bertro's recent activity

  1. Comment on Practically no one's buying current generation video cards in ~tech

    bertro
    Link Parent
    Yeah, absolutely. What I meant is that I didn't buy it just to say that I'm on the latest gen. It actually has a feature that makes a huge difference to me. If it weren't for frame gen, I would...

    Yeah, absolutely. What I meant is that I didn't buy it just to say that I'm on the latest gen. It actually has a feature that makes a huge difference to me. If it weren't for frame gen, I would have definitely skipped this generation

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Why I don't like ads in ~tech

    bertro
    Link
    I just did a major overhaul to "de-ad" my home network as much as possible: piHole on the network, SmartTube on the TV, Ublock + Privacy Badger + SponsorBlock + DeArrow on my PC and the kids'...

    I just did a major overhaul to "de-ad" my home network as much as possible: piHole on the network, SmartTube on the TV, Ublock + Privacy Badger + SponsorBlock + DeArrow on my PC and the kids' computers. And I have a VPN with built-in adblocking and all kinds of spoofing too, if needed.
    I get it: we can't have stuff for free. Ads pay the bills. Creators need to eat. Alphabet execs need their luxury vacations. My problem is not with ads as a concept, but with the horrible intrusive, cringy mess that online ads and clickbait have become.

    21 votes

  3. Comment on Practically no one's buying current generation video cards in ~tech

    bertro
    Link Parent
    Well, I'm no trend chaser, but I got a 4070Ti because the only thing I play is flight simulation and it's so CPU-bottlenecked that Nvidia's frame generation feature was my only hope of getting...

    Well, I'm no trend chaser, but I got a 4070Ti because the only thing I play is flight simulation and it's so CPU-bottlenecked that Nvidia's frame generation feature was my only hope of getting decent FPS across the 3 screens in my home cockpit, totaling a resolution of 8560x1440. I would have happily gone for the 4080 if the price were more reasonable, because at this resolution, the sim definitely pushes my VRAM to the limit.

    6 votes

  4. Comment on What is your least used piece of kitchen equipment / what do you "regret" buying? in ~food

    bertro
    Link Parent
    Omg, same. I got one some years ago, used it a grand total of 3 times in a whole year, then donated it when the next year's spring cleanup/decluttering came about.

    Omg, same. I got one some years ago, used it a grand total of 3 times in a whole year, then donated it when the next year's spring cleanup/decluttering came about.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Books that changed your perception in ~books

    bertro
    Link Parent
    I've read a ton of books in my life and this one is the first one that came to mind. Some people say it's outdated, but I personally believe it's even more relevant in today's world where so much...

    I've read a ton of books in my life and this one is the first one that came to mind. Some people say it's outdated, but I personally believe it's even more relevant in today's world where so much anger and egocentrism has made its way into how people interact with eachother. It's amazing how far kindness and making people feel like humans goes.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on Newborn babies, baby registries, first year of life, and sustainability in ~life

    bertro
    Link
    I didn't see anyone mention it, but "Sophie the giraffe". Man, that thing is magical! Our first born was so hooked on it that we didn't even think twice about getting Sophies to the other two that...

    I didn't see anyone mention it, but "Sophie the giraffe". Man, that thing is magical! Our first born was so hooked on it that we didn't even think twice about getting Sophies to the other two that came after that.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on Newborn babies, baby registries, first year of life, and sustainability in ~life

    bertro
    Link Parent
    We did the reusable diapers with one of the kids, where they were about 9 months old. We were heart and soul into it. We lasted maybe 2 months? The leaks, the chore (and cost) of washing, the risk...

    We did the reusable diapers with one of the kids, where they were about 9 months old. We were heart and soul into it. We lasted maybe 2 months? The leaks, the chore (and cost) of washing, the risk of diaper rash, the fact that they never really washed perfectly. Maybe we gave up too early, I don't know, but we got a visible bump in quality of life when we went back to the huggies.

    1 vote

  8. Comment on Redditors of Tildes .. what is the thing you can live without? in ~tech

    bertro
    Link
    The karma bots, the human karma hoes posting random garbage just for the sake of fake internet fame, the endless trolling. I love how wholesome this community feels so far.

    The karma bots, the human karma hoes posting random garbage just for the sake of fake internet fame, the endless trolling. I love how wholesome this community feels so far.

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Does anyone else habitually go unshod for health reasons? in ~health

    bertro
    Link
    I grew up in Eastern Europe. Spent my summer breaks in my grandparents village. Dirt roads and all that. We walked barefoot everywhere: in the backyard, on the roads, in the fields. My...

