mieum's recent activity
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Comment on What moderate countries are left to emigrate to? in ~travel
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Comment on What is happening outside the US? in ~talk
mieum Link ParentThat’s not too far from the reality. It is serious, but it is all so absurd that it feels surreal and comical to me more than anything. That Vonnegut quote is spot on. I can always rely on him for...This made me laugh :) I mean, I know it's serious, but I was mentally picturing big confetti canons.
That’s not too far from the reality. It is serious, but it is all so absurd that it feels surreal and comical to me more than anything. That Vonnegut quote is spot on. I can always rely on him for some anti-war, pacifist motivation.
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Comment on What is happening outside the US? in ~talk
mieum LinkEvery so often I get emergency alerts on my phone saying not to interact with mysterious bundles of garbage that fall from the sky. North Korea has been ballooning these over periodically, and in...Every so often I get emergency alerts on my phone saying not to interact with mysterious bundles of garbage that fall from the sky. North Korea has been ballooning these over periodically, and in turn, the military here in the South blasts pro-democracy pamphlets across the border. Then the North will fire a random missile into the nearby ocean, we shake a fist, and the dick swinging just continues back and forth like this.
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Comment on Japan was the future but it's stuck in the past in ~life
mieum Link ParentA good friend of mine lived there for a number of years, and I would visit him often from Korea. Living there really wore on him. The lifestyle was nice for a while, but then it became very...A good friend of mine lived there for a number of years, and I would visit him often from Korea. Living there really wore on him. The lifestyle was nice for a while, but then it became very monotonous and bleak over time. He does say he would move back if he could get a place and make a living in the country. I think it depends on who you are and what you are doing there. Hard to generalize, but that form of culture stress is not uncommon, especially if you work in an office, or perhaps also if you are not from a densely populated city.
I always enjoy visiting Japan, but it has always felt kind of uptight to me. I was baffled the first time I visited, wondering where the party was at. In that sense, I feel like I maybe know what you mean about it feeling lonely and awkward. One thing that always bothered me about Japan (which is true of Korea too) is the way sexism and gender norms are so inflexible. That is true of anywhere I suppose, but the pater familias type mentality manifests in awkward ways. Sexuality is just a difficult topic in East Asia generally, I guess.
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Comment on I'm getting a new Macbook Pro. What's your favorite apps and tips? in ~tech
mieum Link ParentSince Sequoia got some basic window rearranging functionality, I have stopped using Rectangle. Works pretty well for me. Maybe not if you require extensive, automated tiling, however.Since Sequoia got some basic window rearranging functionality, I have stopped using Rectangle. Works pretty well for me. Maybe not if you require extensive, automated tiling, however.
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Comment on Why I’ve tracked every single piece of clothing I’ve worn for three years in ~life.style
mieum Link ParentAnd if you learn to do basic repairs, you can get even more mileage out of your clothes. I have shirts that are 20 years old or more; some of which have been really worn and continue to baffle me,...And if you learn to do basic repairs, you can get even more mileage out of your clothes. I have shirts that are 20 years old or more; some of which have been really worn and continue to baffle me, and others I have mended here and there.
You are right that quality makes a big difference. I will note that being expensive does not mean something is high quality, though. You are right that you have to get an eye for it!
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Comment on Why I’ve tracked every single piece of clothing I’ve worn for three years in ~life.style
mieum Link ParentAs someone who sweats a ton, is relatively active, and lives in a humid climate, 20-25 cycles seems like a ridiculously low number even for an undershirt. Do people normally go through base layers...As someone who sweats a ton, is relatively active, and lives in a humid climate, 20-25 cycles seems like a ridiculously low number even for an undershirt. Do people normally go through base layers that quickly?
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
mieum LinkBeen listening to Idiotape in the day, and The Smile in the evenings. Both really high quality bands.Been listening to Idiotape in the day, and The Smile in the evenings. Both really high quality bands.
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Comment on How would you go about teaching (or learning) critical thinking? in ~humanities
mieum LinkI will add my two cents to the list of great suggestions others have already shared. I teach a module on critical thinking in my philosophy of education class, and we get into a lot of interesting...I will add my two cents to the list of great suggestions others have already shared.
I teach a module on critical thinking in my philosophy of education class, and we get into a lot of interesting and rather contentious territory. There really is no consensus about what critical thinking actually is, let alone how to teach/learn it or evaluate it (even though it is on the official agenda of nearly every developed nation's education system). I bring that up because there are a number of ways it has been conceptualized and discussed that are rather fascinating and may be of interest to you venturing down this rabbit hole.
