firedoll's recent activity

  1. Comment on You can join thousands telling US President Donald Trump what they think of his anti-trans passport policies. Here’s how. in ~lgbt

    firedoll
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    I haven't actually posted a topic before, so hopefully I haven't missed anything major. That said, I just realized that nothing about this public comment period may have been posted on Tildes and...

    I haven't actually posted a topic before, so hopefully I haven't missed anything major. That said, I just realized that nothing about this public comment period may have been posted on Tildes and the comments close tomorrow (Monday, March 18th.)

    ...in mid-February, the State Department posted its updated passport policies for public comment, allowing individuals to submit their perspectives. With that comment period closing on Monday, March 17...

    Personally, I have several friends who would be potentially impacted and endangered by this administration's attacks on their ability to get a passport that properly represents them. All of this is coming on the heels of reports earlier this year that the State Department was holding on to trans people's passports and refusing to issue passports, even with the original gender marker.

    The ACLU has some text already written and a form for online submission.

    You can apparently also directly submit comments anonymously, although I'm not clear on the specifics of how:

    4 votes

  3. Comment on How do you go about learning a new language? in ~humanities.languages

    firedoll
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    I'm not even conversational in Japanese because I've also had life stuff pull me away from my learning (and I've had to hard pivot to learning Thai.) That said, I like The Moe Way Japanese guide....

    I'm not even conversational in Japanese because I've also had life stuff pull me away from my learning (and I've had to hard pivot to learning Thai.) That said, I like The Moe Way Japanese guide. They mention a lot of great tips and techniques. I was hoping to try Visual Novels as an immersion technique before I had to pause.

    I didn't like WaniKani because I wanted more control over the pace/timing and the stories felt way too wordy, so I would write out my own shorter/more informationally dense ones. I was ultimately putting them into a modified version of the excellent All In One Kanji deck for Anki, created by Jo Moko. It appears that deck was removed, though.

    For Japanese and other languages, I want to call out a really great tool: Yomitan. This browser add-on allows you to provide a dictionary file, then when you hold a modifier key and hover over a word in your target language, the definition appears in a popup. You can even set it up to allow for quickly making Anki cards from the word.

    [Edit: And yes, I'm applying techniques I learned with Japanese to approach Thai! I have Yomitan profiles set up for Japanese and Thai, using Thai dictionaries that I found in this GitHub repo.]

    2 votes

  4. Comment on The Airbnb/Hotel Gap: Private common spaces in ~life

    firedoll
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    From my experience, it may make help to specifically look for "extended stay" hotels like Residence Inn. I've seen Residence Inn two story suites, including a kitchen and living area. But, the...

    From my experience, it may make help to specifically look for "extended stay" hotels like Residence Inn. I've seen Residence Inn two story suites, including a kitchen and living area. But, the living area and kitchen were a bit small, so it really depends on how many people will be there.

    22 votes

  5. Comment on Looking for some recommendations for games where you can build your own spaceships etc in ~games

    firedoll
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    OP, if you're looking to make ships, I just want to second Starship EVO. I don't think it's exactly what I would consider a game yet, since it's early access and slow going. (Last I knew it was...

    OP, if you're looking to make ships, I just want to second Starship EVO.

    I don't think it's exactly what I would consider a game yet, since it's early access and slow going. (Last I knew it was being build by a single, very talented developer.) But, I think it's got some of the coolest tools for building voxel based ships I've seen.

    • You can create designs that aren't strictly box based like Space Engineers, allowing some more natural and practice shapes.
    • It supports a grid of small decorations, allowing for good detailing.
    • Good paint and decal system.
    • There's a whole wiring system with mechanical parts, allowing you to create all kinds of custom doors, landing gear, etc.
    • The building tools can also be used to build hover vehicles, mechs, and other things.

    I haven't toyed with it in a while, and again the survival stuff is still being added. But, it's a good sandbox for crafting. [In case it's important, the game world is a little more stylized than realistic.]

  6. Comment on How best to get a thorough inspection after avoiding doctors for a decade? in ~health

    firedoll
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    If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like need to get established with a primary care doctor. You can probably tell them when scheduling the appointment that you haven't had a primary care...

