masochist's recent activity
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~comp
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Comment on As more and more of our words are tapped out on keyboards, writing by hand has become an endangered species in ~hobbies
masochist Link ParentThat's not at all what I said. First, you have no idea how old I am, So that's a baseless assumption. Second, I didn't say anything about "not wanting someone around". My point was that Wroe...That's not at all what I said.
First, you have no idea how old I am, So that's a baseless assumption. Second, I didn't say anything about "not wanting someone around".
My point was that Wroe belongs to an older generation who is struggling to accept new technology. Instead of working to understand how these things work, instead of trying to adapt to a changing world, instead Wroe wrote an overwrought article about how the death of writing is a terrible thing and we are much impoverished for it. Beyond this, it's clear from her credentials and experience that her position based upon her age is buttressed by personal and professional interests.
The second part of the comment is a Simpsons reference, a joke, which has now been thoroughly slain.
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Comment on As more and more of our words are tapped out on keyboards, writing by hand has become an endangered species in ~hobbies
masochist Link ParentHave you considered using a tablet app with a stylus? It's a compromise. It's absolutely not a cheap solution. My writing isn't as neat, and doesn't come out as nice to read, on my iPad when I'm...What I wish would happen is some sort of e-paper I could write on, physically, either with a pen proper or with a stylus, and which I could scroll around and switch documents in. That would be closer to ideal in terms of physical note-taking as I do it. What the ideal would be is beyond me; something I have to pay minimal effort to switch to, that much I'm sure of.
Have you considered using a tablet app with a stylus? It's a compromise. It's absolutely not a cheap solution. My writing isn't as neat, and doesn't come out as nice to read, on my iPad when I'm using the Apple Pencil (absolutely the best stylus I've ever used, and I had a drawer of them before I got the Pencil and tossed the others), but it seems to meet your requirements. And that's the thing about technology. There's one prediction I am comfortable making about the tech industry, and that prediction is that things will improve.
I'd probably read books off of that, seeing how one instance of an e-paper screen would take less effort (and produce less pollution) than an order of paper books: as much as I appreaciate the physicality, I know the effect paper production has on forests all over the world is immense, and I'd like to be able not to add to that because I have certain kinds of preferences.
I'd spend ... an irresponsible amount of money for a writeable e-ink screen that allows me to have a writing experience on par with the iPad and second generation Apple Pencil. A very irresponsible amount of money. That's the holy grail in my mind: a screen that has the reading experience of e-ink (I can read at length on a tablet, but I far prefer an e-ink display) that I can write on like a paper notebook. We don't have the technology, largely because putting any kind of pressure beyond ambient atmospheric pressure on an e-ink screen tends to permanently damage the thing, but see above: technology always improves. We'll get there some day.
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Comment on As more and more of our words are tapped out on keyboards, writing by hand has become an endangered species in ~hobbies
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Comment on As more and more of our words are tapped out on keyboards, writing by hand has become an endangered species in ~hobbies
masochist Link ParentThe tech industry is tripping over itself trying to offer alternatives in this space. PayPal, Venmo, Square Cash, Apple Pay Cash. There are currencies that address this problem. ... is not as good...there is, as yet, no practical alternative for a private payment.
The tech industry is tripping over itself trying to offer alternatives in this space. PayPal, Venmo, Square Cash, Apple Pay Cash. There are currencies that address this problem.
A promise to pay
... is not as good as actually making the payment. The IOU that a check represents--which can, of course, bounce, causing fees for both involved in most cases (#include <rants/banking/predatory>)--does not, at all, compare to having the money available in my account in seconds.
When I go to the farmer's market, I don't pay with cash. I don't even need to bring a credit card for most vendors. Almost all of them take Apple Pay (via Square) or, at the very least, Venmo. If even a farmer's market's vendors--not the fake kind that has a brick and mortar store, the kind that sets up for a few hours every week--can do this, there's no reason to mandate paper checks. To paraphrase, we've all got phones.
... and I say this as someone who just this week spent 25$ on a Moleskine notebook just because I like the design. I've spent hundreds on fountain pens and accoutrements. I'm a stationery nerd (before you make the comment, the Moleskine is intended for use with a pencil. :P).
