OswaldTheCatfish's recent activity

  1. Comment on Incredible invention - this drone could change everything in ~tech

    OswaldTheCatfish
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    A bit off topic from the video, but in January of 2020 I went to Rwanda for a 2 week college course and even recognized some of the places in the video, it really is as wonderful as he says it is....

    A bit off topic from the video, but in January of 2020 I went to Rwanda for a 2 week college course and even recognized some of the places in the video, it really is as wonderful as he says it is. Easily the most beautiful place I had ever been and likely ever will be. If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend going, especially since theyre making tourism one of their primary industries.

    2 votes
  2. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link Parent
    I haven't played it in a few years but I remember Far Cry 3 actually looking pretty fantastic outside of dark areas and during the night where there was some pretty gnarly color banding and...

    I haven't played it in a few years but I remember Far Cry 3 actually looking pretty fantastic outside of dark areas and during the night where there was some pretty gnarly color banding and strange shininess to the ground textures, although I may be biased because I ended up pumping about 200 hours into the game. I totally agree that the UI is a nightmare. Aside from the visual and UI issues, how are you enjoying it?

    1 vote
  3. Comment on What's your unpopular opinion or idiosyncrasy about video games or games in general? in ~games

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    Any FPS game where common enemies have health bars is instantly bad because it either: A. Means that the enemies likely have no other visual feedback that you hit them (stagger animation or...

    Any FPS game where common enemies have health bars is instantly bad because it either:
    A. Means that the enemies likely have no other visual feedback that you hit them (stagger animation or something similar), making it horribly unsatisfying.
    or
    B. the enemies are bulletsponges which need the health bar to show you how many more seconds you need to be shooting them until they die, also making it horribly unsatisfying.
    and unfortunately, its typically both.

    2 votes
  4. What is your philosophy on photography?

    Photography is a bit of an odd form of art, especially if you're not doing anything 'weird' with it. Occasionally I'll be thinking about photography as a hobby and a bit of dread sets in about how...

    Photography is a bit of an odd form of art, especially if you're not doing anything 'weird' with it. Occasionally I'll be thinking about photography as a hobby and a bit of dread sets in about how every photograph I could think of has already been taken and done better than I could. And so I think, what is the point? Why do I enjoy photography?

    So, after a few highly coherent 3am thinking sessions, I have come to my conclusion. My "philosophy", if you can call it that, behind why I enjoy photography is that I use it as a way to appreciate what I see and the world around me. I don't consider myself an artist because I just use photography as a way to display something beautiful that already existed. (Not that I don't consider other photographers who do similar stuff to me artists, that's just how I view myself.)

    If there are any other photographers on here, amateur or professional, I am interested in hearing your beliefs and what meaning you put towards your photography, whether its general or for specific photos.

    10 votes
  5. Comment on Clean energy is about having more, not less in ~enviro

    OswaldTheCatfish
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Sadly, before we talk about resource recycling we have to talk about resource extraction, because without that then we don't have any resources to recycle. Since I'm US based I'll look at US...

    Sadly, before we talk about resource recycling we have to talk about resource extraction, because without that then we don't have any resources to recycle. Since I'm US based I'll look at US numbers I got from wikipedia: In 2012 there were about 255 million street vehicles registered, which includes more than just passenger vehicles. As of December of last year, 2.3 million electric cars were sold to the US public since 2010. Of course these numbers are for different ranges of vehicles, but it still paints the same picture: we aren't at the stage where even perfect recycling would meet demand. If we want to maintain our current lifestyle, even fossil fuel free, we still have to extract resources from the planet, which cannot be done without harm.

    Don't get me wrong, I think electric vehicles can be a good thing but without talking about the big picture I find it easy to lose the point that climate change isn't the only threat.

    edit: To get a bit more to your actual point, it still comes down to that problem of resource extraction and the inherent harm caused by it. The world has 8 billion people and if everyone is going to live like Americans or Europeans then we need to pull a lot more resources out of the ground.

    3 votes
  6. Comment on Clean energy is about having more, not less in ~enviro

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    I have... mixed feelings on things like this. On the one hand, it is good to remind people that the goal of environmentalist movements isn't to have us living in caves and eating raw fish, but on...

    I have... mixed feelings on things like this.

    On the one hand, it is good to remind people that the goal of environmentalist movements isn't to have us living in caves and eating raw fish, but on the other it completely ignores the fact that energy isn't the only resource we use, and how we use those resources has massive effects on the ecosystem.

    In order to use more energy we have to extract and use more resources. That resource extraction damages ecosystems. Great, we've replaced ICE cars with electric cars. Now we have vast amounts of land destroyed from lithium mines and battery disposal, cities still designed to be hostile to humans, and the hydrology of the landscape still completely destroyed from concrete. If we continue to live our lives completely unchanged aside from replacing fossil fuels, the ecosystems we rely on will still be on the decline.

