Parliament's recent activity
-
Comment on /r/politics moderators in ~tech
-
Comment on Gift recommendations in ~life
Parliament LinkNot exactly what you're asking for, but my wife and I were struggling to find gifts for my brother and his wife since we each got them in my family's secret santa this year. We decided to donate...Not exactly what you're asking for, but my wife and I were struggling to find gifts for my brother and his wife since we each got them in my family's secret santa this year. We decided to donate to a cause that means a lot to them (a scholarship fund for their friend who passed). We're getting them nice cards with a handwritten message in them. Heartfelt, nothing to wrap, don't have to worry about it ending up in a landfill, etc.
-
Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life
Parliament Link ParentNot that I've noticed. We have very good boundaries about when they get TV or audiobook time, they know when those times are, and they still have a lot of time to play/read independently (i.e....Not that I've noticed. We have very good boundaries about when they get TV or audiobook time, they know when those times are, and they still have a lot of time to play/read independently (i.e. figuring out how to stimulate themselves and stave off boredom). We get the occasional "I'm bored", but they always find creative ways to entertain themselves.
I know exactly what you're talking about with how content has changed to accommodate people scrolling. My wife and I make a point to put our phones down when we watch something together. We're subtitle people anyway lol.
-
Comment on I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it in ~life
Parliament LinkWe have always avoided YouTube as a general rule for the kids (8 and 5 years old). It's a black hole that can quickly get out of hand without close supervision. The only content our kids watch...YouTube is rife with examples.
We have always avoided YouTube as a general rule for the kids (8 and 5 years old). It's a black hole that can quickly get out of hand without close supervision. The only content our kids watch comes from what I've downloaded for them to our Plex server (and thus personally vetted) + a couple shows from Netflix Kids/Peacock that I can't find anywhere else. Thankfully, we became hip to the YouTube problem when our oldest was still a baby, so they have no idea what they're missing and have never even asked about YouTube as an alternative.
Here are some shows we approve of: Bluey, Blaze & the Monster Machines, The Stinky and Dirty Show, Where's Waldo, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood/Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, My Little Pony (although there is some rude behavior between characters that we use as an example of what not to do), All Engines Go, The Berenstain Bears, Doc McStuffins, Arthur, the Fairly OddParents (only for our oldest - one of my favorite shows from childhood), Bob the Builder, Gabby's Dollhouse, Octonauts, Wild Kratts, Paw Patrol, and The Smurfs.
As an alternative to screen time, I highly recommend audiobooks. They allow our children to be engaged in a primary activity (e.g. playing with legos, ponies, dolls, coloring books, building a pillow/blanket fort, etc.) with the audiobook as secondary entertainment rather than being sucked into a screen as the primary activity and totally disengaged from everything else, having to be asked a question three separate times before they respond. Our youngest still remarkably takes naps during nap time (which was renamed quiet time some years ago), but our eldest listens to audiobooks while playing with toys in his room during that time.
Here are some audiobooks we approve of (primarily for the eldest but some of these are appropriate for both of them and come out on long road trips): The Magic Tree House, The Boxcar Children, Anne of Green Gables, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Beverly Cleary books, Wayside School series, NERDS series, Little House on the Prairie series, Donald Davis stories, Charlotte's Web, Harry Potter series, and Nate the Great series. I also recommend these podcasts: Thomas & Friends Storytime, The Cinnamon Bear, Keyshawn Solves It, and Arthur.
-
Comment on 2025 Spotify Wrapped is now out in ~music
Parliament LinkSpotify Wrapped coming out well before the year is actually over will always be my pet peeve. I use a last.fm account that's linked to my Spotify, Plex server, and Youtube to track all my...Spotify Wrapped coming out well before the year is actually over will always be my pet peeve. I use a last.fm account that's linked to my Spotify, Plex server, and Youtube to track all my scrobbles across platforms and time periods.
