SpruceWillis's recent activity
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Comment on What are your favorite special kitchen ingredients? in ~food
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Comment on What are your Christmas movies? in ~movies
SpruceWillis LinkDie Hard is my number one, me and my partner both love it and we tend to watch it once over the Christmas period. We also watch Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone 1&2, and Muppets Christmas Carol. I...Die Hard is my number one, me and my partner both love it and we tend to watch it once over the Christmas period.
We also watch Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone 1&2, and Muppets Christmas Carol.
I also enjoy watching non-Christmas Christmas movies, those films that were always shown over Christmas and New Year that aren't Christmas films but I've got great memories of watching on Boxing Day while eating an entire Terry's Chocolate Orange or Cadbury's Selection Box.
Films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Hook, the Connery, Lazenby or Moore James Bond films, Groundhog Day, or the first few Harry Potter films.
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Comment on What's something new you started doing this year? in ~talk
SpruceWillis Link ParentYeah, the NHS may currently be on its knees and it can take months to see a dentist or doctor but even when you have to pay for certain treatments it's heavily subsidised and relatively cheap.Yeah, the NHS may currently be on its knees and it can take months to see a dentist or doctor but even when you have to pay for certain treatments it's heavily subsidised and relatively cheap.
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Comment on What's something new you started doing this year? in ~talk
SpruceWillis Link ParentNot every day but most days, it really helps scrub those gaps in my teeth, maybe gets some of the stuff the water flosser doesn't.Not every day but most days, it really helps scrub those gaps in my teeth, maybe gets some of the stuff the water flosser doesn't.
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Comment on What's something new you started doing this year? in ~talk
SpruceWillis LinkHow strange, I also went to the dentist for the first time since before Covid. My dental hygiene is pretty good, I brush twice a day, rinse with alcohol free mouthwash, and floss a couple times a...How strange, I also went to the dentist for the first time since before Covid. My dental hygiene is pretty good, I brush twice a day, rinse with alcohol free mouthwash, and floss a couple times a week but even with all that you can't really avoid build up of crap over time.
Covid really did a number on my dental routine as I normally went for a check up along with a scale and polish once a year but I just kept forgetting. I eventually went back after 5 years of no dental checkups in February this year to find out that my incisors were thinning at the edges, and I had very mild tooth decay in hard to reach places so I needed multiple bouts of dental work over 6 months and fillings to sort my mouth out which cost me £300 in total.
My dentist also suggested an electric toothbrush, interdental brushes and a water flosser to help keep my teeth as clean as possible so I've been using those for around 6 months now and my mouth feels so much cleaner than just using a normal brush and floss.
Otherwise I've started collecting Magic cards, my poor wallet. I played Commander with a couple friends a few times earlier in the year and enjoyed myself so decided to buy cards and build my own Commander deck over time.
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Comment on What possession(s) do you have that continue to delight you every time? in ~talk
SpruceWillis Link ParentThey're quite common in Europe, me and my partner had one in our old house which was quite small. I think unless you splash out they don't dry as well as a dedicated dryer but it always did a...They're quite common in Europe, me and my partner had one in our old house which was quite small. I think unless you splash out they don't dry as well as a dedicated dryer but it always did a pretty decent job for most things.
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Comment on Mystery drones over New Jersey spark concerns as FBI investigates in ~transport
SpruceWillis LinkWe've had a slew of these sightings above US manned military bases in the UK recently as well, strange. I enjoy putting on my Mulder tinfoil hat as much as the next person but I imagine for the...We've had a slew of these sightings above US manned military bases in the UK recently as well, strange. I enjoy putting on my Mulder tinfoil hat as much as the next person but I imagine for the ones that aren't just a mistaken Sirius, Jupiter, hobbyist drone, or plane of some sort it's maybe some sort of military drone being tested.
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Official gameplay trailer in ~games
SpruceWillis Link ParentI say this as someone who didn't mind StS but the characters and animations always gave me vibes of those cheap children's animations my daughter sometimes watches on YouTube or the old Flash...I say this as someone who didn't mind StS but the characters and animations always gave me vibes of those cheap children's animations my daughter sometimes watches on YouTube or the old Flash games from the early-mid 00's and not in a good way.
Ultimately though, the gameplay was good enough to look past that.
