smoontjes's recent activity
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Comment on This YouTuber has been uploading Half-Life 3 ‘updates’ every day for over six years in ~games
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Comment on Chinese police officers will soon be on patrol in Hungary in ~news
smoontjes Link ParentActually worrisome. My limited understanding is that China's belt and road initiative is not an equal partnership with the countries that participate in it. Instead, China puts these countries...Actually worrisome.
My limited understanding is that China's belt and road initiative is not an equal partnership with the countries that participate in it. Instead, China puts these countries into debt which gives it power over those states - like we're talking beyond soft power at that point. The mining operations that China has going on in Africa for example are highly problematic for those countries' populations and I would not be surprised if in the near future, some of them become so reliant on Chinese loans etc. that they become directly dependent, maybe even to the extent that they approach vassal state territory.
Again, I am not an expert in any way so take this with a grain of salt/as an opinion. And I'm sure the EU would be able to stop that, but it is very worrisome. China and EU was for a time more of a trade thing, but in the last decade or so (?), many in the EU are starting to seem them as a rival. See the 5G stuff in the UK or the thing about Huawei spying in Germany as an example of countries (and their populations) becoming very cautious of China.
It is not quite seen as an enemy yet, like the US does, where there is also talk about it being a cold war between the two. But it is a rival to the EU and Hungary doing this is problematic to say the least. However it helps Orban stay in power which is his only goal.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
smoontjes Link ParentThanks! If you really mean it that you love it, I can only recommend getting into it yourself. Cross stitching is super easy to learn!Thanks! If you really mean it that you love it, I can only recommend getting into it yourself. Cross stitching is super easy to learn!
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
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Comment on From Tildes to Reddit to Mastodon - the current state of "Text Rich" social networks on the Interwebs in ~tech
smoontjes Link ParentOnly to make line go up.. eternal growth and profits..there’s no reason to pursue it
Only to make line go up.. eternal growth and profits..
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Comment on From Tildes to Reddit to Mastodon - the current state of "Text Rich" social networks on the Interwebs in ~tech
smoontjes Link ParentAgreed that it is no longer representative of reddit as a whole, but there are somehow still good text-focused subreddits but that is of course only because of individual moderator teams,...Agreed that it is no longer representative of reddit as a whole, but there are somehow still good text-focused subreddits but that is of course only because of individual moderator teams, r/CredibleDefense being my best example. r/WeddingShaming is also hilarious, and there are quite a few subs similar to that with a lot of text rich stories and discussions etc.
There are also some really good mental health subs that are text posts only as well, r/BPD is very helpful at times for example. Other than that though, yeah, it's very few and far between. You really do have to go looking these days to find the good ones - often times very small communities with less than a couple thousand subscribers, like fan subs for niche book series, and creative subs usually have good vibes, although now we're talking image based like r/CrossStitch.
I will say though, I still find plenty of great discussions under image and video posts. Other social media still isn't anywhere close to the quality of the comment sections on reddit - ignoring the tiktokyfied front page type of subs of course.
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Comment on I'm curious how people on here stay politically engaged and aware while maintaining mental health? in ~life
smoontjes (edited )LinkI don't have the patience for watching/listening to news unless it's experts going in depth with analysis etc., something that only happens maybe once or twice a week in one single news program....I don't have the patience for watching/listening to news unless it's experts going in depth with analysis etc., something that only happens maybe once or twice a week in one single news program.
What I do is skim the headlines for the day to stay informed. Most of it is pointless, meaningless, or unimportant - and if someone does grab my attention, I'll check it out, mostly if it's about stuff that I'm already interested in. I follow more or less everything this way, but I really don't have the capacity to keep up with all the news of suffering in our world. Zeroing in on I/P is understandable as it's a big deal on especially social media, but examine why you feel guilty for not following it. Do you also feel guilty for not keeping up with the fighting in Myanmar? The starvation in Sudan? The natural disaster in Brazil? Probably not - and you shouldn't. Too much shit happens all the time around the world for me to keep up with, like it's literally impossible to not go insane if you always empathise with every human that is currently suffering.
I have to say though that I would highly recommend taking a break, cold turkey. Once you remove yourself from consuming so much news (1 hour + 3 podcasts is a lot), you'll realize that most of it really doesn't matter. It is very rare that there are actual breaking news, even though everything gets called it these days. I am willing to bet that 99% of the updates on for example I/P on your podcasts and CBC are likely to be very small in the bigger context, and more or less insignificant.
If you think back to just a couple of years ago, what news do you remember? Probably not every single detail of everything that was on the news. Honestly, a 5 minute overview per day ought to be enough to stay sufficiently informed - very few people need to actually know every movement of every day of everything. "Israel dropped more bombs today" or "Hamas did this and said that" really doesn't have any value to know. Think of it like a historical event where there will be a couple of important days, but most days are by themselves entirely unimportant in the grand scheme.
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Comment on I'm curious how people on here stay politically engaged and aware while maintaining mental health? in ~life
smoontjes Link ParentWas gonna say that, glad someone else beat me to it. There is nothing "only" about a full hour of news and 3 separate podcasts! That probably puts you in at least the 90th percentile in terms of...An hour of cable news and 30-60 minutes of news podcasts every day is a LOT of news, my friend. I really don't think you'll be substantially less informed if you reduce that to like, one of those podcasts, every other day.
Was gonna say that, glad someone else beat me to it. There is nothing "only" about a full hour of news and 3 separate podcasts! That probably puts you in at least the 90th percentile in terms of news consumption, it is a lot
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentJust watched it. That's one of the oldest tv episodes I've ever seen so that was kind of fun, it felt almost like a stage play. Pretty interesting concepts too, so thanks for recommending it!Just watched it. That's one of the oldest tv episodes I've ever seen so that was kind of fun, it felt almost like a stage play. Pretty interesting concepts too, so thanks for recommending it!
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Comment on China’s vanishing Muslims: Undercover in the most dystopian place in the world in ~humanities
smoontjes LinkSome supplemental viewing: China - Surveillance state or way of the future? | DW Documentary I'd recommend just watching the first 7 minutes, then jump to about 19:40 - or even all the way to the...Some supplemental viewing: China - Surveillance state or way of the future? | DW Documentary
I'd recommend just watching the first 7 minutes, then jump to about 19:40 - or even all the way to the 33 minute mark if you only want to see more about Xinjiang and the Uyghurs. Notably though, they confirm all the things (and more) from the Vice documentary, but some of the rest of it is a sanitized look as Chinese authorities themselves chose to show the majority of what is in this documentary.
It's gripping, nonetheless, the way the surveillance works. If "The Brain" is able to discover that someone isn't wearing a mask or a construction helmet, properly disposing of trash, not parking within the lines, even discern between Han Chinese and ethnic minorities like the Uyghur.. what else can it be trained to do? The potential for abuse in an authoritarian country is frightening.
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Comment on China’s vanishing Muslims: Undercover in the most dystopian place in the world in ~humanities
smoontjes LinkA very disturbing but also interesting and important look into what it's actually like to live in a police state. Video focuses on the reeducation camps and Uyghur genocide of course, but most...A very disturbing but also interesting and important look into what it's actually like to live in a police state.
Video focuses on the reeducation camps and Uyghur genocide of course, but most people already know about that - what I found especially intriguing here is the "security" aspect:
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The journalist gets followed around by detectives 24/7
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Police checking documents
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Every civilian afraid to speak their mind
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CCTV everywhere
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Police everywhere
And more. Some truly extreme stuff.
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China’s vanishing Muslims: Undercover in the most dystopian place in the world
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Comment on Weekly Israel-Hamas war megathread - week of May 6 in ~news
smoontjes LinkThis is old news but I personally missed it, so I wanted to share here:This is old news but I personally missed it, so I wanted to share here:
More damage than Dresden
The Financial Times did a statistical analysis that compared Gaza to the Allied bombing campaign over Germany during the Second World War.
Three cities in Germany were effectively destroyed from the air during that war: Cologne, Hamburg and Dresden. In Hamburg and Dresden, a mix of high explosives and incendiary bombs created the notorious "firestorm" conditions that caused streets to melt.
Data analyzed by Scher and Van Den Hoek shows that by Dec. 5, the percentage of Gaza's buildings that had been damaged or destroyed already had surpassed the destruction in Cologne and Dresden, and was approaching the level of Hamburg.
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentWhen you put it like that, I suppose The Wire (and Sopranos?) is an outlier - like, extremely so - when comparing shows from back then!When you put it like that, I suppose The Wire (and Sopranos?) is an outlier - like, extremely so - when comparing shows from back then!
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentI will try that, sure! Sounds like I can watch it without watching any of the previous episodes? Tagging @LookAtTheNameI will try that, sure! Sounds like I can watch it without watching any of the previous episodes?
Tagging @LookAtTheName
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentI mean I guess the first episode was the best one so far, I'll certainly give you that it pulled off the tension well too. About the idiot plot.. that is probably the absolute worst thing a writer...I mean I guess the first episode was the best one so far, I'll certainly give you that it pulled off the tension well too. About the idiot plot.. that is probably the absolute worst thing a writer can do in my opinion, like it just hurts me inside lol
Honestly, if you're not into it early you won't be into it later.
This is more or less the exact judgement that I was looking for, thank you!
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentYeah I guess episodic television really is not something I can get into at all. Definitely going to be a criteria I will look for in the future when considering what to watch. I didn't intend to...Yeah I guess episodic television really is not something I can get into at all. Definitely going to be a criteria I will look for in the future when considering what to watch.
I didn't intend to come off in a way that says I expected a 00's show to have good CGI - it's clear that it doesn't have the budget and I already said that in my post?
the special effects are (understandably) very cheap
To reiterate my point: there are shows out there that, while lacking in one aspect, at least make up for it in another aspect by for example being pretty to look at, but BSG doesn't even do that.
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentOh yes totally agreed about Andor. Westworld* and Silo also come to mind for me! *all seasons! I will fight you and die on this hillOh yes totally agreed about Andor. Westworld* and Silo also come to mind for me!
*all seasons! I will fight you and die on this hill
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Comment on My not so nice thoughts on Battlestar Galactica in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentSorry about that! I may not be much into what sci-fi has to offer in the shape of space opera tv shows, that's true, but I am massively into SF&F in general - currently I'm reading a book in the...Sorry about that! I may not be much into what sci-fi has to offer in the shape of space opera tv shows, that's true, but I am massively into SF&F in general - currently I'm reading a book in the genre, and some of my favourite movies of all time include for example Villeneuve's forays into sci-fi, so.. no I definitely like it a lot! His Blade Runner movie would probably be my best example of excellence in the genre, not to mention Arrival and Dune of course
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
smoontjes Link ParentHahaha maybe if you jump through a hoop or two 😅Hahaha maybe if you jump through a hoop or two 😅
I guess that's the downside to Valve's business model. I mean, I guess it's for the better? Because the alternative would - I assume - be something like EA or Ubisoft who would be on Half-Life 15 by now