clem's recent activity
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Comment on Looking at getting a new phone - help with my odd requirements? in ~tech
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Comment on Looking at getting a new phone - help with my odd requirements? in ~tech
clem Link ParentI don't have anything significant against this suggestion, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the marketing language on the page: "A phone designed for the long run" and only "security updates...I don't have anything significant against this suggestion, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the marketing language on the page: "A phone designed for the long run" and only "security updates for up to 4 years." I'm still putting up with a crappy phone from 2017 and am grouchy that I'll soon need a new one. If only four years is the "long run," I'm in trouble!
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Comment on What do you think about other users' usernames? in ~tildes
clem Link ParentI'm glad you cleared that up! I never knew what your user name meant, but I'd always thought of it as something simple like mine (though the "lem" part of mine is a shortening of my last name, not...I'm glad you cleared that up! I never knew what your user name meant, but I'd always thought of it as something simple like mine (though the "lem" part of mine is a shortening of my last name, not the full last name). I was surprised at the impression that you were some sort of "bro" in that goofy whatever-that-word-means-now sense.
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Comment on How do you feel when people sign off an email with a single letter? in ~life
clem LinkMaybe they don't like their name? I've never especially liked my name. Any time I can avoid using a name, I'm happy, though I can't recall if I've ever signed a message, "C." But that's one reason...Maybe they don't like their name? I've never especially liked my name. Any time I can avoid using a name, I'm happy, though I can't recall if I've ever signed a message, "C." But that's one reason they might prefer it.
And as the comments here suggest, there are probably tons of reasons people might prefer using their initial. I wouldn't read too much into it!
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Comment on What game mechanic or boss could you just not overcome? in ~games
clem Link ParentThey really ought to make an easy mode for the game. I personally have no trouble with the difficulty, but 90% of the game is so chill that I'd almost recommend it to my mom. But that 10% of...They really ought to make an easy mode for the game. I personally have no trouble with the difficulty, but 90% of the game is so chill that I'd almost recommend it to my mom. But that 10% of difficult combat means that there's no way she could progress. She couldn't beat a Lynel or any of the bosses or even a difficult Bokoblin. But she could definitely ride horses around, explore caves, take pictures of stuff, etc.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
clem Link ParentThat's unfortunate that you can't get into it. I'd agree that it feels more like an expansion of BotW than a totally new game, but for me, "more of the same" is perfect. I was so in love with that...That's unfortunate that you can't get into it. I'd agree that it feels more like an expansion of BotW than a totally new game, but for me, "more of the same" is perfect. I was so in love with that game, so I am enjoying having a reason to go back and re-explore that world.
Have you gotten much into deep exploration yet? Have you spent time searching for caves, wells, and little side quests? I was always excited about and interested in the game, but I didn't fall in love with it until I stopped rushing through the main story (which I only did because I was eager to get the Master Sword) and started delving into the little things. There's quite a bit of content in the caves, and there are some secrets in the game that are a lot of fun to find.
And one of the quests related to releasing the fairies was really sweet (the one involving a tree). It suggested to me a lot of the magic of childhood, which is one of my favorite things.Very minor spoiler here.
The Thyphlo Ruins and Faron Jungle, in particular, were a lot of fun.I hope you can get into it, since it sure sounds like you want to.
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Comment on I don’t know if I am right to be upset in ~life
clem LinkI pretty much agree with what others have said here. You're not wrong, your sister-in-law is wrong, and either you or your wife confronting her about it might help with your justified angry...I pretty much agree with what others have said here. You're not wrong, your sister-in-law is wrong, and either you or your wife confronting her about it might help with your justified angry feelings.
But it also sounds like this isn't going to change. I also have some drama with my family, and I've learned that the best thing to do is to do nothing. Accept that this is how your sister-in-law is, that she doesn't care about your feelings or anyone else's, and that every time you get together, she's going to do something to hurt you. When you invite her, you're inviting everything she is. And that is someone who will hurt you.
I'd just try to ignore it. That's not easy, because her actions absolutely affect you. But I would make it your job to learn to disregard her as much as you can.
I am reminded of something I studied long ago: a particular line of The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. I had to search around to find it again, but I guess it's part of book one, sutra 33 (I found this translation here, though I haven't read beyond that brief bit I copied and pasted):
By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness.
