beeef's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on Getting permission from your significant other in ~life
beeef Link ParentYeah I use the term "ask the boss" in a joking manner. It's not really asking permission. I live with someone so I'm going to check with them before hosting a social function. I would do the same...Yeah I use the term "ask the boss" in a joking manner. It's not really asking permission. I live with someone so I'm going to check with them before hosting a social function. I would do the same if I had roommates instead of a wife. Not really any different from booking a conference room at work. You check the conference room calendar to make sure it's free when you need it before scheduling a big important meeting.
As far as not hosting, the conversation goes more like "hey I checked the calendar and there's nothing on it so I'm doing X Wednesday after work, double checking that we don't have anything happening that night, right?" But I still might phrase it as I "asked the boss".
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Comment on Enjoying reading in the age of LLMs in ~humanities
beeef LinkI was looking for discussion and analysis of a book I recently finished and it was so hard to wade through mountains of SEO optimized crap and AI slop. I feel like I used to be able to find some...I was looking for discussion and analysis of a book I recently finished and it was so hard to wade through mountains of SEO optimized crap and AI slop. I feel like I used to be able to find some English professor's personal geocities blog fairly easily and get some actual interesting viewpoints. I wish I could filter out websites based on Alexa rank or something, just remove the top 10% or 20% or even 50% most visited websites on the net from my search results so I could find some good "deep cuts" with real discussion and opinions.
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Comment on US Army ups maximum enlistment age to 42, relaxes rules on marijuana in ~society
beeef Link ParentIf there was some kind of transfer to get similar pay and job type from private industry to the military at age 40 I would maybe consider it. Could be interesting (if not for current commander in...If there was some kind of transfer to get similar pay and job type from private industry to the military at age 40 I would maybe consider it. Could be interesting (if not for current commander in chief). I could even deal with hanging out at basic training with a bunch of 18 year olds for a few weeks (months? I know nothing). But it seems like you start at the bottom no matter what, not sure how many 40 year olds want to take an 80% pay cut to enlist.
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Comment on When you were first getting your driver's license, what were you afraid of? in ~transport
beeef LinkI grew up watching NASCAR and was a big fan of Jeff Gordon. Played Gran Turismo and Need For Speed games. Tokyo Drift came out the year before I turned 16. I got the same Civic from the scene at...I grew up watching NASCAR and was a big fan of Jeff Gordon. Played Gran Turismo and Need For Speed games. Tokyo Drift came out the year before I turned 16. I got the same Civic from the scene at the start of F&F 1 where the three of them drive under the semi to steal DVD players or something. I was itching to get my license and absolutely drove like I was trying to become a stunt driver in one of those movies. We got a lot of snow growing up too so any chance we got we were out in the high school parking lot drifting around and whippin' shitties. I got pretty good at pulling the hand brake to do a 180 and parallel park against the curb.
I also did some really stupid stuff. I remember going around 90-100 down a 2 lane and hydroplaning straight through a 4 way stop. When I hit the brakes and realized I couldn't slow down at all I just tried to keep it straight and steer through it. Thankfully no one else was there at the time. I also remember taking friends snowboarding, pushing 100 in the snow in my mom's minivan that I borrowed for the trip with like 5 other kids in the car. Easily could've been a front page news tragedy. What an idiot I was.
Did you fear adverse weather conditions like icy roads? How did you handle them?
Honestly I looked forward to them. That little Civic wasn't powerful enough to break the tires loose unless there was rain or snow on the ground.
Did you initially consider yourself as too incompetent to drive?
One of my teachers said I had "testosterone poisoning". I was cocky and bullheaded about basically everything back then.
Were you afraid of breaking traffic laws?
I knew where the cops hung out in town. I got two speeding tickets in college, both on road trips though. One officer told me he clocked me at over 120, but dropped the ticket down to 89 in a 65 since it was my first one ever and I think anything more than 25 over could be jail time or something?
Were you afraid of getting into an accident?
I got in two, actually. Taught me a lot about working on cars. Fortunately the '96 Civic was easy to work on. Haven't been in one since (knock on wood).
Did you face any of these situations and how did you handle them?
I had the car towed back to the house both times. Dragged it into the garage and one of my dad's friends helped teach me how to fix it. Bought parts from NAPA with my earnings from my minimum wage bagel shop job.
