kwyjibo's recent activity
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Comment on New York Times Tech Guild ends strike in ~tech
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Comment on Why do you live? in ~humanities
kwyjibo LinkI have a few people in my life that'd be devastated if I didn't. Also, more often than not, I enjoy living. I don't have life changing experiences or interactions often, if at all, but there are...I have a few people in my life that'd be devastated if I didn't. Also, more often than not, I enjoy living. I don't have life changing experiences or interactions often, if at all, but there are many small things that make me happy and keep me going.
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Comment on My Leopold FC900R broke - Recommendation request in ~tech
kwyjibo Link ParentThat's right, it's a 96% keyboard. Unless I'm misinformed, 96% keyboards are basically full sized keyboards that are more compact. I don't use a wrist rest with mine, but I don't think I have ever...That's right, it's a 96% keyboard. Unless I'm misinformed, 96% keyboards are basically full sized keyboards that are more compact.
I don't use a wrist rest with mine, but I don't think I have ever used one either. So it's plenty comfortable as it is for me. NuPhy does sell wrist rests on their website.
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Comment on My Leopold FC900R broke - Recommendation request in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkI had been using a custom made WASD Keyboard for the past 8 years or so but just last week I switched to NuPhy Halo75 v2. WASD had tactile cherry blue switches, which I enjoyed a lot, but the...I had been using a custom made WASD Keyboard for the past 8 years or so but just last week I switched to NuPhy Halo75 v2. WASD had tactile cherry blue switches, which I enjoyed a lot, but the switch and the keyboard itself started to show its age. I could've kept using it with some maintenance (lubing etc.) but some of those tools are not easy to acquire for me, so I thought it'd be fun to switch to a new type of keyboard that's quite different than what I had been using. My new keyboard has linear switches, which took some time getting used to but I'm pretty happy with them now. (Though I do plan on trying out a tactile switch with it later down the road.)
Given your requirements, I think you might want to check it out. It's got a full size version called Halo96. You might be turned off by how RGB heavy the keyboard is, and I'm not a big fan of RGB myself, so I kept it turned off after having my fun with it for the first couple of days. I picked it simply because it seemed like the best "buy it and forget it" type of keyboard within my price range, which is similar to yours. Here's the Rtings review. (It's recommended as the best upper mid-range keyboard for typing.)
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Comment on Jeff Bezos vetoed Washington Post plan to endorse Kamala Harris, paper reports in ~society
kwyjibo LinkI don't think this is least bit of surprising giving what Ben Smith reported back in June.I don't think this is least bit of surprising giving what Ben Smith reported back in June.
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Comment on €78 ($90) mount is now available for World of Warcraft - more than three times more expensive than anything else in ~games
kwyjibo LinkBlizzard price things locally so it's 1/3 of the price for me, but I still don't think about buying it. Mind you, I have bought a couple of mounts and a few other items from the store before, but...Blizzard price things locally so it's 1/3 of the price for me, but I still don't think about buying it. Mind you, I have bought a couple of mounts and a few other items from the store before, but this just feels wrong to me because it's transparently cynical. Using the game's anniversary as a cover to release an item that cost the same as a AAA game for a limited time is quite the move, but as long as they don't sell some tokens that let you buy an item you can only get through playing (like Mythic armor sets etc.), I can turn a blind eye to what this is.
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Comment on Non-fiction books about mentally surviving a far right regime in ~books
kwyjibo LinkGiven the comments you've previously made and the timing of this topic, I can guess where you're from. If you want, I can give you a specific book recommendation that was recently published. If...Given the comments you've previously made and the timing of this topic, I can guess where you're from. If you want, I can give you a specific book recommendation that was recently published. If not, the most canonical recommendation I can give you would be Man's Search for Meaning. You can also check out They Thought They Were Free. It gives you great insight into how a majority of a population can vigorously accept the conditions they live in, which so obviously work against them. In that sense it's not a hopeful book at all, but given what we know about Germany today (all the obvious criticisms aside), you can take some lessons from it. If you want something more recent, you can read Alexei Navalny's recently published book titled Patriot. I've not yet read it in full but the little I read was inspiring enough.
