doors_cannot_stop_me's recent activity

  1. Comment on Good News - A thread and a challenge in ~news

    doors_cannot_stop_me
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    If the fair folk get computers it's all ogre!

    If the fair folk get computers it's all ogre!

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    I'm a big fan of the Kobo Libra. I use calibre desktop software to manage my ebook library, plug the Libra into my computer, and hit sync. A handy plug-in also made it possible for my old Kindle...

    I'm a big fan of the Kobo Libra. I use calibre desktop software to manage my ebook library, plug the Libra into my computer, and hit sync. A handy plug-in also made it possible for my old Kindle books to come along without any... allergens.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on I need headphone/mic recommendations for gaming before I rip my hair out in ~tech

    doors_cannot_stop_me
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    Something my wife and I have used for online gaming is a bit odd, but works really well: standalone lapel mics, standalone headphones (IEMs in our case), and a mic-and-headphones-to-headset...

    Something my wife and I have used for online gaming is a bit odd, but works really well: standalone lapel mics, standalone headphones (IEMs in our case), and a mic-and-headphones-to-headset adapter. No special software needed, standard connectors, you can use any headphones or mics you want, and when you upgrade one part you can keep the other. And for the record, that cheap mic I listed sounds pretty dang good, especially if you compare it to anything Bluetooth.

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    Thanks for that, I really appreciate the encouragement! Honestly, that would be amazing for me. I don't think I've ever gotten to a fitness level where I had the post-workout thought, "that was...

    "the best exercises are the one you will actually keep doing"

    Thanks for that, I really appreciate the encouragement!

    But if you do keep doing them for long, I strongly suspect that you will eventually get to a point where in order to keep making gains (in work capacity and strength) you're going to need to increase the weight and/or volume to the point where they become untenable.

    Honestly, that would be amazing for me. I don't think I've ever gotten to a fitness level where I had the post-workout thought, "that was too easy, I need to step it up." I always just got to the point of hating it, then quitting a week after convincing myself that it was a habit that would definitely stick this time.

    And who knows, maybe you will end up enjoying some those other exercises just as much.

    Very true. My hidden, "good ending" goal is to get my cardio back to a point that I can go rollerblading without getting winded. I bought a pair a few years back, remembering that when I was younger I loved it and that it's good exercise, but when I tried them out a couple months ago I got out of breath putting them on. Then I got fully winded after a very short session, and could barely get them back off. So I'm trying to build up to that and any other exercises more intense than walking while talking.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    Thanks! I definitely did some research first... then waited months to act and tried to go from memory lol. Since you seem to have a great deal more experience than I do, I'll ask this: are...

    Thanks! I definitely did some research first... then waited months to act and tried to go from memory lol.

    Since you seem to have a great deal more experience than I do, I'll ask this: are kettlebell swings a particularly likely source of injury? I'd seen them highly recommended as a beginner exercise unlikely to cause issues, though I was admittedly looking in places that seemed to over-hype kettlebells in general.

    The only reason I ask is that - and I know this sounds silly - I find kettlebell swings interesting to do. Most exercises are boring or painful to me (or both), and I have historically lost interest too soon for habits to form. But I actually like swinging the silly be-handled cannonball around, and want to lean into one of the very few exercises that my brain isn't fighting me on, assuming it won't hurt me of course.

    I know I should probably just buckle down and do the hard work, but the wisdom I've gained with age is to know myself a little better, and I know of me that I can get so much more done if I'm not fighting my dumb brain's arbitrary "this is boooooring" alarm.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    doors_cannot_stop_me
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    I haven't done any intentional fitness activities other than semi-regular 1-4 mile walks in several years, but I bought an adjustable weight kettlebell some months ago and have since been letting...

    I haven't done any intentional fitness activities other than semi-regular 1-4 mile walks in several years, but I bought an adjustable weight kettlebell some months ago and have since been letting it hold down the floor in my spare room. I've been wanting to start doing kettlebell swings as an easy, multi-purpose exercise to start building my cardio up, as I get winded just carrying a moderately heavy box a short distance or even jogging a few meters.

