doors_cannot_stop_me's recent activity

  1. Comment on What's an atypical thing you do that you'd recommend to others? in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    I've been team "my TV is just a big monitor" for over a decade now and I love it. I only even see the remote a couple of times a year usually. Plugging the TV into a smart plug has been awesome,...

    I've been team "my TV is just a big monitor" for over a decade now and I love it. I only even see the remote a couple of times a year usually. Plugging the TV into a smart plug has been awesome, just turn it on with my phone.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on What's an atypical thing you do that you'd recommend to others? in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    For the data, I do this also. It's not very quiet when I do, in fact sometimes I think it's louder, but still. Dozens of us!

    For the data, I do this also. It's not very quiet when I do, in fact sometimes I think it's louder, but still. Dozens of us!

    1 vote

  3. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

  4. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    Thanks for the kind words! That's a tougher question to answer than I thought it would be. I always have trouble answering questions with superlatives in them, so I suppose I'll qualify my answer...

    Thanks for the kind words!

    Which hobby/hobbies have you connected to the most out of all the ones you've tried?

    That's a tougher question to answer than I thought it would be. I always have trouble answering questions with superlatives in them, so I suppose I'll qualify my answer and say that, as the hobby that enables the others, reading is the one to which I most deeply connect and to which I have been connected the longest, but comedy (specifically, making others laugh in conversation) is a constant through-line in my life leading back to early childhood, even if it hasn't dominated my time and energy to the same extent.

    I'm glad most of my childhood was before the days of online social media where your dumb mistakes are visible to the whole world and recorded potentially forever.

    Same, friend, same.

    That sounds pretty cool!

    It is (apparently) my dream job. I thought I'd like it, but had no idea how much. The learning is fun, the product design is highly stimulating, teaching gives me many short-term captive audiences on whom to inflict my anecdotes, and my coworkers are top-notch.

    Also, bonus question: if doors cannot stop you, what can?

    Windows. My one weakness. (I prefer Linux) (For real, breaking glass is so annoying to do accidentally as a locksmith)

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

  6. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    How long have you been on Tildes? How did you find out about us? I joined in June of 2023. Like many, I was a Reddit user who was unhappy with the direction the company was taking. So I supported...

    How long have you been on Tildes? How did you find out about us?

    I joined in June of 2023. Like many, I was a Reddit user who was unhappy with the direction the company was taking. So I supported the blackout and looked for alternatives, got my invite and haven't really looked back.

    How did you choose your username?

    I just used my Reddit username, which I chose years ago when I was a brand new locksmith and feeling overconfident in my abilities.

    What are your interests?

    I collect interests and information as a sort of meta-hobby. I tend to be an "inch deep, mile wide" hobbyist, so I've tried my hand at/studied lots of stuff: laser cutting, 3d printing, woodworking, linguistics, cryptocurrency, numismatics, comedy, neurology, cryptography, animal facts, fantasy fiction and rpgs... The list keeps going. I'm the kinda guy who wants to know a bit about everything, so I'll read book, TV show and video game summaries just to be able to enjoy the culture around them. I guess the best summary of my interests is, "I want to be able to get every in-joke I encounter, and I spend my time accordingly."

    A/S/L (age/(gender|pronouns|identifier)/location)

    Millennial / male / Kentucky

    A note on doxxing

    I've gone to minor lengths to avoid doxxing myself since my start on Reddit, but my OPSEC is far from perfect. I'm sure anyone with a bit of time on their hands could figure out who I am and tell everyone.

    I'd rather you didn't. It just makes me happier to maintain my pseudo-anonymity.

    But I haven't said anything on this site (or online in general) that I thought no one would ever see or that would end my career (though of course I've grown and changed over the years and certainly disagree with my younger self on certain points), and being doxxed wouldn't make me disappear. I'd just be disappointed.

    Thank you for your time.

    What do you do? This could be in your spare time, for work, your passions.

    I'm a locksmithing instructor by trade, so I teach commercial and government locksmiths how to do their jobs. I also develop curriculum and physical tools for that work. In my spare time I read and watch (way too much) TikTok and YouTube.

    Do you want other users to PM/DM you from this thread?

    By all means. Though the odds are split as to whether I'll forget to respond or talk your ear off.

    Give us a fun fact (or a link!)! If there is anything to know about tilderinos, it's that we value knowledge sharing!

