TommyTenToes's recent activity
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
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Comment on This life gives you nothing - Your attention is all you have. Wasting it is annihilating in ~life
TommyTenToes LinkSomething they lightly touched on that I have come to learn deeply is the idea that the sequence of activities is so important for our brain chemistry and focus. The author talks about not reading...Something they lightly touched on that I have come to learn deeply is the idea that the sequence of activities is so important for our brain chemistry and focus. The author talks about not reading their phone before reading a book because it messes with the experience. I find that to be true in so many ways.
One example I experience a lot is the decision to play intense videogames early on a free Saturday. I play dota 2 often which is a very competitive type of game that totally swallows your attention and takes everything you can give it. If I play that first thing on a Saturday, then everything afterwards feels like a drag and the only thing my brain craves is more videogames. By putting gaming off, I preserve my tolerance of slow gratification activities and get the added benefit of anticipating the fun later in the day.
Writing this out makes me realize I should do the same for social media/reddit. Well being honest I should just be completely off of reddit for all the reasons we've shared across tildes.
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Comment on Rosalía's LUX is NPR Music's No. 1 album of 2025 in ~music
TommyTenToes Link ParentIt's certainly not for everyone. There's moments that I love in it and maybe more will arise as I listen to it more but it's definitely an acquired taste for me. While this is cliched, Rosalia has...It's certainly not for everyone. There's moments that I love in it and maybe more will arise as I listen to it more but it's definitely an acquired taste for me.
While this is cliched, Rosalia has mentioned that she's not interested in pursuing hit songs. From my perspective, it feels like she proved she could get on the charts with MOTOMAMI (which actually included the lyrics "my career won't be all hits") and has now moved on to going after her own artistic vision.
My favorite thing about her is that she joined a Spanish YouTuber for an analysis of MOTOMAMI after this YouTuber created an excellent analysis of the previous album and got a few million views. Pretty awesome to see her taking the chance to explain her art in this context.
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Comment on Against 'Metroidbrania': a landscape of knowledge games in ~games
TommyTenToes Link ParentIt's similar to roguelike vs roguelite where basically all modern games fit into the latter category if we're being pedantic but the former term is more broadly understood and thus more useful. A...It's similar to roguelike vs roguelite where basically all modern games fit into the latter category if we're being pedantic but the former term is more broadly understood and thus more useful. A very small minority actually cares if a roguelike game is actually similar to Rogue the game.
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Comment on Nala Sinephro - Continuum 6 (2024) in ~music
TommyTenToes LinkI love Continuum and Space 1.8! Nala has incredible talent and these albums have such a great vibe. The way they go in and out of chaotic moments throughout the album is really captivating to me...I love Continuum and Space 1.8! Nala has incredible talent and these albums have such a great vibe. The way they go in and out of chaotic moments throughout the album is really captivating to me and the selection of instruments is perfect. I also appreciate that both albums are true to her style while being distinct enough to be separate works of art.
This is a tangent, but I find myself liking one or two albums at most by any musician because of how much they tend to change between albums. As artists, I understand they want to move forward, grow, and produce something new. At the same time, some albums leave me feeling like there could have been so much more. I appreciate that Nala produced two works in a similar vein.
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Comment on Charli xcx - party 4 u (2025) in ~music
TommyTenToes Link ParentWell that's certainly beyond redeemable. Hmmm maybe back to my original stance of waiting for him to die and then re-evaluating.Well that's certainly beyond redeemable. Hmmm maybe back to my original stance of waiting for him to die and then re-evaluating.
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Comment on Charli xcx - party 4 u (2025) in ~music
TommyTenToes Link ParentHe may have also meant 808s which I think was his first (and most ever) aggressively autotuned album. But like the ones you mentioned, it was very well received and I'd say much of modern...He may have also meant 808s which I think was his first (and most ever) aggressively autotuned album. But like the ones you mentioned, it was very well received and I'd say much of modern rap/hiphop and even this posted song share many commonalities with that album.
P.S. I've decided it's almost time to start listening to Kanye again. Hoping I enjoy it for the art and can put the artist out of mind.
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Comment on The first ships carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in Los Angeles. Shipments are down. in ~finance
TommyTenToes Link ParentYour mindset is refreshing and one I should channel more. Ultimately I'll survive without my comforts as many have done and continue to do in this world. I should also admit that an excuse to...Your mindset is refreshing and one I should channel more. Ultimately I'll survive without my comforts as many have done and continue to do in this world. I should also admit that an excuse to order more tea was very welcome in my life.
Agree that we're going to start seeing impacts in the coming months and who knows what the "it" commodity will be. Maybe not toilet paper this time since I believe most is produced domestically or in Canada (sigh). Ultimately we really just can't predict and should be ready to endure whatever challenges lie ahead.
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Comment on The first ships carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in Los Angeles. Shipments are down. in ~finance
TommyTenToes LinkGreat article thank you for sharing. It's nice to see a first hand account from an affected industry with some tangible numbers as opposed to the primarily theoretical economist opinions we've...Great article thank you for sharing. It's nice to see a first hand account from an affected industry with some tangible numbers as opposed to the primarily theoretical economist opinions we've seen to date. I feel for those dockworkers. Once this hits retailers, we'll probably be inundated with similar articles.