One I will briefly mention is the way Nel Noddings conceives of critical thinking's purpose having to do with appreciating the humanity of other people. She points out that it is possible (under some criteria) to have a high level of critical thinking ability in some domain yet use that to manipulate or otherwise harm people. Her idea is that whatever ideas we encounter in the world, they are ideas held by people (however vile and detestable they may be). In that context she promotes the idea that aknowledging and appreciating the humanity of others should be understood as an essential part of what it means to think critically. (Although, she wrote about this long before AI was a thing, so it would be interesting to reconsider this view in light of recent technological innovations.)
As for 'practical' advice, in my classes I frame the entire course and students' assignments around self-reflection. For example, in my philosophy of education class, students draft a rough sketch of what their positions on education are, and then over the course of the semester reflect on how those ideas fit in with other established theories, where those ideas of their own came from in the first place, how they align with historical/social trends, etc. I also try really hard to expose them to a wide variety of perspectives. And by that I don't mean just different philosophical positions, but more along the lines of trying to get them to feel for themselves that this is a huge world and people really do live differently and have vastly different feelings, experiences, values, hopes, etc.
Probably not the kind of response you were looking for, but I'll post it just as food for thought!
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Comment on Girl in Red – I'm Back (2024) in ~music
mieum LinkWe saw them when they came to Korea a few weeks ago, and they put on a really fun show. I had never heard of them before that. They were also lucky that their set was around the time that it...We saw them when they came to Korea a few weeks ago, and they put on a really fun show. I had never heard of them before that. They were also lucky that their set was around the time that it finally started to get shady! Everyone seemed to be feeling pretty good.
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Comment on What advantages does Linux have over other operating systems? in ~tech
mieum LinkThe reason I started using Linux about 20 years ago was because it was free and way more performant for everyday use compared to Windows. It allowed me to salvage old discarded PCs and breathe new...The reason I started using Linux about 20 years ago was because it was free and way more performant for everyday use compared to Windows. It allowed me to salvage old discarded PCs and breathe new life into them.
Another thing is peace of mind regarding privacy, and security depending on your perspective. Of course, there are lots of variables there, but in general, a free and open source operating system is more transparent than one that is not.
Someone else already mentioned about customizability, which is a pro and a con depending on how you look at it (as in, those rabbit holes go deep!). I learned a lot tweaking my systems over the years, which is time I am happy to have spent that way.
One last note is that even though a lot of FOSS software does work on Mac and Windows, there is a lot that does not or that requires a lot of futzing about to get it working properly. There is a plethora of great tooling in the FOSS world, and to get the full experience requires a FOSS operating system (not necessarily a Linux-based one per se).
That said, over the past year I have started using a Macbook for work, and while it was frustrating at first, I must say that I have really come to enjoy it for what it is. I still have qualms about Apple being Apple, but it is actually much nicer than critics led me to believe over the years :b
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Comment on Looking for advice — extreme frustration with my dog in ~life.pets
mieum Link ParentI wanted to pop in here to bring up that point as well. Stress and depression can make you hypersensitive and irritable, so it may be worth considering your overall condition. I would recommend...I wanted to pop in here to bring up that point as well. Stress and depression can make you hypersensitive and irritable, so it may be worth considering your overall condition. I would recommend seeing a counselor if it is feasible. Talking to someone who can help you understand your stress is incredibly helpful.
I hope you feel better, and good luck with school! :)
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Comment on What are your favorite Dreamcast games? Any odd or unique ones worth playing? in ~games
mieum LinkWow, I had totally forgotten about a lot of these old games! I am surprised that so far no one has mentioned Shenmue! My little brother and I got really sucked into it, even though it was not at...Wow, I had totally forgotten about a lot of these old games! I am surprised that so far no one has mentioned Shenmue! My little brother and I got really sucked into it, even though it was not at all the kind of game we would normally play.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
mieum Link ParentOh wow, that’s good to know! Thanks for sharing!Oh wow, that’s good to know! Thanks for sharing!
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
mieum Link ParentHmm, I have never thought about how it handles subtitles actually. It has always just worked for me. All my subtitles are in the same folder and have the same name as the video file. Most of them...one thing that worried me while reading the documentation is subtitles. In my experience subtitle plugins rely on the filename to find subs for that release, so if I standardize the names of the movie files then how will the plugin find the subtitles for me?
Hmm, I have never thought about how it handles subtitles actually. It has always just worked for me. All my subtitles are in the same folder and have the same name as the video file. Most of them were acquired on the high seas. My guess is that your existing library would just work with Jellyfin unless you had a really bespoke folder structure like:
FunnyFilmz/lol/2022/3stars/FunnyMovie1/vid.mkvetc. It is easy enough to setup that you could give it a go and see what happens. -
Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
mieum LinkI have setup Jellyfin a number of times on Raspberry Pis and other SBCs, and it is a piece of cake. In my case, I just followed the official instructions to add the Jellyfin repo the the apt...I have setup Jellyfin a number of times on Raspberry Pis and other SBCs, and it is a piece of cake. In my case, I just followed the official instructions to add the Jellyfin repo the the apt sources list in Debian. It updates nicely with zero issues. Even on my low power boards it works great. I don’t do anything fancy, though, and I’m sure these little ARM CPUs would not be able to handle much transcoding and all that. But even so, I stream HD video on it all the time to my phone no problem!
