fefellama's recent activity
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Comment on Twenty-eight years later, Escaflowne is suddenly trending in Japan in ~anime
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Comment on Underrated ways to change the world in ~life
fefellama Link ParentOh for sure. The specific information needed is one thing, but the whole background of knowledge that goes with it is often invisible and much harder to come by. Like it seems so easy to just look...Oh for sure. The specific information needed is one thing, but the whole background of knowledge that goes with it is often invisible and much harder to come by. Like it seems so easy to just look up some information that you need online, I'm sure someone has asked the same question before right? But how the hell do you know what the right questions to ask are if you don't know what's causing the issue in the first place? And how do you parse through the answers for stuff that might actually work when you don't understand the jargon being thrown around? This applies to a lot of things, especially hobbies: computer stuff, woodworking, mechanical issues, etc.
"My computer keeps crashing" sounds like a simple problem, but can have hundreds of different causes and solutions that all sound totally plausible to someone whose computer literacy ends at microsoft word and internet explorer. My friend with the boats could diagnose a failing outboard motor by ear alone but couldn't figure out how to print a document double-sided. So telling him to 'just check the print properties' sounds to him how 'just check if the carbs are running' sounds to me.
I'll learn eventually, but it takes time. Which is why switchboarding is so important. Just showing someone how to do something could cut HOURS of work off their plate simply because you have that background knowledge and familiarity that they lack. Or better yet - it can potentially keep them interested in the subject instead of getting frustrated at not finding the answer and eventually giving up.
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Comment on Underrated ways to change the world in ~life
fefellama LinkThis was my favorite part. Very wholesome. But I also really liked the bit about switchboarding. I have a friend who fixes boats, and every time I ask him for help with my outboard motor he's like...Sometimes when I think about everything that’s wrong with the world, I get indignant, like: why wasn’t all this fixed out by the time I got here? I mean, really? In 2024? We’re still doing this?
But then I think: why do I, uniquely, deserve to be born in good times? Am I the Most Special Boy in the Universe? My ancestors died in famines and plagues, they suffered under evil kings, they got cut down in stupid wars that were fought because some people thought God is literally a piece of bread and other people thought God is only figuratively a piece of bread.
They all deserved a better world than the one they got. So do I. So do all of us! If only we could convince God to fast-forward us to the future where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. Alas, He cannot hear us, for He is a piece of bread.
This was my favorite part. Very wholesome.
But I also really liked the bit about switchboarding. I have a friend who fixes boats, and every time I ask him for help with my outboard motor he's like "Oh it's super easy just ____ the ____ and then check the ____ for ____. You might have to replace the _____ though, so see what condition it's in." And I just can't get it through to him that shit that is easy for him makes no sense to me. I don't even know what some of those parts look like, or where they are located, or what they are supposed to look like, or what the signs are if they are going bad. I didn't grow up with that and I don't do that for a living like he does.
I'm not sure if this is exactly the same thing as switchboarding, but it feels the same to me. I know that I exist. and I know that the information/knowledge/experience that I seek exists. But it's difficult connecting the two together. But watching him poke around in the motor for 10 minutes, just pointing out the stuff he sees that is working or not working (and why) is better than any youtube video I could watch or any google search I could do, since I wouldn't even know what to look up.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 17 in ~games
fefellama LinkJust checked prime gaming for the first time in a couple of weeks/months and damn there were quite a few decent games actually. For anyone with a prime account, go check it out. guardians of the...Just checked prime gaming for the first time in a couple of weeks/months and damn there were quite a few decent games actually. For anyone with a prime account, go check it out.
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guardians of the galaxy game
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tomb raider anniversary
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dishonored definitive edition
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bioshock remastered
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coromon (highly recommend, very reminiscent of gba-era pokemon)
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monster train (my pick of the whole bunch, top two best roguelike deckbuilders in my opinion, tied with slay the spire, seriously check it out if you enjoy card games)
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kerbal space program
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borderlands 2, presequel, and tales from the borderlands
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and like dozens of other games that I did not mention
Most redeem on either GOG or Epic. I've gotten some good games from prime before, but this lot is probably the best overall group I've seen there.
