Parliament's recent activity
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Comment on Spotify is adding direct messaging to their music streaming app in ~tech
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Comment on What’s a notable misunderstanding from your life? in ~life
Parliament Link ParentAh yea, that makes sense. I grew up in a purple city in a deep red southern state where I still live now, and my bougie HS had to be corrected 3-4 times before they stopped addressing my wife with...Ah yea, that makes sense. I grew up in a purple city in a deep red southern state where I still live now, and my bougie HS had to be corrected 3-4 times before they stopped addressing my wife with Mr. and Mrs. MyFirst MyLast in the alumni mailouts.
We send out an annual holiday card to everyone in our address book, and I always make a point of addressing people exactly how they want to be addressed. Takes me back to elementary school and learning how to write formal letters... but with a modern update. I think it shows respect to people to care about that.
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Comment on What’s a notable misunderstanding from your life? in ~life
Parliament Link ParentI think it has died down for us as well because we've been living in the same home, had our kids at the same school, and been working the same jobs for several years. Not a lot of new paperwork or...I think it has died down for us as well because we've been living in the same home, had our kids at the same school, and been working the same jobs for several years. Not a lot of new paperwork or relationships recently where naming convention is brought up.
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Comment on What’s a notable misunderstanding from your life? in ~life
Parliament Link ParentMy wife didn't take my name, and I can attest to the confusion at school. She didn't want to hyphenate for our kids' last name, so they have my last name.My wife didn't take my name, and I can attest to the confusion at school. She didn't want to hyphenate for our kids' last name, so they have my last name.
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Comment on What’s a notable misunderstanding from your life? in ~life
Parliament Link ParentAt my company, there are two employees who are married, and the husband took his wife's name because he has a poor relationship with his family. His wife also has a cool last name. I wish I had...At my company, there are two employees who are married, and the husband took his wife's name because he has a poor relationship with his family. His wife also has a cool last name. I wish I had more examples of people doing this.
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Comment on Is a career change towards cybersecurity viable for someone with an accountancy background? in ~life
Parliament LinkWould you be willing to share more on this? I'm an accounting/finance professional here in the US, and maybe something about your background will spark something in my brain that could be of use....and after some setbacks with my ACCA studies, I am seriously considering just giving up on trying to get into chartered accountancy because that path is closing many more doors for me.
Would you be willing to share more on this? I'm an accounting/finance professional here in the US, and maybe something about your background will spark something in my brain that could be of use. I have a few friends that are accounting professionals in the UK.
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Comment on US Senate passes Donald Trump’s megabill after pulling all-nighter in ~society
Parliament Link ParentAren't most people who earn cash tips just not reporting those tips anyway?Aren't most people who earn cash tips just not reporting those tips anyway?
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Comment on Just did my first tech repair! in ~tech
Parliament Link ParentAbsolutely! I regularly spray my machines and peripherals with compressed air, have microfiber cloths, and use a low-pressure handheld vacuum (like the size of a small hair dryer) to get any dust....Absolutely! I regularly spray my machines and peripherals with compressed air, have microfiber cloths, and use a low-pressure handheld vacuum (like the size of a small hair dryer) to get any dust. Haven't had any hardware failures in 12 years of managing a home server. Hell, this was the first hardware issue I've had with a gaming console since disc read errors with my original PS2 like 15 years ago.
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Comment on Just did my first tech repair! in ~tech
Parliament LinkBoth the controllers stopped working for my SNES a couple months ago. I was so bummed. I figured it had to be an issue with the console itself because the controllers stopped working at the same...Both the controllers stopped working for my SNES a couple months ago. I was so bummed. I figured it had to be an issue with the console itself because the controllers stopped working at the same time and didn't work in either controller port. Waited a week for a special screwdriver to arrive in the mail, cracked it open yesterday, and cleared some plastic debris that had broken off the backside seating around the controller ports. Now it works as well as ever! The plastic pieces were causing it to short, and they were purely cosmetic anyway.
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Comment on Business idea and feedback thread in ~talk
Parliament LinkCan I share the business idea I actually pursued but put on the backburner permanently after a couple years? I started my career as a CPA auditing community banks and credit unions in the wake of...Can I share the business idea I actually pursued but put on the backburner permanently after a couple years?
I started my career as a CPA auditing community banks and credit unions in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, and I was working in the state with the most bank failures of any state in the US (Georgia). My clients all had a ton of foreclosed properties on their balance sheets (known as OREO or Other Real Estate Owned in the banking world), often sitting there for years. They did a poor job of marketing their OREO because selling real estate was not the focus of their business, and when they did eventually sell, they often had to be self-financed (i.e. the bank financing the sale of their own property), which limited the bank's ability to recognize gain on the sale and required a larger downpayment from the buyer to do so (due to accounting standards).
