RoyalHenOil's recent activity
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Comment on Why America needs fewer bus stops in ~transport
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
RoyalHenOil Link ParentOh nice! Most of my family is from the Maryville/Townsend/Gatlinburg area.Oh nice! Most of my family is from the Maryville/Townsend/Gatlinburg area.
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Comment on Why London’s chimney sweeps are enjoying a resurgence in ~life
RoyalHenOil Link ParentIt's generally pretty doable to have a wood stove installed in a fireplace. There are some ridiculously efficient wood stoves on the market today — upwards of 80-90% (compared to a fireplace's...It's generally pretty doable to have a wood stove installed in a fireplace. There are some ridiculously efficient wood stoves on the market today — upwards of 80-90% (compared to a fireplace's 10-15%).
They're not a perfect replacement for central heating, since they are slower to warm up and cool down, and you can't regulate them to a thermostat. But they can definitely cut down on heating bills during the coldest parts of winter, depending on the local price of firewood, the local price of electricity/gas/whatever your central heating runs on, and your home's insulation (central heating is particularly ineffective in drafty homes).
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Comment on Why London’s chimney sweeps are enjoying a resurgence in ~life
RoyalHenOil LinkWhere I live (rural Victoria, Australia), a wood stove is generally the cheapest way to heat your home. For people who can afford them, reverse cycle A/Cs are gaining in popularity, especially as...Where I live (rural Victoria, Australia), a wood stove is generally the cheapest way to heat your home. For people who can afford them, reverse cycle A/Cs are gaining in popularity, especially as solar panels become more common (plus they can do cooling in the summer), but the wood stove is still king, especially for people on tight budgets.
Our most common local tree (the manna gum) burns efficiently and grows like a weed. If you're willing to do your own wood splitting, you can get a year's delivery of wood in a single truckload for a reasonable price. If you can't afford to buy wood, all you need is a chainsaw and a trailer to collect your own firewood by the side of the road (manna gums regularly drop branches, often 6-12" in diameter, which take decades to rot away).
It's a completely different story in the city, however, where wood transport becomes very expensive, where most people don't have room to store wood in bulk, and where regulations about woodsmoke come into effect. I've seen some older houses in the city that have fireplaces (generally nonfunctional or retrofitted into gas heaters), but it's very unusual to see new builds with hookups for wood stoves.
I can't say anything about London, but here, wood stoves seem like more of a posh thing in urban areas, even if they're the economical option in the boonies.
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI grew up in the South (and in particular a predominantly Black community in the South) where small talk with strangers is also very common. The problem is that I'm supremely introverted. Small...I grew up in the South (and in particular a predominantly Black community in the South) where small talk with strangers is also very common. The problem is that I'm supremely introverted. Small talk is exhausting, so I do it very little, and people back home generally perceive me as extremely shy (although it's not really shyness, just tiredness).
But then I moved to Australia, which has a much more reserved culture, and I find myself talking to strangers all the time — no more than I do in the US (and actually a lot less, since the social pressure to do it isn't there), but it stands out enough from the local culture that I have a reputation for being unusually outgoing.
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI had a Nicaraguan-Italian coworker who identified this as a language thing rather than a culture thing. She told me that you don't touch people when you're speaking English, but you do touch them...I had a Nicaraguan-Italian coworker who identified this as a language thing rather than a culture thing. She told me that you don't touch people when you're speaking English, but you do touch them when you're speaking Spanish or Italian.
We had some university students from Spain fly down to work with us (consulting), so after she told me that, I paid attention to how she acted when she was speaking to them in English or Spanish. Sure enough, she was always touching their arms and shoulders when she spoke to them in Spanish, but not when she spoke to them in English.
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
RoyalHenOil Link ParentWhich part of Appalachia are you from?Which part of Appalachia are you from?
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI had a similar but opposite experience moving from the US to Australia. I needed to get treated for an ear infection before I had universal health coverage, and the doctor and receptionist both...I had a similar but opposite experience moving from the US to Australia. I needed to get treated for an ear infection before I had universal health coverage, and the doctor and receptionist both apologized again and again that they had to charge me. It was like $30.
My parents came to visit me here this past October, and my dad had to go to the my local sleepy, small-town ER for an injury. He didn't have universal health coverage, obviously, but he had travel insurance, so he figured paying would be no biggie.
They put him in a hospital bed for a few hours and he was seen by several doctors and nurses (plus a bunch of nursing students practicing wound dressing), so he was expecting a big bill — but when he went to pay with his travel insurance, they decided dealing with insurance was too much of a bother and dropped all the charges. Despite that, they were still asking him to visit the ER every couple days to have his wound monitored and his dressing changed (all for free and on a walk-in basis), and they gave him a bunch of bandages and butterfly strips to take home in case he couldn't be bothered.
