OswaldTheCatfish's recent activity
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Comment on LGBTQ folks check-in thread - how're you all doing? in ~lgbt
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
OswaldTheCatfish LinkAnyone get any good pictures of the eclipse? Heres my digital shot from my grandparents' farm. I also hopefully got a good picture on film so I'll have to see how those turn out when I can go and...Anyone get any good pictures of the eclipse? Heres my digital shot from my grandparents' farm. I also hopefully got a good picture on film so I'll have to see how those turn out when I can go and get them developed. My grandma was a professional photographer so being able to use her camera to capture the eclipse over her farm made what was already an incredible experience something even more special and I may have ended up crying a bit. Overall it was well worth ~30 hours of driving and a new car engine.
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Comment on Trans men enter Miss Italy pageant in droves after trans women are told they can’t compete in ~lgbt
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentI talked about this elsewhere in this thread but all that does is legitimize and legalize transphobes arguments, especially since they dont actually care about biological advantages or sports,...I talked about this elsewhere in this thread but all that does is legitimize and legalize transphobes arguments, especially since they dont actually care about biological advantages or sports, they just want trans people dead or in hiding.
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Comment on Trans men enter Miss Italy pageant in droves after trans women are told they can’t compete in ~lgbt
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentI'd also like to point out that literally nobody actually cares about biological advantages, even if they think they do. If they did, everybody would have been calling for Michael Phelps and his...I'd also like to point out that literally nobody actually cares about biological advantages, even if they think they do. If they did, everybody would have been calling for Michael Phelps and his webbed feet to be banned from every swimming competition out there instead of releasing article after article praising him for basically being half fish.
The whole "unfair biological advantage" thing is a complete distraction and engaging directly with that instead of the source of the ideas is why you have droves of liberals essentially saying that we can have a little bit of segregation as a treat (and that little bit of segregation obviously would never grow into something even worse now that theyve 'legitimized' transphobes' arguments) -
Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentBlack and white is pretty simple, only requiring two chemicals and the temperature doesn't need to be super precise, so all of my developing stuff fits in a small box. Like digitalphil said, you...Black and white is pretty simple, only requiring two chemicals and the temperature doesn't need to be super precise, so all of my developing stuff fits in a small box. Like digitalphil said, you can use a darkbag for all the stuff that needs to happen in the dark, which is basically just loading your film onto the spool and into the development tank. Once that's done you really only need about a square foot of counter space near a sink for your mixing.
I said before that the temperature doesnt matter as much for black and white, but it will still affect dev time so getting as close to 20C as possible was probably the biggest difficulty and something I really want to figure out if I ever move up to color film.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
OswaldTheCatfish LinkJust yesterday I developed my first roll of film and im pretty pleased with the results, especially since i was expecting to screw up catastrophically at some point in the process. Here is the...Just yesterday I developed my first roll of film and im pretty pleased with the results, especially since i was expecting to screw up catastrophically at some point in the process.
Here is the cleanest scan ive gotten so far
https://i.imgur.com/L60k95o.jpeg -
Comment on Any hardcore leftists here? in ~talk
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentIt is probably also worth pointing out that they lost to the fascists in Spain only after the Stalinists absorbed and crushed them politically. Typically anarchist losses in these wars stem from...It is probably also worth pointing out that they lost to the fascists in Spain only after the Stalinists absorbed and crushed them politically. Typically anarchist losses in these wars stem from naive trust that statist communists wont align themselves with fascists.
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Comment on 'Barbie' review: Sometimes corporate propaganda can be fun as hell in ~movies
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentI initially thought that too, but I think that was kind of the point. It was to essentially give the Kens the same treatment that women have been getting for thousands of years as a way of showing...I initially thought that too, but I think that was kind of the point. It was to essentially give the Kens the same treatment that women have been getting for thousands of years as a way of showing the male audience who is more likely to sympathize or identify with the Kens just how shit and patronizing it feels to be told "just be happy that we've given you this much".
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Comment on Incredible invention - this drone could change everything in ~tech
OswaldTheCatfish (edited )Link ParentA 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.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentI 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?
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Comment on What's your unpopular opinion or idiosyncrasy about video games or games in general? in ~games
OswaldTheCatfish LinkAny 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. -
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.
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Comment on Clean energy is about having more, not less in ~enviro
OswaldTheCatfish (edited )Link ParentSadly, 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.
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Comment on Clean energy is about having more, not less in ~enviro
OswaldTheCatfish LinkI 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.
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Comment on Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of May 2 in ~health
OswaldTheCatfish (edited )LinkOver 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
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Comment on Got any new electronics? Tell me about them! in ~tech
OswaldTheCatfish LinkA 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.
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Comment on No Man's Sky Frontiers | Trailer in ~games
OswaldTheCatfish LinkMan, 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.
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Comment on Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity' in ~enviro
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentThe 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".
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Comment on What do you think are some good things about the US? in ~talk
OswaldTheCatfish Link ParentYep. 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.
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Comment on Lancer publisher Mastiff Press launches official website with hardcover core book available for purchase in ~games.tabletop
OswaldTheCatfish LinkIf 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.
im a very pessimistic person in general which i think has somehow helped me in this situation. ive always believed things will get worse and so far ive been right, its just happening faster now. i feel mostly the same as i did before the election, this just lit a fire under my ass to get my shit sorted out a lot sooner rather than later. currently stockpiling supplies for homebrewing my own hrt for myself and others if it comes to it. tbh i dont really care what happens to me as long as i can insulate others from the bullshit so thats my main focus right now.