bhrgunatha's recent activity

  1. Comment on Five of the best Terry Pratchett books and suggestions for how to read Pratchett's work in ~books

    bhrgunatha
    (edited )
    Link
    I was considering this myself a while ago. The best result I found was a reddit thread and its expandable image.

    I was considering this myself a while ago.

    The best result I found was a reddit thread and its expandable image.

    4 votes
  2. Comment on Whats a drug that you would never try? in ~talk

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    I just meant it as an ironic footnote.

    I just meant it as an ironic footnote.

    1 vote
  3. Comment on Whats a drug that you would never try? in ~talk

    bhrgunatha
    Link
    I find it interesting this was posted by @buddhism@ ... see later. I crossed out drugs from the NIH Commonly use drugs chart that I haven't taken Alcohol Cannabis (Marijuana/Pot/Weed) Central...

    I find it interesting this was posted by @buddhism@ ... see later.

    I crossed out drugs from the NIH Commonly use drugs chart that I haven't taken

    • Alcohol
    • Ayahuasca
    • Cannabis (Marijuana/Pot/Weed)
    • Central Nervous System Depressants (Benzos)
    • Cocaine (Coke/Crack)
    • Fentanyl
    • GHB
    • Hallucinogens
    • Heroin
    • Inhalants
    • Ketamine
    • Khat
    • Kratom
    • LSD (Acid)
    • MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly)
    • Mescaline (Peyote)
    • Methamphetamine (Crystal/Meth)
    • Over-the-Counter Medicines—Dextromethorphan (DXM)
    • Over-the-Counter Medicines—Loperamide
    • PCP (Angel Dust)
    • Prescription Opioids (Oxy/Percs)
    • Prescription Stimulants (Speed)
    • Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms/Shrooms)
    • Rohypnol® (Flunitrazepam/Roofies)
    • Salvia
    • Steroids (Anabolic)
    • Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2/Spice)
    • Synthetic Cathinones (Bath Salts/Flakka)
    • Tobacco/Nicotine and Vaping

    I'm pretty sure I would have tried the rest if I'd had access to them, except Steroids.

    I'm not sure if I was addicted to the harder drugs - though probably weed and alcohol. Despite the horror stories and danger, a lot of people take harder drugs recreationally, probably way more than you think - though I'm not condoning it.

    I ended up in a bad way at one point. I still don't understand why but weirdly I convinced myself to spend a year in a Zen monastery in Japan. Japan is notoriously expensive so I travelled and worked (mostly illegally) through Asia trying desperately to save enough. Despite continuing my bad habits I was introduced to a yoga/meditation teacher which eventually led me to quit everything though it was quite a long struggle.

    I never made it to Japan へ‿(ツ)‿ㄏ

    14 votes
  4. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    Just deserts? I assumed it was the mistress but remember wondering how could she have dried and changed so quickly. Poetic justice though if it was someone else disguised as her.
    Just deserts? I assumed it was the mistress but remember wondering how could she have dried and changed so quickly. Poetic justice though if it was someone else disguised as her.
    1 vote
  5. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    For anyone else interested, it's worth reading your more detailed analysis than mine. The only thing I'd mention is he lost his right eye at 3 to cancer and it's a prosthetic - same as mine as if...

    For anyone else interested, it's worth reading your more detailed analysis than mine.

    The only thing I'd mention is he lost his right eye at 3 to cancer and it's a prosthetic - same as mine as if I needed any more

    2 votes
  6. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    We have to infer one hidden detail The doctor strangles his wife after planning a trip together and she dies later in the hospital. Columbo discovers the plan to disguise his mistress/patient as...
    We have to infer one hidden detail The doctor strangles his wife after planning a trip together and she dies later in the hospital. Columbo discovers the plan to disguise his mistress/patient as his wife boarding and leaving the plane . She crumbles under Columbo's threats and pressure and agrees to fake her death at the pool (implying Columbo set this up off-screen). Overhearing the doctor's contempt causes her to fully co-operate with the police.
    2 votes
  7. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    You're not wrong though, it ran from 1968-2003 - 75 in hist last appearance. Apparently a proposed finale was turned down in 2008. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

    You're not wrong though, it ran from 1968-2003 - 75 in hist last appearance. Apparently a proposed finale was turned down in 2008. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

    2 votes
  8. Comment on ‘Reddit can survive without search’: company reportedly threatens to block Google in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    It's not filtering DDG's own results, it takes you directly to google's search page/s (or whatever the site). It also strips out some of the tracking you wold incur if you searched directly on the...

