mcpeen's recent activity

  1. Comment on Apologies if this has been requested previously: is there a possibility of a comment preview? in ~tildes

  3. Comment on Jazz In The Age Of Trump: A Roundtable Discussion in ~music

    mcpeen
    Link
    Really interesting. This part sticks out to me: History is certainly colored by the individual or group reporting the progression of events. Maybe there is no such thing as "objective truth," but...

    Really interesting. This part sticks out to me:

    Sara Serpa: I want to acknowledge that I’m European. I’m from Portugal. I started thinking about my own country. All these questions that rise up among musicians on our scene, among our community, about racism — I haven’t seen those questions arising in Portugal. Yet it is a country that colonized and promoted slave trade. I started thinking about how history was taught to me. Portuguese were heroes. We come from a small country. We conquered the world, discovered so much. I had been living in several bubbles, really. And now, suddenly, the values that I stand for don’t match the truth behind this history that was taught to me.

    History is certainly colored by the individual or group reporting the progression of events. Maybe there is no such thing as "objective truth," but as Blanchard says later, "And why do [people] love John Coltrane? Because he spoke his truth." I suppose that is the important lesson (and not just in this article): the goal isn't to change anyone's mind, but aiming specifically to speak one's own truth.

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Anyone here using a Juul? in ~health

    mcpeen
    Link Parent
    I visited Beyond Vape a bunch since they were nearby my office. Never found a flavor that worked for me. My most recent purchase, which was a few months ago now, was from Nude Nicotine,...

    I visited Beyond Vape a bunch since they were nearby my office. Never found a flavor that worked for me. My most recent purchase, which was a few months ago now, was from Nude Nicotine, recommended by a friend. Certainly better quality, and was delivered with a full technical breakdown of the makeup of their product. However, their customer service is terrible and they shipped me an incomplete order, which arrived weeks later than anticipated. That said, the plain 6mg nicotine tasted ok on its own.

    Comparatively, Juul is $12 for a pack of 4 pods, and each pod supposedly has a full cigs worth of nicotine in it. Looks a lot less bizarre than sucking on the Fallout 4 Laser Pistol I was using before. No judgement tho!

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Anyone here using a Juul? in ~health

    mcpeen
    Link Parent
    I have used Smok, Crown, and Vaporesso products in the past, and the only thing I have done is piss of my partner with spilled terrible smelling e-juice. The coils always seem to leak and the...

    I have used Smok, Crown, and Vaporesso products in the past, and the only thing I have done is piss of my partner with spilled terrible smelling e-juice. The coils always seem to leak and the flavors give me a headache. The Juul, while terribly named, is the first thing since a cigarette that has given me a similarly hard hit of nicotine.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on Own goal: The inside story of how the USMNT missed the 2018 World Cup in ~sports.football

    mcpeen
    Link
    I'm not a big fan of soccer, but this doesn't sound much different than any fractured locker room situation in any sport. Accountability starts at the top, and I'm of the mind that the fit of the...

    I'm not a big fan of soccer, but this doesn't sound much different than any fractured locker room situation in any sport. Accountability starts at the top, and I'm of the mind that the fit of the coach with a team is invaluable compared with the talent of the players. Looking at the Brad Stevens and Bill Belichicks of the major leagues, it's a lot easier to get the peak performance from their players when they don't hate playing for you. (I hate that both of my examples are from Boston.)

    2 votes

  7. Anyone here using a Juul?

    ~health Ask (survey)

    Seems like a slightly less douchey cigarette alternative. Anyone have any success changing their habits? Or is this just a newer dumber douche flute with silly flavors?

    5 votes

  8. Comment on Let's generate a list of fantastic jazz albums in ~music

    mcpeen
    Link
    The Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York (1962) In my opinion, the Cannonball Adderley Sextet is the most swingin' band of the bop / hard-bop era - even more so than Miles' first quintet (don't...

    The Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York (1962)

    In my opinion, the Cannonball Adderley Sextet is the most swingin' band of the bop / hard-bop era - even more so than Miles' first quintet (don't @ me). I've spent a ton of hours on YouTube checking out performances of this group, and I think it's some of the most joyous stuff on the planet. Got to meet Louis Hayes a few times too.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife (Live in Berlin) in ~music

    mcpeen
    Link
    I love that there are lots of jazz fans on tildes. I went to school with a focus on music and it's frustrating that America's first true music is largely ignored. I hope that changes. There's...

    I love that there are lots of jazz fans on tildes.

    I went to school with a focus on music and it's frustrating that America's first true music is largely ignored. I hope that changes. There's something to be said about the significance of improvisation in any art form.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Any other gamblers here? in ~sports.american_football

    mcpeen
    Link Parent
    I hope it's FunFair so I can ask you more questions about it.

    I hope it's FunFair so I can ask you more questions about it.

