gpl's recent activity

  1. Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food

    gpl
    Link
    A mix of things, really, but the big thing for me is that it has now been 1 month since I have had any red meat or chicken, including things like e.g. broth. I guess I've been what you'd called...

    A mix of things, really, but the big thing for me is that it has now been 1 month since I have had any red meat or chicken, including things like e.g. broth. I guess I've been what you'd called ova-lacto-pescetarian since the beginning of the new year, with a few exceptions (the last being a month ago). I've been really happy with the experiment, as cutting out meat has been a long term goal of mine. I've gone long stretches before without having red meat, but always stopped there as I considered chicken and chicken products (broth really) as pretty central to my cooking. I think having that crutch really stopped me from exploring other ways of cooking, and as a result I'd always end up back having meat here and there after a few weeks. This time feels much more permanent — I think this is something I could continue with long term.

    My reasons are a mix of health, ethics, and environmental. I guess I put more weight on the ethics, but I know thats contradictory, as I still have eggs and dairy despite those industries being basically just as bad for the animals as the meat industry. But I consider and reduction in consumption a step in the right direction for me, so I'm happy with the progress so far. I've really been exploring seafood (which, if I'm mindful of sourcing, I really don't have too many ethical qualms about), and I've been loving it. It's amazing how easy and tasty it is to, e.g., roast a whole fish for dinner along with some veggie side. I've never been averse to seafood by any means, but without having a reason to I never gravitated towards it cooking-wise, and therefore I never really developed those skills. I'm slowly learning and it's been great! I might try and sign up for a mussel foraging class near me, which I am hoping will teach me even more.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on What radicalized you? in ~talk

    gpl
    Link
    Spring/Summer of 2020 in general.

    Spring/Summer of 2020 in general.

    4 votes

  3. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    gpl
    Link Parent
    I picked this up a while ago but haven’t gotten around to it! Glad to hear it’s good, I’m moving it up my to-read list

    I picked this up a while ago but haven’t gotten around to it! Glad to hear it’s good, I’m moving it up my to-read list

  4. Group chat solutions for small groups?

    ~comp Text 340 words
    I have been in a group chat with 2 of my closet friends for more than 10 years now, and we have been using Facebook messenger for that entire time. However, there has always been interest in...

    I have been in a group chat with 2 of my closet friends for more than 10 years now, and we have been using Facebook messenger for that entire time. However, there has always been interest in migrating to a different platform, but so far we have not been able to land on a good alternative. We have gotten very used to some of the messenger features and have disliked alternatives for lacking these features. I was wondering if anyone could suggest some solutions here, up to and including a DIY (maybe IRC?) approach.

    The features we really liked from messenger:

    • Nicknames, and ability to tag by nickname
    • Emoji hotkey (where you have quick access to a selected emoji, we use this for a lot of in-jokes)
    • Chat theme and customization
    • easy cross-platform or browser based (we are a mix of mac/pc, and iphone/android users)

    Features we really do not need and in fact get in the way:

    • Different channels or rooms
    • voice/video
    • screen sharing

    Features that aren't necessary but could be nice:

    • bots

    Does anyone have suggestions for alternatives to messenger that hit these points? We have tried Discord, but found it was way too feature heavy for how we use it, and lacked some really basic features we liked from messenger. Whatsapp was a decent replacement, but lack of themes and emoji hotkey made it less enjoyable for us than messenger, plus it is also a Meta platform which eliminated one of the main reasons we wanted to switch.

    I have half a mind to set up an IRC channel for us, but it's been many years at this point since I've used IRC, so I don't know what that ecosystem is like these days, and how easy it would be to get my non-tech-savvy friends on board.

    (perhaps this is better suited to ~tech, but I am posting here with an eye towards DIY solutions, although to reiterate I would also be happy with an out-of-the-box alternative)

    15 votes

  5. Comment on I'm back in ~talk

    gpl
    Link Parent
    It’s hell getting old.

    It’s hell getting old.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on ‘ICE Out’ strike and protests: what to know about demonstrations across the US in ~society

    gpl
    Link Parent
    I’m kinda on the same page, but also of the opinion that this doesn’t hurt. Certainly a genuine, bona fide national strike would take immense organization beyond this. But this is the type of...

    I’m kinda on the same page, but also of the opinion that this doesn’t hurt. Certainly a genuine, bona fide national strike would take immense organization beyond this. But this is the type of thing that action-hesitant people may be willing to take part in, and that can be a gateway to further action. This also keeps protest in the news, hopefully signals to politician that there is popular support for more action, and can begin to connect people with local organizers, all of which is necessary work for a true general strike.