    Aluminum used to be more valuable than gold or platinum, due to its rarity and the difficulty in its manufacture. It was anecdotally used to make tableware reserved by the emperor of France for his most honorable guests. The cap of the Washington Monument is aluminum, both for its precious nature at the time and its conducting property (it acts as a sort of lightning rod). But the funny bit is this: the monument was completed in 1885, with the aluminum being an expensive, precious metal. In 1886, a method was discovered to produce it cheaply, and its price plummeted. It's now one of the cheaper metals, and we don't really think about it anymore and make disposable stuff from it.

    It just makes me feel... feelings that something unimaginably costly can become ubiquitous and cheap in an instant. And the reverse is true - Bitcoin was originally worth nothing. I once had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth - in today's money. At the time, it was practically worthless and I spent it on a few trinkets I was collecting. And who knows how long it will be before it's worthless again.

    Things change. Their costs change. Value isn't necessarily merit. What's hard for me today may someday be so trivial I don't think about it, and what I do now may become impossible.

    It makes me want to enjoy the cheapness of cheap things and the costliness of costly things while they exist, because who knows what will come next.

    3 votes

  7. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    Re: military/food history - have you checked out steve1989mreinfo on YouTube? He has been making videos about military rations for years, and he'll even open and (attempt to) eat historic rations...

    Re: military/food history - have you checked out steve1989mreinfo on YouTube? He has been making videos about military rations for years, and he'll even open and (attempt to) eat historic rations to give info that isn't really out there otherwise. Interesting to watch, especially for the chance to hear a grown man say "Hmm, that seems rancid. Maybe just one more bite."

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Your note that nothing is magical to you reminds me of a short video I recently saw (but cannot find a link to): A wizard and their companion see a shooting star. The companion suggests making a...

    Your note that nothing is magical to you reminds me of a short video I recently saw (but cannot find a link to):

    A wizard and their companion see a shooting star. The companion suggests making a wish, and the wizard solemnly answers that wishes doing don't really work for wizards. This is because, in their pursuit of arcane knowledge, wizards must learn how the magic works, and learning how it works deprives them of "random, mysterious acts of magic" in exchange for being able to do the magic, like shooting fireballs from their hands. The companion, concerned, asks "Is it worth it?" The wizard answers:

    "Fuck yeah."

    2 votes

  9. Comment on Post something from your notes app in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    Dumb story idea: A boy raised by his aunt and uncle discovers that his parents were actually highly gifted hackers when their old organization comes to recruit him, Harry Potter style. He doesn't...

    Dumb story idea:

    A boy raised by his aunt and uncle discovers that his parents were actually highly gifted hackers when their old organization comes to recruit him, Harry Potter style. He doesn't take the time to realize that hacking skills aren't hereditary and runs away with them. Turns out his parents hid billions of dollars in crypto before they died, and tied their 2fa to his biometrics.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    I have not, but that sounds great! And yeah, I'm just using Jif "natural" peanut butter, so I'm sure it's already a technological marvel lol.

    I have not, but that sounds great!

    And yeah, I'm just using Jif "natural" peanut butter, so I'm sure it's already a technological marvel lol.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    Beef instant ramen (though chicken flavor can work in a pinch) prepared the normal way, but then add in 2 slices of American cheese (Kraft singles for best results) and a spoonful of peanut...

    Beef instant ramen (though chicken flavor can work in a pinch) prepared the normal way, but then add in 2 slices of American cheese (Kraft singles for best results) and a spoonful of peanut butter. Stir until well combined/melted, hit it with some Sriracha and enjoy.

    This started with just peanut butter but the emulsion would break and I'd end up with peanut precipitate in the bottom of the bowl, which made me unhappy. The American cheese adds emulsifiers to the mix, which keeps the peanut butter in solution and the cheese flavor doesn't hurt a bit. The Sriracha is a given, no controversy there.

    8 votes

  12. Comment on EU paves the way for iPhones and Android devices to ditch USB-C entirely in ~tech

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    Android users can buy Magsafe compatible cases that use magnets in the case to place chargers in the correct position to work. I have one, it's pretty great. But I'd be quite annoyed to lose...

    Android users can buy Magsafe compatible cases that use magnets in the case to place chargers in the correct position to work. I have one, it's pretty great. But I'd be quite annoyed to lose wired, efficient, faster charging in exchange for wireless only. Especially if using the most convenient chargers requires purchasing these cases. It'd be dongles all over again.

    Also, I can currently plug in USB drives into my USB C port for data transfer purposes, which was a step down already from the previous paradigm of microSD slots which worked great for years. I do not want to have to rely on anyone's cloud service to transfer files to or from my phone. If you can't use it without a man in the middle, you can't trust it to be there for the useful life of the device.