    I grew up in Eastern Europe. Spent my summer breaks in my grandparents village. Dirt roads and all that. We walked barefoot everywhere: in the backyard, on the roads, in the fields. My grandparents did too, to the point where the soles of their feet were thick as leather. Once my grandma walked around with a thorn in her sole and she didn't feel it was there. We never walked barefoot in the city though. Hot summer pavement burns like a motherfucker.
    I live in Canada now and I would never walk barefoot in public places, or allow my kids to. There's a risk of stepping on a needle at any time. My 3rd world home country was safer from this point of view.

    3 votes

  10. Comment on Twitter evicted from Colorado offices over unpaid rent in ~tech

    bertro
    Link
    Okay, I burst out laughing at this part... 🤣

    Twitter's press email auto-replied to a request for comment with a poop emoji," concludes the story.

    Okay, I burst out laughing at this part... 🤣

    19 votes

  11. Comment on Lego - what do you do with it afterwards? in ~hobbies

    bertro
    Link Parent
    To some of my "Lego puritan" acquaintances, this was blasphemy, lol. But we don't care. It's not like we had those expensive collectible sets anyway. Mostly Lego Mario, Lego Friends, etc. We love...

    To some of my "Lego puritan" acquaintances, this was blasphemy, lol. But we don't care. It's not like we had those expensive collectible sets anyway. Mostly Lego Mario, Lego Friends, etc. We love our vat of random parts that we can just pull from and build something new and unusual. The idea came from visiting a NYC public library once, that had a kiddie pool full of random Lego bricks in their playroom. The kids were having a blast inventing new things.

    4 votes

  12. Comment on Lego - what do you do with it afterwards? in ~hobbies

    bertro
    Link
    I've built my kid a ~3 meter (~9ft) shelf that we keep his most important/complex builds. At times, we need space for a new build and what usually happens is he picks one of the old builds that he...

    I've built my kid a ~3 meter (~9ft) shelf that we keep his most important/complex builds. At times, we need space for a new build and what usually happens is he picks one of the old builds that he no longer plays with and we take it apart and put all the pieces in a big container. It contains a mix of pieces from many different builds, and we use those pieces to create brand new stuff when we don't have any specific box set to make. We just randomly take pieces and build houses, vehicles, etc. Sky's the limit.

    16 votes

  13. Comment on Lego - what do you do with it afterwards? in ~hobbies

    bertro
    Link Parent
    so be very gentle/careful with the compressed air dusters. Coming from someone who had to clean up dozens of lego pieces scattered all over the room after using an electric duster. :))

    so be very gentle/careful with the compressed air dusters. Coming from someone who had to clean up dozens of lego pieces scattered all over the room after using an electric duster. :))

    4 votes

  14. Comment on Thoughts on LGBT memes and cliches in ~lgbt

    bertro
    Link Parent
    Thank you for your well thought-out response. Yeah, you're right, all experiences matter and there should be no gatekeeping. I must say that I never felt unwelcome. Nobody ever denied the validity...

    Thank you for your well thought-out response. Yeah, you're right, all experiences matter and there should be no gatekeeping. I must say that I never felt unwelcome. Nobody ever denied the validity of my gender identity or belonging to the community. This was just me being extra-careful to not "steal the thunder" from a community that's been through a lot of pain already.

    On a separate note, I'm really happy that you've beaten cancer and are living a healthy, happy life! :)

    2 votes

  15. Comment on Thoughts on LGBT memes and cliches in ~lgbt

    bertro
    Link Parent
    OMG, I did not intend to use it in that way at all. I had no idea this phrase has negative connotations, sorry. I only meant to say that I never experienced such discrimination simply because...

    I'm struck a bit by your use of the phrase "to fly under the radar" as well because I see that same phrase sometimes used by gay people to justify pretty overt biphobia.

    OMG, I did not intend to use it in that way at all. I had no idea this phrase has negative connotations, sorry. I only meant to say that I never experienced such discrimination simply because people can't really tell. I definitely don't treat myself poorly. After 43 years of life, I've come to embrace and love who I am, and I do my best to help others as I can. My "flying under the radar" is not an intentional effort to hide who I am. It occurs naturally because I'm a very private person by definition, and pretty boring in general, lol. I live as my true self and I'm not afraid/ashamed to show it when needed. The great thing about growing old is that you stop giving a crap about what others think of you. Wish I could go back in time and teach my teenage self this important life hack :)

  16. Comment on Thoughts on LGBT memes and cliches in ~lgbt

    bertro
    Link Parent
    So well said! I'm in the same boat. I feel like my concrete accomplishments (parenthood, profession - hi, fellow linguist!, hobbies) define me much better than stuff like nationality, gender...