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Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes
fefellama Link ParentThat’s fair. I can definitely see how it could cloud my judgment or precondition me to agree or disagree with someone before even reading the comment. But I’ll give you a couple of uses (from when...That’s fair. I can definitely see how it could cloud my judgment or precondition me to agree or disagree with someone before even reading the comment.
But I’ll give you a couple of uses (from when I used it on Reddit) that I found really helpful.
On some smaller game subreddits, it was super useful to tag the devs of that game, or people who I know were involved in the production in some capacity. That would often be helpful in threads seeking advice or technical info about said game. Eventually, a lot of subreddits started making their own custom tags for certain users and mods for the same reason.
Another use is for identifying people from smaller subreddits in larger subreddits. Some of the larger groups got to the point where I really did not recognize anyone in any of the threads, cuz there was just too many people posting. But every now and then I’d see someone with a tag that I had made for them on another (much smaller) subreddit, and suddenly the whole site felt smaller and more like a community. It’s like when you go to a party where you don’t know anyone versus going to a party where you know at least one person. Tildes is much smaller of course, and doesn’t suffer from this same feeling of facelessness yet, but it couldn’t hurt to make it feel even more like a community.
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Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes
fefellama LinkSomewhat related: does anyone know of any way to 'tag' other users on this site? Like an extension or some mobile app or something? Like how Reddit Enhancement Suite would let you add tags next to...Somewhat related: does anyone know of any way to 'tag' other users on this site? Like an extension or some mobile app or something? Like how Reddit Enhancement Suite would let you add tags next to people's names there. I always found that super useful. I don't always look at the usernames when I read comments (it's a little easier here with the smaller userbase, but became impossible on some of the larger subreddits when I used to browse reddit). But I could very easily set up a tag in whatever color I wanted for someone that I knew was an expert in something, or that I wanted to notice more, or just for fun.
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Comment on How a Soviet zoologist remade the Azerbaijan animal species population in ~enviro
fefellama LinkFascinating article, thanks for sharing! Always interesting to read about misguided 20th century attempts to introduce new species to new places. Seems like every country has at least a few...Fascinating article, thanks for sharing!
Always interesting to read about misguided 20th century attempts to introduce new species to new places. Seems like every country has at least a few invasive species that can trace their origins back to some 1950s scientist trying to alter the natural world and failing miserably (or I guess succeeding so hard that it becomes a problem).
Where I live there are these large networks of mosquito canals dug up in the 1980s in an attempt to control mosquito populations. It didn’t work, they soon learned, but the canals are still here.
I wonder what sorts of experiments we’re conducting today that people 50-100 years from now will think “WTF were they thinking?”
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
fefellama Link ParentYup, 100%. And usually I do, so that way there’s always something to do between point A and point B so you don’t actually realize how far you’re going and how long it’s taking. But when you’re...The solution would likely be to take every quest available and combine them so you don't go across the map for just one of them.
Yup, 100%. And usually I do, so that way there’s always something to do between point A and point B so you don’t actually realize how far you’re going and how long it’s taking. But when you’re invested in one specific plot line or quest and just want to finish that, it’s a bit annoying. You either have to sidetrack your main goal dozens of times along your route to keep the game feeling engaging, or you put up with the monotony of walking halfway across the map.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
fefellama LinkRecently had quite a bit of free time, as well as the urge to play Skyrim, so I did so. Both with mods (nothing too crazy, just basic stuff to improve the looks and usability), and then without...Recently had quite a bit of free time, as well as the urge to play Skyrim, so I did so. Both with mods (nothing too crazy, just basic stuff to improve the looks and usability), and then without mods to try and get some missing achievements.
And I realized something about the game that I've always felt but never really put into words despite playing the game literally for 13 years (came out 11/11/11). The quest design kinda sucks without fast-travel. I love Elder Scrolls, Oblivion especially is one of my favorite games ever, even Skyrim I really love, but goddamn is there so much bullshit in between the quests that make them just not fun unless you fast travel all over the place.
