arch's recent activity
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Comment on Experiences with foster system and support for removed relatives in ~life
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Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life
arch LinkI hear you! My kiddo is 8 now, and the conversations got more and more difficult a few years ago. I think we've gotten to a fairly decent place on it now. There was a point where I started...I hear you! My kiddo is 8 now, and the conversations got more and more difficult a few years ago. I think we've gotten to a fairly decent place on it now. There was a point where I started shutting down some of the conversations past this: "because I can't be sure it's safe for you to watch that show". This phrase was part of several larger conversations with the kiddo on what it means to be safe, and how it is our job as a parent to keep them safe. There are some things that I can't safely talk to an 8 year old about. I can't tell her what Trump meant when he said "grab them by thr pussy". I can't safely tell her what pedophelia is, but I can explain coorsion from a non-sexual standpoint. We still have to teach the skills to be as safe from these things as possible. I do feel like I had a bit of a break through with this phrasing, because it got to the core of all the questions that were being asked.
Roblox was the big one in our household. Her cousins play it, some friends at school play it, but we won't let her. It was hard to maintain that, and I eventually had to tell her to that people are using offers of Robucks to convince children to do harmful things. Similar to how school teaches that you don't take candy for strangers. Details past that she just isn't ready for. Hell, I'm not ready for them.
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Comment on Your phone is a fake house in ~tech
arch (edited )LinkWhat a surprisingly thought provoking and emotionally evocative piece. I don't think we are successfully brought to the conclusions in the post: "you are not domesticating your phone—it is trying...What a surprisingly thought provoking and emotionally evocative piece. I don't think we are successfully brought to the conclusions in the post: "you are not domesticating your phone—it is trying to domesticate you". Especially because of the implication that this doesn't apply to Personal Computers in the same way for the author, because I have felt the opposite way. Maybe the points didn't land with me in the end because I was so caught up in my own thoughts and nostalgia. That said, the more I think about the metaphor, the more fraught it becomes. To the point where I think I am going to argue that the author is on to something on the surface, but either the general public seems to disagree with our desire to "occupy digital spaces" in this way, or the author is mislabeling the concept as "a house" while trying to describe something else.
I have always been enamored with Microsoft Bob. It was an experimental GUI that allowed you to decorate and arrange the rooms a "home" for your applications to live in, and for you to do your work in. It was release for Windows 3.1, 95 & NT by Microsoft in 1995. My brother and I installed it on our computer when it was released, and we spent countless hours setting up our "homes" and "rooms". That said, I don't remember actually doing anything productive in the program, but instead spending my time decorating, arranging, theming and interacting with character assistants (if I remember correctly my favorite was named Chaz, and was some strange looking creature that drank mugs of coffee all day long). In hindsight, I used it more as a proto-Sims than an actual "home" to arrange my digital workspace in. I personally think that was due to the limitations of the software. The creators decided that it was more important to maintain the metaphor than to get out of the way the user. This meant you couldn't run your favorite software from within the program. You couldn't effectively control Winamp from the interface. Emails were seemingly arbitrarily character constrained. Who could actually perform work efficiently like that? In the end the experiment was considered a failure and it was discontinued. The concept seems to have been outright rejected by users. I would argue that the poor sales, terrible reviews, and lack of engagement with Microsoft Bob was an indication that people simply don't want to think of their digital devices in this way. I honestly think that is still true. Since Bob, the closest thing I have experienced has been the Oculus (now Meta) "Immersive Home". I'm out of date, and I haven't been able to use VR in any meaningful way (being a middle aged parent with a career, who wears glasses and experiences motion sickness now). Are people actually interacting with this software in a meaningful way? I'm sure there are teenagers who have put countless hours into their personal spaces, just like I did with Bob at that age, but that doesn't mean the general public feels that way.
