RoyalHenOil's recent activity
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Comment on eBooks cost too much in ~books
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Comment on Is the love song dying? in ~music
RoyalHenOil Link ParentBased on my personal experiences going through periods of grief and periods of contentment, I suspect that people who are going through a hard time tend to seek out media that helps them feel...Based on my personal experiences going through periods of grief and periods of contentment, I suspect that people who are going through a hard time tend to seek out media that helps them feel understood and helps them process their inner turmoil, whereas people who are happy are not nearly as picky about their media because they don't have any particular unmet needs. If my hypothesis is correct, then there would be a higher demand for troubled music than for happy music.
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Comment on Is ADHD really that debilitating? in ~health.mental
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI just use a spreadsheet. I store it locally and share it between my devices. I previously used an app, but it shut down after Roe v. Wade was struck down, so I downloaded my data in Excel format...I just use a spreadsheet. I store it locally and share it between my devices. I previously used an app, but it shut down after Roe v. Wade was struck down, so I downloaded my data in Excel format and have been editing that directly ever since. I honestly prefer it to the app because it's so simple and flexible.
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Comment on Is ADHD really that debilitating? in ~health.mental
RoyalHenOil Link ParentIf I were going to ask someone to represent my concerns on my behalf, my #1 pick by far would be my partner. Even though he is a cis man, he understands my experiences better than anyone else does...If I were going to ask someone to represent my concerns on my behalf, my #1 pick by far would be my partner. Even though he is a cis man, he understands my experiences better than anyone else does on account of living with me and empathizing with me deeply.
A random woman who doesn't know me would do a far poorer job of understanding my concerns, regardless of our biological similarities, because there are more differences within genders than there are between them. The odds that she experiences her life just like I experience mine are essentially zero.
The man in question likely has close friends or family members who are women who have ADHD and menstruate, and he is just representing the struggles they've expressed to him about period tracking.
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Comment on Why US Democrats won't build their own Joe Rogan in ~society
RoyalHenOil (edited )Link ParentSame here. I am a woman, and Bernie Sanders is the only politician I completely trust to be honest and selfless on the same level that I trust my closest friends and family. (There are some other...Same here. I am a woman, and Bernie Sanders is the only politician I completely trust to be honest and selfless on the same level that I trust my closest friends and family. (There are some other politicians who certainly have the potential to earn that degree of my trust, such as AOC, but their careers are still young.)
Granted, I am not a member of any Bernie-oriented community. I like him based on the things he says and does, and based on his extremely long and consistent history of saying and doing those things. While every person I like and trust in real life also likes him and would vote for him, it's not like any of us are part of some kind of Bernie Sanders club. We hardly ever even talk about him.
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Comment on Let's talk 'underconsumption core' in ~life.style
RoyalHenOil Link ParentOh yeah, you want to avoid the ridiculously cheap sewing machines, or anything that has a lot of features for the price point (instead, go for something that is pretty basic and has metal rather...Oh yeah, you want to avoid the ridiculously cheap sewing machines, or anything that has a lot of features for the price point (instead, go for something that is pretty basic and has metal rather than plastic internal components; this will make it a much more heavy machine, but it is worth it). I don't think of these cheap, not-fit-for-purpose machines as economy sewing machines; it's a false economy because they will ruin a lot of the projects you work on, waste your time, and kill your interest in sewing.
I personally use a Janome HD3000 (except it's called the Janome MW3018 in my country), which is basically a beefed up version of the HD1000 for sewing particularly thick material (I sew a lot of canvas) — but both are good beginner machines. Most other reputable sewing machine brands, such as Brother, will also offer some kind of no-frills, generalist workhouse suited to beginners who just want to make clothes. You can also sometimes find secondhand ones when people sell their old beginner machines to upgrade to something faster or more specialized.
If you go to a specialist sewing machine shop (not a general craft store, but the kind of place that focuses on sewing machines and services them), they will likely let you try different sewing machines and can give you some advice. They also often have sewing classes, which can be very handy.
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Comment on Let's talk 'underconsumption core' in ~life.style
RoyalHenOil Link ParentSewing machines can indeed get insanely expensive, but if you are just tailoring or sewing garments for yourself and your family, a very simple, non-computerized economy model from a reputable...Sewing machines can indeed get insanely expensive, but if you are just tailoring or sewing garments for yourself and your family, a very simple, non-computerized economy model from a reputable brand will serve you well. There is no need to go fancy, and often the fancy machines are not actually better: they are just more specialized (e.g., machines that can quilt extremely fast, or machines that do coverstitching and nothing else) and may not actually do the things you want to do with your sewing machine.
