cycling_mammoth's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on Linguaphiles of Tildes: where do you get your words? in ~humanities.languages
cycling_mammoth Link ParentI live in a bilingual region so my competency in spoken is alright! My written is definitely better in terms of grammar and vocabulary, my primary issue with spoken is sometimes my brain just...I live in a bilingual region so my competency in spoken is alright! My written is definitely better in terms of grammar and vocabulary, my primary issue with spoken is sometimes my brain just "freezes" for a split second / I don't know as much idiomatic expressions etc as my francophone peers.
I find it easier to speak French in more formal environments then I do informal, but I've been pushing myself to use it more and improve!
My grammar class right now is right on the gap between B2-C1, while my speaking classes are more firmly B2
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Comment on Linguaphiles of Tildes: where do you get your words? in ~humanities.languages
cycling_mammoth LinkI study literature in university as well as français langue seconde (french as a second language) so I guess I am rather privileged to be dedicating much of my time to this pursuit. Much of what I...I study literature in university as well as français langue seconde (french as a second language) so I guess I am rather privileged to be dedicating much of my time to this pursuit. Much of what I get to read allows me to extend my vocabulary quite thoroughly, and my interest in linguistics and etymology are also invoked whenever I look up words in older texts I do not know. One of the most helpful things for me has been reading texts written in Middle-English, if you've never read any there's some texts that are written in more mutually intelligible dialects than others (some you'll likely want a gloss of sorts), and looking up the occasional word always leads to incredible etymological information.
Learning French, Latin (Classical) and Ancient Greek (Attic) has also been quite useful. I'm fairly fluent in French at this point after studying for so long, which then gave me quite a useful basis going into Latin and Greek. At least for my study methods / interests, learning the vocabulary for Latin and Greek was often made accessible by seeing the etymological connections to French or English (often to words that aren't used often, had a shift in meaning etc)
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
cycling_mammoth (edited )LinkThe last book that I finished for personal reading was The Memory Police. This has to be one of the strangest works of dystopian fiction I have read, but in many ways one of the more fulfilling...The last book that I finished for personal reading was The Memory Police. This has to be one of the strangest works of dystopian fiction I have read, but in many ways one of the more fulfilling ones because of this. I think the integration and parallels created by the manuscript the protagonist works on throughout the text is one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in this genre. It’s hardly a new idea to have a story within a story / frame narrative, but I just have yet to see it done within the dystopian genre let alone this effectively. I sadly can’t say much more without spoiling the text, but if you love a funky dystopian narrative that is more metaphorical than it is realistic I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
For current personal reading, I am part way through Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano, and The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Sadly these two have taken the back burner during my university studies this term but I have been thoroughly enjoying them. I am not insanely into graphic novels / manga / comics, but Goodnight Punpun has been one of the most fun and fulfilling texts I’ve read for personal joy in a long time. The Priory of the Orange Tree is quite a fun entry into more recent fantasy (a lot of fantasy I have read is contemporary, but not insanely new). I do not think I have read enough of The Priory to give a fair opinion, but I can at least recommend the first half of the book :p
For university I have had the great pleasure of reading books making up the formation of contemporary Canadian literature. My favourite text so far is Sheila Watson’s the Double Hook. It is definitely not for everyone, it is very modernist in its writing style and even the worldview it represents. But I find the almost play-like quality of the narration to be fascinating, the integration of indigenous and christian symbolism is adeptly interwoven, and its anti-regionalist worldview is rather interesting (more contemporary Canadian texts often accept their Canadian identity, vs this text shuns regionalizing the narrative at all). I have also had the pleasure of re-discovering the wonders of 18th century satire, I never actually had the chance to read Gulliver’s Travels before but it was rather intriguing. The qualities of it feel a lot different than the other Johnathan Swift texts I have read, I guess in part due to its usage of the ‘travel narrative’ form that was popular at the time.
I have a lot on my reading list as well, so I’ll list some of the books waiting for me on my shelf for your interest:
- the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Eiji Otsuka, Housui Yamazaki)
- The Night Ends with Fire (K. X. Song)
- A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
- Prophet Song (Paul Lynch)
- Study for Obedience (Sarah Bernstein)
- 1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)
Edit: I should also add some of the stuff I read this summer! ( I perhaps read too much ). I spent a lot of time this summer reading Old French texts (dual texts as my Old French is a lot worse than my contemporary French). Most notably, I can’t begin to emphasize how enjoyable Les Lais de Marie de France are (I used Claire M. Water dual text). To be quite fair I am a bit of a medievalist, particularly late anglo-saxon works (Old English) and the transition period after the Battle of Hastings interest me a lot, producing some of the most magnificent texts. the Lais are all conceived or presented as being oral Breton history, being transferred into the language of French for Marie’s contemporary audience. Throughout the Lais it’s apparent that Marie is quite concerned with cultural transfer, and even other forms of transformation (even Werewolves if you’re into that kinda thing). It is interesting seeing how the works of the time deal with the notions of conquest, cultural transference, and really thinking of what their own identity is as ‘Anglo-Norman’ people. (Similar parallels exist with later Old English works, oral stories of pagan heroism being transcribed by Christian monks, with an almost melancholic tone harkening to a bygone time).