My angle was to connect banks with each other to share financing opportunities behind the scenes through a paid community membership and allow them to recognize gain on OREO sales more easily while having a consumer-facing property listing website like Zillow, Realtor.com, etc. on the front-end to market the properties that banks were trying to sell. I spent a couple years validating my assumptions, interviewing dozens of bankers that I knew, pitching investors, and building out the prototype all with my own time and money. I had some angel investors lined up but no bites from institutions because I was still a 1-person team with no revenue stream.
Then I realized I was happy with my job at the time doing forensic accounting, litigation consulting (like financial expert witness reports/testimony), and business valuation. I lucked out with my bosses too - the sweetest people you could work for in the public accounting world. I had just moved back from the big city to my wife's and my hometown and wanted to start a family, and although my wife had a great job that could support us both while I pursued this idea, I didn't want to take on the risk, especially with money from people in my friends/family network once it got to that point. I did work with a tech co-founder for about 8 months, someone I'm still good friends with, but he bailed because he was happy with his job too (what a great problem to have, right? Lol).
Well ultimately, accounting standards changed several years later. The entire premise could have been upended depending on how it developed. My bosses also retired in 2021, which led me to my current job at a top craft whiskey distillery. You know what they said to me during the interview process? One of the things we like about your resume is that you've been at your job for almost 7 years. We've just seen a lot of job hopper resumes, and we are truly looking for someone with local roots who can be here a while and grow with us.
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Comment on YouTube Premium Lite: Ad-free viewing for $7.99/month in ~tech
Parliament Link ParentOr Smarttube sideloaded to my NVIDIA Shield.Or Smarttube sideloaded to my NVIDIA Shield.
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Comment on I've been enjoying a few tropes in 1970s TV shows in ~tv
Parliament Link ParentMy wife and I are rewatching Lost, and you see this trope almost every episode. And they never tie it to the healing powers of the island like they do with other types of wounds/ailments (e.g....My wife and I are rewatching Lost, and you see this trope almost every episode. And they never tie it to the healing powers of the island like they do with other types of wounds/ailments (e.g. Sayid's GSW, Jack's appendectomy, Locke's paralysis, etc.).
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Comment on Gift ideas for online friends in ~talk
Parliament (edited )LinkHow far away are you / are you from different countries? I've mailed some local goodies from my hometown to online friends over the years. These friends were mainly US-based, but I've mailed to...How far away are you / are you from different countries? I've mailed some local goodies from my hometown to online friends over the years. These friends were mainly US-based, but I've mailed to Belgium, Japan, and Australia too. Totally understand why you would wanna stick to something digital/online in this situation though - they may not even be willing to give you a physical address anyway. I just love the idea of sharing something you can only get where I come from. Sharing the place I'm from is also sharing a piece of myself.
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Comment on Google may be close to launching YouTube Premium Lite in ~tech
Parliament LinkNah, they've already lost me for good. I just use Youtube through a web browser with ad blocking on mobile, then the rest of my Youtube watching is through SmartTube sideloaded to my NVIDIA Shield.Nah, they've already lost me for good. I just use Youtube through a web browser with ad blocking on mobile, then the rest of my Youtube watching is through SmartTube sideloaded to my NVIDIA Shield.
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Comment on Who are your favorite actresses? in ~movies
Parliament LinkCarrie Coon. The Leftovers, Fargo, The Gilded Age, and now The White Lotus. She always seems to find a part in my favorite TV shows.Carrie Coon. The Leftovers, Fargo, The Gilded Age, and now The White Lotus. She always seems to find a part in my favorite TV shows.
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Comment on What are your favourite time-loop based books, movies and video games? in ~talk
Parliament LinkI was sick yesterday and a couple weeks ago, so I used that time in bed to watch both seasons of Foundation, which is based on the Isaac Asimov stories. You should check this show out. It’s not...I was sick yesterday and a couple weeks ago, so I used that time in bed to watch both seasons of Foundation, which is based on the Isaac Asimov stories. You should check this show out. It’s not exactly a time-loop story, but it touches on things like predicting the future and historical cycles through psychohistory. If you're into stories about fate, cause-and-effect, and epic sci-fi world-building, it’s definitely worth your time.
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Comment on Single most useful program you daily use? in ~tech
Parliament Link ParentWow, thank you for this. I just installed it and can already tell I'll be using it daily - the Windows default search is so bad! It doesn't work a lot of the time, and when it does work, it's...Everything
Wow, thank you for this. I just installed it and can already tell I'll be using it daily - the Windows default search is so bad! It doesn't work a lot of the time, and when it does work, it's painfully slow.
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.