TheFunkyMonk's recent activity
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
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Comment on Looking for help in purchasing an eReader in ~books
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentThat is the best form factor for an ereader too imo. I have a Kindle Oasis and it’s so natural and comfortable to hold, especially laying on my side for longer reading sessions.That is the best form factor for an ereader too imo. I have a Kindle Oasis and it’s so natural and comfortable to hold, especially laying on my side for longer reading sessions.
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Comment on Why most men don’t carry a purse in ~life.men
TheFunkyMonk LinkI got a small bag when the weather got too warm to wear a jacket, since I take my Kindle everywhere with me and my regular pockets aren’t big enough for it. Fast forward to jacket weather again,...I got a small bag when the weather got too warm to wear a jacket, since I take my Kindle everywhere with me and my regular pockets aren’t big enough for it.
Fast forward to jacket weather again, and I’m still carrying it around; I don’t know why I never carried a bag before. It’s awesome, and now I always carry my smaller Kindle for reading, larger Kindle for writing, and a bag of dog treats for the dogs I meet that can have one.
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Comment on What online subscriptions do you pay for? in ~tech
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentI am definitely not advanced. But good to know if/when I get there!I am definitely not advanced. But good to know if/when I get there!
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Comment on What online subscriptions do you pay for? in ~tech
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentI am in the Apple ecosystem–I'll take a look!I am in the Apple ecosystem–I'll take a look!
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Comment on What online subscriptions do you pay for? in ~tech
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentNot familiar with NQN bot! I’ll have a look, thanks.Not familiar with NQN bot! I’ll have a look, thanks.
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Comment on What online subscriptions do you pay for? in ~tech
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentOh nice, thanks for the heads up. I’ll take a look, I haven’t evaluated my subscription in a while and I think the shared emoji are all I care about at this point.Oh nice, thanks for the heads up. I’ll take a look, I haven’t evaluated my subscription in a while and I think the shared emoji are all I care about at this point.
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Comment on What online subscriptions do you pay for? in ~tech
TheFunkyMonk (edited )LinkI've gotten much less stingy about subscription services (particular software) as I've gotten older. Most of the software I pay for ends up being less than the cost of a beer a month, or a night...I've gotten much less stingy about subscription services (particular software) as I've gotten older. Most of the software I pay for ends up being less than the cost of a beer a month, or a night out per year, which is more than worth it for software I get daily value out of (plus I like supporting software I value where I can).
These are all my currently-active subscriptions (yearly pricing divided):
- YNAB ($8/mo) - Only budgeting app that actually worked for me.
- Fantastical ($6/mo) - By far my favorite calendar app. I have a lot of different calendars tracking different parts of my life, and Fantastical allows me to set up calendar sets that are tied to focus modes across my devices so I can easily switch between personal/work/etc modes and not be bothered with things I don't want to see.
- Readwise ($5/mo) - Syncs my highlights from my Kindle reading and sends me daily emails resurfacing random ones (or a collection of ones I've favorited each Sunday). Allows me to tune the highlights based on which books I want to see more/less of, and overall a great way to revisit books I may have otherwise forgotten about.
- NordVPN ($4/mo) - Privacy. Not necessarily tied to Nord, just got a 2-yr deal and will see what I can find next when it expires.
- TextExpander ($3/mo) - Save snippets with quick text shortcuts to expand. Helpful with development work (which I could configure in my terminal/editor, but TextExpander means they work the same regardless of application).
- Discord Nitro Classic ($5/mo) - Main chat app with my friends, Nitro Classic lets me share emotes between servers.
- Sleep Cycle ($3/mo) - Tracks my sleep cycles on my Apple Watch and sends me a silent alarm when I'm at my lightest sleep stage within the window I've specified.
- Golfshot ($5/mo) - My favorite scorecard/course planning app for golf.
- Stronglifts ($2/mo) - My favorite workout, really nice app with Apple Watch functionality that makes it super easy to track during my workout.
- Google One [200gb] ($3/mo) - Just a bit of extra storage for convenience.
- NYT Games ($4/mo) - My fav crosswords.
- YouTube Premium ($10/mo) - My main source of both popcorn material and learning new stuff, premium makes it easy to have no ads across all my devices. Comes with YouTube Music as part of the subscription, which is my main music streaming app.
- Pocket Casts Premium ($3/mo) - My favorite podcast app. Very active development, been a subscriber for many years.
- Xbox Game Pass ($10/mo) - Not a huge gamer, but this is the cost of a couple of games per year and gives me a huge library of awesome stuff.
- Amazon Prime ($12/mo) - This is the closest one to getting cut, but for now it's still worth the $12/mo for quick shipping on anything I need. I don't really use the video streaming included.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
TheFunkyMonk LinkI’m ready to start reading, but Brimley isn’t too enthused about it.I’m ready to start reading, but Brimley isn’t too enthused about it.
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Comment on E-reader purchasing advice in ~books
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentIt amazes me how many people don’t notice/care about the difference between a tablet and an e-reader. It makes such a huge difference for me.It amazes me how many people don’t notice/care about the difference between a tablet and an e-reader. It makes such a huge difference for me.