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Comment on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet | Official reveal trailer in ~games
SpruceWillis LinkI continue to not vibe with Naughty Dog games post Jak and Daxter. Uncharted did nothing for me, neither did The Last of Us (although the show is great) and this continues that streak (although I...I continue to not vibe with Naughty Dog games post Jak and Daxter. Uncharted did nothing for me, neither did The Last of Us (although the show is great) and this continues that streak (although I am aware there's no gameplay shown so I'll at least check it out closer to release).
The snarky wink-wink Marvel-esque dialogue reminded me of a book I severely disliked for the same reason, The Punch Escrow. The nauseating amount of product placement in such a short trailer was a bit much, and the overused 80's retrofuturism thing with the CRT TV's, 80's anime, CD player and 80's New Wave soundtrack had my eyes rolling.
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Comment on 2024 Spotify Wrapped thread in ~music
SpruceWillis LinkArtists Bring Me The Horizon Trivium The Smashing Pumpkins Currents Bilmuri Songs AmEN! - Bring Me The Horizon Unfamiliar - Currents Kool-Aid - Bring Me The Horizon Fade - Alien Ant Farm Sighommi...Artists
- Bring Me The Horizon
- Trivium
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- Currents
- Bilmuri
Songs
- AmEN! - Bring Me The Horizon
- Unfamiliar - Currents
- Kool-Aid - Bring Me The Horizon
- Fade - Alien Ant Farm
- Sighommi - The Smashing Pumpkins
Total Minutes Listened - 14,995
My listen time is down drastically this year compared to the 50,000 I clocked last year! I listened to a ton of video game soundtracks while working at home last year, so Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda were my most listened to artists then. I've mostly watched YouTube videos in the background while working this year rather than listen to music.
My list doesn't surprise me this year though. Bring Me The Horizons newest album "Post Human: Nex Gen" is my album of the year this year, it's absolutely incredible in my opinion.
The Pumpkins latest album "Aghori Mhori Mei" was a ton of fun this year. I'm a huge Pumpkins fan, they're my favourite band of all time, so it's nice to see they can still crack my top 5 even 18 years after I fell in love with them as a starry-eyed 16-year old.
I've got tickets to go see Trivium in January do I've been listening to them a lot the past 4 or 5 months.
I loved Bilmuri's album "American Motor Sports", some amazing music on there so I'm always happy to CRANK MY HOG TO BILMURI!
Unfamiliar being in the list isn't a surprise either. Currents latest album "The Death We Seek" was my album of the year last year and Unfamiliar was my favourite song from the album. I still listen to it fairly regularly and I'm going to see Currents this Sunday so I've probably been spinning it more than usual over the past few weeks.
The only one that caught me a little off guard was "Fade" by Alien Ant Farm. I loved the song and I know I listened to it a lot but I didn't think I listened to it that much.
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Comment on Great shows with a truly satisfying ending? in ~tv
SpruceWillis Link ParentAbsolutely incredible show, watched it at the beginning of the year and I still think of that garage scene and the final shot, so good.Absolutely incredible show, watched it at the beginning of the year and I still think of that garage scene and the final shot, so good.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SpruceWillis LinkI bought Balatro after hearing my friends rave about it for the past week. One of them told me even though I don't really vibe with deck builder card games I'd like Balatro. Must be said, I'm not...I bought Balatro after hearing my friends rave about it for the past week. One of them told me even though I don't really vibe with deck builder card games I'd like Balatro.
Must be said, I'm not digging it. There doesn't seem to be anything that's hooking me, just the usual building decks and upgrading them thing that does nothing for me and the gameplay loop is boring in my opinion.
So I played it for just short of two hours this morning and refunded it, happy for folks who've found their game of the year and the solo dev who has no doubt become a multi-millionaire since release but 2024 continues to pale in comparison to 2023 for me.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
SpruceWillis LinkI bought Trading Card Shop Simulator the other day and have been having a blast with it. I love building up my shop, buying trading card booster packs, toys, board games, D20's etc. and having...I bought Trading Card Shop Simulator the other day and have been having a blast with it.
I love building up my shop, buying trading card booster packs, toys, board games, D20's etc. and having people buy tons and tons of stuff. Putting tables in as well so people come in and play against each other for a bit is cool. Funniest thing is having to spray smelly customers with deodorant.
Also the dopamine hit you get after buying packs of cards, opening them rather than putting them on the shelf and finding rare cards is fun.