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Comment on 1 bug, $50,000+ in bounties, how Zendesk intentionally left a backdoor in hundreds of Fortune 500 companies in ~tech
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI disagree. ZenDesk ignored a problem that was already very serious; knowingly leaving in an exploit that lets third parties see companies' support tickets places those companies — and countless...I disagree. ZenDesk ignored a problem that was already very serious; knowingly leaving in an exploit that lets third parties see companies' support tickets places those companies — and countless people whose data may be held by those companies — at potentially major risk (IMO, potentially much worse than an exploit to access Slack channels; Slack is already notoriously insecure).
After ZenDesk's lackluster response to his first two attempts to warn them about this exploit, the only ethical way forward was to start directly warning ZenDesk's clients. They have a right to know how unseriously ZenDesk takes their security.
If he instead just contacted ZenDesk a third time, best case scenario is that ZenDesk would (finally) agree to tackle the bug. But this wouldn't address the deeper issue, which is that ZenDesk is coasting on clients' trust. This strategy wouldn't be enough to cause a shakeup in the company culture or let clients make an informed decision about their business partnership with ZenDesk.
Maybe he should have contacted ZenDesk a third time as well, in addition to warning clients, but he would have known that those clients would reach out to ZenDesk anyway and that ZenDesk wouldn't understand the gravity of their lax attitude until it bit them in the pocketbook.
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Comment on Hackers take control of robot vacuums in multiple US cities, yell racial slurs in ~tech
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI am the exact opposite. I hate having everything routed through my phone. I disable nearly all notifications, etc., on my phone because they drive me crazy. I strongly prefer standalone...I am the exact opposite. I hate having everything routed through my phone. I disable nearly all notifications, etc., on my phone because they drive me crazy.
I strongly prefer standalone electronics (or at least electronics that pretend to be standalone) that I can interact with in a more direct, physical way.
When my robovac gets stuck, it plays a gentle sound so I can find it. Once I get it unstuck, I press a physical button on it to let it know that it's free. No phone interaction necessary (I just used my phone to set up it's cleaning schedule and I haven't touched the app since). I love that, and it's why my robovac is the one big exception I have to avoiding IoT devices.
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Comment on Lefties of Tildes: what are some items where the left handed version is most necessary? in ~life
RoyalHenOil Link ParentEven if you are right-handed (like me), these gloves are really great for being able to write/draw on a tablet without getting smudges on the screen or getting palm interference. I use mine all...Similar for pencils, if drawing and shading a lot in pencil, these can come in handy
Even if you are right-handed (like me), these gloves are really great for being able to write/draw on a tablet without getting smudges on the screen or getting palm interference. I use mine all the time.
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Comment on ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ offers uncertain [and misleading] science in the name of self-help. It’s not alone. in ~health.mental
RoyalHenOil Link ParentYou don't need to be a professional in a specific field to find flaws in the way a study in that field is conducted or reported. The scientific method is broadly applicable, and psychologists can...You don't need to be a professional in a specific field to find flaws in the way a study in that field is conducted or reported. The scientific method is broadly applicable, and psychologists can and should be held to the same standards of rigor as other fields.
I have never looked into the Stanford experiment (it always struck me as too silly to spend much time thinking about), but I have looked into the Milgram experiment because it seems quite plausible and meaningful at first glance.
Unfortunately, it lacks rigor. A key component of good experiment design involves controlling or correcting for extraneous factors that can influence the results. But in the Milgram study, experimenters frequently went off script and varied in the level of social pressure they applied to test subjects. It is nonsense to say that 65% of participants were susceptible to obeying orders when the orders themselves were all over the place.
Unfortunately, this extends beyond just poor science and creeps well into the territory of fraud because Stanley Milgram actively reported the script given to experimenters, but did not report on experimenters diverging from the script. He recorded the conversations between experimenters and subjects, so he knew that a lot of the data was biased, but he chose to include the compromised data in his results anyway.
Additionally, many of the subjects knew that the electric shocks were fake. They correctly surmised that Yale wasn't going to rustle up random volunteers and then have experimenters just casually ask other volunteers to deliver painful shocks to them while they cried out in agony and begged for relief. Experimenters collected data on skepticism expressed by test subjects after each session, yet Milgram did not see fit to report this or to exclude those subjects' results from his findings.
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Comment on Georgia voter cancellation site in ~society
RoyalHenOil Link ParentGeorgia requires a photo ID to vote. And they don't take just any old photo ID. I had to get a US passport earlier this year in order to request an absentee ballot because I don't have a...Georgia requires a photo ID to vote.