    It's not filtering DDG's own results, it takes you directly to google's search page/s (or whatever the site). It also strips out some of the tracking you wold incur if you searched directly on the site like your originating IP address but it's marginal at best since once you're on the site you're bound by their own data collection.

    There's even a !bangs search

    1 vote
  9. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    bhrgunatha
    Link
    I've been watching Columbo on and off for about 6 months and I'm nearing the end. I haven't seen an episode since I was a kid but it's such a solid and consistent show except perhaps the final...

    I've been watching Columbo on and off for about 6 months and I'm nearing the end. I haven't seen an episode since I was a kid but it's such a solid and consistent show except perhaps the final season - a series of 90 minute specials released over 13 years.

    One thing I came to love about his character that I hadn't picked up on is not simply the infamous "just one more thing" but the way he incessantly keeps needling and badgering the suspects. Thoroughly recommended despite being dated.

    Thinking of tackling The Rockford Files next.

    8 votes
  10. Comment on ‘Reddit can survive without search’: company reportedly threatens to block Google in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    💯 Reddit has been telling people since the inception of search that it's improving and fixed its problems and it's now "outstanding™". It's still incredibly poor in comparison, arguably worse...

    💯
    Reddit has been telling people since the inception of search that it's improving and fixed its problems and it's now "outstanding™". It's still incredibly poor in comparison, arguably worse since adopting sponsored and "relevant" results.

    Last time I checked it couldn't find ~70% subtitle of the exact post title in a specific sub, whereas it was the first result in google & duckduckgo.

    17 votes
  11. Comment on The Hollywood writers strike is over after guild leaders approve contract with studios in ~movies

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    The Scriptnotes podcast summarise the main points. It's dry but informative comparing initial requests/responses and final outcome plus explanations for those of us not in the industry.

    The Scriptnotes podcast summarise the main points.

    It's dry but informative comparing initial requests/responses and final outcome plus explanations for those of us not in the industry.

    8 votes
  12. Comment on Reddit is going to let you turn gold into money in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    I deleted my primary 17-year account replacing all the content I've ever provided with boiler plate text explaining why and deleting all submissions - the links remain but attributed to [deleted]....

    I deleted my primary 17-year account replacing all the content I've ever provided with boiler plate text explaining why and deleting all submissions - the links remain but attributed to [deleted]. None of the tools I tried were very successful and they put server side barriers in place, so it was a good exercise in ViolentMonkey scripting.

    I was torn between deleting it all as most people do (leaving nothing for advertisers to target) or my explanation repeated over many threads.

    I deleted all other accounts/content except one (opting out of the new layout) and no subscriptions. I won't ever comment or post there again but there are places I still want to consult and I'll inevitably follow links from other sites. Reddit Enhancement Suite has been an indispensable tools for ages so it remains bearable in comparison to the execrable new layout experience.

    My use has dropped to almost 0%.

    5 votes
  13. Comment on Firefox outperforms Chrome in speed for the first time according to a Speedometer assessment in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    Link
    tl;dr my crappy console script to expand reddit comment threads works well on Firefox but causes Chromium to fail rendering the fully expanded page and asks you to reload where you start from...

    tl;dr my crappy console script to expand reddit comment threads works well on Firefox but causes Chromium to fail rendering the fully expanded page and asks you to reload where you start from unexpanded original page again.