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Comment on Seek and you shall find — A list of recent updates that make Ready Player a better media player and manager for Emacs in ~comp
cycling_mammoth LinkForgive me if this is perhaps coming from a place of ignorance, what exactly is the point of integrating media playback in Emacs? I understand not wanting to alt-tab between windows when its...Forgive me if this is perhaps coming from a place of ignorance, what exactly is the point of integrating media playback in Emacs? I understand not wanting to alt-tab between windows when its unnecessary, but isn't media playback more of a "set it and forget it" type of thing?
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Comment on Two years to save the planet, says UN climate chief in ~enviro
cycling_mammoth Link ParentIf you don't mind me asking, what made wren.co better than competitors in your research? I'm not exactly in a financial / life position to be concerned about carbon offsets (I'm still a university...If you don't mind me asking, what made wren.co better than competitors in your research? I'm not exactly in a financial / life position to be concerned about carbon offsets (I'm still a university student), but it's something I'd definitely want to consider when I'm more established.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
cycling_mammoth LinkUniversity exams have begun so I meal prepped some pulled pork in my slow cooker. I am still tweaking the recipe, this time I tried using broth for the liquid instead of water and I think it was...University exams have begun so I meal prepped some pulled pork in my slow cooker. I am still tweaking the recipe, this time I tried using broth for the liquid instead of water and I think it was an improvement? I mostly have been using it in sandwiches.
I also was able to get some grapes on sale, I am not usually one to buy grapes but it was nice as a change of pace in terms of my daily fruit consumption. They also seem to be surprisingly fresh, but that might just be my lack of knowledge of growing seasons.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
cycling_mammoth (edited )LinkI know I'm a bit late to the party but I finally started The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I got a really cheap used copy for the Switch and it's been really fun. I'm playing as a Dunmer (dark elf) and...I know I'm a bit late to the party but I finally started The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I got a really cheap used copy for the Switch and it's been really fun. I'm playing as a Dunmer (dark elf) and going for mostly magic, with some one handed swords as a backup melee weapon. The generic bugs & glitches are still present, and it's the first game that I've had crash the switch entirely to an equivalent of a BSOD, but otherwise it actually is quite performant and graphically comparable to other contemporary versions (at least to my eye). I do agree with keeping some of the general jankiness of the original (it's iconic at this point), but quest breaking and console crashing bugs feel a bit disappointing.
I've really enjoyed reading all of the in game lore books, which isn't exactly surprising considering I love in depth story telling & world building in novels and RPGs. I'd also argue that the game definitely has held up pretty well, yet at the same time makes Bethesda's more recent release, Starfield, feel all the more dissapointing. Notably its shallower story / world, and the egregious amount of loading screens (it feels like more than Skyrim, and even then many of those loading screens shouldn't have to be there in this day and age).
I think the only other oddity Ive found is the inclusion of motion controls. I really think they should not have included joycon motion controls if they are just going to half ass them. I tried them for fun and it just wasn't responsive. According to one friend who was with me when I tried it, it was less responsive than even the Xbox Kinect motion controls for Skyrim. They even managed to nail the gyro aiming for bows (at least with the pro con).
I think this may become one of my favourite RPGs, but definitely not the highest one by any means.
In unrelated RPG news, I just finished Tunic. I think this might be in my top ten games of all time, I've been slowly playing it "with" a friend who already beat it (he enjoys watching others play games) and I think it has to be one of the most unique games I've played. It definitely has many inspirations, whether that's old school Zelda (Link to the Past in particular), Souls, a few puzzle games, and it actually combines them quite well. It definitely does feel a bit segmented in their approach, much of the exploration and fighting is earlier while more puzzles arrive later, but it always has this sense of mystery beneath its charming / cute graphics.
In terms of more specifics, the "pages" mechanic to assemble the games instructions felt very fun, the Zelda Ocarina of Time esque target-lock combat system works very well and does actually challenge you (particularly with bosses), and the game uses its forced isometric perspective really well. The soundtrack is beautifully crafted as are the graphics.