    For some people, their gender and sexuality comes at the forefront of that list, and I am proud of them for having that joy in their identity. But I have always maintained that I would like being trans to be the least interesting thing about me, and while I am proud of being trans, I don't feel the need to shout it from the rooftops, as I have much more to give than my gender.

    So well said! I'm in the same boat. I feel like my concrete accomplishments (parenthood, profession - hi, fellow linguist!, hobbies) define me much better than stuff like nationality, gender identity, religion or lack thereof, the type of food I prefer, etc. If I had to introduce myself to a new person, I'd probably lead with: "computer geek, language nerd, father of amazing kids".
    I won't let any single trait be the predominant thing about me. I'm the sum of all my accomplishments and failures over the past 40+ years, for better or worse.

    6 votes

  17. Comment on What is the best way to be involved in a forum discussion in ~tech

    bertro
    Link
    First of all, don't feel bad. I've worked in community management for some years, mostly forums, and the golden rule is 90-9-1: 90% of members in most communities are lurkers, 9% contribute from...

    First of all, don't feel bad. I've worked in community management for some years, mostly forums, and the golden rule is 90-9-1: 90% of members in most communities are lurkers, 9% contribute from time to time, only 1% post consistently. And of those who do post, the overwhelming majority post comments to existing discussions, they don't create new threads.

    Don't feel like you have to post just for the sake of posting. Just go with the flow and let it happen naturally. E.g. you're reading a discussion about something that affects you, and you have a point of view, or a personal example: put that in as a comment. It doesn't have to be fancy: just write down your thoughts/experience on the matter. Other people might have had the same issue and will relate.

    Same with new threads: don't force yourself to come up with ideas to post just for the sake of posting. Because that's what results in floods of irrelevant posts that actually ruin a community and make it harder for people to find the answers they need. Let it come to you naturally and post when needed.

    6 votes

  18. Comment on Thoughts on LGBT memes and cliches in ~lgbt

    bertro
    Link Parent
    This hits home. It's one of the reasons why I don't really ever call myself "part of the community", but a strong ally instead. I feel like I'm way too "light" on the LGBTQ scale and would somehow...

    say I'm too heternormative or boring

    This hits home. It's one of the reasons why I don't really ever call myself "part of the community", but a strong ally instead. I feel like I'm way too "light" on the LGBTQ scale and would somehow usurp the term by calling myself part of it, since I never really had to experience the hardship, abuse and even life-threatening situations that many LGBTQ people face daily. I was born with a male body, I look like a guy, I dress pretty plain & boring, like many guys do, I only date women. People can't really see that my brain is not really a guy (or a girl, for that matter), but a continuous pendulum of feeling this way and that way, and most times not feeling like any gender at all. I fly under the radar and only a few very close people know about my fluidity. I never got discriminated for it, so I feel like an impostor even calling myself LGBTQ.

    9 votes

  19. Comment on Thoughts on LGBT memes and cliches in ~lgbt

    bertro
    Link Parent
    ha, I learned a new term today :) And I totally see your point. See, I've been somewhere in between genders my whole life. Sure, I was born male, I present male, and I'm ok with that, but the way...

    ha, I learned a new term today :) And I totally see your point. See, I've been somewhere in between genders my whole life. Sure, I was born male, I present male, and I'm ok with that, but the way I feel inside is floating somewhere in the middle, sometimes tilting towards one side, sometimes towards the other (but never really fully reaching either side), and often floating in an ambiguous nothing where I don't feel like any gender at all. I'm just... me. When I was a kid, I had no terminology for this. I went through the whole gamut of denial, shame, thinking I'm broken. But over the 40+ years of my life I've accepted that this is me. And I've learn terminology to define it, like "genderfluid", "non-binary". And I'm happy and fulfilled with who and how I am. I never felt that I'd want to become a woman. Doing that would deny a whole chunk of me. I totally see how calling me "an egg" would basically deny that acceptance and my sense of self-fulfilment and try to tell me "no, you're incomplete, you're not done yet, you haven't achieved your true self and potential, you shouldn't be happy with who you are".

    8 votes