I'm not even talking about those typical bs quests like companion missions or fetch quests, I'm talking about the ones that are actually interesting like the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild quests.
The Dark Brotherhood ones for example: a simple quest basically goes "we got a contact who performed the black sacrament, go meet with them to find out more about the target". Then you go halfway across the map to meet with the person, only to find out where the target is and why they want them dead, then you go to that new location to take out the target, then you report back to the person that gave you the quest, then you report back to the Dark Brotherhood base. That's at least 4 massive trips between 3 locations for a single mission.
I tried doing it in survival mode and without fast traveling and it was just insane how much time I was spending doing things not related to what I set out to do (walking, inventory management, hunger/sleep/fatigue management, walking some more, and oh yeah did I mention walking). And each new location I discovered along the way led to more of that and less of my goal of finishing the Dark Brotherhood questline.
So I turned off survival mode (so I could enjoy the actual gameplay a bit more), and instead started fast traveling everywhere I needed to go. And fuck me I was fast traveling every five minutes to get to some place just to talk to someone and then fast travel back and rinse and repeat. It felt especially bad when you go from point A to point B only to be immediately told that actually you should speak to this person at point A again. So you fast travel back to the exact same place you just came from, not because you forgot something or anything like that, but because that's just how the quest is designed.
Not sure what the solution is. And the game has sold a bazillion copies at this point, so what do I know. I still love the game, especially for nostalgia reasons, but it never dawned on me just how tedious the game could be when you're trying to focus on one specific storyline rather than just aimlessly running around the world doing whatever floats your boat, which in my opinion is where the game really shines: just fucking about with no real end goal. Maybe that's why I've never fully beaten the main story line despite having played it countless times in these last 13 years.
Also, side note but the Dark Brotherhood questline in Oblivion was 10x better than the one in Skyrim. Some of the most memorable quests in the whole series.
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Comment on Mindless games, preferably mobile in ~games
fefellama Link ParentI enjoy it too, but prefer playing it on a larger screen like a tablet or monitor. IMO there's too much going on for a smaller phone screen.I enjoy it too, but prefer playing it on a larger screen like a tablet or monitor. IMO there's too much going on for a smaller phone screen.
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Comment on Solar + power bank for household appliances in apartment - can I reduce my electricity bill? in ~life.home_improvement
fefellama (edited )LinkI'm not one to tell another person how to live their life, but just be careful with this. Credit is not inherently bad (in fact it can be a great thing that saves you tons of money) but it's very...... I could save for a bit or carry a balance for a bit.
I mean I don't have $2500 on hand. But I could scrounge up part of it and put the rest on credit.
I'm not one to tell another person how to live their life, but just be careful with this. Credit is not inherently bad (in fact it can be a great thing that saves you tons of money) but it's very easy to make a mistake that costs you a few hundred or even a couple grand more than you were expecting. I don't have as much experience on the solar side of things (though I am interested as well), but speaking purely on the financial side of things, those two statements are both worrying unless you really know what you're doing. I say this not to be discouraging, but I would definitely focus on getting results from a smaller budget first so you can have some concrete math to base your purchasing decisions on, think of it like a proof of concept. There's always some unexpected factors when trying out new things, so best to find out after spending $250 that you already have rather than $2500 on credit.
Good luck! And thanks for sharing that video, I enjoyed it too.
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Comment on Mindless games, preferably mobile in ~games
fefellama LinkBloons Pop! (ios / android) You shoot monkeys down on a bunch of bloons (balloons) to pop 'em. Each monkey has a different ability and different bloons have different weaknesses, so it requires a...You shoot monkeys down on a bunch of bloons (balloons) to pop 'em. Each monkey has a different ability and different bloons have different weaknesses, so it requires a little bit of thought and aiming, but nothing twitchy or too complex.
