dotsforeyes's recent activity

  1. Comment on Does anyone here enjoy poetry? If yes, what are your gateway drug poems and what are your hidden gems? in ~books

    dotsforeyes
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    I don't know too much about poetry but there are two which I love and feel very "accessible" to me: The first is from Abarat by Clive Barker Witch, do this for me, Find me a moon made of longing....

    I don't know too much about poetry but there are two which I love and feel very "accessible" to me:

    The first is from Abarat by Clive Barker

    Witch, do this for me,
    Find me a moon
    made of longing.
    Then cut it sliver thin,
    and having cut it,
    hang it high
    above my beloved's house,
    so that she may look up
    tonight
    and see it,
    and seeing it, sigh for me
    as I sigh for her,
    moon or no moon.

    The second is from Laura Gilpin

    The Two-Headed Calf

    Tomorrow when the farm boys find this
    freak of nature, they will wrap his body
    in newspaper and carry him to the museum.

    But tonight he is alive and in the north
    field with his mother. It is a perfect
    summer evening: the moon rising over
    the orchard, the wind in the grass. And
    as he stares into the sky, there are
    twice as many stars as usual.

    3 votes

  2. Comment on Where ya from? in ~talk

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    Same for me! Good to see other Filipinos here on tildes

    Same for me! Good to see other Filipinos here on tildes

  4. Comment on Setting up a NAS as a first timer? in ~tech

    dotsforeyes
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Interesting - this is the first i've considered cloudbox and the link seems comprehensive. Will take a look at it; and you're right - this will be the work of many weekends but I'm excited to...

    Interesting - this is the first i've considered cloudbox and the link seems comprehensive. Will take a look at it; and you're right - this will be the work of many weekends but I'm excited to experiment. Thank you!

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Setting up a NAS as a first timer? in ~tech

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    Thanks! It's pricey for a first plunge so I wanted to be sure but looks like synology nas drives has an overall good rep for beginners.

    Thanks! It's pricey for a first plunge so I wanted to be sure but looks like synology nas drives has an overall good rep for beginners.

    1 vote

  6. Setting up a NAS as a first timer?

    ~tech Ask
    So I've seen some posts here and elsewhere about people making a home NAS setup, using it as a media server with jellyfin/plex/.arr to set up media + keep files/passwords/photos, and then managing...

    So I've seen some posts here and elsewhere about people making a home NAS setup, using it as a media server with jellyfin/plex/.arr to set up media + keep files/passwords/photos, and then managing it remotely. That sounds incredibly cool.

    I also did some cursory searching that one way to do things without messing with port-forwarding is to look into Tailscale to network remotely.

    I want to try this for my parents and I, especially since I will be training abroad for several years while they will be based in Asia.

    The obvious problem is I don't have any experience with the process or even networking in general. I also do not know how to code in any capacity. I am in a decidedly non-tech field of work.

    I've been googling but want to know if this a feasible idea at my skill level? Is this work for hobbyists or those in the professional field of computing? Am I going to potentially shoot myself security-wise if i try this? Should experiment with something smaller-scale first?

    Preliminary "Research":

    1. Watched Practical Networking on youtube to see what I was getting into (understood... lets say 45% of what he was talking about)
    2. Plan to get a synology NAS with minimum 4 drive bays (Supposedly this is easiest for beginners?)
    3. Connect to network via tailscale
    4. Get a vpn
    5. Install docker
    6. Install apps
    7. Connect it to PCs and smart tv at my parent's home in Asia
    8. ???
    9. Maintain it from Europe?

    Any advice on how to start or any guides to recommend? (most of what I've found is 2021 or earlier so I am unsure if a lot's changed since then)

    9 votes

  7. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    dotsforeyes
    Link
    I've just finished 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim for Switch. Enjoyed it. A lot more than I thought I would. It's heavily story-based which I like in videogames and is extremely hard to recommend without...

    I've just finished 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim for Switch. Enjoyed it. A lot more than I thought I would. It's heavily story-based which I like in videogames and is extremely hard to recommend without spoiling anything. If you're a fan of whodunnits or scifi, might be your thing. Visually it's gorgeous but gameplay-wise, its not for everyone.

