Thallassa's recent activity
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Comment on Where do you go for "easy"/meme content? in ~tech
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Comment on Where do you go for "easy"/meme content? in ~tech
Thallassa LinkTumblr, if I run out of feed from the blogs I follow, I’ll search some tags Discord, usually i can find a channel with something interesting that I can read but don’t need to engage in. YouTube...Tumblr, if I run out of feed from the blogs I follow, I’ll search some tags
Discord, usually i can find a channel with something interesting that I can read but don’t need to engage in.
YouTube shorts - but I’m trying really hard to train myself that if i scroll for more than 5 or so shorts, to at least go use the exercise bike while scrolling so that I get some movement in!
I craft, so if I don’t have the brainpower to read or do anything serious, doing some mindless knitting or coloring is way more valuable. Of course it doesn’t always work out that way, but I’m trying.
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Comment on Opinion piece: I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day. in ~life.women
Thallassa Link ParentThe world is full of nasty people. Trying to fix the root of mysogyny feels pretty hopeless in a world where one of the largest nations with secure women’s rights is backsliding so quickly and...The world is full of nasty people. Trying to fix the root of mysogyny feels pretty hopeless in a world where one of the largest nations with secure women’s rights is backsliding so quickly and even liberal European nations have this problem. In my country, a majority of the population believes that it is more acceptable to have a rapist president who said “grab them by the pussy” than a woman. In two elections. That’s pretty clearly what the people want and the cause of this problem as well.
That said, the world is also full of good people. Finding and building community with likeminded good people is the key to both weather the horrors and fight back. No one needs to be experiencing a social media feed that is full of hatred and mysogyny - partly because this violates the platform rules so we need to be on them to moderate properly and reporting these videos as often as possible - but mostly because what you see is controlled by you, either through a curated feed or simply not using that platform.
Like many things in life, my answer is to get better friends and curate what you read and watch instead of consuming everything and then complaining its awful. This is something that needs to be taught at an early age - actually, it can start before they can talk. Even a 1 year old can express preference in books and toys and bodily autonomy. By 15 or 16 a child should have the tools to avoid the things they don’t want to see and trusted adults they feel safe to discuss these problems with. This goes for ALL children - there are many young perpetrators of the nonsense that are only repeating it because they don’t know how else to fit in, even though they know it’s wrong.
I do my part for what it is - at this point I rarely participate in communities that I don’t moderate or trust the moderators (part of that is that I seem to be a perpetual moderator the way some people are forever DMs). I encourage young women and queer teens to find communities that have women and queer moderators: it’s a good sign. On platforms without community moderators I use the report and block buttons frequently. Some of my friends go further and actively seek out rulebreaking content of this nature to report it, but I prefer to not expose myself to that. And if we keep backsliding we won’t be able to rely on the big platforms much longer, so community moderated sites and smaller platforms like here, traditional forums, etc, become very important.
I do not think a partial internet ban is even remotely a solution. The mysogyny is all around us, offline and online. Cutting off avenues to see different opinions and make better friends isn’t going to help.
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Comment on Discord: Getting global age assurance right: what we got wrong and what's changing in ~tech
Thallassa Link ParentAgain, we just have a channel called spoilers for this purpose. If users click on a channel called spoilers, that’s on them. If they click on a channel called “heavy topics” they can’t be...Again, we just have a channel called spoilers for this purpose. If users click on a channel called spoilers, that’s on them. If they click on a channel called “heavy topics” they can’t be surprised when there’s triggering things in there. They don’t need any additional gating.
Of course I will use this feature if it works properly because why not, but I do think at a certain point people need to be responsible for their own online experience.
And, under the UK law, channels where self harm and eating disorders are discussed would need to also be age gated anyways.