I'm not saying that your sister-in-law is "wicked." I sure don't feel that way about problematic people in my family. But it sounds like it might be wise for you to disregard her as much as possible in that way. She's going to do hurtful things no matter what you do. Maybe someday she'll change and you can have an open conversation about how she's hurt you in the past, but she needs to make that change herself. Until then, she's not worth your concern.
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Comment on The lost version of Pee-wee's Big Adventure in ~movies
clem Link ParentI also grew up with Pee-wee's Big Adventure. I guess my mom would turn the "breakfast machine" scene on any time she needed a few minutes to herself, because my sisters and I would be glued to it....I also grew up with Pee-wee's Big Adventure. I guess my mom would turn the "breakfast machine" scene on any time she needed a few minutes to herself, because my sisters and I would be glued to it. But as a kid I watched the whole movie (minus the Large Marge and scary clown parts!) so many times that I could pretty much recite it from memory. I've been a little afraid to watch it again, fearing that it wouldn't hold up, and have sort of been waiting until my son is old enough to watch it with me before watching it again. But after watching this, it's clear how well the movie has held up. I should watch it again soon. I bet I have some more grief over Paul Reubens to get out, too, and I bet that would help.
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Comment on The lost version of Pee-wee's Big Adventure in ~movies
clem LinkThe title is a little misleading: there is no "lost version" of Pee-Wee's Big adventure. This video simply calls itself that and details scenes either deleted from the movie or never filmed. I'm...The title is a little misleading: there is no "lost version" of Pee-Wee's Big adventure. This video simply calls itself that and details scenes either deleted from the movie or never filmed. I'm glad I watched it anyway, since it's well-made and not only gives some good commentary on these scenes but on the movie itself, but it took me a bit to get past my desire to find out about this "lost version" and see if I could simply download and watch it.
Feel free to skip the intro by starting at 2:40.
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Comment on Do you believe the world is controlled by competing interests, or do you think there is a "power elite" that controls the world from the background? in ~talk
clem Link ParentYep. I have family members who are conspiracy theorists, and this is the argument that helps keep me sane when the topic somehow, despite our best efforts to avoid it, comes up. For example,...Yep. I have family members who are conspiracy theorists, and this is the argument that helps keep me sane when the topic somehow, despite our best efforts to avoid it, comes up. For example, regarding "chem trails," I think about all the people who would have to keep quiet about everything. Pretty much everyone who does airplane maintenance would know that there was a secret chemical-spewing port (or whatever it is) on every single plane that supposedly spews geoengineering chemicals. Every single one of these people are being bribed or threatened to keep quiet?
It's all just so preposterous. I'm willing to believe that there are people out there trying and sometimes succeeding at making shady shit happen, but when you get down to the level of tons of average people going along with it, it just doesn't make sense.
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Comment on Cruise autonomous car reportedly swerves in backhoe's way, is busted in San Francisco intersection in ~transport
clem Link ParentI'm partial to using this template for titles: "Description of article: 'Official Article Title'." My opinion about it solidified when I saw an article here whose title asked a specific question...I'm partial to using this template for titles: "Description of article: 'Official Article Title'." My opinion about it solidified when I saw an article here whose title asked a specific question about whether college was valuable. That title encouraged me to want to share my unscientific, low-effort opinions about college even though I had no interest in the article. Focusing more on a description helps people know if they're interested in reading it or not. Of course, my one submission like this didn't get much response, so it's probably boring to title submissions this way.
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Comment on I'm not supposed to be sad that I'm pretty, and it is starting to tear me apart in ~lgbt
clem LinkThanks for sharing with us. While I'm glad that you feel a passion for helping others, I hope that you can figure out how to appreciate finally feeling like yourself without feeling that sadness....Thanks for sharing with us. While I'm glad that you feel a passion for helping others, I hope that you can figure out how to appreciate finally feeling like yourself without feeling that sadness. It's true that other people deserve to feel right with who they are, but you do, too. From what I read here, you deserve it as much as anyone.
