mat's recent activity
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Comment on Electric cars prove we need to rethink brake lights in ~tech
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Comment on Disney is staring down the barrell of a no good, very bad year in ~movies
mat Link ParentWhere I live in the UK, a single adult ticket to see The Little Mermaid at an early-evening showing would cost £12.50 (~$15). So for my whole family it would cost the same as paying for Netflix...Where I live in the UK, a single adult ticket to see The Little Mermaid at an early-evening showing would cost £12.50 (~$15).
So for my whole family it would cost the same as paying for Netflix for almost three months, and that's just to get into the building. Doesn't include travel and parking costs, or food if we wanted that. I can't pause the film if I want to go to the toilet or get more snacks, I have no control over the volume (it's always too loud) and there's bound to be some idiot(s) making noise in the auditorium.
I have no idea why I would go to the cinema. Paying an order of magnitude more money for a considerably worse experience just seems insane to me.
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Comment on Anyone here familiar with Scotland? in ~hobbies
mat Link ParentMy pleasure, hope you have a great holiday! btw if you do go to Alnwick, I'm not sure if it's mentioned on the maps but the swings along the ridge at the very top of the cherry orchard are my...My pleasure, hope you have a great holiday!
btw if you do go to Alnwick, I'm not sure if it's mentioned on the maps but the swings along the ridge at the very top of the cherry orchard are my absolute favourite part of the gardens - especially if you've brought a picnic!
The ice-cream shop at Barter books is the best way to round off a day of gardens and bookshopping :)
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Comment on Electric cars prove we need to rethink brake lights in ~tech
mat Link ParentI can say from experience that at least pre-2018 UK Nissan Leafs have this issue. With the regen on full, which is approaching but isn't quite single-pedal driving, they don't engage the brake...I can say from experience that at least pre-2018 UK Nissan Leafs have this issue. With the regen on full, which is approaching but isn't quite single-pedal driving, they don't engage the brake lights when you lift the throttle. I suspect the brake lights are a physical switch on the pedal, what with the Leaf being a 2010-designed car.
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Comment on Electric cars prove we need to rethink brake lights in ~tech
mat (edited )Link ParentInteresting, I find the opposite. I drove manuals my entire life up until about 18 months ago when I got my first EV. The more driving aids I have, the safer I feel. If I'm not thinking about...Interesting, I find the opposite. I drove manuals my entire life up until about 18 months ago when I got my first EV. The more driving aids I have, the safer I feel. If I'm not thinking about gears, clutch, etc. etc. then I have more attention to spare for looking around me. Especially approaching hazards like junctions or roundabouts - none of my brain is taken up deciding I need to be in second gear soon so I need to drop the revs or finding the bite point to hold position for a few seconds on a slope or whatever - I can just look at the actual dangers around me (aka, all the other drivers).
I have never felt so safe on the motorway as when I have the lane keeping and adaptive cruise on. None of my mental capacity is being spent on worrying about speed or tiny steering adjustments, I have such a stronger mental image of where everyone else is and what they're doing.
I never want to drive a wiggly stick car again, personally.
edit: I would add to this that I would like everyone to have modern driving aids like automatic emergency braking, radar warning systems and adaptive cruise because while I am obviously the only good driver for miles and these assistants make me even better, everyone else drives like a half-blind, half-drunk idiot who needs the technology to save them from crashing into me. Some amount of /s in that comment, but I stand by the idea that technology makes driving safer for us all, even when we are cyclists or pedestrians (of which I am both too).
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Comment on Anyone here familiar with Scotland? in ~hobbies
mat LinkThe Kelpies are pretty touristy but they're also very impressive and are only a short trip from Edinburgh so I'd say are worth a look. Same goes for the Falkirk wheel. Neither will take up that...The Kelpies are pretty touristy but they're also very impressive and are only a short trip from Edinburgh so I'd say are worth a look. Same goes for the Falkirk wheel. Neither will take up that much of your time.
