Schwoop's recent activity
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Comment on What’s the best way to self-learn the piano and guitar? in ~music
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Comment on What are your favorite folk songbooks for guitar? in ~music
Schwoop LinkAs in "campfire song book" or as in "precise, written-out pop-rock arrangements"? I have seen iterations of [this book] (https://www.musik-produktiv.de/dux-das-ding-2-kultliederbuch.html) all over...As in "campfire song book" or as in "precise, written-out pop-rock arrangements"?
I have seen iterations of [this book] (https://www.musik-produktiv.de/dux-das-ding-2-kultliederbuch.html) all over Europe. It is a good collection of popular songs (lyrics and chords). Not sure if that is what you are looking for. -
Comment on How do you journal? in ~talk
Schwoop LinkI use the Notes-app on Mac. It works across all my machines, is very basic and I don't run into any dependency issues in the future (hopefully...). I create a document for each month, and then...I use the Notes-app on Mac. It works across all my machines, is very basic and I don't run into any dependency issues in the future (hopefully...). I create a document for each month, and then every day I use the app, I start with the date and the city I'm in.
In terms of what I write about: I try to follow Ben Franklin's advice: "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." In practice, much of it is of course introspective, but it might also be about what happens around me. After all, having a journal has two goals in my view: 1) try to get more clarity in your thoughts by making them explicit, and 2) be able to trace back what kind of person you were in the past.
In terms of frequency: It fluctuates wildly, as life does sometimes. Occasionally I will write something everyday of a week, then nothing for another week.
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Comment on Hannah Arendt would not qualify for the Hannah Arendt prize in Germany today in ~society
Schwoop Link ParentThe citizenship-measure is one of the instances that are frustrating to me in the whole debate. I do understand the intention: reduce the prevalence of anti-semitism in the population. Who could...The citizenship-measure is one of the instances that are frustrating to me in the whole debate.
I do understand the intention: reduce the prevalence of anti-semitism in the population. Who could be against that? But then politics operationalizes that goal in a way that makes every critique of the (foreign) policy of Israel seem to be potentially a marker for an antisemitic worldview. I understand though that it really depends on the exact wording in the process - which I don't know at the moment.
All the while, as the German society, we side-step another major question: it is really helpful to tie our identity as a nation and German individuals to a to position in which one foreign state actor (that we have no control over) has our unwavering support to the extent that they can attack democratic institutions internally and try to solve their external challenges systematically in a non-peaceful manner?
Of course I can't speak to your personal situation. I just hope you feel welcome here regardless of this specific question.
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Comment on Hannah Arendt would not qualify for the Hannah Arendt prize in Germany today in ~society
Schwoop (edited )Link ParentAs someone born, raised, and living in Germany I would want to add however that it is important to recognize how different the debate is this time. I haven't in my lifetime seen that much...As someone born, raised, and living in Germany I would want to add however that it is important to recognize how different the debate is this time. I haven't in my lifetime seen that much criticism of Israel in the German public sphere - not just "on the streets", but also in talk shows etc. Both sides are hitting each other hard, but its necessary to simply acknowledge that for the first time there are actually two perspectives represented in public debate in Germany on the relationship between Israel and Palestine. Sure, one tends to be pushed hard by the "political class", but even the median voter recognizes that the situation is really complicated: both in terms of the situation in Israel/Gaza, as well how it all relates to German history.
The overall level of discourse is still abysmal, though. Both sides present their sides in exhaustingly un-nuancced ways. But I guess that's a global problem and not a German one per se. -
Comment on AlbumLove (December 2023): 1995-1999 in ~music
Schwoop Link ParentNice. Very soothing. Bonus point for non-English vocals (:Nice. Very soothing.
Bonus point for non-English vocals (: -
Comment on <deleted topic> in ~health.mental
Schwoop LinkCongratulations from one nail-biting expert to another! I find myself in a similar situation recently: my nails haven't been this healthy in forever, despite me passing through a really stressful...Congratulations from one nail-biting expert to another!
I find myself in a similar situation recently: my nails haven't been this healthy in forever, despite me passing through a really stressful time. I have relied on toothpicks in the past to chew on, but this time it is different: I have a number of job interviews lined up were I absolutely can't have bad nails. And I play guitar more seriously then I used to. Seems like alI I needed was a really good reason or two not to bite my nails... lets hope its enough to keep me going for a while to loose the habit.
