TommyTenToes's recent activity

  1. Comment on Charli xcx - party 4 u (2025) in ~music

    TommyTenToes
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    Well 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.

    1 vote
  2. Comment on Charli xcx - party 4 u (2025) in ~music

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    5 votes
  3. Comment on The first ships carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in Los Angeles. Shipments are down. in ~finance

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on The first ships carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in Los Angeles. Shipments are down. in ~finance

    TommyTenToes
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    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...

    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.

    14 votes
  5. Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    1 vote
  6. Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    5 votes
  7. Comment on Chromecast alternatives in ~tech

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    2 votes
  8. Comment on Deep cleaning a previously-roach infested kitchen in ~life.home_improvement

    TommyTenToes
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    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...

    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.

    9 votes
  9. Comment on Audio enthusiasts share your audio setups in ~hobbies

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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,...

    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.

    1 vote
  10. Comment on Audio enthusiasts share your audio setups in ~hobbies

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    1 vote
  11. Comment on Kiasmos – Sailed (2024) in ~music

    TommyTenToes
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    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...

    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!

    2 votes
  12. Comment on What books do you recommend for someone looking for positive vibes or casual amusement or escape in ~books

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

  13. Comment on Are we really engineers? (2021) in ~engineering

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    1 vote
  14. Comment on Are we really engineers? (2021) in ~engineering

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    1 vote
  15. Comment on Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the thousands of apps hijacked to spy on your location in ~tech

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    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.

    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.

  16. Comment on The day Google killed the Pixel 4a in ~tech

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    Yeah I have the same behavior where that line for the date persists even if At A Glance is turned off. There's so many little things like that with pixels that make me think they just don't commit...

    Yeah I have the same behavior where that line for the date persists even if At A Glance is turned off. There's so many little things like that with pixels that make me think they just don't commit enough thought to the UX. Still think they're the best android line though.

    5 votes
  17. Comment on What do you do to secure your Linux server when exposing ports to the internet? in ~tech

    TommyTenToes
    Link
    I'm so clueless on this stuff that I take strategies that completely avoid forwarding ports. This cluelessness will be apparent in the following text. The two solutions that I'm aware of are...

    I'm so clueless on this stuff that I take strategies that completely avoid forwarding ports. This cluelessness will be apparent in the following text.

    The two solutions that I'm aware of are Tailscale, which lets you create a virtual LAN that you can connect to from anywhere but requires an app and login, and then Cloudflare Tunnel which can authenticate users to an email whitelist and has a good free tier. I believe both of these completely negate risks related to open ports on the web. I currently use Tailscale to access a home server and enjoy it but wish I could more easily share it with friends.

    2 votes
  18. Comment on App that asks “Why?” every time you unlock your phone in ~tech

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    The difference with a wallpaper is that you don't get the forced interaction. A wallpaper can be ignored but even this one additional swipe is enough to spark more of a thought for me and actually...

    The difference with a wallpaper is that you don't get the forced interaction. A wallpaper can be ignored but even this one additional swipe is enough to spark more of a thought for me and actually impede the unproductive impulse to go scroll for serotonin.

    I'm gonna stick with it but I could see this pop-up getting in my way at an inopportune time and leading me to uninstall.

    At the end of the day, all of these intentional inconvenience solutions don't seem to work out as well as their ideals. I have a friend who's tried jelly star as a minimal phone and several other alternatives but through him I can see how these products alone can never spark change and how the inconvenience is genuinely life impacting in select circumstances (not severely, but enough to question why one is taking this path).

    1 vote
  19. Comment on Jump Space | Official gameplay explainer trailer in ~games

    TommyTenToes
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    This looks really fun but I'm having a hard time imagining how 4 players will be able to handle all of this. I'm guessing that automation will be a big part of the progression? Otherwise it seems...

    This looks really fun but I'm having a hard time imagining how 4 players will be able to handle all of this. I'm guessing that automation will be a big part of the progression? Otherwise it seems like piloting, scanning for enemies, manning turrets, fire fighting, going out on the deck with rockets, and presumably other activities like repairs and fighting boarding enemies will turn this into a chaotic mess (which some people certainly enjoy like those cooking frenzy games). Personally, my enjoyment would be limited if combat meant running from problem to problem with no way to be creative or play in my style. Especially knowing my friends, there's no way the collective ADHD would thrive.

    On a positive note, leaving the ship and exploring loot sites both in space and on planets seems incredible. I love that vibe from lethal company and think there is so much potential there.

    1 vote
  20. Comment on Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing health features are as good as they sound in ~health

    TommyTenToes
    Link Parent
    A regulatory topic! The hearing aid software got granted a De Novo which is FDAs pathway for devices that create a new product type. It's mainly just an administrative difference from the normal...

    A regulatory topic! The hearing aid software got granted a De Novo which is FDAs pathway for devices that create a new product type. It's mainly just an administrative difference from the normal way to clear a lower risk (Class 2) medical device which is a 510k submission. You can read a public summary of what they submitted here for technical and regulatory details.

    I don't see mention of the protection feature but that may be a valid regulatory strategy. It's not like other noise cancelling devices are getting FDA clearance even if they're rated for concerts.

    5 votes