Notcoffeetable's recent activity
-
Comment on A shower thought on cameras in ~talk
-
Comment on What is your weirdest kitchen appliance and what do you think of it? in ~food
Notcoffeetable Link ParentThanks for the tip! Maybe this is the redemption arc for the batter beater.Thanks for the tip! Maybe this is the redemption arc for the batter beater.
-
Comment on What is your weirdest kitchen appliance and what do you think of it? in ~food
Notcoffeetable LinkI have a meat masher and it isn't what you think. It isn't a mallet or other tenderizing device. Rather imagine a plastic whisk, but instead of a whisk on the end of the handle it is a set of...I have a meat masher and it isn't what you think. It isn't a mallet or other tenderizing device. Rather imagine a plastic whisk, but instead of a whisk on the end of the handle it is a set of ridged fins in a star pattern. Allegedly it's use is to break up ground meat in a pan.
I was given the option between a meat thermometer or this meat masher. I am given a meat thermometer every year at work so I select this. I've used it once for the sake of testing its function. I hate it but I don't know how to dispose of it.
-
Comment on What fictional world would you live in, if you could pick any one? in ~talk
Notcoffeetable Link ParentOh come on, you don’t want to be in the giant gloopy shapeshifter ocean as an undifferentiated mass of consciousness?Oh come on, you don’t want to be in the giant gloopy shapeshifter ocean as an undifferentiated mass of consciousness?
-
Comment on United States: What personal (non-business) tax software/program do you use? in ~finance
Notcoffeetable LinkAside from several years where I used a CPA (ex-wife's family had money and consequently complicated filings) I've always just used H&R Block's online service. But my taxes are very simple, takes...Aside from several years where I used a CPA (ex-wife's family had money and consequently complicated filings) I've always just used H&R Block's online service. But my taxes are very simple, takes me about 30 minutes.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Notcoffeetable LinkSekiro: Shadows Die Twice: I hopped into Elden Ring to run around a bit. I've finished New Game so I was just exploring the world and seeing what I stumbled into. It reminded me how much I love...Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: I hopped into Elden Ring to run around a bit. I've finished New Game so I was just exploring the world and seeing what I stumbled into. It reminded me how much I love these games. So I spun up Sekiro since I've never made much progress in it. I am really enjoying myself and my parry skills are much better than they've ever been after playing some Nine Sols and other soulslikes.
I did run into Hirata Castle a bit early and started getting stuck so I think I'll return to Ashina Outskirts in my next session.
-
Comment on Recommend your social/softer science fiction books in ~books
Notcoffeetable Link ParentHaha, when I responded I thought I remembered you and I talking about Anne Leckie in another thread. But no, I haven't though it is on my reading list. I read Provenance and was a bit meh on it...Haha, when I responded I thought I remembered you and I talking about Anne Leckie in another thread.
But no, I haven't though it is on my reading list. I read Provenance and was a bit meh on it and honestly was a little reluctant to dive back into the world.
-
Comment on Recommend your social/softer science fiction books in ~books
Notcoffeetable LinkAnne Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy) is one of my favorites. She touches on a lot of social norms, self determination, identity, and a bit...Anne Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy) is one of my favorites. She touches on a lot of social norms, self determination, identity, and a bit on theory of mind.
The first book is my favorite but the entire trilogy is worth finishing.
-
Comment on How do I cope with/recover from divorce? in ~health.mental
Notcoffeetable Link ParentI don’t recommend any in particular. I recommend what interests you. Yes what I’m describing could be found elsewhere. The value I saw in it was the act of reading as reflection. Poetry and...I don’t recommend any in particular. I recommend what interests you.
Yes what I’m describing could be found elsewhere. The value I saw in it was the act of reading as reflection. Poetry and scripture can be read in the same way. Something like Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations can be read similarly. But religious texts carry the baggage of history to me that is equally as interesting; it might turn off others.
-
Comment on How do I cope with/recover from divorce? in ~health.mental
Notcoffeetable Link ParentThis is a great point and speaks to something I felt at the time. At any age you will find wonderful compatible people. It's a big ocean and an age and past life experiences are just what you make...I'm sure right now you feel old. You're not. You're still in the prime time to meet partners and have plenty of time if you want to have kids. I felt hesitant to break up with a partner at 29 because I worried about being "over the hill". I'm 35 now, and holy shit was that crazy! Being in your 20s is still so, so, so young. And, think about how much better you know yourself, your priorities, and your personal ethos than when you and your ex first got together.
This is a great point and speaks to something I felt at the time. At any age you will find wonderful compatible people. It's a big ocean and an age and past life experiences are just what you make them. In the hundred of dates I went on, only one person was turned away by my "divorcee" status and years later she reached out to say some very nice things.
-
Comment on How do I cope with/recover from divorce? in ~health.mental
Notcoffeetable LinkFirst off, I'm sorry. It is difficult, confusing, lonely, and can challenge you in unexpected ways. I had my divorce around the same age; I was 28-29 when we separated and the paperwork went...First off, I'm sorry. It is difficult, confusing, lonely, and can challenge you in unexpected ways.
I had my divorce around the same age; I was 28-29 when we separated and the paperwork went through the next year.
-
Find new friends or develop friendships that weren't "realized" before. I had a group of friends whom I partied with a bit. I reached out because I needed a place to celebrate thanksgiving. Since then they've become a true found family. We live across the US but always find a way to spend several days back in one place together.