It definitely isn't a game for everyone, I think some people will definitely just find it frustrating as it definitely throws you into the deepest end of the pool hoping you can swim. But for me it felt rather refreshing. It feels a lot more like older games where there's a challenge, but not necessarily in the way that some older games are just brutal (I know there's a better way of phrasing that but I dont have the words now)
Puzzle related spoilers, if you wish to play the game don't read the full version. There's two puzzles specifically that I found disappointing due to one feeling "bullshit", and the other was simple but tedious (I'd prefer mentally challenging, even if it takes the same amount of time without the tedious aspect)
I think the only two puzzles that I really hated were two of the fairy ones. The one fountain in the over world with the blue squares felt painful because the camera angle obscured some of the squares. A similar puzzle was in the cathedral (I think?) and it used candles without obscuring them, making it perhaps easier but it felt less "bullshit". The other one I hated was the broken golden obelisk, I knew immediately what I had to do and it just felt tedious. I prefer puzzles that make me think for a long time than ones that make me run around the map mindlessly.
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Comment on What irrational video game requirements do you have? in ~games
cycling_mammoth Link ParentIm finally starting breath of the wild and even in that game im starting to feel that same freling. There's so much random crap in the inventory that might be used in some sort of elixir or food...Im finally starting breath of the wild and even in that game im starting to feel that same freling. There's so much random crap in the inventory that might be used in some sort of elixir or food or whatever and it just feels convoluted
On the other hand, if i take a game like Terraria I can and will throw out stuff i don't need, and other stuff I'll organize neatly into different chests. You have a limited inventory size and are forced to organise, store, and discard items.
With BOTW all you get for organization is pre determined tabs and a sort button which I find a little overwhelming.
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Comment on RSS users - how do you use, organize and maximize your enjoyment of RSS? in ~tech
cycling_mammoth LinkI guess I am quite similar to you and use it for content discovery. I have recently changed my methods, and have Blogs News "Notifications" (e.g a few github things I want to read every release...I guess I am quite similar to you and use it for content discovery. I have recently changed my methods, and have
- Blogs
- News
- "Notifications" (e.g a few github things I want to read every release notes for, severe weather events, data breaches)
- Parliamentary Bills (this one spams a little when in session), I might also add other stuff since nearly everything related to parliament has RSS feeds
- Tech news feeds
I USED to separate the news more into different regions, as well as separating my French and English news, but I really removed many of the feeds as it was just noise.
I'm still not 100% happy with my feeds, I think I'd want some way of rating what comes through my feed. Conceptually, Nunti achieves this but it doesn't yet have a way to have separate databases for different languages and also doesn't seem to like my OPML file.
I'd also like to curate a feed of investigative journalism from a plethora of sources, low noise, long form, and high quality. I've yet to really find enough dedicated feeds to this to achieve it sadly.
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Comment on Atlantic Ocean circulation nearing ‘devastating’ tipping point, study finds in ~enviro
cycling_mammoth LinkIf you'd like to just read the journal article mentioned at the end, you can find it hereIf you'd like to just read the journal article mentioned at the end, you can find it here
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Atlantic Ocean circulation nearing ‘devastating’ tipping point, study finds
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Comment on Three Cheers for Tildes: App updates and feedback (February 2024) in ~tildes
cycling_mammoth Link ParentNo wonder I recognize the name I really loved RIF back when I used Reddit. Thank you for your answer :)No wonder I recognize the name I really loved RIF back when I used Reddit.
Thank you for your answer :)
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
cycling_mammoth LinkIn the episode of RuPaul's Drag Race from last Friday the song chosen for the lip sync at the end was Cher's Dark Lady. I love a lot of Cher's work and that song has been stuck in my head since...In the episode of RuPaul's Drag Race from last Friday the song chosen for the lip sync at the end was Cher's Dark Lady. I love a lot of Cher's work and that song has been stuck in my head since then. While I am still upset at who lost that week it at least had a good song at the end :p
Otherwise I have been listening to Kali Uchis' new album, ORQUÍDEAS (orchids) a lot, I definitely am at the point where I am craving some more new albums though!
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Comment on Three Cheers for Tildes: App updates and feedback (February 2024) in ~tildes
cycling_mammoth LinkI have really been enjoying the app on my iPad and Android phone. The only issue I have really run into is the inability to change the main feed's "sort" but I understand you have yet to add all...I have really been enjoying the app on my iPad and Android phone. The only issue I have really run into is the inability to change the main feed's "sort" but I understand you have yet to add all of the website's functionality.
Might I ask if you have made any other apps before this one? For some reason the username "talklittle" is really familiar to me and I don't know if I am just being delusional.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
cycling_mammoth Link ParentThat was my thoughts as well, but Friday is the "end of the week" for many of us (depending on cultural / legal stuff). Is it normally published on a Monday?That was my thoughts as well, but Friday is the "end of the week" for many of us (depending on cultural / legal stuff). Is it normally published on a Monday?
