NeonBright's recent activity
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Comment on Salon, internet’s oldest general interest publication, shuts down after thirty-one years in ~tech
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Comment on What's your favorite action scene? in ~talk
NeonBright Link ParentYou have to respect the way there really is a xkcd for literally any situation. I hadn't ever considered this from the connoisseurs perspective. However too many action scenes are just too...You have to respect the way there really is a xkcd for literally any situation. I hadn't ever considered this from the connoisseurs perspective.
However too many action scenes are just too straight-up brutal for me the watch them. Which puts connoisseurship a bit out of reach for me personally, but it does provide a different lens for other people's enjoyment at least. -
Comment on What's your favorite action scene? in ~talk
NeonBright Link ParentI can understand the survival instinct part; that does make sense to me. Sometimes I enjoy that too. But the traumatic parts are just... too traumatic!I can understand the survival instinct part; that does make sense to me. Sometimes I enjoy that too. But the traumatic parts are just... too traumatic!
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Comment on What's your favorite action scene? in ~talk
NeonBright LinkThis is a bit of tangent, but still very much related to the topic - I hope LukeZaz doesn't mind too much. I don't have a favourite action scene - I dislike them all equally. I understand I'm in a...This is a bit of tangent, but still very much related to the topic - I hope LukeZaz doesn't mind too much.
I don't have a favourite action scene - I dislike them all equally.
I understand I'm in a minority, but it's a sizeable one; there's quite a few of us out here.So can I please respectfully ask what it is that people find appealing about them?
I am genuinely seeking information and would love to hear your opinions. -
Comment on Halloween night! in ~talk
NeonBright Link ParentThanks for the link, that was an interesting read about the homogenisation of trick-or-treat candy options.Thanks for the link, that was an interesting read about the homogenisation of trick-or-treat candy options.
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Comment on Reddit will require you to be logged in in ~tech
NeonBright Link ParentThis is a beautiful account of a very annoying saga.This is a beautiful account of a very annoying saga.
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Comment on /r/Seattle mods find Archive.today injected malware links into archived page in ~tech
NeonBright LinkCan I ask what others are recommending to use in it's place? I've tried a couple of alternatives (Ghostarchive, Megalodon) and have found them to be very much less useful than Archive.today. I'd...Can I ask what others are recommending to use in it's place?
I've tried a couple of alternatives (Ghostarchive, Megalodon) and have found them to be very much less useful than Archive.today.
I'd use Bypass Paywalls Clean (I have in the past, it worked very well) but I'm not comfortable with the 'sketchy Russian github clone' mentioned above, and I'd end up having to use that to re-install it pretty regularly as BPC gets promptly uninstalled whenever my Chrome based system updates.
(I'm very much an end-point user and have pretty unsophisticated IT abilities - unlike the apparent majority of Tildarians!)
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Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
NeonBright Link ParentI strongly agree. Not five minutes ago I was looking at a small but precarious stack with a view to moving it, and as I looked down at the titles I realised each and every one of them was worthy...I strongly agree. Not five minutes ago I was looking at a small but precarious stack with a view to moving it, and as I looked down at the titles I realised each and every one of them was worthy of it's position.
And so the small but precarious stack will remain where it is, at the front of the much larger and marginally less precarious stacks below and behind it.
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Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
NeonBright Link ParentIs this really true though? I doubt that you would know me very well through either the media I consume, or the media I generate. While the components of each are important, they are merely small...Is this really true though? I doubt that you would know me very well through either the media I consume, or the media I generate.
While the components of each are important, they are merely small facets of the many aspects of the thing I consider to be 'myself'.
I do agree that media is slow telepathy. It's one of the few possible substitutes for knowing someone deeply and for a long time. But I don't think that it acts as a perfect substitute for knowing someone deeply and for a long time.I say this in the spirit of enquiry. I don't know the answer and I will be thinking about your comments for some time to come. I love people and our stories. I love the way we tell our stories. I love the data we leave behind knowingly and unknowingly. And I absolutely agree that the message in a vacuum is not the message.
Curiously, in my line of work (qualitative research), sometimes the vacuum is the message. When the stories peter out, the silences can be almost as eloquent.
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Comment on What is your passion? And why? in ~life
NeonBright Link ParentWe've spoken about this before, but I just had to agree with you - again. I am heavily supervised in the garden by our wild lizards, who now tend to stop and watch me working, rather than run...We've spoken about this before, but I just had to agree with you - again.