And they don't take just any old photo ID. I had to get a US passport earlier this year in order to request an absentee ballot because I don't have a Georgia-issued driver's license, and they wouldn't accept any of my other IDs.
Canceling voter registration should require the same proof of identity as voting.
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Comment on Finding a sewing machine in ~hobbies
RoyalHenOil (edited )LinkBuying used is definitely an option, but at least where I live, good-quality sewing machines almost never come up for sale unless there is something wrong with them. A good-quality sewing machine...Buying used is definitely an option, but at least where I live, good-quality sewing machines almost never come up for sale unless there is something wrong with them. A good-quality sewing machine will easily outlive you, and they don't take up a ton of room, so people tend to hang on to their beginner machines to give to their kids and grandkids.
Beginners typically start with an unspecialized, mechanical/non-computerized sewing machine (typically with all-metal internal construction because they tend to be way less *finicky) from a reputable brand, such as Brother or Janome. (Other well-regarded brands include Bernina, Elna, Juki, Pfaff, and many others. Singer has a particularly dismal reputation.)
These are great to learn on because they are tough, uncomplicated machines based on extremely well vetted century-old designs. They don't have a ton of features, but this makes them generally more intuitive to learn on, and also helps teach the basics of how sewing machines work under the hood. Once she has more experience sewing, she may decide to get a more complicated and specialized machine (depending on what kind of sewing she finds herself most drawn to), but having prior experience with a basic machine will help her figure which features she actually wants and will help her diagnose problems in a more complex machine.
I bought my first sewing machine when I was a teenager, and it was the cheapest, most barebones Brother I could find. When I moved overseas and couldn't bring it with me, I upgraded to a Janome — a MyExcel 18W, as it is known in Australia (in the US, this machine is called the HD3000) — which is also pretty basic, but it is more expensive and has a higher build quality than my old Brother because it is oriented more toward sewing thick layers of fabric, such as denim and canvas. I mostly use my sewing machine to make new clothes and alter existing clothes, including jeans, so I wanted a more forceful machine than the one I started with.
I have tried out several different sewing machines, but my Janome has been my go-to for over a decade now, and I have no plans to replace it any time soon. I would heartily recommend it to any beginner because it is forgiving. It's a lot less finicky than my old Brother was — although Brothers are still excellent machines for the price.
One thing to watch out for when buying sewing machines: there is another class of sewing machine known as a serger or an overlocker. Make sure to exclude these from your search because they are not suited to be someone first and only sewing machine. They just do a few specialized types of stitch extremely fast and well, but they can't be used for regular sewing, so they do not replace a regular sewing machine.
* By finicky, I mean that the machine will balk if you don't have the tensions settings just so. A finicky sewing machine is more likely to skip stitches, break threads, and get horrible snarls when, for example, you sew over a seam — requiring you to frequently stop to unpick mistakes and fuss with the settings. A sewing machine with better build quality will just keep trucking, even if the tensions settings are not ideal, which means projects will complete more quickly, you will spend less money on wasted thread and ruined fabric, and sewing will be a fun hobby rather than a frustrating chore.
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Comment on Norway is shying away from tourism – and other countries could learn from it in ~travel
RoyalHenOil Link ParentI don't see any reason why Norway would be happy for Norwegian tourists to travel overseas and effectively export Norwegian wealth to other countries. Domestic tourism is far more desirable. But...I don't see any reason why Norway would be happy for Norwegian tourists to travel overseas and effectively export Norwegian wealth to other countries. Domestic tourism is far more desirable.
But Norway is a democracy. They can't just arbitrarily ban their citizens from traveling.
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Comment on Don't talk to the police in ~life
RoyalHenOil (edited )Link ParentIn the US, even the police themselves will warn you not to talk to them: "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." This advice...In the US, even the police themselves will warn you not to talk to them:
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
This advice does not necessarily apply in other countries, which may have different laws about how police may question you and use your statements.
But American cops absolutely will. It is their job to do so. That is not anti-cop; it's simply how the laws are written in the US.
This doesn't mean that you should be uncooperative or that you should refuse any interaction with a cop. But if you are a potential suspect, you should stay silent without a lawyer present because any word that comes out of your mouth is evidence.
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Comment on 9/11 attacks in realtime (dashboard) 7:46am-12:00pm in ~humanities.history
RoyalHenOil (edited )Link ParentMy little sister is about your age. I am 10 years older than her. Most of our general cultural/social experiences are very similar, but 9/11 was a big exception to that. I was in high school when...My little sister is about your age. I am 10 years older than her. Most of our general cultural/social experiences are very similar, but 9/11 was a big exception to that.
