plutonic's recent activity
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Comment on Loblaw says financial impact of May boycott 'minor', as sales grow and profit slips in ~finance
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Comment on Spotify raises US prices of premium streaming plans for second time in one year in ~music
plutonic LinkI listen to a lot of music (roughly 50,000 minutes last year). To me Spotify is still the best value for money of any of the subscriptions that I pay for. To have access to such a large library of...I listen to a lot of music (roughly 50,000 minutes last year). To me Spotify is still the best value for money of any of the subscriptions that I pay for. To have access to such a large library of music and be able to listen to whatever I want whenever I want is priceless. I am also now using it to listen to audiobooks at no additional cost (I only listen during my morning commute which comes in just under 15hr/month, lucky me). I remember paying upwards of $15-20 for a single album, now I listen to 30+ new albums a month (most of them once and never again) for less than the cost of a single album previously. Add in 'Release Radar' for the 5000+ artists I follow and the recommendation algorithms (love them or hate them) Spotify would have to increase its price by a lot more before I started questioning its value.
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Comment on What are some more obscure hobbies you enjoy? in ~hobbies
plutonic Link ParentDefinitely not a book for beginners, the names in Russian literature can be especially challenging. Certainly not impossible if you up are up for a challenge!Definitely not a book for beginners, the names in Russian literature can be especially challenging. Certainly not impossible if you up are up for a challenge!
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Comment on What are some more obscure hobbies you enjoy? in ~hobbies
plutonic LinkI collect books. I have a 3500+ volume library built in a room of my house. Floor to ceiling bookcases and a back to back bookcase false wall. It is arranged into sections: Literature pre-1900,...I collect books. I have a 3500+ volume library built in a room of my house. Floor to ceiling bookcases and a back to back bookcase false wall. It is arranged into sections: Literature pre-1900, Literature post-1900, Sci-fi, Psychedelia, Science, Poetry and some other misc stuff. It is really my pride and joy and has taken years to put together with frequent trips to thrift stores, used bookstores and book sales. I keep a detailed catalog in a Google Doc's sheet so I can reference what I already have when out shopping. I'm having more and more to order from online used book sellers as I've nearly exhausted the supply of what you can find generally in the real world. Personal favourite book: The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
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Comment on What are some of your favorite cookbooks that you find yourself returning to time and time again? in ~food
plutonic LinkThe Curry Guy Bible If Indian cooking is what you are after this is the holy grail. It not only covers traditional start from scratch recipes, it has a section explaining how you make curries...The Curry Guy Bible
If Indian cooking is what you are after this is the holy grail. It not only covers traditional start from scratch recipes, it has a section explaining how you make curries restaurant style where you prepare a base curry sauce that then becomes the base of all the curries you see in the restaurants. Every single thing is from scratch and you will need a large assortment of Indian spices, all the theory behind the cooking methods and spices are explained in detail. Everything I have made from this book has been amazing and better tasting then what you can get at a typical Indian restaurant (and I live in an area known for it's Indian restaurants). -
Comment on Exciting, unlikely, or weird applications for AR-in-VR in ~tech
plutonic LinkI dream of having a permanent HUD that provides me with various information. I would like to see the time and temperature at all times. When I look at a business sign, I want to see the Google...I dream of having a permanent HUD that provides me with various information. I would like to see the time and temperature at all times. When I look at a business sign, I want to see the Google rating and some brief information about the establishment. I see the ability to pick up an object and trigger an AI to conduct an online image search, providing me with a list of web stores and their prices. It would be convenient to compare and read reviews for different tech products by simply holding up two objects. Additionally, I would like the HUD to assist with city navigation, offer optical zoom capabilities, and enable me to capture snapshots and audio/video recordings. While facial recognition is too dystopian re: John Conner, the possibilities of a HUD are endless.
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Comment on Distrohoppers, what's your flavor this week? in ~comp
plutonic LinkI made the switch to Linux Mint this year after being a lifelong Windows user. I held onto Windows 7 until the last day, but things were starting to break. (I've been behind a PFsense box for...I made the switch to Linux Mint this year after being a lifelong Windows user. I held onto Windows 7 until the last day, but things were starting to break. (I've been behind a PFsense box for years, so I wasn't too worried about security as long as I had an up-to-date browser.) There was no way I would even consider Windows 11 as an option, so I finally took the leap to Linux. The transition has been very painless, and I haven't looked back. I am not a gamer, so choosing Linux was a no-brainer. I've found ChatGPT extremely useful when I've needed help figuring out how to do something. This is it, the year of Linux on the desktop! hah
To me the whole thing was always absurd, around where I am 'Real Canadian Superstore' which is owned by Loblaws is one of the cheapest grocery stores, the only place cheaper usually is Walmart or if you are lucky a local fruit and veggie store. Shopping for groceries at Walmart to me is a nightmare, the store and shelves are a mess and the produce is terrible. There is a chain here 'Save-On-Foods' where the prices can be literally double that of the Loblaws owned store, and it isn't even a 'boutique' grocery store, those are even more expensive.
Loblaws profits are somewhere around 3% and that is considered robbery and gross profiteering? So if I come up to the till and my bill comes to $100 and a siren goes off, Mr Weston himself emerges from the back of the store and proudly declares that this lucky customer will have all profit removed from his bill, I now owe $97.
This boycott was misdirected from the beginning, go take a look at the profit margins for Nestle, McCain, Coca-Cola and tell me who the real profiteers are in the food game.