Whole games a blast, seems like the dev is really communicative as well and has a great roadmap planned for the game, including eventually allowing you to play the actual card game "Terramon" at some point.
I've not installed any mods yet but I've heard there's mods to change the card game to Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Magic the Gathering.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
SpruceWillis LinkI finished This is How You Lose the Time War, I enjoyed it but I wish they'd delved into the sci-fi aspect of the world and the time war itself a bit more but that's obviously not the book they...I finished This is How You Lose the Time War, I enjoyed it but I wish they'd delved into the sci-fi aspect of the world and the time war itself a bit more but that's obviously not the book they wanted to write.
The love story that the novel revolved around was nice but the letters and exchanges got a bit cloyingly sweet and flowery by the end.
Still a decent book.
Now I'm about 2/3's of the way through John Langan's The Fisherman which I'm having a blast with. I really love horror novels, and this ones like a classic ghost story with Lovecraftian touches. I'm still being regaled with the story of Rainer and his family and eagerly looking forward to the fishing trip between the main character and his friend.
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Comment on MomBoard: E-ink display for a parent with amnesia in ~tech
SpruceWillis Link ParentReminds me of the Nintendo mantra coined by Gunpei Yokai, the inventor of the Game & Watch and Game Boy. "Lateral thinking with withered technology" Using mature, inexpensive, well understood...Reminds me of the Nintendo mantra coined by Gunpei Yokai, the inventor of the Game & Watch and Game Boy.
"Lateral thinking with withered technology"
Using mature, inexpensive, well understood technology to create innovative solutions.
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Comment on Where does your username come from? (Following up on last year's thread) in ~tildes
SpruceWillis LinkThis is one of several usernames I have across the web. I felt the other one I used was getting a bit long in the tooth so switched to this one about 6 or 7 years ago. I think the first time I...This is one of several usernames I have across the web. I felt the other one I used was getting a bit long in the tooth so switched to this one about 6 or 7 years ago. I think the first time I used it was in the migration from NeoGAF to ResetERA after it turned out the owner of GAF was a creep. Felt fitting for a new username.
I just use it because I find the idea of Bruce Willis as a spruce tree to be quite funny.
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Comment on Understanding the leftist that didn't vote: "Everybody else gets one, but not me" in ~society
SpruceWillis Link ParentThis is called "spoiling your ballot" in the UK and political parties are very interested in it because it tells them there are people out there willing to go to a polling place, and cast their...I’m also curious how you would feel about an “abstain” option in elections ? I have often felt “I don’t want to vote for either person, and I want it documented that I chose not to do it because I felt neither candidate captured my goals/values/needs”.
This is called "spoiling your ballot" in the UK and political parties are very interested in it because it tells them there are people out there willing to go to a polling place, and cast their vote for nobody. These are people political parties can try to capture in future elections.
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Comment on What moderate countries are left to emigrate to? in ~travel
SpruceWillis Link ParentI totally get that, the midges can be a pain. Waking up the morning after enjoying one of our warm summer nights outside during the summer to find yourself covered in little itchy welts is very...I totally get that, the midges can be a pain.
Waking up the morning after enjoying one of our warm summer nights outside during the summer to find yourself covered in little itchy welts is very frustrating but certainly it's just one of those things you get used to living here.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
SpruceWillis Link ParentNo, never actually seen any adaptation of the book, it's completely unknown to me. I got into reading spy thrillers a couple of years ago,especially the Bond novels, and my dad suggested The Day...No, never actually seen any adaptation of the book, it's completely unknown to me.
I got into reading spy thrillers a couple of years ago,especially the Bond novels, and my dad suggested The Day of the Jackal, saying it's a great one, so I bought it but it's sat in my bookcase since.
I'll need to bump it up the list and get it read as it sounds right up my street then I can watch the adaptations.
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Comment on What moderate countries are left to emigrate to? in ~travel
SpruceWillis Link ParentEverywhere sadly :(. Probably more of them up north but spending any deal of time outside at night in the summer requires citronella candles or insect repellent spray to ward them off.Everywhere sadly :(. Probably more of them up north but spending any deal of time outside at night in the summer requires citronella candles or insect repellent spray to ward them off.
MSG
Furikake (amazing lightly sprinkled on some buttered toast)
Dashi powder
Mirin
Zaatar
Dukkah
Rose Harissa paste
Home grown garlic (incredible in comparison to store bought and it keeps for months and months)
Nutmeg
Ghee