h3x's recent activity

  1. Comment on Twenty-five years of Wikipedia - an interactive retrospective ~fifteen minute read in ~tech

    h3x
    Link Parent
    And me. It wasn't until I got to university that I was told "Wikipedia is fine if all you need is a broad overview of xyz topic. But for the level of detail we expect, Wikipedia's article is far...

    And me. It wasn't until I got to university that I was told "Wikipedia is fine if all you need is a broad overview of xyz topic. But for the level of detail we expect, Wikipedia's article is far from sufficient. At the bare minimum look at the footnotes, but really you should go to the library."

    Which felt more reasonable, tbh. I also spotted two of my uni lecturers updating the Wikipedia pages for areas closely related to their fields of expertise, so yaknow. If PhDs in Sino-Japanese relations are proposing edits to the page about the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, I think I'd trust what they're putting there :P

    12 votes

  2. Comment on Star Wars shake-up: Kathleen Kennedy steps down as George Lucas protégé Dave Filoni, exec Lynwen Brennan take over Lucasfilm in ~movies

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Gosh I hope not, our youngest got an American Girl doll for Christmas and it's the perfect excuse to support Brennan's new venture.

    And take him away from his real love of making American Girl doll shoes?

    Gosh I hope not, our youngest got an American Girl doll for Christmas and it's the perfect excuse to support Brennan's new venture.

    5 votes

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

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Thirding that! I saw it in the cinema for my ninth birthday, and it remains a firm favourite of mine well over two decades later

    Thirding that! I saw it in the cinema for my ninth birthday, and it remains a firm favourite of mine well over two decades later

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Sir Curse - Coraline (2021) in ~music

    h3x
    Link Parent
    No no, it's all good! Coraline had actually rattled around my head earlier in the week (I guess on what you could call my internal playlist), and it was really nice to listen to the actual track...

    No no, it's all good! Coraline had actually rattled around my head earlier in the week (I guess on what you could call my internal playlist), and it was really nice to listen to the actual track after I saw your comment. At the time we were all quite critical of it, and while I don't think time has softened all the complaints I have about it, it's still a great track, and on balance I'm sad we stopped playing it live. That kinda trancey section at the end was so much fun to play and rock out to, and was a great mid-set track to reset the energy a little bit before ratcheting it back up again.

    3 votes

  5. Comment on Sir Curse - Coraline (2021) in ~music

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Honestly, same, the longer I sit with it. There's this nagging sensation that I'll never be part of a band that's quite as good as Sir Curse was, or that had a better chance of "making it." Maybe...

    Honestly, same, the longer I sit with it. There's this nagging sensation that I'll never be part of a band that's quite as good as Sir Curse was, or that had a better chance of "making it." Maybe one day we'll reunite, but at the moment that doesn't look to be on the cards :(

    I'm hoping to have something to show for my solo efforts soon, but the imposter syndrome is strong, as is that same nagging thought. Otherwise I think the only member of the band who's working on anything original is Eric (the bass player), in Neon Rituals, a hardcore band. Hardcore isn't really my style, but they do have some cool stuff going on, and they're getting a decent amount of notice on the scene.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on Pasta al formaggio (mac & cheese): Italian chef Paolo Lopriore rewrites the American classic recipe in ~food

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Omg this sounds incredible, I’ll be ordering that book!

    Omg this sounds incredible, I’ll be ordering that book!

    3 votes

  7. Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | X-Men teaser in ~movies

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Oh God, I'd completely forgotten about that one! xD

    Oh God, I'd completely forgotten about that one! xD

    1 vote

  8. Comment on Reversing the technical interview in ~comp

    h3x
    Link Parent
    I did not, in fact, need to set up a VPN at all. I run a VM in a Hetzner DC in Helsinki, so I just ran a SOCKS proxy through that and Robert's your mother's brother! For future inquiring minds,...

    I did not, in fact, need to set up a VPN at all. I run a VM in a Hetzner DC in Helsinki, so I just ran a SOCKS proxy through that and Robert's your mother's brother!