I am heavily supervised in the garden by our wild lizards, who now tend to stop and watch me working, rather than run away. They are exceedingly fast little critters, and I'm flattered that they only run at about half speed when I'm around - the lizard equivalent of a casual saunter. They are very curious and show little fear these days.Lizards have so much more to offer than many people realise. And as you say, the tiny inadequate enclosures that seem to be the pet-shop acceptable standard of care don't really give the poor lizards a chance to express themselves in any way.
Even bearded dragons make decently interactive pets if you take the time to make them part of the family. I knew one that actively joined the family when watching TV - I mean, yes the dragon wanted the quiet warmth of people sitting still on the couch, but still he knew the cues of the TV switching on, and he would try to climb up someones leg in order to sit in a lap or on a shoulder.
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Comment on Tildes “orphans”, what do you do for Christmas? in ~life
NeonBright LinkGo hard on hygge. Make everything as cosy and as pleasant and specifically personalised as possible. As a (very) young family in a foreign country we decided it was the perfect time to make our...Go hard on hygge. Make everything as cosy and as pleasant and specifically personalised as possible.
As a (very) young family in a foreign country we decided it was the perfect time to make our very own christmas traditions... and so we did. We spent the next few years decorating the house our way, giving gifts that were specifically designed to be read/eaten/played on Xmas day, cooking food that only we liked to eat, and generally having a great time incorporating our own preferences into the day.
it worked incredibly well, generated some very special - if slightly unorthodox - memories and... also made it quite difficult to re-integrate into the extended family christmas circus when we eventually returned home. In the end we had to sacrifice christmas day to the rest of the family, and moved our own celebration one day over - and now Boxing Day is unquestionably the best day of the year.
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Comment on Keeping up a blogging habit while being a dad in ~life.men
NeonBright Link ParentI completely disagree. The first year is absolutely unbelievably exhausting - but it is also filled with the most incredible change and forward momentum as the baby grows and develops. It's not...I completely disagree. The first year is absolutely unbelievably exhausting - but it is also filled with the most incredible change and forward momentum as the baby grows and develops. It's not just the parents who are busy doing things during that year.
I will never (ever) understand how some people say they are bored being at home with an infant. That first year was one of the most rewarding with each of our kids, because every single day was a new adventure in terms of personality development and skills acquisition.
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Comment on Why is there no word for please in the Nordic languages – are their speakers simply more direct, or is politeness expressed in ways outsiders may not immediately recognise in ~humanities.languages
NeonBright Link ParentI'm floored that you read Australians as shy or reserved. To me, we are a fairly boisterous bunch. Our manners are pretty terrible on the global scale. Although we generally mean well, it would be...I'm floored that you read Australians as shy or reserved. To me, we are a fairly boisterous bunch.
Our manners are pretty terrible on the global scale. Although we generally mean well, it would be fair to say we lack polish.
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Comment on Cornell won't, we will in ~news
NeonBright Link ParentIsn't this invalidating my actual lived experience? Why on earth should I believe there will be help forthcoming, when it absolutely was not in the past? Isn't it better to observe the facts and...Isn't this invalidating my actual lived experience?
Why on earth should I believe there will be help forthcoming, when it absolutely was not in the past?
Isn't it better to observe the facts and adjust accordingly?I do understand that those two men were... suboptimal human beings... and not everyone is like that. But also, it seems sensible to accept that bystanders won't necessarily be of any help in a time of need.
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Comment on Advice on dealing with aging parents in ~life
NeonBright Link ParentI appreciate your practical assessment of the situation. Your perspective tallies closely with mine. People get sentimental about caring for old folks, but mostly it is a lot of hard, stressful...I appreciate your practical assessment of the situation. Your perspective tallies closely with mine. People get sentimental about caring for old folks, but mostly it is a lot of hard, stressful work.
I'm now in the 13th year of looking after aging parents and to be perfectly honest, things do not get better. However it is possible to get better at dealing with the challenges that arise as part of the arc of caring for the aged.
Looking at things clearly and realistically and then preparing early is critical to good longterm care for aging people.
So is respect and compassion both for one's aging parents and, then when things get rough, for oneself, too.OP should not hesitate to make use of memory care and/or full support aged care when it becomes necessary. This type of care is specialised and there is no shame in using it when it is needed, and it will free OP to better enjoy what time is left with their parents.
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Comment on I don’t feel like I’m a creative person. How could I fix that and get ideas? in ~creative
NeonBright Link ParentIn the spirit of simplifying your life, here's a really easy Bearnaise. Melt a pound of butter (salted or unsalted, according to preference) to boiling point in a pot. While this is heating, put...In the spirit of simplifying your life, here's a really easy Bearnaise.