    Well, I had a (not so) near-death experience last week, wherein I thought I was having a stroke or a heart attack and thus came face to face with my own mortality. Thankfully I wasn't actually in danger, it turns out.

    What actually happened, if you care:

    I stood up from an uncomfortable bench seat and felt a sharp pain in my leg, which I took for a simple cramp. But while I was stretching it out I suddenly started feeling very poorly: ringing ears, swimming vision, nausea, cold sweat, sluggish thoughts, general malaise. So naturally I figured it was a stroke or heart attack, especially given my family history.

    I sat back down and it mostly passed, but then I started looking up the symptoms I just had (I know, falling right into the webmed trap) and noticed I was also having chest pains and feeling lightheaded again.

    So I Zoom called a doctor through my insurance and described all of what happened...

    Turns out I actually had a very painful leg cramp, which triggered a vasovagal response (the thing that makes people faint at the sight of blood, which I'd never experienced before) that almost made me pass out. The later chest pain was almost certainly a panic attack (also a new thing for me). So I was fine.

    But it's been making me think more about being proactive about my health and trying to get in better shape.

    So when I unexpectedly woke up early a couple days ago, I decided to go ahead and try out the kettlebell for real. My goal (misguided as it may be) is to do kettlebell swing ladders from 1-20 reps and back down to 1. For now, I'm starting slower and doing 5 to 10 then back down to 1, which ends up being 100 reps total. I'm also starting at the lightest weight the bell I have goes down to (12kg).

    I did this the past two days so far, but realized at the end of yesterday's set that my form was probably wrong. I'm doing too little to tighten my core and squatting too much during the swing, which probably explains how sore my quads and lower back have been.

    But I don't feel injured and it feels good to be doing something, so I am taking a rest day today to try and let the soreness go away a bit and I'll try again tomorrow with better form I hope.

    If my goal or method is dangerously stupid feel free to let me know. I do have to say that the swings feel like they do a good job of getting my heart rate up in a way that isn't nearly as uncomfortable for me as other exercises have been in the past, so that's nice even if I end up adjusting my goals or methods.

    Just kind of excited to be doing something for once.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Is Tildes protected from malicious actors, aka paid trolls, aka bots? in ~tildes

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    Gotta say I've never even considered how many mycologists must be wandering around Faerie running errands... Actually, I bet they're having fun.

    Gotta say I've never even considered how many mycologists must be wandering around Faerie running errands... Actually, I bet they're having fun.

    8 votes

  8. Comment on What are some “sore thumb” lyrics for you? in ~music

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    I adore the song Wooly by Breathe Carolina, but the line "Come back to me, Your heart's not breathing" takes me out of the song every time. Just say beating, dang it!

    I adore the song Wooly by Breathe Carolina, but the line

    "Come back to me,
    Your heart's not breathing"

    takes me out of the song every time. Just say beating, dang it!

    3 votes

  9. Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    Demotivators were my introduction to what would become a standard meme format for years. Not sure how widely known they were, though.

    Demotivators were my introduction to what would become a standard meme format for years. Not sure how widely known they were, though.

    3 votes

  10. Comment on What is a business/org that is great and ethical in so many aspects that everyone should consider using? in ~life

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    I hadn't noticed somehow that they now offer the laundry detergent sheets, and I have to ask: do they perform to the same standard as detergent pods? I've been using various Free and Clear™...

    I hadn't noticed somehow that they now offer the laundry detergent sheets, and I have to ask: do they perform to the same standard as detergent pods? I've been using various Free and Clear™ varieties for years, and the sheets are in fact cheaper for my usual usage and I'd rather support Hank's site. However, various online reviews occasionally mention needing to run extra loads to fully clean laundry (either due to spills or body odor) which has me wondering if it's worth trying, as both of these scenarios are common in my household and I've never had to double-wash before.

  11. Comment on What is a business/org that is great and ethical in so many aspects that everyone should consider using? in ~life

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    I get coffee every month from good.store (a project of Hank Green) because the coffee is good, the people are great and the money ends up going to a good cause.

    I get coffee every month from good.store (a project of Hank Green) because the coffee is good, the people are great and the money ends up going to a good cause.

