mat's recent activity
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Comment on Where The Wild Things Are - by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen in ~books
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Comment on Jumping spiders shouldn’t be this smart in ~science
mat Link ParentChildren of Time was the book that got me into Adrian Tchaikovsky and I still rate it as one of the best sci-fi books of this century. I never stop recommending it to people.Children of Time was the book that got me into Adrian Tchaikovsky and I still rate it as one of the best sci-fi books of this century. I never stop recommending it to people.
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Comment on Jumping spiders shouldn’t be this smart in ~science
mat LinkThis well-researched video about jumping spiders is forty minutes long and pretty much every single minute of it is absolutely fascinating. They are amazing creatures. ALSO LOOK AT THEIR LITTLE...This well-researched video about jumping spiders is forty minutes long and pretty much every single minute of it is absolutely fascinating. They are amazing creatures.
ALSO LOOK AT THEIR LITTLE LEGS WHY ARE THEY SO FLUFFY
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Jumping spiders shouldn’t be this smart
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Comment on Doctor Who Christmas Special cancelled, show put out to competitive tender in ~tv
mat Link ParentI suspect what they'll do is find someone to run the show, which will involve a lot of negotiation and back and forth and so on - then figure out the production after that. Producers often have...I suspect what they'll do is find someone to run the show, which will involve a lot of negotiation and back and forth and so on - then figure out the production after that.
Producers often have people they prefer to work with, which might mean an existing production company, or one might be formed just for doing Doctor Who. A huge amount of the TV industry in the UK is freelance workers on short-term contracts, so forming companies for single jobs is not uncommon.
For example, you might create "Blue Box Productions" then hire your preferred team of writers, designers, camera ops, etc as contractors - who are probably all looking for work given the state of the industry right now - then you have a production company. You make your show, it might get renewed (one would hope so in the case of Who!), in which case you make more, or you get another production gig or the company dissolves and you all hope to meet again on the next job.
Bad Wolf has only existed since 2015 and they've only been producing Doctor Who since 2023. Before that it was BBC Wales and BBC Studios.
There's probably some tax reason for co-productions like this or it might just be a way they can pay less for stuff. It could even be some kind of charter reason as part of the BBC being publicly funded. I don't really know.
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Comment on Brave Origin, a paid, premium version of Brave is now available in ~tech
mat Link ParentI use Firefox day to day although I am also experimenting with Zen (Firefox fork), which seems a bit more like Olde Firefox. Opera also gets booted up from time to time. People like Vivaldi but I...I use Firefox day to day although I am also experimenting with Zen (Firefox fork), which seems a bit more like Olde Firefox. Opera also gets booted up from time to time. People like Vivaldi but I haven't tried.
I mean yeah, everyone has issues to some extent. But Eich is very publicly a pretty large asshole and has been for a long time. Also Brave have always been on the wrong side of the asshole fence, frankly. I remember Tom Scott un-recommending them years ago when they forced their weird crypto thing onto him without his permission.
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Comment on Brave Origin, a paid, premium version of Brave is now available in ~tech
mat LinkFriendly reminder that Brave CEO Brendan Eich is a homophobe, anti-vaxist and science denier. There are plenty of other browsers out there.- Exemplary
Friendly reminder that Brave CEO Brendan Eich is a homophobe, anti-vaxist and science denier.
There are plenty of other browsers out there.
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Comment on Doctor Who Christmas Special cancelled, show put out to competitive tender in ~tv
mat LinkCancelled is a strong word, it was never really happening. RTD had this to say: source: instagramCancelled is a strong word, it was never really happening. RTD had this to say:
there won’t be a Christmas Special - we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there’s no need for it.
For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor.
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Comment on Doctor Who Christmas Special cancelled, show put out to competitive tender in ~tv
mat Link ParentExactly that. Not so much "may" as "will" though. The arrangement is finished with Bad Wolf. Time to strike that massive TARDIS set... We won't see any more Who until maybe Christmas 2027, but I...Exactly that. Not so much "may" as "will" though. The arrangement is finished with Bad Wolf. Time to strike that massive TARDIS set...
We won't see any more Who until maybe Christmas 2027, but I suspect more likely a new series in 2028 or even later depending on how well negotiations go and who takes over. The BBC won't want to sit on it for too long, it's a huge money-spinner for them.
