
    He also talked about his son, who died in 2015 after years of suffering from brain cancer.

    The experience that Biden mentioned happened 47 years ago, so it doesn't inform Biden about healthcare in the same way.

    He also talked about his son, who died in 2015 after years of suffering from brain cancer.

    2 votes
  19. Comment on Reddit has quarantined /r/The_Donald in ~tech

  20. Comment on Anyone have experience going to school in their 50s? in ~talk

    Neuroflux
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    I wonder if becoming a security guard would be a good option for you. You said you have a way of de-escalating difficult situations. Although you are no longer in peak physical shape, my...

    I wonder if becoming a security guard would be a good option for you. You said you have a way of de-escalating difficult situations. Although you are no longer in peak physical shape, my understanding is that security guards tend to fulfill more of an "observe and report" role. Maybe potential employers would appreciate someone with wisdom and life experience who is less likely to fly off the chain and create a liability by physically confronting someone.

    3 votes