    I understand this is an 8 minute video and I shouldn't expect it to cover all these things, but I feel like it just highlights the liberal non commitment to making any meaningful change. Environmentalism is inherently incompatible with capitalism, and while getting rid of fossil fuels is good, that is the first step. We have to entirely reevaluate what we believe a 'good quality of life' is from a worldview not plagued by advertising which screams at you to simply purchase more products whenever you feel that something just isn't right. If you live in a 'developed' nation, your lifestyle is unsustainable, fossil fuels or not. We've screamed from the rooftops that this is the life that everyone should want to live because its what props up sales for our economy of limitless growth and now we apparently can't fathom a world where that isn't the goal.

    At this point I'm just rambling so I'll just end it here before I get too off topic.

    11 votes
  7. Comment on Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of May 2 in ~health.coronavirus

    OswaldTheCatfish
    (edited )
    Link
    Over the past two days, nearly 10% of my college's student body has reported testing positive for covid. This is of course the week after the Drake Relays were held with all its festivities...

    Over the past two days, nearly 10% of my college's student body has reported testing positive for covid. This is of course the week after the Drake Relays were held with all its festivities unrestricted and unmasked.

    If anyone here is considering or knows anyone considering going to Drake, do not. They care far more about money than the lives of their student population.

    Edit: Here is an article by the student news publication on the outbreak

    7 votes
  8. Comment on Got any new electronics? Tell me about them! in ~tech

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    A couple of months ago I was forced to get a new phone because of the Sprint/Tmobile merger, so I had to dump my perfectly functional Blackberry Keyone and get a Samsung a52. The a52 is ok, but...

    A couple of months ago I was forced to get a new phone because of the Sprint/Tmobile merger, so I had to dump my perfectly functional Blackberry Keyone and get a Samsung a52. The a52 is ok, but with a battery replacement I could have easily gotten at least another year or two out of my Keyone instead of having it end up as e-waste.

    1 vote
  9. Comment on No Man's Sky Frontiers | Trailer in ~games

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    Man, I really must be missing something because I always see universal praise for this game now but the last time I played it (admittedly around a year and a half ago), it felt like the same...

    Man, I really must be missing something because I always see universal praise for this game now but the last time I played it (admittedly around a year and a half ago), it felt like the same clunky, janky game that it was at launch, but with random disconnected systems glued on like a bad mod. I normally love games like this and ive been desperately wanting a good space sim but it just has far too many issues. The planets are still boring and monotonous, the flight model can barely be called that, the controls and UI are clunky and unresponsive, and it still seems to lack any attempt at making the galaxy look alive.

    4 votes
  10. Comment on Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity' in ~enviro

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link Parent
    The concern with overpopulation is another one of those things where it seems like people push it so that they would be able to live their lives exactly the same way as they always have. It always...

    The concern with overpopulation is another one of those things where it seems like people push it so that they would be able to live their lives exactly the same way as they always have. It always sounds like theyre saying "Well its not those of us in the west that are driving this with overconsumption, its those people in developing countries with growing populations that need to do something".

    9 votes
  11. Comment on What do you think are some good things about the US? in ~talk

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link Parent
    Yep. A couple years ago my jaw was so messed up that I couldnt eat solid food. I had to wait several months to see anyone about it and all he did was remove my wisdom teeth. I had to wait several...

    Yep. A couple years ago my jaw was so messed up that I couldnt eat solid food. I had to wait several months to see anyone about it and all he did was remove my wisdom teeth. I had to wait several more months to see anyone competent about it.

    Even worse, a friend of mine had to wait a couple months to get an MRI when they thought he had a brain tumor.

    Theres the saying of "Fast, cheap, or good. Pick 2". Healthcare in America has none of those for most people.

    4 votes
  12. Comment on Lancer publisher Mastiff Press launches official website with hardcover core book available for purchase in ~games.tabletop

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    If you haven't at least checked out Lancer I would suggest giving it a go, its easily my favorite TTRPG. There is a free pdf you can download that includes everything a player needs, the paid copy...

    If you haven't at least checked out Lancer I would suggest giving it a go, its easily my favorite TTRPG. There is a free pdf you can download that includes everything a player needs, the paid copy includes all the GM stuff.

    3 votes
  13. Comment on Zack Snyder's Justice League - Discussion thread in ~movies

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    Watched it with my roommates and (at least as someone who really isn't into comic books) it was bad. Not so bad that it was boring, because we had a good time shouting at the screen, but it...