Melt a pound of butter (salted or unsalted, according to preference) to boiling point in a pot.
While this is heating, put five egg yolks (room temperature for preference, but it doesn't matter much) in a heat-proof food processor.
Add a little bit of grated lemon rind and some finely chopped tarragon. Perhaps a little bit of pepper, too.
Give the seasoned yolks the quickest possible pulse (1 sec) just to amalgamate the ingredients.
Pick up the pot of boiling butter in your dominant hand, start the food processor, and add the still-boiling butter - including all solids - in a steady stream until the egg yolk forms a thickish emulsion.
Stop blending, and pour the sauce into a serving container (this helps to reduce the temperature, meaning the sauce won't 'break' from too much heat).
This can also be made with stick blender.
It's incredibly forgiving, and very versatile... and you won't need a recipe after you've made it a couple of times. -
Comment on Cornell won't, we will in ~news
NeonBright Link Parent"Just stare back at you" is exactly what happened to me. A woman was choking and struggling to breathe in a carpark and I looked directly at two men talking nearby and asked them - specifically..."Just stare back at you" is exactly what happened to me. A woman was choking and struggling to breathe in a carpark and I looked directly at two men talking nearby and asked them - specifically them - to come and help me (as she was starting to collapse) and they just stared at me and kept on talking... and watching the woman struggle.
It altered the way I look at humanity. It didn't turn me into a embittered hermit or anything - but it has made me understand that "help" is the exception, not the rule.
I absolutely do not believe that directly addressing people will overcome the bystander effect.
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Comment on Deciding whether (or not) to have a child in ~life
NeonBright Link ParentTBH, you do sound pretty accusatory. But that's okay, it's a tricky issue to tackle. :-) It's very hard to express something of such nuance in a few lines on a screen, from either your perspective...TBH, you do sound pretty accusatory. But that's okay, it's a tricky issue to tackle. :-)
It's very hard to express something of such nuance in a few lines on a screen, from either your perspective or mine.To me it wasn't any kind of a gamble at all.
I can understand why it might appear so to you, but that's not even close to my subjective experience.
I felt as you do about babies and children - and I mostly still do.I was never anti-child or adamant about not having children, I just didn't like most of them very much.
My position wasn't a philosophy so much as an observation of a fact, so there wasn't much in the way of paradigm shifting or anything that needed to happen when I became aware that I wanted to get pregnant, some ten years into our relationship. That was a fact, too.We talked it over - mostly to do with logistics rather than existential issues - and I duly got pregnant.
Now this was the surprising bit - I loved being pregnant, absolutely loved it. I hadn't expected that.
A relative rather sourly noted, "You bonded with your babies before they were even born."I think you need a little faith that if you love your partner and can see the good in yourself, it follows that a child born of the two of you will fit into your relationship, into the little world you two create, pretty naturally. We are built to breed; the human race has been ridiculously successful at it, even though it takes a lot of work and many years of sustained effort.
You aren't going to have one of those sticky noisy random kids over there; you are going to have your own child, literally the product of your own flesh and blood. That's a very different thing.
At the very least, do not discount the incredible power of hormones to bond humans.
And at a less animalistic level, there is a great joy in beginning your own little clan.Having a family is one of the greatest joys that I have experienced.
That said, it is not for everyone, and if you do not feel comfortable taking that risk, then don't.
I wouldn't wish an unwilling mother on any child, either.Many, many people are opting not to have kids these days (check out the startling demographic curves of almost any country) and I think that says something profound about the era we are living in.
Your hesitancy may well not be an entirely individual thing, but a reflection of something much greater and frankly more disturbing. -
Comment on What is your "when I found out about 9/11" story? in ~talk
NeonBright Link ParentI remember that silence. It went on for days - and the smog cleared, too. It would have been lovely if it hadn't been so terrible.I remember that silence. It went on for days - and the smog cleared, too.
It would have been lovely if it hadn't been so terrible. -
Comment on Deciding whether (or not) to have a child in ~life
NeonBright Link ParentI strongly agree with this. While things may seem gloomy now, things can - and do- change in unexpected ways and none of us are well-placed to know what will happen during our own lifetimes, let...You can never tell what is good and what is bad. Even decades later.
I strongly agree with this. While things may seem gloomy now, things can - and do- change in unexpected ways and none of us are well-placed to know what will happen during our own lifetimes, let alone our kids lives.
Vale Salon.
It's been a bit past it's prime for a while now, but back in the day... waaay back in the day... it did support some pretty interesting journalism.
I do feel the internet is slowly closing in, becoming smaller and - quite perversely - less diverse than it was in the early days.