babypuncher's recent activity

  1. Comment on United States: What personal (non-business) tax software/program do you use? in ~finance

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    That's unfortunate, I hope you find a good alternative.

    That's unfortunate, I hope you find a good alternative.

  2. Comment on United States: What personal (non-business) tax software/program do you use? in ~finance

    babypuncher
    Link
    Have you looked at the Cash App? I found it to be extremely easy, even last year when I had more complicated taxes than usual. It's also 100% free to file both federal and state. I can't overstate...

    Have you looked at the Cash App? I found it to be extremely easy, even last year when I had more complicated taxes than usual. It's also 100% free to file both federal and state.

    I can't overstate how much I like the UX, I found it much less daunting than TurboTax.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on I hate 2FA in ~tech

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    OATH is the standard you are looking for, and any service taking MFA seriously will at the very least let you add your account to an OATH compliant authenticator app. SMS-based 2FA should be...

    OATH is the standard you are looking for, and any service taking MFA seriously will at the very least let you add your account to an OATH compliant authenticator app. SMS-based 2FA should be avoided at all costs.

    7 votes

  4. Comment on US Food and Drug Administration to revoke authorization for the use of red no. 3 in food and ingested drugs in ~health

    babypuncher
    Link
    Food dyes do nothing to enhance the flavor, texture, longevity, or nutritional composition of food products. They solely exist to change the color of food. With that in mid, I think a "better safe...

    Food dyes do nothing to enhance the flavor, texture, longevity, or nutritional composition of food products. They solely exist to change the color of food.

    With that in mid, I think a "better safe than sorry" approach makes total sense as long as there is any evidence suggesting that this purely cosmetic food additive poses any kind of health risk.

    34 votes

  5. Comment on Five Disney animated canon films will be destroyed and you can choose, which five do you pick? in ~movies

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    They should have doubled-down on the "nature documentary" angle, jettisoned all the musical sequences, and really made it play out like an episode of Planet Earth but with talking animals.

    They should have doubled-down on the "nature documentary" angle, jettisoned all the musical sequences, and really made it play out like an episode of Planet Earth but with talking animals.

    10 votes

  6. Comment on Five Disney animated canon films will be destroyed and you can choose, which five do you pick? in ~movies

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    Oh man, I loved Fantasia 2000 as a kid. It played a critical role in me developing a taste for classical music and jazz. I can definitely see how it doesn't hold up to the original though. It's a...

    Oh man, I loved Fantasia 2000 as a kid. It played a critical role in me developing a taste for classical music and jazz. I can definitely see how it doesn't hold up to the original though. It's a shame Disney no longer has an appetite for these kinds of projects anymore.

    7 votes

  7. Comment on What are your favourite TV shows of all time? in ~tv

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    Are we secretly the same person? The only change I would make to this list is replacing Psych with Parks and Rec

    Are we secretly the same person? The only change I would make to this list is replacing Psych with Parks and Rec

    1 vote

  8. Comment on Lithium and alkaline AA batteries tested by Project farm in ~science

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I like how much lighter they are in devices like remotes and wireless mice. They also tend to last way longer in these kinds of low power devices.

    I like how much lighter they are in devices like remotes and wireless mice. They also tend to last way longer in these kinds of low power devices.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Lithium and alkaline AA batteries tested by Project farm in ~science

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    Try non-rechargeable lithium batteries in your trackballs. They will last a lot longer. As a bonus, they are also noticeably lighter.

    Try non-rechargeable lithium batteries in your trackballs. They will last a lot longer. As a bonus, they are also noticeably lighter.

  10. Comment on Valve's Steam page currently lists a second mystery game alongside Deadlock, sending Half-Life 3 theorists into another frenzy of speculation in ~games

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    At this point I think there is too much smoke for there not to be a new Half-Life game in development. In the last year there have been so many leaks from sources with decent track records. Rumors...

    At this point I think there is too much smoke for there not to be a new Half-Life game in development. In the last year there have been so many leaks from sources with decent track records. Rumors of Valve starting "friends and family" play testing and Mike Shapiro's New Years tease really poured gas on the fire in the last month.

    This also tracks with a major organizational shift that has happened at Valve over the last decade. Gone is the flat "no managers, work on what you want" structure that lead to half-finished projects getting abandoned. Valve now actually works on new products and sees them through to completion on a pretty consistent basis.

    7 votes

  11. Comment on It's time to abandon the cargo cult metaphor in ~science

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    That's just not how culture works. And deliberately doing things just to offend others doesn't accomplish anything of value. While historically America has been a big culture exporter, in recent...

    That's just not how culture works. And deliberately doing things just to offend others doesn't accomplish anything of value. While historically America has been a big culture exporter, in recent years they've become a big importer of culture as well. Imagine if Americans took the same attitude towards things like Anime.