    If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like need to get established with a primary care doctor. You can probably tell them when scheduling the appointment that you haven't had a primary care for several years and you'd like a complete physical.

    My big pieces of advice are to think about anything that's bothering you and write it down ahead of time, then go over the notes with them in the physical. If you have a family history of a certain thing or are particularly worried about something like cholesterol or diabetes, make sure you mention that. They only have so much time for each patient, so you want to make sure concerns get addressed even if they are swamped.

    See if you can make sure you have your vaccine records from the state. Discuss if there are any you're due for a booster of. And, for issues related to mental health (or anything outside of general healthcare,) you could also ask for referrals to specialist.

    The aren't going to run you through every test or do something like a "full body scan," but they may want to run something like a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, Complete Blood Count, a Lipid Panel, and/or a couple others. You could ask about those types of tests.

    That said, understand that tests have a margin of error. Unless there are symptom/signs that something is wrong, or you've reached an age where certain tests are normal (e.g. 45 year olds generally get a colonoscopy), they wouldn't run you through everything due to the possibility of false positives. Because, False positives can send you down an expensive path of unnecessary testing/treatment.

    4 votes

  7. Comment on US$ 30 million to reinvent the wheel (Bluesky vs. Mastodon) in ~tech

    firedoll
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    I don't disagree, especially depending on the instance. My impression is that for established networks, it's on a different level. That may partially be because of the audience, but I wouldn't be...

    I don't disagree, especially depending on the instance. My impression is that for established networks, it's on a different level. That may partially be because of the audience, but I wouldn't be shocked if the algorithms (which people can't always opt-out of) encourage these things.

    Misinformation just feels like it belongs with the potential downstream effects of prioritizing for engagement/time spent on site over the quality of content or quality of the time spent on site.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on US$ 30 million to reinvent the wheel (Bluesky vs. Mastodon) in ~tech

    firedoll
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    I don't think the issue is necessary (just) the audience, but I think you're getting at one of the root causes. I've mostly stuck to Mastodon and Lemmy recently and haven't used Bluesky. But, my...

    The problem with protestors and boycotters is that they're aren't advertizer-friendly

    I don't think the issue is necessary (just) the audience, but I think you're getting at one of the root causes. I've mostly stuck to Mastodon and Lemmy recently and haven't used Bluesky. But, my impression is that because these are tools built buy the community for the community, the platforms themselves aren't advertiser-centric. Do they provide key analytics, have sales teams wooing advertisers, provide revenue splits, etc? Would Mastodon or Loops ever have it's own version of the TikTok shop?

    When people say they want to be an "influencer," obviously they need an audience to influence. But, also importantly, they want to be able to make money doing it. Why would a wannabe influencer spend their time on a platform that can't easily be monetized, especially without having clear examples of others successfully making a living on that platform?

    As a user, it's nice to not be inundated with ads, influencers, misinformation, etc. But, those things are the also some of the growth engines for other networks. [(Additionally, the person who's an annoyance to me on other networks is someone that tens or hundreds of thousands may show up to follow.)]

    9 votes

  9. Comment on Steam: Best of 2024 in ~games

    firedoll
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    Meh. It's just a reaction. Lots of people stop listening when something feels like it's pushed too forcefully or artificially. Lots of people have a twitchy finger over their block buttons. Maybe...

    Meh. It's just a reaction. Lots of people stop listening when something feels like it's pushed too forcefully or artificially. Lots of people have a twitchy finger over their block buttons. Maybe I'll unblock it someday, but right now I'm not interested.

    4 votes

  10. Comment on Steam: Best of 2024 in ~games

    firedoll
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    My reaction was the opposite; I blocked it. Maybe the steam awards are just a popularity contest, or maybe they're easily manipulated, but my impression is a little more of the second: the results...

    My reaction was the opposite; I blocked it. Maybe the steam awards are just a popularity contest, or maybe they're easily manipulated, but my impression is a little more of the second: the results are easily gamed. There's also been drama about BMW not taking best game at the Game awards and subsequent review bombing by their player-base.