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Comment on Looking for headphone recommendations in ~music
mat Link ParentDo the Momentum range still have detachable cables? Sennheiser have done that for a LONG time - my very vintage and still amazing sounding HD360s from last century do, for example - and my M2s...Do the Momentum range still have detachable cables? Sennheiser have done that for a LONG time - my very vintage and still amazing sounding HD360s from last century do, for example - and my M2s have plugs at each end as well, so if a wire gets catted OP can easily replace it for a relatively small handful of $currency.
You did always used to be forced to use Sennheiser's weird size jack housings which meant buying their own branded cables but they were never stupid expensive - which is a nice change for Sennheiser stuff.
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Comment on New "old school" gadgets? in ~tech
mat LinkI believe Fujifilm's X100 series cameras fall into this category. They're extremely capable modern cameras but you can do everything you need to do with physical controls. Dials. Buttons. Muscle...I believe Fujifilm's X100 series cameras fall into this category. They're extremely capable modern cameras but you can do everything you need to do with physical controls. Dials. Buttons. Muscle memory not menu options. They're fixed lens with optical viewfinders. They're small and light and absolutely packed with joy. I have not had so much fun with a camera since The Olde Days of Filme (with the bonus of not having to mess about with film)
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Comment on Battery costs just plunged 70% — this changes everything in ~enviro
mat Link Parent32kWh is a LOT. I have a 5kWh battery and that'll do my house for around 12 hours (and in summer the solar picks up the rest of the time). My neighbour has 15kWh of storage and he's basically a...32kWh is a LOT. I have a 5kWh battery and that'll do my house for around 12 hours (and in summer the solar picks up the rest of the time). My neighbour has 15kWh of storage and he's basically a one-man local grid buffer system.
Unless you're doing all your heating and cooling and cooking electrically, and charging your car, 32kWh is probably a bit much. Mind you, your link suggests you're in Norway so you probably are doing all those things.
You don't need solar to benefit from a battery though. All you need is cheap off-peak power. I can get 4p/kWh in the middle of the night, charge my battery (in winter I do this, not in summer) and then not buy power during the day at 40p/kWh, which is a significant saving. This also helps shift grid-load around, which is good for wider sustainable generation goals.
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Comment on From neat lawns to wild havens: how No Mow May is transforming England’s gardens in ~enviro
mat LinkI am very enthusiastic about this, to the point that I have not just implemented no mow May, but also no mow June, July, August, October, November, December, January, February, March and April. I...I am very enthusiastic about this, to the point that I have not just implemented no mow May, but also no mow June, July, August, October, November, December, January, February, March and April. I mow a path to/from my workshop and my wife's office and mow the whole lot once at the end of the summer and that's pretty much it. My garden is so much nicer for it, with wildflowers and native non-grass species growing all over the place. During periods of drought, the mown areas rapidly turn to dust but the "overgrown" parts remain green and teeming with life.
Just wait until you hear about how much you don't need to remove fallen leaves either..
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Comment on The Ploopy Bean - an external four-button trackpoint in ~tech
mat Link ParentThat stuff is all pretty easy. It's basically just fancy Lego :) My point really was that I'm surprised Ploopy consider fdm printed parts as high enough quality to sell. Fdm printing is great for...That stuff is all pretty easy. It's basically just fancy Lego :)
My point really was that I'm surprised Ploopy consider fdm printed parts as high enough quality to sell. Fdm printing is great for prototyping and making your own bits and pieces for home use, but it's nowhere near good enough for retail in my opinion. I occasionally include 3D printed parts in my work but I have an SLA printer and even then I hand finish them because they're still not good enough right off the printer. I'd never ship fdm parts to paying customers.
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Comment on The Ploopy Bean - an external four-button trackpoint in ~tech
mat Link ParentAll their stuff looks like it was just pulled off a moderately capable FDM printer, without even any real cleanup. I barely consider SLA prints good enough quality to offer for sale, it blows my...All their stuff looks like it was just pulled off a moderately capable FDM printer, without even any real cleanup.
I barely consider SLA prints good enough quality to offer for sale, it blows my mind anyone would consider selling FDM-made products except perhaps at a one-person stall at a craft fair (and to be fair, I've bought some very nicely designed trinkets from people with a 3D printer and a stall at a craft fair).
On the other hand if they offer their 3D files I could print my own decent quality enclosure for their hardware. Although at that point I would maybe question why I'm bothering to involve them at all.
