Akir's recent activity
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
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Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food
Akir Link ParentI think my husband has the same thing. He can’t stand cucumber water.I think my husband has the same thing. He can’t stand cucumber water.
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Comment on What are your food aversions? in ~food
Akir Link ParentI don’t hate raisins, but the sun maid ones in particular are awful and I think their ubiquity is the reason why many people hate raisins in general.I don’t hate raisins, but the sun maid ones in particular are awful and I think their ubiquity is the reason why many people hate raisins in general.
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Comment on What science says we’ve been getting wrong about exercise in ~health
Akir LinkThe title is very sensationalist. I assume this must have been the headline at one time? It's different when I look at it now. I thought we had a good understanding of "lifestyle fitness" for well...The title is very sensationalist. I assume this must have been the headline at one time? It's different when I look at it now.
I thought we had a good understanding of "lifestyle fitness" for well over a century. It's been a long time since the invention of the blue collar / white collar divide, so we have a lot of information about people who live active versus sedentary lives.
Heck, the kinds of activity mentioned in the article - climbing stairs - is something that is easily observable in a person's life. When I was a very out of shape teenager, I found it slightly taxing to climb the stairs for the upstairs apartment I lived in at one time. But just a few years later I went to a high school with multiple stories, and that meant climbing a larger set of stairs multiple times a day, and as a result it became very easy for me to do and I wasn't worried about having to climb multiple stories, even.
The one thing the article mentions that is a good piece of new (to me) information is that doctors are talking more in terms of activity rather than just exercise. For something like 90% of the population, I think that telling people to spend time exercising is the second single most useless piece of advice to give to someone, surpassed only by "lose weight". Both are essentially the healthcare equivalent of a financial advisor telling you to make more money.
On a relevant tangent, I think activity level is one of the more sinister things about car dependent societies that should probably be talked about. Even if it's just something to deal with two times a day - the trip to work and back home - the health impact is a really big detriment that doesn't get talked about nearly enough. The lack of physical activity that is nurtured by the necessity of driving is probably killing us faster than the pollution is, and car culture in general encourages you to walk as little as possible. I'm sure you've seen people clamor over the parking spots closer to the building when there are tons of free spots further away.
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Comment on What do dreams mean? in ~science
Akir Link Parent@faye-luna I actually remember reading books that contained collections of Jung’s writings way back when I was in high school and was still trying to understand my general miserable life. Jung is...@faye-luna I actually remember reading books that contained collections of Jung’s writings way back when I was in high school and was still trying to understand my general miserable life. Jung is old enough that I don’t really think you need to know much about psychology: he was contemporary with Freud, so they were basically just creating the field at the time.
I think that Jung is more of a mystic than a psychologist, especially when we consider what we have learned about psychology in the decades since he died. Regardless, I don’t think his work is entirely without value, and I think he came up with frameworks and ideas that are very useful to help figure yourself out, even if they are not strictly accurate.
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Comment on Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki (1961) in ~music
Akir (edited )LinkI take your Sukiyaki and I raise you a Kokoro no Hitomi! Was literally listening to this song yesterday at the gym during my recovery time. Edit: I actually just turned my phone back on to the...I take your Sukiyaki and I raise you a Kokoro no Hitomi!
Was literally listening to this song yesterday at the gym during my recovery time.
Edit: I actually just turned my phone back on to the music app and it started playing again because I looped it around the last time I played it!
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Comment on Most and least expensive US supermarkets in ~food
Akir Link ParentWhat I didn't mention was that price was actually one of two reasons why I stopped shopping there. The other reason is because they sold shockingly poor quality produce. They would literally have...What I didn't mention was that price was actually one of two reasons why I stopped shopping there. The other reason is because they sold shockingly poor quality produce. They would literally have wilted lettuce in the cooler shelves, and had more than one time I had to go through the customer service line because they sold it in packaging that hid the fact that it was already going bad. When Aldi opened a store close enough to go to regularly, that was the death knell for my visits to Wal Mart.
And no, it wasn't just one location, it was the nearby "Neighborhood Market" location as well as the two nearest Supercenters.
