guttersnipe's recent activity
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Comment on I have a bit of trouble figuring out the stages in pencil drawing in ~creative
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Comment on Thinking about quitting the Internet in ~tech
guttersnipe LinkI am off work this week and one of my plans is/was to "kill the internet", so to speak. My hopes was in creating some sort of "PTSD Safe" internet access and assumed there were tools out there...I am off work this week and one of my plans is/was to "kill the internet", so to speak. My hopes was in creating some sort of "PTSD Safe" internet access and assumed there were tools out there that would allow me to still access most of the internet but block stuff that causes my PTSD/anxiety/depression to spiral. My triggers are mainly tied to news sites but unfortunately the triggers are showing up on tech sites and the like more and more. I work in IT (and remotely) and thus can't just kill all access completely.
I've had some domain blocks in place for all of Google, many news sites and advertising using NextDNS for a while now but it's just not enough. In my searching and trial and errors of everything I could find to implement I came up with a few solutions but none of them are great and all-encompassing. After spending days dealing with Docker containers, proxies, firewalls and the like I gave up in frustration. Using an aggressive local first-hop Adblock Home container, browser side content-blocking/trigger word replacement, NextDNS and a non-US VPN tunnel is where I have ended for now.
In the end, I need to blacklist the whole of the internet and only whitelist what I actually need (banking, utilities, etc. I really don't need much of the internet; don't use socials nor stream). I also need to implement whatever with a break glass password I don't know but is someplace really inconvenient so I can't just turn things off on a whim to get around the blocks - like I did today.
What I really want is a smart, network wide content-blocker that will rip anything to do with the triggers out completely against any connected device that works pretty much out of the box with a simple GUI and support. Only then do I think I can turn the internet back on fully but I don't foresee this happening.
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Comment on I have a bit of trouble figuring out the stages in pencil drawing in ~creative
guttersnipe (edited )LinkIf want to go the Skillshare route instructor Bret Eviston has a great (and long) course on “The Art & Science of Drawing”. It does focus more on traditional instruction but it was just what I...If want to go the Skillshare route instructor Bret Eviston has a great (and long) course on “The Art & Science of Drawing”. It does focus more on traditional instruction but it was just what I needed to restart my drawing practice after 20 years.
Edited to add with more time to reply: this is proper instruction from an actual teacher of fine arts and not someone on social media. It goes from “you’re holding your pencil wrong” to how to properly draw (you work on the drawing as a whole not one part at a time, etc.), see things with an artists eye all the way to more advanced figure drawing classes. You will learn volume, perspective, shading, line quality and a bunch of other stuff you need to learn before you can do a realistic drawing. Something like a realistic portrait is super advanced work and you will need the basics in place and a lot of practice - a portrait would be months down the line from class starting, most likely.
I thought I knew how to draw from years of it but what I learned was self taught and/or generic school classes. This course basically throws all of that out the window because it was incorrect.
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Comment on Canadian father asks court to stop 27-year-old daughter's MAID death, review doctors' sign-off in ~health
guttersnipe LinkDoes make me wonder if they worked this hard and had these many people involved to not want her to end her life in the first place. Pure speculation but this very much reminds me of the anti...Does make me wonder if they worked this hard and had these many people involved to not want her to end her life in the first place. Pure speculation but this very much reminds me of the anti abortion stance whereas they go to massive lengths to remove your bodily autonomy but provide no assistance to the outcome of losing your bodily autonomy.
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Comment on Trumpist US policy document Project 2025 cowritten by anti social security economist Stephen Moore in ~society
guttersnipe Link ParentAnd they have sign up form on their web page if you want to become one the “brownshirts” to replace the federal employees they are hoping to get rid of.And they have sign up form on their web page if you want to become one the “brownshirts” to replace the federal employees they are hoping to get rid of.
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Comment on What is the most reliable and affordable form of storage medium to use as a backup drive for your computer? in ~tech
guttersnipe Link ParentTrue. I failed to mention that the drive is something I would throw in a go bag in case of a major disaster and not necessarily something that would be my go to for a data restore.True. I failed to mention that the drive is something I would throw in a go bag in case of a major disaster and not necessarily something that would be my go to for a data restore.
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Comment on What is the most reliable and affordable form of storage medium to use as a backup drive for your computer? in ~tech
guttersnipe Link ParentIf we are talking disaster scenarios - your village has just been destroyed by several missiles, your town is under water/on fire, (insert catastrophe) and all of your data that you have access to...If we are talking disaster scenarios - your village has just been destroyed by several missiles, your town is under water/on fire, (insert catastrophe) and all of your data that you have access to is sitting on a ZFS formatted drive in your go bag and you don’t have a computer? And people at the shelters/camps don’t have a Linux machine?
If it’s just grannies pictures from a few decades ago and they are sitting in the cloud somewhere, probably not a major concern at the time. If you are storing documents, really important stuff that you need access to across a range of platforms without needing security credentials I would not want to be trying to find someone that can read a ZFS drive.
