georgeboff's recent activity
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Comment on A Nazi tattoo exposes US Democrats’ greatest weakness in ~society
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 27 in ~society
georgeboff Link ParentI do live in Maine and have been keeping an eye on Platner's campaign because he's saying the right kinds of things today and has a background a lot closer to a normal person than many...I do live in Maine and have been keeping an eye on Platner's campaign because he's saying the right kinds of things today and has a background a lot closer to a normal person than many politicians.
But I should mention that he is running in the Democratic primary to eventually run against Susan Collins (along with our current governor Janet Mills and some other candidates).
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Comment on How do you volunteer your time? in ~talk
georgeboff LinkWe have a local program that volunteers can sign up for to give people rides to medical appointments or grocery shopping or the like. Since I live in a pretty rural area, there's certainly no...We have a local program that volunteers can sign up for to give people rides to medical appointments or grocery shopping or the like. Since I live in a pretty rural area, there's certainly no public transportation so volunteer networks like this are important. It's 15 miles to the nearest hospital and 10 or so to a pharmacy depending on where you are, and some folks would be home bound without the help.
I am also part of a public sector union and volunteer a fair bit of my time for the union, both in my particular workplace and also for the statewide union. This is a little different than some of the other volunteer opportunities mentioned above because I also directly benefit from a strong union, but considering that almost none of us get paid for the time we contribute to the union I still consider it volunteer time.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - October 2025 - The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum in ~books
georgeboff Link ParentI haven't quite finished yet - Kindle says I have 40 pages to go - but one thing I could have used less detail about is the animal testing. I understand it was important to get the results of the...I haven't quite finished yet - Kindle says I have 40 pages to go - but one thing I could have used less detail about is the animal testing. I understand it was important to get the results of the chemical tests they were trying to do for the various poisons but I had to put the book down a few times after each time it came up.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang - How is it going? in ~books
georgeboff LinkI am 77% of the way through according to Kindle - I enjoyed the first story a lot, the second one rather little, and the next two a somewhere in the middle. I'm in the second to last one now.I am 77% of the way through according to Kindle - I enjoyed the first story a lot, the second one rather little, and the next two a somewhere in the middle. I'm in the second to last one now.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
georgeboff LinkHere is our newest friend Ami with banana not for scale. He's just over 8 weeks old and is doing great so far for just a little guy! He's using his pad 8 or 9 times out of 10, sleeps most of the...Here is our newest friend Ami with banana not for scale. He's just over 8 weeks old and is doing great so far for just a little guy! He's using his pad 8 or 9 times out of 10, sleeps most of the way through the night in his enclosure, and is easily redirected when he's chewing something he shouldn't. He's such a cutie and has been a champ with everyone he's met in the few days since we got him. The older cats are doing well too and they haven't hissed or grumbled at all - they are just keeping their wary but curious distance for now.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut - How is it going? in ~books
georgeboff LinkI finished in a few days, but I read this along with a bunch of other Vonnegut about 20 years ago so that helps. Cats Cradle is among my least favorite of his writing but I still think it's pretty...I finished in a few days, but I read this along with a bunch of other Vonnegut about 20 years ago so that helps. Cats Cradle is among my least favorite of his writing but I still think it's pretty good overall. I will look forwards to reading everyone's thoughts in the discussion thread, and am also looking forwards to all of the books coming up (except for Kafka, I read that once and have no desire to do so again)
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Comment on Is there still an arcade gaming scene? in ~games
georgeboff Link ParentWe have a Round 1 in Maine, and my wife and I go a few times a year. They do pretty regularly get new games in, particularly new fighting games from Japan. They have a decent selection of pinball...We have a Round 1 in Maine, and my wife and I go a few times a year. They do pretty regularly get new games in, particularly new fighting games from Japan. They have a decent selection of pinball machines (my preferred arcade game), dance / rhythm games, and some more traditional arcade fare that's been modernized (think Space Invaders / Pac-Man but on a big video screen instead of the old arcade cabinets). They also have a distressingly large number of claw machines which I do not enjoy at all but my wife does. The games give you digital tickets that you can use to spend on prizes at the end of your day, but these are so ticket-price inflated that we generally don't get any.
Round 1 also has bowling and some food and beers if you're so inclined.
