bugsmith's recent activity

  1. Comment on What are some traditional internet forums that you still use? in ~tech

  2. Comment on a/s/l? Tildes user survey question. in ~tildes

  3. Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    Yes, that's exactly how I feel. I search more and more tools that are great out of the box. And I've gotten into the mindset of configuring myself rather than configuring the tool, so to speak.

    Yes, that's exactly how I feel. I search more and more tools that are great out of the box. And I've gotten into the mindset of configuring myself rather than configuring the tool, so to speak.

    4 votes
  4. Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    I live by Todoist currently. What is it you prefer about TickTick's work flow? I'm really fussy with my productivity apps and Todoist just feels right. I'm not actually entirely sure what it is I...

    I live by Todoist currently. What is it you prefer about TickTick's work flow?
    I'm really fussy with my productivity apps and Todoist just feels right. I'm not actually entirely sure what it is I love about it compared to others. But there are some things I wish it had, such as the ability to differentiate between the date something is due by and the date I wish to do something.

    3 votes
  5. Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    Have you also tried Raycast?

    Have you also tried Raycast?

    1 vote
  6. Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link
    For me, it's my favourite text editor, Helix. It's a modal text editor, similar to Vim, but it's superfast and has incredible defaults. I've found very little I've wanted to configure as it's...

    For me, it's my favourite text editor, Helix. It's a modal text editor, similar to Vim, but it's superfast and has incredible defaults. I've found very little I've wanted to configure as it's amazing out of the box, and it makes typing (writing, programming, whatever) an absolute joy for me.

    28 votes
  7. Comment on As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    Dare I even mention something like Kagi? It's mentioned so often as a fantastic product, it almost feels like a meme (or makes me feel like a marketing shill). They just get better and better....

    Dare I even mention something like Kagi? It's mentioned so often as a fantastic product, it almost feels like a meme (or makes me feel like a marketing shill). They just get better and better. Each month, my value for money with them increases as they crank out user-centric features.

    I'd throw in "high-end" UK supermarkets as something that are, in my experience, bucking the enshittification trend. I regularly shop at Marks and Spencers and Waitrose. I started because I moved house, and they ended up being the nearest shops to me. I love them. For the longest time I believed they were shops only the truly affluent could afford to shop in regularly, but it turns out that's nonsense. For basics like fruits and vegetables (which are relatively cheap in the UK as a whole), or own-brand staples, they are rarely more expensive than any other shop. They don't necessarily have a 'value' range, so you won't get rock bottom prices, and they definitely cater for people looking for the more exorbitant side of the spectrum. But the shops are clean and spacious, the produce is notably higher quality for a similar price, you rarely find parking or general traffic issues, and it's just a much nicer experience. Where I see shrinkflation in branded products, I find consistency and often greater quality in their own brand products.

    Supermarkets in the UK are actually pretty great in general when compared on a world stage, at least in my own experience. We have a fiercly competitive market with no dominant company as of yet. Tesco is the largest my a fair margin, but only represent 28% market cap. See for yourself. I'm not sure how long it will last as there have been several attempted mergers and buyouts, fortunately stopped due to monopoly rules, but with Asda and Morrisons both struggling (the former due to being effectively purchased and stripped of assets...), we may see a shift for the worse in the coming years.

    11 votes
  8. Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food

    bugsmith
    Link
    I've been consuming a lot of Huel. I started a few years ago, to help ease the burden of full-time work and part-time study towards my BSc. The degree is now finished, but I've just grown to like...

    I've been consuming a lot of Huel.
    I started a few years ago, to help ease the burden of full-time work and part-time study towards my BSc.
    The degree is now finished, but I've just grown to like the product. It's pretty nutritious, low calorie, high protein and prepared in minutes - which is a rare combo.
    Am I concerned about consuming large amounts of UPFs? Yes, slightly. I think there's much worse stuff out there though, and this is ultimately stopping me from eating something much higher is saturated fats and sugars, for sure. But I do try to limit my consumption to just a few lunches per week.

    2 votes
  9. Comment on You can change ONE thing about a game. What do you change? in ~games

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    Yes. And no more forced stealth missions in non-stealth games. Nobody is buying Spider-Man to play as MJ...

    Yes.
    And no more forced stealth missions in non-stealth games.
    Nobody is buying Spider-Man to play as MJ...

    7 votes
  10. Comment on How would you moderate this scenario? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    No, but that's why I lead with the part you cut off of your quote: I simply wished to provide additional context I'd missed in my original post.

    No, but that's why I lead with the part you cut off of your quote:

    Not that I think this debunks your point, but for clarity, the individual mentioned is more than a developer...

    I simply wished to provide additional context I'd missed in my original post.

    3 votes
  11. Comment on How would you moderate this scenario? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    Fantastic response. Thank you. I cannot believe I've not come across that XKCD before this, but it really hammers your point home. You have really expressed something in your reply about free...

    Fantastic response. Thank you.
    I cannot believe I've not come across that XKCD before this, but it really hammers your point home.
    You have really expressed something in your reply about free speech that resonates with my own feelings, but I've struggled to express properly.

    4 votes
  12. Comment on How would you moderate this scenario? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    Yes, I think this is a rule we should have. But then you've perfectly described how that rule is the often applied too stringently, or moderators are torn apart for not applying it perfectly and...

    advocating for violence/death threats

    Yes, I think this is a rule we should have. But then you've perfectly described how that rule is the often applied too stringently, or moderators are torn apart for not applying it perfectly and ridiculed for having used discretion.