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
RoyalHenOil Link ParentAmerican restaurants are reasonably common here. Even my local town of ~2,800 used to have one, which sadly closed during the pandemic. They're generally dressed up in a 50s retro diner style, but...American restaurants are reasonably common here. Even my local town of ~2,800 used to have one, which sadly closed during the pandemic. They're generally dressed up in a 50s retro diner style, but occasionally one gets a bit creative and goes for something like Waffle House style. Despite the kitsch, every one I've seen has been pretty foodie and upscale — and some are downright pretentious.
All the ones I've been to sell American-looking food (for example, fluffy pancakes, milkshakes, apple pie, etc., which all somehow still taste entirely Australian), Mexican-looking food (quesadillas seem to particularly popular in experience though, again, they taste Australian), plus some more unusual items that are more American-inspired than anything, like this macaroni and cheese ball or these cheeseburger springrolls. You'll also see a lot of classic Australian food, like hand pies, that are presented in an American style; maybe they'll be dressed up with pickles or jalapenos, for example. Sometimes you see blooming onions show up — which particularly tickles me because that's an Outback Steakhouse thing.
I've enjoyed the food from every American diner I've visited, but they definitely don't scratch my itch for genuine American food (particularly the Southern food I grew up with). I just have to cook that myself. American restaurants are really just a fun play on the standard Australian fare.
But this is pretty typical. Ultimately, a restaurant has to serve the tastes of the locals who frequent it, and Americans and Australians just don't have the same tastes. I had the same experience doing study abroad in rural Costa Rica; I went to Mexican restaurants, Italian restaurants restaurants, etc., and they all still tasted like Costa Rican food.
Ultimately, people like their food to look exotic but taste familiar.
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Comment on What's a culture shock that you experienced? in ~talk
RoyalHenOil LinkWhen I immigrated from the US to rural Australia back in 2012 (having never before traveled outside North and Central America), I think my biggest shock was the difference in the food culture:...When I immigrated from the US to rural Australia back in 2012 (having never before traveled outside North and Central America), I think my biggest shock was the difference in the food culture: Walking into bakeries and not recognizing a single product on the shelves, not being able to find a lot of my staples (for example, no wholegrain pasta, and I even had to grow my own black beans! Only recently have these become commonplace), many of my American recipes failing because the measurements are different, thinking "potato cakes" sounded disgusting, going to so-called "American" diners that just taste like Australian food, etc. For the most part, American and Australian culture are extremely similar, and I was completely prepared for how little overlap there would be.
There were also a lot of fun dialect differences to work through, like when my neighbor talked about having "potatoes for tea" (potatoes for dinner) or when a someone told me I needed a "servo" to fill a bike tire (I thought he was talking about a servo motor and I was very confused).
But my favorite dialect confusion: There was a drought my first few years here, and one of my coworkers was telling me that the water level had gotten so low that they found a boy at the bottom of one of the local lakes. I was completely shocked — they found a boy? I asked her if they called the police, and she was confused; why would they call the police about a boy in a lake? It was several minutes of me increasingly freaking out and her wondering why I was making such a big deal about it until we realized that we pronounce "buoy" differently.
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Comment on US households using Ozempic spend less on groceries in ~health
RoyalHenOil Link ParentThere can also be a biological component to it. To give a (somewhat odd) anecdotal example, I have two dogs who have very different reactions to stress, like visiting the vet or a stranger...There can also be a biological component to it.
To give a (somewhat odd) anecdotal example, I have two dogs who have very different reactions to stress, like visiting the vet or a stranger knocking on the door. One of them is soothed by being petted/held, while the other is soothed by food. If I soothe them the wrong way, they will continue to freak out. Both dogs are the same breed, from the same breeder, and both raised together the same way, yet they have entirely different mechanisms for coping with stress.
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Comment on ‘Sell America’ returns to Wall Street after Donald Trump ups the ante against Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI would imagine that by now, more cautious investors have already fled to greener pastures (or more golden pastures, as the case may be), so the US stock market may not be as responsive to bad...I would imagine that by now, more cautious investors have already fled to greener pastures (or more golden pastures, as the case may be), so the US stock market may not be as responsive to bad news as it once was.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentCiswoman here. I'm also not too comfortable with "The Future is Female" either — but I'm not sure I'd be happy with any alternative name, either. I'm broadly pretty uncomfortable with anything...Ciswoman here. I'm also not too comfortable with "The Future is Female" either — but I'm not sure I'd be happy with any alternative name, either. I'm broadly pretty uncomfortable with anything that makes me feel too self-conscious of my gender when, in my opinion, that's way down the list of traits that make me me. I would stay far away from this program or any other like it.