Pros:
- Surprising amount of variety/strategy for such a simple game
- Fun, easy, lighthearted, not overly tedious, repetitive, or grindy
- You can pause or stop playing at any moment and it will not affect the game in the slightest
- Doesn't require any reflexes or non-stop attention. Just aim your monkey, release, and the game does the rest
- Single player
- No ads! (all the ads are selective, meaning you can click on them if you want to like double your score or get extra lives or whatever, but I've never found the need to, so I haven't seen a single ad after hundreds of levels)
- Vertical orientation which means it's playable with only one hand! Seriously all you do is aim and release.
Cons:
- The only flaw I can find with the game is that there are lots of micro-transactions available, but they don't really bother me because I just ignore them and keep playing for free without any issues. Like lots of dumb mobile games, there are a few different currencies (that you can completely ignore) and limited lives (that should not be a problem at all, I literally had to open the app to double check whether or not there were lives because I couldn't remember, since it basically never comes up). But you can literally just ignore all that and click on the next level button and just keep shooting bloons, which is pretty much what I do.
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Comment on DNA shows Pompeii’s dead aren’t who we thought they were in ~humanities.history
fefellama (edited )LinkInteresting article today about some new DNA tests done on Pompeii victims. This part is not news, but I did not know about the manipulations and thought it was relevant and worth highlighting....Interesting article today about some new DNA tests done on Pompeii victims.
In the 19th century, an archaeologist named Giuseppe Fiorelli figured out how to make casts of those frozen bodies by pouring liquid plaster into the voids where the soft tissue had been. Some 1,000 bodies have been discovered in the ruins, and 104 plaster casts have been preserved. Restoration efforts of 86 of those casts began about 10 years ago, during which researchers took CT scans and X-rays to see if there were complete skeletons inside. Those images revealed that there had been a great deal of manipulation of the casts, depending on the aesthetics of the era in which they were made, including altering some features of the bodies' shapes or adding metal rods to stabilize the cast, as well as frequently removing bones before casting.
This part is not news, but I did not know about the manipulations and thought it was relevant and worth highlighting.
Four Pompeii victims were found in 1974 in what is known as the "House of the golden bracelet." Three (two adults and one child) were found at the foot of a staircase leading to a garden and the seafront. Archaeologists thought this was likely a father, mother, and their child because of the arrangement of the bodies...
This new DNA analysis showed that this conventional interpretation was incorrect. All the bodies were male, including the one with the golden bracelet, and none of them were genetically related. It wasn't possible to glean much information about physical characteristics, but one person had black hair and dark skin, and two others probably had brown eyes. The ancestry of all four was consistent with origins in North Africa or the Mediterranean.
One of the examples mentioned in the article.
Reich also cautioned against making similar mistakes with DNA analysis. "Instead of establishing new narratives that might also misrepresent these people's experiences, the genetic results encourage reflection on the dangers of making up stories about gender and family relationships in past societies based on present-day expectations," he said.
Interesting and insightful. It's so easy to get caught up in creating narratives where there aren't any. I'm pretty sure that's just human nature. Like how we can feel sympathetic towards non-human things, or how we create backstories when there are none to be had.
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DNA shows Pompeii’s dead aren’t who we thought they were
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Comment on US election results (other than presidential) thread in ~society
fefellama Link ParentFor additional context: over 6 million people in Florida voted to protect abortions, 4.5 million voted against it. It received 57.2% of the votes, but needed 60%.For additional context: over 6 million people in Florida voted to protect abortions, 4.5 million voted against it.
It received 57.2% of the votes, but needed 60%.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
fefellama Link ParentAlso, in my opinion nothing is quite as insane as another Florida amendment's wording, this time from 2018: Thankfully it passed, but combining oil drilling and banning vapes in the same amendment...Also, in my opinion nothing is quite as insane as another Florida amendment's wording, this time from 2018:
Prohibits drilling for the exploration or extraction of oil and natural gas beneath all state-owned waters between the mean high water line and the state’s outermost territorial boundaries. Adds use of vapor-generating electronic devices to current prohibition of tobacco smoking in enclosed indoor workplaces with exceptions; permits more restrictive local ordinances.