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
cycling_mammoth LinkThis week I started a playthrough of Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver with my partner and their roommate. It has been quite enjoyable to play one of the Pokémon games from my childhood that I did...This week I started a playthrough of Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver with my partner and their roommate. It has been quite enjoyable to play one of the Pokémon games from my childhood that I did not have the chance to play as a kid. It definitely feels odd when I mostly remember Generation 5 games (Black / White, Black 2 / White 2) which feel a lot more ... polished? But I definitely can see why people absolutely adore HG/SS, and it has some of my favourite pokemon.
My team so far consists of Quilava, GeoDude, Gastly, Shiny Eevee (soon to be Umbreon), Quagsire, Gloom and Ratticate as my HM pokemon
Otherwise it has mostly been reading for my University courses. I am particularly enjoying the Medieval literature I have been reading, mostly the texts following the Norman Conquest. It is particularly interesting seeing some of the source texts to later renaissance drama works, the multilingual culture within the British isles (the transition from using the Wessex-English as a koine to using French [romanz] as the dialect bridging mutually unintelligible dialects of English), and seeing a dramatic cultural shift in the 12th century. The linguistic characteristics of this society are really intriguing to me, but I think that is just my inner language nerd.
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Comment on Inventing the perfect US college applicant – For $120,000 a year, Christopher Rim promises to turn any student into Ivy bait in ~life
cycling_mammoth Link ParentDepending on how far back we are going I always got the impression that people in higher social strata were often obliged to attend higher education not for career opportunities, rather for the...I think it’s important to ask ourselves what the people who originally went to college were getting out of it, and if there’s not anything valuable we are losing in this transition to a focus on vocational training.
Depending on how far back we are going I always got the impression that people in higher social strata were often obliged to attend higher education not for career opportunities, rather for the maintenance of tradition / deocorum, to become more 'learnèd', and really just to maintain the status quo of separation of the classes. The main distinction between the upper class and the labourers for the longest time (probably post 12th century ish? at least for what is modern day England) would be that upper-class peoples need not 'labour', they have complete time for leisure (or at least the appearance of not needing to work). Of course, I am looking at this as a student of literature and not history, and while I have learned much history in my studies it is not the primary focus of them and I could be very wrong.
Considering this, I don't think we are losing much in the transition to more vocational training. But at the same time Universities aren't exactly just 'vocational training' yet. Perhaps it's more so vocational training in STEM fields, but outside of them I still get the sense that there's really an attempt to craft critical thinking skills and creating well rounded individuals.
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Comment on What are people's thoughts on "secureblue", "bazzite" and other ublue images? in ~comp
cycling_mammoth LinkFor those who do not know, Universal Blue, or ublue is an ecosystem of operating system images based on Fedora Atomic Desktops. They aren't a fully fledged separate distribution, rather customized...For those who do not know, Universal Blue, or ublue is an ecosystem of operating system images based on Fedora Atomic Desktops. They aren't a fully fledged separate distribution, rather customized images based on pre-existing Fedora options. Some of these include custom kernels etc. for Surface devices and Asus devices, or more extreme tweaks like Bazzite which ports all of the Steam Deck's software to a Fedora Based image for use on a Steam Deck, ROG Ally etc.
The main interest to me is specifically secureblue, one of the community images. I have yet to see much discussion on Privacy Guides, but many of the changes do seem to be quite sensible ones. Particularly the changes to the default firewall behaviour, opportunistic DoT and DNSSEC and the MAC address randomization (the way those are configured by default in Fedora always rubbed me the wrong way). I am also intrigued by the inclusion of GrapheneOS' hardened malloc, but also a little concerned with compatibility. I am just curious if anyone here who is more knowledgeable or has tried using secureblue or any other ublue images and has any further thoughts on them? I find the concept rather exciting, as it allows people to create much more opinionated images without having to create yet another distro that lacks 'relevancy'.
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What are people's thoughts on "secureblue", "bazzite" and other ublue images?
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Recently, I have gotten back into The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild. I switched to French part way through my play through, and it has been interesting hearing the voice acting and translations in French instead of English. I am almost done the game! Furthermore, I am hoping to finally start Tears of the Kingdom in the new year.
The other game which I have switched to French recently is Octopath, I am a little sad that there is no voice acting in French, so I switched to the Japanese VAs for that. BUT it has also been quite fun. I am rather fluent in French so it is not difficult at all for me to read / listen, but it is not my native language so it is still an "exciting" experience for me, breathing fresh air into games I have been playing on and off for a while now.
Generally speaking, I am bad at finishing games, but I am hoping that I will take the time this holiday season to relax and actually finish some for once!