luka's recent activity
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Comment on How do you celebrate your birthday? in ~talk
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Comment on Finland's obsession with saunas is going global – what does science say about the claimed health benefits? in ~health
luka Link ParentProbably not, given the lower heart rate etc is obviously also present when you use saunas at 85C without splashing water on rocks, especially when you consider that people using saunas in Central...Are they in fact only paying for a placebo treatment?
Probably not, given the lower heart rate etc is obviously also present when you use saunas at 85C without splashing water on rocks, especially when you consider that people using saunas in Central Europe have less exposure and tolerance to them than Finns. Seeing Finns talk about saunas is a bit like Indians talking about spicy food. It's relative to an extent.
I'd be curious about research comparing Finnish saunas to 'rest of the world' ones though.
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Comment on Hungarian government submits law preparing to crack down on independent press and NGOs in ~society
luka LinkAs Hungary is taking its last steps in its transition into total authoritarianism, the parliament – controlled by Viktor Orbán's Fidesz with a supermajority since 2010 – is preparing to submit a...As Hungary is taking its last steps in its transition into total authoritarianism, the parliament – controlled by Viktor Orbán's Fidesz with a supermajority since 2010 – is preparing to submit a law seeking to cripple the opposition under the guise of sovereignty, by punishing entities who have received funding from foreign actors. This includes almost all popular independent media, including the largest news sites 444.hu, telex.hu, and 24.hu, who have received funding through transparent EU grants or things like USAID.
This is happening in the backdrop of Mr. Orbán's party slowly losing its grip on power as it faces a continuously surging opposition party in Tisza, who according to some polls have a double-digit lead over Fidesz.
In my opinion, this is the ruling party panicking and going all-out in trying to suppress the opposition. While it's still realistic that they will win the elections next year, they're piling up scandals as trust in them is steadily eroding.
This is what happens if you let right-wing populists to power.
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Hungarian government submits law preparing to crack down on independent press and NGOs
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Comment on Business idea and feedback thread in ~talk
luka Link ParentI think there have been a lot of attempts at this, one of the more successful ones I'm aware of being Blindmate.Dating app which aims to address the flaws of its enshittified competition (egregious monetization, men being ignored, women being inundated with creepy messages, etc.) Something with user verification standards to deter fake/fraudulent users, an algorithm that rewards the user for having conversations, more stringent house rules, a decent messaging system that actually discourages people from taking conversations to third-party apps from its sheer quality. I had thought of a system where you could leave reviews of your dating experiences with other users, but this would have been ripe for abuse and would have been a content moderation nightmare.
I think there have been a lot of attempts at this, one of the more successful ones I'm aware of being Blindmate.
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Comment on How many languages do you speak? in ~humanities.languages
luka LinkI speak English, Swiss German (and by extension Standard German), and Hungarian fluently. I know French well enough to understand text. There isn't really an order of preference, as I spent much...I speak English, Swiss German (and by extension Standard German), and Hungarian fluently. I know French well enough to understand text.
There isn't really an order of preference, as I spent much time in places where these languages are spoken, but certain aspects are easier depending on the language. My professional language and literary skills are best in English and I feel most comfortable reading in it. However, I haven't spent an extended amount of time in an English speaking environment for more than a decade, so it's my least preferred language to speak.
Swiss German is the easiest for me because of it dominating my childhood and early adulthood, but it's getting a bit rusty as I only use it with family these days. It's not a particularly useful language and I don't think I will ever use it my daily life again, but I plan to speak it with my children as I think multilingualism is not an optional skill to have. It's easier to get stuck in a bubble if you aren't able to immerse yourself into various cultural contexts.
I have the smallest vocabulary in Hungarian but it's the one I think is the most interesting, as there is a surprising amount of depth in it, considering the number of speakers. You have to basically learn the language from scratch as it uses unique grammar and vocabulary. The language went through an extensive reform in the 19th century where many borrowed Latin and Greek words were replaced by native words cobbled together from old stem words, and people often don't understand you if you try to cheat a bit by "naturalizing" a Latin word. This has stuck around to this day, with modern words being usually translated literally (other languages have this too, like French or German). Due to its grammatical flexibility, the language lends itself to poetry quite well too so there is a lot of flowery language that people use in their day to day lives.
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Comment on How many languages do you speak? in ~humanities.languages
luka Link ParentI know it's a tongue in cheek comment but these days English is so ingrained that the only thing it will ever be replaced by is the universal translator from Star Trek. It's the lingua franca in...I know it's a tongue in cheek comment but these days English is so ingrained that the only thing it will ever be replaced by is the universal translator from Star Trek.
It's the lingua franca in the European Union despite the only native speaking country being Ireland making up a bit more than 1% of the population, which is a bit funny.
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Comment on Paradox Interactive's return-to-office policy may be driving employees away from the studio in ~games
luka Link ParentIt's a trick you can pull just once though. Once the most talented employees are gone and productivity drops, they'll have to figure out something new.It's a trick you can pull just once though. Once the most talented employees are gone and productivity drops, they'll have to figure out something new.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
luka Link ParentRegarding fuel I'm still in the very beginning with a small fleet but I invested in a tanker that allows me to cross the galaxy in one go and it's a big improvement. Same for a freighter to manage...Regarding fuel I'm still in the very beginning with a small fleet but I invested in a tanker that allows me to cross the galaxy in one go and it's a big improvement. Same for a freighter to manage supplies.