Did anybody else stock up on anything before May? Tea (specifically oolong and white tea from Taiwan and China) has become a huge part of my daily life and I've accumulated about $400-500 of tea in the last couple months. I feel a little insane for doing it but I just hated the idea of going without something I loved because of geopolitical idiocy. Part of me still feels like this is some kind of bluff that'll get pulled back but if that's the case I wouldn't think they'd actually start implementing it.
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
TommyTenToes Link ParentNo need to apologize for blabbing! I think posts generally skew quite long on Tildes and personally I could read about La Pavonis all day. I wrote a ton here partially as a distraction while I...No need to apologize for blabbing! I think posts generally skew quite long on Tildes and personally I could read about La Pavonis all day. I wrote a ton here partially as a distraction while I potentially miss a flight waiting in traffic in a taxi.
I have a love/hate relationship with the shot size but really only when making milk drinks since they need to be very small to keep a good ratio. My base is a very mid century bright orange that I love but it's chipped in a few places.
I think the espresso sub has dove deeper than ever into equipment obsession. This is perhaps driven by their adoption of Lance Hendrick as an influencer and he seems to pitch gadgets a lot more than James Hoffman. They're also doing that thing where funny/impressive/bad latte art is very trendy to post which just feels like lazy content. I honestly should just stop browsing it. While I'm complaining, something else that bugs me is how they jump from one consensus to the next. A couple years ago you couldn't do better than the Rocket with a Niche Zero and now they are virtually gone from their consciousness.
As for grinders, I use a eureka mignon which is more than enough for me and should last forever. Solidly mid tier in the grand scheme of grinders though. The hottest grinder at this moment is the Zerno which is worth checking out. Has all the necessities like low retention, easily swappable burrs, and the grind size is actually indicated on the grind dial in microns which is cool for sharing recipes online. That Weber grinder you mention is also top tier and definitely the best manual grinder that money can buy. I started my espresso journey with a manual grinder ($20 hario) but that got old for me. It's a lot of work in the morning!
I had a sort of renaissance with my pavoni recently when I realized that the machine and my grinder just don't thrive on the lightest roasts. It was so much work and luck to dial in a good shot on light roast especially because the group head needs heated a bit (but not too much! My lord those second and third shots off this machine are scolding) to get the right temp. I live in a city with amazing roasters and most are focusing towards lighter roasts. Now I'm back to medium or dark roasts which these Italian machines were certainly designed around.
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Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech
TommyTenToes Link ParentWow a fellow La Pavoni owner! Mine is an early 80s Professional. I've easily pulled over 2000 espressos on that thing and have done plenty of tear downs over the 5+ years I've had it. Could be my...Wow a fellow La Pavoni owner! Mine is an early 80s Professional. I've easily pulled over 2000 espressos on that thing and have done plenty of tear downs over the 5+ years I've had it. Could be my favorite object in my life. I don't know if you spend time on r/espresso but I'm so glad to have a machine that I love enough to resist the equipment rabbit hole they go down. Having said that, I do look at Odyssey Espresso and the machine they're refining from time to time because I love spring levers.
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Comment on Chromecast alternatives in ~tech
TommyTenToes Link ParentI agree with this. It fills its role so perfectly and it's shockingly flexible. It does several things that went beyond my expectations like controlling the TV over HDMI and having built in...I agree with this. It fills its role so perfectly and it's shockingly flexible. It does several things that went beyond my expectations like controlling the TV over HDMI and having built in infrared in the remote that lets me control my Edifier speakers (would've needed two or even three remotes otherwise). Hosting the Plex server is seamless and I've never had to reconfigure or troubleshoot its connection to my NAS. Another awesome feature is playing games from my desktop PC on my living room TV with <10ms latency but that one is a little more buggy.
The shield is rather cleverly built around the same internals as the Nintendo switch which is probably the only reason it's viable from a business perspective. For that reason, it's not unreasonable to hope for a refresh using switch 2 internals. A man can dream.
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Comment on Deep cleaning a previously-roach infested kitchen in ~life.home_improvement
TommyTenToes LinkHaven't seen a recommendation for a mask in this thread so I'm just adding that in. I don't have any objective evidence but in principle I would feel better wearing a mask when there's inevitably...Haven't seen a recommendation for a mask in this thread so I'm just adding that in. I don't have any objective evidence but in principle I would feel better wearing a mask when there's inevitably going to be mold, roach poop, and god knows what else being kicked up into the air.
Being winter for most of us, I imagine you're not opening up all the windows either which means your furnace filter is probably going to catch a lot of extra stuff. Maybe change that out after you're done.
I may have an exaggerated view of what you're getting into but these seem prudent regardless.