    With all that in mind, I was basically expecting these results. But, seeing them still inspired me to put distance between myself and the game. [Overall, I don't put much stock in the awards. At this point I vote to get my badges and move on.]

    [Upon further reflection, it's probably both: A popularity contest with groups actively trying to manipulate the results. Extra messy.]

    3 votes

  11. Comment on CrowdStrike avoids customer exodus after triggering global IT outage in ~tech

    firedoll
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    To keep it short, I think we see very eye to eye here!

    To keep it short, I think we see very eye to eye here!

    1 vote

  12. Comment on CrowdStrike avoids customer exodus after triggering global IT outage in ~tech

    firedoll
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    I didn't want to come across as too conspiratorial sounding, especially without a lot of hard data to back up my hypothesises. It wouldn't surprise me to see the same behavior just about anywhere....

    I didn't want to come across as too conspiratorial sounding, especially without a lot of hard data to back up my hypothesises. It wouldn't surprise me to see the same behavior just about anywhere. It really feels like the general public is only protected by the security experts who successfully manage to wrestle in a win or the developers who squeeze in a little bit extra care.

    The accountability trend and games being played here seem clearer to operations and leadership than to those on the front lines. Hopefully, folks in the trenches don't forget to cover their own asses so they aren’t scapegoated when leadership neglects security.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on CrowdStrike avoids customer exodus after triggering global IT outage in ~tech

    firedoll
    Link Parent
    I'm not surprised, maybe it's selection bias, but this seems to be the trend. T-Mobile has been breached multiple times (three times in 2023 alone, iirc) and, despite line keeps going up for them....

    I'm not surprised, maybe it's selection bias, but this seems to be the trend.

    T-Mobile has been breached multiple times (three times in 2023 alone, iirc) and, despite line keeps going up for them. I think in total they've been able to get away with a couple hundred million in fines and judgements, which would be a lot of money if they weren't a giant telecom company.

    Even SolarWinds, while not doing as well, seems to be ticking a long bruised, but not broken. My understanding is that they're still being used by the U.S. federal government, despise the severity of the 2020 breach and the incompetence leading to it. A lawsuit was originally filed against their CISO, and for a second there I thought we may see some accountability. But, as of 2024, my understanding is that no individuals at SolarWinds have been criminally charged or held personally liable for the 2020 cyberattack.

    It really leaves me with the impression that businesses can skate by on bare minimum cyber security, as long as there's some plausible deniability--at least for the larger more established ones.

    13 votes

  14. Comment on Thoughts on a Democratic postmortem in ~society

    firedoll
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    I suspect this hurt them quite a bit, and more-so when combined with other factors like their candidates being relatively unknown. At the very least, the last moment tag-out was the focus of...

    I suspect this hurt them quite a bit, and more-so when combined with other factors like their candidates being relatively unknown. At the very least, the last moment tag-out was the focus of narratives around being undemocratic. But at the time, the limited primaries and swap came across to me as some as party elites prescribing what's best to their members or callously believing (again) that they could just put anybody against Trump and automatically win.

    Several businesses fail because they don't validate their product, and this whole aspect reeks of the same thing to me. It doesn't appear that the DNC made a good faith effort to validate who and what ideas resonated most with voters.

    (Edit: I could also be totally off base here. Only a fraction of people turn up for the primaries, so it's not a sure thing that they represent the larger voting population. But, that doesn't automatically mean the process can be ignored or glossed over and it still seems like an important data point.)

    3 votes

  15. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech

    firedoll
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    I try to avoid YouTube, but it was recently reported that they've started displaying ads when a video is paused. While I haven't seen that, I have seen some terrible implementations of it in other...

    I try to avoid YouTube, but it was recently reported that they've started displaying ads when a video is paused. While I haven't seen that, I have seen some terrible implementations of it in other streaming apps.

    There are functional requirements around pausing. Some content is even designed to be paused, with backgrounds that are filled up with points of interest. When I was using YouTube regularly, I found the UI and features to already have several issues (search comes to mind,) but it sounds like they're at a point where they're willing to actively destroy core functionality in hopes that people jump on these higher priced ad plans?