    6 votes
  13. Comment on How would you moderate this scenario? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    I'm certainly not a fan either. But it seems to be contextual whether a community finds it acceptable. I think there would be uproar if someone stated that David Attenborough should be hurt for...

    I'm certainly not a fan either. But it seems to be contextual whether a community finds it acceptable.
    I think there would be uproar if someone stated that David Attenborough should be hurt for any reason, but it seems to be very accepted when somebody calls for the killing of Vladimir Putin for example.

    4 votes
  14. Comment on How would you moderate this scenario? in ~tech

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    I would be horrified. Sickened. Sad. It's hard to actually put into words how awful that would make me feel. Not that I think this debunks your point, but for clarity, the individual mentioned is...

    I would be horrified. Sickened. Sad. It's hard to actually put into words how awful that would make me feel.

    Not that I think this debunks your point, but for clarity, the individual mentioned is more than a developer, and are certainly what I'd consider as a well-known public figure. Think somebody like Todd Howard or Peter Molyneux.

    4 votes
  15. How would you moderate this scenario?

    I'm one of the moderators of a small / medium community. I've been doing it for around a year, with no prior experience at moderating or helping to foster an online community. We have a section...

    I'm one of the moderators of a small / medium community. I've been doing it for around a year, with no prior experience at moderating or helping to foster an online community.

    We have a section for jokes and humour, and somebody posted one of those "train dilemma" memes. It gave the choice of letting the train hit one of several groups of people. It was general enough to not name anyone specific. The options were similar to:

    Let the train hit:
    a) Nintendo developers
    b) Sony developers
    c) Microsoft developers

    Fine. A bit crass, but hardly shocking.

    A commenter then replied by stating they don't mind which, so long as x well known developer is shot.

    Now that really threw me.

    The moderation team have been divided over it, although not strongly so. We are all generally in favour of removing it. But we are concerned about over-stepping and of course the topic of free-speech has arisen.

    As it came up with us, I'll also mention that there are no specific rules of the website, or this specific sub-community, to state such humour is disallowed.

    Where is the line drawn with free-speech? We would certainly remove anything pro-fascism, racist, homophobic or grossly offensive, but we do have rules that cover those.

    I'd be really keen to hear any views on how you would approach this and how you would justify your decision.

    20 votes
  16. Comment on I’ve acquired a new superpower in ~games

    bugsmith
    Link
    Am I the only one who cannot both cross their eyes and focus on objects? Whenever I try to cross my eyes, the only thing I can really focus on in my nose. I also end up getting eyes shakes. Am I...

    Am I the only one who cannot both cross their eyes and focus on objects?
    Whenever I try to cross my eyes, the only thing I can really focus on in my nose.
    I also end up getting eyes shakes.
    Am I different?

    9 votes
  17. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    bugsmith
    Link
    I've been playing Tunic. This is one I had meant to play when it first came out, but just never got around to it. But the premise alone was enough to hook it into my mind. I suspect I'm around...

    I've been playing Tunic.
    This is one I had meant to play when it first came out, but just never got around to it. But the premise alone was enough to hook it into my mind.

    I suspect I'm around three quarters of the way through it, although I can't be certain as I've avoided spoilers entirely. So far it has felt like a masterful blend of Dark Souls and The Legend of Zelda. The puzzles are cleverly designed, the secrets and dotted around with just enough clues to lead you to them (at least the ones I haven't missed!) and interesting enough to keep you coming back to areas to explore.

    There is more I'd like to say about this game, but I really don't want to give anything away to a prospective player, and so I'll leave at this. Wonderful game.

    11 votes
  18. Comment on Do you keep a diary? in ~talk

    bugsmith
    Link
    I wanted to write more, as a habit. My first idea was to start a blog, but then I constantly find excuses not to write. "I have nothing interesting to share.", "I'm not an interesting person",...

    I wanted to write more, as a habit. My first idea was to start a blog, but then I constantly find excuses not to write. "I have nothing interesting to share.", "I'm not an interesting person", "Nobody will visit your blog", etc. True or not, these excuses prevented me from writing consistently.

    And so, I started a journaling habit. I write using Obsidian and make an entry every day in my daily note. Occasionally I slip, but I apply the "two day rule", and never miss writing in it twice in a row. Sometimes I write about how little I have to talk about because my day was uninteresting. Sometimes I write about something I learned. I love to write about something new I learned about someone, which is great for future reference too.

    I've been doing this since January of this year. I've made an entry almost every day, but interestingly (or not!) have never once read an entry back!

    5 votes
  19. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    bugsmith
    Link
    Dungeon Crawler Carl. I've not long finished Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, which was phenomenal but quite heavy. Ahead of picking up it's sequel, I wanted something light and fun. DCC,...

    Dungeon Crawler Carl.

    I've not long finished Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, which was phenomenal but quite heavy. Ahead of picking up it's sequel, I wanted something light and fun.

    DCC, so far, is absolutely hitting the mark on that account. It's silly, it's light and it's extremely fun. Tonnes of pop culture references, and just an absolute slew of nerd-culture references. I'm about two thirds of the way through the first book and will almost certainly pick up the second and read that before moving on to something else.

    5 votes
  20. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    bugsmith
    Link Parent
    I think your retort is enough to convince me to at least continue up to the arc in question and make up my own mind. Really appreciate it :)

    I think your retort is enough to convince me to at least continue up to the arc in question and make up my own mind. Really appreciate it :)

    2 votes