That being said, I did get some produce since then, when I was trying to get some durable goods, and was pleasantly surprised that they were pretty good.
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Comment on How much "boilerplate tax" different languages have: a 400M LOC analysis in ~comp
Akir LinkI've really come to dislike the term "boilerplate code". I honestly have come to believe that most of the people who talk about it are greenhorns that don't know why it exists and write terribly...I've really come to dislike the term "boilerplate code". I honestly have come to believe that most of the people who talk about it are greenhorns that don't know why it exists and write terribly buggy code that someone else has to fix.
To be clear though, I don't get that impression from this author. Now that I think about it, since I got off of reddit and the cesspool that was /r/programming I haven't really seen anyone use the term pejoratively....
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Comment on What's good in modern flashlights/headlamps? in ~hobbies
Akir LinkI'm not really an outdoorsman, but lithium batteries store much much more energy than old-school NiMH rechargable and alkaline batteries, and additionally they can be power cycled far more times...I'm not really an outdoorsman, but lithium batteries store much much more energy than old-school NiMH rechargable and alkaline batteries, and additionally they can be power cycled far more times with less wear. I would imagine that modern flashlights don't need you to bring spare batteries because they essentially have "spares" included already - by orders of magnitude if you are comparing bulb flashlights! Lithium seems pretty much to be the way to go for now, at least until newer generations of battery chemistry come to market at a reasonable price.
If you must have redundancy, you can always bring a power bank with you. I will warn you that you should buy one from a reputable brand because I have heard that there are many sellers who are giving completely made-up specs for their products.
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Comment on Bethesda X Nintendo Switch 2 | Reveal trailer in ~games
Akir Link ParentPlease stop trying to convince me to sacrifice more of my life to that game. 😭Please stop trying to convince me to sacrifice more of my life to that game. 😭
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Comment on The Boring Company faces Nashville tunnel criticism in ~transport
Akir LinkFrankly after the Las Vegas Loop dramatically underperforming their promises it’s incredible that anyone would ever hire the Boring Company for literally anything. For those who don’t know, the...Frankly after the Las Vegas Loop dramatically underperforming their promises it’s incredible that anyone would ever hire the Boring Company for literally anything.
For those who don’t know, the Loop isn’t even a real loop. They send traffic both ways on a single lane tunnel, which means having to stop all traffic on a segment until the car inside of it clears. They were supposed to launch with fully autonomous cars to ferry people and instead they use regular teslas with chauffeurs. The loop isn’t even entirely underground; there are one or two places where it surfaces and the cars take surface streets. The end result is a transportation system that is both more expensive and slower than the preexisting bus system. It may actually be worse than getting a taxi, since most of the places often have them waiting around nearby.
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Comment on Hair loss open discussion in ~talk
Akir Link ParentArgh, it’s worse when they’re doctors! You can’t even get fully angry because they are at least in theory trying to help you. Shitty doctors hurt everyone, so I hope you submitted complaints for...Argh, it’s worse when they’re doctors! You can’t even get fully angry because they are at least in theory trying to help you.
Shitty doctors hurt everyone, so I hope you submitted complaints for all of them. Last year I switched doctors and I found out that I had many misconceptions because of how poor the communication was from my previous doctor, including one that made me think my walking was going to be permanently impaired from arthritis!
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Comment on Hair loss open discussion in ~talk
Akir Link ParentMy hair loss is also hereditary but unlike you the men in my family were almost exclusively assholes I would rather not be associated with. The only exception is an uncle who’s path to god led him...My hair loss is also hereditary but unlike you the men in my family were almost exclusively assholes I would rather not be associated with. The only exception is an uncle who’s path to god led him to be an army chaplain who was pushed into service of people of different faiths. Coincidentally he’s the only one of his generation still alive so I’d like to say if there is a god that he is just.
While I do admire my uncle I’m still clinging to my hair loss drugs like a lifeline.