It also helps to talk. I wasn't feeling too different from what you do now and what helped me was to avoid the breakneck pace of politics by just spending time with friends online, playing games, and talking things that matter more than what the topic of the day is -- which was impossible to make any sense of. So I stopped trying to the best of my ability. (Not doing a stellar job, but even trying helps.) Thankfully I'm privileged enough to do that, though. You're always welcome into our safe space, if you think it'd be helpful.
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Comment on Asmongold's Twitch channel temporarily banned following racist rant about Palestinians in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentOne of the most influential standard-bearers of the alt-right movement was an openly gay man. Supporting gay rights or being a gay person doesn't prevent you from being alt-right, or even a...One of the most influential standard-bearers of the alt-right movement was an openly gay man. Supporting gay rights or being a gay person doesn't prevent you from being alt-right, or even a fascist, which I believe this guy to be. I don't care how pro-LGBTQ+ you are, if you're openly calling for the annihilation of an entire population and do so in front of an audience of tens of thousands, you're not for equality and certainly deserve to be called nouns a lot harsher than a fence-sitter.
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Comment on BTK-gate, Turkey's massive surveillance state: Internet activity, identity, and personal data of all users in Turkey is collected in ~tech
kwyjibo Link ParentIndeed, there were inevitably a lot of misinformation and more crucially disinformation circulating on Twitter at the time and as you said, particular groups and individuals like Ümit Özdağ, an...Indeed, there were inevitably a lot of misinformation and more crucially disinformation circulating on Twitter at the time and as you said, particular groups and individuals like Ümit Özdağ, an ultra-nationalist politician went so far as to spread rumors about refugees cutting off the arms of people under the rubble to steal their jewelry, all of which were of course lies. If the government had actually cared about misinformation, it would've sued these people but they haven't. Because what they care about is not creating or nurturing an environment in which verifiable information can flow freely, but rather curtailing the extent of their incompetency.
I largely agree with the second part of your comment except for the part where you put the blame on losing the 2023 election to social media, though I'm sure you don't think the result was monocausal. I'm aware of the blatant lies propagated through not just social media but Erdogan's own gatherings, but I personally think they had little to no effect. Though my read of the situation differs from most, so I don't know. It's hard to know these things for sure. (I'm purposely not getting into more detail.)
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Comment on BTK-gate, Turkey's massive surveillance state: Internet activity, identity, and personal data of all users in Turkey is collected in ~tech
kwyjibo LinkAs far as I know, this is the main reason why Starlink is not allowed to operate in Turkey despite having ground stations already built around the country. I remember Medyascope's interview with...As far as I know, this is the main reason why Starlink is not allowed to operate in Turkey despite having ground stations already built around the country. I remember Medyascope's interview with Füsun Nebil shortly after the earthquake. The interview was about the censorship of certain websites like Twitter during the critical hours of the earthquake but she also said that she knows first hand the reason the government doesn't allow a service like Starlink to operate, even as a means of relief in a time of dire need, was because they had no mechanisms in place to monitor it.
Just think how vile and hostile this is: everyone on the ground is dealing with the aftermath of the greatest earthquake in the nation’s history, yet the government's communications authority prioritize their unconstitutional capacity to surveil citizens rather than ensuring uninterrupted communication. I shudder to think how many lives have been lost because people under the rubble couldn't make their voice heard on Twitter, which was used extensively during the early hours of the earthquake.
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Comment on Looking for slim wallet recommendations in ~life.style
kwyjibo Link ParentIt was the basic model, yes. I personally didn't like the slimwallet option because I felt like it was trying to replicate something its original design is not suitable for, hence losing a bit on...It was the basic model, yes. I personally didn't like the slimwallet option because I felt like it was trying to replicate something its original design is not suitable for, hence losing a bit on what makes it special in the first place.