My plan from now is to have a couple of ships dedicated to always making sure I have a ton of supplies in reserve, also makes surveying and colonizing easier.
I haven't figured out combat yet, I just lob all of my ships at the enemy and see what happens. Like you, I reload the game a lot.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
luka Link ParentI also started playing it after having seen it recommended around here, maybe by @hungariantoast. And after looking for a long time for something to scratch my 4X/spreadsheet simulator itch, this...I also started playing it after having seen it recommended around here, maybe by @hungariantoast.
And after looking for a long time for something to scratch my 4X/spreadsheet simulator itch, this is it. It's perfect.
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Comment on What are some examples of media that really captured lightning in a bottle? in ~tv
luka Link ParentGame of Thrones is such a shame. Everyone, including HBO, wanted it to be longer to finish it off but the writers refused, wanting to move onto other projects. Should have passed it off to someone...Game of Thrones is such a shame. Everyone, including HBO, wanted it to be longer to finish it off but the writers refused, wanting to move onto other projects. Should have passed it off to someone else.
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Comment on The Tiny Soapbox: a platform for small, low-stakes rants in ~talk
luka Link ParentMy language uses some of those in specific cases: When asking for cold cuts in the super market you use decagrams. Hard alcohol is measured in centiliters, e.g. when asking for a shot. Drinks are...My language uses some of those in specific cases:
When asking for cold cuts in the super market you use decagrams.
Hard alcohol is measured in centiliters, e.g. when asking for a shot.
Drinks are measured in deciliters.
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Comment on Anyone sucessfully self-hosted Tildes instance? in ~tildes
luka Link ParentLemmy is pretty straightforward to set up. It requires basic technical literacy (knowing how to use CLI) but I set it up with a step by step guide that worked out of the box.Lemmy is pretty straightforward to set up. It requires basic technical literacy (knowing how to use CLI) but I set it up with a step by step guide that worked out of the box.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2025) in ~health.mental
luka Link ParentIt'll be hard to find a place in Europe where you won't run into similar issues. I've lived in Hungary the past few years and I've been thinking about living somewhere else but it's getting less...If the cabinet doesn't fall soon I genuinely think I'll have to move out of the country eventually if I want to find a place to live
It'll be hard to find a place in Europe where you won't run into similar issues.
I've lived in Hungary the past few years and I've been thinking about living somewhere else but it's getting less likely that I'll move around within Europe in the medium term. For one, everywhere I look people are dealing with similar challenges to various degrees, not just here. Ultimately I'm the only one responsible for my happiness, and changing places for this reason would mean that I would have to accept yielding my ability to live well to external factors. Naturally it could be easier elsewhere, but I feel that the harder the challenge, the more resilient you become and grow as a person.
FWIW while it's been a turbulent few years I think it's worth staying optimistic for the future. I'm seeing cracks forming in my own country's leadership, and other places with similar people in power are also facing significant resistance. These guys are running on borrowed time.
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Comment on Long-term experiences with Google search alternatives? in ~tech
luka Link ParentI'll save you the effort: Ecosia uses Google and Bing results. Qwant is another option, they apparently partially use their own indexing as well, and Good offers an alternative front end for the...I'll save you the effort: Ecosia uses Google and Bing results.
Qwant is another option, they apparently partially use their own indexing as well, and Good offers an alternative front end for the Brave search index. Haven't used either though.
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Comment on Anyone interested in trying out Kagi? (trial giveaway: round #2) in ~tech
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - The Ministry for the Future - How is it going? in ~books
luka Link ParentI've had the same thought about the Red Mars, having only read most of the first book. Maybe I'll give it a chance too.I've had the same thought about the Red Mars, having only read most of the first book. Maybe I'll give it a chance too.
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Comment on Anyone interested in trying out Kagi? in ~tech
luka (edited )LinkI think I have two left, please reply if you picked it up: edit: goneI think I have two left, please reply if you picked it up:
edit: gone
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Comment on What have you spent "too much time" trying to fix or streamline? in ~talk
luka Link ParentCool! Can you elaborate on what kind of work you do to make games playable on different platforms? I suppose you can use a Wine/Proton layer to make things work on Linux based devices but there's...Cool! Can you elaborate on what kind of work you do to make games playable on different platforms? I suppose you can use a Wine/Proton layer to make things work on Linux based devices but there's probably a ton of tweaking involved
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Comment on Australian Parliament bans social media for under-16s with world-first law in ~tech
luka Link ParentThe social networks don't have to check the ID, the government has to provide an authentication flow where the user logs in with their digital ID that simply returns whether the user is eligible...Since social networks are not allowed to check government ids (which would be the most straightforward way, used by banks) they’ll have to get creative, or shut off new signups entirely for Australians.
The social networks don't have to check the ID, the government has to provide an authentication flow where the user logs in with their digital ID that simply returns whether the user is eligible or not. Or use a captcha like solution with a browser extension.
No clue if the Australian gov figured this part out yet though.
Is it a cultural thing not to just ask them to leave? I communicate fairly directly that I want to go to sleep and kick them out, I think it's a reasonable thing to do.