My only gripe is that Jellyfin doesn’t use file metadata to organize the library. It expects a certain folder structure, which is not unreasonable, but I have been too lazy to manually reorganize my entire library of music. So far I have dealt with that on a need-to-listen basis.
Anyway, based on your description I am sure it would work great for you. Out of all the services I have hosted over the years, Jellyfin is probably the easiest to setup and maintain, and if my little Raspberry Pis can manage in, I’m sure your laptop could! Plus, you get bonus points for reusing old hardware! :)
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Comment on California’s largest wildfire explodes in size as fires rage across US West in ~enviro
mieum Link ParentI think I was misremembering about the Oroville arson being caught, but the blowtorch guy seems to be a different person. I can't find any info about the e-cig rigger, though. When all of that was...I think I was misremembering about the Oroville arson being caught, but the blowtorch guy seems to be a different person. I can't find any info about the e-cig rigger, though. When all of that was happening, I was getting the info from my cousin who lives in Oroville. I think that a lot of the info going around at the time must have been shared through social media somehow, but since I am not on any of those platforms I guess I am out of the loop. There is also the chance that hysteria played into that story circulating. There are lots of ranchers and homesteaders in that area, and people like my cousin were frantically moving all their animals over and over again because someone kept starting fires. This was also around the 4th of July, and I believe that it is legal to buy certain kinds of fireworks in Butte County, so maybe it was just negligence?
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Comment on California’s largest wildfire explodes in size as fires rage across US West in ~enviro
mieum LinkAt the beginning of the month someone else was arrested in nearby Oroville for starting multiple fires over the course of a few days. I think they were rigging e-cigs to ignite fires and throwing...At the beginning of the month someone else was arrested in nearby Oroville for starting multiple fires over the course of a few days. I think they were rigging e-cigs to ignite fires and throwing them out their car window. People in that area are being denied insurance for their homes because of the increased risk and incidence of fire over the past few years. I bet this guy will get the book thrown at him—everyone is so fed up at this point.
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Comment on The South Korean Jeonse housing system: Revolutionary, antiquated, or simply broken? in ~life
mieum Link ParentThis is my feeling about it (and even though I live in Korea, I am not involved in Jeonse currently and never have been---frankly, I never could afford it!). The cost of housing is so high in...Jeonse really feels like an artifact of developing economy with low banking sophistication, continued on due to tradition and a cultural dislike of loans (although, it's usually only a misdirection of loaned money). If you interrogate any of the supposed pros for a developed nation like the modern South Korea, they quickly lead to self contradictions. Like none of it actually makes any sense.
This is my feeling about it (and even though I live in Korea, I am not involved in Jeonse currently and never have been---frankly, I never could afford it!). The cost of housing is so high in Seoul that being able to front the money for a jeonse in even a small, old unit ends up being hundreds of thousands of dollars. This debt sandwich is so bonkers to me. My father-in-law has a couple units he has out on jeonse, and the game he is playing is not so much to invest the money, but to pay off the loans for the units until he can later resell them at a higher price once the value goes up. And indeed they have gone up... probably double or triple what he bought them for. Everything seems to ride on the expectation that housing prices will just...continue to rise, which is concerning to me. Our apartment has already doubled in value since we bought it six years ago, which sounds nice, but if we ever sell it then we will not have really gained anything because we will probably need to loan-up again to move into another unit somewhere anyway.
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Comment on I am a witch. Well, a well witcher... in ~talk
mieum Link ParentI’ve always known it as “well divining.” Actually, I made a song called “the well diviner” after a character in a Steinbeck novel. I can’t recall if it is called that in the book, but I am from a...I’ve always known it as “well divining.” Actually, I made a song called “the well diviner” after a character in a Steinbeck novel. I can’t recall if it is called that in the book, but I am from a place close to where Steinbeck lived and that is what we called it.
I will second this. I have gone through the immigration/naturalization process, and in the early days I thought that the rules were especially strict. I now know that they are pretty typical, which is a realization I have seen numerous people come to while trying to immigrate to various countries. Not too long ago I encountered a woman who had suddenly decided to move her family here from the UK after having only visited briefly 10 or so years ago. She was furious that she was unable to open a bank account and a line of credit as a foreigner, and not knowing the language, she seemed to think the problem was just that people couldn’t understand her. Anyway, it’s good to do your homework first!
That being said, having spent a number of years as a semi-illegal alien, if you like the vagabond lifestyle and don’t want or require much stability, then you can really get around.