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Comment on What is your most annoying (minor) movie trope? in ~movies
clem Link ParentYeah, I think it must've been. I just watched The Birds a couple nights ago and saw the keys above the sun shade and this idea finally clicked for me. In a small town like that, there'd be little...Yeah, I think it must've been. I just watched The Birds a couple nights ago and saw the keys above the sun shade and this idea finally clicked for me. In a small town like that, there'd be little reason not to leave the keys in the car. Who's going to steal a car in a small town where everyone knows each other?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
clem Link ParentI used these guides: https://nh-server.github.io/switch-guide/ and https://switch.homebrew.guide/index.html and asked a question to the Discord server connected to the former one. It was fairly...I used these guides: https://nh-server.github.io/switch-guide/ and https://switch.homebrew.guide/index.html and asked a question to the Discord server connected to the former one. It was fairly simple overall, but also a little tricky, as the guides have some slightly different instructions and lack clarity in a couple areas, which required me to make some decisions I wasn't prepared for. Though maybe it's just that I never quite understood all of the terminology.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
clem LinkI took the time to mod my Switch and am 100% back on the Tears of the Kingdom train. I combined a few different mods to make the Master Sword and Hylian Shield unbreakable, remove all...I took the time to mod my Switch and am 100% back on the Tears of the Kingdom train. I combined a few different mods to make the Master Sword and Hylian Shield unbreakable, remove all shield-surfing damage, make the Champions weapons 10x as durable, and all weapons 4x as durable. For me it is so much more fun to play with these settings. In Breath of the Wild, I fought most monsters with bombs so as to not damage my equipment too quickly, because I've always hated the durability mechanic. Previously in TotK, I simply ran from battles whenever possible. But now I embrace them to some extent (combat in the game remains pretty shallow, so constant fighting isn't great) or at least don't avoid them to preserve my weapons. I use two-handed swords and spears more. Previously, I simply stockpiled one-handed swords so I'd always have my preferred weapon style available.
I'm pretty much through the main story and am exploring the world in detail. Exploring is so fun. It's not as magical as it was for me with BotW, as in that game, it was fresh and new and flooded with nostalgia, but it does have a bit of that. I feel like I have some perspective on that feeling and am able to do a better job of "embracing every moment" after a ~5 year hiatus from Zelda games. I enjoy simply walking around in Hyrule, and that makes it easy to take it slow and investigate whatever piques my interest.
Caves are the main things that do that. They are so interesting and fun. Almost every one is unique, and there are some neat things hidden in them. I'm currently (for the past week or so) exploring the Gerudo desert, and it has so far been my favorite area to explore. Overall it seems like the least formulaic area. This was true of the temple and the caves I've found so far. They fit in with the game's lore very well.
I'm at 170 hours total with the game and have only explored a couple areas in depth. I've also barely done anything in the depths (mostly because they seem pretty empty) and have a few sky islands to get to, too. I'm pretty sure I'll get to 300 hours with the game, which is exciting. I am embracing it and enjoying every minute.
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Comment on Is keeping Donald Trump in the 2024 US election beneficial to Democrats? in ~talk
clem Link ParentFair enough; thanks for explaining. I sort of agree with this extreme cynicism--probably the same "dark, twisted" part of myself that I'm sure you also try to resist--but it sounds like I'm better...Fair enough; thanks for explaining. I sort of agree with this extreme cynicism--probably the same "dark, twisted" part of myself that I'm sure you also try to resist--but it sounds like I'm better at resisting it. I don't have a lot of confidence in humans' collective intelligence but can't help but think that most people at least have good intentions. We're just kind of dumb as a big ~8 billion (or even just 331.9 million) group.
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Comment on Is keeping Donald Trump in the 2024 US election beneficial to Democrats? in ~talk
clem Link ParentYou opened a huge "can of worms" there without explaining a thing. I'd guess you're suggesting a kind of "burn the world down and recover from the ashes" strategy, but I don't want to put words in...Based on past behavior, him [winning?] would actually solve a LOT of problems... but at the same time, these solutions would be bad for the vast majority of people, even if they are still technically solutions.
You opened a huge "can of worms" there without explaining a thing. I'd guess you're suggesting a kind of "burn the world down and recover from the ashes" strategy, but I don't want to put words in your mouth. I doubt I have anything to add to the conversation, but I'm curious to hear what you mean!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
clem Link ParentThat's exactly how I felt about Okami. I so wanted to like it. Zelda is my favorite game series--I was hooked with the original as a kid--and this game was billed as a Zelda clone. I bought it on...That's exactly how I felt about Okami. I so wanted to like it. Zelda is my favorite game series--I was hooked with the original as a kid--and this game was billed as a Zelda clone. I bought it on the Wii and didn't like it, but I convinced myself it was because I hated the Wii controls. So I bought it again on the Switch when I learned that it had regular controls. But I came to pretty much the same conclusions as you. Everything about it was boring other than the art and the overall style/mood of the game. The combat wasn't fun and the never-ending dialogue was unbearably dull. I forced myself to push a little bit into it, but like you said, it was a slog.
