dirthawker's recent activity

  1. Comment on Insane and crazy recipe substitutions? in ~food

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    I was just reading a thread on Reddit cooking where the poster was baffled by their granny's recipe for potato salad that called for 1 cup of sugar to 1.5 c mayo. There were a few comments that...

    I was just reading a thread on Reddit cooking where the poster was baffled by their granny's recipe for potato salad that called for 1 cup of sugar to 1.5 c mayo. There were a few comments that Miracle Whip is basically mayo with extra sugar and vinegar.

  2. Comment on What's your quirk? in ~talk

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    I listen to a sleep podcast every night, a guy who reads public domain works in a low key kind of way. Fairly flat tone, a little peaceful intro music and none for the outro. I started when I was...

    I listen to a sleep podcast every night, a guy who reads public domain works in a low key kind of way. Fairly flat tone, a little peaceful intro music and none for the outro. I started when I was going through a fairly high stress time in my life, to keep me from thinking and overthinking. The stress stuff is over but I got used to it, so I'm still doing it.

    1 vote
  3. Comment on What's something that makes you feel like we're living in the future? in ~talk

    dirthawker
    Link
    About 2 years ago I wanted to put a sensor under the water heater at my mom's house. Wanted it to notify me of leaks but not have a siren. Husband got a Raspberry Pi Pico W and a water sensor...

    About 2 years ago I wanted to put a sensor under the water heater at my mom's house. Wanted it to notify me of leaks but not have a siren. Husband got a Raspberry Pi Pico W and a water sensor board typically used for plant pots. We programmed it, and set up an IFTTT account that would send notifications to my phone, which was even better than email. (Later after IFTTT got stingy and reduced the number of free procedures you could build, I switched to Pushover.) But the idea that we could code this thing (there's a lot of great boilerplate code in the Arduino IDE), test, and have it fully working and popping up phone notifications, in 1 or 2 days felt so effortless for me, as I have only moderate experience programming (Java mostly) and know pretty much zero about phone notifications. It is working to this day.

    3 votes
  4. Comment on When is it okay to give up? in ~life

    dirthawker
    Link
    Their ideology shift has caused them to devalue you. Worse yet, they're not politely keeping their mouths shut but openly tearing down your self image/self worth and the career you've built, and...

    Their ideology shift has caused them to devalue you. Worse yet, they're not politely keeping their mouths shut but openly tearing down your self image/self worth and the career you've built, and with stuff that is simply untrue. This is not going to go away until they change their thinking; it's faintly possible that because of your shared past, some of them may see you as more than a stick person and that may give you some influence, but it's really up to them. I think is absolutely okay for you to not want to be around people who continually tell you you're a bad person when you know you are not.

    1 vote
  5. Comment on Planet Money buys a $137 diamond from Alibaba in ~finance

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    I bought a 1ct hearts and arrows for $360 on AliExpress. It tests as a diamond and it looks good; I'm satisfied with it. I wanted it to replace the moissanite stone in a ring, but unfortunately it...

    I bought a 1ct hearts and arrows for $360 on AliExpress. It tests as a diamond and it looks good; I'm satisfied with it. I wanted it to replace the moissanite stone in a ring, but unfortunately it turned out the way the ring was made, it can't be done without clearly altering its appearance.

    I really don't have a problem with these kinds of gemstones breaking into the diamond monopoly and making the classic wedding gemstone affordable.

    2 votes
  6. Comment on What keeps you up at night? in ~talk

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    And stretch them with your legs straight at the knees. If you have knees bent and you flex your foot up to stretch the Achilles, that's not fully stretching it. The Achilles goes halfway up the...

    And stretch them with your legs straight at the knees. If you have knees bent and you flex your foot up to stretch the Achilles, that's not fully stretching it. The Achilles goes halfway up the lower leg and when you stretch, you want to feel it at that halfway point.

    We think of the Achilles as being only on the back side of the foot behind the ankle. That tripped me up for years until a podiatrist corrected what I was doing. After that, PF went away.

    1 vote
  7. Comment on What do you do with your diplomas? in ~life

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    When I graduated (1986) my university actually did issue a laminated credit card size version of their diploma along with the normal 8x10 paper. I'm sure I still have both... somewhere...

    When I graduated (1986) my university actually did issue a laminated credit card size version of their diploma along with the normal 8x10 paper. I'm sure I still have both... somewhere...

    2 votes
  8. Comment on What does a newcomer moving to your town/city/state/country need to know? in ~life

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    I'm shocked that this even needs to be said. Do they do that in other states?

    DO NOT call black men “boy”

    I'm shocked that this even needs to be said. Do they do that in other states?

    8 votes
  9. Comment on What's the oldest tech you use, and why do you still use it? in ~tech

    dirthawker
    Link
    I have a VHS recorder which, to be fair, I rarely use. But last year I wanted to convert a tape to MP4 and upload it to YouTube. It was about falconry in China, was made around 2001, but no longer...