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Comment on What is the most reliable and affordable form of storage medium to use as a backup drive for your computer? in ~tech
guttersnipe Link ParentI just mean you don’t want to try and hunt down a specific computer/OS to read a specific format of disc. Most people would be hard-pressed to find a machine to read a ZFS drive especially in a...I just mean you don’t want to try and hunt down a specific computer/OS to read a specific format of disc. Most people would be hard-pressed to find a machine to read a ZFS drive especially in a disaster. ExFAT seems to be universal enough for a portable HDD that should be able to be read by most.
Wasabi is a bit cheaper ($7/TB/month) than rsync.net ($12/TB/month) and also has no egress charge.
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Comment on Who are the pop stars, from any era, who have extraordinary skills? in ~music
guttersnipe LinkMaybe not “pop stars” per se but somewhat mainstream and have been on pop radio: Duran Duran (Roger Taylor & Nick Rhodes) The Cure (Robert Smith) The Smiths (Johnny Marr & Andy Rourke) Depeche...Maybe not “pop stars” per se but somewhat mainstream and have been on pop radio:
Duran Duran (Roger Taylor & Nick Rhodes)
The Cure (Robert Smith)
The Smiths (Johnny Marr & Andy Rourke)
Depeche Mode (Martin Gore) -
Comment on What is the most reliable and affordable form of storage medium to use as a backup drive for your computer? in ~tech
guttersnipe (edited )Link3-2-1 Method: 3 copies, 2 copies on different physical media and 1 copy off site. Spinning hard drives (in your format of choice) will give you best value | size, most likely. Blu-ray M-DISC is...3-2-1 Method: 3 copies, 2 copies on different physical media and 1 copy off site.
Spinning hard drives (in your format of choice) will give you best value | size, most likely. Blu-ray M-DISC is good for archival. S3 cold/archive cloud storage would probably work great for the off site and is relatively cheap.
For my photo collection which is mainly historic and static I go a bit further:
Local NAS > Backed up to an external hard drive stored in another part of the house in a somewhat water/fire proof container and in my go bag stuff
Blu-Ray M-DISCs stored offsite (have used friends, bank safety deposit boxes, etc. far enough away from home in case of a local, natural disaster)
Amazon S3 coldInvest based on what the data is worth to you and how gutted you would be if you lost it.
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Comment on The DVD biz has circled the drain for years. In 2024, it goes down the tubes. in ~movies
guttersnipe Link ParentIndeed, but from my recollection they were private invite and you had to be a decent seeder. Usenet has helped a lot in filling in a lot of missing title gaps. Still, I just had 8 DVDs arrive today :)Indeed, but from my recollection they were private invite and you had to be a decent seeder. Usenet has helped a lot in filling in a lot of missing title gaps. Still, I just had 8 DVDs arrive today :)
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Comment on The DVD biz has circled the drain for years. In 2024, it goes down the tubes. in ~movies
guttersnipe Link ParentI don’t think it’s possible to not have physical media without losing all ability to own the media you like. It doesn’t seem to work that way. Pirating may seem like an answer to the problem but...I don’t think it’s possible to not have physical media without losing all ability to own the media you like. It doesn’t seem to work that way. Pirating may seem like an answer to the problem but it isn’t - and I’m not even speaking from a legality standpoint. Once physical production is gone, movies that don’t have a physical and/or streaming release that’s deemed popular enough by the community to rip will eventually disappear from existence.
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Comment on The DVD biz has circled the drain for years. In 2024, it goes down the tubes. in ~movies
guttersnipe Link ParentThe upscaler in the Panasonic 4k players is pretty good. I watch a lot of DVDs of movies made in the 1930s on a 65” OLED and of course, it’s not like watching a 4k disc but it can still be...The upscaler in the Panasonic 4k players is pretty good. I watch a lot of DVDs of movies made in the 1930s on a 65” OLED and of course, it’s not like watching a 4k disc but it can still be perfectly watchable and doesn’t look wonky - aside from the print not being great to begin with.
I do wish that the movies weren’t on DVD and remastered onto Bluray or better but usually, a DVD is the only way to watch most of these movies legally or illegally. At times it feels like I’m creating a physical library of movies from every decade that once gone from DVD will be lost forever.
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Comment on Walmart buying TV-brand Vizio for its ad-fueling customer data in ~finance
guttersnipe Link ParentAt least with my Comcast provided PoS Motorola router I was able to get into it and turn WiFi off. Plugged my own OpenWRT wireless router into an ethernet jack on the Motorola and done.At least with my Comcast provided PoS Motorola router I was able to get into it and turn WiFi off. Plugged my own OpenWRT wireless router into an ethernet jack on the Motorola and done.