I have no idea where else to put this question on the internet, but since this is a place where fellow ex-biters seem to gather: did your nails grow back "normally" after years of abuse, or do some nails kept some mild form of deformation?
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Comment on Microsoft’s Windows Hello fingerprint authentication has been bypassed in ~tech
Schwoop Link ParentCan you expand on what you mean when you say that you don't access personal data on your computer? What about banking for example? Do you do that via your phone only? Why would that be more secure...Can you expand on what you mean when you say that you don't access personal data on your computer? What about banking for example? Do you do that via your phone only? Why would that be more secure than using a desktop PC laptop?
The question for me is less where I access my data, but where I store it. The important stuff is on a usb-key that I pull out the drawer if necessary. -
Comment on Microsoft’s Windows Hello fingerprint authentication has been bypassed in ~tech
Schwoop LinkWhat does that mean with regards to the security of biometrics vs. good old passwords? I take it that the best way to secure access to my computer is still a long and complicated password, and not...What does that mean with regards to the security of biometrics vs. good old passwords?
I take it that the best way to secure access to my computer is still a long and complicated password, and not my fingerprint? -
Comment on How to drive a stake through your own good heart in ~life
Schwoop LinkRegarding University Rankings: self-reporting creates all sorts of weird dynamics, as outlined in the article. But "third-party" evaluations are flawed too. I have an eastern European colleague in...Regarding University Rankings: self-reporting creates all sorts of weird dynamics, as outlined in the article. But "third-party" evaluations are flawed too. I have an eastern European colleague in my lab who annually receives invitations to rank universities from his home country. He has never studied or taught there - basically, he has no clue about academics there, but his nationality fits.
Regarding library time: I haven't been a student in a while, but why do they have time to waste at the library in the first place? I used to review my classes of the day in three hours because that's all the time I had between extracurriculars and work.
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Comment on The Beatles - Now and Then (2023) in ~music
Schwoop Link ParentI think the song is obviously no "Lucy in the Sky" and no "Yesterday", but that's ok. Humankind only gets so many of that caliber... I think it is a fine song - nothing more, and nothing less....But I’m not sure this song is a fitting coda to the Beatles canon
I think the song is obviously no "Lucy in the Sky" and no "Yesterday", but that's ok. Humankind only gets so many of that caliber... I think it is a fine song - nothing more, and nothing less. Although I do like the overall arrangement, strings included.
That being said, I think it is a fitting final piece to their works, not because of the quality of the song or lyrical themes, but because of this whole AI-dimension to it. I think it is almost sad to see this tech being thrown at anything and everything these days, Beatles included, but given what the Beatles mean to the art and social practice of recorded popular music, I find it quite fitting that they are now also intimately connected to this next step in artistic expression and technological development. It really shows the extent to which the Beatles are part of the broader cultural canon of the West and beyond.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~health.mental
Schwoop LinkIts perfectly fine to feel like that at times. Don't beat yourself up over it. There is still so much joy in being a dot or a droplet or a single grain of sand! I'm sure people will be quick to...I feel confused. I have been introspecting and just getting lost in my own thoughts. I have been questioning every belief I have ever had. I feel minuscule. I feel like a little, irrelevant dot in front of the world's mass.
Its perfectly fine to feel like that at times. Don't beat yourself up over it. There is still so much joy in being a dot or a droplet or a single grain of sand!
I'm sure people will be quick to suggest professional help and I don't want to dismiss that recommendation at all. Seek help if you need to. There is no shame in that. But whatever you do: talk to anyone - not necessarily a professional and not necessarily about these feeling in pariticular, but about life in general. That way you might not get lost inside your own thoughts so easily.
Be involved with other people and, most of all, try to establish a (social) strucutre in your life that protects you from these waves of highs and lows. Because both will probably come again: the unreasonable highs and the unimaginable lows. Meaningful strucutre, social responsibilties, and relationships can act as a buffer against fallout and make sure that you are not swept away. It certainly is what keeps me going when I want to do and be nothing at all.