  12. Comment on Legion renewed for season 3 at FX in ~tv

    mcpeen
    Link
    The second season was frankly uninteresting to me when it was focused on anyone besides the Shadow King.

    The second season was frankly uninteresting to me when it was focused on anyone besides the Shadow King.

  14. Comment on Let's do something different: What are your favorite video game OSTs? in ~music

    mcpeen
    Link
    In my opinion, the best OSTs come from two men: Koji Kondo (Mario series, Zelda series) and Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy series). I could easily be convinced that I only see those two composers as...

    In my opinion, the best OSTs come from two men: Koji Kondo (Mario series, Zelda series) and Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy series). I could easily be convinced that I only see those two composers as the greatest because of those game series' role in my life at a pivotal stage - puberty.

    Between Zelda's Lullaby, Rosalina's Observatory, Fisherman's Horizon, and the FFVII Theme, it's hard to pick a favorite game or OST.

    For me, there's something about the way the Japanese composers capture a singular emotion, so that as the player you're able to feel exactly what they want you to feel. I don't think other composers nail it so efficiently, even with broader sound palettes.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Let's talk about drinks in ~food

    mcpeen
    Link
    Water tastes different in different places. I drink a ton of water, and I live in NYC which apparently is renowned for its quality. That said, I am always thrown when I drink water in Virginia or...

    Water tastes different in different places. I drink a ton of water, and I live in NYC which apparently is renowned for its quality. That said, I am always thrown when I drink water in Virginia or Boston and it tastes ... different. It's water, shouldn't have too much variance. Supposedly it's difficult to make bagels outside of NYC because of the water, that's pretty interesting.

    5 votes

  16. Comment on Any other gamblers here? in ~sports.american_football

    mcpeen
    Link Parent
    I absolutely agree that even a bet of $5 or a round of drinks can make any event interesting. And for what it's worth, I made more money buying and holding bitcoin to use on gambling sites than I...

    I absolutely agree that even a bet of $5 or a round of drinks can make any event interesting. And for what it's worth, I made more money buying and holding bitcoin to use on gambling sites than I ever made with the wagers themselves. A true testament to my gambling prowess lol.

  17. Comment on What are your hobbies? in ~talk

    mcpeen
    Link Parent
    I hear you, I think everyone can relate to feeling unmotivated. And it sounds like your obstacles are perhaps more disruptive than others'. I think the frustrating part is that 'motivation' is...

    I hear you, I think everyone can relate to feeling unmotivated. And it sounds like your obstacles are perhaps more disruptive than others'.

    I think the frustrating part is that 'motivation' is very fickle, and I would argue impossible to manufacture. We are more likely to spend time on something we're interested in when compared to an obligation or responsibility to someone else. That said, 'discipline' requires no motivation, and I think we can be more productive even when we're unmotivated. And in my experience, when I force or trick myself into starting a project or continue working on an existing one, I end up enjoying it anyway (in spite of myself).

    Good luck, and feel better.

    1 vote

  18. Comment on Anyone got suggestions for coding / gaming headphones? in ~comp

    mcpeen
    Link
    Yesterday at work I sat in front of a workstation that had a set of V-Moda M100 headphones, and I was supremely impressed with the comfort of the cups. I can't remember how to do links in...

    Yesterday at work I sat in front of a workstation that had a set of V-Moda M100 headphones, and I was supremely impressed with the comfort of the cups. I can't remember how to do links in Markdown, but when I googled the headphones I discovered that this pair costs a hefty $250 USD on Amazon, maybe less elsewhere. Link: http://a.co/5rWQFFZ

  19. Comment on What are your hobbies? in ~talk

    mcpeen
    Link Parent
    Could you use the parts of your life with which you are discontent as fuel or motivation for your content? Or do you think you are more productive when there is less to complain about?

    Could you use the parts of your life with which you are discontent as fuel or motivation for your content? Or do you think you are more productive when there is less to complain about?

    1 vote

  20. Comment on LeBron James scores fifty-one points as JR Smith forgets the score in the final pivotal play of regulation in ~sports.basketball

    mcpeen
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    it's still a team sport. LeBron had a monster game and the Cavs still lost! edit: Also I respectfully disagree about this Finals matchup being boring. If the playoffs are about the two best teams...

    it's still a team sport. LeBron had a monster game and the Cavs still lost!

    edit: Also I respectfully disagree about this Finals matchup being boring. If the playoffs are about the two best teams competing against each other, is this not the ideal matchup? Say what you want about the Cavs players underperforming compared with their contracts, but frankly I think these are the two strongest rosters in the NBA. We can ask "What if...?" only so many times about CP3 and Kyrie, but the fact of the matter is that we are here, and this is an historic rivalry in what I consider to be historic dynasties.

    But what do I know? Maybe fans complained about Michael Jordan in the Finals six out of eight seasons, or Bill Russell appearing in 12 Finals in 13 seasons.