    For future inquiring minds, run ssh -D 9000 your.non-uk-based.server.tld and alter the proxy settings in Firefox to run SOCKS through 127.0.0.1 on port 9000 :)

    2 votes

  9. Comment on The "why does this movie exist" scene in ~movies

    h3x
    Link
    When I've written D&D campaigns, or attempted NaNoWriMo, I often find that I start with an Event (as you call it) and work back from there. I've no idea if this is a good way to write, and it...

    When I've written D&D campaigns, or attempted NaNoWriMo, I often find that I start with an Event (as you call it) and work back from there. I've no idea if this is a good way to write, and it might contribute to the fact I've never actually finished any of my writing... But you do hear a lot of writers talk about knowing the ending long before they know anything else, so I think there must be something to it.

    11 votes

  10. Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | X-Men teaser in ~movies

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Honestly that might be my favourite Extras cameo. Although there are so many good ones to choose from. Daniel Radcliffe's and David Bowie's are both also hysterical.

    Honestly that might be my favourite Extras cameo. Although there are so many good ones to choose from. Daniel Radcliffe's and David Bowie's are both also hysterical.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on Has anyone else intentionally lowered their phone's screen's saturation? in ~tech

    h3x
    Link
    This sounds really cool! I’ve managed to dig out the setting on my iPhone (Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Colour filters) and I’mcurrently on about 50% greyscale. I wish it was possible to...

    This sounds really cool! I’ve managed to dig out the setting on my iPhone (Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Colour filters) and I’mcurrently on about 50% greyscale. I wish it was possible to do the greyscale in addition to the colour filter like u/BashCrandiboot suggests, because that sounds bonkers fun!

    I’ll report back about how I find the saturation alteration :)

    6 votes

  12. Comment on Reversing the technical interview in ~comp

    h3x
    Link
    The site is blocked as a result of the UK’s Online Safety Act, making this the first time that the regulation has affected my use of the open Internet and stopped me from reading something I want...

    The site is blocked as a result of the UK’s Online Safety Act, making this the first time that the regulation has affected my use of the open Internet and stopped me from reading something I want to read. Time to get a VPN!

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Merry Christmas! in ~talk

    h3x
    Link
    Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope Father Christmas brought you all what your hearts desire 🎄 We’ve just got back from Christmas Day at my parents’, and all five of us are pretty exhausted. Kids...

    Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope Father Christmas brought you all what your hearts desire 🎄

    We’ve just got back from Christmas Day at my parents’, and all five of us are pretty exhausted. Kids have gone straight to bed in their clothes, full of turkey, chocolate, cheese, and crisps.

    I received some truly lovely gifts, but as I grow ever older I feel the best gift of all is the time spent with my parents, siblings, in-laws, niblings, fiancée, and three kids. I feel very fortunate to have what I am learning is not a very common dynamic, and I am grateful for every loud, chaotic, and joyful minute.

    Mulled wine and a movie before bed now, and then on for round two at my parents-in-law’s tomorrow! Let the joy be unconfinéd, fa la la la la la la la la! 🎄

    5 votes

  14. Comment on What do you leave out for Father Christmas? in ~talk

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Oh that's great fun! I always forget to leave something for the reindeer, but the kids have just reminded me that they're leaving sugar lumps this year.

    Oh that's great fun! I always forget to leave something for the reindeer, but the kids have just reminded me that they're leaving sugar lumps this year.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on What do you leave out for Father Christmas? in ~talk

    h3x
    (edited )
    Link
    This year, at the behest of our 8-year-old, Father Christmas (who confirmed his love of it in a letter to her) will be getting cheese, alongside a bit of wine and a cookie. What a lucky fellow!...

    This year, at the behest of our 8-year-old, Father Christmas (who confirmed his love of it in a letter to her) will be getting cheese, alongside a bit of wine and a cookie. What a lucky fellow! We're in the UK.

    13 votes

  16. What do you leave out for Father Christmas?

    ~talk Ask
    My partner and I were talking about how buzzed Santa must get from his light-speed jaunt around the world, drinking up everyone's booze, but it didn't occur to me that maybe leaving him alcohol is...

    My partner and I were talking about how buzzed Santa must get from his light-speed jaunt around the world, drinking up everyone's booze, but it didn't occur to me that maybe leaving him alcohol is not a typical tradition outside of the UK!

    If you celebrate Christmas, and leave (or have left) a drink and/or snack for Father Christmas, where are you from, and what do you leave?