    Anecdata:

    I recently wrote a small script to run in the console on reddit threads with many comments that have "load more comments" and "continue this thread" links dotted about. I am not a javascript dev, so my script is horrendously slow e.g. on huge comment threads like the disastrous API changes AMA (~ 34-35,000 comments). There is a user script (grease monkey, violent monkey, tamper monkey...) for this but it fails very often for me especially on large threads or automatically expand everything.

    When you click load more comments there are 2 actions. First "load more comments" is replaced with "loading...", second the contents of the page are altered in-situ with whatever comments ares returned from the backend. Clicking the links too fast e.g. in a scripted loop won't work though - the first action is OK but the 2nd action doesn't work. Probably rate limited on the backend or something.

    After some tinkering a delay of 400ms is needed for my machine.

    Secondly clicking a "continue this thread" replaces the whole page with the deeper thread. So I adapted it to open them in new tabs instead.

    It took about 3h 11m to run on that AMA thread in Firefox and a similar time on chromium. However closing the console causes the page to re-render which Firefox handles but cause Chromium to fail and offer to re-load the page again.

    One reflection I should probably open the dev tools in a different window to run the script to stop the re-rendering of the page when they're closed it works all the large threads I've tested it on.

  14. Comment on What do Tilderinos theorize regarding the Mandela Effect? in ~talk

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    In fact I didn't read about it. I used to teach English (ESL) to a Professor whose PhD was related to neuron behaviour. Of the many things she told me about were this effect. If I remember...

    In fact I didn't read about it. I used to teach English (ESL) to a Professor whose PhD was related to neuron behaviour.

    Of the many things she told me about were this effect. If I remember correctly it's concerned with the way neural pathways change over time and both creating and recalling memories affect the memory.

    The other thing that absolutely blew my mind (ha ha) was when she told me about the effects of mirror neurons.

    Really looking forward now to listening to that Radiolab episode.

    1 vote
  15. Comment on What do Tilderinos theorize regarding the Mandela Effect? in ~talk

    bhrgunatha
    Link
    I've always assumed it's related to the Illusory Truth Effect Governments and companies definitely employ this effect to change the narrative around bad press. I think mostly it's simply people...

    I've always assumed it's related to the Illusory Truth Effect

    ... In a 2015 study, researchers discovered that familiarity can overpower rationality and that repetitively hearing that a certain statement is wrong can paradoxically cause it to feel right ...

    Governments and companies definitely employ this effect to change the narrative around bad press.

    I think mostly it's simply people posting on the internet about things they misremember. If it gets picked up and repeated enough you'll get the Mandela effect. Don't forget there are also plenty of trolls who will willingly lie, edit pictures or videos and do whatever else they can for the lulz.

    For example I can't imagine a valid reason why Fruit of the Loom would say there was never a cornucopia. I'm not saying they aren't lying. But what do they stand to lose or gain from lying about this?

    I think you've just come across one such example that's snowballed enough that it's gained traction and you've become aware of it.

    I'm diving into murky water now. If someone knowledgable can back it up or disprove I'd appreciate any feedback. Our memories are not accurate. I also remember reading somewhere that every time we access our long-term memory it can (and maybe even always does) get altered according to our current situation, state of mind and other brain connections we've formed . I vividly remember seeing a monkey on the roof of house a few doors down when I young and went out with my family. My parents both said it never happened but there was rumour among schoolkids going around that a family nearby had a pet monkey. Again my parents say that wasn't true either. I remember it though.

    5 votes
  16. Comment on /r/IAmA mods to stop hosting celebrity AMAs, verifying identities, and more in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    Thanks. I had completely forgotten about adding redditors as mods until I caught up on this thread. I do now remember that there was a wave of copycats abusing the system and adding users once the...

    Thanks. I had completely forgotten about adding redditors as mods until I caught up on this thread. I do now remember that there was a wave of copycats abusing the system and adding users once the idea was discovered.

  17. Comment on /r/IAmA mods to stop hosting celebrity AMAs, verifying identities, and more in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    VIctoria was a paid employee. I expect reddit will assign their staff to take over the tasks the moderators have said they will no longer do. Here's a quote part of my final comments at reddit:...