    All week, the fun I had and all the feelings after finishing it have been jostling in my brain but no one I know has played it. I therefore gifted it to a good friend who seems like they'd enjoy it but I don't know if they'll like it in the end. I'm looking forward to playing it again once I get the time. Kind of wish I could erase my mind and play it blind - maybe in a decade or so...

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Happy 4th Birthday, Tildes! in ~tildes

    dotsforeyes
    Link
    Happy Birthday Tildes!

    Happy Birthday Tildes!

    4 votes

  9. Comment on What's something about yourself that you had to face? in ~talk

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    100% agree, exactly in that order. Another great thing about scents is they aren't really tied to specific genders in people's subconscious minds (even if marketing says otherwise). I've gotten...

    100% agree, exactly in that order.

    Another great thing about scents is they aren't really tied to specific genders in people's subconscious minds (even if marketing says otherwise). I've gotten compliments wearing a woody "men's" musk on a cold day and one of the guys at work always smells great because his aftershave mixes well with his girlfriend's floral perfume.

    5 votes

  10. Comment on What's something about yourself that you had to face? in ~talk

    dotsforeyes
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I'm in the same camp of always being labelled "The Ugly One" among my female friends and sisters. It sucks haha and there's only so many ways to slice genetics. There are tricks around it though....

    I'm in the same camp of always being labelled "The Ugly One" among my female friends and sisters. It sucks haha and there's only so many ways to slice genetics.

    There are tricks around it though. A British actress (i forget who) once told a story about how it was a pain that casting directors weren't giving her work since she wasn't pretty enough; what got her through it was something she overheard one of them say:

    "It's true, she's not pretty - but she is sexy"

    And with that mentality, here is some of the more successful things ive tried to bridge the gap:

    1. Exercise is a legit thing but one thing i always used to forget was posture. Even if just for the first 15 mins meeting someone, if my posture wasn't a slouch, it came off better. Plus boobs (and backside) look better (and aren't as heavy or in the way) with good posture.

    2. We can't win with visuals but there are 4 other senses (most of which count for more). BO is a killer and even if none of you smell, if you look like you're the freshest person in the room, it makes a difference. I do above average, "next to godliness" level hygeine.

    3. On the topic of scents - a light complimentary scent does as much as a pretty face can. I'll say it again: LIGHT, COMPLIMENTARY scent haha. You'll know you've found the one because people will legitimately compliment you when you wear it - sometimes indirectly - "I'll sit next to you", "Did you do something new?” That day they'll be extra friendly/kind (i.e. the way the beautiful population live). If you get no compliments (they'll never say you smell) that means too heavy, or wrong scent for that crowd.

    Note how I say scent, not necessarily fragrance. Sometimes it's just your diet, your detergent or shampoo, or the smell of your room/bag/handkerchief. A human's visual center may be more advanced, but scents hit subconsciously and are tied closer to memory. You only need to smell good once in the right situation to get them to remember you positively the rest of the year (ditto for bad smells).

    1. Make-up is a hit or miss cause I don't usually want people to pay MORE attention to my face. Best in the hands of professionals or those lots more experienced than me.

    Edit to add: It also helps when I ground myself and think of it as "well, if i'm the ugly friend, my friends must all be ridiculously gorgeous" and sometimes that's the better compliment.

    7 votes

  11. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (June 2021) in ~health.mental

    dotsforeyes
    (edited )
    Link
    I've been thinking a lot about selfishness recently. Today at lunch, I ordered food for our household that included a box of chicken while catching up on work. I then arrived late to the meal and...

    I've been thinking a lot about selfishness recently.

    Today at lunch, I ordered food for our household that included a box of chicken while catching up on work. I then arrived late to the meal and when I got to the table, there was no chicken left for me. It was a little thing but something about it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I broke down and grossly overreacted in a bit of a rage. Anyway after having fought with everyone over why I was making a big deal out of something that should to them and perhaps to the less-tired me have been "an easy sacrifice", I was left defeated and shamefaced as we screamed at each other, ending in someone saying "Eat something else! Don't be so selfish!"

