Queresote's recent activity

  1. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    I suppose we are all algorithms in the same way we are all robots, with chemical signals being our commands or our parameters. But then, I also suppose the intention is different (in that we can...

    The algorithm is me

    I suppose we are all algorithms in the same way we are all robots, with chemical signals being our commands or our parameters.

    But then, I also suppose the intention is different (in that we can even have intention in the first place, for one). My intention with sharing is to support, or help, whereas I believe the algorithms provided by content platforms emphasize engagement more than learning.

    Your resources are very thorough, I can tell you that. I had never thought of using Github for this purpose, as I'm a diehard Obsidian fan. I applaud you for you creativity, or if it was a concept you built upon, your willfullness in using it.

    I may do something similar now, if I can find a way to do it in line with my own system.

    1 vote
  2. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    Good resources on religious study are very difficult to find these days, so I thank you. Pelikan's name sounded familiar to me, though I do not recognize any of the titles within his Bibliography...

    Good resources on religious study are very difficult to find these days, so I thank you.

    Pelikan's name sounded familiar to me, though I do not recognize any of the titles within his Bibliography section, was he notable for some other reason that you are aware of?

    Within the last five years I learned a lot from and was intrigued by Frans de Waal's book about Gender in primates

    I've spent the past few years actively avoiding primate studies stemming from a personal grudge with a colleague, but with your recommendation, I shall overcome that. I thank you doublefold for that, boxer_dogs_dance.

    1 vote
  3. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    I live for the visuals. That is terrifying (Though not as terrifying as ΔP crab footage ) The Discovery Service has always had some level of mystery about it and I am glad to have one small piece...

    I live for the visuals. That is terrifying (Though not as terrifying as ΔP crab footage )

    The Discovery Service has always had some level of mystery about it and I am glad to have one small piece of that mystery revealed, with the extra goodies of a love story. Exceptional read, and I thank you for sharing these.

    1 vote
  4. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    This is a good smattering of quotes, and I'm tempted to steal a few… Neal Stephenson continues to crop up as an author to read, though Snowcrash is in my top 10 book recommendations, so I'll hit...

    This is a good smattering of quotes, and I'm tempted to steal a few…

    Neal Stephenson continues to crop up as an author to read, though Snowcrash is in my top 10 book recommendations, so I'll hit Anathem right after. I've heard many, many good things about it.

    I had never heard of Jeph Jacques, though, and am thrilled to get some additional slice of life material to digest.

    Thank you for these quotes, please enjoy these three at your leisure:

    "Make each day your masterpiece"
    – John Wooden

    "While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing"
    – Uncle Iroh, Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Span of time is important; the 3-legged stool of understanding is held up by history, languages, and mathematics. Equipped with these three you can learn anything you want to learn. But if you lack any one of them you are just another ignorant peasant with dung on your boots.
    – Robert Heinlein, "The Happy Days Ahead" in Expanded Universe (1980)

    3 votes
  5. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    What an excellent resource! I will wander through it's pages when I get a hankering for some classic Anthropology. Additionally, I love using the Perseus Digital Library site for all my ancient...

    What an excellent resource! I will wander through it's pages when I get a hankering for some classic Anthropology.

    Additionally, I love using the Perseus Digital Library site for all my ancient reading.

    2 votes
  6. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    Discworld has been holding firm on my Reading List, though I am trying to get them all in physical format so I can do a Discworld marathon. I am glad to have gotten this pointer from you to start...

    Discworld has been holding firm on my Reading List, though I am trying to get them all in physical format so I can do a Discworld marathon.

    I am glad to have gotten this pointer from you to start further in the series, but for completion's sake, I will have to return back and finish the series completely.

    1 vote
  7. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    Hmm, I've never heard 'agony aunt' before, and I'm always game to learn about mystic-branches of any faith, though I myself may not belong to that group either (sometimes those are the most fun...

    Hmm, I've never heard 'agony aunt' before, and I'm always game to learn about mystic-branches of any faith, though I myself may not belong to that group either (sometimes those are the most fun things to learn about as an outsider.)