    VIctoria was a paid employee. I expect reddit will assign their staff to take over the tasks the moderators have said they will no longer do.

    Here's a quote part of my final comments at reddit:

    I believe he (context edit: Steve Huffman, spez) was working carefully in collusion with board member and co-founder Alex Ohanian - kn0thing in order to become CEOsee NB below by manipulating the reddit community into causing Ellen Pao to resign.

    After finally admitting to sacking Victoria
    a well liked community outreach employee over a disagreement with Ohanian about the future of AMAs. He allowed Ellen Pao to take all the vitriol and hate after the announcement. His response to the blackout of IAMA sub in response to the firing


    NB: spez left reddit in 2009, and created a flight search site, Hipmunk in 2010. He later left to become reddit CEO in July 2015 and sold Hipmunk in 2016. I've no idea what was happening at Hipmunk but I suspect things weren't going well. He has a history of bad decision making, leadership and communication with the reddit community since his return and that seems like an established pattern. I speculate he wasn't leading Hipmunk and decided or persuaded to leave. I firmly believe when he decided to leave and sell Hipmunk, he would have been heavily influential at Reddit still to become the new CEO.

    A lot of media attention came to jailbait leading to it eventually getting shut down. Most vilification was directed at the most active moderator violentacrez , but spez was originally a mod there too. It was voted best subreddit by reddit's users in 2008.

    Update: I'll leave the above section but do read the sub-thread below this comment- in particular this one - for important missing context regarding early ability to add mods without their knowledge and approval. This may well have been the result of a stunt.

    25 votes
  18. Comment on The Apollo app for Reddit closes this evening. End of an era. in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    Link Parent
    These are great tips, thank you. Especially giving concrete examples, it really helps.

    These are great tips, thank you. Especially giving concrete examples, it really helps.

    3 votes
  19. Comment on The Apollo app for Reddit closes this evening. End of an era. in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Thanks for that link, it's actually re-assuring and does explain issues that many people have complained about. Another issue, which I think is what freaked a lot of people out initially, is your...

    Thanks for that link, it's actually re-assuring and does explain issues that many people have complained about.

    Another issue, which I think is what freaked a lot of people out initially, is your profile doesn't show comments/posts in subs marked private. Many subs remained private, so people waited for 2-3 days to deleted everything. When a sub eventually re-opens those posts and comments soon reappear on their profile. A recently re-opened example is listentothis.

    It's probably why I haven't really noticed any red flags personally. I kept a list of private subs, marking them off as they re-open.

    I deleted everything for all but 2 accounts and used google / duckduckgo to search the exact account names. Every link I have found has had nothing restored. It's not a perfect approach but it very much backs up what Deimos says.

    6 votes
  20. Comment on The Apollo app for Reddit closes this evening. End of an era. in ~tech

    bhrgunatha
    (edited )
    Link
    No need to re-iterate my feelings about reddit. Links below if you want to catch up. I am concerned that reddit is silently restoring deleted posts, comments and edits. I going to wait to check if...

    No need to re-iterate my feelings about reddit. Links below if you want to catch up.

    I am concerned that reddit is silently restoring deleted posts, comments and edits. I going to wait to check if what I've removed/edited has been restored before deleting my main account. So far, some random sampling hasn't shown any red flags. I expect they are queuing up all restores though, but at some point they will either have remove the ability altogether or allow deleting and editing as usual, probably backed with secretive checks - like how they handle spam. But I'm very patient as stubborn as a mule.

    I don't contribute much to tildes, but I really should rectify that because it does feel similar to the early reddit days. I think the rules here have been well considered - no downvoting in my opinion is strictly necessary. If you disagree with something all you can do is ignore it or reply with your own opinions. I'm not active enough here to notice much drama but I'm not dealing with it day-to-day so what do I know? I do worry it's a matter of scale - Eternal September. I've only had 1 comment (calling me a gatekeeper) that I thought was unnecessary, but that's so little friction it's laughable.


    9 votes