Glasgow. Edinburgh is lovely but Glasgow is a very different city and definitely worth a trip. Some great museums and places to visit, I like the Botanic Gardens and the Kelvingrove Museum but there's plenty for everyone. I suspect taking the train is the easiest way to do that journey.
If you want a multi-day trip out I cannot recommend the Ardnamurchan peninsula enough. Fort William, the "city" (lol, population 10k) in the area is nothing special but the area it's in is some of the most beautiful the entire UK has to offer. Corrachadh Mòr is 100% worth driving several hours to see, and the best bit about coming from the central cities is you get to drive north up the A82. That route is easily one of the top five drives in the country, as you go up past Loch Lomond make sure you stop for some fish-based lunch or snacks. When you hit Bridge of Orchy and get up onto Rannoch Moor and over to Glencoe it's just glorious. Long, winding curves on a really nice road through some o the finest scenery you'll ever see. Even in the rain it's a beautiful trip, I've done it in rain and sun and fog and once, very memorably, at sundown on a cloudless night as the stars came out.
The only problem is that it's probably not a viable day trip. If I were you I'd try to find an air bnb or even just a travellodge as far west as you can, which should be fairly feasible as long as it's not currently the school holidays (it is this week in England but Scotland has different times)
I don't really know the east coast though I'm afraid. I once had lunch in Dunbar and it was very pleasant but there wasn't much there apart from lunch. If you like gardens and don't mind a bit of a drive, Alnwick gardens are very nice (it's pronounced "ann-ick") and the famous Barter books are just around the corner there if you like books. The coast road south from Edinburgh is also a very nice drive so could be a nice day out. Might be worth booking tickets for Alnwick in advance if you do decide to visit.
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Comment on Electric cars prove we need to rethink brake lights in ~tech
mat LinkYeah. I drive a Hyundai Ioniq EV (sadly not the gorgeous Ioniq 5 Alec has, an older model) and I'm super careful about using the higher levels of regenerative braking. I don't know if ICE...Yeah. I drive a Hyundai Ioniq EV (sadly not the gorgeous Ioniq 5 Alec has, an older model) and I'm super careful about using the higher levels of regenerative braking.
I don't know if ICE automatics feature engine braking but manuals certainly do, so other people on UK roads around me are somewhat used to cars slowing down without the brake lights engaging but that doesn't make it OK for modern cars to not light the brake lights when it's literally just a software decision. EVs and hybrids are the worst for it but there's not reason any modern car has to avoid signalling deceleration.
The really annoying bit is Hyundai could fix it right now and by the time I turn the car on tomorrow the problem would be solved. It just needs a software update and the car is in wifi range whenever it's home.
Actually no, the really annoying bit is that I have these lovely flappy paddle controls on the steering wheel and I barely get to use them because they engage the unsafe braking system.
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Comment on Alice in Wonderland’s hidden messages in ~books
mat Link ParentCritical readings and re-contextualisations such as some of those mentioned in the article in no small part exist to try and find the "what" in the "what it is" that you speak of. You say take...Critical readings and re-contextualisations such as some of those mentioned in the article in no small part exist to try and find the "what" in the "what it is" that you speak of. You say take Alice for what it is and OK let's do that - but what is it? Is it a series of religious allegories? Unlikely, but possible. Is it a primer on logic and mathematics? You can make a more convincing case for that, certainly. Is it carefully crafted apparent nonsense that hides important life lessons? Is it all of those things, and more, and less, depending on who is reading and when and how? When I read Alice as a child it was different to when I read Alice at school, different again when I studied it at university, different once more when I read it as a parent. Texts aren't, despite their appearance of unmoving letters on a page, static things, because they exist in the mind of the reader as well as shapes on paper. And the mind of the reader exists in a constantly shifting societal context too, which the text is also swimming in (and has it's own from the time of it's creation).