    27 votes

  17. Comment on How do you keep your life organized? What tools & systems do you use? in ~talk

    h3x
    Link
    I have had a lot of mileage out of TickTick for my to-do list needs. I dump just about any kind of to-do into it, and have some filters to pull out things that I need to do based on date,...

    I have had a lot of mileage out of TickTick for my to-do list needs. I dump just about any kind of to-do into it, and have some filters to pull out things that I need to do based on date, location, and context. Some of that is quite manual, and some is more automated.

    I like the Folder > List > Task hierarchy which TickTick encourages, and I try to make sure every item in my list has a specific list that it lives in. It also comes with an Inbox, which I treat as a dumping ground for thoughts to come back to every week or so.

    I have recently started trying to categorise things in TickTick more, alongside a greater focus on keeping my digital files organised along a similar structure. As have a metric ton of Lists in TickTick (I pay for premium so I can blow past the free-tier limit of 20), and I sort them into Folders such as Life Admin, DM'ing, and Homelabbing. There are few Folders, and massively more Lists beneath them, which each contain an arbitrary number of Tasks (with optional sub-tasks). For example, Life Admin has a List called "Cleaning and Tidying" which contains all of my recurring reminders to do things like deep clean the kitchen, change bedsheets, etc.

    I like it a lot, and there's a fair amount of flex within the app. Depending on how unopinionated you like your digital services, you may like that. I tried a different app for a year or so after TickTick started getting unwieldy, and eventually found my way back. The first time I tried, I barely bothered with folders or tags, or priorities. Now I have a fair whack more structure to the way I use it, although each time I open it up I do consider if I'm doing the best thing for me.

    In terms of discipline and follow-through... Let me know when you figure something out! I feel increasingly unable to check things off my to-do lists, from a combination of exhaustion and of lack of time. I am debating whether or not a digital system is for me at all, and wondering whether or not to return to something pen & paper based like Bullet Journal. For example, I like the simplicity of not having to always recreate recurring to-do items in a digital system, but dislike the ease with which they can be ignored and left for the next recurrence. When I used to Bullet Journal, I was a lot more brutal about ejecting things that I wouldn't have time for, and I think that lent a certain clarity of focus. Having to manually write it out forces you to think about it. This isn't to say you should ditch the idea of a digital system! More of a personal musing as to their efficacy for me, and whether or not I should try something different next year... Or let go of the idea of "Getting Things Done®" altogether.

    Edit because I just remembered: Have a look into Johnny Decimal if you fancy really going absolutely ham on categorising your entire life and having ID'd, unique locations for all things.

    14 votes

  18. Comment on Scheitan – A Kiss Of Death (2025) in ~music

    h3x
    Link
    This was fun! I’ve never heard of the band before, but I enjoyed this track. Are there any other good bands in a similar vein that are worth listening to? This feels like a big itch in need of...

    This was fun! I’ve never heard of the band before, but I enjoyed this track. Are there any other good bands in a similar vein that are worth listening to? This feels like a big itch in need of scratching right now

    1 vote

  19. Comment on How do you want to define 2026 for yourself? in ~talk

    h3x
    Link Parent
    This really resonates with me. I tend to pick “themes” for the year, which are very similar in nature. They are guiding stars to keep in mind for each and every choice. 2025 was my “Year of...

    This really resonates with me. I tend to pick “themes” for the year, which are very similar in nature. They are guiding stars to keep in mind for each and every choice. 2025 was my “Year of Clearing the Decks” which felt very freeing; I’ve questioned a lot of assumptions and ideas about myself and how I spend my time. I feel much more able to identify what is right for me in a given situation now than I did before, with all the physical, mental, social, and emotional clutter that I was hanging on to. It was super cleansing, and I’m excited to meditate of what 2026’s theme will be

    1 vote

  20. Comment on I need to tell you why coffee makes you poop in ~food

    h3x
    Link Parent
    Honestly I still watch the Bripe video from time to time. Do I want one? Questionable. Do I get a real kick out of James Hoffman's review? You bet!

    Honestly I still watch the Bripe video from time to time. Do I want one? Questionable. Do I get a real kick out of James Hoffman's review? You bet!

    7 votes