aeolitus's recent activity
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Comment on Commander Brackets - beta test of a matchmaking system for assessing decks in ~games.tabletop
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Comment on Tenant unions are coming. US landlords aren't ready. in ~life
aeolitus Link ParentGenossenschaftswohnungen keep the rent low for people in them; and like any below rate rental object, the prices around them just keep going up anyways. I think it's a great idea, it works well if...Genossenschaftswohnungen keep the rent low for people in them; and like any below rate rental object, the prices around them just keep going up anyways. I think it's a great idea, it works well if you are in a Genossenschaft, but unless a majority of housing is in a Genossenschaft it doesn't really solve the issue for the majority of the population. Now if we are talking "push out private landlords to establish more Genossenschaften", im all for it!
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Comment on Germany: 288,000 foreign workers needed annually until 2040 in ~society
aeolitus Link ParentHaha, that reminds me that initially things looked more bleak - we had to leave the us in a bit of a rush (because of visa issues stemming from the dos not doing their job for 1.5 years, funnily...Haha, that reminds me that initially things looked more bleak - we had to leave the us in a bit of a rush (because of visa issues stemming from the dos not doing their job for 1.5 years, funnily enough) and they Ausländerzentrum was threatening that my wife would have to leave Germany again and reapply for her visa from abroad... A friend at the auswärtiges amt told us we could just move to Denmark for a month because as you mentioned, the within-eu rules are less strict then the German ones. How does any of this make sense... :D
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Comment on Germany: 288,000 foreign workers needed annually until 2040 in ~society
aeolitus Link ParentYeah, fully agree - German here with a non-EU-citizen wife. You'd think us being married would make things easier, or her having a German PhD, or having worked here for many years... Nope,...Yeah, fully agree - German here with a non-EU-citizen wife. You'd think us being married would make things easier, or her having a German PhD, or having worked here for many years... Nope, recently moved back from the US, it's been 5 months and she still doesn't have Visa settled, still isn't allowed to work... It's almost as dysfunctional as the US system imo. Absolutely terrible, we should be ashamed as a country.
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Comment on Magic: The Gathering ban and restricted announcement in ~games.tabletop
aeolitus Link ParentI think ultimately a kitchen table game with a stable group of players that know each other and make sure to keep decks compatible is neither what the ban list targets nor where it needs to apply....I think ultimately a kitchen table game with a stable group of players that know each other and make sure to keep decks compatible is neither what the ban list targets nor where it needs to apply. Your group sounds lovely, and your decks sound fun and not oppressive! I wouldnt be surprised if your friends agree to just let you keep playing those cards, given that you have good data to back up your decks not being op?
When I play, I usually play with randoms at a LGS. While this rarely has happened to me, I have sat down with a deck on a power level of upgraded precon, communicated with the table that this was the power level we all wanted to play, and found myself facing a deck that was very much not that power level - fastmana, free interaction, the whole deal. And that sucked. It was not a fun game, it's an awkward social interaction to then kick a player off the table afterwards, nobody left happy.
To me, the commander banlist seems to be aimed at this kind of situation: an attempt at making a bit of a rule zero that applies by default. I don't think it's perfect at that, but I would say most cards on the list fall in this kind of category - so unfun when somebody just plays them out of nowhere that unless it's agreed to by the players, it's safer to ban the cards by default.
Now, these three cards (nadu is a different story as just a design mistake) are not exactly the kind of "I win in an unfun way" cards like Iona, Flash or Biorhythm. But I believe they represent something I wholeheartedly agree with targeting: the idea of expensive staples that are so good, so expensive and so bland, you kind of would want them in any deck - and if you don't play them, it's often for budget reasons (unless your group explicitly banned them, which most didn't until yesterday). I don't think that adds any fun, complexity or spice to the format - it makes it more explosive, more homogeneous and raises the barrier of entry. And I am happy to see some movement to address that.
Besides, has this impacted your snakes on a plane deck that badly? If no, is the ban really a problem? If yes, isn't that indicative that maybe these cards were a bit too much?
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Comment on Magic: The Gathering ban and restricted announcement in ~games.tabletop
aeolitus Link ParentIs that a very casual view though? Those three cards are all decidedly non-casual in my view - I have a single deck I'd even consider playing at the same table as a deck running any of these,...Is that a very casual view though? Those three cards are all decidedly non-casual in my view - I have a single deck I'd even consider playing at the same table as a deck running any of these, because I can't possibly match the explosiveness otherwise and refuse to invest hundreds in must-plays to keep up otherwise... If dockside is an auto include for you, I'd take that to directly mean that you play high power to fringe already - do you disagree? Does everybody in your playgroups play these cards?