Are you still afraid of driving?
Depends. If I'm far into the backcountry without cell service I worry about things breaking down on my old rusty truck. I carry some emergency spare parts and an decent tool set though. If my wife and fur-daughter are in the truck I'm also much more careful about what trails I'm willing to attempt. I can still have a bit of a lead foot on the highway too. Honestly I'm less afraid of being in an accident than I am afraid of being "at fault" and dealing with higher insurance rates.
To this day I still think I would've made a decent race car driver. I went to a semi-competitive kart track day and drove a demo cart a few years back, and apparently I drove well enough without ever having driven that cart or that track before that one of the weekend racers I was on the track with asked me if I ever competed or had my own kart. That felt pretty good. If I lived nearer to a track I'd probably buy a kart or maybe build out an MR2 or fox body for SCCA events.
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Comment on The 49MB web page in ~comp
beeef Link ParentMy favorite uBlock custom filter is the one that blocks those dumb "sign in with Google" popups on the top right of every site. I also switched to Firefox browser on my phone when I learned you...My favorite uBlock custom filter is the one that blocks those dumb "sign in with Google" popups on the top right of every site. I also switched to Firefox browser on my phone when I learned you could get add-ons to the phone browser, I had no idea you could do that for a long time.
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Comment on The 49MB web page in ~comp
beeef Link ParentI've only really used uBlock Origin, do you find the additional Firefox add-ons you mentioned make a difference? I had Privacy Badger and Facebook Container installed for some time but I didn't...I've only really used uBlock Origin, do you find the additional Firefox add-ons you mentioned make a difference? I had Privacy Badger and Facebook Container installed for some time but I didn't notice a massive difference. I had NoScript for a while but it basically broke every website and I had to disable it so much it wasn't really doing anything any more. And use NordVPN in the browser. I'm guessing the "difference" is something that happens in the background instead of something you notice though. I'm rambling, I guess my question is: how did you land on your current stack "uBlock Origin + Decentraleyes + CanvasBlocker + Bypass Paywalls Clean"?
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
beeef LinkI got sick and then had a loss in the family so I was out of it for basically all of Nov, Dec, Jan. I'm trying to get back to a three day weekly exercise routine + weekend activities. Submitting...I got sick and then had a loss in the family so I was out of it for basically all of Nov, Dec, Jan. I'm trying to get back to a three day weekly exercise routine + weekend activities. Submitting for commentary from the community...
- Tuesdays: Pull days
- Deadlift (5/3/1)
- Pullups (switch between military grip, parallel grip, outward grip, reverse grip each week)
- Upper back (dumbell rows or barbell rows)
- Some kind of bicep curls (for the vanity)
- Weighted RDL
- Wednesdays:
- ride bike or peloton (waiting on a knee surgery, can't really do squats at the moment)
- side lunges and other knee stuff my physical therapist gave me
- Thursdays: push days
- Flat bench (5/3/1)
- Weighted dips
- Incline or decline dumbell bench
- Some kind of tricep extension
- Box jumps or step ups or more lunges
Then weekends are hiking, biking, skiing, something like that. My goals used to be 300/400/500 in bench/squat/dead but I don't think that's attainable any more (especially without really being able to do heavy squats at all), so I need to figure something else out. Maybe would like to try to get more lean for the summer bod while maintaining strength. Partial ACL and patellar tendon reconstruction surgery is likely happening in September.
- Tuesdays: Pull days
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Do you watch TV in the morning? If so, what do you watch? I'm looking for recommendations.
Ever since I was a kid, the kitchen TV has been on in the morning while we eat breakfast and get ready for school. I remember Flipper and Rocky and Bullwinkle being on when we were younger and...
Ever since I was a kid, the kitchen TV has been on in the morning while we eat breakfast and get ready for school. I remember Flipper and Rocky and Bullwinkle being on when we were younger and then Katie Couric and Matt Lauer on The Today Show later on.