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Comment on Europe is cracking down on Big Tech. This is what will change when you sign on in ~tech
Schwoop Link ParentCampaign financing is heavily regulated in most european places when compared to the US. So "business" as a collective actor, but also indiviudal businesses, have less influence on the electoral...Campaign financing is heavily regulated in most european places when compared to the US. So "business" as a collective actor, but also indiviudal businesses, have less influence on the electoral process - at least in terms of direct material support for one candidate over another.
Equally important to me seems the fact that these are not european companies. The pay taxes (albeit much too little) in Europe, but their economic power is small compared to their standing in the US where they also employ a decent amount of people.
Also, US tech companies are not automatically viable career options for european politicians after their time in office. I think Nick Clegg burnt his name in european political circles when he joined Facebook a while back... Becoming part of GAFAM means joining the other side in many different ways. -
Comment on The death spiral of Hollywood monopolies in ~creative
Schwoop (edited )Link ParentUnlike some others here I don't think its production costs that keeps more independent movies from getting traction: I assume it is the distribution, at least in terms of the big screen. Sure,...Unlike some others here I don't think its production costs that keeps more independent movies from getting traction: I assume it is the distribution, at least in terms of the big screen.
Sure, every production needs an upfront investment, but that does not even have to be in the millions. Writers are cheap (and getting cheaper as we speak unfortunatley...), actors are around aplenty (and will probably be looking for work soon...) and the tech has only gotten more affordable in recent years - not cheap yet, but no (indie) movie needs to be shot to Imax levels. The recent trend of big studios to cling to brand recognition when producing 400 Million Dollar movies is an abberation anyway and has mostly only given us reboots, sequels, and glorified ads.
My hunch is that it is difficult for non-major movies to get screen time in cinema chains because the big studios also increasingly own the big screens see here. Similar to what we have seen in the live-music world.
Distributing via the small screen has been championed by Netflix in the last years, but beyond that, I am not sure what the other platforms are (besides Disney+ etc.). Is there a "youtube for indie films"?
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Comment on A movement known as Architectural Uprising is pushing back against Scandinavian design trends – and sometimes forcing architects back to the drawing board in ~design
Schwoop LinkI fully agree with the sentiment expressed by the Architectural Uprising folks. I travel quite a bit for work across Europe, and cities have already become indistinguishable, both within a given...I fully agree with the sentiment expressed by the Architectural Uprising folks.
I travel quite a bit for work across Europe, and cities have already become indistinguishable, both within a given country and across countries - that starts with the architecture of new buildings and continues with the cultural experiences proposed or goods/services being sold to consumers.Adam Something had a nice video a while back about why we don't build beautiful buildings anymore. The answers won't surprise anyone here a lot, but I think it is a good reminder that we might change our architectural habits in order to change our outlook on what it is that makes a place liveable in the first place.
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Comment on Researchers, how do you take notes on the papers which you read? in ~life
Schwoop (edited )LinkPhD-Student here. My workflow is pretty simplistic. I have RSS-feeds for all journals I remotley care about. Every three months or so I take a dedicated week and sift through the new publications....PhD-Student here. My workflow is pretty simplistic.
I have RSS-feeds for all journals I remotley care about. Every three months or so I take a dedicated week and sift through the new publications. I usually end up with around 75 papers that I actually download and look at. Only a very small number is directly important for my thesis work, but it helps to stay abreast very current developments in the field. Important for me is that I name the files systematically as Author_Year_Title, so that I can quickly find them even if I only remember parts of the title or the author's name.The actual workflow then looks like this:
I highlight passages, make comments etc. in Adobe. I think it is not the most pleasurable work environment, but with an extra screen it is allright for me. Then I throw all papers into Zotero as "Batch 02/2023" or "Chapter X" for example and copy a bibliography into Word. Under each entry I then copy/paste or write relevant toughts or passages. If I feel I need to condense even further, I bite the ecological bullet and print my summaries to go over them with highlighters and pens. Then everything gets foldered away.Despite the non-sophistication of the approach, it has always worked reliably for me. It doesn't rely on fancy software or has other major dependencies and it usually takes me seconds to find a paper or my notes on it. And thats all I want.
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Comment on Why is Elon Musk doing what he is to Twitter? in ~tech
Schwoop LinkAs much as I love to think Musk took external money / was dared to shut up Twitter either to spin the 2024 elections or be able to control the narrative on wealthy peoples' shady doings, I...As much as I love to think Musk took external money / was dared to shut up Twitter either to spin the 2024 elections or be able to control the narrative on wealthy peoples' shady doings, I genuinely think Musk got in over his head and he doesn't realize it.