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Comment on How the hell do I clean a wok? in ~food
aeolitus LinkYou can use soap just fine. The concern comes from older soap that uses Lye, which can damage the coating. Normal dish soap nowadays does not contain any, so it's fine to use. Generally, the best...You can use soap just fine. The concern comes from older soap that uses Lye, which can damage the coating. Normal dish soap nowadays does not contain any, so it's fine to use.
Generally, the best way I find is to clean it right after use when it's still hot with water, but stubborn residue can absolutely be scrubbed off with some dish soap and elbow grease. Just make sure to dry the wok well afterwards, and potentially oil it a little.
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Comment on Moviegoing is a Latino family thing — and it's been the key to US summer box office successes in ~movies
aeolitus Link ParentA solid mix of noisy people, tons of ads, uncomfortable seats and overpriced concessions, of course :) Jokes aside, there are a few cinemas that still deliver great experiences - but the average...A solid mix of noisy people, tons of ads, uncomfortable seats and overpriced concessions, of course :)
Jokes aside, there are a few cinemas that still deliver great experiences - but the average chain cinema can just go die already, I don't see why I would ever want to go to one again.
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Comment on Neutrinos: The inscrutable “ghost particles” driving scientists crazy in ~science
aeolitus Link ParentCorrect, they were a prediction first, like most things in physics. Just another case of a science journalist not being familiar enough with the subject matter trying to spice up the article...Correct, they were a prediction first, like most things in physics. Just another case of a science journalist not being familiar enough with the subject matter trying to spice up the article...
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~finance
aeolitus Link ParentThank you so much for pointing that out - I spent all of today glued to my phone reading #9, which is really more of a novel than anything else. Not sure how this came to be on some random law...Thank you so much for pointing that out - I spent all of today glued to my phone reading #9, which is really more of a novel than anything else. Not sure how this came to be on some random law page, but my week has been improved considerably for it! What a touching story of age, guilt, responsibility and closure.
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Comment on I’m a microbiologist and here is what (and where) I never eat in ~food
aeolitus LinkThe statement "Do not eat meat if its internal temperature is less than 70℃ (158ºF)." already lost me... Sure, if your primary goal in life is to avoid food poisoning, that might be justifiable....The statement "Do not eat meat if its internal temperature is less than 70℃ (158ºF)." already lost me... Sure, if your primary goal in life is to avoid food poisoning, that might be justifiable. But otherwise, people do tend to eat for pleasure, and cooking meat to that temperature ruins most meats.
So the question is, am I to interpret this as an insightful look into a germaphobes head, or as advice? Because if it's the latter, the authors priorities seem far out from what I'd consider normal, and it overshadows all other advice for me for the remainder of the text - how serious should I take their other advice if this simple tidbit is already so far from what I'd consider reasonable? I guess it ultimately depends on where in the safety vs pleasure scale one falls, and the beginning already signals to me that the author is very far away from me.
As an aside, the authors position also also just seems wasteful to me - advocating to never take home leftovers might be safer, but it's also a very unsustainable position in a country with massive portion sizes and an unfathomable amount of food waste.
Ugh, I am so annoyed that they published an infographic about the levels and left out the > super important < info from the text about when decks usually aim to win - something like turn 9+ for bracket 2, turn 7+ for bracket 3, faster than that for bracket 4, never-ish for bracket 1.
Now the entire Internet is full of idiots talking about how their Magda cEDH list with a few swaps is a "bracket 1" because they clearly have not read the descriptions beyond the image and haven't actually engaged with the system in the slightest... No, your instant speed turn 3 win is not bracket 1 just because it's a dwarves in cars theme with no game changers, ugh.
Overall though, I like it. With the info on turns included, I think it's a good starting point for rule 0 conversations; and while we could argue that it doesn't need brackets 1 and 5, I can understand why they are included. The only thing I would like is for them to specify if the two card infinites include the commander (is niv/curiosity included? Feels like a one card combo to me, way more of a problem than for example sanguine bond / exquisite blood ) and to specify if it includes things that aren't infinite, but win the game using two cards (thoracle consult, actually niv/curiosity, Malcolm Glinthorn, etc). I think they should be, but I'd like that to be reflected in the graphic because that's apparently all anyone looks at. Also maybe include what an early two card combo is... Is that based on total mana values?
My decks seem to be one 2, three 3s and one 4, and that sounds about right to me.