Your analogy of a field doesn't really hold up because unlike in reality, the text's fruits still exist and are equally as delicious (if not sometimes more so) once the field has been dug and it's foundations explored as well. Think of it perhaps as a form of terroir, if we're going to strain the horticultural metaphor perhaps a little too far. The fruit was only the part you could see on the surface, but the clay was also there all along as well, and was just as important in bringing forth that delicious nutrition. Sweet nutrition which isn't growing there naturally, those fruits were created by meticulous thought and deliberate action by the author. Alice didn't just spring from nothing and no-one, a pure tasty story with nothing more to it.
Also while yes, critical readings are to some extent necessarily subjective, you won't get far by just making up any random stuff you fancy from that clay without a convincing justification from the text and the history that goes with it.
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Comment on I (basically) stopped weeding thanks to this game-changing gardening method; Tilling is out. ‘No dig’ is in. in ~hobbies
mat Link ParentWe regularly use landscape fabric in our home garden to kill off particularly weedy areas. Back in the days when I had fruit bushes they were always surrounded by fabric with bark over the top....We regularly use landscape fabric in our home garden to kill off particularly weedy areas. Back in the days when I had fruit bushes they were always surrounded by fabric with bark over the top. Our raised vegetable beds get covered in old rubber flooring over the winter (or fallow summers) to suppress weeds. Bindweed, brambles and nettles are a constant battle, especially as we leave the end few metres of our garden wild to encourage insects and provide habitat.
Definitely going to be looking into cardboard now though, especially as my main construction project this year is permanent compost bins so we will be able to generate decent amounts of compost. We already use bokashi so all food waste can eventually be composted. It's not like we don't have tonnes of cardboard delivered to the house every week from all the internet shopping (although the kid is getting into makedo so there will be competition from there..)
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Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
mat Link ParentCool, so you do something in power electronics. Nothing so interesting as other people's jobs.. Thanks for taking the time to reply.Cool, so you do something in power electronics. Nothing so interesting as other people's jobs.. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
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Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
mat Link ParentYou drive 200km every day? I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I'm fascinated as to what job requires you spend 4-6 hours a day driving along gravel roads, all the while carrying 38 six foot...You drive 200km every day?
I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I'm fascinated as to what job requires you spend 4-6 hours a day driving along gravel roads, all the while carrying 38 six foot long Pelicans? (also what's in the cases?!)
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Comment on Why do car companies keep so many bees? in ~enviro
mat LinkI appreciate this is to some extent greenwashing but also, y'know, bees. Bees are cool! This news brought to me via a friend who is currently attempting to get the large financial/legal firm he...I appreciate this is to some extent greenwashing but also, y'know, bees. Bees are cool!
This news brought to me via a friend who is currently attempting to get the large financial/legal firm he works for in London to install hives on their roofs and garden areas.
I do question who signed off on the project name "Bees in the D" because that just sounds painful.
Bonus bee content: BEE SPACE
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Why do car companies keep so many bees?
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Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
mat Link ParentI would add to this, zero "safe" amount of blood alcohol. The idea that you're OK to drive after a couple of drinks is utter madness with absolutely no evidence to suggest it's true. One drink,...I would add to this, zero "safe" amount of blood alcohol. The idea that you're OK to drive after a couple of drinks is utter madness with absolutely no evidence to suggest it's true.
One drink, one drive, no license.
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Comment on It’s time to tax vehicles for weighing too much—even if they’re electric in ~finance
mat Link ParentSame in the UK for certain offences. You get to choose, points on your license or spend 4-5 hours on a "Speed Awareness" course. Obviously I did the course (I tripped a speed camera at 34mph about...Same in the UK for certain offences. You get to choose, points on your license or spend 4-5 hours on a "Speed Awareness" course. Obviously I did the course (I tripped a speed camera at 34mph about 25 metres into a 30 zone, really stupid move on my part) and honestly it was pretty good. I learned some things and I really do think I'm a safer driver as a result.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
mat Link ParentUpdate: finished this last night and without getting too much into spoilers, Lindelof almost totally sticks the landing. Enough is explained and tied up that the remaining, mostly minor, dangling...Update: finished this last night and without getting too much into spoilers, Lindelof almost totally sticks the landing. Enough is explained and tied up that the remaining, mostly minor, dangling plot threads don't matter. It also managed to do it in a way that I didn't entirely expect.
