TheD00d's recent activity

  1. Comment on What lesser-known sci-fi reads do you recommend? in ~books

    TheD00d
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    Kind of surprised I haven't seen someone mention Roadside Picnic. It's a classic Soviet post-visit novel. Translation is a bit rough but if you are familiar with the STALKER game series, those are...

    Kind of surprised I haven't seen someone mention Roadside Picnic. It's a classic Soviet post-visit novel. Translation is a bit rough but if you are familiar with the STALKER game series, those are based off of Roadside Picnic.

    8 votes

  2. Comment on What lesser-known sci-fi reads do you recommend? in ~books

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Scalzi is fun. I love most of his recent works. Old man's war universe has gotten a bit off the rails, but I enjoyed Kaiju Preservation Society. Philip K. Dick is my favorite sci-fi author of all...

    Scalzi is fun. I love most of his recent works. Old man's war universe has gotten a bit off the rails, but I enjoyed Kaiju Preservation Society.

    Philip K. Dick is my favorite sci-fi author of all time. Ubik was a fever dream. Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep broke my 14 year old brain. The Man in the High Castle also messed with my sense of reality, but I thought it was kind of boring. Adjustment Team is what got me into PKD in the first place.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on AI data center developers begin suing local jurisdictions behind bans and moratoriums — claims range from officials exceeding authority to violations of due process and equal protection laws in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Its a formal legal title, but even in the meetings no one ever calls me that and it feels kind of fake lol

    Its a formal legal title, but even in the meetings no one ever calls me that and it feels kind of fake lol

    6 votes

  4. Comment on AI data center developers begin suing local jurisdictions behind bans and moratoriums — claims range from officials exceeding authority to violations of due process and equal protection laws in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link
    As a "commissioner" on my local zoning committee this has me terrified.

    As a "commissioner" on my local zoning committee this has me terrified.

    6 votes

  5. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    On Friday, I would have absolutely agreed with your sentiment full stop. Even today I still do, to an extent. But shelters have a hard time and I don't want to exacerbate the issue. With all of...

    On Friday, I would have absolutely agreed with your sentiment full stop. Even today I still do, to an extent. But shelters have a hard time and I don't want to exacerbate the issue.

    With all of that being said, for that particular instance on Friday - yes, fuck that shelter.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Thank you for the volunteering. Gosh, people think fostering is difficult but I could not imagine working and volunteering at a shelter.

    Thank you for the volunteering. Gosh, people think fostering is difficult but I could not imagine working and volunteering at a shelter.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    I can still name every single foster we've had in the last eight or so years we've been doing it. They just imprint on us. Thank you for the kind words. Our cat is doing better. Hope fuzzy enjoyed...

    I can still name every single foster we've had in the last eight or so years we've been doing it. They just imprint on us. Thank you for the kind words. Our cat is doing better. Hope fuzzy enjoyed the treat!

    1 vote

  8. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    This is exactly the kind of fostering my wife aspire to be. We offer to watch our previous fosters whenever people travel. No one has taken us up on it yet. One day hopefully. Please keep up with...

    This is exactly the kind of fostering my wife aspire to be. We offer to watch our previous fosters whenever people travel. No one has taken us up on it yet. One day hopefully.

    Please keep up with letting the fosters know. I cannot even begin share how much it means to us. All of us.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Thank you! I hope they are waiting for him and his big comfy dog bed.

    Thank you! I hope they are waiting for him and his big comfy dog bed.

  10. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Thank you. The bittersweet feeling of fostering is so hard. Especially like you said the old foster. Gosh, they just stick to my soul. I hope they enjoyed the Churus. My cat has been enjoying...

    Thank you. The bittersweet feeling of fostering is so hard. Especially like you said the old foster. Gosh, they just stick to my soul. I hope they enjoyed the Churus. My cat has been enjoying several to help with his recovery.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    This comment made me tear up again. Awh! He had a favorite spot on the couch and on the floor where he would just hold his little cookies and marshmallows. I hope to goodness he found it all in...

    This comment made me tear up again. Awh! He had a favorite spot on the couch and on the floor where he would just hold his little cookies and marshmallows. I hope to goodness he found it all in his next life.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    I will let our cat know. I'm sure he'd appreciate the fun and thank you for the kind words. I had a very hard time understanding the weird hill to die on with us not being able to see him, perhaps...

    I will let our cat know. I'm sure he'd appreciate the fun and thank you for the kind words. I had a very hard time understanding the weird hill to die on with us not being able to see him, perhaps it was for the best. I wouldn't want him to have suffered any longer just so we could see him again, that would not seem fair.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Thank you, we are doing better now. Hopefully your pet situation improves as well. We all could use a little more happiness and a lot less stress.