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Comment on Looking for slim wallet recommendations in ~life.style
kwyjibo LinkI used a bulky wallet for years and I had made the switch, at least for awhile, to Secrid. Its mechanism was really solid, I don't think it'd break down in at least a decade, but I just couldn't...I used a bulky wallet for years and I had made the switch, at least for awhile, to Secrid. Its mechanism was really solid, I don't think it'd break down in at least a decade, but I just couldn't deal with the fact that the standard models only hold about 4-5 cards and no cash. I bought a cash strap (their own) with it and tried to use it that way but it was just so cumbersome. I also didn't like metal as the case material. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but it just didn't seem right to me. It was a personal thing. So after about a year I made the switch to Herschel. It's a traditional looking wallet but it's just as slim as Secrid while being able to hold more cards (with RFID protection) and cash. It's just as durable, if not more so, too. I've been using it for over a year and it looks brand new, whereas my Secrid was all scratched up despite me using it carefully.
I noticed Galen Leather being recommended. While I don't have a wallet from them, I have their pen case with a notebook holder and it's an excellent product. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't like their products and I'm sure their wallets are great too. If the color of your choosing is not available, try sending them an email. They've been known to help out in situations like that.
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Comment on Weekly Israel-Hamas war megathread - week of September 30 in ~news
kwyjibo LinkHow the U.S. Worked Overtime to Deliver Weapons to Israel. This one has too many lines to highlights, I'd practically be posting the whole article here, so instead I'm just gonna leave the link....How the U.S. Worked Overtime to Deliver Weapons to Israel. This one has too many lines to highlights, I'd practically be posting the whole article here, so instead I'm just gonna leave the link.
This is a Twitter thread from Reuters' deputy US foreign policy editor. I'm pasting it in full below:
SCOOP: I reviewed three sets of internal email exchanges between senior Biden administration officials who were warned just DAYS after Oct. 7 that Israel was risking committing war crimes by ordering more than a million Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate. There’s more: 1/X
The email exchanges, which take place between Oct. 11-14 and involve senior White House, State Dept & Pentagon officials, including Biden’s top Mideast aide Brett McGurk, provide rare insight into the thinking of the U.S. government in the early days of the Gaza war 2/X
The emails are striking even after almost a year — because the “humanitarian catastrophe” that the U.S. officials are warned of at the time has materialized: 40,000 people killed, Gaza reduced to a wasteland, children starved and the region still on the brink of a wider war. 3/X
The emails, which haven’t been reported before, reveal alarm early on in the State Department and Pentagon that a rising death toll in Gaza could violate international law and jeopardize U.S. ties in the Arab world. 4/X
The messages also show how the White House resisted calls for a ceasefire in those early days and the internal pressure in the Biden administration to shift its messaging to including sympathy for the Palestinians. Many more details here: 5/X https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/emails-show-early-us-concerns-over-gaza-offensive-risk-israeli-war-crimes-2024-10-04/
It started on Oct. 11, when the State Department’s top public diplomacy official, Bill Russo, in an email told senior State officials that Washington was “losing credibility among Arab-speaking audiences” by not directly addressing the humanitarian crisis. 6/X
“The U.S.’s lack of response on the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians is not only ineffective and counterproductive, but we are also being accused of being complicit to potential war crimes by remaining silent on Israel’s actions against civilians,” Russo wrote. 7/X
The State Department’s top Middle East diplomat, Barbara Leaf, forwarded Russo’s email to White House officials McGurk. She warned that the relationship with Washington’s “otherwise would-be stalwart” Arab partners was at risk due to the kinds of concerns raised by Russo. 8/X
McGurk replied that if the question was whether the administration should call for a ceasefire, the answer was “No.” He added, however, that Washington was “100 pct” in favor of supporting humanitarian corridors and protecting civilians. 9/X
On Oct. 13, Dana Stroul, then a top Middle East official at the Pentagon, relayed to the White House a blunt warning from the ICRC that Israel’s mass evacuation would be a humanitarian disaster and could violate international law. 10/X
“ICRC is not ready to say this in public, but is raising private alarm that Israel is close to committing war crimes," Stroul said in her email addressing senior WH, State and Pentagon officials. She added that the ICRC’s assessment had left her “chilled to the bone.” 11/X
Replying to Stroul, McGurk likened the situation to the U.S.-led military operation against ISIS militants in Mosul in 2016, an assault that left the Iraqi city in ruins. He said the military and humanitarian strategy in the Mosul assault had been planned hand in hand. 12/X
Two officials on the email chain replied that it would be impossible to put in place the necessary infrastructure with so little time. One reminded McGurk that the Mosul operation was the result of much longer planning. 13/X
“Our assessment is that there’s simply no way to have this scale of a displacement without creating a humanitarian catastrophe,” Paula Tufro, a senior White House official in charge of humanitarian response, wrote in the email. 14/X
It would take “months” to get structures in place to provide “basic services” to more than a million people, Tufro said & asked that the White House tell Israel to slow its offensive. “We need GOI (Government of Israel) to pump the brakes in pushing people south,” she wrote. 15/X
Andrew Miller, then a senior official at the State Dept, urged his colleagues to act fast.