    I have a VHS recorder which, to be fair, I rarely use. But last year I wanted to convert a tape to MP4 and upload it to YouTube. It was about falconry in China, was made around 2001, but no longer available to purchase in any format. The recorder itself I bought new around 1995. It played the tape adequately and I was able to capture the video and save it.

    3 votes
  10. Comment on Good hobby lamp? in ~hobbies

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    I have a desk clamp lamp with an LED ring light + magnifier. It does a terrific job for my aging eyes, but the individual LEDs will die over time and as you said cannot be replaced. This is my...

    I have a desk clamp lamp with an LED ring light + magnifier. It does a terrific job for my aging eyes, but the individual LEDs will die over time and as you said cannot be replaced. This is my second one (bought because the first one got a flicker) and I just won't buy another because it's too wasteful to throw out everything.

    2 votes
  11. Comment on What mattress would you recommend? in ~life.home_improvement

    dirthawker
    Link
    We had a Leesa Sapira which was pleasantly soft without being squishy, but about 5 years in I experienced back problems, (which I discovered later were not due to the mattress.) But I thought it...

    We had a Leesa Sapira which was pleasantly soft without being squishy, but about 5 years in I experienced back problems, (which I discovered later were not due to the mattress.) But I thought it might be, so we went shopping for firmer mattresses. Checked out expensive ones, middle range ones, and finally found a good one at IKEA for a very reasonable price. We've had it a little over a year now and it's been a winner.

  12. Comment on The real problem with toilet paper: Where it comes from in ~enviro

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    That can't possibly be right. 2.7 rolls a week for a single person is someone who's got major GI problems. Or they've buying those cheap ass single ply scrawny rolls. Maybe a household of 4? I too...

    That can't possibly be right. 2.7 rolls a week for a single person is someone who's got major GI problems. Or they've buying those cheap ass single ply scrawny rolls. Maybe a household of 4?

    I too get my TP from Costco (which is afaik unfortunately 0% recycled content) and it takes my 2 person household about 8-9 months to get through. And that was before I got a bidet seat.

    14 votes
  13. Comment on Can I carry a Turquoise gemstone on my Air Canada flight? Any documents needed? in ~travel

    dirthawker
    Link
    Unless the thing is enormous, I wouldn't worry about it. On two occasions, I've brought a couple pieces of heirloom jewelry worth about $20-25K in my carry-on and nobody gave it a second glance....

    Unless the thing is enormous, I wouldn't worry about it. On two occasions, I've brought a couple pieces of heirloom jewelry worth about $20-25K in my carry-on and nobody gave it a second glance. (I'm an American of East Asian descent.) For the record, it was a domestic flight, so the rules might be different. I would say keep the receipt and I'm sure you'll be fine.

    3 votes
  14. Comment on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and US influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists in ~food

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    As we get older, the husband and I eat less, particularly at dinner. We've been finding that at some restaurants a single dinner entree will feed both of us decently. We do this most often when...

    As we get older, the husband and I eat less, particularly at dinner. We've been finding that at some restaurants a single dinner entree will feed both of us decently. We do this most often when we're travelling and have less easy access to refrigeration and reheating.

    3 votes
  15. Comment on Coastal Peregrine falcons’ mysterious decline in ~enviro

  16. Comment on What is your strangely specific phobia? in ~talk

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    Thanks, that's actually very reassuring!

    Thanks, that's actually very reassuring!

    1 vote
  17. Comment on Grammar errors that actually matter, or: the thread where we all become prescriptivists in ~humanities.languages

    dirthawker
    Link
    When I'm in a forgiving mood I can stay focused on semantics rather than spelling, but 'alright' will always grate on me. I would be okay if the accepted version kept both Ls -- one L is itchy. In...

    When I'm in a forgiving mood I can stay focused on semantics rather than spelling, but 'alright' will always grate on me. I would be okay if the accepted version kept both Ls -- one L is itchy. In that state I always want to pronounce it like Al Wright.

    2 votes
  18. Comment on Grammar errors that actually matter, or: the thread where we all become prescriptivists in ~humanities.languages

    dirthawker
    Link Parent
    Good god, that's an abomination

    Good god, that's an abomination

    1 vote
  19. Comment on What is your strangely specific phobia? in ~talk

    dirthawker
    Link
    I did not own a microwave until 2008. I was in my 40s and irrationally afraid the waves would leak and injure me in some unobvious way, not unlike the way people are afraid of power towers. If I...

    I did not own a microwave until 2008. I was in my 40s and irrationally afraid the waves would leak and injure me in some unobvious way, not unlike the way people are afraid of power towers. If I used one I would start it, leave the room, and return when it was done. I'm not sure what changed to make me comfortable around them, but I'm fine with them now.

    10 votes
  20. Comment on Running ethernet in new home in ~life.home_improvement

    dirthawker
    Link
    As others have said, wire for cat6. If you're thinking of security cameras in the future, consider dropping wires in likely locations for them, including doorbell. WiFi cameras, though popular,...

    As others have said, wire for cat6. If you're thinking of security cameras in the future, consider dropping wires in likely locations for them, including doorbell. WiFi cameras, though popular, are affected by signal jammers, and wired cameras (currently) are not.

    4 votes