What even are homes, anyway? What differentiates living in a home against a long term residence in a hotel, or the lives of the residences of a shared home, like the characters painted by Downton Abbey? In the show, the Abbey doesn't appear to feel like any less of a home to the residents. The valet who lives on site has made it as much his home as the Earl of Grantham does, despite it also being his job. That said, being the Earl of Grantham is just as much Robert Crawley's job while he lives in the Abbey. The author of the article evokes memories of going down the stairs of his home at night and avoiding the step he learned is creaky. But like he said, he is avoiding the creaky step because it would wake his family. Ultimately, I think that's the feeling of "home" that the author is chasing, and not the intimate knowledge he has of the actual building or space. What gives that space meaning to us are the people that occupy it, the people that clean it, the people that decorate it and live in it with us daily. While that space we grew up in was our first home as children, I think it's important to recognize that while we lived there with our parents, that space was just as much a house to them as it was the place where they have the "job" of being mom, dad, chef, shopper, clothes washer, etc. I think the part that is most easily being provided by software is simplifying those tasks. Our digital desktops can be sorted alphabetically at the touch of a button. The trash can be emptied without getting up. We can have a clear desk to work on in an instant, without loosing the clutter of the workspace we are writing our paper on. But we also struggle to hold that many "rooms" in our memory and retain our muscle memory of working in them. The less time we have to interact with them, the more true that becomes. An we seem to have so much less free time year after year as the means of constant communication break down further and further.
If we extend the metaphor this far, then maybe we could using the metaphor to improve software. I always imagine this library in my mind when I think about working in a digital space: shelves filled with every leather bound book I could desire, a comfortable arm chair, a small desk clear of clutter, one of those green shaded lambs providing warm light to work under, comfortable and ornate area rugs, wood flooring, a warm fire. Most of us don't have those spaces in our home, don't have the time, money, or free space to create them. So why is that the image that is evoked for me, when I have never had it and ultimately could never have it in my personal life? Is there a way for our phone to be that clean library, with a clear desk, and any time we pick it up it is just like we like it? Can we somehow get the feeling evoked by our mother putting our clean clothes in our drawers for us every week without her having to wash it, dry it, fold it and put it all away? I honestly just don't know.
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Comment on Firewood banks aren’t inspiring. They’re a sign of collapse. in ~finance
arch Link ParentSorry, I'm not sure I understand your comment. Are you saying that Wood Banks are a strawman, meaning they don't really exist? Or do you mean the idea that they're a sign of "collapse" is a...Sorry, I'm not sure I understand your comment. Are you saying that Wood Banks are a strawman, meaning they don't really exist? Or do you mean the idea that they're a sign of "collapse" is a strawman? You're not really responding to the points I read in the article.
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Comment on 1977 theatrical cut of Star Wars coming to theaters in 2027 in ~movies
arch Link ParentI believe the original masters were used when making the Special Editions. They exposed all of the edits and CGI directly onto the film. I don't quite remember if there are versions in-between the...I believe the original masters were used when making the Special Editions. They exposed all of the edits and CGI directly onto the film. I don't quite remember if there are versions in-between the master reels and the 35mm print that Lucas/Disney would be likely to have.
I believe a good chunk of the matte line issues you mention are visible with HDR because the poor quality of projectors back then would have effectively hidden them.
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Comment on Why are 38 percent of Stanford students saying they're disabled? in ~life
arch Link ParentThat's not nessicarily the case, because you don't know where that student is starting from. There are students with ADHD who may excel in language, but be behind to average in math. Giving them...If they're getting higher scores than average, then it seems like overcompensating?
That's not nessicarily the case, because you don't know where that student is starting from. There are students with ADHD who may excel in language, but be behind to average in math. Giving them accomodations and/or medication can help them reach their potential, which is likely higher than average. Not giving them accomodations would mean they would struggle, or be average, and have more limited outcomes. It can be the difference between choosing a difficult major over the easiest one available to these students. It can also be the difference between finishing college in 4 years vs 6, or dropping out due to burnout. Is it more important to have a level playing field, or for as many students as possible to reach their peak potential?
Accomodations don't always look like more time. Sometimes they can be as simple as having the questions be read to them, and answers provided verbally.