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Comment on Tell me about your favourite web-based logic puzzles! in ~games
Thallassa LinkNot exactly logic puzzles but: Daily format geography quiz: https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/ Daily format animal guessing game based on linnean classifications: https://metazooa.com/ (there’s a plantae...Not exactly logic puzzles but:
Daily format geography quiz: https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/
Daily format animal guessing game based on linnean classifications: https://metazooa.com/ (there’s a plantae one too)
Not daily and not a logic puzzle but my current addiction, color memorization and matching: https://dialed.gg/
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Comment on Tell me about your favourite web-based logic puzzles! in ~games
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Comment on Anyone get into caffeine (coffee/tea) as an adult? in ~food
Thallassa LinkNot me (I started tea at 13) but my father, who avoided caffeine his whole life. He started having a little coffee here and there several years ago (late 50s) and said that it has helped...Not me (I started tea at 13) but my father, who avoided caffeine his whole life. He started having a little coffee here and there several years ago (late 50s) and said that it has helped alertness, memory retention, and general cognitive function (such as troubleshooting/analytical skills) more than he anticipated. He says it’s like his secret weapon because he’s been keeping up with everyone else his whole life without it, and now as he slows down with age he can use caffeine to still keep up.
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Comment on What's an obscure book/series that you've read that you would like to recommend? in ~books
Thallassa LinkI read The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard last year and immediately had to read them a second time - they are so good. It’s fantasy with excellent...I read The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard last year and immediately had to read them a second time - they are so good. It’s fantasy with excellent characterization and an interesting setting. The main character is an aging secretary to the world’s last emperor and most powerful mage. The relationship between them sends them on all sorts of wonderful adventures through politics, magic, and the world. What drew me in was the description of the the life of a bureaucrat and secretary - as a mid level paper pusher myself, I felt very heard and the beautiful prose describing the role spoke to me.
I will say there’s a bit of a tumblr leftist glaze to the writing, such as the main character spending several pages convincing the council to implement Universal Basic Income in the first book, but even this is seamlessly woven into and explained in the setting (it’s not called ubi in book either), AND becomes relevant to the plot in the second book, so it doesn’t take you out of the immersion. I’ve heard people ask for more fantasy books with older characters and a focus on politics, if that’s you try this one out.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Thallassa LinkI’ve been playing Vintage Story, which is a minecraft-like block game with a bigger focus on realistic survival mechanics and lore. I really likes minecraft (I played it a lot when it came out!)...I’ve been playing Vintage Story, which is a minecraft-like block game with a bigger focus on realistic survival mechanics and lore. I really likes minecraft (I played it a lot when it came out!) and this feels like a more adult version of the same, with a slower gameplay loop. The most unique feature is being able to craft custom block shapes through chiseling. The mod support is also really good and even in early access there are fantastic mods available. Overall I had a lot of fun and since this is an early access game I see myself returning to it year after year as long as it continues to get updates.
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Comment on What experts say about safely cooking and eating eggs while bird flu continues to spread in ~food
Thallassa LinkI looked this up a few weeks ago and this article doesn’t have anything new. I’ve already accepted the very low risk of salmonella when I lick the raw batter off the spoon, cook a runny yolk,...I looked this up a few weeks ago and this article doesn’t have anything new.
I’ve already accepted the very low risk of salmonella when I lick the raw batter off the spoon, cook a runny yolk, drink a whiskey sour, or make mayonnaise. Salmonella, though, isn’t teetering on the edge of mutating into the next pandemic.
What’s the actual risk of getting bird flu from raw eggs? It matters because it’s not just a personal risk but a global one every time we roll the dice. If we don’t know yet, why not? It’s not like H5N1 is a new thing. Just telling people to fully cook their eggs isn’t useful.
P.S. in the UK they vaccinate the chickens against salmonella.
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Comment on When can I generate invite codes? in ~tildes
Thallassa Link ParentI keep trying to invite people and they don’t want in :(I keep trying to invite people and they don’t want in :(
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Comment on When can I generate invite codes? in ~tildes
Thallassa Link ParentFor what I use Reddit for, there’s no replacement other than small, specific topic, old fashioned forums. But even that isn’t a replacement because those sites draw a small, old fashioned...For what I use Reddit for, there’s no replacement other than small, specific topic, old fashioned forums. But even that isn’t a replacement because those sites draw a small, old fashioned audience, not the younger, edgier crowd I interact with on Reddit. (To be clear, I use both. Ie ravelry forums and r/knitting, nexus forums and r/skyrimmods, daves garden and r/nolawns).