As an adult, I've been looking for something linear to watch in the morning while I eat breakfast to put a stop to my bad habit of doom scrolling. I have about 30-45 minutes between walking my dog and logging onto my work computer where I eat breakfast and sit at the kitchen table. This is kind of "me time" to get ready for the day and try to get my brain to ramp up into work mode that has taken the place of my morning commute ever since COVID now that I work remote. Here's what I've tried and why I don't like them:
- The Today Show (and other mass-market morning news): honestly these have some "real" news in them but I feel like there's too much time wasted on filler & fluff & pop culture that I don't really care about.
- CNBC, usually Squawk on the Street: I like that this is more straight to the point but it's more heavily financial than I really need it to be. I'm not an active investor so, while I like getting business/market news, I don't need 45 minutes dedicated to it.
- Bloomberg's Bloomberg Brief on YT: this is a bit broader than the previous option, but still more heavily focused on financial markets than I really need to be.
I'm mostly interested in major world events, economics, tech, and business. I specifically do not care to hear about pop culture and sports (that's for after work) and I'm so tired of hearing about American political theater (although I'd like to know when something concrete happens).
So yeah. What do you watch in the morning? Do you have any suggestions?
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
beeef LinkI took on a contract project for a small business that wants to, essentially, use Airtable as a data warehouse for a half dozen external tools, with syncing happening in both directions. I...I took on a contract project for a small business that wants to, essentially, use Airtable as a data warehouse for a half dozen external tools, with syncing happening in both directions. I actually think it would be easier to build it in AWS (part of the reason I though it would be easy is Airtable is all point and click) but I'm trying to do everything no code / low code with Zapier and other no-code tools and... yeah. Whoops. Too late to go back now, but I think I've nuked my weekends for the next few months.
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Comment on Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without an online account in ~tech
beeef LinkI haven't gotten a new device since 2023 (which I did set up with a local only account) so I am surely out of the loop, but do these OOBE onboarding flows allow you to create a new account? If...I haven't gotten a new device since 2023 (which I did set up with a local only account) so I am surely out of the loop, but do these OOBE onboarding flows allow you to create a new account? If they are really going to force this on me, I'm just going to spam them with empty, useless accounts from a data collection standpoint, just creating a new, empty account not connected to anything else for each device "bobs_asus_laptop_2025@outlook.com" and "bobs_galaxy_s22_2026@samsung.com", etc.
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Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 4 in ~sports.american_football
beeef LinkAs a Packers fan I can't help but feel the Special Teams woes are returning. I don't know what the statistics say but it felt like they weren't as much of an issue in the past few years vs the...As a Packers fan I can't help but feel the Special Teams woes are returning. I don't know what the statistics say but it felt like they weren't as much of an issue in the past few years vs the Capers/McCarthy era. After looking so strong in the first to games they just came out flat the last two. They're definitely a team that seems to play to the level of the opponent. I was so angry after the Browns game but felt more apathetic after the Cowboys game, it's shaping up to be another season of big talk with little to back it up.
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Comment on Horror games to play during October in ~games
beeef LinkOutlast is fun and genuinely scary. There is no shooting, it's purely stealth and exploration with a little resource management (batteries so you can use your camera's night vision to see).Outlast is fun and genuinely scary. There is no shooting, it's purely stealth and exploration with a little resource management (batteries so you can use your camera's night vision to see).
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Comment on Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before sixty miles in ~transport
beeef LinkI was expecting the accident to take place in the city, with a traffic cone or a pothole. My assumption was that a (somewhat) clear, controlled access highway would be the simplest possible...I was expecting the accident to take place in the city, with a traffic cone or a pothole. My assumption was that a (somewhat) clear, controlled access highway would be the simplest possible situation for FSD to handle. I was surprised to see it was in actuality a large, easy to see piece of debris on a clear road during a sunny day. High risk, high speed, and completely avoidable.
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Comment on What words do you recommend? in ~talk
beeef Link ParentI had no idea. TBH we were all just graduated resort workers at the time so I think we just assumed our manager was pronouncing it correctly. Most of our friend group were also Spanish speakers so...I had no idea. TBH we were all just graduated resort workers at the time so I think we just assumed our manager was pronouncing it correctly. Most of our friend group were also Spanish speakers so maybe puerta just snuck in there since the front door of the hotel is generally right beneath the porte-cochère.