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
guttersnipe Link ParentIt’s difficult to come up with stuff like euphemisms on the spot (goes and looks it up to make super triple sure I know what a “euphemism” is and spends minutes reading the Wikipedia entry…) uh…I...It’s difficult to come up with stuff like euphemisms on the spot (goes and looks it up to make super triple sure I know what a “euphemism” is and spends minutes reading the Wikipedia entry…) uh…I had a point but I lost it. Maybe, like, you or course know what a euphemism is and if you thought about it you could probably throw a few out…but on the spot it’s (for me) like my mind goes blank, usually. Or the wrong thing comes out.
I have maybe an opposite problem with using “just/wanted”. I’ll put it down and it looks weird - feels weird. Especially so if it is the first word in a sentence. Like does “just” sound aggressive? Do I sound like I’m nagging? Am I implying people aren’t paying attention? Does it sound sarcastic?
It is something I’ll put down often in a first draft and when proofreading come across it and want to rephrase it or make it just (HA!) without the “just”. “I want”. Which does “sound” a bit aggressive (?) but I feel takes some ownership of the thing(?)
Like, of course this wouldn’t be at work (I hope) but these two phrases feel very different in meaning to me:
“I just wanted to tell you I love you”
“I wanted to tell you I love you”And this is why it takes me forever to type stuff because of this sort of analysis.. 😂 It has felt pretty nice to be more free form here and not editing as much as I normally do…still a ton but less so. 😊
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Comment on New guitar - bit of a hiss on the G / B / high D strings? in ~music
guttersnipe Link ParentWhile I “know” how to do fret/neck work I cannot bring myself to do much more than slight truss adjustments or setting the action - and that’s only when the weather changes seasons, usually....While I “know” how to do fret/neck work I cannot bring myself to do much more than slight truss adjustments or setting the action - and that’s only when the weather changes seasons, usually. Taking a file to the fret board…hell no…I can’t do that. Knowing a couple of good luthiers over the decades has probably saved me a ton of money by me not fucking things up 😆
Wonky necks and fret boards are a nightmare (to me) and definitely something I wouldn’t feel comfortable screwing around with. Not knowing how the bass was stored (warped?) or knowing 100% that the entire neck is okay would definitely make me want to give it to a pro.
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
guttersnipe Link ParentOh…you had me have to think about my euphemisms - I wasn’t even thinking of those till now 😂 I spent several minutes just now typing (and retyping…and retyping) more but just deleted it and gave...Oh…you had me have to think about my euphemisms - I wasn’t even thinking of those till now 😂
I spent several minutes just now typing (and retyping…and retyping) more but just deleted it and gave up because I couldn’t figure out a way to express my point - and if I even actually had one to begin with 🤪
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
guttersnipe Link ParentCoincidentally, I have had this in my to-read pile for other reasons for over year :D but this is good to know - I may have to start reading it sooner!Coincidentally, I have had this in my to-read pile for other reasons for over year :D but this is good to know - I may have to start reading it sooner!
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Comment on New guitar - bit of a hiss on the G / B / high D strings? in ~music
guttersnipe Link ParentI would even maybe take it to a luthier for a proper setup if you are a bit nervous with truss rods, don’t have the right feeler gauges, etc. A proper setup and strings can do absolute wonders for...I would even maybe take it to a luthier for a proper setup if you are a bit nervous with truss rods, don’t have the right feeler gauges, etc. A proper setup and strings can do absolute wonders for a cheap-ish bass; especially a used one - but even brand new from the factory. Single coil seem (to me) always has problems with noise so I don’t usually record with them (also make sure you don’t skimp on the cable). The different pots knobs might also be dirty.
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
guttersnipe Link ParentI had never heard of this being an ADHD “thing” - but does help to explain why I too do this. To me it “kind of” feels like the style in which I actually talk to people - with pauses (and further...I had never heard of this being an ADHD “thing” - but does help to explain why I too do this. To me it “kind of” feels like the style in which I actually talk to people - with pauses (and further explanations as a side bar). I notice it a lot and try to curb it during the 100s of rewrites of emails and such…but now I’m just free-flowing and not changing anything (much). 😬😂
I also have the use emojis a lot to indicate tone to not “come off as a bitch”. Work emails and internal IM are rife with them - sometimes I just need to make my tone known FOR SURE. So many happy face emojis. Work emails are the worst though when it comes to writing/re-writing. Train of thought draft 1 - cut/paste/reword/hit the thesaurus/think about the way words sound together/edit/re-edit/notice all the words I left out/etc. Not a brag but it took me an hour yesterday to enter three sentences into a meeting invitation. 😂
For “!” I think of comedian Gregg Proops and how he would harp on this when he was reading his email. It’s like you’re “shouting at people” - HAVE A NICE DAY!! - so I just hear his voice lamenting this and (try) not to do it. BUT I SOMETIMES CANNOT HELP MYSELF! ☺️
Oh, that's neat to hear that my recommendation was good and you're enjoying his class!