ap0r's recent activity
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Comment on GQ interview with Louis Theroux on his upcoming documentary about the manosphere in ~life.men
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Comment on Do you have your invite request email? Post it and let's find out what drives people to want to be a part of Tildes. in ~tildes
ap0r Link ParentGmail does that to your sent emails (I guess to make them mobile-friendly). I copied and pasted it from my sent messages. I assure you the original was composed normally.Gmail does that to your sent emails (I guess to make them mobile-friendly). I copied and pasted it from my sent messages. I assure you the original was composed normally.
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Do you have your invite request email? Post it and let's find out what drives people to want to be a part of Tildes.
Dear Tildes Team: I've been a long-time Reddit user, but lately it's been feeling more and more like Facebook. Suggested posts, hidden comments, and the subreddits I actually subscribe to are...
Dear Tildes Team:
I've been a long-time Reddit user, but lately it's been feeling more
and more like Facebook. Suggested posts, hidden comments, and the
subreddits I actually subscribe to are buried under irrelevant
algo-suggested junk. The concept of Reddit is great, but its execution
is done by a public corporation nowadays and its enshittification has
been notable.I've been looking for a simpler, less commercialized place:
chronological, user-curated feeds, thoughtful discussions as opposed
to endless low-effort memes, and in general, absence of corporate
nonsense to push engagement metrics and ads.Tildes seems to fit the bill. I like its focus on quality over
quantity, clean and simple interface, and eemphasis on real
conversations. It seems it's the kind of place I'd actually enjoy
spending time on again.I'd really appreciate an invite if there's any room. I am also ready
to answer any questions or provide whatever info you need.Thanks for keeping a corner of the internet sane.
Best Regards,
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Comment on Booting from a vinyl record in ~comp
ap0r Link ParentThanks! I was able to watch the video. Still unable to access the website to learn how the infernal noise was made.Thanks! I was able to watch the video. Still unable to access the website to learn how the infernal noise was made.
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Comment on Booting from a vinyl record in ~comp
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Comment on The hidden engineering of runways in ~engineering
ap0r LinkThere is so much engineering that goes into airports in general as well. To add to the video's material: All the navigation aid antennas and lighting poles near runways have to be frangible; i.e....There is so much engineering that goes into airports in general as well. To add to the video's material:
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All the navigation aid antennas and lighting poles near runways have to be frangible; i.e. fail in a controlled manner when crashed into to minimize damage to aircraft.
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A flat apron (the parking space for aircraft and where cargo and passengers are loaded and unloaded) is great for easy maneuvering and towing. However, it will flood easily in rain, so a graded apron is better. But the grading must be carefully designed, else under icing conditions planes, tow trucks, and even people may slide downhill or be hard to control. There are specs for grading airport aprons.
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To minimize the traffic of fuel trucks, many airports have a system akin to fire hydrants to deliver fuel under pressure directly to parking spots. One end of a hose to the airplane, the other end to the "fuel hydrant". To further take advantage of this system, many modern aircraft are designed with a single refueling point and a selector panel that ground crews can operate to fill separate tanks as needed instead of filling individual tanks on each aircraft, which requires hose repositioning.
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Airports can be surprisingly complicated to navigate on the ground, as there are many taxiways. Especially during the night or in bad weather, people have gotten themselves lost (or even used the wrong runway, which tragically resulted in fatalities). On many airports, you can request a "follow me" car, which does exactly that. A person familiar with the airport will drive to you, and guide you to a parking spot or runway.
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The iconic control tower look is there for a reason; the glass angle minimizes blinding sun reflections to aircraft approaching runways, and minimizes internal reflections for controllers.
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All airports will have a light gun to issue signals to non-radio equipped aircraft. Yes, flying without a radio is still legal in 2026. No, it is not a good idea to use busy airspace in a non-radio-equipped aircraft.
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Runway numbers and letters are not random; they are based on the runway's orientation. Instead of typing another paragraph, here is a video on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSRmfNDk87s
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Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk
ap0r Link ParentOf course the recipes are there to influence people to consume more baked products, ideally from that brand. What Slade meant (correct me if I am wrong, please) is that there is a difference...Of course the recipes are there to influence people to consume more baked products, ideally from that brand. What Slade meant (correct me if I am wrong, please) is that there is a difference between providing helpful information that may lead to a sale and disguising pure advertising as information.
In other words, if I am a toolmaker and I publish a web compendium of useful niche tools, some of which I don't even make, this would be a boon to tool users, whereas if I published a web compendium of how to use my screwdrivers as ice picks, back scratchers, and tiny spears, I am fully focused on increasing my sales rather than providing true value to my customers.
Mr. Theroux’s interview failed to challenge my views about modern masculinity or the so-called "manosphere." It did, however, do an excellent job at reaffirming my skepticism towards ideologically-driven authors (or documentarians in this case) and their narratives.
From the headline and opening lines, the author's overly politicized language framing influencers as "ultra-misogynistic," "sinister," and part of a "grim coalition" signals a lack of objectivity, and the rest of the piece follos suit. Instead of presenting serious evidence for its case, it appears the documentary relies on a long list of anecdotal encounters and cherry-picked quotes to argue that the manosphere represents a broader systemic threat to society, particularly to young men. While dramatic and compelling, anecdotes lack statistical and empirical grounding.
The piece conflates many social issues. Racism, antisemitism, homophobia, porn, human trafficking, and even conspiracy theories are packaged into an emotionally-charged narrative of internet toxicity, but it fails to provide clear causation links or even evidence of the relevance of this narrative to real-world harm.
Indeed, it's true that many legitimate critiques can be made about toxic online influencers and their impact on impressionable audiences, but the interview's use of isolated cases detracts from those critiques by being methodologically unsound.
As a man confident in traditional masculinity rooted in values such as responsibility, self-reliance, and respect earned through real-world actions, not online posturing I see the "manosphere" not as a powerful "final boss," but as a collection of weak men posing as alphas, hiding behind screens and ragebait to mask their insecurities.
Mr. Theroux's portrayal amplifies them into villains, but it ignores how such figures thrive on the very attention pieces like this provide.
The use of anecdotal evidence I could forgive if the narrative of escalating misogyny and cultural danger it pushes reflected reality, but available data contradicts this alarmism: Statistics indicate a general decline in domestic violence since the early 1990s.
Of course, by ignoring the broader trends and selecting sensational examples, any compelling narrative can be spun, but without proper backing, this interview reads closer to promotional propaganda for Theroux's Netflix deal than to balanced journalism. It would have been much better if it had incorporated data to substantiate claims of widespread harm, rather than leaning on vague notions of "dark privilege" and existential burnout.
Mr Theroux’s approach, evident in this interview and his body of work, reflects a progressive, media-savvy lens: Anti-traditionalist, quick to pathologize male struggles as "toxic," obsessed with vulnerability as a counter to strength, and allergic to nuance that might humanize without excusing. He raises a few interesting points about the internet's role in amplifying extremes, and the piece makes for good inflammatory reading, but with its evident ideological bias plus the statistics countering the main claim of a rising threat, it failed to change my views on masculinity.
It serves as a cautionary tale on failing to separate cultural critiques from partisan activism rather than a good analytical discussion. Real men don't need to role-play as silverbacks. We build quietly, lead by example, and dismiss the manosphere posers without amplifying their noise.