    I am always happy to learn and understand poetry deeper. Coincidentally enough, I had just learned about and read some work by Bashō, the Japanese poet. Did you know there were (allegedly) written laws at one point about what themes a Haiku could be written about?

    2 votes
  8. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    Is this the famed Pringle-Universe I've heard so much about? I may just become a Greg Egan fanboy and snag his entire Biblio. Thank you once again for the recommendations, I've already got The...

    Is this the famed Pringle-Universe I've heard so much about? I may just become a Greg Egan fanboy and snag his entire Biblio. Thank you once again for the recommendations, I've already got The Clockwork Rocket in my shopping basket, so why not grab the rest, right?

  9. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    Wow! I would have never known there was a previous fish at the top of the page. Thank you for the link, I'll be checking that out right away. It feels like no matter how random the topic, he...

    Wow! I would have never known there was a previous fish at the top of the page. Thank you for the link, I'll be checking that out right away.

    It feels like no matter how random the topic, he always manages to deeply explore it (far better than I could, for sure.)

    1 vote
  10. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    Excellent resources! The marginalia search engine is a particular favorite from this group. I will use this new tool to the maximum. Irving Finkel feels like a familiar name on the brain, but I...

    Excellent resources! The marginalia search engine is a particular favorite from this group. I will use this new tool to the maximum.

    Irving Finkel feels like a familiar name on the brain, but I can't formalize any connections on him, so I am excited to learn about this man to the fullest extent possible. I am slightly familiar with cuneiform as part of general anthropology, but haven't had an excuse to dig deeper. Now is my chance.

    1 vote
  11. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    You were absolutely right, this is incredibly niche, and yet, it is truly exciting. I had never heard about portable mass kits, let alone express the connection to materialism and it's effect of...

    I now research portable devotion, focusing on portable altars and liturgical objects, in two eras: the Central Middle Ages in Western Europe and the World Wars in the US military. With these two strands of inquiry, I have two current book projects: Portable Altars, Local Politics, and Spiritual Patronage in Medieval Saxony, c.1000-1195, and Supplying the Sacred: Portable Mass Kits, American Catholics, and Military Chaplains in World War I.

    This project analyzes the role of portable objects in Catholic devotion during the World Wars, emphasizing the overlap between faith, warfare, and material culture. In particular, it investigates how the collective endeavor to supply portable Mass kits to chaplains abroad impacted home-front Catholicism.


    You were absolutely right, this is incredibly niche, and yet, it is truly exciting. I had never heard about portable mass kits, let alone express the connection to materialism and it's effect of Catholicism at home.

    This will be an intriguing rabbit hole to explore. I have so many hypotheses already.

    I have always felt that the most obscure knowledge is typically the most valuable in times to the far-future. Now more than ever I want to learn about practices such as 1800s bookplate creation, collecting, and stamping, but the practitioners of the craft are mostly deceased.

    Thank you for this recommendation. I will treasure this information.

    5 votes
  12. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    Your thoughts on dignity arrive at an intersection with my thoughts on respect and my core values When I think of dignity I think of "giving every person basic human dignity as a baseline", which...

    Is it useful as a personal core value

    Your thoughts on dignity arrive at an intersection with my thoughts on respect and my core values

    When I think of dignity I think of "giving every person basic human dignity as a baseline", which is an element in my value system.

    I'm sure there are books about it, but I'm interested in personal thoughts and perceptions (although ofc they might be formed based on books, but there is something fleeting I like about conversations around a campfire that doesn't translate well into books

    I understand this sentiment wholeheartedly. I prefer your analogy of a campfire conversation over mine, which I usually describe to people as two philosophical Bigfoots zipping past each other in the wilderness buck-naked and high-fiving.

    For just a brief moment our psyches meet wholly open and then it's gone, a moment suspended in the larger narrative of our life. I love it.

  13. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    I got a strong taste of this with Frank Herbert of Dune fame. The only major benefit being he can no longer gain fame or money from me purchasing his books. Same for Asimov. Strangely enough, I...

    All that said, he holds some views I don't align with but I read his books long before I knew about them. I still hold them in high regard and try to separate the author from their works within reason

    I got a strong taste of this with Frank Herbert of Dune fame. The only major benefit being he can no longer gain fame or money from me purchasing his books. Same for Asimov.