We do also have a few independent arcades left but they're much smaller and open for more nighttime hours where Round 1 is open all day in the mall which seems more family friendly.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Have you started the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store? in ~books
georgeboff LinkI started chapter 19 last night, which Kindle says is 60% of the way through. It's good, but maybe hard to read in some spots - there are definitely some sensitive topics like racial issues,...I started chapter 19 last night, which Kindle says is 60% of the way through. It's good, but maybe hard to read in some spots - there are definitely some sensitive topics like racial issues, disability issues, and sexual violence. But I'm enjoying the read a lot better than any of the People's Future stories, and if you felt any feelings with Kindred a few months ago, there are a lot of those same kinds of vibes here, although this book doesn't use that time travel mechanism at all and is instead just set at points in the past.
Cc @cfabbro if this helps you at all
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Comment on Starlink is surprisingly good, actually in ~tech
georgeboff LinkI used Starlink for about two years once it became available for me in rural Maine. My other options were dial-up, cell data (one or two bars at best, and heavily throttled by Verizon), or a...I used Starlink for about two years once it became available for me in rural Maine. My other options were dial-up, cell data (one or two bars at best, and heavily throttled by Verizon), or a significantly worse satellite option (Hughesnet).
I did appreciate the relatively higher speeds I could get through Starlink, but even with the dish mounted as high as I could on the roof I still experienced pretty regular service / signal interruption that would break any downloads or disrupt any streaming. I would estimate an interruption once every two or three minutes in the summer when all the trees have their leaves, and maybe 8 to 10 minutes in the winter when I had a clearer view of the southern sky.
That being said, it was clearly superior to my other available options, and despite my deep misgivings with Elon - dating back to long before his current rightward turn - and the satellite swarm powering Starlink I would have kept using it if a land-based broadband network hadn't (finally, after years of waiting) become available about 6 months ago. Land-based service has few to no interruptions and consistently higher speeds.
I live in a village area of a town of about 800 year-round residents, in the foothills, woods, and lakes of central-western Maine. Perhaps someone with a clearer view of the sky might have had better service than me. But for what it was I was grateful Starlink was available for the time I did need to use it.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Reminder - A House With Good Bones at the end of June in ~books
georgeboff LinkI finished this over the weekend - compared to the People's Future which took a while to get through for a few different reasons, I was able to sail right through A House With Good Bones.I finished this over the weekend - compared to the People's Future which took a while to get through for a few different reasons, I was able to sail right through A House With Good Bones.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - How is it going with Elder Race? in ~books
georgeboff LinkI did not finish Hyperion before the end of the month in March, so I wrapped it up a few days ago. Then I started Elder Race... and finished it in a day and a half. It was pretty good! But also a...I did not finish Hyperion before the end of the month in March, so I wrapped it up a few days ago. Then I started Elder Race... and finished it in a day and a half. It was pretty good! But also a short and comparatively easy read.
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Comment on Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025 in ~games
georgeboff Link ParentJust throwing my name in the ring as a lover of Air Ride and the city attack mode in particular - a friend and I would take turns with the Hydra and try and slam into the other player who was...Just throwing my name in the ring as a lover of Air Ride and the city attack mode in particular - a friend and I would take turns with the Hydra and try and slam into the other player who was doing their best to dodge the one hit kill. We also just liked exploring all the nooks around that map.
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Comment on Megathread: April Fools' Day 2025 on the internet in ~talk
georgeboff LinkMy pest control company is offering an anteater serviceMy pest control company is offering an anteater service
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - off topic - question re spinoff/ parallel to Storygraph in ~books
georgeboff LinkI do use StoryGraph but solely as a tracker of what I've read and what I plan to read next. I was unaware of the book club style questions on that app as well. I would lean towards keeping the...I do use StoryGraph but solely as a tracker of what I've read and what I plan to read next. I was unaware of the book club style questions on that app as well. I would lean towards keeping the discussion all in one spot here on Tildes, but if others think it would help foster discussion I wouldn't mind figuring out how to use the StoryGraph version.
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Comment on Danish deposit system: 93% of bottles and cans are returned and of those, 99.7% recycled (translation in comment) in ~enviro
georgeboff (edited )Link ParentAccording to this my state was at 77% redemption in 2023 https://www.bottlebill.org/index.php/current-and-proposed-laws/usa/maine It looks like this website has stats for other states and Canada...According to this my state was at 77% redemption in 2023
https://www.bottlebill.org/index.php/current-and-proposed-laws/usa/maine
It looks like this website has stats for other states and Canada too :)
Editing my comment to say that we also have redemption areas you can drop off full bags of bottles rather than using the machines in the grocery stores (which as mentioned above are often gummed up with bad deposits). I can drop off a bag of bottles when I take my garbage out to my rural transfer station and they take care of it for me.