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Comment on The Ploopy Bean - an external four-button trackpoint in ~tech
mat LinkI encountered my first (then IBM) ThinkPad in around 1994 and right away the IT team member I was with explained the iconic Centrally Located Indicating Tool. I'm very glad to see this tradition...I encountered my first (then IBM) ThinkPad in around 1994 and right away the IT team member I was with explained the iconic Centrally Located Indicating Tool. I'm very glad to see this tradition continues here.
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Comment on Happy Birthday David Attenborough, 'the voice for nature,' turns 100 in ~enviro
mat Link ParentWoah woah woah, easy there. Let's not get carried away.Woah woah woah, easy there. Let's not get carried away.
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Comment on Happy Birthday David Attenborough, 'the voice for nature,' turns 100 in ~enviro
mat LinkI feel like "Voice of Nature" does Attenborough something of a disservice. Not that his contribution to Natural History isn't gigantic. But it leaves out so much more he did. The guy pretty much...I feel like "Voice of Nature" does Attenborough something of a disservice. Not that his contribution to Natural History isn't gigantic. But it leaves out so much more he did. The guy pretty much single handedly created arts and science television, when he was in charge of the then-brand-new BBC2. He commissioned a little comedy show called Monty Python's Flying Circus. He largely created the "authored documentary" format. His contributions to film-making are also important, the technical developments made during the creation of the Life, Earth and similar series have been breaking new ground in how to capture nature on film for almost fifty years.
Also here is a list of things named after him. It is long.
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Comment on Happy Birthday David Attenborough, 'the voice for nature,' turns 100 in ~enviro
mat Link ParentEvery single time. Especially as it's not his birthday until friday. If, when that time finally comes, Attenborough doesn't get a state funeral I will fucking riot. In a very dignified way. Maybe...Gave me a jump scare when I saw Sir David's name on a headline
Every single time. Especially as it's not his birthday until friday.
If, when that time finally comes, Attenborough doesn't get a state funeral I will fucking riot. In a very dignified way. Maybe push over a display in Waitrose or something. Tut loudly over a nice cup of tea.
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Comment on What was the best job you ever had? in ~life
mat LinkI've had some pretty good jobs over the years but the best, by some distance, was working for a circus. We did workshops, teaching people to juggle/diablo/tightrope/etc, which was great fun. But...I've had some pretty good jobs over the years but the best, by some distance, was working for a circus. We did workshops, teaching people to juggle/diablo/tightrope/etc, which was great fun. But my favourite bit was doing walk-round clowning/magic, where either on my own or with someone else, we'd wander around a festival/street/event/whatever just.. being entertaining. Doing a little juggling routine, breathing fire (rather carefully because public liability insurance only goes so far), engaging people with magic tricks and so on. We got to mess about all day doing fun stuff and then get paid for it!
The hours could be pretty brutal, it wasn't uncommon to be up at 4am to drive a few hours and put up the Little Big Top, which was HARD work, then have to be Fun all day before taking the tent down, packing it up and driving home again. 16-18 hour days on occasion, but my boss was pretty good about scheduling so we weren't doing them back to back. Lots of fresh air, sunshine, free food and drink and it was a surprisingly good way to meet girls too. Could a nineteen year old ask for a better job?
Oh, and I had an office job which I ran away from to join the circus. I didn't tell them I was leaving, I just didn't turn up one day. I did unicycle past the office on my last day, heading circuswards, but I have no idea if anyone saw me. I like to think someone did.
I absolutely agree with this. It's weird how we made comics/graphic novels perfectly OK for adults to read but somehow picture books - which are basically the same thing - are not seen that way. Yes, there is a lot of junk out there but as we've always known, 90% of everything is crud, there's so much amazing stuff in that 10%.
I challenge anyone to find a better ten minute meditation on mortality than Wolf Erlbruch's Duck, Death and the Tulip. If you're not suffused with existential dread at the end of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen's Sam and Dave Dig a Hole then you haven't read it right. If you can't find a few minutes to read John Bond's Much Too Busy then you are the exact person who needs to! Fan of Diogenes? You'll love Chris Haughton's A Bit Lost. I could go on. I might at some point put together a Long Post about picture books.
We had shelves full of picture books long before Kid was born and will keep buying them long after they're "too old" to enjoy them*. Although we strongly encourage Kid to stick with them, of course. But now they read them to us instead of the other way around. Last week I was read The Giant Jam Sandwich for the first time in nearly forty years and I'm not going to lie, that experience made me weep with joy.
* To paraphrase CS Lewis, and I don't think he'd mind at all: