sparksbet's recent activity
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
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Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel
sparksbet LinkBy far the biggest upgrade to my travel has been my steam deck, ngl. It's not exactly small, but the amount of space it takes up in my carry on is more than made up for by how much of the boredom...By far the biggest upgrade to my travel has been my steam deck, ngl. It's not exactly small, but the amount of space it takes up in my carry on is more than made up for by how much of the boredom of flight time it alleviates compared to most other options.
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Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel
sparksbet Link ParentI think the utility of a pillow for the plane (neck or otherwise -- the principle advantage of a neck pillow, for me, is that I can walk around the airport with it on my neck rather than taking up...I think the utility of a pillow for the plane (neck or otherwise -- the principle advantage of a neck pillow, for me, is that I can walk around the airport with it on my neck rather than taking up actual carry-on space) depends a LOT on how long your flight is and which class you're seated in. For shorter flights it's indeed not worth it, but on longer ones when you're in economy the utility goes way up.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
sparksbet Link ParentSoy beans definitely are items you wouldn't typically find in grocery stores where I live, though. Even if we include specialty stores like the local Asian supermarket that stocks many things that...But all you need for Tofu is soy beans, water and gypsum/vinegar/limejuice
Soy beans definitely are items you wouldn't typically find in grocery stores where I live, though. Even if we include specialty stores like the local Asian supermarket that stocks many things that aren't typical grocery store fare, the fresh chilis that are needed to make the pickled chili paste I use simply aren't sold here at all, but you could get them incredibly easily in China. What counts as stuff you can typically buy at the grocery store is a problem with a definition of "ultra-processed" that relies on that as a criterion, because I don't think it's all that rigorous.
But yeah I think we're ultimately on more or less the same page when it comes to the practical implications here.
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Comment on Looking for low-cost ways to replace industrially processed foods in ~food
sparksbet Link ParentIt's also more or less impossible to cut out ultra-processed foods without limiting yourself in terms of cuisines. More or less any meat substitute is ultra-processed, and good luck cooking...It's also more or less impossible to cut out ultra-processed foods without limiting yourself in terms of cuisines. More or less any meat substitute is ultra-processed, and good luck cooking Chinese food. Like, I can't make my own tofu or soy sauce or zhacai, nor can I buy their constituent ingredients in a grocery store where I live. Yet the resulting meals can still easily be a lot healthier for me than something else I made without any ultra-processed foods. Imo the label "ultra-processed" ends up being pretty orthogonal to actual health and the way some people focus on it to the exclusion of other more important factors is pretty messed up.
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Comment on Struggling in my relationship in ~life
sparksbet LinkIf you're fantasizing about ending things, that's a pretty big sign things should end imo. At bare minimum, you need professional relationship counseling. And I think you owe it to your partner to...If you're fantasizing about ending things, that's a pretty big sign things should end imo. At bare minimum, you need professional relationship counseling. And I think you owe it to your partner to communicate to them clearly that you're so close to the end of your rope. One of the biggest pain points from my own divorce was that my partner completely blindsided me with it and never brought up the obvious-in-retrospect problems with our relationship until she asked for a divorce.
I don't ultimately think the fact that you aren't legally married is gonna matter that much fwiw -- and I say this as someone currently going through the process of divorce myself. The fact that you apparently have kids together is going to make a "clean break" much harder than the legal institution of marriage would. I hope you don't own any shared property -- when they're present, kids and home ownership are the two hardest things to handle when breaking up a serious relationship like this, and lacking a legal marriage is not gonna make that easier.
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Comment on Suggestions for a new Steam Deck user looking to make Desktop mode pleasant to use? in ~games
sparksbet Link ParentI'm not really sure how much better you could make desktop mode using the steam deck's native controls than it already is, tbqh. Like, it is simply not possible to make a nice way to type using...I'm not really sure how much better you could make desktop mode using the steam deck's native controls than it already is, tbqh. Like, it is simply not possible to make a nice way to type using the steam deck's controls -- either you use the on-screen keyboard or you attach an external keyboard. What other possibilities do they foresee there being there? I'm not aware of any other videogame console with keyboard input that's better. The closest I can think of is the DS, which also just used a touchscreen keyboard (maybe the steam deck needs a stylus?) And since 90% of the annoyance using desktop mode is keyboard input, I'm not sure what OP expects a solution to be besides "attach an external keyboard on the rare occasions when you need desktop mode."
Steam already has an ergonomic couch mode set up for the steam deck. It's called not using desktop mode. Desktop mode is for the rare occasions when you need to do something a bit more technical, like downloading mods or adding a non-Steam game to steam so that it can be used in the mode that Valve designed to be comfortable to use for everyday gaming on the Steam deck.
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Comment on Thieves steal crown jewels in four minutes from Louvre Museum in Paris in ~arts
sparksbet Link ParentTrue, but that response still relies on the underlying logic that if the British Museum were the safest and most secure place for storing these artifacts, it would be ethically justified for them...True, but that response still relies on the underlying logic that if the British Museum were the safest and most secure place for storing these artifacts, it would be ethically justified for them to keep them. I don't think that's the case.
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Comment on Thieves steal crown jewels in four minutes from Louvre Museum in Paris in ~arts
sparksbet Link ParentI don't think it's really fair to bring up museums taking artifacts unethically from around the world as a point in your favor when the point of view you're arguing for -- an insistence on the...I don't think it's really fair to bring up museums taking artifacts unethically from around the world as a point in your favor when the point of view you're arguing for -- an insistence on the need to "properly preserve" relevant artifacts and the idea that preventing such work from being displayed or held in anything less than the safest conditions -- is one of the most common arguments made in favor of taking, keeping, and refusing demands to return those unethical acquisitions.
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Comment on Thieves steal crown jewels in four minutes from Louvre Museum in Paris in ~arts
sparksbet Link ParentI feel like something with levels designed similarly to those in Hitman games but with some way to make the gameplay more about planning than improvising would be really interesting... expensive...I feel like something with levels designed similarly to those in Hitman games but with some way to make the gameplay more about planning than improvising would be really interesting... expensive and difficult to design, perhaps, but interesting.
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Comment on The same-name club made up entirely of Shirleys is dying out in ~life
sparksbet Link Parentlol yeah the major exceptions to this cycle are usually very popular religious nameslol yeah the major exceptions to this cycle are usually very popular religious names
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Comment on The same-name club made up entirely of Shirleys is dying out in ~life
sparksbet LinkFor the record, this is par for the course for most popular names. With a few outliers that have remained steadfastly popular throughout the ages, most names have rough hundred year cycles of...For the record, this is par for the course for most popular names. With a few outliers that have remained steadfastly popular throughout the ages, most names have rough hundred year cycles of popularity. A name will come to be associated with old people as the population from the peak of its popularity ages (as is the case with Shirley), and often (but not necessarily always) they come back into fashion once most of those old people are dead.
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Comment on Thieves steal crown jewels in four minutes from Louvre Museum in Paris in ~arts
sparksbet Link ParentYeah, this heist is probably the only reason most of us have even heard of the Mona Lisa.Yeah, this heist is probably the only reason most of us have even heard of the Mona Lisa.
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Comment on Queer temperature check: how is everyone doing right now? in ~lgbt
sparksbet Link ParentHonestly I think doubting whether you're really trans is a universal experience among trans people -- even the people you think of who pass perfectly and if only you could look like them.On days where I'm not dysphoric I start doubting myself if I'm really trans or just a femboy.
Honestly I think doubting whether you're really trans is a universal experience among trans people -- even the people you think of who pass perfectly and if only you could look like them.
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Comment on Queer temperature check: how is everyone doing right now? in ~lgbt
sparksbet Link ParentThis is very sweet, thank you. Things are far from perfect, but I think a lot of the worst bits have worked out for the best. And hey, at least I'm getting my money's worth from therapy now.This is very sweet, thank you. Things are far from perfect, but I think a lot of the worst bits have worked out for the best. And hey, at least I'm getting my money's worth from therapy now.
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Comment on Queer temperature check: how is everyone doing right now? in ~lgbt
sparksbet (edited )LinkThis year has been kinda a wild ride for me. My wife left me in January and not in a way that paid much consideration to me as a person, so that's been hard as shit, but weirdly it seems to have...This year has been kinda a wild ride for me. My wife left me in January and not in a way that paid much consideration to me as a person, so that's been hard as shit, but weirdly it seems to have been one of the best things that's happened to my mental health in a while. I was suicidal back in December of last year, and now I wouldn't even characterize myself as struggling with depression symptoms. Part of it is very much, I think, the fact that going through something like that forced me out of a spiral of stagnation that I was definitely trapped in. Part of it is that reaching out to friends and family in the aftermath really opened my eyes to how much love and support I have. Part of it is sort of a "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" type thing. And part of it is probably that my relationship was a lot worse than I realized it was while I was in it. All told, I'm probably in one of the best places I've been at mental health-wise since well before I got married. I still have my struggles and am definitely traumatized by the experience to at least some extent. But damn if my day-to-day isn't worlds better than it was before.
I recently started a casual thing with a guy I like, and it's the first person I've been with who thinks of me as a guy at all and calls me his boyfriend. We're long distance so there are some big limitations to what we can do together, but I'm still having fun and that's what matters. My last relationship in retrospect had a lot of pressure not to go "too far" in my transition, since my ex-wife identified as a lesbian, and I definitely was unconsciously holding myself back for the sake of others. I probably still am in some ways, but at least now I'm having fun and learning more about myself in tandem. And it feels so nice to be loveable and attractive to someone for the first time in such a long time.
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Comment on At the end of our ropes in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentI'd appreciate a link to some of the mindfulness stuff you mentioned! I've always been frustrated by the meditation/mindfulness I've tried in the past, but I suspect the stuff I was being...I'd appreciate a link to some of the mindfulness stuff you mentioned! I've always been frustrated by the meditation/mindfulness I've tried in the past, but I suspect the stuff I was being recommended before wasn't CBT based.
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Comment on At the end of our ropes in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentSee for me I really struggle with analog clocks because I find it too easy to just ignore them as a marker of time compared to something that shows the hard numbers. But I do highly recommend...See for me I really struggle with analog clocks because I find it too easy to just ignore them as a marker of time compared to something that shows the hard numbers. But I do highly recommend visual timers, which serve a similar purpose.
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Comment on At the end of our ropes in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentI totally understand your worries there. I think @chocobean mentioned having had issues with the major stimulant based options and still finding something that worked if you want that perspectiveI totally understand your worries there. I think @chocobean mentioned having had issues with the major stimulant based options and still finding something that worked if you want that perspective
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Comment on At the end of our ropes in ~health.mental
sparksbet Link ParentI'm on the lowest dose they prescribe to adults here afaik (30 mg) and I don't really feel a different right when I take it. In fact, on several occasions I've taken it and then immediately gone...I'm on the lowest dose they prescribe to adults here afaik (30 mg) and I don't really feel a different right when I take it. In fact, on several occasions I've taken it and then immediately gone back to sleep. But then I've never had insomnia problems with my stimulants, so I'm just really good at sleeping ig.
What I do notice is a more general effect on my mood throughout the day. When I've taken my Vyvanse I'm much more likely to feel a desire to work on some sort of project and have the impetus to actually start that work. Certain types of little projects definitely appeal to my brain more when I'm medicated -- coding scratches the right itch, as do city-builders -- but it generally helps decrease the amount of energy I need to get started on almost anything.
The effects on my ability to focus are definitely still relatively mild, and I'm very much still able to get distracted, especially right as it wears off. If anything, it makes it harder to pull myself out of focusing on the wrong thing, so I have to practice some personal discipline when it comes to directing my period of better brain towards stuff that actually needs to get done. It doesn't do that part for me.
Honestly though the biggest positive effect that I would miss if I stopped taking it is on my mood, rather than my ability to focus. I had a depression diagnosis and Vyvanse has done a better job stabilizing my mood day-to-day than the SSRIs I was on before, and with decidedly fewer side effects. This is usually how I notice I've forgotten to take it -- my mood will be noticeably lower when I haven't taken it. And note that I use "lower" intentionally, as it's depression symptoms rather than irritability or what people usually mean when they say "bad mood".
Different people are different though, so work with your psychiatrist on it. If it's not helping you, maybe you do need a higher dose or maybe you need to switch to a different type of medication. Wishing you the best of luck there.
Might or might not participate in November but put me on the list regardless