    Thank you, we are doing better now. Hopefully your pet situation improves as well. We all could use a little more happiness and a lot less stress.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on An emotional day, and a request about pets in ~life.pets

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Thank you for the kind words. A shitty situation was the absolute correct way to describe it.

    Thank you for the kind words. A shitty situation was the absolute correct way to describe it.

    3 votes

  15. An emotional day, and a request about pets

    ~life.pets Ask
    Hi all, I know this is probably going to be a bit of an incoherent mess of a post but my wife and I have not had a very good day and I'd just like to share my feelings, and make a simple request...

    Hi all,

    I know this is probably going to be a bit of an incoherent mess of a post but my wife and I have not had a very good day and I'd just like to share my feelings, and make a simple request for anyone who might be reading this. This is also a sad story, so if you are not in a great headspace, I'd suggest skipping this. I swear I'm not trying to be a burden.

    My wife and I have been fostering dogs with a local rescue for years now. We absolutely love it and it truly is one of the only things that make us feel like we are able to make the world a little bit of a better place. It can be tough sometimes but we always say "There will always be another dog to help" and that has helped keep us going.

    Three or four years back we had a lovely old man foster dog named Elvis. Absolute sweetheart. If you thought of a soft gentle dopey old man dog, it was Elvis. He loved his toys, but in a funny way. He would just carry them around with him ENDLESSLY. But not all of his toys, it was either his little marshmallow stuffy or his little cookie stuffy. And I mean he took these things everywhere. To bed, on the couch, walking around the house and even outside to hold while using the bathroom. He would even try it on walks if we let him. He was the perfect old man dog and we loved him dearly.

    Well, eventually he had an application for an adoption and he was picked up by an older individual and that was the last we saw or heard of Elvis. Life just kind of moved on.

    Until this week.

    The universe sometimes works in cruel ways. Earlier this week, my wife, while scrolling through social media happens upon a post from another local animal shelter we follow. The post was about a stray dog whom has been picked up and the owner could not be contacted. My wife showed me and said it looked like Elvis. And initially, I didn't think so. Maybe? I mean like sure, but a shell of his former self. He was so thin. He looked like a skeleton. He was so unkept and neglected that it really only kind of looked like him. There was no way it was him. He was so old and frail looking. I wasn't so sure.

    Until I looked at a photo of him on my phone. We were convinced it was him. My wife immediately called our foster agency and they contacted the shelter. The microchip confirmed it. It was Elvis. The shelter nor the foster agency could get ahold of the adopter. And no one had any idea what had happened or how long he had been like this. It was so upsetting to hear. My wife and I both knew immediately we had to go and get our boy back, even if it meant we held onto him for the rest of his days. Didn't matter. It was devastating but we were glad to know he had been picked up and was safe at the shelter.

    But it wasn't that simple. He had to be on stray hold for a few days to give his owner a chance to come and get him, and was on medical hold too. Initially they had thought he had been hit by a car because of his inability to stand and he was in really rough shape. My wife and I said that's fine, we can pick him up on Friday and we will make sure he gets the care he needs. We are fortunate that our foster agency has a lifetime promise to always take care of an animal should an owner surrender the dog or cat.

    Not to stray from the story too much but my wife and I also have a cat. We've had since we were first together. He is our first real pet. We have had him for years now and he is our baby. Well, he's been battling cancer for the last year or so and these last few weeks have been tough. Long story short he had an emergency today and had to go to the vet.

    Things did not go all that well. He had a lot of fluid in his chest and it made it so he was having a very difficult time breathing. He needed to have the fluid drained immediately and it was jaring to watch. While this is going on, someone from the shelter that was holding Elvis called. It turns out that he hadn't been hit by car. His heart was failing and he was likely to be put to sleep. Today. It was a complete shock on top of an already shitty day.

    Once our cat was was stable and we were able to take him home, we wanted to go and be with Elvis for his final minutes. It only seemed fair. We didn't want him to be surrounded by strangers and scared.

    But the shelter wouldn't let us.

    They wouldn't let us see our boy one last time. I know he hasn't been our boy in years, and I know he was never really our boy, but I still remember him like it was yesterday! And I just wanted to apologize for what happened! I just wanted to hold him one more time but I couldn't.

    Elvis, I'm sorry.

    And I'm sorry for this lengthy and probably stupid post but my wife and I have been dealing with a rather emotional day and I wasn't sure how else to process it. We've talked and it's been hard,. We just held each other and cried. I've cried while writing this. Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully it will be better.