“If we’re inclined to weigh in with the Israelis to dissuade them from seeking mass evacuations, we will have to do it soon, at a high level and at multiple touch points,” he wrote. 16/X
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Comment on Do you keep a diary? in ~talk
kwyjibo LinkI do, two separate ones in fact. One is written using Obsidian. I've been doing so every day since 2020. It's a very matter of fact thing. I separate a day into four sections (morning, afternoon,...I do, two separate ones in fact.
One is written using Obsidian. I've been doing so every day since 2020. It's a very matter of fact thing. I separate a day into four sections (morning, afternoon, evening, midnight) and I write what I do in each of these sections, but not everything. For example, I don't write what I cook for that evening, but if I'm hosting someone, I do write about it. I don't write every phone call I make or receive, but if the subject of the call is somewhat of an importance, I write it. If another person is involved, I use Obsidian's internal links so I can more easily refer to it when needed. Some days are very short. I had a down time yesterday and all I wrote was two sentences. Some days, I write about a thousand or so words. I try to write it at the first opportunity after something worth writing about has happened, but it's not always easy, so I usually write it at the very end of a day. If I'm too tired, I just write an outline and fill it out later.
The other one is a handwritten journal I recently started writing. To be honest, when I started doing this my only intention was to make more use of my fountain pens, a hobby I somewhat recently picked up, but it's grown on me so now I'm doing it just for the sake of writing itself. This journal is very personal and unfiltered. I wouldn't mind anyone reading my Obsidian journal, but I'd never let anyone read this one. I'm an anxious person who spends way too much time overanalyzing social interactions and I found out that writing about them (or things I have unusually strong feelings on) help me deal with them better. Since writing slows time and requires some sort of structure, I believe it helps with my thinking too, which is often many thoughts coming in and out fast paced, all jumbled.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly in ~games
kwyjibo LinkI am not playing on this server as I am in one with some IRL friends on a measly Realms server, but I have to say, this server's been an inspiration. I check the thread every week to see what you...I am not playing on this server as I am in one with some IRL friends on a measly Realms server, but I have to say, this server's been an inspiration. I check the thread every week to see what you guys come up with and sometimes build upon those ideas. @teaearlgraycold seems like a great admin, too. Have fun!
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Comment on The return of Ta-Nehisi Coates in ~books
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The return of Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Comment on Is WoW: The War Within worth it for a mostly solo player? in ~games
kwyjibo Link ParentI don't know if lack of solo queue for M+ dungeons and raids are a bad thing, but I understand that that has its own disadvantages as well. I mained a Ret Paladin in Dragonflight and had no...I don't know if lack of solo queue for M+ dungeons and raids are a bad thing, but I understand that that has its own disadvantages as well. I mained a Ret Paladin in Dragonflight and had no problem finding groups until I hit levels where people cared more about which classes to invite ("meta classes" as players call it). I had no intention of going above 3K rating though, so that wasn't an issue for me. All my gear, including my legendary weapon, was attained through groups I got in using the in-game LFG tool.
If I recall correctly, Greater Rifts in D3 were dungeons you could solo with increasing difficulty. Assuming I'm right, then Delves are exactly that. The only difference is Delves can be done with other people, but you can do them as a solo player perfectly fine with no disadvantages whatsoever. The more you do it, the higher it scales and with higher scales come increasing difficulty and better rewards. I believe you can't get the absolute top Mythic raid gear from them but you can get very close to it. That's what I mostly plan on doing this expansion.