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Comment on What hard scifi books could you recommend? in ~books
georgeboff LinkI haven't seen it mentioned yet, but I enjoyed the books I read from Charles E Gannon. I read up through Marque of Caine in his bibliography and although the books are definitely more in the...I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but I enjoyed the books I read from Charles E Gannon. I read up through Marque of Caine in his bibliography and although the books are definitely more in the thriller vein (think Crichton and the like) they do have a pretty rigorous hard Sci fi bent to them. At least at one point the first book in the series was a free ebook download but I'm not sure if it still is.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club 2024 retrospective in ~books
georgeboff Link ParentJust wanted to say thank you - I've appreciated reading each of the books along with everyone even if I don't have much to say in the discussion threads :)Just wanted to say thank you - I've appreciated reading each of the books along with everyone even if I don't have much to say in the discussion threads :)
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Comment on US election results (other than presidential) thread in ~society
georgeboff Link ParentI am in Maine and I'm glad this amendment passed but I do find it a little ironic that a PAC was formed to support the ballot question and accepted donations greater than $5,000 to get it funded....I am in Maine and I'm glad this amendment passed but I do find it a little ironic that a PAC was formed to support the ballot question and accepted donations greater than $5,000 to get it funded.
https://mainecampaignfinance.com/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/483635
I am just waiting for Rep Golden's race to get called. But I'm happy my state rep got replaced by an independent candidate
https://www.centralmaine.com/2024/10/02/sharon-frost-maine-house-58/
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Comment on What vegetable are you? in ~food
georgeboff (edited )LinkMy coworkers and I took it - myself and one other were broccoli and the other got carrot (and felt seen by the description) Updating, my supervisor got leek and my partner got jalapeñoMy coworkers and I took it - myself and one other were broccoli and the other got carrot (and felt seen by the description)
Updating, my supervisor got leek and my partner got jalapeño
I appreciate some of these messages for the national Democratic party - but I do think it's important to run a candidate that fits with the place they're running in. The article rightly points out that the working class nationwide is diverse and varied in their backgrounds, ages, ethnicity, and everything else.
But I live in Maine and that's where Platner is running. Maine is the whitest state in the country - roughly 95%, although there are certainly larger immigrant communities in Lewiston or Portland. It's also an incredibly rural state where people care a lot about things like guns and hunting at the same time as environmental preservation and small community support. I'm not saying that any of that should excuse a Nazi symbol tattoo that someone got in earnest or anything like that. It shouldn't mean that people should compromise on their values (like some commentators were suggesting after the election - "back away from trans folks" being one that I recall) just to try and win over conservative voters who aren't voting for your candidate anyway.
But I do think it's important to think of where your base is and where the moderate voters that you might swing to your side are. That will look different here than it will on the west coast or the south or anywhere else. And building a bigger tent nationally needs to engage as many people as possible everywhere. That might mean running candidates in the plains that are focusing on different things than people in Florida or Pennsylvania or California or Texas or here in Maine. There should be some core values that we don't want to compromise on but the nature of politics has to be to meet people where they are, wherever that may be. And here that might look like an ex military rough talking guy from coastal Maine.
One of the reasons Susan Collins has as big of a base as she does is because she's from northern Maine (Caribou as she often reminds us) and they support their own. This is an area Trump carried by 10 points. But Jared Golden is a moderate to conservative Democrat who represents my district which covers this same population. I don't agree with him on a number of things but he's someone who has ran 10+ points ahead of the national Democrats here. He wouldn't win if he was running in NYC.
I have no idea what to do as far as running someone for president or the like and I'll leave that to smarter people than me. But I do live here and have a very public focused job where I interact with lots of people of all stripes across this state. And they're not bad people, mostly. At least they don't think about themselves that way. It isn't going to be possible to bring everyone who's fallen down a Trump (or other right wing) hole. But I don't think it's impossible for small D democracy to bring enough back to make things better at the local and state and regional levels even as the federal government falls apart.