hoefijzer's recent activity

  1. Comment on What do you look forward to in your week? in ~talk

    hoefijzer
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    I do martial arts a lot. I train every single day, and it's something I can look forward to all day. I love the feeling of freedom it gives me, the no-nonsense mentality people have when training...

    I do martial arts a lot. I train every single day, and it's something I can look forward to all day. I love the feeling of freedom it gives me, the no-nonsense mentality people have when training and the physical exhaustion I feel at the end of it. There's really nothing like it.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    hoefijzer
    Link
    I'd like to zoom in on an off the cuff remark you made: For the love of all that's holy, just don't. I've been addicted to cocaine and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It can completely...

    I'd like to zoom in on an off the cuff remark you made:

    he started offering me "bumps" every time he'd come over starting maybe 6 months ago (I've never partaken and hope I never will).

    For the love of all that's holy, just don't. I've been addicted to cocaine and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It can completely remove all possible empathy you may have for someone. It'll make you go to extreme lengths to get it, and the high is so short, you'll spend all the money you have on it. Look at how it made Jack behave - the only things you care about when on cocaine are yourself and getting more cocaine.

    So for Jack to offer it to you, knowing (at the very least deep down) how it changes people, is a terrible move on his part. If I had to take a guess, I'd say he did it to share a problem with you in the hopes it would make his problem seem smaller. To me, it signals a very disturbing, very selfish thought. You don't offer cocaine to people you care for, especially not when you've been confronted with the downsides (like Jack more than likely has).

    As for the future: I think Jack has a lot to prove. If it were me, I wouldn't let him anywhere near me, my house or my family until he's demonstrated that he can live his life sober. It may seem harsh, but that's really the only way you can be sure you're not enabling his cocaine problem. Don't open the door when he's at your house and phone the police. It's really the only way you'll help him and, more importantly, yourself.

    3 votes

  3. Comment on What are your thoughts on the BAT system? in ~talk

    hoefijzer
    Link Parent
    It's definitely on my shortlist. Properly curated online communities are rare and they deserve at the very least deserve some income. Problem is, though, at the moment Patreon doesn't seem to...

    It's definitely on my shortlist. Properly curated online communities are rare and they deserve at the very least deserve some income. Problem is, though, at the moment Patreon doesn't seem to offer any options for me to pay without a credit card or Paypal, and I have neither.

    5 votes

  4. Comment on What are your thoughts on the BAT system? in ~talk

    hoefijzer
    Link
    Truth be told, I have a relatively high standard when it comes to paying for things. And when I look at most content online, I'm hard pressed to find even a single one I'm willing to pay for. I...

    Truth be told, I have a relatively high standard when it comes to paying for things. And when I look at most content online, I'm hard pressed to find even a single one I'm willing to pay for. I oftentimes put money towards projects I really care about (Wikipedia or Linux for example), I pay a monthly fee for my VPN and I have a subscription for Netflix. I pay for them because there's nothing that can substitute for them, and there won't be any for the foreseeable future.

    But web content? So little of it is unique, I really can't justify the expense for myself. I know there would be a lot less content if people couldn't at the very least recuperate their expenses. It's just that I really wouldn't miss most of the online content, even if I enjoy it now. Maybe that's hypocritical. Maybe I have no right to consume content I'm not willing to pay for, one way or the other. But I think that when you make an active decision to put stuff out there for free, it should be for free. The marginal costs for providing me with free content are practically zero anyway, and it's not like I would've paid when given the option.

    So, er, back on-topic: I don't use it and I don't think I ever will.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Have your political views changed as you've grown older? in ~talk

    hoefijzer
    Link
    Not really, no. I may have become a bit less passionate about my ideals, but my ideals remain the same - we are all equally valuable. Humans are worth a lot more than just their economic output...

    Not really, no. I may have become a bit less passionate about my ideals, but my ideals remain the same - we are all equally valuable. Humans are worth a lot more than just their economic output and any view that only looks at economics will inevitably fail. Nature is beautiful and should be preserved as well as we can. I may not have phrased them the same way throughout the years, but those are the values I hold and I doubt they will ever change. They generally put me quite a ways left of center.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on No, I will not debate you in ~misc

    hoefijzer
    Link Parent
    But you can still publicly and openly scrutinize their ideas. My position isn't that academically discussing the number of Jews who died in the Holocaust should be banned. Such a debate can...

    But you can still publicly and openly scrutinize their ideas. My position isn't that academically discussing the number of Jews who died in the Holocaust should be banned. Such a debate can clearly be beneficial to society at large. However, someone who claims that all Jews should be gassed only leads to softening society to hate speech. When people are exposed to extreme ideas often enough, they start to normalize them, and the idea of an extreme idea shifts.