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
masochist Link ParentIf you've got any programming experience, six days is enough time to become proficient in the basics. Java is something of a lowest common denominator, once you get past the verbosity. You can do it!If you've got any programming experience, six days is enough time to become proficient in the basics. Java is something of a lowest common denominator, once you get past the verbosity. You can do it!
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
masochist Link ParentGlad to hear that LMoP worked out for you! It's definitely longer than I was expecting, but there's a lot of guidance so I feel comfortable with it. As for my homebrew... I'll try to summarize; I...Glad to hear that LMoP worked out for you! It's definitely longer than I was expecting, but there's a lot of guidance so I feel comfortable with it.
As for my homebrew... I'll try to summarize; I just sent someone a 600 word overview ;). It's set in the Forgotten Realms. Lolth, the major drow deity, wants to usurp power from Eilistraee, the good drow deity, in a bid to eliminate her as a threat. Lolth is following a multipronged approach, both through rebranding as a deity of love and service and by making Eilistraee worshippers look bad. The latter will be done through forging fake holy symbols. The holy symbols need a mineral that's only found on the surface, which is fitting for a surface deity like Eilistraee. One specific drow house is jockeying for favor in this initiative and contracted some orcs to manage the mining. They "hire" some kobolds to do the work, who took over a mine that a local mining town used to use. This is where the PCs come in. There's a lot more detail, and I can go into much more detail if you're interested, but I figured I'd give you a summary first. :)
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
masochist Link ParentI don't have a car, I don't drive, I've never even had a license, but I can still appreciate the aesthetics of classic cars. I really don't understand what happened to auto design in the past...I don't have a car, I don't drive, I've never even had a license, but I can still appreciate the aesthetics of classic cars. I really don't understand what happened to auto design in the past 30-40 years but I do not like it. Cars all look the same, there's no personality, no individuality. You've got a gorgeous car there, and I hope you have fun with it. :)
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
masochist LinkEither playing more D&D or working on my own D&D stuff. I'm reading through Lost Mine of Phandelver (the adventure in the 5e starter box) and working on my own campaign. I have an okay amount of...Either playing more D&D or working on my own D&D stuff. I'm reading through Lost Mine of Phandelver (the adventure in the 5e starter box) and working on my own campaign. I have an okay amount of detail for the start of the campaign, but need to tie some events together and put together some more encounters. I think I've got a good story, so I need to do the work of building out the detail.
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Comment on Facebook says it 'unintentionally uploaded' 1.5 million people's email contacts without their consent in ~tech
masochist Link ParentThe only thing that can take down Facebook is the government, and of course we know the US government's stance on regulating businesses.The only thing that can take down Facebook is the government, and of course we know the US government's stance on regulating businesses.
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Comment on Light themes or Dark themes? in ~tech
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Comment on Light themes or Dark themes? in ~tech
masochist Link ParentI've pretty much always been this way, and it's not extreme to the point of pain, just uncomfortable. I did read the article before posting, so I did consider those things, thank you. :) I'd...I've pretty much always been this way, and it's not extreme to the point of pain, just uncomfortable. I did read the article before posting, so I did consider those things, thank you. :)
I'd consider the sunglasses you linked if my eyes weren't otherwise garbage besides. Still, will try to keep them in mind if I meet anyone with similar issues.
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Comment on Light themes or Dark themes? in ~tech
masochist LinkFor me and my eyes, light modes are literally blindingly bright, as in "need to close my eyes because they get so irritated" bright. Any kind of bright light irritates me, including sunlight. I...For me and my eyes, light modes are literally blindingly bright, as in "need to close my eyes because they get so irritated" bright. Any kind of bright light irritates me, including sunlight. I had a similar "so bright I seriously cannot see" experience when I was last in Florida. The word for this is apparently photophobia (phobia here in the sense of hydrophobic, not phobia as in fear).
Dark modes are not just an aesthetic choice. They are an accessibility feature, and should be given the same priority that other accessibility features have.
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Comment on Light themes or Dark themes? in ~tech
masochist Link ParentI'd love it if Solarized dark was actually dark enough for me, because of how ubiquitous it is. Grateful that Tildes has an actual dark mode (i.e. black) for my poor eyes.I'd love it if Solarized dark was actually dark enough for me, because of how ubiquitous it is. Grateful that Tildes has an actual dark mode (i.e. black) for my poor eyes.