    The Worthing Saga and Treason are both single book excellent sci-fi stories.

    Strangely enough, I had never heard of these, and I have a decent-sized collection of OSC Ender-verse stuff. It's about time I round out the collection (whenever it comes to living authors with gnarly prejudices, I try to borrow from friends who have it, or shop second-hand at a retailer that doesn't measure author metrics, like Goodwill or small bookshops)

    2 votes
  14. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    I am hooked with this. I've said it a handful of times, but I am an absolute sucker for non-Euclidean space used to scare and alter the mind (thinking about that scene in an Exorcist(?) Movie...

    It is set in a universe where the laws of physics are different than ours, mostly (in my layman understanding of it at least) from the speed of light not being a constant and thus the usual time dilation consequences of relativity work in reverse. The narrative is about a space mission saving the planet from annihilation, but it is everything around that that I found fascinating

    I am hooked with this. I've said it a handful of times, but I am an absolute sucker for non-Euclidean space used to scare and alter the mind (thinking about that scene in an Exorcist(?) Movie where the tunnel shrinks and shrinks until the guy can barely crawl through it) or Control the video game +FBC-universe/SCP stuff.

    The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner. As the title says, it is about Bell Labs and illustrates how real innovation comes from a free academic environment where people work together to research, and not look for profit opportunities. All the success stories from Silicon Valley wouldn't have happened without the groundwork made by these now mostly anonymous people.

    I am one of many with that bias. When I think of innovation, I think of Steve Jobs (read his family's books, yikes!) as an example. So I think this book is going to do a good job of breaking down my ignorance in that department. Thank you for these recommendations!

    3 votes
  15. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    That idea actually sounds delightful, and I feel like such a practice would boost person-to-person discussion here without investing in a pre-arranged course like book club (no hate, Trevor Noah's...

    Alternatively, there could be a "weekly text" where users all read or take part in a specific blog/article/book/podcast/political treaty/Wikipedia article/Star Trek episode/libretto and then freely talk about it and recommend a somehow connected topic to be read next by the community, like in the game of telephone. The most voted recommendation would then be the next topic and so on.

    Just my two cents, if you really want to maximize getting out of evil algorithms dictating your life and make it a community effort

    That idea actually sounds delightful, and I feel like such a practice would boost person-to-person discussion here without investing in a pre-arranged course like book club (no hate, Trevor Noah's Born A Crime was good reading).

    I see there's one specifically for books and for movies and games, but for general…

    I agree. I feel like most of the interesting stuff in life happens in the between-spaces. Like hearing a good quote on the radio and having it impact your own life, or seeing two squirrels fighting over a nut on a nature walk and being reminded that nature is a constantly moving thing, even when we are not in it.

    My personal struggle is the phrasing. Most of my life isn't "in the last week". It takes me quite some time to philosophize on stuff, so even if I did watch something like The Watchers or Yellowjackets, all the connections and thoughtful critiques I will have take time. ( Once again, just a personal struggle, not really worthy of my mentioning of it, but since the topic was here already)

    To regroup, I think your two cents is valid and appreciated. If anyone else shows interests, I second it.

    8 votes
  16. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    I believe this part is perhaps something we will just have to disagree on. I think that given loose or non-existent parameters for suggestions creates a better environment for truly personal...

    Thing is, when you give absolutely zero parameters like this, you make the recommender do a lot of work to figure out what to say…

    I believe this part is perhaps something we will just have to disagree on. I think that given loose or non-existent parameters for suggestions creates a better environment for truly personal recommendations.

    There are no guidelines so idk should I say fiction? Nonfiction? Favorite series? Favorite standalone? Book I think has a deep message? Book you won't get recommended by most people? etc.

    You can choose whichever categories you'd like. If I were presented the option of sharing with someone a truly personal recommendation, I'd probably say something like Wallace Stegner's Collected Stories which came to me at the perfect time in life to connect with the material. Even the introduction alone helped me with my own writing practices.

