artvandelay's recent activity
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Comment on Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
artvandelay LinkJust watched The Foreigner (2017). I'd call it a 7/10 honestly. It's got a pretty meh story, it was very easy to see where it was going at times, but the action was solid as you'd expect from a...Just watched The Foreigner (2017). I'd call it a 7/10 honestly. It's got a pretty meh story, it was very easy to see where it was going at times, but the action was solid as you'd expect from a Jackie Chan movie. I'd probably watch it if you had easy access to it, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to watch it haha.
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Comment on In noisy surroundings, your techniques to learn to center attention and ignore distraction? in ~life
artvandelay Link ParentI've had good experiences with the Apple AirPods also doing this, though YMMV. It's adjustable too so you can go from completely tuning things out to making it feel almost like you've got nothing...I've had good experiences with the Apple AirPods also doing this, though YMMV. It's adjustable too so you can go from completely tuning things out to making it feel almost like you've got nothing in your ears. Though, as far as I know, you can only adjust/enable this if you've got an iPhone to go along with your AirPods.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
artvandelay LinkHaven't done much myself but logged on to check out the community storage and beyond to the west, looks super cool! Look forward to seeing that area develop. I also look forward to seeing the...Haven't done much myself but logged on to check out the community storage and beyond to the west, looks super cool! Look forward to seeing that area develop. I also look forward to seeing the spruce forest area to the east develop, it's been slowly building up.
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Comment on Razzie Awards winners: Ice Cube starrer ‘War of the Worlds’ named Worst Picture of the Year in ~movies
artvandelay LinkI had forgotten about this movie, what a disaster. I wonder what they'd hoped to achieve by releasing this movie years after it initially got shelved. Would they even make any money to recoup...I had forgotten about this movie, what a disaster. I wonder what they'd hoped to achieve by releasing this movie years after it initially got shelved. Would they even make any money to recoup losses from shelving it?
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Comment on Digg has shutdown (again) in ~tech
artvandelay Link ParentYeah seems like they had launched purely as "an alternative to (x)" (not to be confused with X or Twitter), which probably hurt them. I remember all the alternative Reddit sites that popped up...Yeah seems like they had launched purely as "an alternative to (x)" (not to be confused with X or Twitter), which probably hurt them. I remember all the alternative Reddit sites that popped up following the API changes in June 2023 and looking at my saved logins, I think the only one that seems to be doing decently well is Lemmy World. Seems like all the others have just become breeding grounds for super right wing content or have died.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
artvandelay LinkHad an interesting week at work as we had an "AI-native week" where we just had literal lectures on how to use AI tools like Claude and MyClaw/OpenClaw and other tools so that they'd be a...Had an interesting week at work as we had an "AI-native week" where we just had literal lectures on how to use AI tools like Claude and MyClaw/OpenClaw and other tools so that they'd be a "force-multiplier" and "accelerate our project delivery." To help us focus on these lectures, all meetings except for these lectures were cancelled. I went to the first few so I could get a base understanding of how to do software engineering through Claude more effectively and then I enjoyed the extra free time from no meetings to just focus on my projects. I enjoyed having no meetings and was able to actually get quite a lot done. I finished my tasks for our main project and then also developed a simple dashboard to help us understand the state of customer accounts as they onboard/offboard from the service we're building.
Outside of work, I finally got a parking spot within my city. Having lived in the city for a whole year while my car remained with my parents in the suburbs was great. It forced me to walk and ride bikes more. However, my parents are moving and I do not feel like selling my car yet, so I decided to just pay for a parking spot. My rent isn't changing and the cost of rent with the parking spot is still cheaper than finding a different apartment so I decided it was worth for me.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
artvandelay LinkListened to a, shall we say, eclectic, mix of music this week. An odd combo of real songs and YouTube edits. Here's some of my highlights: Ready to Fly by Masayoshi Takanaka Link Probably my top...Listened to a, shall we say, eclectic, mix of music this week. An odd combo of real songs and YouTube edits. Here's some of my highlights:
- Ready to Fly by Masayoshi Takanaka Link
- Probably my top song at the moment, I didn't go more than 12 hours without listening to this song. It's just so catchy
- Fruits on El Matador by hash master & Erwo Link
- Another catchy little tune. I originally heard this in a video from the actual artist, hash master, themselves. It really gives me some early 2000s Gran Turismo menu music vibes, fun little song.