    It hurt, first of all. The knowledge that people consider me selfish, after I wrongly assumed myself rather at least a break-even in earth's little dance among the stars. Then I thought, looking back at my life as all the things I've done whizzed by at record speed: "My god, AM I selfish?”

    Of course I would be selfish from the point of view of my housemates who wanted the last piece of chicken. My taking it from them would essentially rob them of food that was theirs. But from my point of view it was them who was selfish, for not realizing that I wanted that chicken as much as they did.

    Setting aside the world's pettiest argument, which was easily fixed by my digesting something, it made me realize it wasn't the chicken I was mad about at all.

    These last two years, the ever-constant burnout in healthcare services erupted into a Dantes's inferno of stress. Healthcare workers like myself were forced into a situation where we were both forcibly thrown into the spotlight with the "heroic" responsibility of saving everyone and attacked for being the bad guys out to milk every citizen dry. To the credit of those I have worked with and I suspect the vast majority of my profession in a third-world country, we've done our best. But now on the way to the (hopefully!) aftermath, I feel like the damage has begun to make itself more known. Many of us in training jobs have quit or have to repeat the year. Many have gone into "safer" moonlight, locum, or telemedicine jobs. Many have had to distance from their families. And of course, there are those of us for whom COVID will never be a problem again, may they rest in peace.

    I went into medicine with the same mix of selfishness and selflessness that the average med student does. Of course I wanted to help people if I could(tm), but I was equally as motivated by the sudden death of close family members to cancer and the realization that it could happen to me and people I love. In a way it was selfless to sacrifice all that time to the pursuit of caring for others, but I don't know if I could have made it through without colleagues saying "Don't worry! Once you're settled, you'll be financially secure".

    Now, after all those years of mixed messages, debt, work, and hierarchy, I was preparing myself for pursuing a possible subspecialty in oncology when the global health climate of COVID derailed pretty much any plans I've had for myself. There's a joke that every resident training in Internal Medicine this year is specializing in Infectious Disease and Pulmonology because those are the only patients to be seen.

    With all that has happened, medicine doesn't make me happy like it used to. Upon vocalizing my burnout, my desire to step back in little pockets of non-medical hobbies and my wish to have a salary that can someday get me my own house and afford a dog maybe, society at large is calling it selfishness. Patients are crying out that we honor our oath. Poor Hippocrates meant well but the responsibility of 7.9 billion human lives seems insurmountable even putting together every healthcare professional on Earth. I come home, and I'm selfish for wanting my share of chicken.

    And on some level, I am. Selfish yes, but also tired. I'm healthy and so far safe and fine and entitled and sad and just tired. I spent a good hour after the chicken episode frustrated, trying to figure out if I was selfish - and if I was, how badly and how fixable?

    7 votes

  12. Comment on Neil Gaiman defends Sandman show casting nonbinary, Black actors in ~tv

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    That's a lovely read, thanks! Interestingly, I'm not white and while reading Anansi Boys I always imagined Anansi as the spitting image of my grandfather who I loved dearly and was incredibly...

    That's a lovely read, thanks! Interestingly, I'm not white and while reading Anansi Boys I always imagined Anansi as the spitting image of my grandfather who I loved dearly and was incredibly mixed race (not at all what Anansi was supposed to looked like). It never occurred to me that they were black - but then again, it never occurred to me that they were white. Like NaraVara, I just sort of filled them up in my mind with what was familiar to me and adjusted as the story went on (Such as the little bit when the characters were older), which says a lot about the power of good storytelling - and the effect filling things in can have.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on Neil Gaiman defends Sandman show casting nonbinary, Black actors in ~tv

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    I loved reading Anansi Boys as a child and only realizing after the fact that not once in the entire story was race mentioned or pandered to - and it was a great story regardless. It was about...

    I loved reading Anansi Boys as a child and only realizing after the fact that not once in the entire story was race mentioned or pandered to - and it was a great story regardless. It was about people being people.