-
"Hit the gym bro" tongue in cheek of course. But finding a physical outlet for whatever anxious energy and emotion you have is invaluable. Upside is whatever hit your ego has taken will hopefully be diminished by the fitness gains. This is how I found powerlifting. My sister showed up, told me I needed to go to the gym, showed me how to squat, bench, an deadlift. I'm not as good at sticking to it as I'd like but I love it and it's a regular source of happiness for me.
-
Figure out your "Great Work." You don't need to find religion or anything. But if you don't have some type of meditation practice, try developing one. Try reading religious texts... religions are founded on them for a reason. An external perspective is valuable. I'm not religious but there is beauty to be found there.
-
Get out there and meet people asap. Dating sucks but the potential and possibilities can be fun. Rip the bandaid off and just try things out.
-
-
Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
Notcoffeetable Link ParentGood to know. I ended up busy yesterday and haven’t had a chance to crack it yet. It’s hard to look back at Leviathan Wakes without the context of when I read it. I was a grad student flying to...Good to know. I ended up busy yesterday and haven’t had a chance to crack it yet.
It’s hard to look back at Leviathan Wakes without the context of when I read it. I was a grad student flying to work at UCONN for a week. It hooked me on the plane and I had to pick up Caliban’s War before flying home. I remember leaving lunch with my advisor early because I was like “sorry this book grabbed me and I need the second one for my flight home.”
In retrospect, the first book of expanse is my least favorite. I’m excited to try the first book of this new trilogy but hopefully having to wait for book 2 this time around doesn’t diminish the experience.
-
Comment on CES 2025 in ~tech
Notcoffeetable Link ParentI'm not trying to be a dick here, but that's likely because you probably never bothered to look it up. 2-series was the coupe line, 3-series the consumer-class sedan line, and 5-series the...I'm not trying to be a dick here, but that's likely because you probably never bothered to look it up. 2-series was the coupe line, 3-series the consumer-class sedan line, and 5-series the business-class line. BMW was pretty upfront with it. Their site had explainers for the naming conventions.
None of them mean "better" or "worse," just designed for different purposes. The closest thing to "better or worse" would've been the last two digits of the model number, as the tens and ones digits signified the virtual displacement. Anything with a model number in the 100s was usually made with thermo-molded plastics that disintegrated when exposed to air.
-
Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
Notcoffeetable Link ParentWhat do you consider hard sci-fi? Is it all restricted to earth, moon, and robots on mars?What do you consider hard sci-fi? Is it all restricted to earth, moon, and robots on mars?
-
Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
Notcoffeetable Link ParentI didn't realize they had released a new book! I know what I'm doing tonight. And it looks like it's slots right into what I have been reading (history/politics of authoritarianism).I didn't realize they had released a new book! I know what I'm doing tonight. And it looks like it's slots right into what I have been reading (history/politics of authoritarianism).
-
Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
Notcoffeetable Link ParentEh, I liked watching The Martian but I wasn't a fan of the writing style in Project Hail Mary. Both stories are a bit more "survival horror" than sci-fi imo. The Martian definitely gets scored...Eh, I liked watching The Martian but I wasn't a fan of the writing style in Project Hail Mary. Both stories are a bit more "survival horror" than sci-fi imo. The Martian definitely gets scored high in "realism" for me.
Whether you consider The Expanse hard sci-fi is going to depend on your own criteria. For me it's about realism of tech; I'll allow some unexplained/understood phenomena to create a plot. In The Expanse the "space magic" is 100% a feature of the unknown and that is the contention of the series. Humans are bound essentially by the physics we already understand. The politics and socio-economics are also well modeled.
I'd definitely call it harder than most popular sci-fi. Much harder and you're constrained to our solar system.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Notcoffeetable Link ParentI ebb and flow with video games... and honestly with most entertainment mediums I foresee a downturn in my gaming for a bit. Other things in life are fun too!I ebb and flow with video games... and honestly with most entertainment mediums I foresee a downturn in my gaming for a bit. Other things in life are fun too!
-
Comment on One state tried eighth grade algebra for all. It hasn’t gone well. in ~society
Notcoffeetable Link ParentI would propose what you experienced was people who loved math and were required to teach. Students regularly had this idea that teaching was what I spent my time doing when in reality it was a...I would propose what you experienced was people who loved math and were required to teach.
Students regularly had this idea that teaching was what I spent my time doing when in reality it was a handful of hours a week. I liked teaching but many of my peers did not.
-
Comment on How do you decide when to buy a book? in ~books
Notcoffeetable LinkI buy a book when I want to read a book. I don’t like reading books on my tablet and I don’t get through books fast enough to feel like borrowing them from the library. We have a local independent...I buy a book when I want to read a book. I don’t like reading books on my tablet and I don’t get through books fast enough to feel like borrowing them from the library.
We have a local independent bookstore so I often drop in to see what looks interesting.
The exception being some non-fiction. Books on history, politics, philosophy, etc I like in audiobook form.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Notcoffeetable Link ParentThat's mostly the 5e D&D system. A couple tips: They took to heart the improvisation that happens in D&D. Looks for ways to increase the impact of your action. For example, rather than firebolting...That's mostly the 5e D&D system. A couple tips:
- They took to heart the improvisation that happens in D&D. Looks for ways to increase the impact of your action. For example, rather than firebolting one guy, maybe firebolting an explosive barrel near by will do similar damage to way more enemies.
- Action economy can make or break fights. So get rid of low hanging fruit asap to even the odds/gain an edge.
- The dev team kind of worked around the D&D system by putting a lot of abilities on items. As you get more gear your team will get more things to do.
And it is actually kind of hard even going in knowing the D&D rules.
What do you mean? The only person I know with a mullet is 4. He is rad though