- Various video game tracks in the style of Masayoshi Takanaka - Wanye Link
- Too many of these to list separately so I've linked the actual playlist from the artist. It's a little stupid but I always love video game soundtracks redone in the style of other artists. As I've got a current obsession with Masayoshi Takanaka, these are fun and probably some of the best covers I've heard.
- Ready to Fly by Masayoshi Takanaka Link
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
artvandelay Link ParentI've actually got a fake bamboo plant at the moment and am thinking of getting some others. I'm hesitant to get real plants because my apartment really doesn't get a lot of light, it faces an...I've actually got a fake bamboo plant at the moment and am thinking of getting some others. I'm hesitant to get real plants because my apartment really doesn't get a lot of light, it faces an alleyway between my building and the neighboring building. I'm not sure how well plants would survive without much light haha. I did do some research on plants that don't need much light but I'm still unsure.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
artvandelay LinkI'm not sure if this counts as a "project" but I've been focusing on trying to decorate my apartment a bit better. I moved into this apartment a year ago and outside furnishing it, I haven't...I'm not sure if this counts as a "project" but I've been focusing on trying to decorate my apartment a bit better. I moved into this apartment a year ago and outside furnishing it, I haven't really done anything to make it feel like home. I put some posters on a wall and Lego builds on a shelf but it's still missing something.
I'm doing a few things to remedy this:
- Going to get my posters framed
- Get a rug/coffee table for my living room. It's just my TV console/TV + sofa at the moment. I don't really have a place to put mugs/plates/etc when I'm sitting down which has been annoying.
- Replace the curtains in my bedroom. My bedroom came with these blackout curtains, which do a great job of blocking out the light. However my apartment already gets so little light that my bedroom is constantly dark so I want to replace them.
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Comment on Survey reveals almost 50% of California teachers may quit teaching soon in ~life
artvandelay LinkI'm not too surprised by this, having gone to high school in California myself along with my younger siblings a few years after me. Even within that short period, a lot of great teachers that were...I'm not too surprised by this, having gone to high school in California myself along with my younger siblings a few years after me. Even within that short period, a lot of great teachers that were there when I was a student were gone by the time my siblings enrolled, many of them citing the cost of living. This was also pre-COVID so I can imagine things have only gotten worse. While the senior teachers made a decent salary, it certainly wasn't enough for the cost of living in my town. Newer teachers made even less. I don't think any of the teachers I had even lived in my town, many lived 1-2 hours away and would have to commute early in the morning and go back late in the evening. I think only a small handful of teachers in the school lived in our town. One that I remember was the leader of the school district's teachers union and would basically go to war every year to get a salary increase that matched inflation. The other used to work in tech and essentially "retired" to being a school teacher after making his riches.
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Comment on How's everyone doing? in ~talk
artvandelay Link ParentBeing sick for any extended period really sucks. I remember during my final semester of university, I was mildly sick for ~2 months. Hope you feel better soon!Being sick for any extended period really sucks. I remember during my final semester of university, I was mildly sick for ~2 months. Hope you feel better soon!
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Comment on How's everyone doing? in ~talk
artvandelay Link ParentGood luck! Switching jobs is definitely taunting, I recently went through a job change myself and even 6 months on, I'm unsure if I have tied up all the loose ends I have from my old job haha,...Good luck! Switching jobs is definitely taunting, I recently went through a job change myself and even 6 months on, I'm unsure if I have tied up all the loose ends I have from my old job haha, especially now as we get to tax filing season in the US.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
artvandelay Link ParentNot the OP but I've got friends who've also weaned themselves off antidepressants recently. For my friends, it was all about taking back control. They felt like their antidepressants were a crutch...Not the OP but I've got friends who've also weaned themselves off antidepressants recently. For my friends, it was all about taking back control. They felt like their antidepressants were a crutch for functioning and they hated this dependency. They'd also reached a point where they felt like their pills weren't doing much for them anymore and, in their words, their depression had reached a stable state.
Would certainly direct your friend to some medical guidance on this. Weaning off such medication is not easy, there will be high and low points over the many months it may take to adjust to no longer taking this medication.
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Comment on How's everyone doing? in ~talk
artvandelay LinkI'm in a mild slump at the moment but this should pass fairly soon. Part of it is just from social media, it's very easy to be dragged into a downward spiral through it. With the conflicts in the...I'm in a mild slump at the moment but this should pass fairly soon.
Part of it is just from social media, it's very easy to be dragged into a downward spiral through it. With the conflicts in the middle east, AI taking over software engineering, and more, it's hard not to also feel down.