I'll go with stupidity > malice in this case.He has been riding high on that sweet dopamine feedback loop twitter provides for years, being told he is the greatest human being alive and can do/achieve everything. He craves the attention so much that he grandstanded himself into the stupid and initially completely showy offer to buy Twitter.
That doesn't mean of course that now he is in on the whole thing, he wont use the platform to suppress voices he doesn't like or is suggested to not like. -
Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
Schwoop (edited )Link ParentI don't think its far-fetched at all. A complementary behavior to tattoos in my opinion is the entire fitness-hysteria in the last 15 years or so - particularly for men. We know from research that...- Exemplary
low self-esteem and uncertain identity
attention-seeking behaviorsI don't think its far-fetched at all. A complementary behavior to tattoos in my opinion is the entire fitness-hysteria in the last 15 years or so - particularly for men.
We know from research that the reason why prison inmates oftentimes commit extremely strongly to either tattoos (and even get the low-quality "prison" tattoos) or workout to increase muscularity is that it is the last resort of autonomy they have. They can still have an influence on their physical appearance. Tattoos and fitness are the areas where a last shred of choice is available.
I don't think its to crazy to extent that logic to many people in contemporary western (and maybe even more so post-communist) societies more broadly. We have been slipping from one crisis to another since 2001, and for many they have gotten increasingly personal - the climax of course for most during Covid.Trying to create some stability through the permanence of tattoos doesn't seem so unlikely to me. "Finally, something that lasts and that is not beholden to external forces which are beyond my control!"
I would also say that the western ideal of individualization and freedom of choice have really been essentialized in the last 15 years or so too. Social media suggests to us that every one is unique and has to aspire to being ever more unique (although ironically, we all become more similar), and so a tattoo can be a marker of your uniqueness. After all, whose entire arm is also covered in a large white narwhal shooting lasers our of his eyes?
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Comment on Non-anonymous "thank you" function in ~tildes
Schwoop LinkI think its generally desirable to encourage this type of interaction because it makes the site and the exchanges more meaningful - after all, this isn't StackOverflow. But I see the point that...I think its generally desirable to encourage this type of interaction because it makes the site and the exchanges more meaningful - after all, this isn't StackOverflow. But I see the point that there is an equal importance attribtued to "keeping the noise down". @Landhund 's suggestion might be worth keeping in mind for any future update.
I would also however also encourage us all to make use of private messages if someone has really contributed something valuable. A quick "thank you" via that channel works very well too.
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Comment on Berkeley professor Judith Butler explains gender theory in ~humanities
Schwoop Link ParentI would even go one step further: they/them will only really catch on if it actually simplifies the use of language without loosing meaning. And if that's the case, its nothing anyone could really...I would even go one step further: they/them will only really catch on if it actually simplifies the use of language without loosing meaning. And if that's the case, its nothing anyone could really complain about.
We are lazy indeed ;-)
For guitar, there are countless resources on YouTube alone. They range from truly excellent to still helpful.
Justin has already been mentioned. One hidden gem for music theory is Michael New. His tutorials on basic concepts of music theory are as clean and helpful as they get.
Speaking of music theory: particularly among guitarists, there is a tendency to downplay its importance. Some say its is not necessary to play pentatonic rock/pop/country, others say it downright limits creative freedom. But it is sooo valuable to understand what you are playing and to communicate with other musicians. And I actually can be creative on the spot as a guitarist BECAUSE I know my music theory. I can come up with interesting and fitting chords on the spot because I've learned my harmony. I can solo along whatever comes my way, because I not only learned my scales by heart, but because I was taught how they all fits together theoretically.
With a basic level of theory you also understand WHY the songs you play are arranged the way they are. It is neither coincidence nor laziness (maybe a bit...) that you can play thousands of songs with the same four chords, but my fellow guitarist oftentimes rather strum themselves along into oblivion instead of trying to understand why these patterns occur.
I know its difficult enough to physically play any instrument in the beginning, but anyone who pays a little attention to music theory from early on will get so much more out of the instrument and music almost immediately... Its really not necessary to learn to harmonize Lydian scales two months into your journey, but please don't just discard any theory as "nerd stuff". It is helpful and really not all that difficult...