    Or maybe I'd recommend Next or Terminal Man by Michael Crichton, as I'm one of those individuals who is cautious about the human use of emerging technologies (and corporate misuse of them to be precise).

    Choice Paralysis is a real thing, a terrible curse to be put under, but I think people will prevail as you have.

    So why discount all of those resources and have people say one at random here?

    I'm not discounting any resources, they just don't fit my goal in what I'm trying to achieve. Plus, I'm not trying to limit anyone to purely books. I'm after good information in whatever form it takes.

    but if you'd asked me this a month ago I would've not replied because of the lack of parameters & too much mental load for me to pick something to say.

    Then I'm glad I asked when I did, otherwise I would have missed out.

    3 votes
  17. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    I had originally intended for my comment to be in books when I started composing it, but I foresaw the problem of needing to make multiple posts for each type of media, or the post not fitting...

    … there are some really great book recommendation threads in ~books

    I had originally intended for my comment to be in books when I started composing it, but I foresaw the problem of needing to make multiple posts for each type of media, or the post not fitting into the ~books topic because of the non-book related content.

    …it's very difficult to recommend something without knowing the genre you want (or preferences on tone, style, length, type of POV, etc).

    That's the magic, I want it all. No holds barred on any of those (as long as it is within the parameters of being a truly personal recommendation and the person has actually read it and verified it to be the top of the top).

    I don't want someone to guess at what I might like based on genre or tone or language, I want what they are personally in love with. Like a secret little piece of garbage a goblin holds onto as their most prized possession (I'm not calling any recommendations I'm getting as 'garbage' just making the point that I'm not after collective worth. If someone's favorite book is a Bionicles sticker book, I'm all for it. If someone's favorite book is truly Don Quixote, then again, all for it. I just want to understand people on a deeper level.

    That said, my current obsessed-with-recommending-it-to-everyone book is The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt… … It's survival-horror/space opera in book 1, and pure space opera in book 2. I think it's worth giving it a chance even if you don't like horror because I don't like horror and I loved it; and if you do like horror this is like favorite-book-ever good.

    You make an excellent argument for reading the book, it is now on my new reading list. Thank you, this is just the type of thing I'm after.

  18. Comment on An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations in ~talk

    Queresote
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    Putting my money where my mouth is: https://idlewords.com/ This little blog covers a variety of topics, the most recent being the ways a Mars mission could look like....

    Putting my money where my mouth is:

    https://idlewords.com/

    This little blog covers a variety of topics, the most recent being the ways a Mars mission could look like.

    https://grimgrains.com/site/about

    These guys are sailing about putting recipes down on a blog (I've tried a few and they are good). This was actually my first source for trying plant-based food.

    https://onbeing.org/

    The On Being project is something I've been keeping up with for quite some time, and the stories shared here (and on the YouTube channel) have given me a rich understanding of other peoples' lives, far deeper than something like a documentary can.

    https://ooh.directory/

    This is an excellent blog hub for finding blogs on many, many topics (this has been my go-to resource for blog-finding, but it lacks the communicative element)

    https://doyouwriteunderyourownname.blogspot.com/?m=1

    Three words: UK. Crime. Novelist.

    This is a portal to another world for me. I get to slow down and just live in small posts with this guy and get excellent recommendations

    https://itg.nls.uk/wiki/Introduction

    This is the Chew Inclusive Terminology Glossary, which has been a tremendously helpful resource in learning LGBT+ Slang¹. I've spent many years asking "what is this Egg thing I keep seeing, what is an Ace (and how are so many 14-18 years olds getting 5+ air-to-air kills in combat).

    1: It's important to note that I am not using the slurs and slang section in bad faith. I don't understand a lot of the concepts, but this page is basically a translator for me to have more meaningful discussions.

    https://sf-encyclopedia.com/
    https://www.isfdb.org/

    Here's a two-for-one for the sci fi fans. Both of these are excellent resources for finding information about a specific science Fiction novel, or for someone looking for their next book. The award page on ISFDB is especially interesting, as it was the first time I'd heard of the "Gaylactic Spectrum" Award that featured content with positive LGBTQIA+ content. If you're the type of person that can see and enjoy the Transgender themes in the Matrix, the two volumes I've looked at on this list would be right up your alley.