    17 votes

  13. Comment on If you could go into hibernation and wake up in the future, would you? in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom has this concept as a side-plot in a story about consciousness-transfer and cloning.

    Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom has this concept as a side-plot in a story about consciousness-transfer and cloning.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on What do you like about your job? in ~talk

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    I'm a security industry instructor. I love teaching my students and seeing all the "Aha" moments, and I only really see them for a week or two, so I get to reuse all my stories and jokes. Win-win....

    I'm a security industry instructor. I love teaching my students and seeing all the "Aha" moments, and I only really see them for a week or two, so I get to reuse all my stories and jokes. Win-win.

    But the really great part is that when I'm not actively teaching I have a long leash to work on product development, curriculum improvement and pretty much whatever else I want as long as other goals are being met. I get to really stretch my wings a bit, and usually I don't have too many hard deadlines.

    Oh, and the pay is better than my last job by almost 50%, while my physical workload is lower by more than that.

    3 votes

  15. Comment on What do you drink with Mac and Cheese? in ~food

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    I'm a frequent partaker of a Kraft Mac and Cheese with Coke lunch/dinner myself.

    I'm a frequent partaker of a Kraft Mac and Cheese with Coke lunch/dinner myself.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Google Maps now shows the 'Gulf of America' for US users in ~tech

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    I just submitted an error report to their feedback. Won't do anything, but if it wastes a little of their time at all I'm happy.

    I just submitted an error report to their feedback. Won't do anything, but if it wastes a little of their time at all I'm happy.

    5 votes

  17. Comment on Donald Trump directs US Treasury to stop making pennies in ~society

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link Parent
    It (allegedly) happened for a bit to the old copper ones until the government stepped in to stop it. I've heard of people shipping them to Canada to melt down for raw copper, but couldn't quickly...

    It (allegedly) happened for a bit to the old copper ones until the government stepped in to stop it. I've heard of people shipping them to Canada to melt down for raw copper, but couldn't quickly find a reliable source stating that it actually happened.

    5 votes

  18. Comment on Meet Bubzia. Using only sound and memory, he's conquered SM64's toughest speedrunning challenges faster than anyone - including an insane 120-star blindfolded run in 11 hours and 22 minutes. in ~games

  19. Comment on Meet Bubzia. Using only sound and memory, he's conquered SM64's toughest speedrunning challenges faster than anyone - including an insane 120-star blindfolded run in 11 hours and 22 minutes. in ~games

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    I don't even play video games really anymore, but I love speedrunning videos so much! Gonna have to check this one out over the weekend. I'm honor-bound to ask, even though I'm sure you've...

    I don't even play video games really anymore, but I love speedrunning videos so much! Gonna have to check this one out over the weekend. I'm honor-bound to ask, even though I'm sure you've probably already seen it, if you are aware of Summoning Salt's video on blindfolded Punch-Out. It's a ride.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Ask Tildes: Job security - does it exist, how to deal with lack of, how to process being fired / unemployment in ~life

    doors_cannot_stop_me
    Link
    This is not for everyone, but for me: I cultivated skills/interests that could, in a pinch, supplement my savings as side jobs with the option to try and make them full-time. I worked as a...

    This is not for everyone, but for me: I cultivated skills/interests that could, in a pinch, supplement my savings as side jobs with the option to try and make them full-time.

    I worked as a locksmith, and I had a plan for what to do if I drove to work one day and it had ceased to exist. I knew what tools to buy, the rough licensing process and which customers to reach out to in order to found my own business within a pretty short time.

    I also took any opportunity I could to learn skills that interested me and set up potential opportunities for the future. I had clients tell me (perhaps half-joking) that they'd hire me if I became available. I interviewed a friend in a different line of work that I was considering pivoting to. I learned how to design tools that I could sell if needed. I had an education plan if I decided to stop locksmithing. I kept my eyes open and came to the conclusion that I stayed where I was because it was comfortable, not mandatory.

    So when my boss would jokingly tell me he was gonna fire me, I'd (only half) jokingly tell him, "Go ahead, free me from this prison! Rub the lamp! I've got lots of things I want to do!"

    And when a good opportunity came around, I gave long notice, helped transition the team into working without me as best I could and maintained a good relationship throughout.

    Again, this isn't going to work for everyone, but for me having that attitude was so freeing!

    Good luck!

    11 votes