Thankfully it passed, but combining oil drilling and banning vapes in the same amendment is wild. Whoever came up with the 'clean air and waters' spin on it should work in marketing.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
fefellama Link ParentWas reading yesterday that the biggest shift this election to the last one (according to polls, that is) was actually older white women, specifically because they're the ones that most remember...Was reading yesterday that the biggest shift this election to the last one (according to polls, that is) was actually older white women, specifically because they're the ones that most remember the effects of a time before Roe v Wade. It was both surprising to read, and not surprising at the same time. Hopefully it spurs some regular non-voters into voting.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
fefellama (edited )LinkIn case anyone wants to get unreasonably upset for some reason: here is the exact wording on the Florida amendment to prevent the state from restricting abortions: No problems here. A 'yes' vote...In case anyone wants to get unreasonably upset for some reason: here is the exact wording on the Florida amendment to prevent the state from restricting abortions:
No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.
No problems here. A 'yes' vote means abortions would be allowed before viability or when necessary as determined by an actual doctor.
Then directly under that:
The proposed amendment would result in significantly more abortions and fewer live births per year in Florida. The increase in abortions could be even greater if the amendment invalidates laws requiring parental consent before minors undergo abortions and those ensuring only licensed physicians perform abortions. There is also uncertainty about whether the amendment will require the state to subsidize abortions with public funds. Litigation to resolve those and other uncertainties will result in additional costs to the state government and state courts that will negatively impact the state budget. An increase in abortions may negatively affect the growth of state and local revenues over time. Because the fiscal impact of increased abortions on state and local revenues and costs cannot be estimated with precision, the total impact of the proposed amendment is indeterminate.
This is on every ballot. And it needs a 60% 'yes' vote to pass. Incredible levels of bullshit scaremongering the fuck out of people right up until the last moment. "Hey if you vote yes you might have to pay for other people's abortions, which are gonna skyrocket by the way, oh and they might make it so that your kids can get abortions without you knowing about it, and then there'll be lawsuits which of course come out of your taxes, and fewer kids being born is going to drain the economy WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE ECONOMY"
So if you read later on today or tomorrow that Florida has legalized abortions, know that it was an EMPHATIC 'fuck you' to conservatives everywhere, having overcome every hurdle thrown at it. And if it doesn't pass, just know that it was an uphill struggle from the start.
/rant
Edit: Amendment failed to pass despite 57% voting for it. Disappointing but not unexpected, unfortunately. That 60% threshold is a kick in the teeth for progress and a blessing for the status quo.
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Comment on Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres' rise to become one of Europe's best strikers – since moving to Lisbon in 2023 he's scored sixty-three goals in sixty-six matches in ~sports.football
fefellama LinkThose numbers are incredible. Curious to see where he ends up and if he can continue that.Those numbers are incredible. Curious to see where he ends up and if he can continue that.
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
fefellama Link ParentI'm curious what happens when the alternative bracketed word already exists. Like if apron and napron had both been two different things, would napron still get shortened to apron (and we'd just...I'm curious what happens when the alternative bracketed word already exists. Like if apron and napron had both been two different things, would napron still get shortened to apron (and we'd just have two meanings for the same word) or would they have remained distinct?
I ask because in Portuguese, a good example of this would be the papaya fruit, called a 'mamão'. So 'one papaya' is 'um mamão'. But when you say that out loud it sounds exactly like you're saying 'uma mão' which is 'one hand'. I can't tell you how many times my dad (and my grandpa before him) have joked with me whenever I'd say something like 'hey could you give me a hand here' and they'd be like "I didn't know you were hungry" or "you sure you don't want an avocado instead?", or when I would say something like "I ate a papaya earlier" and they'd respond with something like "why not both?" or "whose hand?".
Not something said often, but that mom was a total bro. Seems like that one seemingly small act had a much larger impact on your youth and interests.