    3 votes

  15. Comment on What's a question you want to ask, but you're worried about how it might come across? in ~talk

    dotsforeyes
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Every relationship is different so I can only offer what I've found out anecdotally and in a general sense. It helped a couple of my friends, maybe it'll help you? *Recognize that: Those questions...

    Every relationship is different so I can only offer what I've found out anecdotally and in a general sense. It helped a couple of my friends, maybe it'll help you?

    *Recognize that:

    1. Those questions and the process will repeat itself every so often when one or both of you have a change in priorities
    2. There is always the risk of being wrong for all parties involved
    3. I am working with the assumption that your relationship isn't crossing any moral boundaries (abuse, involvement of minors, etc)*

    Get to know yourself as an individual and what you want to do with your life. It's a bit backwards but - assuming this person was not a factor in your life- what do you like, what do you not like, and where do you see yourself in X years? It doesn't have to be anything career-related. If in X years you only get as far as "I hope I'm alive and healthy" or "i just want to make it to tomorrow" then that's fine.

    What's next is to find ways to clearly let your partner know that that is your plan AND find ways to know what their plan is. Every couple is different at how they prefer to communicate, just make sure both of you know this latest information about each other and how specific each of you are with your futures. Then, after you have both your info and your significant other's info, take a moment in private and think if you can live the rest of your life with this person knowing that's what they ultimately want to do with their life.

    I cannot stress enough that if you don't know this information about your partner, don't intend/ have any interest in doing so in the future, or aren't keen on renewing and updating the info every so often then there is no long term and it might be time to move on. The same goes for them.

    As an example, I have been with my current significant other just over a decade. We almost called it quits twice (amicably) but both times got to hash things out afterwards because we were both open to figuring out what each other wanted. We go over stuff like that every time we have a big fight (afterwards not during), sometimes over food and drinks when emotions are too high. Sometimes when all one person wants is "to be alive in 10 years maybe" and what the other wants is "to be fulfilled in my field/to have kids" then you have to decide whether to live with those problems (laid back partner, a family in the future) or not.

    One red flag for me is if one or both of you are too tired or can't be bothered to go through that process even after multiple attempts over a period of time (weeks and months, not hours) because that means maybe there's something underlying between you two that REALLY isn't working out. And that's okay. It's better to recognize that now so you can break up and save both of you the stress of staying together.

    Another red flag is you or your partner saying "Oh i know that about them already, we don't need to go through all that". No, you don't know them that well. You're not them. After a year they may not even be the same person anymore - especially if it's early days and you guys are still getting to know each other - so it's important to always be prepared to pay attention (sometimes indirectly) about big and little things.

    7 votes

  16. Comment on What does analog have that digital doesn't? in ~talk

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    That's food for thought. For sure nostalgia is a big factor as well. The network advice i'll definitely take note. Thanks! The slow but steady tide of digitizing appliances seems to have caught me...

    That's food for thought. For sure nostalgia is a big factor as well. The network advice i'll definitely take note. Thanks!

    The slow but steady tide of digitizing appliances seems to have caught me in the middle. I guess I know less about the process and that's what makes me wary to deal with it. I would say I do my research but that marketing oftentimes has a better understanding of the digital side than I do. Then some comments here bring up a good point in that its likey the corporate/legal end with a problem, vs the digital arm per se. My country has consumer protection laws but only just.

    Now I just kind of wish I could take your father or you with me the next time I shop for appliances :))

    P.S. Unrelatedly, the nostalgia/ biased recall angle reminded me of a nice old memory: We used to have appliances that we called "may amo" (in english, "knows only one master") such as the washing machine that would only work when my mom kicked it in a certain spot.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on What does analog have that digital doesn't? in ~talk

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    Good advice! That's the kind of place I'd eventually like my home to become in the future. Not there yet but its good to know that a best-of-both-worlds scenario is possible.

    Good advice! That's the kind of place I'd eventually like my home to become in the future. Not there yet but its good to know that a best-of-both-worlds scenario is possible.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on What does analog have that digital doesn't? in ~talk

    dotsforeyes
    (edited )
    Link
    Planned obsolescence is a thing for both analog and digital times but what I miss most about analog is how it was easier for the average non-tech-enthusiast to get things to work. I say this from...