-
Comment on r/art subreddit under new management after an artist was banned for mentioning their art prints in ~arts
Parliament Link ParentThere's more to it than that. I'm not sure how to feel about that situation after reading this thread. I don't know enough about AI art to understand what was AI-generated and what wasn't, but it...Remember the artist who got banned based on false accusations of generating their art based on AI, and how mods dismissed any and all appeals despite the artist providing genuine receipts in the form of .psd files that he created the art himself?
There's more to it than that. I'm not sure how to feel about that situation after reading this thread. I don't know enough about AI art to understand what was AI-generated and what wasn't, but it doesn't seem as cut and dry as I originally thought.
-
Comment on More than 200 women allege drugging with a diuretic to make them urinate during interviews by senior French civil servant in ~news
Parliament Link ParentI wonder if it's due to the sprawling nature of the case given there are 200 victims. I mean, 6+ years is still too long, but 200 victims means a lot of evidence to collect and process.I wonder if it's due to the sprawling nature of the case given there are 200 victims. I mean, 6+ years is still too long, but 200 victims means a lot of evidence to collect and process.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Parliament LinkAge of Empires 2. I've been playing the HD edition from 2013 with my 8-year-old son since it runs better on my old PC laptop he's using to play, but I normally play the Definitive Edition with my...Age of Empires 2. I've been playing the HD edition from 2013 with my 8-year-old son since it runs better on my old PC laptop he's using to play, but I normally play the Definitive Edition with my friends, which has even more updated mechanics, civs, etc. HD still rules though. Playing AOE2 with him has been such a joy because it's pretty much my favorite game of all time (I also watch some pro games), or at least I struggle to think of any other game I've consistently put as much time into over the course of my life, starting with the original AOE release in 99.
-
Comment on How has AI positively impacted your life? in ~tech
Parliament Link ParentHigher because we're converting a construction loan to a mortgage, and the appraised value needs to be at or above a certain LTV threshold in order to put less money down and receive a more...Higher because we're converting a construction loan to a mortgage, and the appraised value needs to be at or above a certain LTV threshold in order to put less money down and receive a more favorable interest rate. We renovated a historic home downtown in our small city over the last year.
-
Comment on How has AI positively impacted your life? in ~tech
Parliament Link ParentYes, I just used it to help me rebut an appraisal of the value of my home. It identified a bunch of things I wouldn't have noticed or understood on my own.It's also exceptionally useful for passing it very large texts or documents and using it to pull out useful, relevent information to my situation or questions.
Yes, I just used it to help me rebut an appraisal of the value of my home. It identified a bunch of things I wouldn't have noticed or understood on my own.
-
Comment on How has AI positively impacted your life? in ~tech
Parliament Link ParentYES. I love starting a task/project with a disorganized brain dump of all my thoughts about it, then I let AI sort through, provide feedback, and create a plan for knocking it out. I used to spend...YES. I love starting a task/project with a disorganized brain dump of all my thoughts about it, then I let AI sort through, provide feedback, and create a plan for knocking it out. I used to spend so much time thinking about how to go about something.
-
Comment on US Federal Aviation Administration reducing air traffic by 10% across forty ‘high-volume’ markets during government shutdown in ~transport
Parliament Link ParentThat's my biggest concern. I'm not the one traveling, but I'm very much looking forward to hosting family for the holiday who are all flying in. Hoping for the best.That's my biggest concern. I'm not the one traveling, but I'm very much looking forward to hosting family for the holiday who are all flying in. Hoping for the best.
-
Comment on Is vaping less harmful than smoking, and does it help people quit? in ~health
Parliament Link ParentAs someone in the spirits industry, I see a ton of industry propaganda that's trying to make THC and nicotine vaping a boogieman over alcohol because alcohol is losing market share to other vices.has made it feel like there is some sort of ongoing coordinated campaign against vaping.
As someone in the spirits industry, I see a ton of industry propaganda that's trying to make THC and nicotine vaping a boogieman over alcohol because alcohol is losing market share to other vices.