    I have one simple ask for anyone who might consider adopting. Please, please, please, get the contact information of the fosters, if the agency allows it. Send them photos of the dogs, or cats. It's a hard thing to do and just getting those little reminders that's our foster dogs and cats are out there living a beautiful little life genuinely fills my wife and I with so much happiness it's impossible to describe. Anyone who has fostered would feel the same. Even if it's once a blue moon. Please. Do it. It's means more than I could ever really state.

    I'm going to stay off the Internet for a bit to try and get in a better state of mind and spend sometime with my wife. If you made it this far and read this whole thing. Thank you. I appreciate you and I hope you have a good day.

    Please give your pets a big squeeze and forehead kiss for me, and for Elvis.

    Edit

    Its been a few days offline and my and my wives mental health has improved considerably. We ended up going to Trader Joes, then to our friends kids birthday and catching the new Spiderman movie. Its been a nice reprieve.

    Thank you all so much for the kind words. I found myself getting emotional again reading through all of the comments. I really cannot express how much I am grateful for the support. Hearing the stories from the other fosters in this thread who have shared their experiences has been so reassuring.

    Some good news - we did hear that the shelter is going to going to send us copies of his paw prints. While I appreciate the thought and the sentiment, I really would have just preferred to see him one last time. Our cat is doing better, but we and his vet, do not think he will be with us much longer so we are enjoying every moment we can. Our current foster dog has an application and is set to get adopted sometime this week and we will be picking up another foster as well.

    54 votes

  16. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    TheD00d
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    Call me a child, but I enjoyed the Minions and Monsters movie. The throwback to the history of film was fun. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but it was fun.

    Call me a child, but I enjoyed the Minions and Monsters movie. The throwback to the history of film was fun. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but it was fun.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on GOG confirm they are working towards GOG Galaxy on Linux in ~games

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    I swear this has been on the ask list for like almost a decade now. I remember it being on the roadmap since I was in college lol

    I swear this has been on the ask list for like almost a decade now. I remember it being on the roadmap since I was in college lol

    24 votes

  18. Comment on Neuromancer | Teaser trailer in ~movies

    TheD00d
    Link
    I'm late, but whatever. I'm...cautiously optimistic? I think the cast looks pretty good. Not sure if Callum Turner would have been my first choice. He lacks of bit of the "roughness" that I come...

    I'm late, but whatever. I'm...cautiously optimistic? I think the cast looks pretty good. Not sure if Callum Turner would have been my first choice. He lacks of bit of the "roughness" that I come to associated with Case. I think Mark Strong is a pretty good option for Armitage. Mark Mencha for Dixie is about as close to a physical manifestation of a construct as one could get lol. Don't know much about Briana but I don't think she will be a bad Molly based on the 2 minute trailer.

    Other thoughts I have in no particular order: Lots of CG which could be good or bad. The Sprawl seems way too clean. I mean the opening line in the book is "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel". It felt waaaay to bright and clean. Of course that might be Zion, but who knows.

    There are some practical looking effects, so I hope it tries to strike a good balance. Very excited to see the Panther Moderns and my boi Lupus.

    I am pretty sure William Gibson had conflicted thoughts about a movie or some kind of show, but all in all it feels like a good time to be a sci-fi fan. Hears to hoping its doesn't completely suck!

    2 votes

  19. Comment on Linus Torvalds says Linux is not "anti-AI", tells haters to 'fork it' and 'just walk away' in ~tech

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    There was like a meme tweet that floated around years ago. It was making fun of people who used Ruby on Rails, devs who called themselves "Code Artisans", wrote in Atom, drank only third wave...

    There was like a meme tweet that floated around years ago. It was making fun of people who used Ruby on Rails, devs who called themselves "Code Artisans", wrote in Atom, drank only third wave coffee and wore exclusively startup merch. Its been around for awhile lol

    7 votes

  20. Comment on Mutiny to unveil open source Kei Truck kit in ~transport

    TheD00d
    Link Parent
    Oh it has hub motors? I was following this project for a bit, but every video I watched were I was expecting some kind of deep dive into the design ended up being some long drawn out story that...

    Oh it has hub motors? I was following this project for a bit, but every video I watched were I was expecting some kind of deep dive into the design ended up being some long drawn out story that really didn't have any relation to the thumbnail or title. It was pretty frustrating to watch. So I stopped watching and decided if I wanted a Kei truck, I would just buy an old-ass one lol

    As for hub motors, see Aging Wheels video on why hub motors are a questionable choice. Its pretty informative.

    8 votes