    Planned obsolescence is a thing for both analog and digital times but what I miss most about analog is how it was easier for the average non-tech-enthusiast to get things to work.

    I say this from a place of frustration because in recent years i have had to replace more "analog" appliances like televisions, printers, washing machines, and refrigerators that lasted my family for decades with their "digital" counterparts - and within maybe 2-4 years the computer inside the appliance gets wet, gets bugged, gets updated, gets whispered to by the holy spirit - whatever it is - and suddenly companies are telling us "you need to get a whole new machine".

    Once they say that, there's no way to DIY yourself out even if the main functioning parts in the appliance such as the motor etc etc is working fine. It's probably bigger than just a digital vs analog issue but I can't help but miss the days when i could open something up and see how it worked - and how to fix it. Maybe it's just a sign of the times.

    18 votes

  19. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    dotsforeyes
    Link
    I've been watching Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans. Enjoyed the first season enough to start the second. I haven't finished it yet so can't really speak for the series as a whole, but the...

    I've been watching Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans. Enjoyed the first season enough to start the second. I haven't finished it yet so can't really speak for the series as a whole, but the second season is raising a lot of interesting questions so far.

    My friend pushed me to watch it although I don't really appreciate mecha as a genre. I asked for political twisty action with minimal required brain power and this delivered on so many levels. I found myself invested in what happened to the characters which hasn't really happened with me for recent anime series.

    If I had to give a one-sentence summary of what it is about maybe "Trials and tribulations of a start-up transport company set against a space war with giant robots."

  20. Comment on I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (in medicine) in ~health

    dotsforeyes
    Link Parent
    Aaah, okay, yes most of it is done online now and it goes about as well as the average online classroom lecture does. Software-wise, there is a bunch of software already available that...

    Aaah, okay, yes most of it is done online now and it goes about as well as the average online classroom lecture does. Software-wise, there is a bunch of software already available that consolidates such information and aids practice like the one in this article and better - most health care workers have their corresponding one on their phones. However, to use them we often need an institutional subscription or expensive paid account to access it (That's a whole other issue altogether) and sometimes license verification.

    Before COVID as doctors we'd usually do maybe....hmm ~33% in-person formal events like conferences/workshops/training, ~33% in-person hospital/institution-based case reports, audits, rounds (things like going over the interesting patients from the past month and reviewing new standards for their diseases), ~33% self-study with journals, textbooks, research publications. Video conferencing/online conferencing was rare except in specialist needs.

    Last 2020 i'd say that shifted quite drastically as doctors of all specialties were reassigned to the needs of the COVID wards and care. Continuing education in the formal sense took a back seat to shifting and adjusting staff so we wouldn't cross contaminate each other with COVID. Now I'd say all annual/biannual conferences either went to online video or got postponed. Most of them also changed their contents to focus on the COVID-19 relevant information. Self-study took a huge chunk of 2020 learning as we all rushed to meet whatever information on COVID we could get. Most governments and international institutions mandated that COVID information be free so that's a huge plus but the sheer majority of it is "in progress" or a "developing study" so it takes us longer to sift through the information based on whatever our current practice guidelines are.

    How do people in health care learn about new developments with COVID-19?

    Officially, via announcement/text/memo/email through the Department of Health which mandates nationwide information, then adjusted per institution based on cases we see in our specific hospitals. Most doctors are members of associations so depending on your specialty or training post, you'd follow bulletins from your association. We don't just read the journals - for our guidance and protection, we also follow steps or algorithms of care that are recommended by institutions who did the bulk of the data-crunching for us - common examples include NICE guidelines for the UK. Where we do not have local standards, we follow standards of WHO or countries with similar population makeup to our own.

    Information during covid is pretty much a flood and it's hard to separate the trust-able from the dubious especially since everything is so new. I would not say last year and this current one is representative of how information is usually distributed to doctors. Whether it will be representative going forward, I don't know.

    6 votes