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Comment on Light themes or Dark themes? in ~tech
masochist Link ParentTell my retinas that. I am so sensitive to white backgrounds that I literally have to close my eyes because they get so irritated.Tell my retinas that. I am so sensitive to white backgrounds that I literally have to close my eyes because they get so irritated.
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Comment on Light themes or Dark themes? in ~tech
masochist Link ParentThis is not the sine qua non that you may think it is. I have a severe astigmatism and I cannot live without my dark modes. Until recently I was even using the iOS Reduce White Point feature...I've also heard astigmatism plays a role, and while I'm not sure whether or not I have it, people who do tend to find it difficult or uncomfortable to see the bright letters on a dark background.
This is not the sine qua non that you may think it is. I have a severe astigmatism and I cannot live without my dark modes. Until recently I was even using the iOS Reduce White Point feature (which basically lets you turn the brightness on your display down even more than the OS usually lets you; that's not actually what it does, but it's effectively what it does) because I found my devices to be too bright, sometimes even with dark modes.
There may be a correlation, but it is absolutely not "astigmatism == prefers light mode".
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Comment on We are back at square one of personal messaging in ~tech
masochist Link ParentAdium, a Pidgin-based client for macOS, is quite appealing. It looks like a native macOS app, it feels like a native macOS app, it adopts macOS-specific technologies to create a delightful...Adium, a Pidgin-based client for macOS, is quite appealing. It looks like a native macOS app, it feels like a native macOS app, it adopts macOS-specific technologies to create a delightful experience. It's very specific to the Mac and there's no version for any other platform, despite repeated requests from the poor sods on Windows.
On Unix/X Window (where Pidgin is native), Pidgin is similarly appealing compared to the other apps (... which frequently don't have Unix-native clients at all or have clients that feel terrible to use).
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Comment on Muon: a modern low-level programming language in ~comp
masochist (edited )Link ParentThere are a lot of efforts like this, like GLib (and the C libraries listed in the "similar projects" section, specifically the Apache Portable Runtime and Apple's Core Foundation). The problem,...Maybe a better way to improve on C is to build a new stdlib or a wrapper for the POSIX stdlib that can offer some modern features?
There are a lot of efforts like this, like GLib (and the C libraries listed in the "similar projects" section, specifically the Apache Portable Runtime and Apple's Core Foundation). The problem, as you can probably see at this point, is that there's no std for all of these libs.
These are all open source (or majority open source) projects, but as is usual in the open source world, there's no agreement. This would need to come from the ISO C standardization committee, but they've typically aimed to keep the language small and simple, both to ease implementation and to keep it suitable for the small environments where the language sees much (most?) of its use, e.g. embedded devices.
C++, on the other hand, is more open to embracing this kind of thing. Boost serves as something of a proving ground for C++ language and library improvements, and the ISO C++ committee is far more open to accepting these kinds of things. Modern C++ has things like filesystem abstractions, for example.
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Comment on Summer Games Done Quick 2019 schedule (June 23 - 30) in ~games
masochist Link ParentI'm rather familiar with speedrunning jargon, I just meant that I've not seen specifically an "any% glitchless" as opposed to a 100% glitchless. But I appreciate you clarifying for those who may...I'm rather familiar with speedrunning jargon, I just meant that I've not seen specifically an "any% glitchless" as opposed to a 100% glitchless. But I appreciate you clarifying for those who may not know. :) I know what's involved in a 100% glitchless run (do all quests given by the Old Man at the End of Time, and no glitches), so I'm just curious what's changed since I last saw it at GDQ.
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Comment on Suggestion: Notify topic submitters on Topic Log–related changes in ~tildes
masochist LinkI would definitely like to be notified on every change to topics (and comments) I've submitted. I would argue that tag changes should notify the user so that they can learn how to properly tag in...I would definitely like to be notified on every change to topics (and comments) I've submitted.
I would argue that tag changes should notify the user so that they can learn how to properly tag in future. This way a user can learn by paying attention and also by example of what they're seeing. cc /u/deing
And this is why you learn something like TikZ.