If they implemented something like this at my workplace, even if I didn't join it, I'm not sure I'd really feel comfortable working there any longer. It would mean that gender is whole a thing now, and my bosses and likely a lot of my coworkers are now openly thinking about it and categorizing me by it.
I know everyone can see your gender and it's not exactly a secret, but to me, it's a little bit of a private matter — kind of like height or breast size: Yes, I know everyone can see it and probably has an opinion about it, but I'd rather not be constantly reminded of that, especially in what is meant to be a professional environment.
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Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI suspect I have ADHD (undiagnosed and untreated because I can't make myself jump through the required hoops). I'm more the hyperfocusing sort than the easily-distracted sort (I don't really...I suspect I have ADHD (undiagnosed and untreated because I can't make myself jump through the required hoops). I'm more the hyperfocusing sort than the easily-distracted sort (I don't really experience boredom or anything resembling internal "chatter" that a lot of people with ADHD describe), but it ultimately amounts to similar behavior: I have a hard time prioritizing.
I completely get why you don't understand it because I don't understand it myself. It feels like it should be easy to switch activities, but I just can't. It's like trying to move a paralyzed body part; you're firing all the right neurons, but nothing happens.
When I'm focused on Task A but know I need to switch to Task B, I can't stop thinking about Task A. They're basically intrusive thoughts that aren't under my conscious control. Even if I do successfully pull myself away from Task A, I can barely do Task B because I'm still thinking about Task A — and I'm feeling frazzled the whole time. But if I just give it to the hyperfocus and devote myself to Task A until it's complete, I feel great. I'm in the zone. It's better than meditation.
My hyperfocus can be a good thing. It means that whatever Task A is, I can fully immerse myself in it and do it exceptionally well. As a general rule, my employers love this about me and like assigning me all the weirdest, most complicated tasks because they know I won't take any shortcuts; I'm going to bash my head against the problem until it breaks. But I'm useless at anything that resembles multitasking because I end up obsessing over just one of the tasks (even if it's not that complex) and neglecting all the others.
I did very well in school and I do very well in the workplace (so long as my supervisors make good use of me), but my private life is a completely different matter. I have a hard time maintaining routines and establishing habits. I'm always neglecting the majority of household tasks and my personal needs; if I'm on a vacuuming kick, for example, the floor will be spotless, but everything else will be in shambles because all I can see is the floor.
One of the worst aspects of my hyperfocus is that it feeds into itself. For example, being sleep-deprived makes me far more likely to hyperfocus, and hyperfocusing makes me far more likely to experience insomnia. If I do break out of my hyperfocus tendencies, I can usually only maintain it for a week or so until, inevitably, something throws off the delicate balance. As soon as I eat something that doesn't sit well, get woken up in the middle of the night, have menstrual cramps, etc., I'm back to self-soothing by overthinking, and it's a lot of work to get myself back on track again.
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Comment on US voter opinions about inflation and consumer prices look very bad for Donald Trump in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentNot to mention how it affects his international goals, which seem to be a particular focus of his at the moment. Trump will have a harder time bullying other countries as their governments become...Not to mention how it affects his international goals, which seem to be a particular focus of his at the moment. Trump will have a harder time bullying other countries as their governments become increasingly confident that his threats and policies will likely be undone in short time.
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Comment on I feel that Destin (SmarterEveryDay on Youtube) is straying from the path in ~talk
RoyalHenOil LinkI grew up in the South (primarily Atlanta, but with early childhood in east Tennessee). I'm a second-generation atheist, raised in a very leftwing/hippy family who strongly eschew prescriptive...I grew up in the South (primarily Atlanta, but with early childhood in east Tennessee). I'm a second-generation atheist, raised in a very leftwing/hippy family who strongly eschew prescriptive gender norms and social hierarchies, but I have absolutely no qualms saying "sir" or "ma'am". I definitely don't say them where I live now (Australia) because I've never heard a single other person here use these terms, but whenever I'm visiting back home, I slip right back into saying "sir" and "ma'am" all over the place. I don't even think about it; it's just a dialect thing, like slipping back into your childhood accent.
However, there are very specific contexts where I use these terms. I would never address a friend or a family member with "sir" or "ma'am". I grew up using honorifics strictly for people I don't know well, and almost always in contexts where I want to demonstrate appreciation or admiration — for example, when addressing a waiter or a cashier who's serving me, or when speaking to a kind stranger. In these contexts, we're both calling each other by these honorifics (assuming they speak with the same dialect), and there's absolutely no implication of social hierarchy.
Where I live now, I've noticed that a lot of the locals (especially older women) say "darl" in the same contexts where I would say "sir" or "ma'am". I can't bring myself to say "darl" (it's just not a part of my lexicon at all), but I think it's sweet.