Even at the end of playing it a few years ago, I thought I'd try to keep pushing, but your comment has made me realize I'm 100% over it. I'd watch a movie version of it, though, if such a thing ever came to be!
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Comment on Permaculture gardening open thread in ~hobbies
clem LinkI'll chime in mostly just to say that I'm 100% on-board the Permaculture "train" even though I'm still pretty much a beginner on the topic. My mind needs a "learn-as-I-go" method to grow in this...I'll chime in mostly just to say that I'm 100% on-board the Permaculture "train" even though I'm still pretty much a beginner on the topic. My mind needs a "learn-as-I-go" method to grow in this way rather than periods of intense study and then application of that knowledge.
Anyway, I don't have much to add other than to say that I'm very interested in reading Permaculture content. I still visit /r/Permaculture, but it doesn't feel the same, maybe just because I'm sour on Reddit as a whole. And I've always found the Permies.com layout super confusing and awkward to use. I'm mostly a lurker just because my time is taken up with other things. But to get me to stop rambling (think of all the text I've deleted from this comment box!), I'll share the two things I'm proud of from this year in my Permaculture adventures: my chicken coop/storage shed in-progress and my air prune boxes full of trees.
The chicken coop will be 16' x 20', with one 16' x 10' section (closest to the camera) being a storage shed for all of the stuff I keep outside and in the garage. It'll free up a ton of space in the garage, give my tools some protection from the elements, and let me get organized. The section furthest from the camera will of course be for chickens. They'll step out of that into what is currently my compost area but which will soon also be their 100' x 125' chicken yard. I've been slow to work on the building, but I'm getting excited, especially now that the hardest parts (cutting down a 11" wide tree, the first tree I've ever cut down that was scary large, and putting in the four corner posts) are done. I'm modeling this whole chicken yard/compost area after Edible Acres'.
The air prune boxes are full mostly of black oaks, but I also have a few shagbark hickories that have popped up and some pawpaw seeds that I'm still waiting on. I'm not giving up on either of the latter two yet, as I know both of them are slow to start. Once again, I'm sort of trying to follow in Edible Acres' footsteps in selling plants. I feel a bit of trepidation about the "selling" part because I have so little experience with that, but I feel good that the trees look very nice. I hope their root systems look just as nice and that their quality is helpful in finding them homes. And I do have some connections that will help move that along. I may just be giving a bunch away as a way to repay some folks and build better connections, and while I'd like to at least recoup the cost of the air prune boxes, if I can finally repay some folks that I owe, I'll be happy about that.
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Comment on What are the best cover songs that reinterpret the original into a different genre, style, or mood? in ~music
clem LinkI greatly prefer the much more upbeat Now Here's My Plan version of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's - 'I See A Darkness' over the sombre 1999 version (though the video I shared there is pretty weird!)....I greatly prefer the much more upbeat Now Here's My Plan version of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's - 'I See A Darkness' over the sombre 1999 version (though the video I shared there is pretty weird!). I've always liked the 1999 version, but the new version is one of my favorite songs, whereas the older version is simply an excellent, well-known song from my favorite musician. The more upbeat one seems to embrace the joy that can be found even knowing that one will return to depression, whereas the older version is a more serious take on that darkness. The newer version feels like overcoming it, in a sort of ongoing way like how I might always have to, where the older version seems like the throes of exploring it, not knowing if I'll achieve. I know the latter well, but it's not a memory I love to dwell on.
There's also the Johnny Cash version. It's well done, but very similar to Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's 1999 version.
All three do give me the chills mentioned earlier, so I of course recommend them all.
Thanks for explaining. At least now I understand what the problem is. Sounds pretty complicated and that you're right that the "ship has sailed." It's frustrating, because I'm in complete agreement with you--they're all crap! I just want a basic phone with good battery life that I can use until it dies. A bonus feature would let me connect it to my PC and do all of the customization from there, since I've always hated the simple interface of fingers and thumbs on a tiny touchscreen, but I don't need to go crazy. I appreciate threads like this one, too, since the research is so uninteresting to me.