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Comment on Windows: Linux GPU gaming benchmarks on Bazzite in ~games
arch Link ParentThe most telling thing for me is that every game I have with these Windows only kernel level anti-cheats still have blatant cheating. It's been a few years since I played Fortnite, but when I did...The most telling thing for me is that every game I have with these Windows only kernel level anti-cheats still have blatant cheating. It's been a few years since I played Fortnite, but when I did play it was filled with people using auto-aiming, auto-build macros, etc. So either these companies are grossly misinformed, or they're not resisting Linux because it would increase cheating.
For Fortnite, I honestly believe they won't enable Linux support because they can't support Epic Games Store on it. If they didn't have Fortnite tied to EGS, they would have to show what a colossal failure it has been.
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Comment on Toy Story 5 | Teaser Trailer in ~movies
arch Link ParentTwo things stand out to me that might be the main cause of that: The material textures are insanely detailed. I can see the dimples in the plastic of the toys, and each material looks perfect to...Two things stand out to me that might be the main cause of that:
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The material textures are insanely detailed. I can see the dimples in the plastic of the toys, and each material looks perfect to life. I don't remember them being quite this good in Toy Story 4 even.
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Something about the blur looks like they're using tilt shift in this trailer. Our brains have come to associate that look with models, miniatures, and toys.
I could be wrong about either or both of these, but that's my layman's perspective.
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Comment on Pluribus S01E01 - “We is Us” in ~tv
arch Link ParentThat synopsis reminds me of one episode of what I think was The Outer Limits where we receive an alien transmission that when listened to turns anyone under a certain age into something resembling...That synopsis reminds me of one episode of what I think was The Outer Limits where we receive an alien transmission that when listened to turns anyone under a certain age into something resembling aliens/lizards.
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Comment on Obesity rate declining in US. Use of GLP-1 injectables for weight loss has more than doubled since early 2024. in ~health
arch Link ParentOh man, I'm not a doctor nor am I a coach. I'm just a novice weight lifter who started lifted ~10 years ago, and never progressed past novice due to numerous breaks. Unfortunately, I don't have...- Exemplary
Oh man, I'm not a doctor nor am I a coach. I'm just a novice weight lifter who started lifted ~10 years ago, and never progressed past novice due to numerous breaks. Unfortunately, I don't have any actual criteria you could use. What I am thinking is that an organization like the WHO, AHA, CDC should set those standards based on medical research.
Right now, I don't think there is any sort of strength or muscle mass standard recognized by any health agency. The sports fitness world certain has a ton of recommendations, and when I start researching online most of what I find is from that arena. So it's muddled at best, and the numbers are all over the place. Organizations like the AHA have recommendations for amount of time spend training but they don't have guidelines for what that looks like. So you could meet that by lifting 5 lb dumbells, or be lifting 200 lb barbells. I imagine they're worried about scarring people off, because weight training requires specialized equipment. Also, many people know they can't do a single push up so they would get discouraged. The sad part is, barbells are far quicker and easier than bodyweight exercises, can more easily be performed by people with disabilities or injuries under proper guidance, and are far easier to progressively track. Not everyone can do push up. If you do 1 pushup today, you're not likely to be able to do 2 the next time. But almost everyone could bench press an empty barbell x number of times today, then add ~5lbs to that bar in 2 days and do the same number of reps. If we had medical guidelines showing the baseline figures or range needed for BMI to be accurate, then it would be fairly straightforward to tell people how to solve the problem. The way doctors have no problem telling you to drop 30 lbs to be in a healthy BMI.
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Comment on Obesity rate declining in US. Use of GLP-1 injectables for weight loss has more than doubled since early 2024. in ~health
arch Link ParentI think it might be more helpful to standardize a "muscle mass" number the same way we have standardized BMI. It just gets very confusing when we try to "fix" BMI to include it. The majority of...I think it might be more helpful to standardize a "muscle mass" number the same way we have standardized BMI. It just gets very confusing when we try to "fix" BMI to include it. The majority of people have so little muscle as to be problematic, and it can mask the fat to a certain extent,especially when calculating BMI. Having minimum strength guidelines get the same notice as BMI scores could also probably fix it from a different angle (something along the lines of be able to squat 25% of your body weight), but that would unfortunately require specialized equipment to test at a doctor's office.
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Comment on How do you volunteer your time? in ~talk
arch LinkI'm happy to see a thread asking for input on what to do with our free time. I've recently been laid off, and it's given me some time to think more about what I want to do with my life. And to...I'm happy to see a thread asking for input on what to do with our free time. I've recently been laid off, and it's given me some time to think more about what I want to do with my life. And to think about what might actually be meaningful to me. It brought me to thinking about signing up to substitute teach in my local school system. It's not by definition a volunteer position, since it's paid, but my understanding is that most districts are hard pressed to find decent coverage when teachers are absent. That said, it's been a lot of soul searching for me to conclude that education is something that is very meaningful to me. That, along with the idea of providing children with a healthy, patient and understanding role model, stood out to me as the way I could pursue meaning in my life. Long term, I want to use the opportunity to see if being a career educator would make me happy, despite offering lower pay than I could get in my usual line of work. I don't think it would necessarily look like this for most people, but it's been a lifelong issue for me to understand what I actually find meaningful. I knew that for me it wasn't the standard responses and examples people give. The key for me was delving into why I felt afraid to do it. I came to the realization that I was scared I might be bad at it, and that was actually because it's something I legitimately care about.
So, whatever you volunteer your time for, try to find something you're passionate about.
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Comment on Honk your horn in ~health.mental
arch Link ParentI lived in the woods growing up, and my brother and I were going wild on a windy day and just literally screaming at the ground. A neighbor came running through the woods to make sure everyone was...I lived in the woods growing up, and my brother and I were going wild on a windy day and just literally screaming at the ground. A neighbor came running through the woods to make sure everyone was okay. It was funny as a kid, but my parents were pretty embarrassed.
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Comment on Controllers that work well with CachyOS? in ~tech
arch Link ParentYes, that's exactly what I mean. The "no name" brands that you can find on Amazon will often have false information in their listings. Everything from SSDs and USB sticks that are flashed to...Yes, that's exactly what I mean. The "no name" brands that you can find on Amazon will often have false information in their listings. Everything from SSDs and USB sticks that are flashed to appear larger than they actually are, Android Auto head units that report Android 15 but are just Android 10 with edited info, to battery powered devices that say they have 1500mAh but actually have far less capacity.
If you stick with a reputable brand like 8bitdo you're safe, but any names you can't pronounce could be dubious.
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Comment on Controllers that work well with CachyOS? in ~tech
arch Link ParentRumble is working fine for me with 3rd party PS4 style controllers over Bluetooth. Using whatever Steam implements for it.Rumble is working fine for me with 3rd party PS4 style controllers over Bluetooth. Using whatever Steam implements for it.
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Comment on Controllers that work well with CachyOS? in ~tech
arch LinkJust to confirm, are you gaming with Steam? Meaning the cachyos-gaming-meta package is installed. I am using Bazzite myself, but CachyOS should be more compatible since it has a newer kernel....Just to confirm, are you gaming with Steam? Meaning the cachyos-gaming-meta package is installed. I am using Bazzite myself, but CachyOS should be more compatible since it has a newer kernel.
Honestly, any bluetooth PS4 knockoff should work very well. Being the 2nd most common style of controller means it's going to be compatible out of the box with more games. I have found them to be much better than Xbox controllers. Microsoft pulled to many changes with the wired vs. dongle vs. bluetooth models and it made it hard to tell what you're getting. I personally have the TOPAD Go2fun controllers, but they don't seem to be available any longer.
Selling points for one brand over another would be hall effect joysticks, and increased mAh. That said, if you're getting a 3rd party controller, you're taking a chance on actually getting what you order with these features. If you go this route, I recommend ordering just 1 to start from Amazon or another seller with easy returns, then order more of the exact same one from the same seller if you want to have more for multiplayer.