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Comment on Hair loss open discussion in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI honestly don’t understand why they sell the foam. You’re supposed to get it on your scalp but the foam will get it all over your hair instead. Grab the liquid stuff instead; the dropper can be...I honestly don’t understand why they sell the foam. You’re supposed to get it on your scalp but the foam will get it all over your hair instead. Grab the liquid stuff instead; the dropper can be put right against your scalp, and it’s less expensive as well.
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Comment on Hair loss open discussion in ~talk
Akir Link ParentOh my god are there still people who say those stupid things? I’m not a woman but that is so incredibly dumb that it makes me want to punch someone.Oh my god are there still people who say those stupid things? I’m not a woman but that is so incredibly dumb that it makes me want to punch someone.
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Comment on Jeff Bezos orders layoffs at 'The Washington Post' in ~news
Akir Link ParentI think you may be looking at this with the wrong paradigm. Instead of youtube, think of all "news influencers" as a category. News influencers don't need foreign bureaus because there's always...I think you may be looking at this with the wrong paradigm. Instead of youtube, think of all "news influencers" as a category. News influencers don't need foreign bureaus because there's always news influencers in every country (more or less - don't expect to see a reliable source from North Korea anytime soon).
They still have a problem with authority and vetting how reliable they are in general, but frankly most legacy news sources have become so unreliable that I think it's less of an issue than you might think.
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Comment on Steam Hardware: Launch timing and other FAQs in ~games
Akir Link ParentThere's a kind of irony that there is a rough correlation between Valve releasing computing hardware and major disruptions to society, given that the Steam Deck came about the tail end of the...There's a kind of irony that there is a rough correlation between Valve releasing computing hardware and major disruptions to society, given that the Steam Deck came about the tail end of the COVID pandemic. If they announce Half Life 3 I would start preparing for the apocalypse.
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Comment on I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history in ~talk
Akir Link ParentI think you get me. It’s not so much the specifics about the PS2 that matters, but people are so engrossed into the story that any attempts to simply add nuance is met with indifference at best...I think you get me. It’s not so much the specifics about the PS2 that matters, but people are so engrossed into the story that any attempts to simply add nuance is met with indifference at best and venom at worst.
I loved playing the PS2 when it was out. I own more physical games for the system than any other. But I’m also in my 30s and don’t actually care about it anymore outside the remaining vapor of nostalgia. It’s the response that kills me.
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Comment on I'm annoyed with mundane revisionist history in ~talk
Akir Link ParentIt is apples-to-oranges in that the RCA player was competing against a device that did not yet exist. Beyond that, in 2000 RCA was still known for having decent quality to my memory. A standalone...It is apples-to-oranges in that the RCA player was competing against a device that did not yet exist. Beyond that, in 2000 RCA was still known for having decent quality to my memory. A standalone device would have also likely had better picture quality simply for the ability to use better quality cables than the proprietary ones that Sony manufactured for the PS2.
Look in the 2001 catalog, which would have been published just a few months after the release of the PS2, and you will find one that is $100 less. Either way, the PS2 would not have come with a DVD remote, so if you wanted all the features you would have gotten with the standalone DVD player you'd need to spend at least an additional $20 for the remote.
I acknowledged that the DVD capabilities were a selling point, but it was not the primary reason why someone would be purchasing the system. If you wanted a DVD player you would buy a DVD player. If you wanted a game system too, you might have purchased a PS2 instead of a DVD player, but you would not buy a PS2 if you just wanted a DVD player.
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Comment on Most and least expensive US supermarkets in ~food
Akir Link ParentFood4Less is their value brand?! The last time I bought something from one of those stores was because I was in desperate need to get some whole wheat flour and they were the only store who had it...Food4Less is their value brand?! The last time I bought something from one of those stores was because I was in desperate need to get some whole wheat flour and they were the only store who had it in the area I was in at the time. It cost about 3 times more than what I would usually pay!
If you are going to the gym frequently DOMS subsides fairly quickly. When I first started it was a real pain but it all went away within maybe 1-2 weeks, surprisingly.
Caffeine can also help to reduce DOMS if you take it around when you do your workout. It’s one of two reasons why pre workout powders use it. You need a moderately large dose though.