    6 votes

  12. Comment on It's time to abandon the cargo cult metaphor in ~science

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I think that distinction doesn't mean mean what it used to in the modern day. Mass media and now the internet have done a lot to expand and further homogenize common shared culture in the anglosphere

    I think that distinction doesn't mean mean what it used to in the modern day. Mass media and now the internet have done a lot to expand and further homogenize common shared culture in the anglosphere

    4 votes

  13. Comment on It's time to abandon the cargo cult metaphor in ~science

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    This is a tricky one because there are mainstream religions that absolutely fit the definition of a cult. As a survivor of one, I see people still trapped in it who get very offended when their...

    And the term "cult" on its own is a charged term, quite often used as a pejorative when referring to someone's religious beliefs.)

    This is a tricky one because there are mainstream religions that absolutely fit the definition of a cult. As a survivor of one, I see people still trapped in it who get very offended when their beliefs are equated to a cult even though they tick all the right boxes (brainwashing, fanatical devotion to certain individuals or ideas, substantial required financial investment, beliefs that are actively harmful to their members...)

    15 votes

  14. Comment on The queer fantasy of playersexuality in ~games

    babypuncher
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    After playing Cyberpunk 2077, I've started to dislike playersexual NPC's. A big part of what makes the relationships in CP2077 so compelling is that the sexuality of the characters is coded into...

    After playing Cyberpunk 2077, I've started to dislike playersexual NPC's. A big part of what makes the relationships in CP2077 so compelling is that the sexuality of the characters is coded into them from the start. If male V could also date Judy, it would feel inconsistent with how her character is portrayed up until the point that becomes and option.

    It's not a thing to get worked up or angry over, just pointing out how opinionated art is often far more rich and impactful than art that tries so hard to make everyone happy. That in itself is very much worth discussion and analysis.

    10 votes

  15. Comment on SteamOS expands beyond Steam Deck in ~games

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    SteamOS has limitations that might make it not so good for a general purpose OS on a PC. The big one being that it is an immutable distro. There are projects out there to put the SteamOS...

    SteamOS has limitations that might make it not so good for a general purpose OS on a PC. The big one being that it is an immutable distro.

    There are projects out there to put the SteamOS experience into a more desktop-ready distro.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is reaching end of standard support soon: April 2025. Plan to upgrade soon! in ~tech

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    Snaps and flatpaks still seem to have interoperability issues as well, with snaps unable to talk to apps installed via the native package manager and vice-versa. I understand the problems all this...

    Snaps and flatpaks still seem to have interoperability issues as well, with snaps unable to talk to apps installed via the native package manager and vice-versa.

    I understand the problems all this app containerization is meant to solve, but ultimately it is a problem set that is very low priority for your typical Linux user. They are more of an annoyance than anything.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Honey did nothing wrong in ~tech

    babypuncher
    (edited )
    Link
    The user was never informed this was happening. They probably clicked affiliate links from content creators, thinking they were helping them out by using said link, only for Honey to covertly undo...

    Even if replacing affiniate codes has negative consequences, in the form of lost revenue and uncounted sales, for the affiliates, it is happening entirely in the end user's browser, and in that environment the user has the right to do whatever they want.

    The user was never informed this was happening. They probably clicked affiliate links from content creators, thinking they were helping them out by using said link, only for Honey to covertly undo that. They also did not tell the influencers they paid to promote their product that it would do this and ultimately hurt their revenue long-term.

    Dishonesty is fundamentally wrong. Hiding the truth in the middle of 30 paragraphs of legalese and calling it a "User Agreement" or "Licensing Terms" does not count as informing the user. Every executive at Honey involved in making these decisions should never be employed again. Make them live off food stamps and charity.

    10 votes

  18. Comment on The Scoville levels on the Hot Ones sauces are misleading in ~food

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    Or make your sauce in such large batches that the natural variation in spiciness from one pepper to the next becomes meaningless. This is why sauces from mega brands like Tabasco and Sriracha are...

    The only way to avoid such inconsistencies is to use pure capsaicin oil (AKA pepper extract) in each batch

    Or make your sauce in such large batches that the natural variation in spiciness from one pepper to the next becomes meaningless. This is why sauces from mega brands like Tabasco and Sriracha are very consistent.

    6 votes

  19. Comment on Why gen Z is drinking less in ~health

  20. Comment on Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas investigated as possible terrorism in ~news

    babypuncher
    Link
    Please do not feed the animals, it inflates their egos and makes them even more insufferable.

    "I have to thank Elon Musk specifically..."

    Please do not feed the animals, it inflates their egos and makes them even more insufferable.

    3 votes