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Comment on How to pick up reading again? in ~books
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentI very much agree with leaving your phone in a different room. I've really picked reading back up this year (going from maybe a book or two a year to just finishing my 29th book this year), and...I very much agree with leaving your phone in a different room. I've really picked reading back up this year (going from maybe a book or two a year to just finishing my 29th book this year), and attention span was a huge factor for me.
I read How To Break Up With Your Phone and, while I didn't follow the entire 30-day plan, it was a good reminder of how different the world we live in now is than when I was younger and reading more. We're glued to screens designed to addict us to constant dopamine hits and be difficult to put down; no wonder reading feels like a chore now!
I did pick up a couple of habits from the book, namely leaving my phone out of the bedroom and only having my Kindle on my nightstand, and a monthly full 24-hour phone detox where it's powered off completely (which I do for all screens except my Kindle). It's remarkable how quickly reading became enjoyable again after reclaiming some of the attention span I used to have.
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Comment on Did you feel ready to have kids? in ~talk
TheFunkyMonk LinkI feel like this is a personal decision on both sides. If you both want kids, awesome. I don’t, and I don’t feel it’s responsible to even consider having a kid with anyone, so I got a vasectomy. I...I feel like this is a personal decision on both sides. If you both want kids, awesome. I don’t, and I don’t feel it’s responsible to even consider having a kid with anyone, so I got a vasectomy. I can’t imagine being a kid of a parent who wasn’t sure they wanted me.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
TheFunkyMonk LinkI recently took one of my favorite photos of my cat, Brimley. He was rescued from a terrible situation at an abusive breeder who had both of his eyes sewn shut instead of addressing his eye...I recently took one of my favorite photos of my cat, Brimley.
He was rescued from a terrible situation at an abusive breeder who had both of his eyes sewn shut instead of addressing his eye infection so they could keep breeding him. They told me he'd likely lose at least one of his eyes, but ended up making a full recovery and never even needing surgery.
I adopted him when he was 1.5, and he just turned 10!
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Comment on Do you look up words while reading a novel? in ~books
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentI do the same thing, and recently learned there’s a “Vocabulary Builder” feature you can turn on that automatically keeps track of words you’ve looked up for review later. One tip if you do turn...I do the same thing, and recently learned there’s a “Vocabulary Builder” feature you can turn on that automatically keeps track of words you’ve looked up for review later.
One tip if you do turn it on-I had to change the way I highlighted passages for it to work as expected. I was long pressing to highlight the first word, then dragging the slider to the passage I wanted to highlight. But doing that registers the first word as a dictionary lookup and keeps track of it in Vocabulary Builder, so to avoid that, just long press and drag to select the passage without lifting your finger in-between.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentThanks! It's definitely one of my favorite movies. And for what it's worth, it's not a horror movie at all. I'm sure there will be a certain level of scariness if aliens at all are a trigger, but...Thanks! It's definitely one of my favorite movies. And for what it's worth, it's not a horror movie at all. I'm sure there will be a certain level of scariness if aliens at all are a trigger, but it's definitely more of a drama about language and communication than horror.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentOh cool, very similar! Mine is actually a heptapod from Arrival/Story of Your Life.Oh cool, very similar! Mine is actually a heptapod from Arrival/Story of Your Life.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentI actually got to show Ted my sleeve at a book signing! He loved it, and said he’d seen a bunch of logogram tattoos but this was the first heptapod he’d seen.I actually got to show Ted my sleeve at a book signing! He loved it, and said he’d seen a bunch of logogram tattoos but this was the first heptapod he’d seen.
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Comment on Looking for audiobook ideas that have TV/movies released in ~books
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentI can’t wait for the Project Hail Mary movie. What a fantastic book. I listened to the audiobook after reading it on my Kindle and loved it even more.I can’t wait for the Project Hail Mary movie. What a fantastic book. I listened to the audiobook after reading it on my Kindle and loved it even more.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentArchie Bronson in Seattle. Though unfortunately, he was recently outed as being a creep, so I can't recommend him any longer. The shop he used to work at, though, Studio Arcanum, has a bunch of...Archie Bronson in Seattle. Though unfortunately, he was recently outed as being a creep, so I can't recommend him any longer. The shop he used to work at, though, Studio Arcanum, has a bunch of awesome artists!
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
TheFunkyMonk Link ParentThanks! The circular symbol on my forearm is from the alien language in Arrival, and I already had it by itself before the sleeve. Since then, the more tattoos I’d gotten I started noticing how...Thanks! The circular symbol on my forearm is from the alien language in Arrival, and I already had it by itself before the sleeve. Since then, the more tattoos I’d gotten I started noticing how much better work I’d get the more I leaned into the artist and let them do their thing. So I just found an artist I loved, and asked if he wanted to go to town on it and make it into a sleeve. He designed the whole thing.
I thought I was the only one who didn’t enjoy TBP after how much it’s been recommended to me; totally agree about the writing. Bobiverse is awesome, you’ll enjoy it.