-
Comment on People with a very good memory: does that make it harder to forgive? in ~talk
Parliament LinkNot harder to forgive but certainly harder to forget the thing I forgave them for. Someone very close did something terrible to me about 15 years ago. I forgave them, and we are still very close...Not harder to forgive but certainly harder to forget the thing I forgave them for. Someone very close did something terrible to me about 15 years ago. I forgave them, and we are still very close and talk daily. And yet I think about that terrible thing they did to me at least once a month. It doesn't bother me or even color my opinion of this person, but the memory never leaves me. I'm thankful to have a relationship with this person despite what happened 15 years ago. That matters much more to me than holding a grudge.
-
Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 4 in ~sports.american_football
Parliament LinkHighly recommend Jon Bois' 4-part series on scorigami, and we happened to get the 2nd highest scoring scorigami tie just yesterday.Highly recommend Jon Bois' 4-part series on scorigami, and we happened to get the 2nd highest scoring scorigami tie just yesterday.
-
Comment on What "one-hit wonder" do you think has a discography worth exploring? in ~music
Parliament Link ParentGary Numan influenced a lot of people. I didn't realize this until I attended an electronic music festival in Asheville, NC where he was headlining many years ago, and other artists were giving...Gary Numan influenced a lot of people. I didn't realize this until I attended an electronic music festival in Asheville, NC where he was headlining many years ago, and other artists were giving him a shout out during their sets. That was also where I saw NIN for the first time having never listened to their music before.
-
Comment on Spotify is adding direct messaging to their music streaming app in ~tech
Parliament Link ParentYes, that's what I do with Plex, mainly through the Plexamp app on iOS and sometimes with the web app in a browser. I have a Spotify subscription for my family that is also my daily driver, but I...Yes, that's what I do with Plex, mainly through the Plexamp app on iOS and sometimes with the web app in a browser. I have a Spotify subscription for my family that is also my daily driver, but I still download a fair bit of music to my server. Stuff that's either not on Spotify at all (rarities, live shows, music subject to licensing disputes, etc.) or releases from my fave artists that I wouldn't want to lose in a worst case scenario where Spotify bites the dust.
-
Comment on Sling TV’s $5 pass buys you one day of cable TV in ~tv
Parliament Link ParentMy cynical reaction is that I'm so deeply entrenched in grey-area streaming options and tired of all the exploitative legal piecemeal solutions that I'm not going to be swayed by a $5 deal for...My cynical reaction is that I'm so deeply entrenched in grey-area streaming options and tired of all the exploitative legal piecemeal solutions that I'm not going to be swayed by a $5 deal for anything. It's all a rug pull eventually.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Parliament LinkI'm reading a French/Spanish bilingual version of Pedro Paramo to do some language laddering. I speak French much better than Spanish and have a degree in it, but I picked up Duolingo Spanish a...I'm reading a French/Spanish bilingual version of Pedro Paramo to do some language laddering. I speak French much better than Spanish and have a degree in it, but I picked up Duolingo Spanish a few years ago right before the pandemic started. I just wanted to layer some reading on top of my app/flashcard-based learning, and reading a physical book also helps me fall asleep faster at night.
-
Comment on What is your silly or (kinda) useless talent? in ~talk
Parliament LinkWiggling my ears. All the men in my family for at least the last 3 generations on my dad's side have been able to do it. It's not totally useless though because my kids found it funny when they...Wiggling my ears. All the men in my family for at least the last 3 generations on my dad's side have been able to do it. It's not totally useless though because my kids found it funny when they were really little.
You can be firm/strict without being an asshole though. I ran a few different defaults plus various other subs for about 5-6 years until 2018, and we had some amazing vibes and team members who legitimately enjoyed helping people. I can remember ousting a few mods who made a habit of disrespecting users and overstepping. We also had really well written modmail response macros in our mod toolbox that kept our language consistent regardless of which mod was responding (initial guardrails basically). That said, I never moderated a subreddit remotely as polarizing and divisive as /r/politics. It must be an absolute grind.