patience_limited's recent activity
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Comment on To build a more lethal force, the Marine Corps needs a font for the 21st century in ~design
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Comment on Treasure hunting in ~hobbies
patience_limited LinkBy happenstance, I saw this recently. And was thinking, "A hobby that gets me to the beach and out of my chair? Why yes, this is relevant to my interests..." And then I scratched my head, and...By happenstance, I saw this recently. And was thinking, "A hobby that gets me to the beach and out of my chair? Why yes, this is relevant to my interests..."
And then I scratched my head, and thought about the work commitments, the garden, gym membership, family time, the assortment of detritus from previous but currently fallow hobbies, the need to interact with other humans occasionally... And said, "Nah."
To be fair, we're on a hectare or so of what's turned out to be 1870's era timber processing land. Random gardening tasks turn up all kinds of interesting buried treasure without need for specialist equipment.
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Comment on Wildflower plantings in ~hobbies
patience_limited LinkCheap "wildflower" mixed seeds aren't a great idea since the vendors don't do a great job of naturalizing, often including non-native (and potentialy invasive) species. The mixes may include seeds...Cheap "wildflower" mixed seeds aren't a great idea since the vendors don't do a great job of naturalizing, often including non-native (and potentialy invasive) species. The mixes may include seeds with very different germination times, divergent moisture/temperature/soil requirements, and so on.
Direct sowing requires more preparation than you'd think, especially if the patch you're planting has poor soil to start with. Even dryland wildflower seed mixes need covering to proper depth, some enrichment (1 - 2" of compost), and regular watering well past germination.
Planting time matters. For most temperate-climate wildflowers, you're best off setting the seeds in fall, so they can winterize in and germinate the following spring as they would if naturally seeded.
Prairie Seeds has helpful resources for determining what you'll need to prepare and select seed mixes: https://www.prairienursery.com/resources-guides/seeds-and-seed-mixes/
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Comment on I (basically) stopped weeding thanks to this game-changing gardening method; Tilling is out. ‘No dig’ is in. in ~hobbies
patience_limited (edited )LinkI've used "lasagna gardening" before, which is a similar, slightly more involved no-till method suitable for smaller areas. It's a good middle-ground solution when you don't have great soil, but...I've used "lasagna gardening" before, which is a similar, slightly more involved no-till method suitable for smaller areas. It's a good middle-ground solution when you don't have great soil, but aren't ready for the investment and effort involved with building raised beds.
I'll note that there are weeds capable of growing through any thickness of biodegradable material you put down (e.g. goutweed, comfrey), and you're still going to contend with whatever weed seeds might be airborne or resident in your compost.
Another note: No-till/No-dig beds still need crop rotation to reduce disease risks. Tomato/pepper/potato beds shouldn't be reused for anything in those families for at least 2 years if possible. I tried to reuse tomato beds with only one year of rest - lost the whole planting to rampant early and late blight with another potential six weeks of fruiting time left.
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Comment on What are we in the golden age of? in ~talk
patience_limited LinkIt's been a long time since I've last participated here, but I too love this question so much I'll trot out the long list of current things that strike me as exemplars of a "Golden Age" right now:...It's been a long time since I've last participated here, but I too love this question so much I'll trot out the long list of current things that strike me as exemplars of a "Golden Age" right now:
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Molecular biology: CRISPR and its refinements; immunological discoveries; vaccines for things we'd never dreamed of controlling before (cancers, fast-mutating viruses, immune diseases); epigenetics; precise neuromodulators; DNA-based archaeology; synthetic biology; precision biochemical manufacturing; tissue engineering; protein modeling and design; imaging technologies that allow watching single active molecules; and more every day. This is not your parents' future. I don't even know of any fiction or futurism that's fully realized the implications of what we can or might do with it.
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Sustainability technologies and eco-engineering. We're actually starting to do things that can mitigate our impact on the planet.
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Social communication platforms (not quite a Golden Age yet, but we're on the verge). Twitter's decomposition and the general decline of ad-based revenue have accelerated the spread of alternatives that don't depend on advertising and data collection.
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Alternatives to laissez-faire capitalism. On the political economy front, even the Georgists are having a revival.
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Podcasts, or so I've heard? My squirrelly brain doesn't do listening to them well, but people I trust say there's more genuinely interesting and important content than was ever available via radio or YouTube.
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Nuclear fusion research. Still not at commercial-scale production, but we'll probably see it within our lifetimes.
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Comment on Megathread for news/updates/discussion about Musk's takeover of Twitter – Part 1 in ~tech
patience_limited Link ParentNo, it's more about the general implosion of ad revenue and the fallout from destruction of the G+ platform. I shouldn't say that G+ was destroyed, it's just been packaged up in Workspaces as a...No, it's more about the general implosion of ad revenue and the fallout from destruction of the G+ platform. I shouldn't say that G+ was destroyed, it's just been packaged up in Workspaces as a monetizable product.
In any event, a great deal of capital has been invested in various quixotic tech ventures (fintech, social media, entertainment), for little lasting value in return.
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Comment on Megathread for news/updates/discussion about Musk's takeover of Twitter – Part 1 in ~tech
patience_limited (edited )LinkI haven't commented because I'm frankly simmering with rage at the combined debacles in social media and finance. Musk, SBF, Meta, Google, SoftBank, et al. have collectively destroyed monetary...I haven't commented because I'm frankly simmering with rage at the combined debacles in social media and finance. Musk, SBF, Meta, Google, SoftBank, et al. have collectively destroyed monetary value greater than the cumulative 2020 wealthy nation spending for climate mitigation in less developed (and most climate-affected) nations.
If money is a means of designating priority, we've all participated, in one way or another, in the fiction that it's more important to be heard than to fix things.
With apologies for bomb-throwing - I read the Oxfam reporting and just had a moment.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
patience_limited Link ParentGummy candy! There are plenty of recipes out there, so I won't get into specifics of what might be healthy and appropriate for your kid. But it's fun to make, adaptable to the point that it's hard...Gummy candy! There are plenty of recipes out there, so I won't get into specifics of what might be healthy and appropriate for your kid. But it's fun to make, adaptable to the point that it's hard to get bored, and you can experiment extensively with cheap ingredients. It's relatively hazard-free compared to hot sugar syrups. (I'm making my own high CBD/low THC doses, and still playing with consistency and flavors...)
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Comment on Musk bans remote work at Twitter, warns staff of “dire” economic outlook in ~tech
patience_limited LinkWhat's dire is that Elon seems to be burning down the Tesla Solar business to fund this boondoggle. The spouse recently inveigled me into following a few significant accounts on Twitter. The only...What's dire is that Elon seems to be burning down the Tesla Solar business to fund this boondoggle.
The spouse recently inveigled me into following a few significant accounts on Twitter. The only joy I've taken in it since is the exquisite Schadenfreude of this, and this, which literally reduced me to tears of laughter.
Now I can cozen him into following my Better Internet™ instead.
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Comment on What’s good? in ~talk
patience_limited LinkA combination of cheap, off-patent old-fashioned drugs was exactly what I needed to get a particularly nasty sort of autoimmune disease (somewhere in the territory of systemic sclerosis, RA, and...A combination of cheap, off-patent old-fashioned drugs was exactly what I needed to get a particularly nasty sort of autoimmune disease (somewhere in the territory of systemic sclerosis, RA, and lupus) under control. In the last month, it feels like I've gotten my life back.
As a bonus, the right anti-inflammatory meds seem to have cleared up a years-long cloud of depression. I'm no longer in pain on a daily basis, can sleep through the night, and move with ease. Additional bonus - minimal side effects so far, though I've got to have blood work every couple of months.
I'm looking forward to being a regular on Tildes again, since that was one of the many things I rarely had spoons for over the last year. I just want to say that for anyone who's been on the verge of giving up hope in any sphere, keep trying!
Also, it's been a glorious Autumn here in the northern Midwest U.S. I haven't seen so much color for so long in years, and got some wonderful hiking and photography in. The farmers and vintners are cackling all the way to the bank after a decent harvest.
The local Braver Angels group is meeting with regularity and some signs that it's turning down the political heat among the attendees, though it's too early to tell if it's having any broader impact.
Vaccine technology is awesome.
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Comment on What have you learned from being LGBT? in ~talk
patience_limited (edited )Link/u/autumn got most of the high points, but I’ll add my perspective: I was born 20 or 30 years too early. Living in a time when there is commonly accepted language to better describe people like me.../u/autumn got most of the high points, but I’ll add my perspective:
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I was born 20 or 30 years too early. Living in a time when there is commonly accepted language to better describe people like me (intersex, non-binary), and communities for support, would have mitigated a great deal of psychological and physical harm.
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Whatever you may have been told, whatever you are or may become, there are others like you, you’re not alone.
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The definition of “normal” is a matter of tradition, custom, religion, politics, and commerce, not science.
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Lust and love know no reason - the heart wants what the heart wants.
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Smart and kind are 95% of sexy when you’re past the first flush of infatuation, regardless of gender.
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“Girls” are more complicated than “boys”, but also softer and more fun. That being said, I prefer the happy medium of other n-b people.
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Relationships are hard work. Throw in the exploratory phases of understanding your own sexuality and gender identity, and you’re likely to be struggling for years. Be kind to yourself and your partners - you will make mistakes, feelings will be hurt, hearts will be broken. It’s not because you’re defective or evil, it’s because we’re all doing the best we can with what we know. Straight/cis people have more clearly defined relationship expectations, but not necessarily better results.
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Everyone, LGBT+ or not, could stand to learn more self-acceptance. Having empathy for our own struggles is essential to treating other people well.
How what I’ve learned has changed me:
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For better or worse, my perception of sexual attractiveness in other people has broadened as I’ve learned more about accepting myself.
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Politically, I used to treat LGBT+ rights as just part of a suite of universal human rights worth fighting for. As I’ve developed more understanding from my community, I’ve learned to recognize that there’s a substantial countercurrent in modern right-wing politics which aims to deny the “human” part and must be opposed with specificity.
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Comment on How "Unser Mitteleuropa" is building a network of right-wing media in Europe in ~news
patience_limited LinkFrom the article:From the article:
Investigations conducted by CORRECTIV.Faktencheck show that the “European Media Cooperation” includes more than 25 websites – from conservative to far-right – and that it has links to several right-wing parties. Examples of partners mentioned there are Compact Magazin and the right-wing American think tank Gatestone Institute. Compact Magazine is under observation by the German domestic intelligence services and was classified as “demonstrably extremist”.
This media cooperation follows a simple principle: Unser Mitteleuropa reproduces and translates their reports and helps them – and itself – to have a larger, international outreach. The site also spreads false information and stirs up hate – and gets hold of exclusive interviews with well-known right-wing politicians, such as the Austrian FPÖ politician Herbert Kickl or the AfD Member of the Bundestag Petr Bystron.
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How "Unser Mitteleuropa" is building a network of right-wing media in Europe
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Comment on US Federal law now requires distribution of complete healthcare records to patients in digital formats in ~health
patience_limited LinkThe article goes on to make the points that medical records were already supposed to be accessible to patients under HIPAA (the U.S. law which also covers medical records privacy), and suggests...The new federal rules — passed under the 21st Century Cures Act — are designed to shift the balance of power to ensure that patients can not only get their data, but also choose who else to share it with. It is the jumping-off point for a patient-mediated data economy that lets consumers in health care benefit from the fluidity they’ve had for decades in banking: they can move their information easily and electronically, and link their accounts to new services and software applications.
“To think that we actually have greater transparency about our personal finances than about our own health is quite an indictment,” said Isaac Kohane, a professor of biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School. “This will go some distance toward reversing that.”
The article goes on to make the points that medical records were already supposed to be accessible to patients under HIPAA (the U.S. law which also covers medical records privacy), and suggests the release in standard, interoperable digital formats won't be an overnight change.
On a personal level, I've already had the peculiar experience of seeing a diagnosis recorded that's different, and more serious, than what the clinician told me it was.
I suspect there will be a new groundswell of patients inquiring about whether they're correctly diagnosed, whether their physicians are upcoding diagnoses for reimbursement or understating severity, etc. There's also the possibility of a secondary market where patients sell their own data, especially for rare and interesting genetic diseases.
But it's also going to mean an end to the days when physicians were candid about their biases in patient records. No more "FLK" (shorthand for "funny-looking kid", usually for miscellaneous genetic or gender issues) and other coded judgments that have historically populated medical records jargon.
And interoperability... Just because records are available in PDF doesn't mean they can be directly imported and searchably accessed in any of the plethora of records systems that have developed in the U.S. Interesting times.
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US Federal law now requires distribution of complete healthcare records to patients in digital formats
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Comment on Bros fails at the box office as Smile arrives at No. 1 in ~movies
patience_limited LinkI saw an ad for Bros for the first time on Hulu during Reservation Dogs on Friday. As a general rule the ad placements on that show are a mess, featuring gambling, psychiatric medications, car...I saw an ad for Bros for the first time on Hulu during Reservation Dogs on Friday. As a general rule the ad placements on that show are a mess, featuring gambling, psychiatric medications, car insurance, and an incoherent assortment of other Hulu shows. I just mentally blank them out as much as possible.
In that “can we please get back to the program I paid to watch” mindset, I binned Bros as yet another “men acting badly yet mysteriously things turn out OK” Bachelor Party-type vehicle. Though truth be told, I’d have veered off even harder had I pegged it as a rom-com, regardless of the genders involved. I had no idea it was a gay romance from the ad, and didn’t understand a thing until I read the Guardian review the next day.
Catastrophic marketing failure doesn’t even begin to describe the situation. I don’t know who’s the target audience for most of Judd Apatow’s inane, juvenile work (excepting 40-Year Old Virgin, which was saved by the cast), but it’s a set that doesn’t include me, regardless of whether I approve the social purpose. [I’ve curmudgeonly said the same thing about Taika Waititi’s output, but Reservation Dogs is the work of a grownup, Sterlin Harjo, and Waititi is just producing.]
Like u/Loire, “Bros” just isn’t a movie I’d watch at theater prices during the best of times, if at all, let alone with COVID circulating.
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Comment on Timasomo 2022: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
patience_limited LinkWe’re more or less settled in the house and the various landscaping and garden projects should be finished in the next week or two (400 spring bulbs still to be planted…). That means I have no...We’re more or less settled in the house and the various landscaping and garden projects should be finished in the next week or two (400 spring bulbs still to be planted…).
That means I have no more excuses and will get my lapidary/jewelry workbench set up for this winter. The spouse has asked me to teach him how to use precious metal clay. So if the enameling kiln and lapidary grinder survived all the moves, I should have at least one collaborative project and some personal stonework (previous examples) to show by the end of the month.
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Comment on Cheap, easy, and not-too-unhealthy homemade snacks? in ~food
patience_limited LinkCrispy roasted kale is delicious and has all the addictive crunchy, salty, greasy qualities you expect from junk food, but it's much healthier. It's not exactly cheap (unless, like me, you have an...Crispy roasted kale is delicious and has all the addictive crunchy, salty, greasy qualities you expect from junk food, but it's much healthier. It's not exactly cheap (unless, like me, you have an overabundance of kale from the garden), though.
Chia pudding (example) is a great-tasting, easy sweet treat with the advantage that it has plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber to promote good intestinal biota, slow gastric emptying and reduce glycemic index.
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Comment on Good enough kitchen appliances brands recommendations in ~food
patience_limited Link ParentI completely agree - we've had Samsung washers in two homes and they're fantastic. The one in the current house is 10 years old, gets regular doses of sand, and doesn't even squeak if we throw in...I completely agree - we've had Samsung washers in two homes and they're fantastic. The one in the current house is 10 years old, gets regular doses of sand, and doesn't even squeak if we throw in a comforter.
But their design and quality clearly isn't consistent across all products or models. You'd think a washing machine and a dishwasher would incorporate similar technology, but the big magnetic direct drive motors on Samsung and LG clothes washers are very much more reliable than the dishwasher sprayer drives.
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Comment on Norway-Poland gas pipeline opens in key move to cut dependency on Russia – could be at full capacity a month early due to good progress on work in Denmark in ~enviro
patience_limited LinkThe theories I've seen are that this sabotage action: will be used by Russia to invoke force majeure clauses in it's contracts to avoid liability for failures to meet stated deliveries; and acts...The theories I've seen are that this sabotage action:
- will be used by Russia to invoke force majeure clauses in it's contracts to avoid liability for failures to meet stated deliveries; and
- acts as an implied threat to Norwegian undersea pipelines.
Oh, for goodness sake. There is no "perfect" font for every use case. Most of the fonts mentioned were originally intended for the optimum contrast and lighting inherent with carbon black ink text on (nearly) white paper.
Having survived everything from amber on black TTY screens to murky e-paper to Retina displays at 300 dpi to the sharpest, highest-contrast current OLED TVs/gaming monitors, it's still difficult to find a font that works for everyone, every task, everywhere, all the time.
There's not much public data on human factors/UI design for a "most readable" font, either. Maybe the Marines need to talk with the Air Force for whatever aviation standards can offer?