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Comment on Audio enthusiasts share your audio setups in ~hobbies
TommyTenToes Link ParentI think you did a great job explaining just that and I respect your discipline to avoid blindly recommending. Without that, things end up being like the obsessive hobby Reddits (audiophile,...I think you did a great job explaining just that and I respect your discipline to avoid blindly recommending. Without that, things end up being like the obsessive hobby Reddits (audiophile, espresso, photography, keyboards, etc) where users recommend insane amounts of equipment even for "entry level". Hope I didn't convey disagreement with your message. Just wanted to add my own color.
You're definitely right to bring up flatness and EQ in general because they have such a large impact on how we enjoy listening. Arguably, having the right EQ to match your preference is more important than quality equipment.
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Comment on Audio enthusiasts share your audio setups in ~hobbies
TommyTenToes Link ParentI feel like it's not a bold statement to say that any dedicated DAC over $50 (and likely many under) will outperform all motherboard based DACs within reason. Even just the principle of "this is a...I feel like it's not a bold statement to say that any dedicated DAC over $50 (and likely many under) will outperform all motherboard based DACs within reason. Even just the principle of "this is a larger and single purpose instrument intended to do the same thing" is enough to convince me that it'd be better let alone things like motherboard manufacturers having limited incentive to prioritize DAC quality and having to contend with size/cost constraints on their boards.
Regarding flat frequency responses, I ran into this with my audio technica m50 headphones which are known for their flatness. All this means in practicality is that you can set up your EQ curve to compensate how you would like. I almost always push both base and treble up a little to breathe some life into the sound (V shape).
I bought a Fosi DAC for like $60 dollars that greatly improved my sound. If I had to prescribe an attribute I would say "clarity" improved greatly.
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Comment on Kiasmos – Sailed (2024) in ~music
TommyTenToes LinkI discovered Kiasmos thanks to Tildes (maybe it was you who posted a comment recommending them a while back). I love the way they layer in organic sounds alongside the electronic instruments and I...I discovered Kiasmos thanks to Tildes (maybe it was you who posted a comment recommending them a while back). I love the way they layer in organic sounds alongside the electronic instruments and I love the progressive nature of their songs. Reminds me of one of my favorite artists, the Flashbulb. I wound up listening to Kiasmos so much that Spotify called them my #1 artist of 2024 which led to a hilarious moment of Spotify wrapped presenting me with a thank you video of two nordic looking guys who I initially presumed to be Spotify devs and realized as they were speaking that it was Kiasmos.
Thanks for sharing!
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Comment on What books do you recommend for someone looking for positive vibes or casual amusement or escape in ~books
TommyTenToes Link ParentDoes this imply that you recommend starting discworld with this book? I got burnt out of wanting to start the series after deep diving book order recommendations while simultaneously trying to...Does this imply that you recommend starting discworld with this book? I got burnt out of wanting to start the series after deep diving book order recommendations while simultaneously trying to avoid spoilers. Feels overwhelming as an outsider.
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Comment on Are we really engineers? (2021) in ~engineering
TommyTenToes Link ParentIt is indeed hard to break into. I'd be curious to see the amount of biomedical engineering graduates that actually go on to engineer biomedical products. I think it's in part because the rate of...It is indeed hard to break into. I'd be curious to see the amount of biomedical engineering graduates that actually go on to engineer biomedical products. I think it's in part because the rate of innovation is comparatively low in this area (less need for large teams) and that the ratio of engineer:support roles is also much lower (less people creating, more people documenting, validating, monitoring, etc.). I suppose money is also a big factor here, med tech isn't the most lucrative industry.
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Comment on Are we really engineers? (2021) in ~engineering
TommyTenToes Link ParentFor biomedical engineering I feel like the field is far too broad and undeveloped to warrant a certification at this time. The field servicing of medical equipment is a specific domain within it...For biomedical engineering I feel like the field is far too broad and undeveloped to warrant a certification at this time. The field servicing of medical equipment is a specific domain within it that warrants certification but I believe this is already covered by manufacturer training for example a Phillips CT scanner repair certification.
Other domains like the design of medical devices end up relying on principles of the traditional engineering functions more than anything specifically biomedical. There are of course unique challenges on the biomedical side but they're highly specific to the device type and its intended use.
And then there are people like me who study biomedical engineering and end up in quality and regulatory or other business functions where specific engineering knowledge is useful but not strictly required.
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Comment on Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the thousands of apps hijacked to spy on your location in ~tech
TommyTenToes Link ParentDo you use Three Cheers for Tildes? I just started using that tracker you mentioned (thank you) and it's calling out Three Cheers a ton. Maybe because of the webpages that are linked from Tildes.Do you use Three Cheers for Tildes? I just started using that tracker you mentioned (thank you) and it's calling out Three Cheers a ton. Maybe because of the webpages that are linked from Tildes.
Would love to see that website if you get it made! I'm a huge coffee drinker but entered the whole leaf tea world about two years ago and still regularly find new types of tea that I've never even heard of and flavor notes that I never thought were possible in tea (e.g., sweet potato, Miso soup, cinnamon). I still love coffee but tea is truly a whole other ball game in terms of how deep it goes.
Also, I love that Tokyo Tea Room album you listed. It's been a great chill winter album for me.