    Maybe I'm being a little paranoid, but with the way things are going at YouTube and other streaming companies, I honestly wouldn't trust them to resist putting some kind of ads in premium at some point.

    17 votes

  16. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~games

    firedoll
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    Although I don't know which specific patent this is in regards to, I think people who are against this type of behavior should be aware of this post from the EFF the other day regarding pieces of...

    Although I don't know which specific patent this is in regards to, I think people who are against this type of behavior should be aware of this post from the EFF the other day regarding pieces of legislation working their way through Congress:

    The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA, S. 2140) would overturn Alice, enabling patent trolls to extort small business owners and even hobbyists, just for using common software systems to express themselves or run their businesses. PERA would also overturn another 2013 Supreme Court case that prevents most kinds of patenting of human genes.

    ...the PREVAIL Act (S. 2220) seeks to severely limit how the public can challenge bad patents at the patent office. Challenges like these are one of the most effective ways to throw out patents that never should have been granted in the first place.

    16 votes

  17. Comment on Getting over that game making hump? in ~games

    firedoll
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    Apologies if you've heard some of this before. I have a background in software engineering, not games, but I often get struck with game ideas that I can't stop thinking about. I know pursuing...

    Apologies if you've heard some of this before. I have a background in software engineering, not games, but I often get struck with game ideas that I can't stop thinking about.

    I know pursuing these ideas isn't a good use of my time right now—maybe someday. I realize my ideas are too ambitious, there's intense competition, most indie games don't succeed, and it would require a strict schedule and lots of learning to achieve financial success.

    To calm my mind and focus on other things, I write a design document to capture all my ideas about mechanics, the world, etc. You can find examples of design documents for large (but older) titles at the internet archive and more more general information on this design doc site. These documents can vary in structure, and some teams (E.g. Bethesda/Starfield iirc) may choose not to use them at all.

    For me, capturing my thoughts in a design doc allows me to shelve the idea, revisit it later if inspiration strikes, or pick it up with fresh eyes when I have the resources. Plus, if I lack the energy to write out my ideas, I'm doubtful about committing to the potential multi-year process of building a game. (Oh, a design doc doesn't seem to suffer from code rot as easily either, where I could have trouble leveraging prototype code I built years earlier.)

    I don't want to discourage you, though. If you decide to build a game, the design doc will be a valuable asset, helping you record decisions and avoid some trial-and-error while coding. However, keep in mind that prototyping, iteration, and flexibility are still important. My thought is that since you're concerned about skills, consider starting small. Build small games or break your idea into phases starting with a minimal viable game that you can enhance later. Shipping small projects can help you stay motivated and learn important lessons before tackling a bigger, costlier projects.

    Edit: This is one approach. I don't want to downplay others. Some people will say things like, "don't dwell too much on an engine. just pick one and get started. Don't waste your time over planning." That can be valid too.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news

    firedoll
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    2 in custody after attempting to scam Colorado resident by putting worms inside roof (YouTube) I'm not sure if video is allowed, but this one caught me off guard this morning and I don't think...

    2 in custody after attempting to scam Colorado resident by putting worms inside roof (YouTube)

    I'm not sure if video is allowed, but this one caught me off guard this morning and I don't think it's particularly normal behavior: Irish nationals were allegedly sneaking on people's roofs, putting worms under shingles, and telling owners the worms were maggots. They were eventually caught trying to flee the country.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on I am sick of "providing feedback" in ~life

  20. Comment on Thoughts on the current state of discoverability and search in ~tech

    firedoll
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    In regards to the quality of results, it's worth pointing out that a lot of content that would have appeared on small sites has migrated into walled gardens like TikTok, Discord, Facebook, etc....

    In regards to the quality of results, it's worth pointing out that a lot of content that would have appeared on small sites has migrated into walled gardens like TikTok, Discord, Facebook, etc. Things feel more fractured and when I'm searching for something now, it's become a matter of having to fan my efforts out across multiple networks.

    That said, there's the issue of identifying the right groups or creators, but when I do the answers can be much higher quality than what blogspam or AI.

    3 votes