    21 votes
  19. An appeal to the community for non-algorithmic recommendations

    TLDR/BLUF: Kindly share your niche, off-the-beaten-path, quality blogs/articles/informational resources, books, quotes, etc. in any niche you are fanatical about. Okay, here goes… Hello...

    TLDR/BLUF: Kindly share your niche, off-the-beaten-path, quality blogs/articles/informational resources, books, quotes, etc. in any niche you are fanatical about.

    Okay, here goes…
    Hello Tildonians, Tildites, etc.

    I have created this post in the hopes that, like me, a lot of you are tired of being thrashed about intellectually by the whims of an engagement-driven, algorithm-based feed. One that, may I add, is actively being wielded to dumb us down into herds of cattle so we may be more susceptible to influence (this is real, by the way)

    I would like to propose a shared exchange of information that each of us has found that we feel is incredibly valuable (and perhaps a small explanation behind why we find it valuable). This may not be helpful to anyone else here (unless they are eager to share some new resource they have found, or they operate like I do and live in a constant state of near-fervent hunger for information), but I'd like to at least make an attempt.

    So what am I looking for here?


    Blogs

    The Niche-r the content, the better. Do I really need to know about the eating habits of past queens? no, but I am an information-glutton and I will have my fill by life's-end.

    Non-Prioritized content. Not everyone has a want or need to engage SEO keywords, or get their website put on google. I know that I don't. I want an unobstructed peak behind the curtain into someone mastering their craft, or annotating their life's experiences; without the metaphorical clanging of pots, "here I am here I am!" that comes with someone living for the clicks.

    Kindly, No Self-Promotion. I am sure that your blog is good, just as I'm sure my own blog is good. /fib (after the comma). I just get enough of an indivual's own self in the comments here. I don't want it. I treasure your thoughts as they exist here, in this space.

    (I have no qualms with Web 2.0 designs or content/navigation, as long as it doesn't fry my optical nerves upon loading)

    Books

    I want the most intimate of book recommendations. I want the books you are scared of recommending to your friends because if they insult them or don't like them, you will be personally upset.

    Additionally, I want the crème de la crème of books for each genre, and even some staples. (Genre is loose, category would be better, but you get it. If you want to share exclusively Russian Classic authors like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, and Chekov, please be my guest.)

    -Don't give me a recommendation you heard from a friend who heard about a book from Booktok, especially if you haven't read it. I have a lifetime of problematic relationship and age-gap books that will not leave my gray matter no matter how much Steinbeck or Wegner I try to push it out with. I also don't want a book that someone pulls up a "Top 100 books to read" list just to find, and pick arbitrarily.

    Articles/Quotes/Shower Thoughts/Etc.

    I want something that has been personally digested by the recommender for some time. Like, don't give me an apocryphal Ghandi quote and some ChatGPT thoughts on it. Maybe you watched Pirates of the Caribbean with your Dad or your first girlfriend, and some quote stuck woth you and crystallized that moment forever, maybe you watched a lot of westerns recently and the bad guy said something that still relates to modern conversation. I want the good-good.

    As always: delete if not allowed, move me wherever, lots of love, etc.

    (I'll comment my own examples as well so I can be critiqued as well)

    61 votes
  20. Comment on Show Tildes: we built the world's first legal AI API in ~tech

    Queresote
    Link Parent
    I upvoted your comment because it has brought up this question I've been battling myself (amongst others): How much should I actually share about myself (such as recent accomplishments, personal...

    I upvoted your comment because it has brought up this question I've been battling myself (amongst others):

    How much should I actually share about myself (such as recent accomplishments, personal updates, anecdotes, etc.) in regards to the stream?

    I've been holding onto this TIME article pertaining to the topic, which has served as an excellent starting point.

    In the article self-promption is mentioned (such as examples for why it may be appropriate sometimes to self-promote) and there are valuable resources linked as well.

    What do you believe a proper amount of self-promotion is? Is there a ratio that speaks to you? What other considerations do you think we should be employing here?

    7 votes