charbon_de_bois's recent activity

  1. Comment on Redditors of Tildes, which subreddits are you missing the most during the blackout? in ~tech

    charbon_de_bois
    Link Parent
    DDG has actually been pretty good for finding reference images for me. If you study art or need something to be a particular kind of way, it seems to be more reliable there. Obviously it's not...

    DDG has actually been pretty good for finding reference images for me. If you study art or need something to be a particular kind of way, it seems to be more reliable there. Obviously it's not nearly up there with pop culture and "research."

    7 votes
  2. Comment on What have you been watching/reading this week? in ~anime

    charbon_de_bois
    Link Parent
    Oh it's so fantastic. Thats why im a bit sad they don't let everyone see to the end. HxH is so lovable you'll get more people to buy it.

    Oh it's so fantastic. Thats why im a bit sad they don't let everyone see to the end.

    HxH is so lovable you'll get more people to buy it.

  3. Comment on What are some drinks I should try? in ~talk

    charbon_de_bois
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Mass market isn't necessarily bad. It's just the aftermarket is soooo much better for a drink who's feature is the ginger beer. I still kinda dislike Fever Tree though, its harsh with no...

    Mass market isn't necessarily bad. It's just the aftermarket is soooo much better for a drink who's feature is the ginger beer. I still kinda dislike Fever Tree though, its harsh with no substance.

    The only time I ever like frozen drinks are when they are blended on site. Or the well, whatever mode

    I'd also caution into the Suffering B, just try out the ratios first. They are highly dependent on the flavor of your gin, brandy, and ginger ale. I'd recommend beefeater and some armagnac if you're trying to make middle class. The Rose's is essential, it mostly is sold in grocery stores though. I think it sits too long in most liquor stores.

    Real Cognac and Great Gin would overshadow each other.

    Good call and nice squeeze on the lime!

    1 vote
  4. Comment on What are some drinks I should try? in ~talk

    charbon_de_bois
    Link Parent
    Moscow Mules love a really good ginger beer. The one that I like is DG Jamaican Ginger Beer. It sort of has a rooty/bark/cinnamon like quality that really comes through. One trick I learned with...

    Moscow Mules love a really good ginger beer. The one that I like is DG Jamaican Ginger Beer. It sort of has a rooty/bark/cinnamon like quality that really comes through.

    One trick I learned with these is to cut the lime on the equator if the stem and base were the poles. This exposes the six separate cores. When you squeeze the half, more aromatics from the peel tend to come out as well. Even more so when you squeeze most of it out and roll it around in your hand.

    All in all I love Caribbean style drinks. If you can have a fresh Pina Colada or Daquiri definitely try it. Making them fresh is so much better than getting them from a machine on the beach.

    My favorite happens to be the Suffering Bastard. It uses the idea behind a Mule but spruces it up. The ingredients may sound nuts (brandy & gin!?) but I promise you it's delicious.

    Here's a recipe from Beachbum Barry's Potions of the Caribbean:

    • 1 oz Gin
    • 1 oz Cognac
    • 4oz Ginger Beer, chilled*
    • 1/2oz Rose's Lime**
    • 2 dashes Angostura

    For the ginger beer he recommends Reed's or Bundaberg because Fever Tree or other strong brands will overwhelm it. The gin and the brandy are crazy enough together. The ginger beer essentially bridges the two sides.

    On the Rose's Lime he mentions that the old stuff used to be really good, made out of sugar cane and other special flavorings. He says it's still the best option.

    1 vote
  5. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    charbon_de_bois
    Link
    I just started playing Hardspace: Shipbreaker. It's pretty fun so far but it's also difficult to learn the controls and understand how to dissect the ships properly. I like the concept too, it...

    I just started playing Hardspace: Shipbreaker. It's pretty fun so far but it's also difficult to learn the controls and understand how to dissect the ships properly. I like the concept too, it uses physics puzzles in a similar way to Portal/Cube, but instead of moving through a space you're trying to dissect it.

    If you like Sci-Fi/Space themed puzzle games and you're cool with zero-g it's worth a look. PC only unfortunately right now.

    3 votes
  6. Comment on What are you playing this week? in ~games

    charbon_de_bois
    Link
    I've been playing Sekiro. I wasn't sure I could do it but I've played enough hard games to realize that you're going to lose a lot. It's been a ton of fun honestly.

    I've been playing Sekiro. I wasn't sure I could do it but I've played enough hard games to realize that you're going to lose a lot. It's been a ton of fun honestly.

    1 vote
  7. Comment on What have you been watching/reading this week? in ~anime

    charbon_de_bois
    Link Parent
    I agree, but it's definitely the stuff before it that made it so worthwhile. The character development in HxH is soulcrushingly good.

    I agree, but it's definitely the stuff before it that made it so worthwhile.

    The character development in HxH is soulcrushingly good.

  8. Comment on What have you been watching/reading this week? in ~anime

    charbon_de_bois
    Link Parent
    Keep watching after that if you can. The election + Alluka story arcs are fantastic as well.

    Keep watching after that if you can. The election + Alluka story arcs are fantastic as well.

    2 votes
  9. Comment on What are the good ways to deal with situations when a generally good person believes in things like astrology and conspiracy theories? in ~talk

    charbon_de_bois
    Link Parent
    Astrology is so difficult to disprove to people that believe in it because it requires that belief to confirm its validity. It's really just a written form of cold reading. You believe half of...

    Astrology is so difficult to disprove to people that believe in it because it requires that belief to confirm its validity. It's really just a written form of cold reading. You believe half of what they say and discard the other half because it's not for you. Check this out:

    "Others' ambiguous comments will start to get on your nerves today -- why won't they just come out and say what they mean? If you want to get to the truth about what they think, then today you need to come right out and ask them. They might be surprised by your boldness, but they can't deny that they're wasting your time. If they still clam up, then it's a sure sign that they aren't worth the patience you're giving them. It may be time to move on as soon as you can."

    This is from an astrology website and I won't tell you which sign it's about. If we actually dissect this, it's really just a good educated guess (ambiguous comments can be irritating) followed up by advice on how to deal with that situation. It's super generalized --- but if this happened to you today you'd be hooked.

    There in lies the problem -- the more you believe it the more effective it is. I used to believe in astrology (not the crazy deep stuff about transients and pseudo-religious things) but I realized that it's just super general statements that are occasionally true. When they are, it reads like an advice column. When taken at face value in this sense it can be a net positive, but imagine if you woke up reading this statement and believed it to describe your future --

    You would be intentionally looking for ambiguous comments because you believed it was going to happen.

    Whether you followed the advice or not and whether it actually helped you would be up to the situation. In this sense, astrology isn't patently wrong, it's just framed as future-predicting sage advice. In reality it's just cold reading with a hint of suggestion. In this case, it could damage the relationship by the callous behavior of the last two lines. If you read the advice at best it would be -- "Is someone not giving you straight answers? Ask for clarification"

    Now the mental gymnastics it takes to think someone can predict the future and believe astrology is evidence? That's the kool aid talking.

    2 votes