    8 votes

  7. Comment on Recommendations needed: Favorite “comfort” movies in ~movies

    gpl
    Link
    Surprised I am the first to mention Back to the Future parts I and II

    Surprised I am the first to mention Back to the Future parts I and II

    5 votes

  8. Comment on What’s a point that you think many people missed? in ~talk

    gpl
    Link
    We live in a society and have obligations to one another; no one is an island. A portrayal of a certain viewpoint or behavior in media does not imply endorsement of the same.

    1. We live in a society and have obligations to one another; no one is an island.

    2. A portrayal of a certain viewpoint or behavior in media does not imply endorsement of the same.

    16 votes

  9. Comment on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shoots and kills a woman during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown in ~society

    gpl
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Hard agree re: being around people with a shared mission. I found going to protests last year invigorating in a way I didn’t expect.

    Hard agree re: being around people with a shared mission. I found going to protests last year invigorating in a way I didn’t expect.

    13 votes

  11. Comment on Lord Of The Rings author's writing desk up for auction in ~books

    gpl
    Link
    That's a beautiful desk. Slightly off-topic, but part of me laments the fact that desks are often centered around the screen these days, as I feel that means there's much less flexibility or...

    That's a beautiful desk. Slightly off-topic, but part of me laments the fact that desks are often centered around the screen these days, as I feel that means there's much less flexibility or variety in desk design and setup. Tolkien's desk wouldn't make a great workstation, for example.

    10 votes

  13. Comment on Why are 38 percent of Stanford students saying they're disabled? in ~life

    gpl
    Link Parent
    There aren't many instances at a job where you need to ask for allowances of this sort, i.e. an extra 30 minutes to complete a task that has a fixed start and stop time. If there are hard...

    There aren't many instances at a job where you need to ask for allowances of this sort, i.e. an extra 30 minutes to complete a task that has a fixed start and stop time. If there are hard deadlines for certain tasks, almost always one can simply begin early. The only time I wouldn't support accommodations is if there are safety concerns surrounding the extended time allotment for a task (e.g. something like air traffic controllers or some such).

    The academic setting of timed exams is just not something that is often reproduced elsewhere.

    18 votes

  14. Comment on Why are 38 percent of Stanford students saying they're disabled? in ~life

    gpl
    Link Parent
    I don't disagree there, re: something isn't working. Grade inflation in general is a big issue (also probably bigger than fake accommodations, but of course all of these things are related).

    I don't disagree there, re: something isn't working. Grade inflation in general is a big issue (also probably bigger than fake accommodations, but of course all of these things are related).

    5 votes

  15. Comment on Why are 38 percent of Stanford students saying they're disabled? in ~life

    gpl
    Link
    There is no actual evidence presented in this article that students are gaming the system, just the perception of medically unqualified observers (professors, journalists, etc), which are often...

    There is no actual evidence presented in this article that students are gaming the system, just the perception of medically unqualified observers (professors, journalists, etc), which are often very wrong. I don't see how this is any different than when people complain about the uptick in things like ADHD diagnoses. Even if the percentage of students with diagnoses like ADHD is higher than you (general you, not you OP) would have expected, why is that reason to distrust the opinion of experts who come up with the criteria for making a diagnosis?

    Disability accommodations are actually already sort of hard to get. I've had plenty of students with no official accommodation struggle to get them — it often comes down to having the resources (both time, money, and know-how) to navigate the system to get a diagnosis from a doctor. It's not very surprising to me that rich students may have access to more of those resources than others.

    In any case, this situation feels a little bit like the free school lunch debate to me. I personally am not really bothered if some people get accomodations who don't need them, if it means it is easier for students who do need them to get them. There are other more serious issues with fairness at the university level that would have a much bigger impact if they were addressed (cough legacy admissions cough).

    42 votes

  17. Comment on Modern Christmas carol renditions that aren't mediocre CCM? in ~music

    gpl
    Link
    A few decades old but listen to the album “The Bells of Dublin” by the Dubliners for some good renditions of classic carols that are not the slow breathless versions you’re looking to avoid

    A few decades old but listen to the album “The Bells of Dublin” by the Dubliners for some good renditions of classic carols that are not the slow breathless versions you’re looking to avoid

    1 vote

  20. Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food

    gpl
    Link Parent
    Had something similar last night! Sliced garlic sauteed in olive oil, mountain of spinach (and some leftover tuscan kale we had laying about), salt, pepper, and a squirt of yuzu juice. Yum.

    Had something similar last night! Sliced garlic sauteed in olive oil, mountain of spinach (and some leftover tuscan kale we had laying about), salt, pepper, and a squirt of yuzu juice. Yum.

    2 votes