Part of it is personal, as my parents are moving and it's an adjustment for both them and me. I had found it comforting to be able to go home when I felt like it since they were only a single train ride away but now they're a flight away so I'll be seeing them less. It's not something I haven't adjusted to before but it's something I have to adjust to again.
Part of it is professional. Now that I've completed ~6 months at my new job, I have to begin operating at a higher level than I ever have before. My company has "time-in-level" requirements where you have to get promoted within X amount of months depending on if you're a junior or mid-level engineer. I've got plenty of time for this but it's something that always lurks in the back of my mind. My previous company also had a similar system and I never got promoted within the 24 months I had. I wasn't fired but it made promotion feel even more impossible to get, which is part of the reason why I left.
However, through all this, I've continued to close at least the move ring on my Apple Watch for ~70 days continuously which is cool. I'm hoping to start biking around my city more often too to get some cardio in.
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Comment on Six months with Zen Browser in ~tech
artvandelay LinkI used Zen for a few months as well and have had a positive experience. I love the minimal UI and it satisfied my desire to have an Arc-like browser without the Chromium. My browser usage now is...I used Zen for a few months as well and have had a positive experience. I love the minimal UI and it satisfied my desire to have an Arc-like browser without the Chromium.
My browser usage now is all over the place haha. On my iPhone, I now use Safari directly. I've actually gotten used to its Liquid Glass minimalist UI and actually prefer now to the, frankly clunky, Firefox UI on iOS. On my personal laptop, I've found myself using Chromium as it plays YouTube videos the best on the Thinkpad hardware. On my work laptop, on the occasion I need to do some personal browsing, I also use Safari here. It's functional enough, the only complaint I have is I find the tab management a bit lackluster. I'd much prefer everything be in one line like the Orion browser does.
I used to exclusively use Firefox on all platforms but I've found things to load noticeably slower on FF for some reason.
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Comment on UK supermarket chain Iceland has abandoned its decade-long trademark battle with Iceland and instead promised a “rapprochement discount” for shoppers in the country in ~finance
artvandelay LinkThis case reminds me a lot of the lawsuits that Sky files when anyone uses the word "Sky" in their product. They threw a fit then Microsoft called their cloud services "SkyDrive" and another fit...This case reminds me a lot of the lawsuits that Sky files when anyone uses the word "Sky" in their product. They threw a fit then Microsoft called their cloud services "SkyDrive" and another fit when Hello Games called their new game "No Man's Sky". I get why Microsoft changed SkyDrive to OneDrive since people could assume it was a Sky product but it's crazy their latter lawsuit against Hello Games lasted 3 years lol.
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Comment on Proton Mail helped US FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester in ~tech
artvandelay Link ParentWouldn't a government authority still be able to at least track the actual bill back to your general area through their serial numbers? It obviously doesn't go straight back to you but it's somethingWouldn't a government authority still be able to at least track the actual bill back to your general area through their serial numbers? It obviously doesn't go straight back to you but it's something
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Comment on Xbox confirms 'Project Helix', its next-gen console that will also play PC games in ~games
artvandelay LinkInteresting to finally get confirmation on this. Curious to see where this goes because they can go the simple route of being like the Steam Deck/Machine with a default console UI + option of...Interesting to finally get confirmation on this. Curious to see where this goes because they can go the simple route of being like the Steam Deck/Machine with a default console UI + option of going into the desktop or if they'll do something else.
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
artvandelay Link ParentI think Asahi will take a while to be functional on this hardware. I think the team are still hard at working getting it functional on the M3 platform so no clue what their bandwidth in getting it...I think Asahi will take a while to be functional on this hardware. I think the team are still hard at working getting it functional on the M3 platform so no clue what their bandwidth in getting it functional on an A-series platform looks like.
Beautiful race, big congrats to Kimi on his first win! Absolutely loved watching the Ferrari's fight, had me and my friends on the edge of our seats! I do think it was a bit stupid of Ferrari strategy wise to have the driver's fight when they were only 2.5s from Antonelli. However, at the same time, hopefully Leclerc and Hamilton understand how these car react when in a battle like that so they can better fight against the Mercedes later.
The DNFs + DNSs were pretty shocking to see. I only tuned into once the pre-start procedure was happening and was quite shocked to see 4 cars not even start. Reliability definitely seems to be a bigger issue than I ever recall watching, but I also only started watching in 2019. Good to see both Cadillacs finish, it was kind of sad watching Alonso wave Perez goodbye as Perez sped past him. I really hope that Honda have at least one car finish in their home GP and that they use the gap after Japan to really focus and improve reliability.