    23 votes

  12. Comment on Why do you like your job? in ~life

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    I teach people how to be locksmiths, but spend most of my time writing curricula and developing new or improved tools for the trade. I love the broad latitude I've been given to define my own...

    I teach people how to be locksmiths, but spend most of my time writing curricula and developing new or improved tools for the trade. I love the broad latitude I've been given to define my own goals, and on the occasions where I'm actively engaged in teaching I get to essentially do several hours of stand-up comedy about locks interspersed with enough facts to be technically educational. (This is a jokey mischaracterization, we actually get through a lot of very technical information, but it's how it feels to me in the moment.) It is exhausting sometimes, but I'm told (and honestly feel) that I'm good at it and I truly love seeing the "aha moment" of each student picking their first lock or understanding masterkey systems for the first time in their career.

    All of this is made much better by bosses that appreciate what I'm bringing to the company and who are on board with my process, which I've described as "looking like I'm goofing off when I'm actually collaborating across departments to get feedback and product suggestions." And even though I get a lot done I still feel deep down that I'm actually just playing around most of the time, which is exactly the environment I need in which to be productive.

    It's awesome.

    6 votes

  13. Comment on The founders of this new Arkansas development say you must be white to live there in ~life

  14. Comment on The founders of this new Arkansas development say you must be white to live there in ~life

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    An interesting piece by the NYT on a white supremacist housing project that aims to get the fair housing laws reinterpreted under the current administration.

    An interesting piece by the NYT on a white supremacist housing project that aims to get the fair housing laws reinterpreted under the current administration.

    7 votes

  16. Comment on So was there no song of the summer this year? in ~music

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    I was coming to this thread to say precisely this. Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne (a song from about 10 years ago). Actually, I can't think of anything more 2025 than a song from a decade ago, before...

    I was coming to this thread to say precisely this. Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne (a song from about 10 years ago).

    Actually, I can't think of anything more 2025 than a song from a decade ago, before the current administration, being used as a marketing tool, being ironically used to point out misfortune, being unironically recognized as still being a total bop.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk

  18. Comment on CVS Caremark ordered to pay $290 million penalty in US Medicare fraud case in ~health

    doors_cannot_stop_me
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    Good. I hope they actually end up paying. As a "loyal customer" (read: forced to use them by my insurance), I feel that no amount of bad things happening to CVS and any company that works with...

    Good. I hope they actually end up paying. As a "loyal customer" (read: forced to use them by my insurance), I feel that no amount of bad things happening to CVS and any company that works with them can ever be enough.

    14 votes

  19. Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    It's really hard to say with any certainty, but for myself I can say that lockpicking content got me started as a hobbyist picker before I became a locksmith, and that was largely before...

    I'm curious, has the locksmithing industry seen any upticks in people interested in the field from the past few years of lockpicking videos gaining popularity on YouTube/TikTok?

    It's really hard to say with any certainty, but for myself I can say that lockpicking content got me started as a hobbyist picker before I became a locksmith, and that was largely before Lockpicking Lawyer was big. There's surprisingly little overlap in the two communities (smiths and pickers), kind of like how there are competitive pistol shooters and police officers, but overlap between the two isn't necessarily huge and large portions of the two populations deeply distrust each other.

    widespread distrust of certain brands

    If you're involved in IT (I know many Tilderinos are), picture how little people know about computer security. "Good enough" is good enough for most. I teach security managers, and I show them how to slap open a certain popular padlock that they still use. They're like, "huh, that's crazy." But I doubt they change it. If even they don't care, it's never going to sink in for the general population.

    Lockpicking Lawyer in particular has completely destroyed my opinion of Masterlock's brand.

    Just knowing who LPL is puts us in the tiny minority who even kind of care. I occasionally get people who are super proud of knowing how bad Master Lock is, but then they use it anyway because "locks just keep honest people honest." And it kind of doesn't matter much. Even the nice stuff opens to an angle grinder. Sure, I won't use Master on principle. Most simply don't care.

    3 votes

  20. Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    "What code-cutting machine do you use?" Their answer can give clues to the age of their lockshop, their specialty, and (potentially) their skill level.

    "What code-cutting machine do you use?"

    Their answer can give clues to the age of their lockshop, their specialty, and (potentially) their skill level.

    1 vote