    I don't buy into the idea that it's better to enable people who hold hateful ideas. Some people will want to stir the pot no matter what, and once you've opened debate with them, they'll just shift the goalposts and adopt a more extreme view. I'd much rather a racist can only openly say he doesn't approve of a black president than have him scream in the streets how much he hates niggers.

    7 votes

  7. Comment on No, I will not debate you in ~misc

    hoefijzer
    Link Parent
    Let me reverse the question: what is there to be gained from allowing extremists a platform? Hate only leads to more hate.

    Let me reverse the question: what is there to be gained from allowing extremists a platform? Hate only leads to more hate.

    5 votes

  8. Comment on Dear Developer, The Web Isn't About You in ~comp

    hoefijzer
    Link Parent
    And of course, even measuring the effect of the marketing effort requires adding in more scripts, allowing 3rd parties access to personal data and add in even more bloat. In the end, the bloat...

    And of course, even measuring the effect of the marketing effort requires adding in more scripts, allowing 3rd parties access to personal data and add in even more bloat. In the end, the bloat does absolutely nothing for the person actually interested in a site's content.

  9. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~comp

    hoefijzer
    Link Parent
    Some added bonus points for the 3D graphics idea: Blender uses Python as its scripting language. I'd love a plugin that makes adding a grass field as simple as pushing a button.

    Some added bonus points for the 3D graphics idea: Blender uses Python as its scripting language. I'd love a plugin that makes adding a grass field as simple as pushing a button.

    2 votes

  10. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    hoefijzer
    Link
    I actually want to be in tech. I used to work a relatively high income stressful job in business, but at one point I decided I had had enough of meeting targets all day and the associated stress....

    I actually want to be in tech. I used to work a relatively high income stressful job in business, but at one point I decided I had had enough of meeting targets all day and the associated stress. The income was nice, the work not so much. I've saved up enough to be able to switch careers, and technology has a certain appeal for me.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Tildes, I'm going on a ten day road trip with my s/o, what are some things I should prepare for? in ~travel

    hoefijzer
    Link Parent
    That's surprising: doesn't it rain very often in Florida?

    Good advice. :) And as for the precipitation its about the same here, everyone forgets how the hell to drive as soon as there's a splash on the windshield. That actually just reminded me to check the windshield wipers as well!

    That's surprising: doesn't it rain very often in Florida?

  12. Comment on What's an album/artist that you love that you'd never expect yourself to like? in ~music

    hoefijzer
    Link
    Bolt Thrower. I'm not one for metal, but by god do I love Bolt Thrower. It's weird, but it's the only metal band I can truly appreciate. I can't put my finger on it, but for me it's the "calm"...

    Bolt Thrower. I'm not one for metal, but by god do I love Bolt Thrower. It's weird, but it's the only metal band I can truly appreciate. I can't put my finger on it, but for me it's the "calm" aggression that makes me like it: slow enough to be calm, but rough enough to be aggressive. It's hard to explain.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on What steps do you take to secure your online use and privacy? in ~talk

    hoefijzer
    Link
    Oh, there's nothing wrong with Ubuntu- or Debian-based Linux distributions. If they do any collecting at all, you have to give consent (and you'll know you've given it, it's not like some websites...

    (I know, Ubuntu-based distros aren't ideal but I'm a Linux beginner)

    Oh, there's nothing wrong with Ubuntu- or Debian-based Linux distributions. If they do any collecting at all, you have to give consent (and you'll know you've given it, it's not like some websites that actively try to take away your choice).

    I'm very privacy oriented. A few things I've done to protect it:

    • A VPN, to make my ip address isn't unique to me and to switch ip addresses whenever I feel like it

    • Umatrix, blocking everything but first party content

    • Keepass for my passwords, and pwgen (a Linux tool) to generate secure passwords

    • uBlock Origin

    • Cookie Autodelete

    • Bloody Vikings, which gives me easy access to temporary email addresses

    • Useragent Switcher

    • Canvas Defender

    • HTTPS Everywhere

    • Cookie Autodelete

    • Decentraleyes

    • I've installed Linux on my pc a while ago, and I've recently started using LineageOS without any Google services.

    Furthermore, I've written all companies I've ever had dealings with to remove all their data on me from their database, since the GDPR has finally given me a stick to whack them on the head with. I've installed LineageOS, don't use any Google or Facebook related services (searches are done through startpage.com) and I have a different alias on all online forums I'm active on. Oh, and lastly, as a matter of principle: if for some reason I still see your ad, I will not buy anything from you.

    That said, it's a hassle. Umatrix breaks sites very often, but generally those are not the ones I'm very interested in in the first place. Companies don't always react favourably to delete requests, but that attitude doesn't really impress me - so far, all have removed my data when I threatened to file a complaint with the Data Authority.

    9 votes