As such I am upgrading this show from "Cautious Watch" to "Definitely Recommended"
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Comment on What are we in the golden age of? in ~talk
mat LinkTelevision. As movies have plummeted in overall quality, television has more than taken up the slack. In all genres there is great, long-form stories being told on television from...Television. As movies have plummeted in overall quality, television has more than taken up the slack. In all genres there is great, long-form stories being told on television from movie-budget-level shows like Game of Thrones (GoT took a nose dive but the early seasons were incredibly high quality television on all sorts of levels) to cheap but excellent sitcoms like Ted Lasso. I don't have enough time in my life to watch all the good TV. It wasn't that long ago that it was a struggle to find enough good TV to fill the time I wanted to watch TV in!
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Comment on Ableton Push 3 in ~music
mat Link ParentAlways worth keeping an eye on the used market, and going for the slightly older models. I recently picked up a Native Instruments Traktor S3 Mk3 for less than £100 used (but in mint condition,...Always worth keeping an eye on the used market, and going for the slightly older models. I recently picked up a Native Instruments Traktor S3 Mk3 for less than £100 used (but in mint condition, just needed a usb cable), they're almost three times that new.
There are Ableton Push 2's on eBay right now for ~£200, and Push 1's for well under £100. The nice thing about pro-ish-grade musical hardware is that it is very well built, so unless you're buying one from actual deadmau5 it'll probably be in great condition.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
mat LinkI have, slightly reluctantly but on the advice of someone I generally trust about TV, been watching Mrs Davis. It's.... OK. It's pacy and exciting and the dialogue is snappy and funny and cool....I have, slightly reluctantly but on the advice of someone I generally trust about TV, been watching Mrs Davis. It's.... OK. It's pacy and exciting and the dialogue is snappy and funny and cool. The casting is great and the various situations they end up in are entertaining.
The problem is that it is the work of Damon Lindelof. I am worried that, going on his past track record of what I can only assume is a deliberate avoidance of the principles of Chekov's gun and his general Calvinball approach to world building, I am going to be disappointed when it turns out there is no explanation for half the stuff that happens. I'm not saying I need stories to wrap ever single thing up tidily, because life isn't like that. But Lindelof tends to throw everything in and then ignore things he's made deliberate reference to as being Important earlier. For example, in the second episode a character makes reference to the number 2536 (or something like that) being explicitly important and while I could trust other writers to follow through on this, Lindelof's track record suggests he probably won't.
It's a pretty light show and it's pretty fun, even laugh out loud funny in parts, so again I'm not expecting Lord of the Rings sort of lore or anything. But I am watching it prepared to finish feeling somewhat let down by a lack of depth where some was promised (or at least heavily implied).
It's for that reason that I'm not prepared to recommend it to anyone until I've watched it all. I am currently halfway through.
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Comment on MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's most terrifying mod in ~games
I have to disagree here. I'm firmly of the opinion that there's no such thing as user error, only bad design. Computers are "too easy" and people are... well, not quite sure what people are doing with easy to use computers here, but I bet a lot of it could be avoided with better design.
If you have a problem on your roads with bad drivers that's not a problem with cars being too easy to use, it's a problem with driving licenses being too easy to get. The system is badly designed such that it allows too many bad drivers onto the roads. It's a bit tricky to compare between countries but everything I can find suggests the USA has one of the easiest driving tests in the world. That seems to be more likely the issue with US drivers, not automatic gearboxes.