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Comment on What words do you recommend? in ~talk
beeef Linkporte-cochère, which is basically the awning you drive under at the front of a lot of commercial buildings. Bunch of my friends work in hotels and when I learned this word I couldn't believe I...porte-cochère, which is basically the awning you drive under at the front of a lot of commercial buildings. Bunch of my friends work in hotels and when I learned this word I couldn't believe I never had a name for such a common thing before. It's kind of pronounced like "puert-uh-cuh-shay".
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Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech
beeef Link ParentI have a habit of touching the rear door while walking to the driver's door on my car because it unlocks all the doors. I'll need to see if I can do this with mine.I have a habit of touching the rear door while walking to the driver's door on my car because it unlocks all the doors. I'll need to see if I can do this with mine.
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Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech
beeef (edited )LinkI live in the mountains and we get a lot of snow. There are two settings I use frequently. Select Shift Many automatic transmission vehicles allow you to go into a "manual" mode where you can...I live in the mountains and we get a lot of snow. There are two settings I use frequently.
Select Shift
Many automatic transmission vehicles allow you to go into a "manual" mode where you can usually set the max gear the vehicle will go in, effectively allowing you to force down shifts (most don't let you shift up, though). This is helpful to me in a few ways:
- Going uphill on frequently traveled routes, I can preemptively shift down into 5th or 4th when I know the vehicle will need it anyway. I think this is easier on the transmission than pushing the throttle down until it "detects" it needs to downshift, at which point it frequently has to go down an extra gear and rev way up to get me back to speed.
- Descent control. Basically engine braking to be easier on your brakes and just less work for my right foot down long hills.
- Snow. ABS is great but you can avoid using ABS if you just stay in a lower gear. Your vehicle will decelerate faster without hitting the brakes. You can also accelerate faster if you're already in a lower gear.
TCS Off in the Snow
It might sound crazy but I turn traction control off in the snow. The main reason is: if you are sliding with your wheels turned, even with ABS on (understeer) you can sometimes regain control by taking your foot off the brakes, and giving it some gas, spinning the tires a bit to force oversteer. But traction control systems will detect your spinning tires and cut your throttle. This one is a little trickier and there are certainly pros and cons, but it has kept me from hitting the curb in a few roundabouts over the years. Also this one works better on AWD/4WD vehicles than FWD.
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Comment on Android emulators to actually use mobile apps in day-to-day life? in ~tech
beeef LinkOne of the worst parts of the app takeover is not being able to use my laptop monitor to do things. I have a mapping app (Avenza) that I've purchased a few geo referenced PDFs on, I wish I could...One of the worst parts of the app takeover is not being able to use my laptop monitor to do things. I have a mapping app (Avenza) that I've purchased a few geo referenced PDFs on, I wish I could open the app on my laptop and have a larger screen to work from. Many of these maps are available elsewhere and I can import kml data to it, but this stuff should be available on their website or on a desktop program, not locked in an app.
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Comment on Dallas Cowboys are trading three-time All-Pro LB Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in ~sports.american_football
beeef Link ParentPackers traded Kenny Clark, who has been a fixture on our defense. It is a tough pull to swallow but it sounds like Micah is much stronger. Also the net financial impact of the trade is learned by...Packers traded Kenny Clark, who has been a fixture on our defense. It is a tough pull to swallow but it sounds like Micah is much stronger.
Also the net financial impact of the trade is learned by Clark's contract going to the Cowboys.
Overall this is a win for the Packers.
I got a 32:9 Ultrawide and the two I've been enjoying so far are Beam NG Drive and Arma Reforger. I really just got Arma because the helicopter flight looked cool. So I am basically just using it as a flight sim in the sandbox mode. I have played a few multiplayer games but it takes a while to get up to the point you can get a heli in those games. I've enjoyed Beam for a long time but with the new screen it is so much better.
I've also rejoined my playthrough on Divinity Original Sin II. Despite having about 250 hours in multiple playthroughs throughout the years, Arx is the furthest I've gotten. I've decided I'm going to finish this before picking up Baldur's Gate.
I still haven't finished Elden Ring and was so disappointed that you need a mod to get ultrawide working, and you have to be offline in order to not trip the anti-cheat with it.
I'd really like to find an immersive first person RPG with native ultrawide support. I started playing Borderlands 2 again when I saw it supported ultrawide natively, but I like the more Skyrim-ish vibes rather than future/dystopia sort of thing.