I was in high school when it happened. We spent the day going through the motions — changing classes, taking out our books — but all we really did was watch the news in stunned silence. I mean, there was a lot of talking, and even some joking ("How bad a pilot do you have to be to hit a skyscraper?" sort of stuff), after the first plane hit, but no one had anything to say after the second plane. I can't remember overhearing a single conversation after that.
Meanwhile, my sister and the other kids with her definitely did not watch the news. I think the adults around them tried to make their day feel as normal as possible because they would have been very confused and scared. I imagine that for children who were more directly exposed to what happened (e.g., schoolkids in NYC who may have seen the smoke), it was likely a much more memorable event.
I think if I hadn't been in high school (for example, if I had been a university student, where I didn't have a TV), it wouldn't have been as impactful for me. I think that day affected me a lot more deeply than it affected my parents or most of my other relatives, for example, because they were at work. They didn't watch the second tower get hit or the two towers collapse live like I did. They heard about it first from other people and then watched the news after the fact.
Watching the news that day was a very surreal experience for me — an intense feeling that I was witnessing the world shift trajectory and knowing that it would never be the same again. The only other time I have felt like that was one day in the early stages of the pandemic, when it went from hypothetical to real for me: I was driving on the expressway past sign after sign all reading "STAY HOME" and listening to the radio list off cancelled event after cancelled event. I hope I don't have many more experiences like this.
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Comment on Bat loss linked to death of human infants in ~enviro
RoyalHenOil Link ParentIt should be possible to buy several kinds of insects? I used to work in a garden center in the US that sold praying mantis eggs and live ladybugs (you just want to be careful that you are not...It should be possible to buy several kinds of insects? I used to work in a garden center in the US that sold praying mantis eggs and live ladybugs (you just want to be careful that you are not inadvertently introducing non-native species).
At the farm where I worked (which is in Australia), we made bulk purchases from Bugs For Bugs. Many other countries have similar companies, although they don't necessarily all have an online presence. Many bug-rearing companies are associated with universities, so it might be worth contacting the entomology department of some universities near you.
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Comment on Bat loss linked to death of human infants in ~enviro
RoyalHenOil Link ParentMost insects do reproduce very quickly, so I imagine they should be able to make a reasonably quick recovery in favorable conditions.Most insects do reproduce very quickly, so I imagine they should be able to make a reasonably quick recovery in favorable conditions.
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Comment on Bat loss linked to death of human infants in ~enviro
RoyalHenOil Link ParentThe unfortunate thing about spraying more insecticides to make up for the loss of bats is that it will make it harder for the bat population to recover. They need those insects! American...The unfortunate thing about spraying more insecticides to make up for the loss of bats is that it will make it harder for the bat population to recover. They need those insects!
American agriculture is unfortunately fairly behind the times compared to agriculture in a lot of other wealthy nations. There is a big movement toward IPM (integrated pest management) methods, which are far less destructive to insect populations — and in some cases actively encourage larger insect populations.
For example, I worked on a farm that uses a banker plant system, and we actively bred and released a large variety of insects into our greenhouses. Our goal was to establish a self-maintaining population of beneficial insects, but it also had the side effect of attracting plenty of frogs, birds, and bats.
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Comment on An in-depth look at Romance in video games in ~games
RoyalHenOil Link ParentYeah, I don't think most romantic media is meant to give you the experience of romance, either — and when it does try to do that, I think it is much more likely to fall flat in the way that you...Yeah, I don't think most romantic media is meant to give you the experience of romance, either — and when it does try to do that, I think it is much more likely to fall flat in the way that you describe. If one of the characters is meant to be a stand-in for the viewer so that they can feel immersed in the romantic feelings themselves, then the couple can't really interact in a natural way and develop chemistry. The stand-in character will always be stiff and vacant because if they show too much personality, odds are most viewers/players will stop relating to them.
I think the genre really only works when it's a story about two characters who are not you and are not trying to be you. Some of the most effective moments in fiction, in my opinion, arise from characters exhibiting the full force of their own distinct personalities and synergizing just right together.
If someone wants to actually experience (not just observe) romance through media, I think they should probably stop looking for it in complex storytelling media like novels and dating sims, and instead look for it in moment-capturing media, like music and poetry.
It's not too hard to convert DRM-locked eBooks to different formats. I do it with all my eBooks as soon as I buy them so that I'm not locked to reading specific books on specific devices or apps. I like to have a single library that I can read anywhere.
However, I never download or upload eBooks. I think it's important to support authors' work so that they keep writing the books we love reading.