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Comment on Help me enjoy Baldur's Gate 3 in ~games
RoyalHenOil Link ParentIt might help to play as one of the Origin characters. They're all written with different personality flaws and quirks that might help you get more into the roleplay mindset. It's easier to keep...It might help to play as one of the Origin characters. They're all written with different personality flaws and quirks that might help you get more into the roleplay mindset. It's easier to keep your character's unique perspective in mind when the game is constantly reinforcing it in cutscenes and dialogue options.
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Comment on Indie Game Awards rescinds Clair Obscur's GOTY wins over use of generative AI [for now-removed background assets] in ~games
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI've never heard of a definition of generative AI that didn't include LLMs. Is this how people are using the term now? If so, it must be a very new change. Wikipedia still lists LLM-generated...I've never heard of a definition of generative AI that didn't include LLMs. Is this how people are using the term now? If so, it must be a very new change. Wikipedia still lists LLM-generated software code as an example of gen AI.
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Comment on Fifteen killed in shooting targeting Jewish community at Australia's Bondi Beach, police say in ~news
RoyalHenOil Link ParentTwo other victims were Boris Gurman (retired mechanic) and Sofia Gurman (postal worker), a married couple who willingly gave their lives trying to disarm one of the gunmen. Although they didn't...Two other victims were Boris Gurman (retired mechanic) and Sofia Gurman (postal worker), a married couple who willingly gave their lives trying to disarm one of the gunmen. Although they didn't succeed, they did slow the gunman down and likely saved a number of lives.
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Comment on Experiences with foster system and support for removed relatives in ~life
RoyalHenOil (edited )Link ParentThank you. It's possible that someone did tell me something along those lines, but I didn't understand it. I was really, really young. In my case, the accusation wasn't made out of spite. It was a...Thank you. It's possible that someone did tell me something along those lines, but I didn't understand it. I was really, really young.
In my case, the accusation wasn't made out of spite. It was a misunderstanding of something I'd said, made by a very young and inexperienced daycare worker. Unfortunately, she contacted the police instead of DFACS directly, and the police took me without any investigation whatsoever (they didn't ask me anything, didn't call my parents, etc.). They just picked me up in all of 5 minutes and dropped me off at DFACS — probably assuming that DFACS would have me back in my home that night if there wasn't any merit to the case.
If the daycare worker had contacted DFACS instead, I think they would have at least interviewed me and my parents before they did anything else. But once I was already in their care, I suspect there was a lot of red tape involved in getting me back home, and the overloaded/underfunded juvenile court system didn't work in our favor. (It also didn't help that one of my case workers was actively working against reunification, including lying to my parents about things I'd said to turn them against each other and withholding evidence from my parents' lawyer as long as she possibly could during the discovery phase of the hearings. Once the lawyer finally got the evidence and presented it to the judge, he ordered me out of foster care and into family care that day. But it took months.)
As much as I sometimes want to pin all the blame on someone, there weren't actually any bad actors (except, arguably, that one caseworker — but I'm sure even she had good intentions and thought she was protecting me from an abusive home). It was just a flawed system that wasn't designed to handle false positives elegantly.
But there are a few good things that came of it:
I have an extremely close relationship to my parents and my extended family. I never took them for granted, not even during the worst parts of my teen years, and they likewise never took me for granted. I got a ton of emotional support that I think very few kids get. I really couldn't ask for a better family.
It also made my parents' relationship a lot stronger (in the "if we can get through this, we can get through anything" sense), which I think helped them a lot later on, when my little brother got sick and died. My parents have admitted to me that before I was taken, they had been drifting apart and becoming more career-focused, but this event shook through out of complacency and made them refocus on what matters most.
I think it's also made me more emotionally robust in certain ways. I do still live with regret and trauma (in particular, accidentally consuming media about children losing their parents can really ruin my week), but I also have this general sense that the worst that will ever happen to me has almost certainly already happened (knock on wood, lol). It feels like I can survive anything now, and (a few trauma quirks aside) I think I might be one of the happiest and most emotionally resilient people I know. It was a short period of extremely intense stress, but it was bookended by years of unbounded love and support, and I think that might be the best case scenario in some ways: it's like foster care calibrated my brain to see "normal" as "fucking fantastic", while the overarching pattern of my childhood helped me develop good coping mechanisms and a really strong sense of self-esteem.
Melbourne (Australia) uses a combination of buses and trams. On some roads, buses and trams have their own dedicated lanes and traffic lights. On other roads, they share lanes with cars and effectively function like regular traffic. It's really a matter of what's needed where — and what's compatible with the road in question, although Melbourne's planners are certainly willing to make narrow roads into tram/bus/pedestrian-only spaces as needed. It works quite well.