    Watched it with my roommates and (at least as someone who really isn't into comic books) it was bad. Not so bad that it was boring, because we had a good time shouting at the screen, but it definitely was not something that you should expect to enjoy for its few good qualities.

    The movie is way too long and still ends up feeling rushed at the end. So long is spent setting up the plot and character introductions because they want what marvel has but don't want to put in any of the effort. Its not even something that could have been split into a miniseries because the pacing is so fucked.

    The fight scenes are almost good but are kneecapped by the god awful CGI. Not only does it just look like they missed a pass or two of something, but the weight of everything just feels off. Even in the non-action sequences it looks bad. The scene where Batman picks up the Flash and drives off in his car was so janky we had to rewind it just to see it again.

    Again, I'm mostly just ranting here, it isn't horrible and can be enjoyed. The only thing really offensive about it is how Snyder somehow thought that it deserved to be 4 hours long. According to my roommates who are far more into comics and that stuff than I am, this is at least an improvement from the theatrical release, so take that as you will.

    8 votes
  14. Comment on „Hating Men is a freeing form of hostility” in ~life

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link Parent
    Talking about LGBT stuff from a different angle, I'm a closeted trans woman with only 2 people in my life that know (and the number will probably never get any bigger) and every time I hear this...

    Talking about LGBT stuff from a different angle, I'm a closeted trans woman with only 2 people in my life that know (and the number will probably never get any bigger) and every time I hear this from someone that I care about it still hurts. I know and recognize that I get and continue to get advantages from presenting as a man, but when someone says things like "men are trash", they are lumping me in with the nebulous entity of "manhood" and I will always remain an "other", never one of them. There is no way for me to ever grow past that with the life I have been given and I am always going to remain feeling isolated from the people I identify and relate to most simply because while "I hate men" may not actually mean men as individuals, the idea that I am lumped into by them is something they despise.

    I have no idea if any of that makes sense and I have never heard anyone else feel that way but I also don't talk about it much so I really have no idea if its common or not.

    18 votes
  15. Comment on Americans - What is a "pep rally"? in ~life

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link Parent
    At my highschool, one would happen about once a year before the big football game against our rival school. While I'm not big on "school spirit", it was typically in the middle of the semester...

    At my highschool, one would happen about once a year before the big football game against our rival school. While I'm not big on "school spirit", it was typically in the middle of the semester when everyone is just kind of exhausted, so its timing was good to have something to break up the monotony.

    3 votes
  16. Comment on Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams (2020) in ~music

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    I saw that the trailer was posted here but the actual album still hasn't been posted yet. Some friends and I listened to it together almost immediately and absolutely loved it. There are...

    I saw that the trailer was posted here but the actual album still hasn't been posted yet.

    Some friends and I listened to it together almost immediately and absolutely loved it. There are definitely some less entertaining parts but overall I think its the most consistent of the Mouth albums but doesn't have the same highs as the others.

    While a lot of the tracks feel like half thoughts, I feel like the transitions between them more than make up for it and string a lot of them together really well.

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Let's talk about taking notes in ~talk

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    Some shit went down in my life a few months ago and it made me realize how little of my life I actually remember. Go back even 6 months and I can mostly just remember bits and pieces, a year is...

    Some shit went down in my life a few months ago and it made me realize how little of my life I actually remember. Go back even 6 months and I can mostly just remember bits and pieces, a year is even worse. Any more than 4 years back and I'm mostly just guessing past basic concepts. If I ask people to help I can remember a bit more, but if I'm on my own I'm lost.
    I realized that I should be writing this shit down because there is no way I can remember any details of what happened without it. There are so many memories about loved ones that are just gone because I simply cant remember anything, so Ive committed to every week or two just writing down things that have happened, what I've done, and who I've done them with.
    Right now I just have everything in a single word doc backed up in 3 different places. Its barely even a system. Different days have different formatting, sometimes it just bulletpoints, others its multiple pages for one day. Its just chaos and I think it works pretty well.

    5 votes
  18. Comment on What keyboard do you use? in ~tech

    OswaldTheCatfish
    Link
    I use a Unicomp Ultra Classic and my roommates absolutely hate me. As far as I know (and excluding wild shit like this), buckling springs are the loudest keyswitch out there and slightly on the...

    I use a Unicomp Ultra Classic and my roommates absolutely hate me. As far as I know (and excluding wild shit like this), buckling springs are the loudest keyswitch out there and slightly on the heavier side, but if you are like me and type super aggressively its pretty nice.
    I only have 2 minor problems with it, the first being the lack of NKRO which can make some games annoying. The other is that the key travel distance feels a lot shorter than something like the cherry MX switches. From what Ive read the difference between the two is .2mm, so I dont know if thats something I'm actually feeling or not.

    2 votes