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Comment on Looking for feedback on a homelab design in ~tech
arch LinkMy initial thought is that your setup here sounds like overkill. For context on that: I have almost all of the systems you mention running on a Beelink Mini S12. Plex can handle transcoding...My initial thought is that your setup here sounds like overkill. For context on that: I have almost all of the systems you mention running on a Beelink Mini S12. Plex can handle transcoding multiple 4k video files to 1080p on the fly after I passed the Intel CPU based video card to the container in Proxmox. The only thing I don't have that you mentioned is TrueNAS. Instead, I set up samba and NFS to share a USB hard drive on my Raspberry Pi4b router running OpenWRT. I don't recommend that last part be mimicked, but it just illustrates that for your use case you are going far above what you need to.
I would highly recommend gong Intel over AMD for any system that will be doing transcoding. You can save the video card for the AI models. I personally used an Nvidia Tesla P4 for that, which I got on eBay for ~$100. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm very frugal when it comes to my homelab, perhaps to the point of absurdity. I haven't actually built a new PC in over 10 years.
If you're okay with spending the money and having a truly future proof setup, then you've definitely got that.
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Comment on Is there a service that a regular joe can use to provide subs or dubbing for a movie? in ~movies
arch LinkI have used SubGen for this with great results. It's an LLM subtitle generator that processes the audio track to generator that can run locally. I Integrated it into Bazaar, but there's a bunch of...I have used SubGen for this with great results. It's an LLM subtitle generator that processes the audio track to generator that can run locally. I Integrated it into Bazaar, but there's a bunch of options for setup.
It supports multiple languages, translations, etc.
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Comment on What's your video game comfort food? in ~games
arch Link ParentI don't know if you'd be into this at all, but the decompilation/PC build for SM64 has come a very long way with mods. There's an online multiplayer version available that has a bunch of other...I don't know if you'd be into this at all, but the decompilation/PC build for SM64 has come a very long way with mods. There's an online multiplayer version available that has a bunch of other mods you can add in as well. It may be able to get you a community of other people who enjoy the game on the level you do, and maybe bring a new experience for you in the game you love.
That said, there's something truly special about having a comfort game like you do, and revisiting it in the original way once a year. All the ports and mods in the world can't hit that nostalgia without a lot of customization.
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Comment on Does anyone here use a SAD lamp? in ~health.mental
arch (edited )Link ParentYou are correct --every study I have read that actually looks into conditions like SAD, or delayed sleep phase disorder, or anything of the sort is studying 10,000+ lux, above the eyeline, for a...You are correct --every study I have read that actually looks into conditions like SAD, or delayed sleep phase disorder, or anything of the sort is studying 10,000+ lux, above the eyeline, for a variable number of minutes (30 to 90). These devices are prohibitively expensive, and I'd honestly be concerned about the UV output of anything that's really cheap.
Personally, it got to the point that it made more sense to go read outside for 15 minutes when I wake up. It's really easy to do in the summer months, but come winter I am an abject failure at it.
That said, I doubt many people are clinically diagnosed with these disorders. I doubt many PCPs are looking for them or referring their patients for them. They'd probably just get diagnosed with depression and tossed on antidepressants instead.
[edit] looks like there are some options that are too expensive these days.
My sole interaction with the foster system was taking several classes a decade ago when my spouse and I were considering adoption. We didn't think we could have our own child together, but ended up getting extremely lucky, so we never fostered or adopted.
I can say from those classes that reunion with the biological parents is always the goal of the foster system. Even with full legal adoption, which you would need to actively work very hard to accomplish, active involvement of the biological parents is legally required to be open to them. If a biological parent is not involved, they are either so legally in trouble that they can not even have visitation while incarcerated, can't be found, or they have actively refused their rights as a parent.
I would recommend you look into your local foster program to see if there are any classes you could go to. I found them extremely helpful. It's a chance to talk to parents who have been fostering for years.