Tildes is nice, but there are very few people here interested in the same topics I am. There’s not many threads I feel like commenting in. I should do more to post and build the type of content I want to see, but unfortunately I keep running out of hours in the week.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Thallassa Link ParentBruma is only part of the Cyrodiil province/story, and the rest of it is nowhere near done. It’s unfinished, just like all the other projects mentioned. Better suggestions would be Enderal,...Bruma is only part of the Cyrodiil province/story, and the rest of it is nowhere near done. It’s unfinished, just like all the other projects mentioned.
Better suggestions would be Enderal, Vigilant, and Glenmoril, except 1) Enderal was only two people and 2) Vigilant and Glenmoril is just one person. The scope is necessarily smaller.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Thallassa Link ParentAt least starfield actually came out and can be played and enjoyed, unlike all the fan projects in the same engine with even longer dev times like beyond skyrim (not even one province is...At least starfield actually came out and can be played and enjoyed, unlike all the fan projects in the same engine with even longer dev times like beyond skyrim (not even one province is complete). I don’t think your proposal would actually lead to more art being made on the whole.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
Thallassa Link ParentCan you please explain how the existence of professional art prevents you from creating art? You can, like, just make art. It’s allowed. There’s not even any standard you need to meet!Can you please explain how the existence of professional art prevents you from creating art?
You can, like, just make art. It’s allowed. There’s not even any standard you need to meet!
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Comment on Has anyone stopped caring about politics? in ~society
Thallassa Link ParentDo you have any advice for someone who really doesn’t want to have to interact with people in their free time, but still wants to contribute to these types of projects? All your advice starts with...Do you have any advice for someone who really doesn’t want to have to interact with people in their free time, but still wants to contribute to these types of projects? All your advice starts with “Talk to people” which is great, but as a true introvert whose job requires talking to people all day, I do not have the spoons for that.
If it helps, typing at people through a screen doesn’t “count” for me. Which is why my little corner of making the world better is currently just moderating a gaming discord/subreddit to keep the bigots out.
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Comment on Solar storm knocks out farmers' tractor GPS systems during peak planting season in ~tech
Thallassa LinkWonder if multiple brands are impacted or just John Deere. Some of my farmer friends say John Deere tractors are crap these days.Wonder if multiple brands are impacted or just John Deere. Some of my farmer friends say John Deere tractors are crap these days.
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Comment on Online shopping - how convenient is it actually? in ~life.style
Thallassa Link ParentAmazon is paying local workers (drivers, warehouse workers) just as much, or usually more, than BigBoxStore is paying their stockers and cashiers. Unless the auto parts store you were looking at...Amazon is paying local workers (drivers, warehouse workers) just as much, or usually more, than BigBoxStore is paying their stockers and cashiers. Unless the auto parts store you were looking at is locally owned (they usually aren’t), the money isn’t staying local anyways.
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Comment on Deadly morel mushroom outbreak highlights big gaps in fungi knowledge in ~food
Thallassa Link ParentI mean I can’t speak to Wikipedia but I bought some dried morels online two months ago and the fact that they were toxic raw was absolutely something that turned up when I was shopping/looking at...I mean I can’t speak to Wikipedia but I bought some dried morels online two months ago and the fact that they were toxic raw was absolutely something that turned up when I was shopping/looking at recipes. It’s not new information.
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Comment on Reddit has a new AI training deal to sell user content in ~tech
Thallassa Link ParentDiscord is using their user data as training data too.Discord is using their user data as training data too.
YouTube shorts will feed you stuff, but it does much better if you subscribe to a lot of channels you like and aggressively tell it not to show you content you don’t like.
Same deal with tumblr - you have to find blogs you like to follow first before it becomes useful to just scroll. One way to do this is to search tags you’re interested in (like “memes”) and follow the sources that pop up.