As for the leaderboards, no, Delves don't have that. It's sort of against the nature of Delves, as Delves have no time limit. All that matters is you finish them. That being said, if Blizzard have APIs available, I'm sure a website like raider.io will have a leaderboard like as they do with Mythic+ dungeons (you won't see anything as yet since Season 1 started today).
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Comment on Is WoW: The War Within worth it for a mostly solo player? in ~games
kwyjibo LinkI've been playing WoW since Vanilla and TWW is the most solo friendly expansion yet. I've played Shadowlands and Dragonflight mostly solo and I have plans to do the same for TWW. I am in a guild...I've been playing WoW since Vanilla and TWW is the most solo friendly expansion yet. I've played Shadowlands and Dragonflight mostly solo and I have plans to do the same for TWW. I am in a guild of almost 15 years, but I intentionally get no help from them in the way of boosting because I don't want to sink my time into hardcore raiding again. Despite all that, I was able to do get great gear, make gold, do all the content, see all the bosses and quests via mechanics available to solo players.
I can't say whether you will enjoy the content. I do enjoy it and I think WoW is a great product, but since you're coming from a place of no knowledge of the game, I'm not sure how friendly it'd be. That being said, TWW more than meets your criteria for being a solo-friendly expansion. I could even go as far as saying that TWW puts priority on solo players within the constraints of an MMO with inclusion of Delves and Warbands, which is basically a link that ties all your characters together where you can easily share gold, items, reputation etc.
This might go against the nature of your post, but if you do decide to join in on the fun, feel free to DM me and I'll share my Battle ID. That way you can ask me any questions you might have about the game. (I'm in the EU region.)
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Comment on What are your ten favourite movies of all time? in ~movies
kwyjibo Link ParentI stand corrected. That feels like a right spot for the film. Right, that's why I called them "mainstream". My implicit point was, regardless of how many mainstream qualities they had of their era...It was number 36 on the 2012 list (tied with Statango and Metropolis).
I stand corrected. That feels like a right spot for the film.
And if we look at the films through the lens of their time, Vertigo and Citizen Kane were normal films that normal people could watch in theaters.
Right, that's why I called them "mainstream". My implicit point was, regardless of how many mainstream qualities they had of their era (which one can argue not much), they're still from a different era. Obviously, as I said, they're not comparable to Jeanne Dielman as a cinema-going experience.
I appreciate Schrader's candor. I think too many filmmakers, especially people still working in the industry like Schrader, try to walk around eggshells to appease everyone and he's not afraid to speak his mind.
I agree but that doesn't make Schrader any less of a jerk. I'm not just saying that because he criticized the placement of my favorite film, but if you follow his posts on Facebook (or through other means like I am), he's just a cranky dude who does say more right things than wrong but say so in a way that leaves a bad taste in one's mouth1. I do and did grant him that he's right about the affects of placing Jeanne Dielman at the top of the list, but to imply that it's undeserving because it got there due to rigging and the fact that its director was female is insulting to one of the greatest female directors and artists of all time. Not just to her but any female directors he mentions in his comments. You can easily make an argument against Jeanne Dielman without saying any of those things and that's the part I'd agree with him and with you on. (Not saying you've made a similar argument I'm criticizing Schrader for, to be clear.)
Just to give an example: while I adored Portrait of a Lady on Fire, I do not think it deserved to be placed that high on that list. Whereas, Julia Loktev, Maren Ade, or Lina Wertmüller for that matter are nowhere near to be found on the list. I don't think the discussion should be about how high a female director's film was placed at the top because of #MeToo, but why we don't have more female directors in that list, not because we're in a politically favorable era for a movement but because they're worthy of being there on their merit.
1: I'm only half joking but it's kind of like his film Blue Collar. I absolutely adore that film but its biggest flaw, maybe the only flaw, is that Schrader couldn't keep his proverbial mouth shot at the very end of it.
Did anything happen, though? From what I can tell, NYT's election coverage went pretty smoothly. I followed the election from there with no issues. From what I gather, the only thing that was missing was the statewide needle. I think the strike ended because they tried to use the election as leverage and it backfired on them.